Vol. LXXXVIII No. 40 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 88 Years of
Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -Jewish groups don’t endorse U.S. Supreme Court nominees, at least in writing. The tears and choked sobs when Sonia Sotomayor accepted President Obama’s nomination on Tuesday told another story. Packed into the room along with Sotomayor’s family, friends and colleagues were representatives of Jewish groups that have consulted with the White House about prospective replacements for David Souter. The story of her life -- the daughter of a Puerto Rican single mother from the Bronx, NY, whose ambitions knew no President Obama meets with Judge Sonia Sotomayor in the Oval Office on May 21, five bounds -- resounded with a days before he nominated Sotomayor for a U.S. Supreme Court seat. Credit: Pete Souza community that has made the story of immigrant tri- for strong Jewish-Hispanic relations. In 1986, when she umph over struggle a template of Jewish American suc- was in private legal practice, she joined one of the first young leadership tours of Israel sponsored by Project cess. “It was impossible not to moved by her personal Interchange, which is affiliated with the American story,” said Mark Pelavin, the associate director of the Jewish Committee. Sotomayor so enjoyed the country -- its immigrant Reform movement’s Religious Action Center. “To see her mother sitting there and think about what this says culture, its popular music influenced heavily by Jewish about her and her country -- the combination of some- immigrants from Argentina and Brazil -- that she made one who grew up in a housing project, who has been on a return visit in 1996 when she was a federal judge, and the bench for a long time, but who has been a prosecu- recently joined a Project Interchange U.S.-Israel forum on immigration. In the process, she formed a lifelong tor as well, that combination is very powerful.” “It was thrilling,” said Sammie Moshenberg, the friendship with Project Interchange founder Debbie director of the National Council of Jewish Women’s Berger and her husband, Paul, who attended her swearing-in as a Manhattan appeals court judge in 1998. Washington office. It doesn’t hurt that Sotomayor, 54, is a poster child Continued on page 2
Former Omaha teen leader completes IDF service, begins university in Israel
Inside
As a fluent English/Hebrew speaker, Lt. Gal Tsabari served as a liaison to United Nations troops stationed in the Golan, running operations to prepare for crises.
This Week: Father’s Day/Graduation issue starts on Page: 6
See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’ Opinion Page see page 12
NCJW to honor Pichik and Raffel at installation event: Page 3
June 5, 2009
My father remembered
Life story, Israel trips tie Sotomayor to Jews
by CAROL KATZMAN Editor of the Jewish Press Omahans may recall Gal Tsabari as one of the 2005 winners of the Federation’s Teen Leadership Award. But her comrades in the Israel Defense Force, know her as Lt. Tsabari. She recently mustered out of the army, but like every Israeli, she’ll be subject to a reserve call-up. The 22-year-old daughter of Eitan and Eadie Tsabari is home for a month on vacation and spoke to the Jewish Press about her three and a half years of army service. She’ll be returning to her home next week in Tel Aviv, before she moves to Jerusalem in the fall to enter Hebrew University. She knew five years ago that this would be her path. “I was 17 when I made the decision, “Tsabari said. “Omaha was a wonderful place to grow up, a great environment, but there was something missing.” Her father, Eitan is a sabra and served in the IDF during the 1967 Six-Day War. Her mother, Eadie, a native Omahan, moved to Israel in 1979 where she met and married Eitan, who already had two sons, Onie and Ran. “I’ve always been drawn to Israelis and my brothers are both living there now,” she added, “so I thought the best way to find out if it was the right place for me was to join the army.” Gal joined Garin Tzabar, which keeps a group of new recruits from the Diaspora together, many of them children of Israelis. The program, which is funded by the UJC, (United Jewish Communities) from annual campaign Continued on page 10
13 Sivan 5769
by ROBERT RICKOVER Editor’s note: This article is from a eulogy given at Temple B’nai Jeshrun in Lincoln, at Yom Kippur services on Oct. 9, 2008. Admiral Rickover, known as the Father of the Nuclear Navy, died on July 8, 1986, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Today, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, is best remembered for developing the first atomic-powered submarine. With the launching of first of these, the Nautilus, in 1954, he was dubbed “The Father of the Atomic Submarine”. As Admiral Rickover’s only child, that made me The Atomic Submarine and you can imagine what I now had to live up to. And just when I had become used to it, several atomic-powered surface ships were built and my father became “The Father of the Nuclear Navy” - and I acquired an even more bizarre identity! My father had a well-deserved reputation for doing whatever was necessary to see his projects to completion. He was famous for ignoring traditional naval customs and for bypassing existing organizational hierarchies. He created his own independent power structure with the help of sympathetic members of congress and the media. He demanded the very highest standards and pushed defense contractors, his own staff and himself to the limit.
Admiral Hyman Rickover chats with President Jimmy Carter in the Oval Office, 1979. He would fly into a rage with anyone he felt was lazy or incompetent. His interviews with the young officers who wanted to join his program were legendary. He wanted to make sure they could adapt to whatever situation they found themselves in and so they were typically placed in unexpected and stressful circumstances. During the interviews, they typically found themselves sitting in a chair with the front two legs shortened so that they had to struggle to remain seated. If they gave unsatisfactory answers to my father’s questions, they were summarily dismissed, or sent to sit in a broom closet for hours to re-think their answers. Many were assigned bizarre and extremely challenging tasks to test their resourcefulness. Of course I didn’t see a lot of this firsthand, but when my father was at home, he spent a good deal of time on the phone and my mother and I could always tell whether he was talking to an errant contractor (loud cursing and yelling), one of his subordinates (never a “hello” or “goodbye” as these niceties wasted precious seconds), or to a Congressman, Senator or other VIP (polite and very respectful). Today, I’d like to talk about some aspects of my father’s personal life that are not so well known. Although he traveled a great deal, he tried to be home for at least part of every weekend. On Sundays, he and I would take very long walks through Washington’s Rock Creek Park and we discussed all manner of topics. I recall once, during the 1952 presidential campaign, he said he didn’t think Eisenhower would win. I was certain he would and offered to bet money not only on the national election, but on the outcome in a number of states. but on the outcome in a number of states. Continued on page 7
Coming This Month: Senior Living: June 26 Salute to graduating high school seniors: Pages 8-9
Temple students attend HUC leadership conferences: Page 16
Page 2
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
June 5, 2009
Life story, Israel trips tie Sotomayor to Jews
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Continued ofrom page 1 “She enjoyed Israel not just from an intellectual perspective, she liked the music and the people,” Paul Berger told JTA. Richard Foltin, the legislative director for the AJC, said her background naturally played a role in how the Jewish community would welcome her. “We must recognize the significance of the third woman and first Hispanic on the court,” he said. “And there’s no question of her impressive qualifications.” Sotomayor would come to the Supreme Court with one of the longest bench careers in its history, having handed down or joined 3,000 decisions in 18 years as a federal and appeals court judge. That’s a lot to read through and accounted for a degree of hesitancy from Jewish groups that were enthused about her life story but just getting to know her judicial record. “I’ve got a bunch of opinions in my briefcase and it’s time to start reading,” Pelavin said. The National Council of Jewish Women -- one of the few Jewish groups that expresses an opinion on judicial candidates -- has yet to announce where it stands. Whatever the case, said Nancy Ratzan, the NCJW’s president, the organization would dedicate itself to ensuring that Sotomayor receives a fair hearing. “Our 90,000 followers will be focused on making sure it’s a fair and prompt process that focuses on her record,” she said. NCJW and the Religious Action Center will canvass members for appropriate Nancy Ratzan questions for Sotomayor during the confirmation process; the questions will be relayed to the U.S. Senate Judicary Committee. Leaders of the Anti-Defamation League issued a statement calling for a process that is conducted “professionally, and with civility and respect,” and praised the pick
while stopping short of an official endorsement. “We applaud President Obama for having selected this noted jurist to be the Court’s first Hispanic and third woman Justice,” the ADL leaders stated. “If confirmed, she will undoubtedly bring an important new perspective to the work of the Court.” Even the Orthodox Union, which tends to stake out more conservative ground than other Jewish organizations on church-state issues, spoke positively about Sotomayor, citing several religious freedom-related cases. In a 1993 case, she upheld the constitutional right of a rabbi in White Plains, NY, to display a menorah in a city park. In two other cases, in 1994 and 2003, Sotomayor upheld prisoners’ religious rights even though the practices in question did not conform with mainstream beliefs. And in 2006, she ruled that allowing federal age discrimination statutes to apply to a 70-yearold minister dismissed by the Methodist church would constitute unwarranted government interference in church affairs. Those decisions, OU said, were “very encouranging.” Marc Stern, the legal counsel for the American Jewish Congress, predicted that Sotomayor's long bench experience ultimately will be a plus. More time on the bench shaping reasoned opinions made her less of a target than other nominees -- like Lani Gunier, Robert Bork and Samuel Alito -- whose years pushing intellectual boundaries in the halls of academe handed fodder to opponents seeking controversial statements. Additionally, the Second Circuit of Appeals -- based in Manhattan and covering New York, Connecticut and Vermont -- deals with cases emerging from courts and legislatures that already trend liberal. That means it is less likely to address issues such as abortion and discrimination that often exercise Jewish groups. “There’s no track record that anyone can point to,” Stern said, referring to such hot-button issues. “There’s not likely going to be a whole lot there as a smoking gun.”
