Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
Bye Bye Birdie rocks the J
June 6, 2014 8 Sivan 5774 Vol. 94 | No. 38
This Week
Jewish Agency rescues group of immigrants Page 6
by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press If you were lucky enough to be
Community gallery Page 7
there on May 29 or June 1, you already know: the Jewish Community Center Musical Theater Community Acting Group’s rendition of Bye Bye
Birdie brought down the house. Thanks to the continued support from the Karen Sokolof Javitch Music Fund, the JCC has been able
to bring us quality entertainment, tapping into talent that’s homegrown and continually evolving. Continued on page 2
In honor of my father Friedel graduation by MIKE SADOFSKY I am a father of three, a stepfather of one, and a grandfather of six.
grade, he tried motivating me to play. He practiced with me, and every week came to watch me play at the J.
Belgian Jews shocked but not surprised by museum attack Page 12
Inside Mike Sadofsky at the JCC Wall of Fame Point of view Synagogues In memoriam
This Month Senior Living See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press
8 10 11
As the years pass by, it is getting harder to stay young and remember things. However, when it comes to memories of my father Jacob, the opposite is happening. These become more vivid, and my gratitude is growing stronger. My father was always there for me, and has helped me become a better person. Dad was a member of the Jewish Community Center’s basketball team for many years. Since I was in fourth
In high school, I became a member of the Youth Council Basketball team. On Sunday mornings, my dad was often the only parent to attend our games; he gave me valuable pointers afterwards. When the JCC honored him with a basketball award, and his plaque went on the JCC Wall of Fame, I was happy to be in the auditorium watching. My father’s constant presence in my life gave me confidence and helped me succeed in many different endeavors. Watching him work at his liquor store, I learned about sound business ethics and the value of hard work. When, a few years later, I attended Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri, I played football. During the first game, it was once again my father who was the only parent in the stands. Who knows, maybe it was his presence, Continued on page 2
The 2014 Friedel Jewish Academy graduates. From left, top: Destiny Howard, Zoe Berman, Sarah Aoki, Principal Pam Cohn; Bottom: Rachel Aoki and Doron Margalit. by CLAUDIA SHERMAN for Friedel Jewish Academy On stage in the Jewish Community Center auditorium, the Friedel Jewish Academy student body faced the American flag and sang The Star Spangled Banner. Then they turned the other direction and sang the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah.” It was graduation night, May 20, for five students just completing sixth grade at Friedel. This year’s graduates are Rachel Aoki, Sarah Aoki, Zoe Berman, Destiny Howard and Doron Margalit. Prior to celebrating the graduates, Pam Cohn, principal of Friedel, thanked the outgoing
members of the Friedel Jewish Academy Board of Directors and recognized Jerry Gordman, Debbie Denenberg, and Lloyd Roitstein for their fund-raising efforts on behalf of the school. Cohn also welcomed the new Board of Directors. She thanked the PTO for 100 percent family participation this school year. In addition, Cohn recognized her entire staff and announced the Nathan and Rose Lillian Fine Friedel Teacher of the Year honoree: Ashley Barrow, who will be the school librarian next year. Directed by Jim Misner, the Friedel String Ensemble performed Continued on page 2
2 | The Jewish Press | June 6, 2014
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Continued from page 1 Esther Katz, JCC Dance and Cultural Arts Director, says: “Every time we get to the final product, it strikes me how much work goes into the production. So many people dedicate so many hours. The cast practice for months, Jessica Reed and myself spent countless hours on set design and costumes, and Fran Sillau directed the musical. Then there is Music Director Bernadette Smith, choreographer Courtney Stein, and all the volunteers who help out behind the scenes. It’s a tremendous group effort.” The JCC Musical Theater Community Acting Group was reborn in 2011 with the production of Willy Wonka. Since then, there has been a show on the JCC stage twice a year, including the classics -- The Wizard of Oz, The Music Man and Fiddler on the Roof. Word has traveled, and people come from all over Omaha to participate in the program. “It’s open to everyone from age eight up, so there is a nice mix of age groups,” says Katz. “Children and adults learn from each other; and what’s more, family members of different generations experience the stage together. Memories are made on stage and during the rehearsals, and those memories are priceless.” “The productions not only attract family members, but also many of our community members who have no connections to the cast,” said Mark Martin, JCC Executive
Director. “All recent productions have sold out within minutes. For the fall 2014 show, we are planning to hold three performances due to the high demand for tickets. Several years ago, the theater was remodeled to accommodate up to 20 wheelchairs. The theater’s capacity is 288 permanent seats and has room to add up to 60 removable chairs. The community’s enthusiasm and support will hopefully enable us to make some refurbishments to the theater. These may include sound, lighting and some backstage set equipment.” Auditions for the next performance are scheduled for Sunday, August 24. Adults age 18 and over can come from 3 to 4 p.m., and children from 8-18 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. The title of the next show will be decided in July; keep an eye on the Jewish Press for the announcement. In addition, the JCC will host a Musical Theater Summer Camp, which will be held from July 7 through 11 this year. There are still some spots available; call Laura Wine at 402.334.6419 or send an email to lwine@jccomaha.com to register.
Friedel graduation Continued from page 1 two musical pieces followed by the Friedel Band Ensemble, directed by Nestor Herzsbaum. Students from each grade level then sang selections in English and in Hebrew. Presidential Achievement Awards were subsequently announced. Recipients are Gavin Smith, Matan Shapiro, Abby Kohll, Rachel Aoki and Sarah Aoki. Presidential Excellence Awards were presented to Noah Shrago, Shmuel Aaron Shyken, Maayan Zinman, Daniel Denenberg, Rebecca Denenberg, Rachel Kricsfeld, Zoe Berman, Destiny Howard, and Doron Margalit. To the music of Pomp and Ashley Barrow was named Circumstance, the five gradu- Friedel Teacher of the Year at ates, in blue caps and gowns, the sixth grade graduation. entered the auditorium from the back and ascended the stage. Rabbi Steven Abraham congratulated the graduates, and each girl received a graduation certificate and a flower. The five sang a tribute to their teachers who returned the accolade with a song to the graduates. Rabbi Jonathan Gross added his mazel tov, noting that this year’s graduation, his last before moving soon to Baltimore, is his tenth. “For touching our lives and touching our hearts,” the graduates gave him a print of a heart defined and filled
with fingerprints of all the Friedel students. Principal Cohn directed the graduates to move their tassels to the opposite sides of their caps. A video, produced by Sam Kricsfeld, depicting the graduates growing up followed by current students along with alums singing Salaam/ Shalom on stage capped off the event.
