June 10, 2005

Vol. LXXXIV No. 40 Omaha, NE

Omahan Elected to Rotary International Board of Directors by JOAN K. MARCUS Frank N. Goldberg has been elected as a member of the Board of Directors of Rotary International. Goldberg, 62 and a CPA, will serve the international organization from July 1 through June 30, 2007. A member of Rotary since 1973, he will to represent North Central United States Zones 27 and 28 . Goldberg will be one of 17 board members that help to make up a complete board of 20 people. Other board members come from all over the world. He will be one of only two Jews and six Frank Goldberg Americans serving on this prestigious international board. “I don’t think that there is any other humanitarian organization in the world that has the ability to cross religious and political boundaries better than Rotary,” Goldberg said proudly. “We represent every race, culture and religion and we work together.” Rotary International is a working board that discusses programs, policies and international issues. Goldberg served as President of his own club, Suburban Rotary, from 1986-87 and was district governor in 1992-93. He is the recipient of Rotary’s “Service Above Self award and the Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service. Goldberg looks upon himself as a facilitator. “I speak and try to get people motivated to work under the four avenues of service. Club service is what you do in your club. Community service is what is done in your own community and international service--and what you do within your own profession. The basic idea is to have someone from each profession who uses skills to serve. Therefore, meetings would rotate from offices each week and that’s how we got our name.” Rotary is a 100 year-old humanitarian service organization that was the first of its kind. It was founded in 1905 in Chicago and quickly grew. Today, there are over 32 thousand clubs in 166 countries around the world, with more than 1,200,000 members. Both men and women belong to the organization that is broken up so that each club is able to create its own service projects in each community. In the greater Omaha area, there are probably 12 or 13 clubs, according to Goldberg. Some of the projects pursued by the Rotarians include the scholarship program for eighth graders, the bicycle ride across Nebraska and providing scholarships for high school seniors with disabilities. “These are kids who may not otherwise qualify for scholarships because they may not have the grade point average,” Goldberg explained. My club tries to have a different service project every month,” he added. “We help out with books for school or Christmas tree recycling. Right now, as a centennial project, the Omaha-metro clubs have been marking the trail system in the area. Every single club does its own thing when it comes to educational and humanitarian projects. We help youth, the aged, people with disabilities and participate in community activities.” Continued on page 4

Inside Opinion Page see page 20

Celebrating 84 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa

Peace of Mind is Mission of Federation Committee by RITA SHELLEY for Jewish Senior Services What medical decisions do you want made at the end of your life? If you’re too sick or hurt to communicate your wishes, whom do you want speaking and making decisions on your behalf? Make your wishes known. Write them down. Not “later.” Now. Doing so will Joan Kaiman give you peace of mind. This is the message of the “Peace of Mind” project, organized by a group of Jewish Federation volunteersJoanie Jacobson, Joan Kaiman, Nancy Noddle and Susan Rothholz, as well as Jewish Family Service and Jewish Senior Services staff, as part of a campaign of public education and support. “We organized this committee because we wanted to provide our community in Omaha with information they could use to become informed and prepared in case of unforeseen medical conditions,” Shelly Fox, Jewish Senior Services, said. “Each person on this committee has either a life experience or other compelling reason to want to be part of this project.” “Peace of Mind” volunteers want you to think about your wishes in advance, discuss your options with your family, friends, and health care professionals, and make plans for your future health care needs. Goals of the project include: • Encouraging family communication regarding individual desires and health care wishes before crises occur; • Educating the Omaha Jewish community about the types of decisions that need to be considered and the resources available within the community, including: • clergy, to help guide decision-making. Formal launching of Peace of Mind will be during the weekend of June 11-12 when committee members make brief presentations during synagogue services. The fol-

The Image of Abraham

Inspired by a common heritage of the patriarch Abraham, more than 480 Arab and Jewish children, between the ages of nine and 11 have come together at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem. The children are pupils at local Jerusalem area schools. The “Image of Abraham Project” is now entering its eighth year and aims to create understanding and respect between Arabs and Jews in Israel by understanding shared history and heritage. The program encourages interaction in small groups so that all the children will have a mutual understanding and respect for one another. The programs are all held at the museum and include guided tours, creative workshops and games. Copyright: ISRANET

This Week: Father’s Day/Graduation Issue Shavuot Now a ‘Hip’ Holiday, List of Celebrations: Page 2

3 Sivan, 5765 June 10, 2005

Omahans Report on Study Programs in Israel: Pages 7-9

Nancy Noddle Susan Rothholz lowing week, Beth Israel will host Robert Berman, founder of the Halachic Organ Donor Society, a worldwide organization that educates communities on end-oflife issues, including organ donation and living wills. Berman will speak during June 18 services and again that afternoon. (See story below.) Jewish Senior Services also has agreed to serve as a confidential central storage facility for advance directive and “living will” documents once they are prepared. Personal documents can be stored, at no cost, in a locked and secure location that will be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “It doesn’t do any good to get your wishes recorded if you’re the only one who knows about them,” Rothholz said. “Placing a copy in the care of another responsible party in this way helps you and your family know they have access to information they need, when they need it.” In future issues of the Jewish Press, look for more information on advance directives and living wills. “We want to remind people to get their wishes written down while they can think clearly and make well thought-out decisions,” Noddle added. “Don’t wait until you’re in a crisis or put your family in the position of having to guess what you would want. “We can’t control the future, but we can take steps to make our wishes known for our own and our families’ peace of mind.”

Halachic Organ Donor Society Founder to Speak at Beth Israel by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue One hundred people die needlessly in Israel every year--not from terrorism or wars, but because there are not enough organs available for transplant. That statistic intrigued Robby Berman, who was working as a journalist in Israel at the time. The deaths are needless, he says, because “there is a cure for organ failure. It’s just that people don’t donate the organs needed.” Berman, the founder and director of the Halachic Organ Donor Society (HOD Society) will be a special guest at Beth Israel Robby Berman Synagogue on Saturday, June 18. He’ll speak during Shabbat morning services and also make a presentation at 4:30 p.m. Shabbat afternoon that will include a question-and-answer session. Mincha will follow Berman’s presentation. Berman founded the HOD Society in December, 2001. According to its website, the organization “educates Jews about different Halachic opinions concerning organ donation and offers people a unique organ donor card.” Continued on page 2

Coming Next Month: Health and Wellness on July 15 Salute to Graduating High School Seniors: Pages 12-13

Crossword Puzzle: Jewish Time Travel: Page 19

Page 2

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

June 10, 2005

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

C L I P

SUNDAY, JUNE 12 JCC CLOSED AT 7P.M. FOR SHAVUOT Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 9 a.m. at Beth El NCJW Budget Meeting, 10 a.m. Jewish Senior Services Volunteer Recognition, 2:30 p.m. Shavuot Night of Study, 5:30 p.m. at Beth El “Midnight Madness” all-night study session in honor of Shavot, 11 p.m. at Chabad House Yachad, 2 p.m. at the Rose Theatre for Beauty & The Beast

C L I P &

&

MONDAY, JUNE 13 S JCC CLOSED FOR SHAVUOT A Annual Shavuot Ice Cream Party, 11:30 a.m. V at Chabad House E

S A V E

TUESDAY, JUNE 14 JCC OPEN/FED OFFICES CLOSED FOR SHAVUOT Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m. BBYO Night, 6 p.m. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15 Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m. Jewish Press Executive Committee Meeting, 7:30 p.m. C L THURSDAY, JUNE 16 I Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m. P

C L I P

& Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel

&

Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m.

S A V E

Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. Kripke Library Book Discussion Group, 1 p.m. JSS Concert featuring Billie James, 1 p.m. Rick Recht Community Concert and Picnic, 5 p.m. JELS Conversational Hebrew Class Level 1, 7 p.m. and Level 2, 8 p.m. All events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of events. To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. FOR A COMPLETE LISTING, VISIT THE FEDERATION’S WEBSITE: www.JewishOmaha.org (click on calendar)

This Space For Rent Call Allan Handleman 334-6451

S A V E

interest in tikkun leil by SUE FISHKOFF PACIFIC GROVE, CA, Shavuot is a “six- to eightBeth El: Evening of study, led by Professors Leonard Greenspoon year phenomenon” in the which (JTA--Shavuot, begins June 12, may be one and Guy Matalon, Sunday, June 12, 5:30 p.m., followed by an Reform movement, with of Judaism’s three major fes- optional 6 p.m. dinner; Greenspoon’s session, “En-gendering the 200 to 300 Reform congretivals, but it’s never caught Text: Do Jews Need an Egalitarian Bible for the 21st Century?” will gations now holding such on in America like its more begin at 6:35 p.m., and Matalon will lead “Talmudic Sage and sessions. “Our goal is to popular cousins, Passover Kabbalistic Master: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai,” at 7:30 p.m. reclaim Shavuot for adult Monday, June 13, 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, June and Sukkot. study,” he says. 14, 9:30 a.m., including Yizkor and dedication of memorial Orthodox Jews have kept But beyond the synagogue plaques. the tradition of tikkun leil walls, something even more Beth Israel: Shavuot “Make and Take” Class with Dee-Sign Shavuot, the all-night study interesting is taking place: Landscape and Garden Shop, Sunday, June 12, 9:30 a.m. in the Large-scale alternative session that marks the comsynagogue’s parking lot. Candlelighting, 8:40 p.m., followed by Y.U. Shavuot night happenings memoration of God’s giving Torah Tours dinner and Tikun Leil Shavuot, 11:30 p.m. Monday: of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. Shacharit, 9 a.m., followed by dairy Kiddush; Tuesday: Shacharit, are being held in clubs and JCCs on both coasts, where Many Conservative congre- 9 a.m.; Yizkor, 10:45 a.m., followed by a dairy lunch. gations also have Shavuot Chabad: Midnight Madness invites participation on Sunday participants prepare themstudy sessions. evening, June 12, 11 p.m.- 2 a.m., with discussion facilitated by selves for the morning’s revBut for most unaffiliated Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Services and ice cream party for the whole elation with sunset-to-dawn smorgasbords of text study, and many non-Orthodox family on Monday June 13, 11 a.m. Jews, the tradition of study Rose Blumkin Jewish Home: June 13 and 14: Shavuot lectures, music, film, discussion groups, folk dancing, associated with the holiday Services, 9 a.m. led by Rabbi Maximo Shechet. has gone fairly unnoticed. Temple Israel: Sunday, June 12, 7 p.m. Services in celebra- performance art, and, of That appears to be changing. tion of the Torah, followed by a dairy reception. Prof. Leonard course, cheesecake. In other words, Shavuot’s During the past few years, Greenspoon will lead a discussion on “Broken Tablets: Restoring the there's been a resurgence of Ten Commandments and Ourselves.” Monday, June 13, Shavuot becoming hip. Last year, close to 300 peointerest in tikkun leil Shavuot. services/Yizkor, 10:30 a.m. Of all the holidays in the The Neighborhood Minyan: Monday, June 13, services at 9 ple showed up at the Whispers Jewish calendar it’s this one, a.m., and Tuesday, June 14, services at 9 a.m. with Yizkor at Club in San Francisco for Dawn, a Shavuot event billed with its focus on intellectual 10:30 a.m. as an “all-night multimedia exploration and spiritual selfIn Lincoln, Shavuot celebrations include: arts experience.” In New examination, that is being B’nai Jeshurun: Friday, June 10: Erev Shabbat and Hag York, more than 1,500 came seized upon by a new genera- HaShavuot Service, 7:45 p.m. tion as a day-- or, rather, Tifereth Israel: Sunday, Tikkun Leil Shavuot, 8:30 p.m.; to Alma Tikkun, an all-night study and cultural extravagannight--ripe for reinvention. Monday and Tuesday, Services, 9:30 a.m. za held simultaneously at the It’s been happening in the synagogues. Rabbi Daniel Freelander, Vice-president of Manhattan JCC and 92nd Street Y. the Union for Reform Judaism, says the upsurge of Continued on page 3

Organ Donor Society Founder to Speak

Friedel Jewish Academy Holds Annual Graduation

Continued from page 1 Historically Jews believed organ donation was not allowed, Berman says, because of the prohibitions concerning touching a cadaver. At first glance, halacha does seem to prohibit such an act. But Berman argues that a closer examination shows these laws are taken out of context and that if organ donation can save someone’s life, then it supersedes Halachic prohibitions. Berman’s initial task is to try to change perceptions about organ donation. “We’re an educational organization. We supply organ donation information and donor cards,” he added, noting that he is “hoping to show all Jews that even traditional Orthodox Judaism supports cadavar donation.” And, after becoming more informed about the issue, he wants Jewish people to become organ donor “emissaries” who go out to spread the word about organ donation. Since founding HOD Society, Berman has worked tirelessly to speak about the subject of organ donation to people across the U.S. “So far,” said Berman, “77 Orthodox rabbis have our donor card. We are a growing movement.” He recently lectured to a group where U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman was in attendance, and was pleased to announce that Lieberman plans to obtain a HOD Society donor card. The HOD Society has also facilitated two live organ donations. In these cases, HOD Society’s involvement helped meet a need, since there are always more people in need of organs than there are organs available. However, arranging live organ donations is not HOD Society’s mandate. First and foremost, the organization seeks to encourage Jews to become informed and sign HOD Society donor cards. In Nebraska, donors can indicate the choice to be an organ donor on a driver’s license. In his presentation, Berman explains why he also encourages people to register for a HOD Society donor card. Organ donation is a complicated issue and Berman’s presentations should help Jews, and non-Jews, become more informed about the questions and answers pertaining to organ donation. The community is invited to attend Berman’s talks on June 18; there is no charge to attend. For more information, please call the synagogue at 556.6288.

by JORDANA L. KURTZMAN Friedel Jewish Academy celebrated the end of another exhilarating school year with its annual graduation ceremonies. The children sang Hebrew songs, danced to Israeli music, and watched a slide presentation of the past year at Friedel.

Sixth-grade graduate Noam Margalit was also honored by the teachers, staff, and students of Friedel. Noam attended the five years of her schooling at Wellwood International School in Baltimore, MD. After her family moved to Omaha in 2003, she and her sister, Tal, attended Columbian Elementary School for the first semester, but transferred to Friedel Jewish Academy after each of them visited the school for a day. The teachers and staff of Friedel sang Noam a personalized graduation song at the end-of-year commemoration. Noam enjoys playing volleyball, basketball, and art and is looking forward to beginning seventh grade at Beveridge Magnet Middle School. More than 80 family members and guests attended Friedel’s graduation ceremonies, including Ruti and Eyal Margalit, Noam’s parents, and her baby sister, Doron. If you would like more information about Friedel or would like a personal tour of the school, please call Cookie Katskee or Mary Jane Tweedy at 334.0517.

