Vol. LXXXIV No. 41 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 84 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
10 Sivan, 5765 June 17, 2005
Jewish-Arab Play Aims to Open Eyes and Hearts on Both Sides by DINA KRAFT TEL AVIV (JTA)--“Show me your identification,” the soldier, wearing a helmet and camouflage flak jacket, barks at unsuspecting theatergoers trying to reach their seats. Faces go pale. But nervous laughter follows once it becomes clear that the soldier is not really a soldier at all, just an actor in the play they are about to see--a production about the Palestinian-Israeli conflicted called Plonter, a Hebrew slang word for a mess. The idea of a checkpoint in the middle of a darkened theater may be absurd, but the absurdity of the conflict is what Plonter is all about. The play, which debuted at the respected Cameri Theatre last week, is the creation of its cast, a mix of Israeli Arab and Jewish actors who drew on real life scenes from the conflict, including some from their personal experiences. During the series of scenes and vignettes that make up the production, the nine actors switch back and forth between portraying Israeli and Palestinian characters, speaking in both Hebrew and Arabic.
A scene from the new Israeli play Plonter which depicts life on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This scene shows an Israeli Jewish family comforting their sister and daughter in the hospital after she miscarried a pregnancy as a result of being injured in a terror Credit: Cameri Theatre attack.
UNP: A Hidden Treasure by BOB EISENBERG Special to the Jewish Press Wittgenstein and Derrida; Walter Benjamin and the Aesthetics of Power; Judenrat; and A Jewish Colonel in the Civil War. Which university press publishes these books? Harvard? Columbia? Tel Aviv? No. These and scores of other titles of similar Jewish interest, some entertainingly obscure and others ponderously intellectual, are put out by Nebraska’s very own University of Nebraska Press. This largely independent arm of the University of Nebraska system has been a serious player in the realm of academic publishing since its inception in 1941 and has been a formidable presence in the Jewish literary world since at least the 1980s. The University of Nebraska Press (UNP) is, as a whole, the second largest university press in the country when measured in the number of titles it publishes, just behind the gargantuan California. Indeed, UNP puts out more than 300 books in new and reprint form a year. “We’re a hidden treasure” observes Elizabeth Demers, who until early this month had been History acquisitions editor and had served as interim editor-inchief. “People regularly come up to us at book fairs to congratulate us. They call us things like ‘scrappy’ and ‘daring’.” “They say we have a quirky edge,” adds Ladette Randolph, the press’s Humanities editor. It is these two editors who have between themselves directed the lion’s share of acquisition, development and distribution of Jewish Studies books in recent years, a list of titles which has its own catalog comprising over 120 books in print. For any serious bibliophile of the Jewish persuasion, reading this catalog is like being the proverbial kid in a video-games emporium. Continued on page 2
Inside Opinion Page see page 8
In one scene, Yousef Sweid, an Arab Israeli who grew up in Haifa, plays the role of a senior Israeli officer overseeing the cover-up of an army shooting of a Palestinian boy. In the next scene, he’s a Palestinian militant wearing a black-and-white checkered kaffiyeh and firing an automatic rifle in the air, calling for vengeance. In another scene, Irit Kaplan, a Jewish Israeli actress, dons the black clothes and mourning scarf of a Palestinian woman, then returns to the char-
acter of a middle-aged Israeli mother fussing over her soldier son who accidentally shot a boy in the West Bank--the same child her Palestinian character is mourning. The interlinking story lines are part of the play’s message that all the players in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are human beings; the tears of a Palestinian mother who lost her son from a soldier’s bullet, or a Jewish settler who lost her baby to a terrorist’s bullet, convey similar feelings of grief and loss. “The settler is really the opposite of who I am,” said Mira Awad, who plays the role of a Jewish settler in several scenes but who herself is Arab. She had trouble at first preparing for the part, she said, but then saw the humanity in her character. “A mother losing a child is universal; it’s the same disaster wherever you go,” she said. The cast spent seven months researching, writing and haggling over the script. They traveled to checkpoints, to Arab villages and throughout Israel, passing out questionnaires to citizens on their views of the conflict. Continued on page 11