Beth El’s Kadima Shabbaton leaves Middle School students invigorated, inspired and enriched
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by JILL BELMONT building called the Inspiration Center, on a deck that Beth El Publicity Coordinator opened up beautifully into the woods. Everybody loved It was all about friendship and fun, punctuated with playing percussion instruments throughout the services, spirituality and learning; and when it was over, there was as well as at the bonfire on Saturday night following nothing but rave reviews for Beth El’s sixth annual Havdalah. Kadima Shabbaton. Geared to middle-school students, “Overall,” he added, “everybody had a wonderful the recent retreat took place at the 4-H Camp in Gretna time and is anticipating coming back next year, either as and carried the theme “D’s (Decisions) Are Good for a camper or as a USY staff member.” Several students You,” referring to smart decision-making in different shared their thoughts about the weekend: Sixth grader aspects of life. Activities Ethan Potash, attending his included a special Shabbat first Shabbaton, said the celebration, singing, games, weekend was special because discussion groups and out“everyone treated everyone door activities, including with respect.” He added that canoeing, archery and highthe most important thing he ropes courses. learned from the discussion “This was our sixth groups was “to feel good Shabbaton, and by far it was about yourself, no matter if the most successful,” said you lose or win.” Beth El Education Director Sammy Lieb, also a firstJudy Rubin. “It was well time attendee, cited the high organized, we had great parropes course as a favorite ticipation from the kids and activity, “because I’ve never our cognitive and affective done anything like it”; goals were all met. We usual- Kadimaniks, USY assistants and adult facilitators were treat- Aaron Kurtzman also ly conduct the Shabbatonim ed to a memorable weekend during Beth El’s sixth annual enjoyed the challenge of the in the middle of winter and it Kadima Shabbaton. ropes course, “even though was a great decision to change it to spring. We were able it was scary”; canoeing with his friends also topped his to utilize the facilities to a far greater degree at the 4-H list of favorites. camp.” Youth Director Robert Mosenkis led the weekSeveral participants noted that the discussion group end activities, assisted by Rubin, Rabbi Mordechai that dealt with parents was significant to them. “The Levin, Cantor Beth Schlossberg, Andy Greenberg, most important thing I learned was to respect our parents Tamar HaLevy, Mark Kelln, Jason Rich, Joshua Sweet, because they do everything for you,” Kurtzman said. Mor Scheinbein, Abby Ginsburg, and an enthusiastic Naomi Zipursky and her brother, Aaron, echoed that group of USYers. thought: “I learned that you should always try your Rubin shared an observation made by Greenberg dur- hardest and listen to your parents,” Naomi remarked; ing the weekend: “Those students who participate in the Aaron said that “your parents are important and you Shabbaton usually continue their Jewish studies on the should respect them.” high school level. That means that those students who Overall, the Shabbaton weekend got the stamp of continue their Jewish studies on the high school level go approval from Sarah Kutler, who said, “I would definiteon to become affiliated with the Jewish community to a ly recommend Shabbaton to anyone who enjoys the outhigher degree, and their Jewish identities are stronger.” doors and is not afraid of heights and loves being around Mosenkis called the weekend “a great success,” and Jewish friends.” applauded the perfect weather which made all of the Kadima Shabbaton was made possible, in part, by a outdoor fun possible. “All of our services were held at a generous donation from the Herbert Goldsten Trust.
June 5, 2009
Omaha’s Swanson Elementary fifth graders visit Nebraska Holocaust Memorial in Lincoln by GARY HILL After a visit to their classroom by Holocaust survivor Sam Fried, fifth graders from Omaha’s Swanson Elementary visited the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial located at Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln. With support from the Heartland Holocaust Educational Fund (HHEF), approximately 40 students came to Lincoln by school bus and spent about 90 minutes at the Memorial.
Seniors from Lincoln’s Southeast High School Holocaust class, who serve as members of the Memorial’s Executive Committee, were on hand to answer questions and explain various aspects of the Memorial. Fried was also present to answer questions and provide information on the Holocaust. The students spent time on their own looking at the Memorial and the Wall of Remembrance, which contains pictures and explanations of the Holocaust. This was followed by a short presentation and an opportunity for the students to ask questions or offer comments. Prior to leaving, the students placed stones on the Memorial to symbolically show their respect for those who perished in the Holocaust. One of the Memorial’s features is the section of engraved bricks commemorating individuals who have donated to the Memorial and its educational programs in honor or memory of family and friends. Prominent in the display of bricks are several with the names of supportive schools. Swanson students were informed that a new brick is being added with the name, “Omaha Swanson Elementary School.” Visits to the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial by schools throughout the state are a major interest of the HHEF. High school students who have participated in extensive Holocaust education programs serve as docents and are preparing information brochures. The Memorial is open to visitors seven days a week and prior permission to visit is not required. Those interested in bringing a class or group and would like someone to meet with them at the Memorial are encouraged to contact: me at Garyhill@cega.com or by phone, at 402.420.0602.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 3
NCJW to honor two volunteers at Installation by OZZIE NOGG for National Council of Jewish Women When National Council of Jewish Women-Omaha Section installs its new officers and board on Wednesday, June 24, 6:30 p.m., Shelly Pichik will receive the Distinguished Service Award, and Wendy Raffel, the Emerging Leader Award. Roxanne Kahn chaired the 2009 Awards Committee which included Carol Katzman, Dana Kaufman and Patty (Steve) Nogg. The Distinguished Service Award recognizes a dedicated NCJW member who volunteers with a willingness to work at any level. Pichik receives the honor to mark her years of outstanding service, along with her loyalty, commitment and impact on the Omaha Section. She is currently completing a two-year term as Omaha Wendy Raffel Section Co-President with Tina Meyers. “Shelly is so very deserving of this award,” Meyers said. “She’s worked so hard to bring creative new programs to our Section and get them off the ground during her Presidency. I’m really excited for her.” Pichik previously served on the Omaha Section Board for two years as Co-Vice President of Fund-raising and for two years as Financial Secretary. She has been instrumental in developing new Community Service Projects, such as Totes for Tots and Teens and Reading Pups, and in driving new Fund-raising opportunities, such as the Consignment Sale and the Fall Boutique Fund-raiser. “Shelly throws herself totally into every NCJW volunteer opportunity from Gift Wrap to Dictionary Day to new member events,” Meyers continued. “She has represented the Omaha Section at many National Conventions and Leaders’ Retreats and is constantly searching out new ideas to tie National’s programming into the Omaha section projects and to energize and interest our members. She is truly an advocate for women, children and families and exemplifies the NCJW mission.” Pichik is a past member of the Federation’s Budget and Allocations Committee and has volunteered with the Fullerton Elementary School PTA, the Humane Society, the Nebraska AIDS Project and Child Saving Institute. Shelly and her husband, Mike Pichik, are parents of Alexandra, 12, and Natalie, nine. As the recipient of this year’s Emerging Leader Award, Raffel is being honored for her ‘potential for assuming future section leadership,’ and as someone who ‘understands and supports the NCJW purpose and programs and demonstrates commitment to the section.’ The Emerging Leadership Award was begun at the NCJW national level for each Section to pay tribute to a mem-
ber new to the NCJW scene who shows great promise. “Wendy Raffel has been a valuable participant at board meetings and all NCJW events,” Tina Meyers said. “She has developed a good understanding of our Section and a passion for NCJW's mission. She has the potential to become a future leader.” Among her many contributions, Raffel most recently sat on the Section Board for two years as Treasurer. Prior to joining the Board, she co-chaired the NCJW Fall Fundraiser for two consecutive years with her mother, Suzy Sheldon, and with Patty (Steve) Nogg and Jaime Nogg. In addition to her responsibilities as Treasurer, Raffel has co-chaired the Donor for the past two years. Before moving back to Omaha in 2005, Raffel worked for the Jewish Community Centers of Shelly Pichik Chicago for eight years. In the late 1980s, she received the Omaha Federation’s Jewish Teen Leader Award. Raffel currently sits on the Federation Board as Committee Development Chair, and is also a committee member of Young Jewish Omaha. Wendy and her husband, Adam Raffel, have two sons: Benjamin, 9, and Jordan, six. According to Installation Chairman Melissa Shapiro, “The event is a progressive home tour. We’ll begin with appetizers at the home of Sharee Newman. At around 7:45 p.m. we’ll move on to the home of Carol Bloch where, weather permitting, we’ll have dessert and the awards and installation ceremony outdoors in her beautiful backyard. The evening is open to the entire community and we invite you to attend.” Cost is $20. To RSVP, please send your check made out to NCJW to: Melissa Shapiro at 12908 Seward St., Omaha, NE 68154. For more information, please contact her at: smallshap@aol.com or 614.6571. The new Officers and Board include: Co-Presidents: Andee Scioli and Nikki Kirshenbaum; Community Service VPs: Roxanne Kahn and Marcy Ruback; Public Affairs/Education VP: Sara Juster; Membership VPs: Jaime Nogg and Wendy Raffel; Fundraising VP: Vicki Sanford; Treasurer: Beth Friedman; Financial Secretary: Julie Martin; Corresponding Secretary: Cheryl Lerner; Recording Secretary: Pam Friedlander; Parliamentarians: Debbie Friedman and Dottie Rosenblum; Directors: Lori Kooper-Schwarz, Melissa Stern, Patty (Steve) Nogg, Michelle Hoberman, and Kate Kirshenbaum; Nominating Chairman: Joanie Jacobson; Nominating Committee from the Membership: Bunny Rothenberg, Diane Malashock, Iris Ricks, and Carol Katzman.
Page 4
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
June 5, 2009
The White City’s centennial PEOPLE OF THE
BYTE
by MARK MIETKIEWICZ
If Jerusalem is the City of Gold, then Tel Aviv is the City of White. Tel Aviv has just kicked off its centennial celebrations and much is being made of the city’s unique architecture. Today, a look at what makes the city special and events planned to mark its special birthday. As for the “white” reference, it refers to one of the city’s unique treasures, its White City, “a collection of 4,000 Bauhaus or International style buildings built in Tel Aviv from the 1930s by German Jewish architects who immigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine after the rise of the Nazis.” [tinyurl.com/telaviv11] In July 2003, UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, proclaimed Tel Aviv’s White City a World Cultural Heritage site. [tinyurl.com/telaviv12] There are many sites that explore the city’s unique architecture. [tinyurl.com/ telaviv13] I particularly like this one because it takes advantage of “pano-photography,” 360-degree panoramic images that let you simulate being at the center of the photo and rotate it to take in the sights. [tinyurl.com/telaviv14] The best way to keep up with this year’s special anniversary activities is to download the 72-page official Tel Aviv Centennial Handbook. Events include: • The “White Night”: Party all night and visit the city’s museum for free until dawn. (June) • The Centennial Flower Carpet: The Jewish New Year 5770 will be greeted in Rabin Square with a gigantic carpet – nearly one square mile – made entirely of flowers. (September) • The inauguration of three walking
trails marked by colors emblematic of the city: White (the Urban Heritage Route), Blue (the Sea Route) and Green (the Urban Nature Route). [tinyurl.com/telaviv15] (By the way, the Centennial Handbook is one of the best on-line experiences I’ve had that mimics the feel of thumbing through a physical booklet. [tinyurl.com/telaviv16] Speaking of walking, Google now pro-
Tel Aviv for some shopping. Doing that means missing some of the best museums and attractions the city has to offer. [tinyurl.com/telaviv19] And don’t forget to take in a café or two. The author of this list of favorites seems to take some pride that scores of Tel Aviv cafés have been able to survive and thrive in a city where Starbucks folded up and left. “There was just too much competition from local cafés that offered a better product for a lower price.” [tinyurl. com/telaviv20]
denizens. Lisa Goldman had written a charming paean in Forward. [tinyurl. com/telaviv26] And I’ll close with the words of Ashley P: “Tel Aviv has changed a lot in 18 years, as have I. … It has turned into a cool, happening metropolis. OK, so Tel Aviv residents can still be as aggressive as ever and still drive like lunatics, but the Tel Aviv that welcomed me with a cap in hand and still lived 10 years behind Europe, has turned itself into a bit of a swan. Lots of green parks for the kids to
Above: This archive photo shows Tel Aviv in 1920. Top right: A building in the “White City “section of Tel Aviv. Bottom right: White Night was established to celebrate the vides first class maps of Tel Aviv (and many other Israeli cities.) What I particularly like is the option that overlays user photos, videos and Wikipedia entries right onto the map so that you get a real feel for the environs. [tinyurl.com/telaviv17] Google’s maps are in English. If you’d like to compare them to the homegrown version, check out Mapa’s Hebrew maps. [tinyurl.com/telaviv18] Both services are free. All too often visitors from abroad spend the bulk of their visit to Israel elsewhere and perhaps make a perfunctory visit to
UNESCO World Heritage designation of the White City. All photos courtesy of the Israel Ministry of Tourism and the Yafo Centennial Year Administration. If you crave being in the White City but don’t have a trip planned, you can pick up a copy of Tel Aviv Short Stories. The fiction anthology of 52 stories set in Tel Aviv written in English by 37 authors has just been published and gives a wonderful taste of life in the metropolis. [tinyurl. com/telaviv24] There’s a lovely clip on YouTube that gives you a good feel for the city, the book and its authors. [tinyurl.com/telaviv28] Although there is no shortage of official sites marking the anniversary, I’m partial to the blogs and articles by the city’s own
play in, the latest fashions and trends, great places to eat and drink… but, of course, the Med still lapping at those sandy shores. My Tel Aviv: 18 years in a 24-hour city, celebrating 100. Mazal Tov!” [tinyurl.com/telaviv27] Mark Mietkiewicz is a Toronto-based Internet producer who writes, lectures and teaches about the Jewish Internet. He can be reached at highway@rogers.com.