In honor of my father Continued from page 1 that extra boost, that helped us win the game. On many occasions, he would drive from Omaha just to have lunch with me, to talk to me and give advice. At 19 years old, I was assigned to Okinawa, Japan for 18 months as a U.S. Air Force Private. As excited as I was, I also felt scared. My dad was there for me again and flew with me to Travis AF Base in California to see me off. And when after a total of four years of service I came back to Omaha, we once again went to the JCC together every Sunday. Afterwards, we’d have breakfast at the Castle Hotel. The older I get, the more appreciation I feel for all the small things my dad did. When, in later years he became ill, it was my turn to comfort him. It warned my heart how delighted he was to see me; I’d bring him his chocolate malt, and he would kiss me. In 2010, I was honored with my very own plaque on the JCC Wall of Fame, and the best part was the fact that I joined my dad on that wall.
June 6, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 3
Summer concert at the JCC by OZZIE NOGG Back by popular demand, The Iowa Western Community Band will present Sensational Summer Sounds on Tuesday, June 10, at 7 p.m. in the JCC Auditorium. The concert, which is free and open to the
tapping evening, for sure.” While you’re marking your calendars, Conti suggests you add these dates of upcoming summer Mainstreeters programs: Monday, June16, luncheon with entertainment by Pam Kragt and Diane Thomas (a
Mah Jongg at Temple Israel by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staff Writer Temple Israel is hosting a Mah Jongg tournament, and the whole community is invited. The tournament, is Sunday, June 22. Proceeds go toward the Rabbi Aryeh Azriel Youth Engagement Fund.
and third wins $25. Raffle prizes include a $100 gift certificate to Fleming’s Steakhouse, $100 for Bikram Yoga Nebraska, $25 for Vivace’s, $25 for M’s Pub, gift cards for Omaha Steaks and Panera, a pair of Coach sunglasses from Midwest Eye Care and many more. The day begins at 9 a.m., with breakfast
Don Jacobson, Conductor of The Iowa Western Community Band, during a rehearsal. community, features Broadway show tunes, patriotic numbers, selections from movie soundtracks and popular marching music. Iowa Western Community Band is a concert band made up of students and residents of Council Bluffs and the surrounding area. The group joins together for the love of playing, and has performed locally for over 30 years. “Bring a friend,” said Maggie Conti, Director of Activities and Outreach Programs at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. “Jewish Senior Services is inviting Remington residents to attend the Iowa Western Band Concert. This will be a toe-
terrific comedy-singing duo much like Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, where one plays the funny, zany person and the other is the voice of reason); Friday, June 27, a free showing of the movie Philomena starring Dame Judi Dench; Wednesday, July 23, Bill Chastil, award-winning Elvis and Tom Jones impersonator; and Sunday, Aug. 24, for the annual Summer Picnic at Chalco Hills Recreational Area. The Sensational Summer Sounds Concert is sponsored by Iowa Western Community College, the City of Council Bluffs and Jewish Social Services.
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Temple Israel students learning how to play mah jongg in preparation for the June 22 tournament. “We encourage all those who play Mah Jongg to attend,” said Claire Flatowicz, an avid Mah Jongg player and tournament organizer. “It’s a great opportunity to win some wonderful prizes and meet new people.” The $35 registration fee includes breakfast, lunch, and one raffle ticket. Additional raffle tickets can be purchased throughout the day at a cost of $5 for six tickets. First place wins $100, second wins $50
and registration, followed by the first two rounds of play from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Lunch and door prizes will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with the last two rounds of play from 12:30-3 p.m. “We’re excited to hopefully start a new tradition at Temple Israel,” Flatowicz said. To register, contact the Temple Israel office, 402.556.6536 or RSVP@templeisraelomaha.com. The deadline to register is Friday, June 13.
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4 | The Jewish Press | June 6, 2014
Madison Jensen receives Jake J. Schreibman Freshman Year Scholarship by MARY SUE GROSSMAN for Jake J. Schreibman Foundation The Jake J. Schreibman Foundation is pleased to announce that Madison Jensen has been selected for the scholarship award for the 2014-2015 academic year. Jake J. Schreibman Freshman Year Scholarship has been awarded to Jewish students residing in the Omaha community since 1997. The award amount is partly based on student need and the maximum amount of the award is $10,000. All Jewish high school seniors attending any high school in the greater Omaha metropolitan area are eligible to apply. The Schriebman Madison Jensen scholarship was established in honor of Jake J. Schreibman who was born in Omaha, March 6, 1911. He graduated from Central High School in 1927, was a member of the Jewish Community Center where he won several awards as an athlete, and during World War II, he served as a medic in the Pacific Theater. After a lifetime “hobby” of financial investing, he died in 1994, and the Jake J. Schreibman Foundation was established to serve the Omaha Jewish Community. What better way to accomplish this objective than to focus on the education of the young people who were about to enter college. To this end, the Jake J. Schreibman Freshman Year Scholarship has helped provide funding for the past two decades enabling students to attend the school of his or her choice. Primary scholarship criteria includes: resiliency with overcoming obstacles to academic success, grades and participation in rigorous courses; letters of recommendation; employment experience; active participation in athletics,
band, cheerleading, DECA, and/or other extracurricular activity leadership positions; essay composition; and a personal interview. Madison, graduated in May from Westside High School and will be attending the University of Arizona. With a deep love of science, Maddie will be majoring in hydrology which she reports will give her many options in the future, including water law or engineering or any number of other areas. She has juggled a wide range of activities throughout high school including OTYG, DECA, WAC, Project Unity, Westside Show Choir, religious school, serving as a madricha plus completing over 100 hours of volunteer work. Marlene Bernstein, who is Schreibman’s niece, is the Executive Director of the Schreibman Foundation. “Our focus has always been to support those students who have overcome with integrity some obstacle in their lives and those who have worked not only at school but also have worked to contribute financially for college.” Bernstein looks forward to the personal interviews each year. “It is a pleasure to spend time with the students and hear directly of the plans and goals each one has set for themselves.” She finished saying “The decision of choosing the recipient of the scholarship is typically quite difficult, but interviewing each one in person has given us the opportunity to discover something that sets the chosen recipient apart from the others. It is usually that intangible something that doesn't appear in their scores, grades, recommendations, or personal essays.” Two other students were also recognized with merit awards – Hannah Budwig, who will be attending Indiana University and Ari Juster, who is headed to Northwestern University. Application information for the Scriebman scholarship is available in January of each year from area high school counseling offices and on the Center for Jewish Life scholarship section at www.jewishomaha.org. The application deadline is typically mid-February. For additional information, please email Stan Maliszewski at sjmalisz@u.ari zona.edu or call 520.360.7476.
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Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Speaker to be announced for Wednesday, June 11, noon, at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH We’ve resumed our meetings on Thursdays from 1-3 p.m., at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s boardroom. We welcome all who would like to attend. For information call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638.
Birth Courtneay and David Saylan announce the April 11 birth of their son, Fletcher Michael. He is named for his paternal great-grandfather, Milton Saylan. He has a sister, Abigael. Grandparents are Jacki and Steve Saylan, and Joyce and Jim Cockrell of St. Louis. Great-grandparents are the late Edythe and Arthur Friedman, Rosalie Saylan and the late Milton Saylan.