Two More Shlichim Join JCC Shaliach This Summer in Day Camps by CAROL KATZMAN diers are placed in development towns and the poorer Editor of the Jewish Press areas of Israel’s big cities to work with disadvantaged Omaha’s Jewish Community Center has employed an youth. Many of them wind up staying on in the comIsraeli shaliach or shlicha every summer in its camping munity after they finish their army service.” program since 1983. This year, however, two shlichim “These counselors are really admired by the Israeli peowill join Uri Levin, the J’s full-time year ’round shaliach. ple,” added Dorfman, who has also completed a threeDoron Dorfman, 23, from Kiriyat Motzkin near year stint in the Israel Defense Force’s Intelligence Unit. Haifa, and Avital Lowe, 21, of Jerusalem, will spend As a high school student, Dorfman learned Arabic, eight weeks here, working with the children of the JCC. which he put to use in the IDF, but was also active in Noar Dorfman, who will major in law and media studies at l’Noar--BBYO’s Israeli counterpart. In fact, he was Hebrew University when he President of his chapter and returns to Israel late in lead a delegation from Israel August, will work with to ILTC (the International Laura Wine in the day camp Leadership Training Confrom serving children vention) at Camp Perlman in kindergarten through fifth Starlight, PA. grade. Lowe will work in the His mother, Adrianna, is a Pennie Z. Davis Child teacher and his father, Development’s summer proGideon, who was career gram under the supervision army, now works for Galil of Corey Kirshenbaum. Medical, a biotech company Levin is thrilled to have the that has patented a needle company. “Having been in that can freeze individual Omaha a year already, I can cancer cells. Doron’s older introduce them to the combrother, Liron, works for munity. And they can teach Netvision, the Israeli web me, too; they both have backand e-mail company. Avital Lowe and Doron Dorfman arrived in Omaha last grounds in youth work.” Dorfman also brings expeweek from Israel to work in the JCC camps this summer. Lowe comes from a family rience to his position as a of three girls. Her older sister Michal, 24, just finished shaliach this summer. “I worked in the JCC camps in her third year of psychology studies at Tel Aviv Las Vegas last summer,” he smiled, “and wanted someUniversity; another sister, Hila, 22, studies at a culinary thing different. Omaha is very kind, very Midwest.” “They are a wonderful asset to our summer camps,” institute in Herzylia. Education is an important value in the Lowe family; Avital’s mother, Anat, is a special edu- noted Lisa Shkolnick, JCC Assistant Director, “and we are cation supervisor in the Ministry of Education and her very excited to have three shlichim here this summer.” Like other shlichim in the past, Avital and Doron didfather, Joseph, is an orthopedic surgeon at Hadassah Hospital. Avital plans to put her own background to n’t know where Omaha was located! Both hope to do good use while working in the JCC camps this summer. some traveling in America before they return to Israel. “In the army, I served as a youth counselor first and In the meantime, they plan to get to know their host then as a commander of other counselors,” she told the families and the children in the CDC and JCC summer Press last week. “In this, the Garin program, young sol- camps--and hope Omahans will meet them, too.
This Week: CDC Graduates PreSchoolers: Page 4 Jewish Groups Launch Campaign for Jews from Arab Lands: Page 3
Crowds Enthralled by “Best of Beth El”: Page 7
Coming Next Month: Health and Wellness on July 15 Sides Rearming in Battle Over Boycott of Israeli Academics: Page 9
JCC Honors Volunteers and Staff at End-of-Year Meeting: Page 12
Page 2
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
June 17, 2005
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS FRIDAY, JUNE 17 Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m. SATURDAY, JUNE 18 NCJW Spring Gala, 7 p.m. at the Livestock Exchange SUNDAY, JUNE 19 C L I P
JSS Senior Luncheon, 10 a.m. & Hadassah Board Meeting, 1 p.m.