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June 5, 2009
IN THE NEWS
Stephanie Olesh is the recipient of the Connor Meigs Art Award 2009 for her painting, “Myth & Mundane.” An Omaha native and 2004 graduate of Central, the daughter of Bob and Donna Olesh is a 2008 BFA graduate of the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design. Stephanie’s paintings mix nature and culture with fantasy and narrative stories. “I am driven by the rush I get from watching a movie, or listening to music while walking outside. It’s possible to become invested in a story even just with the mood of a song,” she says. “It affects how I see everything. The icons of our stories are present in our dreams and in our lives, and I feel most rewarded when myth and mundane overlap.” Her works of art will be exhibited at the Florence Mill Art Loft, 9102 No. 30 St. (located next to I-680 Exit 13). An opening reception is this Sunday, June 7, 1:304:30 p.m. The exhibit runs from through July 12. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 1-5 p.m., and by appointment call 551.1233.
Mara Zalkin received a Masters in Social Work (MSW) degree in Gerontology and Jewish Communal Service from the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. She earned an undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Northeastern University in Boston. Her field placements included work in the St. Louis JCC’s Adult DayCare Center, and the Hillel House of Washington University. She also worked as a research assistant at Washington University’s Center For Mental Health Services Research Center. She hopes to begin her professional career in San Francisco. David Zalkin received a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. He will be serving a pediatric residency at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, where he lives with his wife, Jessica, and son, Shmuel Yecusiel . They are the children of former Omahans, Mark and Susan Zalkin of Denver. Grandparents are the late
Monie and Allen Zalkin, Evelyn Flaxer of Denver and the late Dr. Carl Flaxer. The Omaha Press Club has announced six “Journalists of Excellence” will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on June 6, among them Howard Silber. The honorees were selected from nominations based on their exceptional leadership, courage and contributions to the broadcast, print or news media industry. Silber was the Midlands’ authoritative eyewitness to the Cold War during his more than 30 years at the Omaha World-Herald. He went with troops into battle in Vietnam, was one of the first four correspondents to fly on a B-52 bombing raid and cruised aboard a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine. He was the Midlands stringer for Reuters for more than 20 years. Silber retired in 1988, but continued to write as a freelancer for the Jewish Press and served on its Board of Directors. In addition to Silber, Harold W. Andersen, John Clark, Mark O. Gautier, Jr., James M. McGaffin, Jr., and Jack Payne will be inducted. The event is open to the public. For reservations, call 345.8008. One of Omaha’s legendary political and civic leaders will be recognized with a street named in his memory. The Harry A. Trustin Riverfront Drive, along the Missouri River, will be unveiled Thursday, June 4, 11 a.m. His son, Col. Yale Trustin, retired Air Force, of Austin, TX, and daughter, Barbara Trustin Taxman, will host the event. Among the dignitaries will be Mike Fahey, mayor of Omaha, and Jim Suttle, mayor-elect. Trustin, a World War I veteran, served on Omaha’s City Commission and later its City Council. He was elected vice-president of the City Charter Convention and served as City Engineer. Probably his biggest achievement was his assistance in the development of the Pick-Sloan plan for the creation of dams on the upper Missouri River; Trustin appeared before the Congress and met with President Harry Truman to lead the fight to fund the dams. An original chamber opera composed by former Omahan Marti Epstein was performed last week in Boston. Rumplestiltskin, a one-act, is a modern adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, according to Epstein, who said, “I have always been very interested in looking at familair stories from unusual vantage points.” The daughter of Tuffy and Helen Epstein, she has degrees from the University of Colorado and Boston University and has taught harmony, counterpoint, and composition at the prestigious Berklee College of Music since 1991.
ORGANIZATIONS
NEBRASKA JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND THE KRIPKE LIBRARY On Wednesday, July 15, 7 p.m., in the JCC Auditorium, the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society and the Kripke Library will host an event featuring Tighe Zimmers, author of the book, Tin Pan Alley, A Biography of Ann Ronell, with music of Ronell performed by Emily Meyer and Tuffy Epstein. Ann (Rosenblatt) Ronell, who grew up in Omaha, was best known as the writer of the lyric for the popular Disney song “Who’s Afraid the Big Bad Wolf,” as well as the American Standard “Willow Weep for Me”. The event will be open to the entire community.
Associated Counseling Professionals
VISIONS The Brownville Concert Series presents Karen Akers in “Simply Styne” on Sunday, June 28. Dinner follows at the Golden Corral in Bellevue. Cost is $38. Send reservations to Rose Pitlor, 827 Dillon Dr. Omaha, NE 68132. For questions, call her at 558.5144. If you need at ride to the JCC, call Florence Hauss at 571.4583. Join us for dinner and a melodrama at Mahoney State
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Park to see “Goodnight Goodhart” on Wednesday, July 8. Cost is $30. Send reservations to Betty Sanford, 9205 Western Ave. #127, Omaha, NE 68114. Make all checks payable to Visions. JEWISH SOCIAL SERVICES The Iowa Western Community Band presents Sensational Summer Sounds at the JCC on Tuesday, June 23, 7 p.m. There is no admission fee. For information, call Mary Heiman, Activities Director at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, at 334.6520, ext. 3. WALK-IN, DROP-IN For those members going to the Bluffs Run Casino on Thursday, June 11, please meet at the JCC by 8:45 a.m. For information, call Maggie Conti at 334.6521 LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Yiddish brings us closer to our roots! Come join us Thursday, 1-3 p.m., at the JCC. For information, call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 5
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
June 5, 2009
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A World of Fashion
FABULOUS FATHER’S DAY SPORTSWEAR DONALD PLINER BOBBY JONES JACK VICTOR COLE-HAAN TRAFALGAR IKE BEHAR ST. CROIX PANCALDI RISCATTO ZANELLA TALBOTT MEZLAN BALLIN TALLIA AGAVE HILTL
CUSTOM CLOTHING AND SHIRTS ALWAYS AVAILABLE Open Monday & Thursday Nights Regency Court 120 Regency Parkway 402/397-7900 www.parsows.com
What’s new for Father’s Day
BERT’S EYE VIEW by BERT LEWIS Father’s Day, 2009. I’m wondering if anything has really changed when it comes to this particular holiday, from back when I first shopped for my dad. How well I remember the ubiquitous after shave lotions, neckties and of course, cuff links. Men’s fashions have changed somewhat in recent decades however, so my question is reasonable, isn’t it? I mean, for example, when did you last see your dad wearing a shirt with French cuffs? I’m sure there are many men (someplace) who still wear those, but really, if we’re being serious, we have to admit it’s not such a common sight anymore. Of course, I have to assume that those lotions are still being used because even though facial hair is seen so much these days, plenty of guys still shave every single morning. And through the years, guys learned they liked such stuff as colognes made just for them, in addition to the shaving products. Yes, there are many manufacturers of men’s cosmetic products and, depending on the brand, I’d bet some of them are really popular with the fellas. The thing is, lots of that sort of stuff is no longer found only for ladies, and I’d have to extend that philosophy all the way to beauty salons. Yes, I’m serious. Most women know it’s not unusual to see a man walk into a salon for his haircut, and for that matter, a few years ago it was not uncommon to see a man getting a perm. I don’t think that big, wild and curly style is so “in” anymore, but I certainly remember that it once was. Now don’t misunderstand. I’m not accusing men of invading our territory, I’m just noting how styles change. And I guess if women can, for instance, drive huge trucks and climb telephone poles, men are entitled to sample stuff from the distaff side. As that ancient phrase says, “the old order changeth”. Darn right. But let’s get back to our original subject, which was what to buy for Dad. I regret with all my heart that I don’t have reason to do that anymore, but I can see what’s out there for the younger generation and I have a hunch they’ve got it easier then I once did. What with all the electronic emphasis on everything we do, it must be a cinch to find something for Dad. Most of the universe uses a computer and a cell phone and whatever you call those little handheld chachtkes that supply information in an instant. There must be umpteen things
to choose from in that category alone, plus games and other types of adult toys. Yeah, I’m thinking shopping for Dad these days happens to be a lot easier. Probably more fun too, because such stuff is demonstrated and shown off by the seller, so it’s a lot more entertaining than finding a necktie that’ll look good with a navy blazer, right? So what have we got here? Another occasion when the retail merchants rejoice and encourage everyone to be sure to “remember Dad”. It’s like my feelings about Mother’s Day. Do we really need one annual day to be reminded how dear a person is to us? Who can’t think of a dozen good things instantly when asked to “tell me about your dad”? But human nature being what it is, most of us don’t automatically check off a list of wonderful traits to be attributed to good old Dad. At least, not until (1) we’re asked and (2) we no longer are lucky enough to have him around. When I think back to shopping for my sweet dad, I first think about ties, because my dad really loved beautiful ties. He was meticulous about his appearance and believed if the necktie wasn’t really perfect, the entire look was spoiled. He liked a certain label, which many men favored, and while they were a tad on the expensive side, they looked it. And, for me, it wasn’t a chore to look at many different ties and try to select just the right one, one that I knew he’d like. A new tie. Even though he had an inventory large enough for 10 men, he really loved a new tie! It’s true, I’ve purchased many, many ties for my own roommate, I never bought one with the pleasure it gave me to buy one for my dad. My guy wore a tie because he had to -- that’s what he did every morning when he dressed, he put on a tie. And, he’s color-blind so it was up to me to find the appropriate choice for this suit or that. It was more an obligation to put on a tie (which he has since stopped doing in his more casual dressing days), but for my dad, it was the finishing touch. Too bad in a way, because there was something really spiffy about the way a fella looked when he was ready to meet the day and go to the office or the store or wherever. Yes, I know most men are happy to forget neckties. But the way men once looked on a daily basis was really nice. At least in my opinion. And you all know how much that’s worth! Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads, and many more! Bert Lewis can be reached at BertLewis39@aol.com.%
ENGAGEMENT WILKENING/SENAL Amanda Jean Wilkening of St. Paul, MN and Hal Glen Senal of Omaha announce their engagement. The bride-to-be is a graduate of College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN, where she earned a BS in Occupational Science in 2006, and a Masters in Occupational Therapy in 2007. She was a member of Kappa Gamma Pi Honor Society. She is an Occupational Therapist for Sister Kenny Rehab at United Hospital of Allina Hospitals and Clinics. She is the daughter Sherry Wilkening and David Wilkening of St. Paul, MN, and the granddaughter of Leonard
Wilkening and the late Jean HuntWilkening, and Carol Aylsworth and the late William Aylsworth. Her fiancé graduated magna cum laude from the University of NebraskaOmaha with a BS in Journalism. He is a lead agent in IT Support for Marriott Worldwide Reservations and a staff writer for the Omaha Weekly Reader. He is the son of Lisa and Mark Senal. A June 13, 2010, wedding is planned in Mendota Heights, MN, at Beth Jacob Congregation. The ceremony will be performed by former Lincolnite, Rabbi Morris Allen.