June 10, 2005

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 3

Shavuot Becoming Hip Continued from page 2 These two Shavuot celebrations, both being held again this year, share an exuberant, culture-centered approach to what has traditionally been an intimate, text-centered ritual, while seeking to maintain the holiday’s focus on exploring the connection between Jewish identity and Torah. Their program schedules read like street festivals, with multiple events taking place simultaneously. Alma Tikkun will feature an Israeli rock band, Middle Eastern jazz, sex talk with Dr. Ruth, and screenings of the new documentary Watermarks and Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors with separate spaces set up for Orthodox Torah study, as well as Israeli dancing and sing-alongs. Its broad-based nature reflects the makeup of the event’s sponsors, which range from the Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning to the Israeli Consulate. Dawn 2005, the brainchild of musician and record producer David Katznelson and avant-garde performer Amy Tobin, is more consciously aimed at the young, alternative set. Highlights will include Moog organ pioneer Gershon Kingsley conducting his interpretation of a cantata of early Zionist pioneer songs; musician John Schott performing his new seven-hour Shavuot composition; Amichai Lau-Lavie conjuring up his drag alter-ego, Rebbetzin Hadassah Gross; and Jeremy Cowan, founder of He’Brew beer, presenting a beer seminar--Shavuot is, after all, the harvest festival. “My generation likes to stay up all night and watch the sun rise, and we want progressive ideas, we want to learn about the environment and what’s going on

sue social juspolitically,” tice as Jews.” s a y s Why all this Katznelson, a in interest self-described Shavuot? agnostic. Ruth “Especially in Calderon, the San Franfounder of cisco, we're Alma College very willing active in Tel Aviv and and the spiriparticipants” force tual social in behind the action projAlma Tikkun ects, he says. in New York, A focus on she which social justice is brought over also a moving from Israel force behind a three years late-night ago, says Shavuot celeis Shavuot bration at the comWestside Jew- Shirley Brody, left, Danielle Gordman, Cheryl Lerner, and also ish Commun- Betsy Marantz fry blintzes for Shavuot at a recent Spice and pelling to her generation ity Center in Spirit Cooking Club session at Chabad House. Los Angeles sponsored by the Progressive because “it wasn’t ‘taken’ yet.” Most Israelis, she says, only know the Jewish Alliance and Ikar, a year-old nonaffiliated congregation described by its spir- holiday as Chag Habikurim, or festival of itual leader, Rabbi Sharon Brous, as “politi- the first fruits. “As young secular Israelis, it cally active, traditional yet progressive.” wasn’t relevant for us in the agricultural In contrast to the San Francisco and sense anymore, but we saw it could be relNew York events, there won’t be any drag evant to us a the ‘People of the Book.’” queens or performance artists in L.A.-Calderon is part of the recent movejust text study, with a focus on translating ment among secular Israelis to “reclaim what Brous calls “the redemptive message Jewish texts and reinterpret them” in the of Shavuot” into political and social light of modern political and social sensiaction. Her group will study traditional bilities, she explains, a movement that texts--Torah, talmudic and Hasidic writ- gained force after the 1995 assassination ings--but will use them to discuss hunger of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, “which and warfare in Africa, immigrant rights, left us feeling that the rug had been taken and “our commitment to a pluralistic, from under our feet, that we couldn’t diverse world.” depend on anyone to build our Jewish The final session will, Brous says, be identity for us.” “an articulation of what it means to purFor Katznelson, the tikkun phenome-

non is “about creating new rituals” while responding to the sanctity of the holiday. Noting that h’d have a larger crowd if he held his event on Saturday night, he said he wanted “to respect the night that all Jews around the world are celebrating Shavuot-although we’re doing it in a different way that unity is so important to us.” He also notes that many of his participants have never celebrated Shavuot before. San Francisco resident Circe Sher says she rarely goes to synagogue, but she came to Dawn last year -her first tikkun ever. “First of all, I learned that Shavuot existed,” she says. “It wasn’t intimidating at all, and it was great to see all those artists and realize they were Jewish.” Other people come to check out an alternative to the Shavuot they already know. New York lawyer Susan Canter stopped by the Alma Tikkun last year after tikkun at her own modern Orthodox shul, because she “wanted to experience a different environment,” she says. She arrived at about 1:30 a.m. “It was packed,” she says. “I couldn’t even get into the lecture I wanted. And it wasn't just singles, it was very diverse in terms of age, religious or not, Sephardi and Ashkenazi.” About half the people who came to last year’s Alma Tikkun were Israeli Americans, says co-organizer Tzameret Fuerst, the Israeli-born head of Dor Chadash, an organization that tries to bridge the gap between young Americans and Israelis. “To get all those Israelis to a meaningful Jewish event like this, it’s unprecedented,” Fuerst says. “It’s the beginning of a huge phenomenon. There are so many hybrids like me, second generation Israelis, and here we’ve found a Jewish place we can be comfortable in.”

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

June 10, 2005

Omahan Elected to Rotary Board Continued from page 1 In 1985, Rotary adopted what they call their first corporate program: Polio Plus. This program, designed to eradicate polio, has inoculated more than a billion children. This year, Rotary will have contributed about $500 million to the cause. “If we are successful, this will be only the second disease in the history of mankind that has been eradicated,” Goldberg. “The first was smallpox. In India--in a weekend--Rotary immunized 160 million children!” Rotarians are required to have 60% attendance at meetings. Goldberg smiled, “One of the benefits of this is that I can attend meetings all over the world and it counts. If I miss my meeting on Thursday, I can travel and attend a meeting any- Above: A Rotary volunteer administers the polio vaccine where in the world!” In addition to paying to a child in Mordabad, India. Photo Credit: dues, Rotarians are asked Giboux Jean-Marc to donate to the foundaRight: Children in Bangladesh tion--designed to provide peace and goodwill. This enjoy clean and safe water fund raising side provides from a water pump installed funds for much of their through a Rotary project. Photo Credit: Rotary international service. Donations to the foundation average $60 per person, according to Goldberg, but the Rotary is trying to raise that to $100 per person. In addition, Rotary has an endowment fund that helps post graduate college students study for a year overseas to study peace and conflict resolution. “They not only receive benefit from their studies,” he added, “but they are ‘ambassadors of goodwill’ for our country. Rotary has also created a process by which seven universities around the world may nominate one outstanding student for a two-year master’s program in peace and conflict resolution.” Goldberg was born in Omaha and has grown up here. “I was given some opportunities--primarily by the late Howard Vann,” he noted appreciately. “He opened the door for me and acted as my mentor.” Vann also served on Rotary International’s Board of Directors. He died in 2003. Goldberg went to Dundee Grade School and graduated from Central High in 1960. He was very active in AZA #1 and athletic events and enjoyed the service side of the group. While at Dundee School, he was the safety patrol crossing guard for Leanne Goldberg (who just happened to have the same last name). They were acquaintances but didn’t begin dating until college. In 1963, he says, “Three of us were looking for a place

to have a New Years Eve party. The other two guys had girlfriends and they said I had to get a date. One of them mentioned Leanne Goldberg and I thought it would be fun to take her out since we had the same name.” They were married on July 26, 1964. They have three adult children: Steve, a CPA in Kansas City who also owns a bar; Bob, a mortgage broker in Omaha and Rachel, who works for Gallup also in Omaha. Frank and Leanne have one granddaughter, Lily. Goldberg graduated from the University of Omaha with a degree in accounting in 1965. Before graduating, he began working for the accounting firm of Trachtenbarg and Rosenblum, running errands and doing bookkeeping. In 1970, Mike Shrier and Frank went with Rosenblum and joined a national accounting firm. Twelve years later, Rosenblum retired and Shrier and Goldberg have remained partners. In addition to his activities with Rotary, Frank has been president of Cornhusker Lodge of B’nai B’rith, on the Jewish Community Center Board from 1970-77, during which time he served on the executive committee. He also was treasurer of the Jewish Federation of Omaha and served in that capacity on the board of Beth El Synagogue. In addition, he chaired the scholarship committee of Friedel Jewish Academy. “Leanne and I love to travel for Rotary,” Goldberg added. “We’ve been to Australia, Singapore, Japan, Hawaii and Canada. Leanne is as supportive as any wife could ever be. She provides a lot of the communication skills--typing, e-mails and telephone solicitations--to get people to come to meetings. “We work great together and have a lot of fun,” he said proudly. “Leanne is involved in spousal training, too, because we think that it’s important for spouses to learn about Rotary. She is well informed and I could never have done what I have without her!” He concluded by acknowledging his late parents. “Goldye and Harry Goldberg worked very hard so that my sister Beverly (Zuber) and I could have good educations and be successful. I’ve also been lucky because I found a wonderful wife. “Rotary is very humbling,” he insisted. “There are people there who do unbelievable things. I don’t believe that there are too many people who are exceptional. But, I think that we--as Rotarians--can do exceptional things together!”

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OTYG Kidnapping Ends Happily with Breakfast

When most of the city was still slumbering, Omaha Temple Youth Group (OTYG) Board members got up before dawn one morning last month and met at Temple Israel at 4:30 a.m. The sleepy-eyed teens boarded a bus and began traversing the dark streets looking for fall freshmen-to-be and a few upperclassmen who hadn’t been to an OTYG event for awhile. In homes where only parents were expecting them, board members slipped into the bedrooms of unsuspecting “victims,” and “kidnapped” them--for breakfast at Village Inn. It turned out to be a chatty, appetizing, fun opportunity to get to know one another for high schoolers: Sarah Bleicher, left, (hands in front of her face), Taylor Workman (leaning forward), Jackie Neesman, Lauren Davis, and on the other side of the table: Lauren Josephson, Hamutal Ginsburg, Aaron Passer, Nimrod Ginsburg, and Amy Schweid.

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June 10, 2005

Ima and Me Expands This Fall Shani Katzman, Ima and Me teacher and facilitator said, “We’ve recently seen an abundance of cognitive development research confirm that children are most deeply affected by early childhood environment and experience. Jewish tradition has always espoused this belief. Ideally, Jewish children’s earliest, most pleasant and memorable experiences ought to be associated with their Jewish identity. “This is a tried and true recipe,” she added, “for raising children who will become active and involved members and leaders of the Jewish community, with G-d’s help.” “Shani is a sunDebbie Denenberg, left, brings her twins to the weekly meetings of Ima burst of positive and Me at the Chabad House. energy, solid learnEach session, children bake their own ing and a treasure to the Omaha Jewish challahs to take home for Shabbat dinner, community,” Debbie stated. “I was elatlearn the Shabbat service and songs and ed to see the quality of learning the have a Shabbat party. Age appropriate Chabad House produces. The class crafts and music activities accompany teaches me and my kids at the same time. learning about each Jewish holiday. The moms find so many ways to enjoy Currently, the kids are engaged in mak- Judaism in their homes in addition to ing crowns to wear for the Shavout Torah getting to spend weekly time together and Ice Cream party to be held on the making new friends.” first day of the holiday. “The quality of Due to the overwhelming success of what we do is so compelling for adults, as this year’s pilot program, Ima and Me well as kids. The kids are approached at will expand to a two-semester format such a high level of learning. The beginning fall of 2005, ongoing Friday Mommys have found that kids of surpris- mornings from 10:30-11:45 a.m. ingly young ages remember the Shema The class is open to all mothers in the and being personally and uniquely community. Please call Carol Hutchison involved in major Jewish holidays,” at 330.1800 to reserve your place for the fall session. Denenberg added.

by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue The holiday of Shavuot, celebrating the giving of the Torah, will take place beginning this Sunday night. It is traditional to decorate one’s home and the synagogue with plants and flowers for the holiday, as it is said that Mt. Sinai burst into bloom on the day the Torah was given. To help us in preparing for the holiday, Beth Israel is offering another “Make and Take” class featuring the staff from Deesign Landscaping and Garden Shop on Sunday, June 12, 9:30 a.m. Dee Maly, the owner of Dee-sign, will be giving us a hands-on class on designing interesting flower pot gardens. Participants can bring their own clay or ceramic pots or can purchase inexpensive plastic or terracotta pots at the class. Pots

will cost $6-8 each, plus $1-2 to fill with potting soil. In addition, plants and flowers will be available for purchase as we learn the basics of designing and planting flower pots from the experts. Depending upon your choice of plants and how densely you fill a pot, expect to fill a 12-inch pot for anywhere from $5 to $20. The class will take place in the parking lot at Beth Israel, 12604 Pacific St. Come ready to get a little dirty as we enjoy this hands-on activity. Dee-sign Landscape and Garden Shop will take cash or checks on the day of the class to pay for whatever materials you purchase in creating your pot. In case of rain, the class will meet in the synagogue’s basement (enter through the basement door on the north side of the building).

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Beth El’s Board of Trustees to be Saluted During Annual Meeting by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Beth El Synagogue’s entire congregation is invited to be on hand as new and returning board members will be welcomed and outgoing board members thanked during the synagogue’s annual meeting, to be held Wednesday, June 15, 7:30 p.m. Officers scheduled to be installed include Hyman Sukiennik, President; Sally Zipursky, Steve Pitlor and Harold Zabin, Vice-presidents; Ron Feldman, Treasurer; and Sibby Wolfson, Secretary. Beginning their second two-year terms on the Board of Trustees are: Ellene

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by SUSAN PALEY for Chabad of Nebraska Ima and Me, according to Ima Debbie Denenberg, is a “thrilling group of energetic toddlers and their moms” who come together on Friday mornings to celebrate the joys of being Jewish.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

