A N AG E N C Y O F T H E J E W I S H F E D E R AT I O N O F O M A H A
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J UN E 1 1 , 2 02 1 | 1 TAMMUZ 5781 | VO L. 1 01 | NO. 34 | CANDLELIGHTING | FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 8:39 P.M.
Sokolof Outstanding Jewish Teacher Award Swimmer with Omaha roots competes in Olympic Trials Page 3
What’s Black, White and Jewish...? Page 4
LINDA POLLARD JFO Foundation Endowment Assistant/Staff Writer aomi Fox is the worthy recipient of this year’s Sokolof Outstanding Jewish Teacher Award. Naomi has been described as a “highly dedicated educator,” going “above and beyond,” and with a “smile that inspired us (students) to learn more.” Naomi has 12 years of teaching experience in Omaha Public Schools, and many very grateful students and their parents. She has left an indelible mark on each student that she teaches, and she has given hers students the tools to become successful in school and in life. An Omaha native, Naomi is the daughter of Shelly Fox and Rick Fox, of blessed memory. She received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Indiana University, and her Masters in Elementary Education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, with an endorsement in teaching English Learners K-12. Naomi explained why she decided to specialize. “Towards the very end of my student teaching experience, I knew I wanted to explore a specific segment of education, rather than having a general elementary classroom. I am so grateful to have made the decision to teach English Learners.” After graduating from Indiana University, Naomi returned to Omaha and started
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Naomi Fox
teaching English Learners at Ashland ParkRobbins Elementary School in south Omaha. After four years she transferred to Lewis and Clark Middle School, where she is finishing her fifth year. Next fall Naomi will start teaching English Learners at Burke High School. In the summers of her high school and college years, Naomi worked at the JCC’s Youth Department as a camp counselor and See Sokolof Teacher Award page 2
A celebration of sustained giving
REGULARS
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ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Jewish Press Editor From Bally’s Converging Ripples to the various sculptures around our building, and the endless paintings that decorate our hallways, the JCC Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus has been the recipient of many new artworks. One specific piece has now been added in our front lobby, which allows us to recognize this community’s generosity in a fresh, engaging and interactive way. Most of us have seen the typical Donor Recognition board or wall. They display the names of the donors to a specific project, often in a hierar-
Secret Omaha proves that Omaha isn’t boring SAM KRICSFELD Secret Omaha: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, by Ryan Roenfeld, is essentially 200 pages of why Omaha isn’t as boring as most people think. Secret Omaha contains the history of over 80 odd places around the Omaha Metro
Share your Sioux City Shaare Zion Synagogue memories Page 7
Spotlight Voices Synagogues
SPONSORED BY THE BENJAMIN AND ANNA E. WIESMAN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND
chical method, displaying those names in font or size relative to the gift compared with other gifts. Often the recognition board does not work its way down to the donors who are only able to give modest amounts. Usually the design is somewhat predictable, though some can be more a piece of art. In all cases, the goal is to celebrate and recognize the donors who made the given project possible and allow for others to view and re-
member those who were generous with their philanthropy. “When we began planning for our new donor wall,” Jon Meyers said, “we asked: how do we make it less static, more engaging and more inclusive? We wanted it to be interactive and timeless. We are grateful to all our donors and we want that to be obvious to anyone who walks into our beautiful new lobby.” See Sustained giving page 2
area, most of which are free to visit. In each entry, Roenfeld casually inserts a fact that is impossible not to look up - for example, one of the sites is the grave of John O’Neill, who invaded Canada to free Ireland from England. I had to look that up because it made no sense, but it is true. Other crazy examples include a Danish building with a “dragon’s tail” spire, a church with its front door 20 feet off the ground and a 56-ft-tall concrete railroad spike painted gold. Other places’ histories are more interesting than their appearance, such as the site of a riot against Greek immigrants and the site of a “war” between the Bishop of Omaha and a Polish nationalist over a church. Some seemingly uninteresting places sneak their way in (think the empty lot where the Civic Auditorium once stood, or empty railyards), but even those entries have some fascinating history. Roenfeld’s curation and commentary often contain such intriguing tidbits that the two-pageper-entry format can be limiting. Briefly summarizing the history of all the rumors that surround Hummel Park, for example, leaves a lot of information to be desired. I could’ve read the book quicker had I not been Googling more information about some of the places. Some entries could probably warrant entire books. See Secret Omaha page 3