June 5, 2009
The Complete 15-Minute Gourmet by Paulette
Mitchell (Thomas Nelson, $24.99)
READ IT AND E AT Reviewed by LOIS FRIEDMAN
The author/teacher’s goal is “to offer speedy dishes sophisticated enough to inspire experienced, savvy gourmets” and “to teach novices with simple, basic 15Minute dishes that are incredibly delicious” in this updated version of her 80s series incorporating changes for our busier lifestyles. The chapters organized by protein source are: Poultry, Seafood, Beef, Vegetarian, Basics, and Desserts. Beautiful color photographs accompany many of the easy-to-follow recipes, most of which are for four servings, use fresh ingredients and follow the 15-minute game plan. Tips for selecting and preparing ingredients scattered throughout the cookbook are for Acidulated Water to Zesting and are alphabetically listed in the front of the book. Chapter and head notes cover international origins, flavors and ingredients. Step-by-step instructions are brief. When my husband saw this cookbook he said, “that’s for me” and liked the idea of making a 15 minute meal. Among the listings are Modern Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup, Grilled Pineapple, Teriyaki Vinaigrette, Radiatore with Yams and Spinach, Curried Orzo Salad, Walnut Chicken with Sherry Sauce and this recipe for dad on his day to be made in a hurry.
TUNA AND CANNELLINI BEAN SALAD 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup thinly sliced red onion 1 (6-ounce) can Italian solid light tuna in olive oil, drained salt and Pepper to taste Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil in a medium bowl. Stir in the parsley. Add the beans, onion, and tuna; stir until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings. Lois Friedman can be reached at ReadItAndEat@ yahoo.com.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 7
My father remembered
Continued from page 1 got to visit Navy ships with him and, later, a nuclear subI won every bet and pocketed several dollars, a small marine. fortune for me. But what I remember most was his pride At times, he misjudged our needs. in my prognostic ability. For years, he told the story of My mother once casually mentioned that she had how his son outsmarted him to anyone who would listen. made good use of some little airline soap bars my father During these walks, we made it a point to visit residen- brought home. From then on, whenever he returned tial building sites on the way home. These sites often from a trip, he’d empty a couple of dozen of these bars yielded empty deposit bottles left from his briefcase, The supply far by construction workers which exceeded the demand. we collected. Ordinary bottles We lived in a fairly small apartwere worth 2¢ and large ones 5¢ ment and there wasn’t really much and I got to return them to the room for storage so the bars local grocery and keep the began accumulating in a couple of refunds. Our neighbors became large baskets under the kitchen used to seeing the famous counter. Eventually, I was Admiral and his son schlepping assigned the chore of taking them large brown bags filled with dirty down to the basement where soft-drink bottles. refuse was stored prior to pick up. This was just one example of This was tricky task that required my father’s thrift. He washed his careful timing since the trash was own socks and hung them to dry removed only once a week and my in the bathroom, he replaced the father was in the habit of going heels on his shoes, and whenever down there himself to look for rethe military released unneeded useable cast-offs. food rations, he’d bring home On a more serious note, when boxloads of canned foods and Kthe atomic powered submarine rations for us to eat. Typically, Thresher disappeared while conthe cans were brown and had Adm. Rickover is shown here with his son, Robert, ducting deep sea tests in 1963, he labels like “Chicken, whole, in 1941. was devestated. He had been on boneless, cooked”. I particularly like the K-rations the sub during it’s initial sea trials two years earlier -- just because they contained cracker sandwiches filled with as he had for every new atomic submarine since the peanut butter and a candy bar. Nautilus. He felt that it was only fair to share the risks He was certainly thrifty, but my father could also be inherent in the first voyage of any submarine for which extremely generous with his money, as well as with his he was responsible. time. He donated all the profits from his books and the When he heard the news about the Thresher, he stayed honorariums from his many speaking engagements to a up all night hoping against all odds that she would be Jewish orphanage in Chicago. When one of his staff died found and that her crew were okay. When she was locatduring surgery, he made sure his widow had enough ed at the bottom of the sea, broken apart into six secmoney to tide her and her family over and went to great tions, he wrote personal letters of condolence to the rellengths to find her a good job with the civil service. atives of the 129 officers, crewmen and cilvilians who He became outraged when the car belonging to a sec- had been on board. retary in his office was damaged while being towed from He didn’t talk about it very much, but my mother told a vacant lot adjoining a construction project by the me that he agonized over this loss for years, long after it building contractor. After making some phone calls -- in had became clear that faulty welding in the Navy shipa way that only he could! -- he determined that the lot yard -- something over which he had no control -- was was actually owned by the State of Virginia and that the the cause of the disaster. construction company had started using it illegally for My father cared deeply about his country and was very storage. He made sure they paid a hefty fine and that worried about the threats to our security posed by the they replaced the damaged car with a new one. Soviet Union and China. I believe this explains why he My father was particularly generous with his family. could be such a hard task-master. However, his caring When I did a ninth grade science project on vacuum was not limited to the national level. He was a man who tubes (anyone remember those?) he assembled a huge cared deeply for the Jewish values of family, charity and collection of them and delivered them to my school. He justice as I hope I’ve been able to show in these remarks. arranged for my cub scout troop to have a special tour of Robert Rickover, a teacher of the Alexander the Naval Academy at Annapolis. My friends and I often Technique, lives in Lincoln.
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Page 8
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
June 5, 2009
Salutes... the Class of 2009!!! Aaron Joel Bleicher
Amanda E. Bucher
Salomon Cemaj
Lauren Davis
Macklin E. Emas
Eli Evnen
Hannah Corbit Ferer
Steven Ryan Finkle
Susan Lynne Freeman
Rebecca S. Frishman
Matan Gill
Adam Goldberg
Daniel Grossman
Maxwell A. Halsted
Abby Handleman
Zach Harris
Zachary Helm
Andrea Holmberg
Chelsi Elizabeth Janicek
Joe Kahn
Chani Katzman
Rochi Katzman
Daniel Klein
Leslie Gayle Kravitz
Avery Hannah Lehr
Alec Lerner
Tali Levin
Amy Levinger
AARON JOEL BLEICHER Sandy and Joel Bleicher
AMANDA E. BOUCHER Michelle and Ron Bucher
SALOMON CEMAJ Shirley and Samuel Cemaj
Brownell-Talbot Creighton
MATAN GILL
Millard West University of Kansas-Lawrence
ADAM GOLDBERG
Chris and Eytan Gill
Cindy and Bruce Goldberg
Westside University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Westside Mary Kay Young & Henry Davis DePaul University
Mary Sue & Alex Grossman
Leigh and Rick Emas
Burke Undecided
Mendy and Michael Halsted
Kim Heier and Richard Evnen
Lincoln Southeast New York University
Mary and Whitney Ferer
Central University of Kansas-Lawrence
Judi and Dr. David Finkle
SUSAN LYNNE FREEMAN Robyn and Bob Freeman
REBECCA S. FRISHMAN Martha and Seth Frishman
Millard North University of Nebraska-Omaha
Westside University of Nebraska-Lincoln Beth Rivka-Brooklyn, NY
Shani and Rabbi Mendel Katzman Bait Chana-Sefad, Israel
ROCHI KATZMAN
DANIEL KLEIN
Westside Indiana University
LESLIE GAYLE KRAVITZ
Beth Rivka-Brooklyn, NY
Marti and Jim Harris
AVERY HANNAH LEHR
Burke University of Nebraska-Lincoln
ALEC LERNER Cheryl and Gary Lerner
Kathy Goldstein Helm and Robert Helm
Burke University of Nebraska-Lincoln Millard North University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Ralston Sandy and John Lehr
ZACHARY HELM STEVEN RYAN FINKLE
Westside University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Maureen and Allan Handleman University of Nebraska-Omaha
ZACH HARRIS HANNAH CORBIT FERER
CHANI KATZMAN
Jori and Joseph Kravitz
ABBY HANDLEMAN ELI EVNEN
Westside Yeshivat Lev HaTorah University of MinnesotaFall 2010
Roxanne and Robert Kahn
Janet and Harry Klein
MAXWELL A. HALSTED MACKLIN E. EMAS
JOE KAHN
Shani and Rabbi Mendel Katzman Bait Chana-Sefad, Israel
DANIEL GROSSMAN LAUREN DAVIS
Papillion South University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Brownell-Talbot Kivunim New Directions-Israel University of Oregon-Fall 2010
TALI LEVIN
Millard North
AMY LEVINGER
Central Cornell University
ANDREA HOLMBERG
Millard South University of Nebraska-Omaha
CHELSI ELIZABETH JANICEK Westside Dawn and Greg Janicek University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Helen Cohn and Mark Holmberg University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Westside University of Miami Burke University of Wisconsin-Madison Westside
Susi and Rabbi Mordechai Levin University of Minnesota
Bonnie and Steve Levinger
Millard North University of Michigan
June 5, 2009
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 9
Martin MacNabb
Shawna MacNabb
Rachel Martin
Jessica Morris
Rebecca Noddle
Molly Margaret Noodell
Charles Parsow
Joshua Seth Perrin
Dylan Jack Saferstein
Sam Salzinger
Mitchell Sanford
Julianna M. Scheet
Claire Elizabeth Schlessinger
Ygal Schuller
Max Amar Sherman
Chad Sideris
Alexander Solomon
Justin Zachary Spooner
Lydia Stern
Madisen J. Stoler
Talia Tene
Effie Tsabari
Levi Weiss
Nathan Wolf
MARTIN MACNABB Kaffi and James MacNabb
SHAWNA MACNABB Kaffi and James MacNabb
RACHEL MARTIN Julie and Mark Martin
JESSICA MORRIS Cindy and Allen Morris
REBECCA NODDLE Kim and Jay Noddle
Papillion-La Vista South University of Nebraska-Omaha
MAX AMAR SHERMAN
Papillion-La Vista South University of Nebraska-Omaha
CHAD SIDERIS
Burke University of Arizona
ALEXANDER SOLOMON
Millard North Undecided Westside University of Denver
MOLLY MARGARET NOODELL Millard North Ann and David Noodell Metropolitan Community College CHARLES PARSOW
Westside
Margo and the late Dr. Jay Parsow Tufts University
JOSHUA SETH PERRIN Michelle and Shane Perrin
SAM SALZINGER Lynn and Fred Salzinger
Westside Marine Corps Central Saint Mary’s College of California
DYLAN JACK SAFERSTEIN
Central Stephanie and Mike Siedschlag University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Mark Saferstein
MITCHELL SANFORD
Millard North
Vicki Sanford and Mark Sanford University of Nebraska-Omaha
JULIANNA M. SCHEET
Papillion-LaVista
Lisa Scheet and Gordon Scheet Kansas State University
CLAIRE ELIZABETH SCHLESSINGER Millard North Nancy and Joel Schlessinger Brown University YGAL SCHULLER Yaffa Podbilewicz-Schuller and
Dan Schuller
Millard North University of Texas-Austin
Usha and Daniel Sherman
Jill and Gus Sideris
Ardyne Solomon and Jeffrey Solomon
Westside University of Denver
MADISEN J. STOLER
Elkhorn University of Nebraska-Lincoln
TALIA TENE
Burke Tampa University
EFFIE TSABARI
Central Macalester College
Kim and Alan Stoler
Mindy and Gady Tene
Eadie and Eitan Tsabari
LEVI WEISS JUSTIN ZACHARY SPOONER Burke Gayle and JIm Spooner University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Cindi and Marlon Weiss
NATHAN WOLF LYDIA STERN Cynthia Shafer-Stern and John Stern
Central University of Arizona
Westside NATIV Overseas Program Westside University of Texas-Austin Lincoln Southeast Iowa State University Millard West University of Iowa
Nancy and Phil Wolf
The Jewish Press is not responsible for those graduating seniors not included. If parents would like to submit an announcement for ‘In the News’, we will run it when space is available. Please send via e-mail (with photo of at least 100K, attached as a .jpg) to jpress@jewishomaha.org, or to the office at: Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Include: name of graduating senior, name(s) of parent(s), high school from which student graduated and college which the student will attend.