June 10, 2005

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A schoolteacher borrowed a vaporizer from another Committee, launched several centers to assist elderly neighbor for the child, and then, realizing that such Jews there. Similar to the system in Israel, the centers devices were in short supply in the neighborhood, have medical-equipment lending centers, warehouses and workshops. There are now 100 centers, known as bought several more to lend to others. People then began dropping off medical equipment Cheseds, across the former Soviet Union. Yad Sarah recently helped Angola’s government set up they no longer needed. Soon afterward, the teacher’s cramped Jerusalem apartment was overflowing with a warehouse of rehabilitative medical equipment, together with a workshop for maintaining the equipvaporizers, crutches, walkers and other items. That schoolteacher, Uri Lupolianski, today is the mayor of Jerusalem, and the loaning system that began in his living room has become Yad Sarah. It provides a range of medical devices or services free or at a nominal cost to make life easier for the ill, disabled or elderly and their families. With 6,000 volunteers from every walk of life, Yad Sarah is Israel’s largest volunteer organization. “Among Israelis and Jews there is a notion of helping one another,” Lupolianski told JTA. He said he is encouraged that the Yad Sarah model is now being exported abroad. Shimon Morgenstern, a 78-year-old Yad Sarah volunteer who has also benefitted from the “We think that home-care agency’s work, stands amid wheelchairs and other medical equipment ready to be lent out Credit: Brian Hendler/JTA services are desperately by the organization in Jerusalem on May 17. needed in the world and can help millions of people,” he ment. Angola recently emerged from over 25 years of a said. brutal civil war. During that time, land mines took a More than 380,000 people are helped by Yad Sarah heavy toll on the civilian population. Many lost limbs. each year. Many borrow equipment that ranges from Handelsman said that in the past, many wheelchairs wheelchairs to oxygen tanks to hospital beds. sent to Angola from abroad weren’t sturdy enough for The organization has branches across the country, the country’s rough conditions and dirt roads, especialfrom the main cities to development towns and Arab vil- ly in rural areas. Yad Sarah instead brought over Sovietlages. A recent survey found that one out of every two issue wheelchairs that were more suitable to local condiIsraeli families has been helped by Yad Sarah. tions. Shlomo Cohen was among those in line at Yad Sarah’s In Uzbekistan, Yad Sarah plans to set up a communimain Jerusalem branch one recent morning. He had ty rehabilitation center in the capital, Tashkent, that will come to request an extension on a walker he had bor- serve some 10,000 children with special needs. Plans for rowed for his 80-year-old father. the center include equipment lending, a warehouse and “It helps a lot. It gives him more confidence,” Cohen workshop and transportation services for the disabled, as said. Looking around the reception area where an well as a rehabilitation center. unusual mix of Arabs and Jews, the Orthodox and the Yad Sarah’s annual budget is $15.5 million. Most of it secular waited together to be helped, he added, “Yad comes from donations from Israelis and the nominal fees Sarah brings unity to the country because it helps every- paid for the organization’s services. Its work abroad is one.” funded by outside sources. Behind him in line was David Cohen-Khallas, a uniYad Sarah enjoys support from many Jewish commuversity student who recently broke his ankle and was nities abroad. The main wing of the Jerusalem headreturning a pair of crutches. quarters was donated by the UJA-Federation of New “It’s a great service. I broke my ankle over Passover, York. and without any questions they helped me. It’s great to At the end of the month, New York City Mayor see how everyone is treated equally,” he said. Michael Bloomberg is planning to host a fundraising One of Yad Sarah’s primary goals is to keep the ill and event for Yad Sarah at his home. elderly in their homes and with their families for as long In Jerusalem, a steady stream of people make their way as possible. The organization saves Israel an estimated through the organization’s headquarters, returning and $300 million in hospitalization fees. collecting equipment. Volunteer Shimon Morgenstern, The Yad Sarah model is now being replicated around 78, helps a woman returning a wheelchair. the world, from the former Soviet Union to Africa. As he returns to the storeroom, where shelves are piled One of the group’s newest projects is in Jordan, where high with blood-pressure monitors, baby scales and Yad Sarah officials are working on a plan to help set up crutches, Morgenstern explains why he comes here three a lending center, exhibition center and workshop for times a week to volunteer. maintaining wheelchairs, walkers and other items at a “It’s close to my heart,” he said. “I have also used hospital in Amman. equipment from Yad Sarah, and now I come and give Meir Handelsman, who helps promote the contracting out equipment and explain how to use it. Here they can of Yad Sarah assistance abroad, is coordinating the proj- come and get what they need and they are always so ect with Dr. Mohammed Al-Hadid, president of the grateful, saying, ‘Thank you so much.’” Jordanian Red Crescent. On one of the building’s top floors is an exhibit cenAl-Hadid first heard about Yad Sarah through the ter where people can see for themselves a model apartIsraeli Embassy in Amman, and soon after he came to ment full of devices to make life easier for the disabled Israel to see Yad Sarah’s operations - a hydraulic bath lift in the bathroom, a stair climber for “I was really very, very impressed by the work they are wheelchairs and special pots with easy-to-hold handles in doing. It was all new to us at the Red Cross and the Red the kitchen. Crescent, and I thought we could copy this in Jordan” Elaine Pomrantz, a rehabilitation counselor who made on a smaller scale, Al-Hadid told JTA in a phone inter- aliyah seven years ago from New York, helps tourists view from Amman. who use Yad Sarah services--from equipment to special Yad Sarah can expect to have an even wider role inter- vans for transporting the disabled--while visiting Israel. nationally following a decision by the United Nations in Pomrantz, who is wheelchair bound, first came to Yad January to include it on an advisory body to the U.N.’s Sarah as a consumer. Now she volunteers twice a week Economic and Social Council, or ECOSOC -- the high- and is moved by the thanks of those she helps. est status a nongovernmental organization can achieve. “There is a gratification here that is so much more Handelsman said Yad Sarah’s inclusion in ECOSOC than money,’’ she said.

June 10, 2005

An ‘Eye Opening’ Experience by DAN DAVIDSON I have been in Israel since August of 2004 and what I have seen astonishes me. I am so happy to have been here this year and. given the oppertunity again. I would jump at it in a heartbeat. I live in Jerusalem and attend Yeshiva Derech/Ohr Samayach. Derech is a program within the yeshiva designed to help young bachurim (students) to live in a religious enviornment and learn about all aspects of Jewish life.

For me it has been an eye-opener to come here and experience the culture of Israel and see the way people interact. I had never left the country before this year, so my views of this place are what I saw on the news and what I read, which by the way is somewhat blown out of proportion. The most recent situation is the disengagement and movement of approximately 5000-7000 Jews from the Gaza settlement of Gush Katif. By the way, more people die in car accidents here than from terrorist attacks. The news only mentions terrorist attacks though. I live about 30 minutes from the Kotel (the Western Wall) and to go and pray there on Shabbos is an experience. Friday night imagine not 10 or 20, but close to a thousand Jews bringing in Shabbos; it’s great! I have been outside of Jerusalem a lot as well. I have visited places up north, such as Haifa, Tel-Aviv, Netanya, and Tsfat. I have been down south to Eilat, which is the hot spot for tourism and going to the beach. My overall experience has been a positive one and I hope that one day everyone can see what I have seen and do what I have done.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 7

This Year in Jerusalem by REBECCA MUROW Disclaimer: This is in no way an allencompassing account of my five months in Israel, but rather a compilation of a handful of my favorite memories from the semester. “In every generation let each one feel as if he or she came forth out of Egypt.� We read this sentence every year in the Pesach Hagaddah, and this year I was able to physically enact the statement as I returned to Israel from a five-day visit to Cairo two days before Pesach began. Walking through the land where our ancestors were once enslaved, seeing the ancient sites of Memphis, Sakara, and the Giza pyraimds, and realizing that we would be making our own exodus back to Israel just in time for Pesach was a remarkable experience. The joy of experiencing a physical return to our Jewish homeland was very spiritual. I could not wait to re-enter the country in which I’ve been living and studying for the past four months. I gained an even greater appreciation for Israel as a Jewish homeland. To once again be in a land where I could speak the language, feel comfortable as if among family and part of a nationwide community was an incredible feeling. I’ve been living in Jerusalem since January. Before the semester began, the students in my program were enrolled in a five-week ulpan (five-hour-a-day intensive Hebrew class). Some friends who were in my Hebrew classes at the University of Michigan were also in my ulpan class, and we decided that the view from the third floor of the Hebrew building in Ann Arbor hardly does justice to the beautiful view of Jerusalem we get in the classrooms here. It’s definitely an

environment more conducive to Hebrew learning! For the past several months, I have been taking classes in Mideast politics, Zionist ideology, and Jewish law at the school at Hebrew international University, interning with the Ministry of Tourism, and exploring the country. One of my favorite aspects of Israel is the rich history it fosters. Whether I’m in the Old City or the Golan, there are always new stories to hear and new history lessons to learn. The university sponsored a trip to the Negev where we spent Shabbat in a Bedouin tent. We hiked in Ein Ovdat, a beautiful spring in the desert, walked through the city of Ovdat, stopped in a supermarket in Mitzpe Ramon for some pre-Shabbos shopping (which they kept open for us--our guide told us we were doing a mitzvah by purchasing anything in this town); then settled into the tent in the middle of the desert (only a brief walk to the bathrooms--I will never understand how the plumbing works in the middle of the Negev‌nor my cell phone. I can’t get service in my house in Ann Arbor, but take me to the Negev, and there are no problems.) Friday night we davened a beautiful Kabbalat Shabbat service outside in the desert. It was such a spiritual experience, watching the sun set while welcoming Shabbat. Dinner, of course, was delicious, and included all kinds of Israeli salads, pita, rice, chicken, and challah. On our way to the bathroom before bed, we looked up and noticed how amazing the sky looked. It was so clear, and the stars were so bright. With no interference from city lights, the view was Continued on page 8

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June 10, 2005

This Year in Jerusalem Continued from page 7 We rarely encountered any English-speakers; the lan- kitniyot foods, so we had a couple mixups with that. But by far the most incredible that I have ever seen. guage barrier was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. once we figured out the system, it felt great to be able to We hiked around the Ramon Machtesh (a crater We’d talk to people in slow English hoping they’d eat out at restaurants during Pesach! caused by erosion) and stopped for a lunch break at the understand, but they’d just respond in Turkish. I had a seder with my friend’s family in Jerusalem, but top of a mountain. We could hear nothing but the wind We ate at two kosher restaurants, visited a few syna- it made me miss my family a lot, as I realized this was the blowing against our faces. It was so peaceful. gogues, and walked through Istanbul’s Jewish Museum. first time I hadn’t been home for Pesach. Israel was overI spent one Shabbat at crowded the whole week Moshav Or Modiin (also because it’s the only time known as the Carlebach Israelis have off of work so Moshav, named for its they use it to travel. Many Shlomo founder--Rabbi American tourists come to Carlebach) about 45 minIsrael for Pesach as well. utes outside of Jerusalem. We also used the time off A few friends and I stayed of school to travel and see with a woman who hosts things we hadn’t yet had an students every week. (Her opportunity to see. I spent a kids aren’t too thrilled about couple of days in Jerusalem, it, but she and her husband in the Old City and walking were extremely hospitable!) through the new museum at Many people at the Moshav Yad Vashem. gathered to dance and sing One day we went on a hike and welcome in the new at Ein Gedi (a spring near Masada and the Dead Sea) week. Left: Rebecca Murow and her fellow students at Hebrew above. Right: Prior to Pesach, observant Jews of Jerusalem A few friends and I were and mudded ourselves up as University enjoyed a meal in a bedoiun tent, like the one bring their pots and pans to be kashered. Credit: Jack Hazut set-up with families in Efrat, we floated in the Dead Sea. a city of 9,000 Jews in the West Bank, one weekend. The Jewish community is very underground in Istanbul, I also went to Hebron for a day as it was one of the Although my parents weren’t overly thrilled about the and the security to get into synagogues is extremely only days the tombs of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, idea of me spending Shabbat outside the Green Line, it tight. Friday night we were sent on a wild goose chase and Rebecca are open for the (Jewish) public to see. was worth the trip to hear the stories everyone had to to find a synagogue which was hidden in a corner of a Buses were running back and forth from Jerusalem all tell. They wanted to tell us about life in Efrat as well as building in a crowded market. day, and Hebron was overflowing with people who had When we reached the spot where the synagogue sup- come in response to posters that had been displayed all hear about our backgrounds and opinions on the peace process. We shared some of our thoughts, but I was posedly stood, there was no sign of Judaism anywhere. over the country saying, “Pesach in Hebron”. It felt like much more interested to hear what citizens of the West People outside just stared at us and finally, from some a big festival with bands playing all day, food, dancing, hint of a miracle, a door opened and an elderly man in a and shopping. Bank had to say. One man told us he sees the conflict as the Israelis’ kipah welcomed us inside with a warm smile on his face. We began our observance of Yom HaShoah with a problem, not the Arabs’. He made an interesting point Here we were at least able to communicate with some of Hebrew University ceremony at Hillel. Israeli students that Israelis need to have the confidence that we have the congregants in Hebrew. presented their personal experiences with the Holocaust Saturday morning we went to a different synagogue and anti-Semitism. Some spoke, others sang. The cereclaim to the land so that we don’t appear weak to the other side. A right-wing journalist and political scientist where a Turkish boy was having his Bar Mitzvah. He led mony was all in Hebrew, so that hindered my undermade a comment about how the government is not a few prayers, read from the Torah, gave a speech, and standing a bit, but it made it all the more interesting to going to force citizens of Gush Katif out of their homes, was given presents from the congregation. For a hear accounts spoken in Hebrew rather than in English. rather the government is just thinking about doing that. moment I felt like I had been transplanted back into my It provided a different atmosphere and perspective from My time spent in Efrat really made me think about dis- pew at Beth El! what I’m used to. The city was beautiful (especially when it wasn’t rainengagement in a new light. The following day, a friend and I took a cab into the Other Shabbatot were spent in the mystical Kabbalistic ing), the baklavah was delicious, and we really came to center of town to hear the siren at 10 am. As soon as the city of Tzfat, touring art galleries and davening at appreciate Israeli cab drivers (believe it or not, the siren began, everybody on the streets froze. A man Carlebach minyanim and lying on the beach in Eilat. We Turkish cab drivers were 10 times crazier). stood still at an ATM midway through his transaction. spent some time outside of Israel as well. Another thing I love about Israel is experiencing the Everyone on the Egged bus in front of me stood up to Two friends and I made a very spur-of-the-moment way Israelis observe Jewish holidays. My first (of what I properly show their respect. Some people cried, others decision to travel to Turkey. We spent four days in hope will be many more to come) Israeli Pesach wasn’t were deep in concentration. Tourists took pictures. Istanbul, each jam-packed with sightseeing, eating, and as easy as I had anticipated. While shopping for food A young African boy looked confused. He didn’t shopping. We saw several mosques and palaces, all intri- seemed effortless as the grocery stores cover all the immediately stop upon hearing the siren, it took him a cately designed and decorated. Of course, globalization chametz in the store, they don’t clearly differentiate few seconds to realize everyone was standing still and he has hit as we passed by McDonald’s, Burger King, and between kitniyot (beans, corn, etc., customary for some respectfully settled into his silent surroundings. He may Starbucks in the city’s hot night spot, Taksim Square. Jews to eat and others not during the holiday) and non- Continued on page 9

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This Year in Jerusalem Continued from page 8 not have known exactly why he had to stand motionless for sixty seconds, but I was impressed with the respect he showed. The moment was powerful and emotional. The city was silent - everyone thinking of the six million and how lucky they are to be here, in Eretz Yisrael, a

cluded with the singing of Hatikvah. A siren sounded again the next morning, like it did on Yom HaShoah. We stayed on Mount Scopus this time to hear it. It’s a different environment than the center of the city because it is surrounded by Arab villages. I wondered how the Arabs would react to the siren and the day in general. Would they respect it or ignore it? Everyone in the streets stopped what he or she was doing, froze, and bowed their heads in silence, remembering soldiers and innocent civilians who lost their lives for this country. A couple cars didn’t stop, and I couldn’t tell if it was out of ignorance for the situation or intentional disrespect. Either way, it is interesting to think about how the Arab population in the area probably views the days of Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut in opposite ways than the Israelis do. sunset, Yom With Hazikaron turned into Yom HaAtzmaut, and the center of Jerusalem The Yom HaAtzmaut parade in downtown Jerusalem brings turned into one big block together a wide variety of groups from frum to secular and from party. Streets were closed Credit: Jack Hazut off, and vendors sold cotsoldiers to settlers. Jewish homeland, created so nothing like ton candy and Israel paraphanalia. David Broza, a popular Israeli singer, performed the Shoah will ever happen again. This was all further symbolized by the and had the entire crowd chanting “Yeabrupt break in the silence when, as soon rusha-lay-im” underneath an extraordias the siren ended, everyone went back to nary fireworks display. Everyone was his or her daily routine. How fortunate happy and cheerful--so proud to be celewe are to have the freedom to do that. brating the birthday of the Jewish homeExperiencing that moment made me feel land in Israel. While I sit here writing, recalling the even more strongly connected to past semester, I can’t believe my time in Zionism and the state of Israel. However, later in the day, I witnessed Israel is coming to an end. The past five two different scenarios of Hefetz Hashud months I’ve spent living and studying in (suspicious objects in the middle of the Israel have been more extraordinary and street--when this happens, police block life-changing than I could have ever off large portions of the street to inspect imagined. the mysterious item), which presented All that I have learned about Judaism, quite a contrast to the freedom we take history, politics, culture, and friendships for granted. has caused me to grow and think in ways A very moving ceremony was held at I never knew I could. Hoping to yet the Kotel in honor of Yom HaZikaron. again spend “next year in Jerusalem” may President Moshe Katsav spoke to the be a bit of a stretch, but I have no doubt seated audience of families of terror vic- I will take advantage of the next opportims and fallen soldiers. Everyone recited tunity to spend more time in this pheKaddish together and the evening con- nomenal country, my home.