Arts+Entertainment The Karen & Friends group is back! Join Karen Sokolof Javitch, Daniel Denenberg, Pegi Georgeson, Grace Bydalek and more as they present another fantastic musical revue in the JCC auditorium on Saturday, June 14 at 7 p.m. Rock out to Karen’s songs with surprises and refreshments for all! Concert is free and open to everyone - including older children. Donations will be accepted to NFVIC - Nebraska Foundation for Visually Impaired Children, in memory of Karen’s mom, Ruth Sokolof.
JEWISH PRESS NOTICE There will be no Jewish Press on July 4, 2014. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.
Life without Father’s (or Mother’s) Day days, graduations, weddings, bar mitzvahs, anniversaries, etc.: the greeting card. Even before the age of email, Israelis hardly used the greeting card (the exception was for Rosh Hashanah, but this has gone out of fashion thanks to contemporary media substitutes). I can see more positive reasons for the prevalence of Mother’s and Father’s Day in America. We all know that we should be appreciating our parents on a regular basis, but often we don’t take the opportunity to do so, and so it is good that there is at least one day a year dedicated for each of your parents. On the other hand, the semi-coercive nature of those days has a way of lessening their emotional impact (which is why I guess I don’t miss them so much). I would say that in a decently functioning family, there definitely will be instances of expressing care and affection throughout the year. The other day, for example, Rebecca surprised me with a gift of a pair of sunglasses. I consider that as good a gift as any official one for Father’s Day. The only fly in the ointment to forgetting about the whole business in Israel is that Sarah’s and my respective parents (may they live and be well) still appreciate it when their children remember them on Father’s and Mother’s Day. We have done our very best to convince our parents of the obvious: There are no advertisements in Israel reminding us about the approaching Father’s (or Mother’s) Day in America; and so if we should forget to call them on their respective day, they should not be insulted. They understand completely. But do you want to be in the position where all your siblings pay homage to your parent on their special day and you don’t? Not if you can help it! But just in case I do forget, Dad: Happy Father’s Day! Teddy Weinberger made aliyah in 1997 with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Ross, and their five children. Their oldest three, Nathan, Rebecca and Ruthie, are veterans of the Israel Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@net vision.net.il.
Journal entry from Israel TEDDY WEINBERGER All through grade school, when I was busy with making those useful tie clips, paper weights, ink blotters and pen holders for my Dad for Father’s Day, I always assumed that one day I would be the recipient of similar bounty. I did get in a few good years of Father’s Days before we made aliyah, but I certainly would be justified in feeling shortchanged. Though there is deep respect here for the fifth Commandment, there is no Father’s Day in Israel. Unlike Father’s Day, which never made it onto the calendar here, Israel did observe a Mother’s Day for about four decades, from the 1950’s to the 1990’s. The date was tied to the Hebrew yahrzeit of Hadassah founder Henrietta Szold (sometime during February), who, though childless herself, helped thousands of children in Israel. By the time we immigrated in 1997, however, the day had been subsumed into something called Family Day. Theoretically, Family Day could provide even more opportunity for appreciating loved ones, but in practice it passes the country by without much notice. Why haven’t Israelis taken to celebrating Father’s or Mother’s days? My theory is that the retail industry drives both Mother’s and Father’s Day and that during the formative years of the State there was a lack of “merchandizing” in this country. In the United States, Father’s Day was founded in 1910, but it didn’t catch on until 1938, when a Father’s Day Council was formed -- funded by the New York Associated Men’s Wear Retailers. (By the mid 1980’s, the Father’s Day Council could note that Father’s Day “has become a Second Christmas for all the men’s gift-oriented industries.”) Also, Israelis have never taken much to a key American product that serves to mark Mother’s and Father’s Day as well as birth-
Temple Israel summer services by DAVID GOLBITZ mative process,” Rabbi Brown said. Temple Israel Staff Writer Assisting Rabbi Brown in these services, After a long and bustling week, the dubbed “A Pause for Reflection,” are memSabbath is meant to be a bers of the community time of prayer and introwho are versed in medispection, a break from tative practices, includthe oftentimes stressful ing Brent Bloom, a yoga work week. But, too instructor at UNO, Stacy often, that stress carries Simon and others. over into the weekend as “I want to introduce we race from one “relaxpeople to some of the ing” event to another, concepts of mindfulness,” barely pausing to catch Bloom said, “which our breath before it’s would include becoming Sunday night and the aware of how we react, week starts all over again. how to get in touch with Temple Israel has not only our mind, but planned a series of sumalso our body. It’s about mer services that are emotions as well as physdesigned to help congreical sensations.” Rabbi Josh Brown gants relax and take that Rabbi Brown and the breath in a way that is both physically and meditation experts will attempt to intespiritually meaningful. grate these practices with that week’s Torah “We’re going to take a slightly different portion, creating a collaboration between path,” Rabbi Josh Brown said. “Instead of the traditional service and the meditative focusing intellectually, we’re going to focus techniques. spiritually.” “We want to introduce these practices in Throughout the summer Friday evening a way that is both comfortable and meanservices, Rabbi Brown will lead the congre- ingful and accessible,” Bloom said. gation through various meditative pracThe first “Reflection” service will be tices as a way of connecting better not only Friday, June 6, at 6 p.m. with God, but with themselves as well. “If one person becomes more self aware “I find that a lot of these practices rely on by the end of the summer, that would be a self-awareness, and that’s a very transfor- success,” Rabbi Brown said.
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June 6, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 5
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Club [June 2014 MEMBERS] P UBL I S H E R Bruce Belgrade Marlene & David Cohen Mimi & Scott Farkas Fran and Rich Juro Gloria & Howard Kaslow Marsha & Milton Kleinberg
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E D I T O R Julee Katzman Abigail & Adam Kutler
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RE P O RT E R Marcia Arch Janey Dann Liz & Yonatan Feldstern Judith Feigin Lois N. Friedman Myrna Grumer Sara & Ari Kohen
David Lercher Judy & Van Marcus Susan Rothholz Lynne & Errol Saltzman Memorial Howard Silber Susan Silverman
6 | The Jewish Press | June 6, 2014
Jewish Agency rescues group of immigrants by LISABETH LOBENTHAL Director, Community Relationships Jewish Agency for Israel North American Council International Development Next time you walk down the JCC hallway, passing by the Federation offices, take a moment to be proud of the swift action of our Jewish community to help Jews around the world. On the wall is written the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s mission statement, “To build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish community, and to support Jews in Israel and around the world.” These words have great meaning. Recently, the Jewish Federation made a $5,000 contribution to our international partners to support Jews in the Ukraine. Here is just one example highlighting the great impact dollars make to Jewish communities around the world. BETH COHEN Executive Director The Center for Jewish Life
Agency programs, providing Hebrew classes, and so on.” According to The Jewish Agency’s Russian-Speaking Jewry Unit, approximately 30,000 Jews live in Donetsk Oblast, of whom some 11,000 live in the city of Donetsk. The Russian-Speaking Jewry Unit is now preparing to bring additional families from the area in a similar manner should the battles not subside and should the airport not reopen. Jewish Agency representatives are in close contact
Chairman Sharansky: “Jewish Agency representatives in Ukraine continue to be active in all areas and are prepared for any eventuality, as shown by this latest event in my own city of birth, Donetsk.”