Mazal Tov, Max!
Mazal Tov, Chelsi!
Where did the time go? You have always made us proud, and we wish you all the best as you start college in the fall! Love, Mom, Dad, Haley and Lily
You did it! We are so proud of you!
Love, Greg & Dawn
d a r G s d A 9 200 Page 10
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
June 5, 2009
Mazal Tov, Max! We are very proud of all your achievements!
A ions to ngratulat aduo c l ia c e sp gr h school these hig their families. ates from
Love, Mom, Dad, Grammy
Way to go, Abby! You’re the Best. Reach for the stars. We are very proud of you!
Love,
Mommy, Daddy and Tommy
Avery, Mazal Tov! We are so proud of your accomplishments! NHS Diploma with Commendation DECA International Finalist State Mock Trial Honorable Mention 1st Place Debate Speaker University Scholar DU Presidential Scholarship UVM
Love, Mom, Dad, Jacob and Mickey
Congratulations Lauren!
We are very proud of your scholastic achievements, your acting in the school plays and all of the journalism awards you have won during your high school career. Love,
Mom, Dad and Cam
Former teen leader completes IDF service
Her first assignment as a liaison was in Continued from page 1 the Golan Heights, where she would donations (like Omaha’s). According to the UJC, Garin Tzabar -- spend a year, from December 2005 to literally “seed of sabras”, is “run jointly December 2006, with seven fellow solby the ‘Tzofim’ -- the Scouts, the IDF, diers rotating in and out of the “ops” the Ministry of Absorption and the room. “We got along well,” she said, Jewish Agency for Israel. The program “The camaraderie was incredible.” The Golan was beautiful; Gal viewed it provides immigrant soldiers who have no family in Israel with a social network, trips in every season. She mingled with Israelis around the country, Hebrew language living nearby, as well as peacekeepers from classes, and a home during their army the local United Nations mission -service.” Funding for room and board is Japanese, Indians, Austrians and Poles, who were manning the nearby Israeli/ provided by the IDF. “Gal personifies the reasons for our Syrian border, the only authorized crossFederation and synagogues programs ing between the two countries. which are connecting our youth with the Jewish Homeland through teen trips, Passport, Israel experience grants and Partnership programs,” said Jan Goldstein, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. “Another aspect of our Federation’s investment in Israel and our youth is the fact that Gal benefited from the Jewish Agency’s Lone Soldier program which provides family to Gal, center, trained with other officer-candidates in the Negev, soldiers in Israel from whre she was based near Mitzpe Ramon. other countries.” Three girls from Connecticut, New Jersey, and Paris -- bonded with “a girl from Nebraska,” as Gal described herself, to become “her family in Israel.” Garin Tzabar not only helped Gal improve her Hebrew, but get her through the bureaucracy for which Israel is sometimes known. About 90 young adults, ages 18-22 started the program on As part of her work with United Nations peacekeepers, Gal three kibbutzim all worked with troops from India. “We got to practice sitting in a freezing around Israel. With 30 other interested recruits, Gal was sent to Kibbutz Maoz trailer on our shifts,” Gal laughed, “but it Chaim, near Beit Shean, where they is unnerving because of the sounds of attended a short ulpan (intensive artillery exercises nearby” -- especially Hebrew) course, and worked on the kib- when a war broke out between Israel and butz. Lebanon in the summer of 2006. Five minutes from the Jordanian borWhile the Jewish community watched der, “where it’s really hot!” Gal noted, and waited, and raised money for emershe was assisted by the Garin staff with an gency funding, especially needed for assortment of paperwork, from physicals Omaha’s Partnership with Israel’s region and psychological exams to opening a of the Western Galilee, IDF soldier Gal bank account. In basic training, she Tsabari was living and working within firlearned first aid, how to shoot, defend ing range of the Hezbollah rockets comherself, and a lot of discipline -- “what ing from southern Lebanon. every soldier needs to know,” she added. “You’re working, so you stay busy,” Gal After boot camp, Gal narrowed down said of her time spent during the Lebanon her choices to being a fighter or a war. “Katyushas would land nearby, but spokesperson in the foreign liaison unit. usually in a field, so there would be a lot She took the latter. As a liaison, Gal of smoke, but fortunately no damage to spent one month of intensive study learn- buildings -- or people.” ing the history of Israel’s borders, how to In October of 2006, with the conflict be a diplomat, or as she put it, “What to now over, Gal told her commanding offisay, and what not to say!” as well as man- cer she, too, wanted to join the officer ning an operations room and learning ranks. “He was surprised,” Gal said. “My how to write “military-style.” Hebrew still wasn’t that good.” But she One thing she learned quickly about convinced him she had leadership abilities army life was how to wait -- wait for -- learned in Omaha when she was active orders, wait for other soldiers, wait to go in the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization -on duty or off, wait for confirmation -- “I and she knew she could do it in Hebrew, never knew how much waiting here was,” too. Gal added. “My officer was amazed, but supportAnd unlike the rest of the world who ive,” Gal added. “He’s such a great role now depends on global positioning model.” He and another friend of hers devices, Gal learned how to navigate encouraged her to succeed through the through unknown territory on her own. entrance exams, which are comprised of “I would study a map, memorize the history of the Jewish people and technical topography and make a trail,” she portions where the Hebrew terms were explained. “If you can hike, you can do very difficult. this.” But can you carry a gun and heavy “The parts of a gun are on the exam, as backpack with a radio in it, wear a vest, well as radios, chemical and biological Continued on page 11 and hike?
June 5, 2009
Former teen leader
Continued from page 10 “He was so professional,” she said, “precise in everyweapons,” she explained. There’s also a physical test thing related to SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).” which required her to do sit-ups, push-ups, and run. Though she described him as a “real perfectionist,” she recalls getting what she considers Those who pass are accepted to one of the highest compliments the prestigious officer training when he told her, “I can relax course. when Lt. Tsabari is in comThe best preparation she had, mand.” though, came from her father, When her army service finished Eitan. A paratrooper in the ‘67 in January of 2009, Gal War, he recommended she watch remained in her home with her the Amud Ha Esh documentary best friends from Garin Tzabar. of Israel’s history, in English called Pillars of Fire. She’s already taken the Israeli By January, 2007, she had been version of the SATs and has been accepted to the six- month course accepted into Hebrew Univerat Mitzpe Ramon, in the middle sity’s “prep year,” geared for of the Negev. Following complenon-native Hebrew speakers. tion of the officers’ training proUntil she begins the science gram, Gal was commissioned as a During the 2006 Lebanon War, Gal performed rou- track, taking physics and calculus lieutenant and relocated to an tine tasks near her base in the Golan Heights. in her coarse load, Gal will return to her job in Tel Aviv and “hang out at the beach.” Though her parents remain in Omaha, her sister, Effie, just graduated from Westside and will leave for Austin in the fall as a freshman at the University of Texas. Gal is anxious to return to Israel. Both her older brothers are there, as is her Garin Tzabar family. Onie, 33, is now in a Ph.D. proGal learned how to navigate on her own during where, right, she had to wear a vest filled with supgram at the officer's school in the desert near Sde Boker, plies, carry a heavy backpack and her gun. Weizmann Insti“open base” in Ramat Aviv, a suburb north of Tel Aviv tute in Biology and Ran, 36, is working for Reuters and home to Tel Aviv University. News Agency as a photo journalist in the south of Israel. There she worked with the US European Command For Gal Tsabari, service in the Israel Defense Force was (EUCOM) to coordinate between Americans and the “giving to the country you love.” IDF. She commanded an office of three-to-five IDF solAdded Goldstein, “This is a proud moment for our diers and learned even more leadership skills under her community to see this outstanding young woman and new commander. what she exemplifies with her commitment to Israel.”