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Temple is not a problem at all, and why evil is required in the world among other explanations. “These essays address different issues that have arisen in my study of Torah and upon the reflection of the practice of Judaism,” Evans mentions in the preface of the book. He anticipates, “that these discussions or potential insights may trigger in the reader some added bit of awe or wonder to their religious feelings.” A consistent participant in Temple Israel’s Bagels and Sacred Books on Saturday mornings, Evans has published more than 100 books, articles, and technical papers in mathematics, computer science, marketing, medical informatics, nursing, nutrition, hereditary cancer, and cancer treatment and prevention. His book is available in the Temple gift shop or online at www.buybooksontheweb.com. He anticipates that Barnes & Noble will carry his book on its website, and he will also mail a copy to anyone who sends him $19.95.

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Steven Evans Turns from Science Writing to Book on Torah and Judaism by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Steven Evans, a former “rocket scientist” at NASA, engineering and business school instructor, and a senior research scientist for several national medical and pharmaceutical companies, has written a book “addressing important Torah episodes, Jewish practices, thought, and principles. His goal is to understand them “in a different light, with a non-traditional perspective in order to reveal an authentic Judaism that has been cloaked or hidden, sometimes just in modern times, sometimes for ages,” he explains in the introduction. Just published in April, Lifting the Veil-Hidden Judaism Revealed sheds light on why Evans believes that the Egyptians’ first born were not killed in the 10th plague, why Abraham was not tested in the binding of Isaac, why bar and bat mitzvahs celebrate the wrong thing, why the Exodus was really a move from freedom to slavery, why building the third

Page 9

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

June 10, 2005

Here We Go Again; It’s Father’s Day

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by BERT LEWIS It’s the day when the merchants and the greeting card people remind us to pay attention to dear old dad. Like we shouldn’t do that on a regular basis, no matter the date, huh? Unfortunately, the days when I spent time debating over a Countess Mara tie or a spiffy sport shirt are gone, as is my sweet Dad, but acknowledging the date makes me think of other things, like things I wish I could tell my dad. Whether it’s the news about how many colleges my grandkid was accepted to or that the car business locations are beyond imagination now. I wish I could tell him we had a delicious gathering of the clan recently; had he been there I know he’d have said a heartfelt shecheheyanu. I wish I could tell him I never make special food for Shavous without thinking of him and his fondness for blintzes! It’s strange, the way I think about my dad. I won’t say it’s every day, as it is with my mom. But with great reg-

ENGAGEMENT BERDICHEVSKAYA/KRICSFELD Anya Berdichevskaya, daughter of Dr. Mara Sukholutskaya of Ada, OK, and David Kricsfeld, son of Cheryl Kricsfeld and Dr. Barry Kricsfeld, have announced their engagement. The bride-to be graduated with honors from East Central University in Ada, OK, with a BS in computer science and a BS in mathematics. She earned a masters in computer science from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN and currently works as a security research engineer for Computer Associates in Leawood, KS. She is the granddaughter of Yekaterina Sukholutskaya of Irvington, NJ, and the late Muniy Sukholutsky.

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ularity, the sound or sight or reminder of something will suddenly make me wish I could tell my dad. I wish I could tell him how my kids are doing in life, and I wish I could tell him about my grandchildren. And what I’d give to just be able to tell him I’m a great-grandmother! Talk about the kvell factor.... I can just see that broad grin appear from ear to ear. Yes, I’d give a lot to be able to tell my dad this or that --not necessarily things of monumental importance, but things he’d love to hear about the family. Maybe I’d even tell him I never hear a man make kiddush on a Friday night without remembering his voice as he sang the words. I try to hide the quick tears of that memory. If you’re fortunate enough to have your dad in your life, I hope you’ll give him a really good gift on Father’s Day. Never mind the tie or the shirt--give him something of yourself. Plan a one on one hour or two. Just the two of you. Talk and tell him what’s going on at your house, and coax him to tell you where his thoughts are these days. Listen, even if you’ve heard those stories a million times. Some day you’ll say you’d give anything to hear them just once more. I know I would. Bert Lewis can be reched at: BertLewis39@aol.com.

Rabbi Baruch and Ariela HaLevi of Des Moines, IA, announce the April 11 birth of their daughter, Maya Bella. The couple also has a son, Yehuda. Grandparents are Howard and Jan Goldstein, Sheldon and Paula Perelman of Bloomfield Hills, MI, Jim and Gail Kelch of Los Angeles, CA, and Rob and Linda Kaufman of Sherman Oaks, CA. Great-grandparents are Anne Dache of Beverly Hills, CA, and Jack and Florence Brody. To submit birth announcements, visit the Jewish Federation of Omaha website at: www.jewishomaha.org; click on “Jewish Press” and then “Submit Announcements,” or call the Press at 402.334.6448 for more information.

Jewish Family Service is running low on some items in the pantry. If you would like to make a donation, some much needed items include: tuna, boxed dinners, canned fruit, vegetables and soup. Donations may be brought directly to Jewish Family Service during regular business hours. For more information, call the JFS office at: 330.2024.

JEWISH PRESS NOTICE The Press office is closed this Monday and Tuesday, June 13-14, for the holiday of Shavuot, and again on Monday, July 4. Pictures from the Passover issue and senior photos from this issue may be picked up in the Press office during regular business hours. Questions? Call 334.6448.

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June 10, 2005

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 11

Operation Solomon: The Daring Rescue of Ethiopian Jews by Stephen Spector. Oxford University Press. 279 Pages. $28

BOOK REVIEW Reviewed by ARNOLD AGES It was Bismarck, the sage architect of 19th century Germany, who once remarked, “If you like wurst and politics, don’t go and see how they are made.” This wry comment comes to mind in reading Stephen Spector’s spectacular unraveling of the DNA strands that composed the exodus of 14,310 Ethiopian Jews in May of 1991 and their transfer to Israel one and a half days later. Whether this was a rescue or a simple population migration is a subject worthy of prolonged debate. Ethiopian Jews, Falashas, as they were known, were not actively persecuted in their homeland. They did suffer, along with their fellow countrymen, the conditions imposed upon them by a third world economy, a totalitarian dictatorship, a generally unhygienic environment, and an unstable rebel movement seeking to topple the government. What moved them in large numbers to transit Ethiopia from their habitat in Gondar province to the capital Addis Ababa, there to await transport to Israel, is lodged in the murk of folklore, history, legend, religion and myth. It also partakes of modern Zionist dreams hearking back to the philosophy of the ingathering of the exiles. That rich amalgam told them they were descendants of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. However, the form of Judaism which they practiced from antiquity bore little resemblance to the Judaism which survived after the destruc-

tion of the Temple in Jerusalem. Some described by Spector with cinematographic scholars suggest that Ethiopian Judaism color and intensity--and with novelistic was a fusing of Jewish and Christian élan as he details the harrowing political beliefs and practices. maneuvering that involved Israeli, Be that as it may, there was among a American and Ethiopian personalities. large group of Ethiopians the belief that The exodus of Ethiopian Jews occurred they were authentic Jews and that moreover, during a period when rebels belonged with their brethren in Israel. It were threatening the very existence of the was not until the 10th decade of the 20th Ethiopian state under President Mengitsu century however, that the desire in ques- (who actually abdicated and left the tion became concretized as a mass move- country just before the exodus began). ment of Falashas began an historic trek to The situation became even more complithe capital cated just city, Addis prior to the Ababa. departure A u t h o r date when a Spector, thousands of professor of Falasha Mura, English with Ethiopian an engaging Christians writing style, with claims to has thoroughJewish blood, ly researched clamored to the story of climb board this epochplanes sent by making event Israel to fetch in the history the Falashas. of Israel and The Falash Mura community in Ethiopia’s Gondar Province The most traces the celebrates the arrival of a Torah donated by an American stunning reveCredit: NACOEJ lation in this turning point Jew. to a decision rendered, in the late 1970s, by report however, pivots on Spector’s the Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, Ovadiah account of the way in which Israel, over a Yosef, to the effect that the Falashas were period of a decade, used weapons and milindeed Jews. (Yosef’s certainty has been itary technology, including cluster bombs, undermined in recent years through genet- to coax the authorities in Addis Ababa, to ic testing of Ethiopian Jews in Israel--which adopt a more lenient approach to the has revealed no affinity between them and migration of Ethiopian Jews. The transfer other Jewish communities in Africa or the of military hardware was executed clandesMediterranean basin.) tinely in order not to irritate the Americans The intrigue which surrounded the suc- or the Arabs. The secret was maintained for cessful organization and transport of the very long and some “frank” exchanges on almost 15,000 Falashas to Israel is the matter occurred between Israel and the

United States. It is also difficult to identify with accuracy the weight and value of the roles played by individual Israelis and Americans in the pursuit of the emigration of Ethiopian Jews. The good guys include Prime Minister Shamir, Reuven Merchav, Simcha Dinitz, Haim Divon, Uri Lubrani, Susan Pollack and Senator Rudy Boschwitz. Respect for the good reputation for other principals involved in the Ethiopian emigration dictate discretionary silence in this review. The best part of this book focuses on the physicality of the actual movement of the Ethiopian Jews from a stifling compound in Addis Ababa. One of the alarming details which the author provides pertains to the high number of AIDS identified among the Falashas. Spector expatiates on the buses that were used to transport the people to the staging areas, the bribes that had to be paid to their drivers, the threat of rebel forces nearing the city, the obstructionist policies of airport controllers, the ambivalence of the police authorities, the crush of people waiting in line to board the planes One can almost hear the cries and smell the fetid odors that accompanied the boarding procedures. In a day and half Israel transported 14,310 Ethiopian Jews from Addis Ababa to Israel. On one plane alone, a Hercules transport, they stuffed 1,086 passengers, who sat on the floor for the three and a half hour flight to the Promised land. This was the end of the beginning… Arnold Ages is Distinguished Emeritus Professor of French Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo (Ontario) and Scholar-in-Residence at Beth Tzedec Synagogue, Toronto.

Dads’ Wisdom and Dads

Keep moving. Stay busy. -- Abram Kukawka, father of Susan Wolfson

If it’s all right with your mother, it’s all right with me. -- Harold Silverman, father of Michael Silverman

Reach for the stars.

--Jimmy Brown, father of Loria Ennis

Be honest and work hard. -- Mo Ricks, father of Marty Ricks

Wear your seatbelt.

-- Milton Simon, father of Kathy Weiner.

Listen to your mother.

-- Leo Ostravich, father of Reva Oruch

Live the full life you’ve been given. -- Hyman Fishbain, father of Julie Schapiro

Be kind. Be generous. Take care of your family.

-- Mordecai Sherman, father of Annette Fettman

(photos loaned by Nebraska Jewish HIstorical Society)

Page 12

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

EUGENE AYOL

June 10, 2005

Westside University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Tatyana Ayol and Aleksandr Mesishchev

NATHAN FINEMAN

Millard North Indiana University

Hollie and Glen Fineman

JACOB KALMAN FINNICUM DOUGLAS BARENBAUM-MEYERS Sallay Barenbaum and Millard North Bruce Meyers University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Debbie and Doug Finnicum

Millard North University of Kansas-Lawrence

NAOMI FOX

Westside Indiana University

MICHAEL ANDREW BELMONT Millard North

ARIEL FRIED

Westside University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Lindy Fried and Jim Fried

Brownell Talbot Creighton University

Helen and Jon Bleicher

Westside McGill in Montreal, Canada

Penny and Michael Cox and James Cody

Central Bradley University

Debbie and Scott Friedman

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Millard West University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Karla and Dave Cohen

ASHLEY CORCORAN

SHEVI KATZMAN

Westside University of Nebraska-Lincoln

SHIRA KRONICK

ADAM GENDELMAN

Burke University of Arizona SHAYNA KURLAND Sandra and Allen Kurland

Congratulations Josh!

Mazal Tov, Marc!

STEPHANIE ERIN LEHMAN Denise and Howard Lehman

DUSTIN LEPP

Congratulations — four year Varsity Letterman/Swimming, four year Honor Roll and 18 years a mensch. All the best at the UNL College of Engineering.

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May all your dreams come true.

JODI LEVINE Cheryl and Michael Levine

JOEL ZACHARY PASSER Sandra and Dr. Jeffrey Passer

ALEX RAKSIN Irina and Leonid Raksin

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Love, Dad

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Bonnie Bloch and Howard Gendelman

Westside Creighton University

Renee and Dan Corcoran

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Millard North Northern Arizona University

College JONATHON DAVID GATES

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BECKY KAHN

Lorrie and Gary Katelman

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June 10, 2005

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 13

Salutes... the Class of 2005!!! Eugene Ayol

Douglas Barenbaum-Meyers

Michael Andrew Belmont

Jacob Bleicher

Elizabeth A. Cody

Marc Cohen

Ashley Corcoran

Nathan Fineman

Jacob Kalman Finnicum

Naomi Fox

Ariel Fried

Angela Friedman

Jonathan David Gates

Adam Gendelman

Betsy Goodman

Corey Green

Becky Kahn

Meagan Katelman

Shevi Katzman

Shira Kronick

Shayna Kurland

Stephanie Erin Lehman

Dustin Lepp

Jodi Levine

Joel Zachary Passer

Alex Raksin

Naomi Rennard

Jason Rich

Max Rogers-Marcovitz

Eric Marshall Rosenberg

Amy Saylan

Adam Skog

Josh Sweet

Adam Turbnikov

Gal Tsabari

Anna Turetsky

Jared I. Waldbaum

Noah Weiss

Naomi Leora Wolfson

Page 14

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

June 10, 2005

Synonymous with Civilian Weddings, Cyprus Also Worthwhile Tourist Destination JEWISH TRAVEL by EDGAR ASHER an Isranet travel feature For many Israelis, the island of Cyprus is synonymous with civil weddings, as each year hundreds of couples who are unable to marry in Israel, due to Jewish orthodox religious requirements, make the forty-minute flight to Cyprus to tie the knot. There is another side to Cyprus; it is a worthwhile tourist destination. Around 350 BCE, in the time of Alexander the Great, there were some small Jewish settlements in Cyprus. The population increased under the Ptolemys and increased again when Herod the Great developed the island’s copper mines. Cyprus had some of the richest copper deposits in the ancient world, making it the major supplier in the Mediterranean. From the prehistoric period until the first century CE, the island produced an estimated 200,000 tons of copper. Around 116 CE Emperor Hadrian continued his anti-Semitic actions and drove all the Jews from the island forbidding them ever to return. It was not until just over 100 years ago that the French Jewish philanthropist Baron Maurice de Hirsch Rothschild, through his Jewish Colonization Association (JCA), made an unsuccessful attempt to establish a Jewish agricultural settlement on the island. The next time there was to be a Jewish connection was when the British established detention camps for Holocaust

survivors who were caught attempting istration is now only recognized by Turkey and the border between the north illegally to enter British-ruled Palestine. From 1946 until the founding of the and south is monitored by a UN peaceState of Israel, the British incarcerated over keeping force. My visit was confined to the southern 50,000 European Jewish refugees on the island. Cyprus, which is situated 60 km part, as it is a very bureaucratic procedure of south Turkey, is the Mediterranean’s third biggest island covers and some 9,267 sq km. It is divided into two parts: two-thirds of the southern part of the are island administered by the Greek Cypriot community and recently Paphos Mediaeval Fort can be seen in the background of Paphos Harbor. became a conCredit: Edgar Asher – Isranet stituent member of the European Community (EU). to cross the border to visit the north. The northern third section of the island is With well less than a million inhabitants predominantly Muslim and is administered the island, apart from the three main city by the Turkish Cypriots, following the centers of Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaka, invasion and subsequent occupation by the is free of traffic congestion. There are no Turkish army in 1974. railways on the island, but there is a netThere is a strong feeling of animosity work of well signposted, well paved between the Greek south and the Turkish roads, which crisscross the Greek Cypriot north. The division of the island followed administered south. independence from Britain in 1960 I decided to take as my base the St which led to large-scale fighting between Rafael Resort Hotel, east of Limassol. the island’s ethnic Greek and Turkish This delightful hotel occupies 37,000 populations. The present Turkish admin- square meters of landscaped gardens bor-