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JERUSALEM -- A group of six olim (immigrants) from the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine landed in Israel a short time ago (Tuesday, May 27), following a fast-paced operation put into action by The Jewish Agency for Israel due to the battles surrounding the city’s airport. Battles between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels in and around the civilian airport of Donetsk The Urina family from Donetsk is pictured at their hotel in Dnepropetrovsk ahead of their broke out Monday, May 26, Jewish Agency-facilitated arrival in Israel on May 27. following the country’s presiCredit Jewish Agency representative Max Lurye dential election. Due to the escalation, the airport was shut down, all outgoing and with the Jewish communities in the area and are prepared incoming flights were cancelled and the access road was to offer immediate assistance, should the need arise. blocked. According to Jewish Agency data, the first four months A group of six immigrants, including a couple with twin of 2014 saw a 142% increase in Aliyah (immigration to baby girls from Donetsk and another couple from the city Israel) compared to the comparable period in 2013. 762 of Mariupol, was set to depart for Israel last night. Due to immigrants from Ukraine arrived on Jewish Agency the battles and the airport’s closure, The Jewish Agency’s Aliyah flights between January and April, compared to 315 Russian-Speaking Jewry Unit decided to evacuate them between January and April 2013. During the month of overland to Dnepropetrovsk and to put them up in a local March, 222 Ukrainian immigrants came to Israel, a 200% hotel until their departure for Israel. May 27, they boarded increase from March 2013, when there were 74. April saw a plane from Dnepropetrovsk to Kiev and then another a dramatic increase in Ukrainian Aliyah, with 383 immiplane bound for Israel. The group landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben- grants arriving, compared to 97 in April 2013 – a 295% Gurion International Airport a short time later. increase. Jewish Agency representatives have also noted a Chairman of The Jewish Agency for Israel Natan dramatic increase in the number of individuals who have Sharansky said: “Jewish Agency representatives in Ukraine started the Aliyah process, as well as in the number of indicontinue to be active in all areas and are prepared for any viduals who have contacted The Jewish Agency in order to eventuality, as shown by this latest event in my own city of receive counseling and information regarding Aliyah. birth, Donetsk. Due to the current situation in the country, The Jewish Agency has some 90 staffers on the ground in we have significantly expanded our activities, assisting Ukraine, strengthening Ukrainian Jews’ connections to those who wish to immigrate to Israel, bringing young Israel and the Jewish world and assisting those interested people to experience life in Israel on a variety of Jewish in making Aliyah.
Showing this June at the JCC Gallery: Artwork by Nelson Batin by LYNN BATTEN JFO Publicity and Gallery Manager Nelson Batin was quickly building his reputation as a local artist when he was unexpectedly called back to his native Philippines for an emergency. Upon his return to Omaha, Nelson picked up his paintbrush and once again started to produce large scale paintings. His trip back to the Philippines served as inspiration for these new pieces. From historical and educational exhibits to displays of local, national and international art, the Jewish Community Center Gallery hosts a wide array of content. Located just next to the JCC Theater, the Gallery provides individuals an excellent opportunity to immerse themselves in culturally enriching exhibitions. JCC Gallery Hours are Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Fridays: 8 a.m.-5 p.m and Sundays: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The Gallery is free and open to the public. For information contact Lynn Batten, Gallery Manager, at 402.334.6564.
June 6, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 7
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Clockwise, from top: Last year’s Friedel graduates catch up at this year’s graduation party: Gabby Witkowski, left, Eylon Kaplan, Lillian Cohen, Ilana McNamara, Isabella Wright and Hannah Stein; Karen Cohen and Gabby Blair at the annual Friedel plant and flower sale; Staff, volunteers and residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home mark National Nursing week; Gary Javitch, left, Ari Riekes and Margo Riekes judged the B’nai B’rith trivia contest during Yom Ha’atzmaut; Miriam and Rabbi Jonathan Gross (holding Zvi); Eva Cohen at the FJA graduation; Beth El’s team won the B’nai B’rith trivia contest; Andi Willenski and Melina Cohen dressed as Raggedy Ann and Alice; JCC Executive Director Mark Martin inspects the wine served at the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration.
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8 | The Jewish Press | June 6, 2014
Point of view
American Jewish Press Association Award Winner
Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008
Happy Birthday, Mike by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press Buck up, Mike. According to that modern-day oracle of random facts, the Internet, there are lots of things you can do at 50 that you couldn’t at 20. You can ignore what people say by claiming hearing loss.
You can stay home on Saturday night without your friends thinking you’re boring. You can listen to all your favorite songs on retro-radio. People will hold doors for you and offer you their seat on the bus. You get to use the phrase “Kids these days...”. People will call you “Sir” more often. You can afford a Harley. You can go to bed at 10 p.m. You can
Happy, happy birthday to my 2nd most favorite bald guy. Enjoy many more years, big fella -- all in good health. Ozzie
embarrass your kids with almost no effort. And if anyone makes fun of you because you qualify for AARP, just remind them: you’re the same age as Demi Moore, Jon Stewart, Jon Bon Jovi, Matthew Broderick, Emilio Estevez and MC Hammer. So there.
Dear Mike, A “PC” greeting from Human Resources: We hope you have a wonderful birthday no matter how many candles are on your cake! Jenn Kirshenbaum and Andrea Siegel
The FRD and Campaign team wishes CEO Mike Silverman a terrific birthday. Enjoy the day with family and/or friends and/or co-workers! Martin C. Ricks
Dear Mike, We wish you many more happy and healthy years, with interesting stories and attention-grabbing headlines. Mazal tov! Lori, Jessie, Richard and Annette
Wishing you a happy and healthy year, filled with everything that you enjoy! Liz Feldstern
Ha Yom Huledet, Mike!
Julee Katzman
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL! May all your wishes come true today, on your 50th . Your friend, BK
Happy Birthday Mike, I hope that your special day is full of fun, happiness and everything you enjoy. Josh Gurock
So you are 50 now, that means you are old enough to know better...Young enough to still do it. Oh yeah, don't forget to wear your sunglasses when the cake is served, Josh and Natalie already notified the Fire Marshall. Happy birthday! Mike Aparo
Happy birthday Mike, 50's not so bad. Wait until you turn 51.