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Page 11
Getting an education: Money well spent!
by ROB A. RANDELS, CFP®, MBA, CHFC Northwestern Mutual Financial Network To modernize an old saying, “An investment in education always pays good dividends.” Benjamin Franklin. The issue today is trying to figure out how to pay for it! Many of the articles today focus on those families that are in low-income situations and concentrate on applying for scholarships, grants and subsidized loans. There is still a large segment of the population that needs to use an age-old process of just paying for it out-of-pocket. Fortunately, there are a number of programs (each with advantages and disadvantages) that can be useful tools. As in most situations, the earlier you start the better off you will be long-term. This article is for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and whoever may have the financial ability to assist someone in obtaining an education, and focuses on the two most popular savings vehicles: 529 Plans and Coverdell Savings Accounts. Every state has a 529 plan. It is not required you use the 529 plan of the state you live in. You can use any state’s plan and your child can attend college in any state. It is very rare in the financial services world when we can use the term “tax-free.” But the 529 plan allows you to make your deposits with after-tax dollars, then the account will grow taxfree as long as the money comes out for education. While there are some limitations, these funds can be used toward tuition, room and board, books, fees, etc. A 529 plan for an individual with a large estate means that the money can be designated to a child or individual, held outside your estate; however, you can continue to own and control it. You can even take it back if you need it. The downside would be a 10% penalty on the earnings if not used for education. The Coverdell Savings accounts (formerly known as Education IRAs) hold many of the characteristics of the 529 plans (including tax-free growth for education use), but also include use for private elementary, private high school or college. Important to note there is no sunset provision for the taxfree growth element. Disadvantages include a maximum contribution of $2,000/yr. per child and income limitations on the contributors beginning at $190,000 of adjusted gross income. Other savings vehicles include UTMA/UGMA (custodial accounts, trust accounts, Roth-IRAs, prepaid plans or personal savings /investments. It is always best to determine what is most beneficial for you by consulting with a qualified advisor and start early. Rob A. Randels, CFP®, MBA, ChFC is a Financial Representative with the NMFN in Omaha. To contact him, please call 402.390.8271 or e-mail him at rob.randels@nmfn.com.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
June 5, 2009
Malicious mischief or the next world war? Though reports of missile launches and underground tests of North Korea’s nuclear weapons were all over the news, the reaction was almost anticlimactic. No additional sanctions, no threats, no insistence for renewed inspections of nuclear facilities. All in all, a big yawn. They must laughing all the way to the bank. Not just in Pyongyang, but in Tehran. You see, the tests were not North Korea’s threat to nuke South Korea or Japan. It was solely a demonstration for their clients. Those clients include not only other countries with petty little dictators who want to join the nuclear club (think Venezuela), but also the leaders of countless numbers of terrorist cells, groups and pseudo-organizations -- from the Muslim Brotherhood’s spawn (Osama bin Ladin and his crew) to thugs operating in East Africa, Somalia, Indonesia or under the Hamas or Hezbollah flags in the Middle East. This is not unknown to either the myriad of American security agencies, nor to the Israelis. It was the latter, after all, that bombed a Syrian “factory” site in al-Kabir, in its eastern desert area, close to the border with Iraq in September of 2007. And supposedly a North Korean ship, loaded with parts for this so-called “factory” was nearing Syria -- which is why the IAF bombed the site when it did. However, it’s been learned that an IDF commando unit actually carried out a clandestine recon mission about a month before. And thank G-d they did, because apparently what they learned was enough to send the Air Force back there to destroy it. There’s no question that the site was intended for nuclear products; even the International Atomic Energy Agency’s personnel found traces of processed uranium in later inspections. There are concerns however, that in addition to the site becoming a factory to produce nuclear weapons for Syria, it might also have held the elusive WMD of which Iraq’s late dictator Saddam Hussein boasted. Much of this information comes from an Iranian defector and was reported last March in
Israel’s Ha’aretz newspaper. But the biggest surprise, according to the article, was that the Syrian project was being financed by Iran -through North Korea! It’s estimated that somewhere between one billion and two billion dollars were paid by the Sh’ia dictatorship to the the little dictator with the oversized glasses in North Korea. So while Syria may be out of the picture, temporarily at least, North Korea is ratcheting up the heat against the West, and Iran continues its push toward development of its own nuclear weapons. In addition to creating an existential threat to Israel (though the Jewish State is sure to launch at least a few of its own nuclear weapons if Tehran fires nuclear tipped missiles at Israel first), Iran’s missiles can also reach southern Europe, southern Russia and nearby Arab states (remember -- Iranians may be Muslim, but they’re Sh’ia, not Arab, who are mostly Sunni). As to North Korea, while their missiles can reach neighboring countries, the aim is not so much to intimidate its neighbors as announce an upcoming sale to willing and able buyers. And that’s the real threat to America and Israel, and Western civilization. So is that the plan of these two men with obvious inferiority complexes? Sell a few suitcase bombs or nuclear-tipped missiles, deposit the checks and sit back and wait for the fireworks? Isn’t there anything we -- or Israel -- can do to thwart them? Perhaps President
Obama would like to mention this scenario to President Mubarak and the Saudi royal family when he visits Cairo and Riyadh this week. Iran is just as much a threat to them as to us. After all, who will buy Saudi oil if the crazy Ahmadinijad and Kim Jong-il sell nuclear bombs to some nut job who wipes out an American city? And how will the U.S. continue its $3 billion a year in foreign aid to Egypt if the economy of this country tanks? If we think we’re currently in a recession, imagine what a nuclear attack would do! While reaching out to countries that have exhibited anger towards the United States in the last decade is fine in principal, there had better be some strength in that conversation. This is not the time to apologize for America; this is the time to stand for our values of freedom and democracy -- values that ordinary Egyptians and Saudis covet, but do not have. Bullies, like North Korea and Iran, only respect strength. Ignoring them -- and their recent belligerent actions -- is at our peril, and the world’s.
BEHIND THE HE ADLINES by PAUL GOLDENBERG
NEW YORK (JTA) -- The May 20 announcement of a thwarted terrorist attack against synagogues in the Riverdale section of the Bronx highlighted two important issues that have emerged clearly in the new age of terror in the years since 9-11: That extraordinary law enforcement cooperation and investigative operations can disrupt potentially devastating homegrown terrorist attacks in the homeland, and that the terrorist threat in America remains real and current, particularly for American Jews. The alleged terror plot to attack synagogues using Improvised Explosive Devices, or IEDs, raises many concerns, most notably the feasibility of such an attack. The suspects reportedly conducted surveillance against the Jewish institutions and identified specific targets for attack. The criminal complaint alleges that the suspects “photographed several synagogues and Jewish community centers in the Bronx and elsewhere for consideration as possible targets in a planned terrorist bombing campaign.” Had the suspects been able to acquire actual explosives and escaped detection of law enforcement, the morning news story could have been one of catastrophe and extreme dev-
... the North American Jewish community cannot afford to let down its guard at any time in the present and near future. The world has changed... In the midst of a disaster, it is not a good time to test your plans. Security is everyone’s responsibility. By engaging staff and employees, and equipping them with the appropriate knowledge, skills and ability, organizations can create a forcemultiplier and staff members can contribute to their own safety and security and that of their organization, visitors and guests. Realistically, we must anticipate that the next plot may already be in the works and we may not be so lucky as to have an informant infiltrate and ultimately disrupt a very real homegrown terrorist attack. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and
Jewish Press Board Andy Ruback, Vice President; Michael Sigmond, Secretary; Michael Siegel, Treasurer; Howard K. Marcus, Immediate Past-chairman; Daphne Pollak Alperson, Marc Brodkey; Eric Dunning; Jason Epstein; Andie Gordman; Michael Kaufman; Bette Kozlen; Jamie Meyerson; Jim Simon; Dorothy Spizman. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service/Jewish Senior Services, and the Jewish Press . Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org.
Security is everyone’s responsibility astation for the Jewish community. While many Jewish organizations have taken remarkable steps to secure their institutions -- installing cameras, access control systems and other technological security equipment -- it is only through the integration of the human dimension of security, specifically training and exercises, that organizations can truly test their emergency plans and ensure their staff members are properly trained to respond to crisis or disaster.
(Founded in 1920) Bobbi Leibowitz President Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Managing Editor Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper
New York Police Department, along with several other state and local law enforcement agencies, did their part in disrupting a serious homegrown terrorist plot and are to be commended for their actions. In turn, we must do our part to get to know and assist our local law enforcement partners, train our staff and do all we can as individuals and as a community to contribute to the safety and security of our institutions and the communities that we serve. If there is one message I can convey, it is the fact that the North American Jewish community cannot afford to let down its guard at any time in the present and near future. The world has changed; unlike previous periods of history, fortress America is a bygone era. However, we are a strong, resilient community and there are many steps and measures we can and must implement to safeguard our most precious assets, our people. We must make every attempt to approach this balance between security and openness in a spirit of calm and professionalism, not alarm or panic. The American Jewish community, in particular, is mindful of the need to balance vigilance and a determination to maintain the open, supportive atmosphere that represents the very purpose of our places of worship. Paul Goldenberg is the national director of Secure Community Network, an initiative of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1-402-334-5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org.. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions, but it should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, call the Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $35 per calendar year U.S.; $72 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.
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June 5, 2009
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 13
How I spent my Shavuot
FOCUS ON ISSUES by RABBI AVI SHAFRAN
Odd as it might seem, the recent report that a library at Yemen Children’s Hospital was named after Palestinian suicide bomber Wafa Idris, that terrorist Samir Al-Kuntar spoke at the naming-ceremony and that little girls read poems in honor of the occasion brought back a Shavuot memory. According to the report, which originated in a Yemeni news service and was translated by MEMRI, (the Middle East Media Resource Institute), the local Province Governor expressed pride “that the Arab nation has stalwart resistance [fighters] like Samir Al-Kuntar.” In 1974, Kuntar murdered an Israeli father in front of his four-year-old daughter and then smashed the little girl’s skull against a rock with a rifle butt. Every Jewish holiday is special in its own way, but Shavuot, which falls on May 29-30 this year, is unusual: it has no specific “active” observances, nothing like Passover’s seder and matzoh, or Sukkot’s booths or “four species,” or Rosh Hashanah’s shofar-blowing. The 18th century Hassidic master Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev perceived something subtle in that fact. Shavuot, he noted, is identified by Jewish tradition as the anniversary of the Jewish people’s acceptance of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. Since the act of accepting is an inherently passive one, he explained, the holiday is pointedly
devoid of physically active observances. It is a time of receiving the Torah anew, and most appropriately expressed through Torah-study. Hence, likely, the ancient Jewish custom to stay awake the entire night of Shavuot immersed in the texts of our tradition. Every year I experience a personal Shavuot miracle; it is one that I suspect is shared by many others. By the end of our family’s festive meal on Shavuot night, the prospect of staying awake an hour, much less six or seven, seems an impossible one. Yet, somehow, entering the study-hall, some holy energy seems to seize me, and even as my mind and body increasingly rebel against the deprivation of slumber, my soul jumps for joy. Seven years ago, my then nearly12-year-old son Dovie -- today a strapping 19-year-old studying in yeshiva in Israel -- insisted on joining me in study in the large main sanctuary of a local synagogue, which was crowded with scores of Jewish men and boys doing the same. The two of us, salt-and-pepper-bearded, could-standto-lose-a-few-pounds father and reddish-haired, dimpled and determined son, spent most of the night engrossed in Talmud. We began with a page of the tractate he was studying in school and then turned to several pages of another tractate he and I regularly learn together -which concerned the status of land ownership in Jerusalem. Dovie seemed entirely awake throughout it all, and asked the perceptive questions I had come to expect from him. We paused over the course of the night only for him to participate in classes for boys his age in an adjoining room, taught by an older yeshiva boy.