Health Wellness A special section with you. and your family’s well-being in mind.

dering the Mediterranean Sea and is located in an ideal place to reach the island’s main areas of interest and recreation. A short jetty connects the gardens to the hotel’s 237-berth marina. The fully serviced marina can take boats up to 30 meters long, and many of the luxury vessels in the marina would not look out of place in a south of France setting. The coastal resort town of Paphos, in the west of Cyprus, is about a one hour drive from my hotel. This picturesque harbor town is very popular with tourists and there are many fine beaches near by. The town is now designated as a UNESCO world heritage site and the Kato Pafos Archaeological Park is a walk through history itself, as it includes sections and monuments representing the prehistoric, Roman and Middle Age history of Paphos. The collection of Roman mosaics is among the finest and most in the Eastern comprehensive Mediterranean. In Hellenistic and Roman times the city was the capital of the island. In the region of Limassol, just five minutes drive from the hotel, is the ancient site of Amathous which has its origins going back to the fourth century BCE. Above the remains of the ancient city is the Temple of Aphrodite, established some 800 years before Amathous. There is a fairly steep walk to get to the acropolis; however the effort is rewarded by a dramatic view across Limassol Bay. In the early spring the ascent is paved with a carpet of wild flowers in every color of the rainbow. Continued on page 15

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June 10, 2005

Remember

Cyprus Continued from page 14 A short drive to the west of Limassol, on the road to Paphos, is the site of Kourion with its carefully preserved remains of the Roman villa of Eustolis. This important ancient city-kingdom is one of the most spectacular archaeological sites in Cyprus. A second century

a cool respite from the high summer temperatures of the coastal region. In the winter the higher elevations offer a variety of skiing holidays. The hills are full of cypress trees, wild flowers which act as a backdrop to small hamlets and monasteries nestling in the valleys. There is accommodation on the island

Above: The Troodos Mountains from a vantage point near the highest mountain on the island, the 1951 meter Mount Olympus. Right: The archaeological remains of the city can be seen looking east from the Acropolis of the ancient city-kingdom of Amathous. According to mythology it was here that Theseus left the pregnant Ariadne to be cared for after his battle with the Minotaur. Credit: Edgar Asher BCE Greco-Roman theater has been carefully restored and is used today for theater and musical performances. Kourion is a big site and offers the visitor some spectacular views towards the sea and inland. Limassol also has it connection with the English King, Richard the Lionheart. He is said to have married Berengaria of Navarra and crowned her Queen of England in 1191 at what is now the remains of the Limmasol Mediaeval Fort. This was the first and only coronation and marriage of an English king outside England. For the visitor who prefers the natural world, the Troodos Mountain range, in the central western part of Cyprus, offers

Page 15

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For Linguistics Scholar in Taiwan, Yiddish Is More Than Just Shtick by DAN BLOOM TAIPEI, Taiwan (JTA)--S.H. Chang is a Yiddish specialist at Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages in Taiwan. She may be one of a kind--after all, you don’t find many Chinese academics in Taiwan studying and writing about Yiddish. A soft-spoken Taiwanese woman in her early 30s who has written about and researched the Yiddish language--she speaks it as well--Chang is one of the few Yiddish philologists in the Chinesespeaking world. She heads the department of German at Aiwan College in the subtropical, southern part of Taiwan, an island nation of 23 million Buddhists and Taoists. “When I set about learning Yiddish, I was merely opening up a new door for myself,” the professor says. With a doctorate from Germany’s Trier University under her belt, Chang has

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

gained world renown as an expert in German and Jewish literature, delivering academic papers around the world. In addition, she has become a Jewish historian for the Chinese and Taiwanese people, as well as a philologist of German and Yiddish. Chang admitted in a recent telephone interview with JTA that learning Yiddish did not come easily at first, though she said that the fact that the “language of Jewish exiles” contains around many German morphemes made it easier, since she already had mastered German as a university student in Taiwan and Europe. In addition, she speaks Chinese, Taiwanese and English. Chang plans to write a book for the reading public in Taiwan, explaining the nuances of Yiddishkeit and the history of the Jewish Diaspora--and the meaning of such words as kvell, chutzpah and nachas, she said.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

June 10, 2005

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by LINDA MOREL NEW YORK (JTA)--There are at least six ways to celebrate Shavuot, according to Rabbi Gil Marks. Decking out: At Shavuot, people traditionally adorn their synagogues and homes with greens and flowers. “Bring greenery into your house,” Marks says. “We don’t need to be cut off from nature any more.” Plant sod in oblong containers for table centerpieces. Flood living spaces with flowers and with flowering plants in attractive pots. Select colorful varieties that grow all summer. To prolong the holiday’s joy in nature, move them to window sills or transplant them in the yard. Passing on tradition: Introduce children to Rabbi Gil Marks, the author Shavuot with fun projects. of “Olive Trees and Honey: A Fill small terra cotta pots Treasury of Vegetarian from Jewish with flowering plants and Recipes Communities Around the place them on the dining World.” table in front of each guest’s Credit: Courtesy of Wiley plate. Draw fruit on white place cards using felt-tipped pens in several colors. Leave space to write each guest’s name. Display the Seven Species in bowls with bread cubes, dried barley, bunches of grapes, pomegranate seeds, a variety of olives and honey. Playing up bread: Because wheat is such an important Shavuot crop, serve an abundance of challah, Bukharan flat bread, pita and other Jewish breads. Recipes are found in many Jewish cookbooks. Bake easy breads with children. Finding relevance in the Bible: Invite a rabbi, a student rabbi, someone with a degree in Jewish studies or a Torah maven to lead a Bible study. Select a Shavuot theme, such as freedom or unity. Topics for discussion could include how freedom is achieved, the state of freedom in America today, the potential for freedom in Iraq, how to foster unity among Jews from different backgrounds or what it means to be the chosen people in 2005. Picking a psalm: Honoring King Davi--who, like Marks, was born on Shavuot--type favorite psalms on separate pieces of paper. Fold the papers in half and place them in a bowl. Ask people to pick one at random and take turns reading them aloud. Revisiting the Torah: Recall the Bible stories you learned as a child, or the ones that have resonated for you throughout your life. At your dinner table, repeat

ORGANIZATIONS WALK-IN, DROP-IN For those members going to lunch at the China Buffet before the Billie James concert on Thursday, please meet at the JCC main entrance at 10:45 a.m.

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VISIONS Join us for the Branson Show Extravaganza Sept. 1923. The cost of $454 per person (double occupancy) includes coach transportation, four nights lodging, eightmeals, admission to six fabulous Branson shows, guided tour of Branson and more. For information call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638. JEWISH SENIOR SERVICES Reminder: Jewish Senior Services presents vocalist Billie James on Thursday, June 16,1 p.m., at the JCC auditorium. The Iowa Western Community Band will present a Summer Welcome Concert with Swing Time Favorites on Tuesday, June 21, 7 p.m. at the JCC. Call Maggie Conti at 334.6521 for reservations. B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Bruce Friedlander and Rich Juro will speak on “The Omaha Grocery Wars: Episode II” at Breadbreakers on Wednesday, June 15, noon, at the Park Inn Regency. Cost is $11 for a full lunch and $2 for beverage service only.

these tales in your own words. Ask others to share their favorite biblical episodes. No-fuss celebration: If you don’t have the time to entertain people or organize activities, simply serve a dairy dinner and remind the loved ones at your table that today is Shavuot, the day God gave us the Torah. Without his gift, there’d be no Jewish people at all. Recipes from Olive Trees and Honey by Gil Marks: HUNGARIAN GREEN BEAN SOUP 4 cups water 1 small onion, chopped 1 teaspoon table salt 1 pound slender young green beans, trimmed and chopped into pea-sized pieces 3 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature 1 to 3 teaspoons tarragon vinegar or fresh lemon juice Drop of honey (optional) For garnish, chopped fresh chives or dill, or sweet paprika In a large pot, combine the water, onion, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the beans and simmer, uncovered, until very tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, stir the flour into the sour cream. Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot bean mixture into the sour cream. Add the sour cream mixture to the soup, beating constantly. Simmer, stirring constantly, over low heat without boiling, until heated through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar (or lemon) to taste. If too tart, add a little honey. The soup should be tart and sour, not sweet. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours. Ladle into chilled bowls and garnish. Yield: 5-6 servings SEPHARDI STUFFED ARTICHOKES 1 lemon, halved 4 large globe artichokes Stuffing: 11/2 cups fresh bread crumbs 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon table salt Ground black pepper to taste 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 cups water 3 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling Continued on page 17

Shalom, Baby! The Katz family, Charlotte, f i v e months; Monica, Gary, and Joseph, 15 months, enjoy the “Shalom Baby” gift basket sent to their home by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Shalom Baby is sponsored by the Community Development Department of the Federation and welcomes newborns to our community with a collection of unique Jewish-themed gifts and essential resources for Jewish parents. The items are provided courtesy of the Jewish Federation and its affiliated agencies (the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Educational and Library Services, the Kripke Federation Library and Jewish Family Service), the congregations of Beth El, Beth Israel, and Temple Israel, and Friedel Jewish Academy and Chabad of Nebraska. If you have received a Shalom Baby basket for your new baby, we would love to hear from you and have a picture of your baby. Or if you know of a new baby in the Jewish community who has not received a Shalom Baby basket, please contact Janie Murow, Community Development Director, at 334.6566 or e-mail jmurow@jewishomaha.org. To view the items included in the Shalom Baby basket, please visit our website at www.jewishomaha.org and click on “Shalom Baby.”

June 10, 2005

Celebrate Shavuot

IRAQI NOODLE OMELETS (EDJAH SHIRIYYA) 1 pound broken angel hair pasta 6 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 to 11/2 cups grated or shredded muenster, cheddar or gouda About 1/4 teaspoon table salt Ground white pepper to taste 11/2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional) 2 to 3 tablespoons oil or butter for frying, or more if necessary In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until tender but firm, 3 to 5

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ASHKENAZI BAKED RICE PUDDING (A Creamy Dessert) 4 cups water 2 teaspoons table salt 2 cups medium or long-grain rice 1 stick unsalted butter 8 large eggs 1 cup sugar 3 cups milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest About 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 9-by-13inch baking dish. In a large saucepan, combine the water and 11/2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring to a boil and add the rice. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the butter to the hot rice and let melt. Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat the eggs, sugar and milk together until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, the vanilla, and the zest. Stir in the rice. Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Bake until golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 6-9 squares

Ben Gordon, son of Dr. Bruce and Sandy Gordon, scored his second holein-one in two years last month at the 100-yard hole #12 at the Pacific Springs golf course. He started playing golf just three years ago (during Golf Camp at the Jewish Community Center) and is preparing with golf pro Tim Stednitz for participation in the JCC Maccabi Games in Dallas this summer. David Kricsfeld graduated with dual degrees from Rockhurst University, the Helzberg School of Management with a Masters in Business in healthcare leadership, and from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. At Rockhurst, Kricsfeld was honored with the Outstanding Leadership Award. He will begin a residency in family medicine at Baptist-Lutheran Medical Center in Kansas City, MO, this summer. Michael Kricsfeld graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence with a Masters in Business Administration. They are the sons of Cheryl Kricsfeld and Dr. Barry Kricsfeld and grandsons of Marjorie Weiss and Florence Kricsfeld. Former

Grand

residents, Alexandra ManchikBarnhill and Estie Manchik, graduated last month from the University of California-Boalt Hall School of Law in Berkeley, CA. The identical twin daughters of Lyle and Antia Manchik, now of LaQuinta, CA, received juris doctor degrees and were two out of 10 graduates honored with the May 2005 Awardeees of the Environmental Law Certificate. The twins will practice environmental law in probate law firms in Santa Barbara and San Francisco.

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Two local Jewish high school athletes competed last month in the Nebraska State High School Baseball Tournament. Central junior Zach Muskin, right, the starting third baseman for third ranked Omaha Burke finished the season with a .294 batting average. Omaha Westside H.S. Benjamin Goldstrom, left, the Warrior Junior Catcher/Designated Hitter, finished the 2005 spring season with a .350 batting average, and had one of his team’s RBIs, as his second ranked Warriors fell 10-6 to Millard North in the State Championship game at Rosenblatt Stadium. At last month’s NCSY final Senior Shabbaton at Camp Chi in Wisconsin, Hannah Friedman St. of Louis, left, and Avi Katzman were elected to the NCSY Regonal Board as Co-Vice-presidents of Outreach. Currently President of the Omaha Chapter of Sr. NCSY, Avi will be a senior at Westside High School and is the daughter of Michael and Carol Katzman. Max Rogers-Marcovitz was named “NCSYer of the Year” at the Shabbton’s final banquet. A recent graduate of the Fasman Yeshiva in Skokie, IL,, he also received the Javlon Family Award. He leaves for Israel in August to study at MerCaz HaTorah in Jerusalem. He is the son of Mimi Rogers Farkas and Scott Farkas, and Michael Marcovitz of Monsey, NY.