Happy Birthday, Mike! Getting younger by the day! Vickey Jennings-Cole, Receptionist
Alan Potash, ADL Don’t grouse and don’t wait, it won’t help a bit. Your half-century mark is about to hit. Your friends and colleagues as astonished, and yet We’re sure your best years are still to be spent. Happy Birthday! Beth Cohen
No matter your age, having another birthday certainly beats not having another birthday. So don't think of yourself as a half-centenarian or half a century old or even five decades old... Just celebrate the 20th anniversary of your 30th birthday! Hope you have a great day! Chris Ulven, Controller
Wow, the big 5-0! Since you’re my boss, I won’t say anything too mean about it… Besides, 1964 produced some other great things: Goldfinger, the first photos of the moon’s surface, the Civil Rights Act, even buffalo wings! Did you know the plasma television was invented that year? Of course.. it would be another three decades before it caught on. But you knew that. You were there. Melina Cohen, Office Manager
Happy Birthday, Old Man! Jordana and the JFO Accounting Staff
Happy 50th Birthday Mike. Welcome to the next decade that promises to be fun and eventful. You have things to look forward to such as: creaking bones, hearing and vision loss, would say hair loss but you already have that ☺, new medical expenses, Medicare is just around the corner. By the way Clyde, Wally, Candy and Charley all said to tell you Happy Birthday and they are waiting for you. ☺ Hope it is a Great Birthday and Many more!! Lynne Tibke
Happy birthday, bald guy. Linda Cogen, Volunteer Coordinator Heggappeggy Beggirthdeggay Seggilveggermeggan
May you live a long life full of happiness and health. Thank you for all you do! Maggie Conti
Hey Mike, Ain’t it nifty to be 50???? Happy 50th Birthday
(Founded in 1920) Andrew Ruback President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Jessie Wees Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper
Jewish Press Board Eric Dunning, Caryn Scheer, Bobbi Leibowitz, Past President; Scott Farkas; Sandy Friedman; Noah Priluck; Paul Rabinowitz; Mark Senal; Nancy Wolf; David Kotok, Sarah Grossman-Lopez. The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish LIfe, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishoma
Meggike
Love, Sheggaleggy
Happy 50th Birthday wishes from the JCC. From now on we will write your padlock combination directly on your locker! Mark Martin
Shelley Cash
to
Dear Mike, Wishing you a very happy 50th birthday and many more to come. Kick back, relax, take a long breath and enjoy the big day, then call a fire truck to stand by while you attempt to blow out all 50 candles. Howard Epstein ha.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: avandekamp @jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jew ishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content
JFS wishes Mike a Happy 50th birthday. "Welcome to the half-century club!!!!" Karen Gustafson
and space restrictions. 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, contact Annette van de KampWright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.
June 6, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 9
Support Jews staying in Ukraine
Behind the headlines ALAN H. GILL and PAUL ANTICONI (JTA) -- At the end of Fiddler on the Roof, the classic musical celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Tevye and his family flee their village of Anatevka for a better and safer life. In reality, however, not everybody left. Today, several hundred thousand Jews still live in Ukraine, where the fictional Anatevka was likely located. And despite headlines on mass evacuations, Ukraine’s ongoing political crisis and serious concerns about anti-Semitism, they are not leaving in great numbers. Some might find that hard to fathom. Ukraine, after all, has a long history of anti-Jewish acts and attitudes, economic turmoil, and was center stage to Holocaust atrocities. Add to that dim prospects for a quick solution to the protracted challenges facing the country and increasing need among the poorest elderly and families, and a future there seems bleak. Yet two things are important to remember. First, 2014 is not 1939. Jews in Ukraine and elsewhere today have the freedom to leave places that are dangerous or unfriendly to them; they can find safe haven in Israel or other countries around the world. Additionally, Jews have developed strong voices and grassroots community groups, working with their governments and fellow citizens to valiantly challenge acts of anti-Semitism and xenophobia. Second, Jews throughout the region have deep ties to the societies in which they live. They have families and friends. They are leading politicians, artists, businessmen, journalists and contributors to Ukrainian society. They also have enthusiastically engaged in Jewish communities revived after the fall of the Soviet Union -- replete with scores of Jewish community centers, synagogues, nursery schools, Jewish day
schools, after-school programs and summer camps. So what are we to do in the face of this phenomenon? Primarily, we must respect the decision of Ukrainian Jews to stay at home or emigrate. Then we must do all we can to support those who choose to remain there and continue to live their lives. The global Jewish community, through a variety of philanthropic partners and institutions, has been at the forefront of these efforts. Since the outbreak of violence in Ukraine, for example, our organizations have provided the neediest Jews with emergency aid, round-the-clock care and Jewish community connection through our network of Hesed social welfare centers that reach more than 1,000 locations around Ukraine. Other groups such as the Jewish Agency have done a stellar job of providing immigration options to Israel. Ultimately, the fate of the Jews of Ukraine is not an either/or proposition. Like many others in crisis zones in the world today, they will seek out what they consider to be the best opportunity or path for themselves. And right now, the choice of the vast majority of Ukrainian Jews is to stay where they were born and raised. That sentiment was voiced in the aftermath of unprecedented violence in the port city of Odessa amid rumors of a communitywide exodus. Tania Vorobyov of the city’s Beit Grand Jewish Community Center told reporters, “Reports about evacuation are baseless rumors. Jews in Odessa are worried about the violence like all other Odessans, but have no special plans to leave as a community.” This may be counterintuitive to the popular imagination, a la Tevye, which says Jews must flee Eastern Europe to find happiness and success. Reality, however, often trumps our preconceptions. Alan H. Gill is CEO of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Paul Anticoni is the CEO of World Jewish Relief in the United Kingdom.
Celebration in Chisinau, tragedy in Brussels by CNAAN LIPHSHIZ The news that four people had died in an attack at Brussels’ Jewish museum hit me at the least expected time and place. I was on the other end of the continent, in Chisinau, Moldova, getting ready to party with hundreds of Jews who were celebrating their country’s second Limmud FSU Jewish learning conference. Among Jews around the world, Chisinau is better known by its former name — Kishinev. In 1903, it was the site of one of Russia’s largest pogroms, a pivotal event in spurring mass immigration to Israel and the United States and making Kishinev a symbol of murderous anti-Semitism. Limmud has quickly become this small and impoverished community’s flagship event and testament to its attempt to be culturally revived. For me, the news from Brussels drained me of any desire to partake in the Moldovans’ big day. Brussels, you see, hit too close to home. The city’s landscape, with its impressive Gothic architecture, was my first sight of Europe as a child, and my tight-knit clan of 20-odd fun-loving relatives keeps me returning regularly for Jewish holidays full of laughs, alcohol and raucous singing. And while I generally prefer Dutch society’s simpler charms to Belgium’s many cultural pretensions and social intricacies, it is the Brussels Jewish museum that I visit each year on European Day of Jewish Culture. After a quick Facebook scan to see my family was okay, I
immersed myself in the horror that transpired at the entrance to that museum.. Speaking in a hushed but determined voice that I recognized from people in my native Israel, a Brussels Jewish mother whom I’d interviewed about her children’s Jewish school invited me to a town hall meeting for the community and a vigil for the dead — a testament to this community’s resilience and familiarity with terrorist attacks. The account of the killing made me think of a building I had seen in Chisinau just hours before the attack in Brussels while on a tour with several other Limmud FSU participants. The tour included a home where a mob murdered five Jews during the pogroms of 1903 — three days, sparked by a blood libel, in which 49 Jews were murdered and hundreds wounded. Standing in front of the house, we heard loud music from the Herzl ORT school, which is located directly opposite the pogrom site on Romana Street 13. Graduates were practicing their graduation dance to “We Are the Champions” by Queen. Three hours later, I was already back at the hotel, trying to make sense of the horror in Belgium and a portrait of a community in decline. But there, too, I was surrounded by songs of Jewish renewal. Unaware of the unfolding drama in Brussels, young Moldovans and Israelis at Limmud FSU were singing “Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu”: “Someday Peace will Come upon Us.”