The experience was enthralling, as it always is, and while it was a challenge to concentrate (and at times even to keep my eyes from closing) during the prayer service that followed at 5 a.m., Dovie and I both “made it” and then walked home, where we promptly crashed. But before my head touched my pillow (a millisecond or two before I entered REM sleep), I summoned the energy to thank G-d for sharing His Torah with us. That silent prayer came back to me like a thunderclap a few days later when I caught up on some reading I had missed (though only in the word’s most simple sense) over the holiday. Apparently, during the precise hours Dovie and I were studying holy texts, the presses at The Washington Times were printing a story datelined Gaza City. It began with a description of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, Abu Ali, being “lovingly dress[ed] by his mother in a costume of a suicide bomber, complete with small kaffiyeh, a belt of electrical tape and fake explosives made of plywood.” “I encourage him, and he should do this,” said his mother; and Abu Ali himself apparently agreed. “I hope to be a martyr,” he said. “I hope when I get to 14 or 15 to explode myself.” My thoughts flashed back to Shavuot and to my own son and I thanked G-d again, from the bottom of my heart. Rabbi Shafran is director of public affairs for Agudath Israel of America. The bulk of the above essay was first disseminated in 2002, courtesy of Am Echad Resources. He can be reached at Shafran@agudathisrael.org.
Trade unions link Israel and Palestine
FOCUS ON ISSUES by STUART APPELBAUM, PAUL HOWES and MICHAEL J. LEAHY, OBE
Last month, the Scottish Trade Unions Congress became the most recent in a series of unions that has called for a boycott of Israeli products. Support for boycotting, divesting from and sanctions against the Jewish state appears to be gaining momentum. It has already won considerable support from trade unions in South Africa, Ireland, the U.K., and Norway. It seems unstoppable. But we intend to stop it. TULIP - Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine is a new global movement that believes in engaging with workers and their unions in Israel and Palestine, promoting cooperation and reconciliation. We do not believe in boycotts, divestment and sanctions. We believe in peace and in a two-state solution to the conflict. Our new global movement seeks allies in unions and NGOs everywhere who want to work together to demand respect for all Palestinians, Israelis and guest workers living in this region. We believe we can take significant strides towards peace and reconciliation if we support those working to improve the living standards of all working people in the region. There are outstanding examples of cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian unions that need to be encouraged. For example, there’s a remarkable initiative being launched by the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) to make life much easier for Palestinian drivers.
This has been a small but groundbreaking union agreement encouraging dialogue between the Palestinian and Israeli national trade union centers, as well as individual unions and their members on both sides of the Green Line. This agreement will help improve the livelihoods of hardworking union truckers and their families. This innovative model upholds the traditional role of trade unions when faced with disputes of this kind – bridging the gap between nations at war, encouraging peace, justice and reconciliation. It is a trade union tradition and role that we are particularly proud to uphold. We also applaud the role of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), which has helped broker cooperation agreements between Israel’s national trade union center, the Histadrut, and the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU). It is unfortunate that in recent years, a number of national unions and trade union centers have changed course and abandoned that role. Instead, they have rallied behind those Palestinians who are opposed to the peace process. Some have gone so far as to deny Israel’s right to exist. In backing the Hamas terrorists who deny Israel’s right to exist, they have thrown their support behind Iran’s power play in the region. And the Iranian regime is no friend of the trade union movement. Iran – and its Hamas puppets -- has a long record of suppressing trade unions and human rights. Those who support the boycott of Israel do nothing to promote peace, justice and reconciliation – in actual fact they harm those who want to end the political hegemo-
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ny of the extremists on both sides. The boycott stance provides succor to the extremists in Israel and Palestine who refuse to accept the humanity of the other, who refuse to respect the rights of all workers in the region to be able to build decent lives for themselves and their families in a peaceful, just and democratic climate. We believe the time has come for trade unionists around the world to join forces in support of genuine Israeli-Palestinian peace with justice, based on a twostate solution with secure and recognized borders. There are already unions and associated NGOs in a number of countries that support this goal. But they are fighting this battle alone, each in their own country. It is time we united our forces. It is time for TULIP--Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine. At a time when the opponents of a two-state solution are stepping up their destructive agenda of boycotts and sanctions targeting Israel, it is time for trade unionists in all countries to go on the offensive to challenge the apologists for Hamas and Hezbollah in the labor movement. We have no illusions that this will be anything other than a long and difficult process. But there is no acceptable alternative. We cannot abandon the field to those whose goal is to destroy any chance for a real Israeli-Palestinian peace. We welcome trade unionists from all countries to join us. Stuart Appelbaum is president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Paul Howes is national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, and Michael J. Leahy, OBE is General Secretary of Community (United Kingdom).
Page 14
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
June 5, 2009
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BETH EL SYNAGOGUE
Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org
Services conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Beth Schlossberg. FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning services, 9:30 a.m. Kiddush is sponsored by Beth El in honor of new members and new babies; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 8:50 p.m. NEW MEMBERS/NEW BABIES SHABBAT: Saturday, June 6, 9:30 a.m. All congregants who have joined in the past year, plus babies who have been born during that time, will be honored. Sitter Service is available during Friday night and Saturday morning services, on a drop-in basis, at no charge. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. CINEMA SERIES: Sunday, June 7, 3-5 p.m. Spend a fun afternoon at the synagogue enjoying a movie, followed by 5:30 p.m. minyan (optional) and 6 p.m. dinner. No charge for the movie; dinner is $10 for Hazak members, $12 for non-members. To reserve, send a check to Tootie Simon, 8725 Izard St., Omaha, NE 68114. USY/KADIMA: Frolfing party, Thursday, June 11, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Seymour Smith Park Disc Golf course, 72nd and Harrision. No charge; RSVP by June 9 to Robert Mosenkis in the office, or at youth dir@bethelomaha.org. AWARD PRESENTATATIONS: During Shabbat services on Saturday, June 13, 9:30 a.m., Tuffy Epstein, Wendy Berenson and Alan Shulewitz will be honored with congregational awards, for their dedication to Beth El. Outgoing youth director Robert Mosenkis will also be honored during the morning. The Jewish community is invited. YOUNG FAMILIES’ SHABBATON: Aug. 7-9 at the Lied Lodge and Conference Center in Nebraska City is open to all families in the Jewish community who have children ages eight and younger. To register or for more information, contact Margie in the office, or at programming@beth el-omaha.org.
Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org
Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 www.OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com
Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 southstreettemple.org
Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244
Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 323 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154
Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org
The Neighborhood Minyan 1317 No. 57 St. Omaha, NE 68132 551.6609
Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org
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BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross and Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes, 9:45 a.m. with Torah Parade; Kiddush sponsored by Sisterhood; “Guard Your Tongue”, “The Great Midrash”
and “Advanced Parshah Study for Kids” (ages 10 and up) one hour prior to Mincha, 8:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:46 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Reading the Rambam, 9:45 a.m.; Kids’ Crafts with Miss Andreea, 11 a.m.; Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha, 5:45 p.m. TUESDAY: Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Board of Commissioner’s Meeting, 6:30 p.m. THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m.
CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Service, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Service, 9:30 a.m.; Youth Minyan, 10:30 a.m. MiniMensch title will be awarded; Kiddush lunch follows; join Rabbi Katzman from 12-1 p.m. SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Kabbalistic Insights for Women, 12:15 p.m.; Biblical Reflections, Find Yourself in The Stories of Genesis, 7 p.m. Enroll now at www. myjli.com, More information, call Chabad or email TorahStudies@ochabad.com. TUESDAY: W.O.W. Parsha, Prophets, and Prayer, 9:15 a.m. THURSDAY: Jewish Thought, 12:45 p.m.; The Parsha Club for Level I beginners, ages 5-6; and Level II intermediates and experts, ages 7-9, 3:45 p.m. Please contact Shevi@ochabad.com to receive a guest pass. All events and programs are open to the entire community.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel.
FRIDAY: Snacks, 6 p.m. hosted by Susan Poser and Stephen DiMagno; Early Family Shabbat Service, 6:15 p.m. led by Barbara Straus. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 10 a.m. led by Nancy Coren, celebrating the Bat Mitzvah of Sarah Poser DiMagno. WEDNESDAY: Soul Train Lecture Series, 7:30 p.m. at Tifereth Israel, with speaker Dr. Tova Perlmutter. The Holocaust Commemoration held at the State Capitol is being shown on Channel 5 Mondays at noon and Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m. ADULT EDUCATION TUESDAYS, 7 p.m. Intro to Hebrew, led by Rabbi Emanuel beginning July 7.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by David Herzog and Jim Polack.
TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Rabbinic Intern Nicole Luna, and guest soloists Brenna Robinson and Scott Goldberg. SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Service, 10:30 a.m. SITTER SERVICE: Available Wednesday evenings during Family School hours for parents to take advantage of adult education opportunities, Friday evenings except when there is a Tot Shabbat, Saturday mornings when there is a B’nai mitzvah, and Sunday mornings during Religious School. Advance reservations and a $5 donation appreciated. Young children, including infants, are welcome.
WEDNESDAY: New member coffee, noon at Barnes and Noble, 144th and W. Center with Rabbi Azriel. THURSDAY: “Adult Study with the Clergy” with Rabbi Linder, 10 a.m.; Community Supported Agriculture Delivery for Shareholders, 4:30-5:30 p.m. at South entrance.
NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN FRIDAY: Minyan, 7 p.m. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.
TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Nancy Coren, Lay Leader. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. MONDAY and THURSDAY: Minyan, 9 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush lunch and Talmud study. MONDAY: A monument will be unveiled in loving memory of Min Breslow, 5 p.m. at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066; Renowned lecturer Tova Perlmutter, Ph.D. will be the featured speaker at 7:30 p.m. at the synagogue. The Holocaust Commemoration held at the State Capitol is being shown on Channel 5 Mondays at noon, and Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m.
JEWISH PRESS NOTICE The Jewish Press will not publish on Friday, July 3, due to staff vacations and computer upgrades. The deadline for all articles, photos and ads throughout the summer for all issues is on Thursdays, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.