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IN THE NEWS minutes. Do not overcook. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. In a large bowl, toss the noodles with the eggs, cheese, salt, pepper, and caraway seeds. In a large, heavy skillet, heat a thin layer of oil or butter over medium-low heat. In batches, drop the noodle batter by 1/2- cupfuls to form 4-inch pancakes. Fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. The omelets can be kept warm on an ovenproof platter in a low oven for up to 30 minutes. Yield: about 8, four-inch omelets VARIATION: Middle Eastern Baked Noodles (Macarona al Horno). Spoon the pasta mixture into a greased 9-by-13 inch baking dish and bake in a preheated 375ºoven until firm and golden brown, 20-30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares. Yield: 6-9 squares

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42nd

Continued from page 16 Squeeze the lemon halves into a large bowl of cold water and add the lemon shells. Cut off the stems at the base of the artichokes so they stand upright. Remove the loose, tough outer leaves. Cut about 1 inch off the top of each artichoke, then, using scissors, snip off the thorny tips of each leaf individually. Scoop out the fuzzy chokes with a grapefruit spoon or melon baller. Store artichokes in the lemon water. Drain well before stuffing. Stuffing: In a medium bowl, combine all the stuffing ingredients and stir to blend. If the artichokes are tightly closed, bang to top of each one on a flat surface. Beginning at the top of each artichoke, spread the leaves open with your fingers as much as possible, then gently pack the stuffing between the leaves, then into the center of the artichokes. Do this inside the stuffing bowl so the excess falls inside. Pour the 2 cups of water into a nonreactive saucepan (non-aluminum or iron) large enough to hold the artichokes in a single layer. Place the artichokes upright in the saucepan and drizzle with the oil. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, adding more water as needed, until the artichokes are tender and the outer leaves pull off easily, about 50 minutes. Yield: 4 servings

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June 10, 2005

The Gourmet Burger by Paul Gayler (Gibbs-Smith, $24.95)

READ IT AND E AT Reviewed by LOIS FRIEDMAN

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Whatever your favorite burger memory is....bowling alley, backyard cookout, a drive-in hangout (like the old Tiners), you can dazzle Dad with this cookbook and create a memorable Father’s Day menu. “Hamburgers are the world’s most popular food” and represent modern American culture (and “symbolize the worst excesses of fast-food culture”) it says in The Gourmet Burger. Executive Chef Gayler (London’s Hyde Park Lanesborough Hotel) has created 60 burgers for every taste and every occasion...for whatever meets your fancy and dreams come true. It all beings with a bit of history...from the medieval Russian Tartars shredding and eating raw beef (steak tartare), German soldiers in the 14th century picked up the idea, flavored the meat with spices and herbs and ate it raw or cooked (Hamburg steak, after the city). With immigration the first burger appeared on New York City’s Delmonico’s restaurant menu in 1834. Time passed and somebody put it on a bun--the Hamburger Hall of Fame in Seymour, WI, shares the stories including one about Fletcher Davis of Athens, Texas, selling beef patties in a bun, called hamburgers, at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. How to make and cook burgers is followed by Classic Beef, More Meat, Fish and Vegetarian recipes. These burgers are celebrations and a chef’s flight of fancy made from very few ingredients and cooked quickly with a glorious variety of flavors. Delicious color photographs represent all of the creations.

Most of the recipes include sauces...sample Miso-basted Salmon Burger, Chicken Steak Burger, Big Apple Deli Burger, Spa Burger, whether wrapped in spring roll pastry, pita bread, baguettes, focaccia, bagel, tortilla, phyllo or in a bun. Several recipes for sauces, salsas and relishes, salads, potatoes and six bread recipes are included in the chapter, All the Sides. Numerical instructions detail making these burgers for mostly four but all can be downsized and served as an appetizer. Dad’ll love sinking his teeth into this recipe and enjoy a trip down memory lane. THE ULTIMATE BURGER WITH THE WORKS 1 lb 12 oz good quality, coarsely ground beef, chilled 1/2 onion, finely chopped 1/2 garlic clove, crushed 1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 egg yolk salt and freshly ground black pepper vegetable or sunflower oil for cooking To serve: Four burger buns, halved, toasted Place the chilled meat in a large bowl; add the onion, garlic, parsley, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Add the egg yolk and seasoning, mix thoroughly. Leave in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Using wet hands, shape into 4 evenly sized burgers Heat a chargrill or pan grill until smoking hot. Brush the burgers with a little oil, place on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until well browned, but still pink in the center. Serve the burgers in the toasted buns, spread and garnished with your choice of the works (suggestions: horseradish sauce-chive sauce, Tabasco-cumin ketchup, sweet picked dill gherkins, diced avocado, red onion rings and Dijon mustard aioli).

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At a time when the film and music industry is taking extraordinary steps to discourage audiences from making and sharing digital copies of their products, Jewish playwright former Omahan Max Sparber is taking exactly the opposite approach. This New Orleans-based writer whose plays have been performed throughout the country, has taken the unusual step of releasing eight of his scripts as PDFs on his Web page, http://maxsparber.blogspot.com. Additionally, Sparber has released the scripts with Creative Commons license. This alternative to copyrighting allows authors to release their work with a greater permissiveness than traditional copyrighting allows. Sparber’s eight plays have, collectively, been performed 19 times around the country, including two Manhattan productions, and he has been lauded by such publications as the New Yorker and the Denver Post. And with his play boyELROY, which he is literally giving away to anybody who wishes to perform it? “It’s a pretty experimental script,” Sparber says. “I’m just interested in seeing what people can do with it. I’m not looking to make any money on that one. Sometimes its nice to just give something away.” Sparber’s plays include “Kishinev,” a dramatization about anti-Jewish riots in Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th century, and “Cruelties,” which looks at the self-destruction of a popular novelist inspired by Truman Capote. Many of Sparber’s plays have been produced by Omaha’s Blue Barn Theatre. Max Sparber can be reached at 504.587.7947. Forget about Bergdorf Blondes and The Nanny Diaries. Jane Austen meets Candace Bushnell in Isabel Rose’s new summer-read must, The J.A.P. Chronicles, which heralds a new era in the genre of chick lit. Unlike many other novels in this over-saturated genre, what makes The J.A.P. Chronicles stand out is the accuracy with which Rose portrays her characters and the sympathy that she has towards them even at their most ridiculous moments. The J.A.P. Chronicles debunks the stereotype of the socalled Jewish American Princess and shows a landscape of complexity beneath the manicured and well-toned

exteriors of seven women who, as children, shared a bunk together at a swank Jewish summer camp in Maine. Isabel Rose will be doing a reading of her book at The Bookworm in Countryside Plaza on June 18, 3 p.m. It is indeed a rare occasion that we get so clear a glimpse into this select societal enclave, but Rose knows from whence she speaks. She presents a view into this rarified world. Born and raised on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, she attended both the Nightengale Bamford School and Dalton before earning her B.A. summa cum laude from Yale University. As an actress, she starred both Off-Broadway and regionally in Beau Jest, appeared in countless productions at the Williamstown Theater Festival and toured the country with the first National Tour of Six Degrees of Separation. The people we meet in her pages aren’t the neurotic Jews we find on Seinfeld or in Woody Allen movies. Her Princesses are the offspring of the power elite. What kind of values are these movers and shakers transferring to their daughters? To what do these girls aspire? Born with everything they’ll need, are they ambitious? Are they necessarily spoiled? Are they spiritual? Are they similar? In 1997, Rose earned an MFA in fiction and literature from Bennington College. Her debut as a writer came with the 2003 Samuel Goldwyn release of Anything But Love, which she wrote with the film’s director, Robert Cary. Rose also starred in the film, garnering a “Best Up and Coming Actress” award at the International San Diego Film Festival. She also performs frequently with her big band on the New York City nightclub circuit, regularly selling out such venues as Joe’s Pub, Helen’s, Makor and Opia. Her first CD will be available soon.

June 10, 2005

A Father and Son Trip

THE HISTORIAN’S F OOTPRINT by OLIVER B. POLLAK In 1964 my father, of blessed memory, and I planned a road trip to Alaska. It never came off in part due to the 9.2 magnitude earthquake on March 27, the second largest earthquake recorded to that date--the largest being a 9.5 in Chile in 1960. Alaska also suffered from a tsunami. In early December 2004, my 29-year old-son Aaron, living in San Francisco, suggested a trip over winter break. I said yes. But where to go? Warm, culture, or skiing? Travel time and passports? Baja, Banff, New Orleans, or New York? I left it to Aaron. We ended up in Salt Lake City, ensconced in the four-star Hilton Hotel with ready access to the slopes of Alta, Solitude, Sunbird, the Canyons and Park City, venues with Olympic memories. Even though I flew on Comair on Christmas, the scene of a monumental airline snafu, my luggage arrived with me. I noted an inexplicable substantial rectangle of unclaimed luggage at the luggage carousel. Newspapers report the next day described the horrendous Comair computer debacle. I dabbled with cross country skiing in Elmwood Park, but had not skied downhill for over 30 years. I went to Bahnsen’s for the first time, just as they were in the last stages of their closing sale. Bargains are gratifying--I walked out with a warm jacket, snow pants, ski goggles, and other impulse half-price bargain knick knacks. I skied happily for two days and then noticed blisters on my lower leg where long underwear and socks conspired to give me a friction rub. I had a principled excuse to spend the next two days in the Park City Library and the near new architecturally stupendous Salt Lake City Library, and take in a noon recital of the Mormon Tabernacle organ. Some eat to live; I savor food, though perhaps not to the point of living to eat. Good food at home, good food in restaurants, good food on holidays add up to a minor gustatory obsession. Food and table talk go together. Following Zagat’s

Historian, attorney and author Oliver Pollak can be reached at OBPOmni@aol.com.

man@jewishomaha.org. Applications may also be printed from the Jewish Federation website: www.jewishomaha.org, select “Jewish Educational & Library Services” and then “Scholarships & Grants”. All applications must be submitted no later than July 1, 2005; late applications will not be accepted.

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ACROSS 1. FedEx competitor 4. Duties on commerce, in France 10. Brings to court 14. Mild expression of distaste 15. Bring into a program, or a country 16. “Do ____ others ..” 17. ___ Perignon 18. “THE ______ ___ __ SPAIN” (time of Hanagid, Halevi, Ibn-Gabirol, et al) 20. Top non-amateur (2 words) 22. SPAIN, IN SPAIN 23. PASSAGE BACK FROM BABYLON 26. Disneyworld airport code 27. This, in Toledo 28. Rosten and Durocher 30. Statutory impact report required by NEPA 33. Wide 36. The festival or celebration, in France 39. THE AGE OF _____ ___ _______ (c. 1011 to c. 930 B.C.E.) 43. Eland and zebra ___ ___ food (referring to the lion’s diet, 2 words) 44. Computer key or door sign 45. Potato or coal storage container 46. TRAVELING BACK TO THE PRESENT: THIS IS ISRAEL’S GREAT NON-PROFIT PARKS AND WILDLIFE ORGN. 48. Largest continent, as a Quebec native would spell it 52. Otic organ 55. IN THE PERSIAN PERIOD,

______ ___ MORDECHAI SAVED THE DAY 58. Brawnier 61. Horm. essential to women’s health 62. TWO GIANTS IN THE AGE OF THE PROPHETS (1 major, 1 minor) 65. Cycle starter 66. Head, in Honfleur 67. Northern sea ducks 68. Hwy. 69. IF WE COULD TRAVEL BACK TO THE EARLIEST GARDEN, THIS IS WHERE WE WOULD BE 70. “Write to __ _ ___!” the family calls out as dad takes off (3 words) 71. First three vowels in the name of a southern state DOWN 1. Bring knowledge current 2. “Let me put the _____’_ collar on,” she said, referring to the retriever 3. “__, ____ me at the deli,” he said, concluding on where to eat (2 words) 4. Bengal or Siberian cat, in Avignon 5. “It’s _ ____ point,” said the lawyer 6. Acronym, public library in Richmond 7. Abbrev. for an antiseptic 8. “We will ____ __ prisoner!” (won’t let anyone go) 9. RR terminals 10. Cane or beet 11. How you would ask for one tube of a certain U.S.

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toothpaste brand, in Toulons 12. British school or jacket 13. Living room piece 19. Mil. mailing address 21. How one might say “for a certain maker of shavers and pens” (2 parts) 24. ____ Bator 25. Blushes 29. ____ machine 31. Judge, O.J. Simpson case 32. Japanese copper coin 34. Abbrev. required on U.S. packaged food labels 35. Healthful grain 37. Beer's cousin 38. “Percentage ___ ___ programs” provide funds for outdoor sculpture 39. Apply just a touch 40. Hero of Leon Uris’ Exodus 41. Revere 42. A pique 47. Allowed, in Montreal 49. Jean-Paul ______, Existentialist 50. Choice of prepositions 51. Tenser 53. Foreigner 54. Deltaic inlet 56. “___ _ Israel, the Lord .....” 57. “I’d like some fr___ __eak, please,” said customer to butcher (fill in letters) 58. Precedes chew 59. Pre-owned 60. Latin exclamation 63. Mount ___ College, Newton, MA. 64. Animation film frame original

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Jewish Time Travel suggestions has resulted in several memorable meals. Generally I shy away from restaurants in hotels, but Spencers in the Hilton was outstanding. The not quite overpowering and embracing wood mission style atmosphere was a warm page out of the past. It was Christmas Eve, not many restaurants were open, and it was busy. I toyed with a prime rib, in memory of my father, he had it more often than not, but was more adventurous, and had my first Delmonico still on the bone. At the Red Iguana, a busy happy popular place, I had Red Pipian, a delicious mole. Aaron’s fish was too too spicy hot. Red Iguana sells a post card of the restaurant for 75¢. I’m a sucker for post cards. The cell phone rang while we were waiting for the food. Karen told me she had just reduced the dust jacket of my next book on Nebraska’s 69 Carnegie libraries, down to postcard size. Was it happenstance, circumstance, serendipity, history repeating, déjà vu, or almost 39 years of marriage? Remarkably unremarkable. Park City is a happening place. The library is at the foot of a mountain. While at the circulation desk with my finger in the telephone book on top of the synagogue address I overheard the book checkout clerk using the word kosher in the same breath with the U.S.A. Patriot Act. This led to a conversation through which I narrowed down the evening meal to five restaurants. When Aaron came off the slopes I steered him to my choice. The Purple Sage featured Veal Meatloaf. Aaron had a fabulous duck breast over macaroni with green chili. He raved about the duck. We were offered bite size cornbread muffins with sun dried cherries, sour cream and minced green chili. Our waiter, Travis, called them “Crack muffins” for their addictive quality. I wheedled a copy of the recipe. He received a nice gratuity. Back in Omaha, Karen laboriously and not over-resentfully prepared 100 of them-they were a hit. Incidentally, on New Year’s Eve at Flemings in Regency, Karen had Ahi Tuna over, you may already have guessed it, the chic comfort food, macaroni with green chilies.

Friedel and Preschool Scholarship Applications Due July 1 Scholarship applications for the Friedel Jewish Academy and the Pennie Z. Davis Preschool for the 2005-06 academic year are currently being accepted by Jewish Educational & Library Services office. Applications are available at Friedel, the CDC, or by contacting the JELS office at 334.6445 or e-mailing mgross-

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

June 10, 2005

Shavuot and Jewish Education Of all the Jewish holidays, Shavuot is probably the least observed. In Omaha at least, school is out, yet few students show up at any of our synagogues for services. You can’t blame them since their parents aren’t there either. Why is this? There are no mitzvot associated with this festival, while the others--from hearing the shofar at Rosh Hashanah and fasting on Yom Kippur to lighting the menorah during Hanukkah, eating meals in a sukka, and reciting the Hagaddah and eating matza at Pesach--have specific commandments. Other than eating dairy foods (maybe that’s why Jews are so proficient with pronouncing the ch sound!), and a tradition--not a commandment--to stay up late the first night and learn, the Torah and later the rabbis don’t set down any hard and fast rules about what we’re supposed to do. And because of its place in the secular calendar (usually at the end of May or beginning of June), Shavuot has always seemed like an after thought. On the East and West Coasts (see the article on pages 2-3), organizers of Shavuot celebrations have learned that most Jews have little or no experience with this holiday. Though local synagogues have begun to realize this and are offering new opportunities to integrate Shavuot into the consciousness of their congregants, perhaps the entire community can benefit, too. Like the communal Purim celebrations of a few years ago when the Jewish Federation’s Young Jewish Omaha group joined with several synagogues, maybe we should think about Shavuot in the same way. After all, Jewish education remains at the top of the priority nearly every time this community conducts a needs assessment survey or enters into a strategic planning process. So let’s think “out of the box.” What would it take to create a communal Shavuot celebration along the lines of the Alma Tikkun in

(Founded in 1920)

New York City or the Dawn program in San Francisco? Imagine this: it’s Erev Shavuot a few years from now. Hundreds of Jews from across the religious spectrum are gathered at the Jewish Community Center. It’s walkable from Chabad, Beth Israel and Beth El for those who are Shomer Shabbat--and it’s non-threatening to those who have not yet joined a synagogue. After conducting a variety of religious services in the JCC’s social hall, auditorium, community room and theater, rabbis, cantors and professors of religion and philosophy, as well as religious school teachers and educated lay leaders are leading different sessions for learners at all levels. Between sessions, a buffet of delispecialties--from cious dairy blintzes and cheesecakes to Israeli salads and fresh fruit--is spread out in the JCC Gallery. Participants wander the halls, latte and cheesecake balanced precariously with sheafs of hand-outs from teachers. The atmosphere is upbeat and friendly. Congregants from various synagogues mingle with newcomers to Omaha. Children--allowed for once to stay up late--play with “Torah” puzzles and read to younger siblings. Teens sip cola and practice their Hebrew language skills in preparation for their upcoming summer trip to Israel. Residents of the newly built Rose Blumkin Jewish Home venture out into the expanded corridor, which now extends from the JCC Health Club, past the art exhibits into the Home itself. One stops to read a bedtime story to a toddler, while others join family members for a bite of blintz souffle. A dream? Maybe not. After all,

this is a community that bills itself as “the country’s best kept secret,” that prides itself on its $3.3 million annual campaign, that built a Child Development Center and Fitness Center while remodeling the JCC interior. This is a community where rabbis and lay leaders from each congregation actually speak to one another, and where the Federation works with synagogues, not against them. So why couldn’t a communal Shavuot celebration happen here? Maybe there’s a hidden message in the Torah about Shavuot--and it’s: Do the work yourself. It’s not going to be spoon-fed...but you can make it fun if you want to share it with others! Anyone game?