Shavuot, when we became who we are
Focus on issues DAVID WOLPE LOS ANGELES (JTA) -- Rabbinic tradition teaches that when God spoke at Sinai, the world was silenced -- birds did not sing, breezes did not rustle leaves in the trees. Out of that profound silence came the Word, and were the world silent again, for even an instant, we could hear the everlasting echo of God’s voice. In one way, that is a beautiful metaphor for the holiday of Shavuot. Among the holidays, it is “silent” in that no custom imposes itself on our imagination. There is no sukkah, no seder. It slips by, for many Jews, almost unnoticed. Yet the echoing voice makes it the central moment in our history. On Shavuot we celebrate the giving of the Torah, the establishment of the Jewish covenant. The rabbis tell us that the Torah is the ketubah between God and the Jewish people. A ketubah is sometimes called a wedding contract, but it is better called a covenant. It enshrines sacred obligations. Jews are a covenantal people; we are bound to one another and to God by the idea of everlasting, mutual obligation. Sinai was the chuppah, and Shavuot is our anniversary. On our anniversary we recall what made us a people. It is customary to stay up at night to study on Shavuot in order to demonstrate symbolically that we stand at the ready to receive the Torah. It is also a signal of acceptance and of passion. Our tradition advises us to read the Torah as a love letter. One who receives a letter from a beloved reviews it again and again, searching each word and clause for significance, noting what is said and what remains unsaid. We read the Torah with the lens of the lover, dwelling over each word, unwilling to set it aside, certain that to study it once more will help us understand. The Book of Ruth is read on this holiday because Ruth took upon herself the Jewish tradition in full. She accepted, as a true convert must, both the people and God. Israel embraces more than the individual’s relationship to the Divine; we are bound to one another. When Ruth declares to Naomi, “Your people shall be my people and your God my God,” she epitomizes the covenantal message of mutual interdependence, past and future, the dual covenant of faith and of fate. There is a custom to eat dairy foods on Shavuot, given for a variety of reasons, including the inventive idea that the laws of kashrut were unclear before the giving of the Torah and eating dairy was therefore less complicated. It may also be tied to the idea of eating lighter fare, which makes it easier to stay awake for the tikkun. Symbolism and practicality are at times symbiotic in ritual life. The great Saadia Gaon taught that we are a nation only by virtue of our Torah. For a people dispersed throughout the world, the Torah was the one precious possession -- containing our history, our values and our practice -- that bound us one to the other. Shavuot is the moment that made us who we are. We celebrate, on this holiday, our relationship to God and to one another. As we hold the Torah aloft, we also celebrate our identity as Jews, eternal people of the covenant. Rabbi David Wolpe is the rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and the author of the forthcoming David: The Divided Heart.
10 | The Jewish Press | June 6, 2014
Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
CHABAD HOUSE
618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, please call 712.323.8885.
An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office. WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 10 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak. THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@unmc.edu. All programs are open to the entire community.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m. with special speaker, Sophie Ambrose Friedlander will discuss My Jewish Journey; Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Andrea and Cary Grossman, in honor of their annivesary; Shabbat Basketball, 1 p.m. in the Beth El parking lot; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:45 p.m. SUNDAY: Torah Study Group, 10 a.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. Synagogue Annual Meeting with special Shabbat on the Green picnic dinner, Friday, June 13, 5:45 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat service follows, including special blessing for children going to summer camp. Reservations are required and may be made by visiting www.bethel-omaha.org. Shabbat morning speaker Dr. Oliver Pollak, Saturday morning, June 14 will present First Impressions: Faith, Food, Family, Fellowship and Friends in the Holy Land. “Daddy and Me” goes to Henry Doorly Zoo, Sunday, June 15, 10 a.m. All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 7:15 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit (Barchu), 9 a.m.; Mincha, 8:15 p.m.; Ma’ariv/Havdalah, 9:41 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis. FRIDAY: Family Dinner, 6 p.m. hosted by the Weisser Family, followed by the Early Family Shabbat Service; Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. celebrating the conversion of Megan Hoover, with oneg following hosted by Megan Hoover. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Beha’alotecha. SUNDAY: Steve Kaup and Nathaniel McHargue invite you to share in their celebration with cocktails on the lawn at 2 p.m. and wedding at 3 p.m. at South Street Temple; Cantillation class, 6 p.m. Jewish Movie Night showing of “The Frisco Kid,” Saturday, June 14, 7 p.m. with a Havdalah service and potluck dessert. As part of the Temple’s 130th anniversary celebration, we want to reach as many former members and clergy as possible. Are you in touch with someone who used to attend? With kids who grew up and moved away? With friends or family with Temple connections? If so, please give their con-
Candlelighting Friday, June 6, 8:36 p.m.
tact information to Barb Straus at barbstraus@gmail.com.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road | Offutt AFB, NE 68123 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Alan Shulewitz. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.
TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Summer Shabbat Evening Services: A Pause for Reflection with Brent Bloom, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Torah Reader and Haftarah Reader: Miles Remer; Hotdogs and Havdallah: A Summer Camp Preview, 6–8 p.m. Come meet other families who are going to camp this summer and share some late Spring cheer. We’ll have dinner and a Havdalah service. It's not just for camp families, we hope you'll join us! RSVP appreciated so we can order food. Suggested Donation: $5 per person or $10 per family. SUNDAY: Help Decorate the Youth Lounge, noon. Summer Shabbat Evening Services: A Pause for Reflection with Stacy Simon, Friday, June 13, 6 p.m.
TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon. SUNDAY: Children and families participating in the PJ Library program are invited to join at Antelope Park from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. for story, lunch and play time. Please RSVP to Nancy.