New Orthodox program aims to give women rabbinic training by BEN HARRIS NEW YORK (JTA) -- Two months ago Sara Hurwitz -- then the “spiritual mentor” at Rabbi Avi Weiss’ Orthodox synagogue, the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale -- was given a new title: Maharat, a Hebrew acronym that stands for spiritual, halachic and Torah leader. Now Weiss is trying to export that somewhat cumbersome title to the rest of the Jewish world with the launch of a yeshiva to train new maharats. Yeshivat Maharat, as the school will be known, is expected to be up and running in September and will offer women part-time instruction in all areas of Jewish law, pastoral training and even a synagogue internship. The full course of study to become a certified maharat will take four years. “We’re training women to be rabbis,” Hurwitz told the Forward. “What they will be called is something we’re working out. Orthodox feminist leaders, several of whom were pulling hard for Weiss to go all out and call Hurwitz by the R word, nevertheless were pleased by the new developments. The Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance in a statement called Hurwitz’s new title a “historic moment” and, in the only hint of disappointment, noted that another milestone would be reached with the ordination of Orthodox female rabbis. Some, however, saw the clever new title as a cop-
out. “I respect anyone who believes there is a serious reason for allowing women to be rabbis and I respect anyone who has serious reasons not to,” Jonathan Mark wrote in The Jewish Week. “This isn’t my fight. “On the other hand, I’m having a hard time rooting for anyone who believes women should be rabbis but who won’t say it out loud, who wants to backdoor it, to fake it, by calling the woman not rabbi but Manhigah Hilkhatit Ruhanit Toranit, as if that will fool the traditionalists, as if that will fool the [Orthodox Union] shuls where [Yeshivat Chovevei Torah] graduates can’t get hired, like changing the name of a sickly child to Alta to fool the Angel of Death.” Like the graduates of Weiss’ male rabbinical school, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, Hurwitz acknowledges that graduates of the new program may have trouble finding jobs -- though not necessarily for ideological reasons. At present, only a handful of Orthodox synagogues employ women in positions where they function more or less as the equal of male rabbis, with the exception of performing public ritual roles during worship services. “You have to start somewhere,” Hurwitz told JTA. “We have to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward, and I think that the community will follow.”
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SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Naso Our Sidra introduces the law of the Nazirite -- a person who may for a lifetime or for a brief period -- devote himself completely to God’s service. Our Haftarah, accordingly, relates some of the folklore about a famous Nazirite, Samson. The tale has it that his birth was foretold, miraculously, by a “man of God” and that his parents were told to devote him as a Nazirite from birth. We have no conversations recorded between Samson and his parents. I suspect that at some time or other, he may have said to them, “Who gave you the right? Don’t I have anything to say about it?” And he may have sulked. And he may have said, “Well, if I can’t have liquor (being a Nazirite), there are other things I can do.” Perhaps this explains his aberrant marital conduct. Now the Bible writer doesn’t tell us that Samson was a great hero or a great man. On the contrary. One doesn’t have to read between the lines to know that the Bible narrator sees Samson as more than a little bit foolish, spending his remarkable strength foolishly on women of poor character and on exploits, extraordinary though they were, that produced no lasting results. There was a real enemy, the Philistines. These were a sea people who had failed to gain a foothold in Egypt, but did succeed in establishing themselves on Israel’s southern Mediterranean shores (roughly where the Gaza is today. Indeed Gaza was one of the five famous Philistine cities.) Further, they were tough-minded people and bade fair to subject Israel to permanent servitude: they had a monopoly on iron! How do you wage war against oppressors who have spears and swords when you only have sticks and stones? Samson, personally and by hand, gave the Philistines something to think about in several encounters, embarrassing to them. But nothing came of it. The Bible writer does seem to view favorably Samson’s last heroic act -- killing large numbers of Philistines at a triumphal religious celebration -- and at the cost of his own life. About a century later (what happened in between?), Saul engages the Philistines with uncertain results. But Saul had no conscripted army -- and the Philistines were a bellicose people, trained for war. It remained for David to deal with them decisively and ensure Israel’s survival. David, once, when fleeing from Saul, had actually defected (i.e. pretended to defect) to the Philistines. When they arose, David seized the opportunity, and in a series of battles, put the Philistines in permanent check and gave Israel breathing room. There followed the rest of the kingdom, the prophets, the poets and sages, the psalmists and chroniclers. the Bible, in short. And the abiding influence on Western civilization. David was human, too, and the Bible biographer does not shield him from his adultery with Bathsheba. But David was a strategist and statesman and military craftsman. He was what Samson should have been. He was one of the creators of everything that Israel became. He was no Nazirite. But he was “God’s anointed.” Editor’s note: This column appeared in Rabbi Kripke’s book, Insight and Inspiration in 1988; Rabbi Kripke will be back next week with his regular column.
To Submit Announcements to the Jewish Press: Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154 (with photos we will scan and return). Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, or by e-mailing: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org. Readers can also submit other announcements -- births engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements. Deadlines are normally eight days prior to publication, on Thursdays, 9 a.m. Check the Jewish Press, however, for notices of early deadlines prior to secular and Jewish holidays.
DEATH HERSHEL SHULMAN Former Omahan Hershel Shulman died in Columbus, OH, on May 27 at the age of 63. Services were held there May 31. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Lisa Shulman. He is survived by his father, Morris Shulman of Columbus, and his former wife, Barbara Widman. Memorials to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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The Palestinian Authority requested assistance from the IDF Home Front following the collapse of the roof of a construction site in Ni’lin, a Palestinian town west of Ramallah. Home Front rescue and medical units were sent in to search for possible trapped workers and offer primary medical care to the injured. Meanwhile the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent evacuated Credit: ISRANET the injured to hospital in Ramallah.
Special Shabbat service to honor Beth El’s new members, new babies by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator To recognize all new Beth El congregants who joined the synagogue in the past year, as well as babies born into the congregation, Beth El will hold a special Shabbat service on Saturday, June 6, 9:30 a.m. All of the honorees (in the case of the babies, their parents!) will have the opportunity to have an aliyah, as well as participate in other parts of the Shabbat service. The newest Beth El family members to be honored include Leslie Vann and daughters Zoe and Abby Rose; Gerald and Judy Simons; Linda Abrams Tederman; Jason and Michelle Hoberman and children Lilly, Ari and Samuel; Jeremy Friedman; Stephanie Goldstein; Mitchell and Beth Slovut and children Heather, Josephine and Simon; Marc and Andrea Hamburg; Toni Rosen; Bernice Kaplan; Robert Kaplan; Ron Budwig; Jenni Schlossman and Jeff Ferber and children Lila and Isaac; Edward and Freshteh Mintz and children Zachary, Jordan and Micah; Andy and Lisa Robinson and son Nicholas; Mike and Patty Sherman; Daniel Levitt; Alan and Donna Hersch; Joyce and Bill Ashley; Douglas Benn; and Gary and Lorrie Katelman. New babies who have been welcomed into the fold include Samuel Hoberman, son of Michelle and Jason Hoberman, Owen and Ella Meyer, son and daughter of Emily and Gabe Meyer, Levi Weill, son of Holly and David Weill, Sima Denenberg, daughter of Tippi and Steve Denenberg, Eva Cohen, daughter of Karen and Michael Cohen, and Cory Nogg, son of Jaime and Brian Nogg. Rabbi Mordechai Levin remarked that, “Beth El’s family grows every year with new members -- singles, just-married couples, families with children, empty nesters, and intermarried couples. Like many others who joined before, they have found at Beth El a meaningful place to celebrate Jewish life and values. We are delighted to welcome them again on this Shabbat.” Kiddush will follow services in the community court; the entire Jewish community is invited to attend.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
June 5, 2009
Two Temple students attend HUC leadership conferences by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Acharai means “After me!” in Hebrew and is used by Israeli military officers to lead a charge rather than direct from the back. In civilian life, the concept is used by leaders who are prepared to lead the way for others to follow. At Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s (HUC-JIR) 26th annual High School Leadership Conference, “Acharai! Forging a Path of Jewish Leadership,” in Cincinnati, OH, 10th through 12th graders were given the opportunity to meet with HUC-JIR faculty and rabbinical students. Together, they examined aspects of youth leadership that are intended to prove valuable in the high school students’ home communities. Julie Sadofsky, who attends Temple Israel Middle/High School and will be a senior at Westside next year, attended the High School Leadership Conference after being nominated by Temple’s Director of Religious Education Elyce Azriel. “My OTYG advisor (Amy Katz) brought the program to my attention,” commented Julie. “I decided to go originally, because I thought it would be a great opportunity for me, and I am always proud to represent my Temple as well as Nebraska.” She added, “About 30 kids from all over the continent attended the conference.” There were people from Tennessee, Massachusetts, Washington, Utah, Kansas, Maine, New York, Canada, and “the heartland of America: Omaha, Nebraska!” “We discussed the school (HUC) and its purpose as a ‘Rabbi College’ or where one would go to study to be a rabbi,” explained the new Temple youth group vice president of membership who is also involved with NFTY (the North American Federation of Temple Youth with which the Temple youth group, OTYG, is affiliated). “Throughout the conference, we discussed important leaders and their methods of leading” including President Barack Obama’s election campaign. “We discussed ways to improve events and be outstanding leaders within our groups and Temples.” Julie added that the conference “built upon my leadership skills” and encouraged her to “be a role model” for others at Temple.
Leadership and organizational techniques were emphasized to effectively “improve my schooling and Temple related activities.”
Temple youth group member Julie Sadofsky, at right, with her friend Rachel Klein from Kansas City, attended a Hebrew Union College leadership conference in Cincinnati. For Julie, “the most meaningful part of the conference was the amazing people I got to meet -- not only kids but adults, too. I met people from as far as Canada and Massachusetts who shared common interests with me. The adults had large amounts of information to share with us that always made us challenge what we know.” The rabbis and HUC students who spoke to the high school students “talked about their leadership experiences....and our endless possibilities...to be leaders in our communities,” Julie related. “It was a great experience,” she concluded, “and I highly recommend anyone to attend.” Just a couple weeks after the high school leadership conference, Jeff Gates, a University of Nebraska-Omaha student who teaches fourth grade Hebrew at Temple and is a former student there himself, attended the “College Colloquium on Ancient Tradition, Modern Religion; What Does Judaism Say?” and Open House at HUC. He had heard about the College Colloquium/Open House when he was at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute, a Union for Reform Judaism camp in Wisconsin. He credited Elyce Azriel’s encouragement and support for convincing him to attend the HUC event. “If it was not
for her, I probably would not have gone,” Gates acknowledged. He described the College Colloquium as “a convention geared toward college students” with “a retreat-like atmosphere that was based on learning and community.” The Open House was focused on exposing potential students of HUC to the campus life, staff, classes, and other current students of HUC. “At both events, I learned what it means to respectfully disagree with another person despite how strongly you may feel about the issue,” he continued. “I saw different styles of classes taught by tremendous teachers who are passionate about teaching Judaism. Above all, I experienced Reform Judaism’s higher level of education that taught growth, community, stronger relationships, and most of all, spreading the light of Torah.”
Jeff Gates, surrounded by some of his fourth graders Aaron Noddle, left, Alex Belgrade, Nate Gendler (partially hidden), Samantha Sullivan, Max Goldberg, Bella Radler (next to Jeff), Ava Robinson, and Cecelia Vann at Temple Israel Religious School, went to an HUC college convention. Gates added that “the most meaningful part was meeting the rabbis who give so much of themselves to their cause.” He was impressed by rabbis who are “always willing to answer every question, never backing down to bold conversation, and being such learned, caring individuals who mold rabbis who go across America to make Reform Judaism what it is. “I had a wonderful time,” he said. “This trip was very important to me.”
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