Jew. I am starting to wonder if this has any meaning any more--or ever did. I’m now questioning the received wisdom that says that a person’s Jewishness will mean something to him or her simply because of the fact that they live in Israel, simply because of the fact that, for example, the country closes down on Shavuot. It’s now clear to many people that evidence supporting this thesis is very sketchy.

If Shavuot in Israel typically consisted of a long vacation weekend at the beach, it’s highly doubtful that an Israeli living in the United States will take off from work on Monday, especially when they could have had their long vacation on Memorial Day Weekend. What this means is that Shavuot as a long vacation weekend only affects a person’s experience like any long weekend that they might take. If the fact that it is Shavuot is incidental, then Shavuot does not affect a person’s experience, then that person’s identity as a Jew remains unaffected by this holiday. Israelis who are concerned with providing some meaning to Jewish identity are gravitating toward the activities of the rapidly-growing number of organizations that encourage the exploration of Jewish tradition and culture among the general (primarily non-religious) Israeli population. Here, for instance, is what was on the billboard that greeted people upon entering my town on May 29: “The Center for Jewish Identity, in cooperation with Givat Ze’ev’s JCC, invites you, kindergartners and first and second graders, to a story and activity hour today at 4:30 p.m.” I don’t know what went on during that hour, but I and many Israelis feel that many such hours are needed all across the state, for all Jews of all ages. Happy Shavuot.

Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is a Constitutional Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, noon, eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org.

Shavuot Reflections

JOURNAL ENTRY FROM ISRAEL by TEDDY WEINBERGER The celebration of Shavuot is an excellent occasion to reflect upon Jewish culture, Jewish identity, religious Judaism, and secular Judaism. How many secular Jews outside of the state of Israel will not be going to work on Monday, June 13, because of Shavuot? I would imagine that the answer is a number very close to zero. In Israel, the answer to this question is radically different because Shavuot is a national holiday. The only people working will basically be those involved in emergency services, and those in the food industry and in recreational activities. But now, instead of proceeding with my usual bright-eyed Zionism (where I speak about what it means to me as a religious Jew to be living in a country where my religious holidays are the country’s national holidays), I want to ask: What is the import of the fact of Shavuot being a national holiday? That is, if one is not already a Jew for whom religious tradition means something, does it matter that the sixth day of Sivan is a national holiday? To be a secular Jew is to pursue Jewishness by ethnic identification apart from religious identification. One’s Jewishness is thus expressed through the food, music, languages, literature, and art of the Jewish people. It’s been sort of taken for granted that Israel is the only place on earth where one can be a secular

Israelis who are concerned with providing some meaning to Jewish identity are gravitating toward the activities of the rapidly-growing number of organizations that encourage the exploration of Jewish tradition and culture among the general Israeli population. Here is a test to see whether or not Shavuot is able to order and affect the experience of an Israeli Jew: If an Israeli finds themselves abroad, will it matter to them whether or not they celebrate Shavuot in some way? My hunch is that the extent to which an individual celebrates Shavuot will be directly tied to the religious elements and customs of the holiday that speak to them--studying Jewish texts, eating dairy foods, and rejoicing in “first fruits.”

Joanie Jacobson Chairman Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper Jewish Press Committee Howard K. Marcus, Vice-Chairman; Bobbi Leibowitz, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Finance Chairman; Steve Simon, Treasurer; Fred Tichauer, Immediate Past-chairman; Jean Duitch; Penny Endelman; Kip Gordman; Stanley Mitchell; George Quittner; Linda Saltzman; Joey Shyken; Michael Siegal; Nancy Skid; and Melany Weinstine. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Centers of Excellence of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Educational and Library Services, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Senior Services. The Jewish Press is a constitutional committees of the Jewish Federation.

Teddy Weinberger made aliyah with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Ross, and their five children. They live across the Green Line in Givat Ze’ev, near Jerusalem. Weinberger can be reached at: weinross@netvision.net.il.

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June 10, 2005

Open Sesame: Israel and its Foes Work Together on Science Project

BEHIND THE HEADLINES by GIL SEDAN PETRA, Jordan (JTA) -- Here’s some good news from the Middle East: Iran and Israel, bitter enemies, need no “Open Sesame” magic to be able to cooperate on an advanced scientific project. In Alaan, a town just north of Amman-and at a comfortable remove from the spotlight thrown by political conflicts-representatives of the two countries are involved in developing SESAME, an acronym for Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East. It’s a rare and possibly unique example of scientific cooperation between Israel, Iran and other countries with which Israel has no ties, such as Pakistan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Other members are Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey. Libya is expected to join soon as an observer. “The political importance of the project cannot be underestimated,” professor Khaled Toukan, Jordan’s minister of education and the project’s acting director, told JTA. “Scientists in the region work together in a spirit of cooperation for the sake of developing the Middle East,” Toukan said. He was in Petra for the Conference of Nobel Laureates, which convened in that ancient Nabatean town last week. SESAME, the Middle East’s first major international research center, is a synchrotron accelerator. It uses magnets to create a circular path for electrons traveling at nearly the speed of light, producing a beam of bright ultraviolet and X-ray light, about the diameter of a human hair, that is directed down beam lines to end stations. “These beam lines are so much stronger than the known X-rays that they open up new options for scientific research,” professor Moshe Deutsch, chairman of Israel’s national council for synchrotron radiation and one of two Israeli participants in SESAME, told JTA. SESAME is expected to contribute to a wide range of scientific research, including structural molecular biology, molecular environmental science, X-ray imaging, archeological microanalysis, materials characterization and clinical medical applications. Synchrotron radiation is widely used in materials science and biomedical applications, including lithography for computer chips, absorption and scattering measurements and high-pressure applications to create artificial diamonds and other substances. An international synchrotron-light source in the Middle East was first pro-

posed in 1997, when peace seemed to be on the way. European and Middle Eastern scientists worked together, and with the contribution of an old German synchrotron, SESAME got underway. The annual budget is anticipated to be between $4 million and $8 million. The model for SESAME was the CERN Laboratory, near Geneva. It was founded as a multinational consortium after World War II in an effort to bring former enemy countries in Europe closer, and now functions under the auspices of UNESCO. “It succeeded beyond any expectation, and is now the world’s leading high-energy physics laboratory,” Deutsch said. One Israeli newspaper recently came out with a headline that Israeli scientists were helping with Iran’s and Egypt’s nuclear programs. “This is absolutely false,” Deutsch said. “The synchrotron can have no military use.” But it can have immense political implications. All scientists--including the Iranian--were empowered by their governments; in fact, they are their governments’ official representatives on the council, which meets in the region every few months. In other words, it’s not merely an occasional collaboration between scientists, but rather official cooperation between the countries concerned, regardless of political animosities. How is that possible? “All participants deal only with common scientific ground and nothing else,” Deutsch said. Rabinovici of Hebrew University, is a theoretical physicist in a field that doesn’t overlap with synchrotrons, so his own research won’t derive any direct benefit from SESAME. Nevertheless, Rabinovici is an enthusiastic partner. “I have been with SESAME because I believe we should contribute to our environment to advance peace and create a dialogue designed to break stereotypes,” he said. Rabinovici said that as a physicist he believed in the “parallel universe” theory, which posits a hypothetical universe that exists separately from our own. Some theories of physics postulate the existence of many parallel universes, possibly an infinite number. “ Meeting the other scientists was a way of satisfying curiosity about the ‘parallel universe,’ “he said. But, he noted, “we leave the political discussions for coffee breaks.” Why did Iran chose to participate in the project along with Israel? “Iran used to be considered a villain in the world scientific community,” Deutsch said. “For Iran, this is a way of getting out of isolation, but the scientific benefits of the project per se are a good enough reason.”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the Editor: At our Temple staff meeting last month, we discussed the communitywide Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration at the JCC on Sunday May 15. We all agreed that it was the best ever! What a blessing it is when we all come together to celebrate Israel and community. That’s what makes “Jewish Omaha” special. From the Temple Israel staff: Rosie Zweiback, Lynne Jensen, Claudia Sherman, Joan Cooper, Elyce Azriel, Dennis DePorte, Rabbi Craig Marantz, Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, and Cantor Wendy Shermet

To the Editor: I think it’s important to remind people Vashem--Israel’s again that Yad Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem--has issued an urgent call to action to register names of victims of the Holocaust. More than three million have already been posted. Forms can either be submitted online by e-mailing: names.research@yadvashem.org.il or by downloading a form from the Yad Vashem website at: www.yadvashem.org, completing it and mailing it to Yad Vashem. Rabbi Mordechai Levin Beth El Synagogue

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 21

It’s the Little Things

OUR MAN IN ISRAEL by CARL ALPERT (Editor’s note: Carl Alpert died in Haifa at the age of 92 on Yom Ha’Atzmaut. The former Editor of the Boston Jewish Advocate, Alpert made aliyah in 1952 with his wife Nechama and their three children. He worked at the Technion for 14 years as public affairs officer, but continued his relationship with the institution while he authored the two-volume The Story of the Israeli Institute of Technology. His insightful pieces on life in Israel will be missed.) Haifa--It’s the little things in life, important to some, unimportant to others, that help make life interesting here. We glance over the brief news items at the bottom of the pages, and review some of the reports which originally caught an eye but seem to have been overlooked. • With a population approaching a billion and a half, is there a danger that China may face a shortage of food? A growing number of Israeli agriculturists are doing a thriving business exporting to that country seeds of such crops as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, with financial encouragement from the Beijing government. • New immigrant pupils at Israel’s high schools, while studying Hebrew, are enabled to take matriculation exams in their native tongues. The languages chosen in 2003 were, in order, Russian, Arabic, French, Spanish, Amharic, Yiddish, German, Bulgarian, Italian, Hungarian and Dutch. • Birth rate per one thousand of popu-

lation: Gaza Strip, 41 births; Syria, 30; Egypt, 25; Jordan, 24; Israel, 21; Ireland, 14; France, 11; Italy, 9. • Most of the Israeli flags flown by the Israel army are made in China, but Rumania finds it cheaper to order its national flags here than in its own country. • We take it for granted, but not long ago The Readers’ Digest reported that only 14% of young people aged 18-24 could locate Israel on a map of the world. • We find in our files an old, undated clipping reading as follows--and find no follow-up or reaction: “A few weeks ago a survey was published showing that 50% of the Arabs in Yesha (Yehuda and Samaria)” would leave if they could.” The survey was commissioned not by Jews, but by Arabs of the ‘Maagar Mochot Institute’ in conjunction with the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion under the supervision of Dr. Nabil Kukali, making the results even more powerful. “The average Arab would be willing to emigrate for any number of reasons. Some are looking for work, others a better place to live, and education for their children. Many want to go to neighboring countries or to other Muslim countries, and others are waiting reasonable monetary compensation. “This has the potential to be a major solution to our problems. If we were only to reallocate the substantial sum of money already being spent on ‘disengagement’ and the ‘separation fence’ we could reduce the Arab population in Yesha by half! It is obvious that if this happens, the rest of the Arabs in Israel won’t wait long to follow.”

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

June 10, 2005

Candlelighting Friday, June 10, 8:39 p.m. Shavuot, Sunday, 8:40 p.m. Monday, no earlier than 9:50 p.m.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

to reserve space, call Allan Handleman, 334.6451.

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by Sandy and Bruce Gordon, in honor of their children, Rebecca and Benjamin Gordon, becoming B’nai Mitzvah.; Evening Service, 8:50 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sunday, 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Weekdays, 6:55 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sitter Service is available during Friday night and Saturday morning services, on a drop-in basis, at no charge. SHAVUOT CELEBRATION The entire community is invited to Beth El to mark the beginning of Shavuot with an evening of study on June 12, led by Professors Leonard Greenspoon and Guy Matalon. Services begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by an optional 6 p.m. dinner. Greenspoon’s session, “Engendering the Text: Do Jews Need an Egalitarian Bible for the 21st Century?” will begin at 6:35 p.m., and Matalon will lead “Talmudic Sage and Kabbalistic Master: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai,” at 7:30 p.m. Dinner is $9.50 for adults, $6 for children ages 4-12. For information,call Harriet Einziger at 492.8550. SHAVUOT SERVICES Sunday, June 12, 5:30 p.m.; Monday, June 13, 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, June 14, 9:30 a.m., including Yizkor and dedication of memorial plaques; Evening service, 8:55 p.m. ROSH HODESH MEETING, Wednesday, June 15, 7 p.m., at the home of Pam Friedlander, 1376 So. 137 Ave. Explore Jewish cooking during “Beyond Matzoh Balls: Jewish Foods and Their Role in Our Lives.” Reservations may be made by calling Friedlander at 334.8773, or via e-mail: pfriedla@cox.net. BETH EL ANNUAL MEETING, Wednesday, June 15, 7:30 p.m.: The congregation is invited to be on hand as new and returning board members are welcomed and outgoing board members thanked during the annual meeting.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: Monday-Thursday,

8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free Babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10:30 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by Rabbi Jonathan Gross in honor of Sara’s graduation from medical school; Mincha, 8:45 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:49 p.m. SUNDAY-EREV SHAVUOT: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Shavuot “Make and Take” Class with Dee-Sign Landscape and Garden Shop, 9:30 a.m. in the synagogue’s parking lot (in case of rain, class will be in the basement). Candle lighting, 8:40 p.m. followed by a festive YU Torah Tours dinner. Tikun Leil Shavuot, 11:30 p.m. Monday–First Day of Shavuot: Shacharit, 9 a.m. A special dairy Kiddush is sponsored by Howard Gendelman in honor of Bonnie Bloch and their 25th wedding anniversary; Mincha, 8:45 p.m. Day of Tuesday–Second Shavuot: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Yizkor, 10:45 a.m.; A dairy lunch will follow services; Mincha, 8:45 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:51 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Contact the synagogue office for Mincha/Ma’ariv time.

BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Shabbat in the Home.

CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m.; Ima & Me, 10:30–11:45 a.m. SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Services, 9:30 a.m., followed by a Kiddush luncheon in memory of Leona Kohll. SUNDAY: Services, 8:30 a.m. Mishneh class, 9:30 a.m.; Aleph Champion and Little Scholars Programs, 10 a.m.-noon.; Midnight Madness, Shavuot Night Torah Study at 640 So. 124th Ave. All women and men join us for full or part time. Refreshments will be served, 11 p.m.-2 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Annual Shavuot Luncheon & Ice Cream Party , 11 a.m. (See full article on page 23.) TUESDAY:Torah for Teens, 4:15 p.m. THURSDAY: Pirkei Avot Ethics of Our Fathers, 7 p.m. Programs are open to the com-

To Submit B’nai Mitzvah Announcements Announcements of children becoming Bar or Bat Mitzvah will be printed on the synagogue page of The Jewish Press one week prior to the event if submitted eight days prior to publication. The following information may be included: name, name of parents, grandparents and/or great-grandparents (including late parent[s] and/or late grandparent[s]), names of siblings, date and location of event. In addition, the school which the child attends, honors and hobbies may be included, if space permits, as well as the name of the child’s Mitzvah Project and a short description. A clearly identified photo is welcome if it is easily reproduced. Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, or by e-mailing the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org. You can also submit announcements online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements.

munity. For information or to register, call the office or visit: www.nebraskajudaism.com.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Rabbi Debbie Stiel will be in Lincoln two weekends a month. Please call her at 402.416.2321 or e-mail: dstiel@everestkc.net to set up appointments. FRIDAY: Erev Shabbat and Hag HaShavuot Service, 7:45 p.m., led by Rabbi Debbie Stiel, with oneg following provided by David and Ellen Feingold. “Revelation is that moment when God speaks and we respond.” Ellen Umansky. Come hear the Ten Commandments read--each one by a different member of our Temple. We’ll have a chance to embrace the Torah and study tradition’s words about the giving and receiving of Torah. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. all led by Rabbi Debbie Stiel; Challah cover making, 1:30 p.m. for those who previously registered. SUNDAY: Temple fundraising Garage Sale, 9 a.m.-noon; Hallah High Advisory Board, 12:15 p.m. FAREWELL TO RABBI STIEL Saturday, June 25, 6 p.m.: Farewell Barbeque at the home of Barbara Barron and Mark Calidonna. RSVP to the Temple Secretary at: 435.8004.

TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 6 p.m. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel and Cantor Wendy Shermet will officiate. SATURDAY: Bagels and Sacred Books, 9:30-10:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. SITTER SERVICE will not be available during summer worship times. Check www.templeisraelne. org, for the fall schedule. ADULT EDUCATION THURSDAY, June 16: “Adult Study with the Clergy” with Rabbi Azriel, 10-11:30 a.m. SHAVUOT SUNDAY, June 12, 7 p.m. Join us for a service in celebration of the Torah, followed by a dairy reception. After the reception, the clergy and members of the congregation, will lead Tikkun Leil Shavuot, a discussion on “Broken Tablets: Restoring the Ten Commandments and Ourselves.” Dr. Leonard Greenspoon will give an introduction to the discussion. Monday, June 13, 10:30 a.m. Call Temple if you would like to have names of your loved ones read at the Yizkor Service.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN AT TLC FRIDAY: Kabbalas Shabbos, 7 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharis, 9 a.m. June 13: MONDAY, Shacharis/Shavuot, 9 a.m. TUESDAY, June 14: Shacharis/Shavuot, 9 a.m.; Yizkor, 10:30 a.m.

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9 a.m. led by Steve Riekes. MONDAY, June 13: Shavuot Services, 9 a.m. led by Rabbi Maximo Shechet. TUESDAY, June 14: Shavuot Services and Yizkor, 9 a.m. led by Rabbi Maximo Shechet.

PERSONAL To our family and friends, thank you for the cards, calls, gifts, and donations. We are very grateful for your thoughtfulness, friendship and concerns. Janet Wintroub

TIFERETH ISRAEL Minyan, MONDAY & THURSDAY, 9 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 8 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Tikkun Leil Shavuot, 8:30 p.m. MONDAY AND TUESDAY: Shavuot services, 9:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066.

JEWISH PRESS NOTICE College students: let us know when you’ll be home for the summer, so we can stop delivery of the Press to your dorm. Just e-mail us at: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

BAT MITZVAH Marlee Gabrielle Skolkin daughter of Andrea and Michael Skolkin, will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, June 18, at Beth El Synagogue. Family and friends also will gather on June 17 for Friday evening services. Marlee is a seventhgrade honor roll student at Beveridge Magnet School. Her interests include competitive cheerleading, science, Spanish, creative writing, and

drama. For her mitzvah project, Marlee and her family raised money for, and walked in, the May March of Dimes WalkAmerica to prevent pre-mature babies. She also delivered books for the Reach Out and Read Program at OneWorld Community Health Centers in South Omaha. Her grandparents are Bettie Richtel of Salt Lake City, UT, and Anne Skolkin.

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June 10, 2005

The Dedication of the Tabernacle

SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Naso--Shavuot Our Sidra concentrates on a number of things we know or want to know. In the first place, it details the duties of the Levitical families whose duties were simply to carry parts of the Sanctuary for traveling. We are told that there were 8580 Levites engaged in this task of carrying and only those from ages 30 years to 50 were permitted this duty. Apparently the idea was to weed out those who were not yet mature and those who threatened to be old fogies. Our Sidra also takes up the subject of the Nazirite. Anyone could declare himself a Nazir for a period as short as 30 days or as long as one’s lifetime lasts. The Nazirite, as it were, separates himself from the community and its normal social life in order to devote himself entirely to religious purposes. The famous three-tiered priestly blessing is also in our Sidra. Who can estimate the number of times--certainly billions--that this blessing has been recited in Jewish and

Christian circles from ancient times to ours. And our Sidra ends with the gifts which the 12 leaders of the 12 tribes brought to the Sanctuary when the Tabernacle was dedicated. The gifts, although identical, are solemnly listed for each one of the 12 tribes. Note that according to the Text, the Israelites have been at Sinai from the last chapters of Exodus (Shemot), through the whole Book of Leviticus, and now into the second Sidra of B’midbar. It is only now that the journey toward the Promised Land is to be taken up. One of the three R’galim, which came to be known as pilgrimage festivals, is Shavuot. It ends the Omer period, 49 days plus one, which accounts for the name Pentacost, by which Shavuot is sometimes known. Shavuot, of course, means “Weeks.” It is seven weeks and a day after the counting which began the second day of Pesach. It ends, climactically, with nothing less than the giving of the Ten Commandments (known in the Bible as the Ten Utterances). Here is the core of human morality; here is the necessary base of social living. Nothing could be usefully added to the Ten. And nothing can be left out. It is a perfect document. Notice again that the day has a basis in nature and the ancient Israelite agricultural life. From there it moves on to history where man has his being.

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JTA NEWS BRIEFS • A reported link between Ashkenazi intelligence genes and susceptibility to genetic disorders is clearly mixed news for the descendants of Eastern European Jews. According to the study, slated to appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Biosocial Science, Ashkenazim do better than average on IQ tests, scoring some 12-15 points above the test’s mean value. But the also are more likely than any other ethnic groups to suffer from diseases such as Tay-Sachs, Gauche’s disease and Niemann-Pick--related conditions that can be debilitating and deadly. The new study hypothesizes that the genetic disorders could be the unfortunate side effects of genes that facilitate intelligence. • Several French journalists stalked out of a Paris news conference when a Hezbollah official refused to answer a question from an Israeli reporter. Sety Hendler, who writes for Yediot Achronot, asked Ali Daamouch, Hezbollah’s head of exterior relations, about the status of prisoner-exchange talks with Israel. Daamouch asked Hendler his nationality, and upon hearing that he was Israeli, refused to respond to the question. Hendler left

the room in protest, and several other reporters joined him in solidarity. On her way out, a French journalist chastised those who remained behind, “He refuses to respond to a Jewish Israeli journalist and you stay! It’s scandalous; it’s shameful!” A non-Israeli journalist repeated the question and received a vague response from Daamouch. • Religious leaders and academics from some 30 countries gathered in Moscow on Tuesday for a two-day interfaith forum. The participants are addressing globalization, tolerance and countering terrorism. The event is organized by the Eurasia Dialogue Platform, an Istanbul-based Muslim initiative that focuses on building a positive image of Islam and creating ties between moderate Islam and other faiths. Providing a Jewish perspective on interfaith coexistence at the forum are representatives of the Congress of Jewish Religious Organizations and Communities of Russia, and Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, Vice-president of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership.

Midnight Madness is Theme for Shavuot at Chabad

At a recent Spice and Spirit Cooking Club event at Chabad House, Leslie Vann, left, demonstrates and Danielle Gordman assists in how to beautify one’s home with flowers and greenery in honor of Shavuot.

by CAROL HUTCHISON for Chabad of Nebraska Exciting, engaging, and entertaining, Midnight Madness invites the participation of all women and men bold enough to join Sunday evening, June 12, 11 p.m.2 a.m. (and beyond)! Discussion will be facilitated by Rabbi Mendel Katzman, with participants encouraged to make presentations on a variety of exhilarating topics. This annual all-night Torah Study Marathon, sponsored by Chabad House, is now in its 18th year. It takes place in the warm, “haimish” atmosphere at the residence of Rabbi and Shani Katzman at 640 So. 124 Ave. and is open to the entire community. There is no charge for the program. Delectable refreshments which incorporate electrifying discussions-as well as caffeine--help to keep the momentum strong, will be in abundance. Reservations may be made by calling 330.1800 or visiting www.nebraskajudaism.com. If you forgot to reserve, don’t fret; the door will be open.

Chabad Sponsors Annual Shavuot Luncheon and Ice Cream Party Who doesn’t love an ice cream party? Ice cream with a variety of sprinkles, nuts, and syrups galore is the perfect setting for a Shavuot celebration with children as the guests of honor. In commemoration of the unique role children played in the “Receiving of the Torah” from G-d, (children were the ‘Guarantors’), special attention is given to enthuse them with the joy and responsibility of being the Torah’s guardians. Educational games and exciting festivities are planned for children and everyone they want to bring along to the Chabad House on Monday June 13, 11

a.m. This annual event has become the Shavuot hotspot in Omaha. The program includes a children’s service, the Reading of the Ten Commandments, (as a reenactment of the receiving of the Torah at Sinai), and a delicious free-of-charge lunch for the entire family. Many dairy dishes will be served in observance of the custom on Shavuot to eat dairy. Special dishes and ice cream will be prepared for the lactose intolerant, as well. Please reserve by calling 330.1800 or by visiting www.nebraskajudaism.com.

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June 10, 2005

Maimonides Society Cocktail Party Scheduled for June by MARY SUE GROSSMAN JELS Administrator Following the very successful inaugural event in early February, many Maimonides Society members requested the opportunity to meet in a more social setting to give them more time to network and shmooze. A cocktail party for members and potential members will be held on Thursday, June 23, 5:45-7:45 p.m., at Ironwood Country Club, 12627 Pacific St. Hosted by Jewish Educational and Library Services, the event is being coordinated by Maimonides Society Steering Committee members: Dr. Sam Cemaj, Dr. Dan Schuller, Dr. Eric Phillips and Dr. David Finkle. The cocktail party will provide this opportunity in addition to giving attendees the chance to learn more about the upcoming ERG Mission to Israel Sept.15-23. For years Western Galilee Hospital (WGH) in Nahariya has been conducting practice drills with the Israel Defense Forces to hone techniques for receiving and treating patients in a mass casualty event. The ERG Course is a weeklong program designed to familiarize physicians and hospital administrators from abroad with WGH’s emergency preparedness procedures. Each participant is paired with an Israeli colleague in his/her specialty who is his/her professional host for the week. The Maimonides Society is an honor society for Jewish health care professionals who seek to strengthen the bond among themselves, Israel, and the Jewish community through educational, social action, and philanthropic activities. Maimonides is perhaps the most famous Jewish physician of all time as well as a renowned Jewish scholar and leader. The Omaha Maimonides group is open to all Jewish physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, veterinarians, optometrists, residents, fellows, and medical students who share the vision of Maimonides with regard to Jewish leadership and involvement. Reservations are requested by Monday, June 20. Please contact me at 334.6445 or via e-mail at mgrossman@jewishomaha.org. For information on the event or on the Maimonides Society, visit the Federation website at www.jewishomaha.org and select “Maimonides Society”.

Family Picnic and Concert a Great Way to Kick Off Summer looking for a positive and ‘cool’ way to connect to their by Rachel Blum Rick Recht, a top-touring musician in Jewish music, youth and adults. Recht’s music is full of contagious will bring his talents to Omaha Thursday, June 16, 5 melodies and, at the same time, is educational and p.m., for an outdoor summer concert. The evening will socially conscious. He has taken Jewish music to a new begin with a your-own picnic dinner (vegetarian/dairy level with lengthy concert tours, concert T-shirts, big only) at the Carl Frohm Pavilion on the back grounds of concert posters, banners, and most importantly, CDs the Jewish Community Center and the concert will start with radio-quality performance and production. Recht’s music is pop-rock and his high energy show at 5:30 p.m. The entire evening is free and open for the will get everyone dancing entire community. and singing the familiar Following the concert, tunes we all love. To create Recht will conduct a this energy, he uses hand Teacher Workshop, which is motions to help kids and open to all teachers of adults learn songs easier and Jewish education in Omaha. have fun as well. The workshop is designed to Featured last June at the show teachers how to imple100th anniversary celebrament music into their daily tion of B’nai Israel in curriculum and the benefits Council Bluffs, Recht also that come from music in the invites audience members to classroom. The concert and participate on stage with workshop are funded in part him to sing a solo, sing by the Pennie Z. Davis Staff along, play guitar or another Development Fund and the instrument. He was joined Ann Woskoff Schulman then by Jill Belmont, Tuffy Memorial Fund. Epstein and Cantor Gaston Recht plays over 125 conBogomolni. If you are intercerts each year in the United Rick Recht ested in participating on States and abroad. He is recstage with Recht, please ognized as a master of live contact me for a copy of his performance with interactive Looking for something to do and people to do it with? Hang songbook and musical CD concerts where audiences out with the under 30 crowd at the Rick Recht in advance of the concert. sing and dance, synagogue concert, Thursday, June 16 at the All stage participants should choirs sing, and teens go JCC Pavillion! Come at 5 p.m. also plan to arrive at the JCC crazy. for your free pizza and stay to Pavilion one hour prior to Recht’s appeal as a young, rock out with Rick Recht! To the show at 4:30 p.m. to powerful musician, Jewish RSVP, or if you are interested in meet with Rick Recht. The singer/songwriter, entermore events for Jews under 30, event promises to be a great tainer and role model has please contact Janie Murow, way to start your summer. been a dream come true for Federation Community Development For information, call me at community, camp, youth, 334.6404. and educational directors Director, 334.6566, jmurow@jewishomaha.org.

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