Partnership2GETHER’s Western Galilee Loan Fund Continues to make an Impact by MARK KIRCHHOFF Center for Jewish Life More than a decade ago the Partnership2GETHER Program launched the Small Business Loan Fund Program to assist entrepreneurs and business owners in Israel to open or expand their businesses through favorable loans. Through partnerships with the communities of New York, Miami, MetroWest New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and the Central Area Consortium – the latter of which the Jewish Federation of Omaha is a member – these loan funds have helped over 1,200 businesses and created over 6,000 jobs throughout Israel since 2001. The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) acts as a partial guarantor for the loans that are designed to support businesses or populations that otherwise would have a difficult time qualifying for loans or raising the required collateral. These metrics quoted above are but one measure of the tremendous impact that the Partnership2GETHER loan program has had on the economy and the lives not only of the loan recipients, but the communities in which their businesses thrive. Encouraging creative thinking, nurturing entrepreneurship, and making funds available to bring dreams to reality are the hallmarks of the program. The diversity of businesses benefiting from the loan program is a tribute to the vibrancy of this endeavor. In the recent “P2G Up2Date” electronic newsletter, Harold Gernsbacher and Doron Lev, Co-Chairs of the International P2G Steering Committee and Andrea Arbel, Director of the Partnership Unit of The Jewish Agency for Israel profiled several businesses that have been the recipients of loan funds. They reported that the Pittsburgh Loan Fund has supported the work of Hanita Friedman whose software company “Carmisoft” targets employment of Hareidi women, offering them the flexible hours they need to balance work with family. And in grabbing their slice of the economic pie, the brothers Yossi and Dor Ben Yishai have brought the enjoyment of Italian style pizza to the res-
idents of Beer Sheva with the help of a loan through the MetroWest New Jersey and Miami Negev Ness Loan Fund. Sometimes opportunities for business develop by carefully observing what is around you. Through her family’s hairstyling business, Priel Bulus saw a need to develop shampoos for women who don Muslim style head coverings. The Detroit Loan Fund provided her with the financial backing that allowed her to market to 70 local retailers. The product is currently generating international interest.
Another entrepreneur who recognized an underserved niche market in Israel, women with dark complexions, Meirav Tzahagon created the “Mulu D” product line of cosmetics with the support of the New York Loan Fund for Israel. The story of funding through the Western Galilee Loan Fund for entrepreneurs Ala Musa and Marwan Swed and their Almasra Restaurant in Acco’s old city area is a particularly heart-warming tale for the Central Region Consortium. The story of these two childhood friends was featured in JAFI’s monthly update. We would call it a “Horatio Alger” story. Both men had extensive experience in the restaurant field. Musa rose from the ranks of a dishwasher in Akko to being a chef in Sweden. Marwan began as a waiter and worked his way up to restaurant manager. Together they shared a dream of opening their own restaurant, but they lacked the financial resources to turn their dream into a reality. That is where the Western Galilee
Loan Fund stepped in. Through a combined effort in 2012 the two friends renovated and upgraded a historic Crusader building that had been erected in 1210 and later used by the Ottoman Empire as a customs building. Before the renovation the building was severely dilapidated. Thanks to hard work and sufficient financial support, the building, that has a breathtaking view of Old Acre, has been transformed into a high-end restaurant that seats 100 people. Swed and Musa employ 10 people. The menu is set apart from others of its kind in that it incorporates authentic Eastern cuisine with a variety of flavors from around the world. This place is known for its level of service, quality of dishes, and customer satisfaction, none of which would be in existence without the funding of the P2G program. “The Small Business Loan Program exemplifies what can be done through cooperative efforts,” remarked Zoë Riekes, American Chair Parnership2Gether Central Area Consortium. “Over the past decade, many from Omaha have visited a number of the businesses that have benefited from the loan fund. Having the chance to see these vibrant, successful enterprises has made a strong impact in people’s understanding on how our dollars are making a real difference in our Partnership area.” She then added “Whether it is on a person-to-person basis, a business-to-business basis, or an organization-to-organization basis, P2G is strengthening the ties and building a solid foundation of meaningful relationships and mutually beneficial economic endeavors between Israel and the United States. I am honored and awed to be a part of all this.” Partnership2GETHER is a program of the Center for Jewish Life (CJL) whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha's Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. For additional information about CJL or the P2G program, contact Mary Sue Grossman at 402.334-6445 or mgrossman@jewish omaha.org.
Pulverent e
June 6, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 11
In memoriam JOSEPH HYMAN ZUSMAN Former Omaha grocer and businessman, Joseph Hyman Zusman of Anaheim, CA passed away on May 29 at age 96. Services were held in Riverside, CA. He was preceded in death by his parents, Azrael and Sarah Zusman; sisters, Tillie (Zusman) Dloogoff, Esther (Zusman) Broscow and Martha (Zusman) Harris; nephew, Paul Alpert; nieces, Eileen (Broscow) Powell/Porter and Lori (Harris) Brookstein/Sweet. He is survived by his wife, Beulah Zusman; daughter, Debra Sue Corley of Laguna Nigel, CA; son, Alan Lindsey Zusman of Garden Grove, CA; grandchildren: Cassandra and Connor Corley; sister, Goldie (Zusman) Albert/ Finemen of Costa Mesa, CA; nieces and nephews, Marlene (Dloogoff) Kahn of Olathe, KS, Steven Dloogoff of Coconut Grove, FL, Eugene Broscow of Huntington Beach, CA, Sharon and Albert Weintraub of Los Alamitos, CA; Claudia (Harris) Sherman of Omaha and Sindie (Harris) Katskee; and many great nieces and great nephews. Memorials may be made to Dr. Lynch Research Fund, Hereditary Cancer Research Fund, Office of Development, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178.
Malcolm Glazer, sports owner and philanthropist, dies at 85 by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- Malcolm Glazer, owner of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the British soccer club Manchester United, has died. Glazer died Wednesday, three days after his 85th birthday. He had been in failing health after suffering two strokes since April 2006. One of seven children born to Lithuanian Jewish immigrants, Glazer took over the family's watch parts business at the age of 15 following the death of his father. He later served as president and Malcolm Glazer chief executive officer of First Allied Corp., a holding company for his varied business interests that included international holdings and public companies. In 1999 he launched the Glazer Family Foundation, which assists charitable and educational causes in the Tampa Bay community. Glazer had purchased the Buccaneers in 1995 for a thenNFL record of $192 million; the value has more than quadrupled. The team will remain in the family's hands. Three of his six sons handle its day-to-day operations. Glazer finished acquiring ownership of Manchester United, part of the Premier League, in 2005. The team is cochaired by his sons Joel and Avram. Fans had opposed his takeover of the club, for which he paid just over $1.2 billion.
Did you know: In a ceremony on last week, a restored and repaired Torah scroll was given to Kehillat Kernow, the Jewish community of Cornwall. It was returned by the Duke of Gloucester on behalf of the Royal Cornwall Museum, which had kept the Torah since the closing of the Falmouth Synagogue in 1892. It marks the first time ever a kosher Torah scroll was given back by a British museum.
ADL joins letter to NFL players urging Redskins to change name by JTA NEWS STAFF WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The Anti-Defamation League signed a letter initiated by Native American groups to NFL players urging them to speak out for changing the name of the Washington Redskins. “Players are the most publicly identifiable representatives of the league, which means your support is critical to ending this injustice,” said the letter sent Tuesday to more than 2,700 professional football players. “Your NFL should not be a place where any person is expected to sit by in silence while their heritage is so casually disgraced and condemned by this racial slur.” The ADL, which in October declared its opposition to “hurtful and offensive names, mascots and logos” in sports, was the only Jewish group of 77 organizations that signed the letter. Most of the signatories are Native American groups. A number of African-American and gay umbrella groups also signed. The letter was initiated by the Oneida Indian Nation, which has spearheaded the campaign to get the team to change its name, and the National Congress of American Indians.
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Guatemalan town threatens to expel its Jews by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- A town in Guatemala has asked its Jewish residents to register with the municipality and warned that they face expulsion. Approximately 10 Jewish families live in San Juan La Laguna, in the state of Solola, in a population of under 10,000, according to the Guatemalan daily newspaper Prensa Libre. Misael Santos, a Guatemalan convert to Judaism who moved to San Juan La Laguna six years ago, told the newspaper that Jews in the town have been subject to verbal abuse and racist insults for the past six months. Santos, who is also cited on the subject in a Facebook post on the Accidental Talmudist site, said he believes the town's residents are wary of Jews due to lack of information about the haredi Orthodox. "I put myself in their place and perhaps they are right to feel scared because before we were two families and now there are 10. And seeing us with our traditional dress, which is black representing devotion and humility, in the streets, may cause fear," he told the newspaper. Santos added that he believes someone is directing the abuse against the Jewish families, including putting fliers under residents' doors with "misinformation" about the Jewish community, including that the Jews kidnap children and that the town would be overrun with Jews. He said windows of his home have been smashed by rocks and that a firebomb was thrown at his home. San Juan La Laguna's mayor, Rodolfo Lopez, reportedly was presented with a petition signed by 300 residents calling for the expulsion of the Jewish community and told Prensa Libre he would be asking the Jews to leave.
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12 | The Jewish Press | June 6, 2014
Beleaguered Belgian Jews shocked but not surprised by museum attack by CNAAN LIPHSHIZ Palestinian intifada in the early to mid-2000s, BRUSSELS (JTA) -- The cold determination when Belgium began seeing dozens of antiwith which the shooter at Belgium’s Jewish Semitic attacks each year for the first time since museum murdered four people shocked many World War II. Belgians, but local Jewish leaders have long “There is a silent exodus from Belgium which anticipated the possibility of such an attack on is largely attributable to the country’s antitheir community. Semitism problem,” Rubinfeld said. “We are The shooter who entered the Jewish facing an uncertain future and I am concerned.” Museum of Belgium on Saturday in central The concerns have increased lately not only Brussels “approached each victim with calm, because of Merah, who inspired a slew of antiaiming only for the head without uttering a Semitic attacks across the French-speaking word in a manner that is shocking because of world, but because “of the arrival to the scene the level of training it suggests,” said Mischael of new patrons of anti-Semitism in the FrenchModrikamen, the Jewish leader of Belgium’s speaking world,” Rubinfeld said, a reference to small, centrist Parti Populaire. Dieudonne M’bala M’bala, a French comedian. “Sadly, however, the actual attack comes as Earlier this month, Belgian authorities no surprise to us after years of living in an banned a conference organized in Brussels by atmosphere of rampant anti-Semitism that several individuals with a track record of prooften leads to violence,” he added. moting anti-Semitism, including Dieudonne, Within hours of the attack, the local Jewish French activist Alain Soral and Belgian lawA vigil was organized on May 25, 2014 by the Jewish community outside the Jewish community and the European Jewish maker Laurent Louis. Museum of Belgium in Brussels where a gunman killed four people the previous day. Congress’ Brussels-based Security and Crisis Rubinfeld said the ban “was the first case of its Credit: Cnaan Liphshiz/JTA kind in recent years where we saw a determined Center were operating a crisis management In 1989, a Moroccan terrorist assassinated the communi- stance.” Belgian authorities generally had “a more lax attitude” room complete with a telephone hotline and website -- testament to years of preparation for a terrorist attack on one of ty’s then president, Joseph Wybran. A 1982 armed attack on toward anti-Semitism than their French counterparts, he said. Brussels’ largest synagogue, which is located 400 yards from Europe’s most at-risk communities. Modrikamen noted that the police maintained no permaThe shooter, who fled the scene along with a driver, used the museum, wounded four. In 1979, 13 people were wound- nent presence outside the Jewish Museum of Belgium. an assault rifle to kill Israeli tourists Mira and Emanuel Riva, ed in an attack on an El Al plane at the Brussels airport. “Even when police do place protection, it means two cops Some of the worst attacks on Belgian Jewry happened in a car parked outside a building and nothing comparable a married couple in their 50s; Alexandre Strens, 25, a Belgian man employed by the museum; and Dominique Sabrier, 66, between the years 1979 and 1981, when Arab terrorists to the security provided in France,” he said. killed four people in a series of explosions, including a car a French woman who volunteered at the museum. But Arie Zuckerman, a European Jewish Congress execuA manhunt is underway to capture the perpetrators of the bomb, and shootings directed at Jewish targets in Antwerp’s tive who has spearheaded Jewish communities’ preparations deadliest anti-Semitic attack in Western Europe since the Diamond Quarter. for crises after Toulouse, says the problem is not local. “That track record means that no one thought this couldFrench Islamist Mohammed Merah killed four people, includ“When governments perceive a threat, they know how to n’t happen here,” said Joel Rubinfeld, president of the cooperate tightly and devote enormous resources, and we ing three children, at a Jewish school in Toulouse in 2012. Indeed, the characteristics of the museum attack follow Belgian League Against Anti-Semitism and the former see this in the war on drugs, for example,” he said. “Sadly, no the pattern observed at Toulouse, according to Claude leader of French-speaking Belgian Jews. “In fact, most of us such pan-European recognition has emerged on the need to knew it could and would, especially in recent years. So I am protect Jewish institutions, which often have to carry the Moniquet, a Brussels-based counterterrorism expert. “It seems we are dealing with a small cell of operatives -- shocked but not in the least surprised.” burden of security costs. In more recent years, Belgium’s Jewish community of Islamists or otherwise -- with a low signature that minimizes “We saw it in Brussels, where the terrorists probably colabout 40,000 -- divided more or less equally between lected intelligence without being detected, but it could haptheir risk of being caught,” he said. Yet Belgium’s Jews have experience with such violence that Brussels and Antwerp -- has suffered from rising anti- pen in many other places. The tragedy is in Belgium, but the Semitism. The level of threat increased after the second problem is in Europe.” predates the Toulouse attack by more than 20 years.
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