BEAM Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El S Young Adult Financial Planning with Alan Parsow, 7:30 p.m. at Beth El A V Youth Commission Meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Beth El E
& S A V E
TUESDAY, JUNE 21 Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m. BBYO Night, 6 p.m. JELS Conversational Hebrew Class Level 1, 7 p.m. and Level 2, 8 p.m. Iowa Western Community Band, 7 p.m. Board of Trustees Meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Temple Israel WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22 Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m. NCJW Board Meeting, 7 p.m. C THURSDAY, JUNE 23 L Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m. I Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m. P Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel
C L I P
Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. & JELS Conversational Hebrew Class Level 1, 7 p.m. and
Level 2, 8 p.m. S L.O.V.E Auxiliary Board Meeting, 7 p.m. A Maimonides Society Recruitment Event, 7:30 p.m. at Ironwood Country Club V
&
S A V E All events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated. The Jewish Press is not E responsible for the accuracy of events. To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. FOR A COMPLETE LISTING, VISIT THE FEDERATION’S WEBSITE: www.JewishOmaha.org (click on calendar)
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bers on an as needed basis, 24 hours a day, seven days a by SHARON BARGAS JFS Program Coordinator week. “Our goal for the Peace of Mind project is to educate After deciding to take a vacation--without children for the first time--there was a serious need to put my house the Jewish community on such issues as Living Wills and Advanced Directives,” said in order. Cleaning the Shelly Fox, Jewish Senior house, preparing the chilServices Social Worker. “Our dren for my departure, community rabbis are a wongrocery shopping and derful source for spiritual guidbegrudgingly, I was ance on this matter. It is so forced to think about the important to make your wishes steps needed in order to known, write them down, and ensure my wishes will be take the crucial step of having respected in case of a serithem stored somewhere that is ous bodily accident. safe and accessible when the As a 30-something, the need arises.” thought of death and The crucial issue involved end-of-life decisions were with a living will is whether tucked far away from my each Jewish movement believes everyday thoughts. My in living wills and how they are to-do list was too busy prepared. As a Jewish woman, I and I was too young to grasped the underpinnings of worry about such issues. Jewish law, which lead me to Perhaps, I’m not alone. An estimated 85 percent Bo and Sahron Bargas with their children Hannah, 5, and making the appropriate decisions for myself and my family. of American adults have Ethan, 1. One local grandmother knows all too well the devasnot provided their families with written end-of-life tation of a sudden death in her family. Her daughter-indirectives. Age is not an excuse to avoid creating a living will. It’s law passed away unexpectedly at the young age of thirnot a document that’s specifically for older people, ty-six. According to this grandmother, instead of spendalthough it’s often thought of that way. You can and ing time grieving, the family was wrapped in struggles should get both living wills and healthcare proxies as with the hospital discussing what the family’s wishes were after her daughter-in-law’s death. soon as you turn 18, according to legal experts. “Her death was so sudden and because she didn’t have Through Jewish Senior Services and Jewish Family Service, a committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha anything in place, we had no idea what her wishes would has developed the “Peace of Mind Project” addressing have been,” said this grandmother of four. “I hope my many issues that face individuals and families regarding story is a warning for the younger generation.” For more information on the Peace of Mind Project, health care wishes and end of life decisions. JSS plans to assist the Jewish community by providing a community- contact Shelly Fox at 334.6532 or check out informawide storage service for completed personal documents. tion on www.jewishomaha.org and click on “Peace of These documents will be made available to family mem- Mind Project.”
UNP: A Hidden Treasure
CLIP & SAVE
C Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 9 a.m. at Beth El L MONDAY, JUNE 20 I P Musical Theatre Camp, 9 a.m.
I’m Too Young to Think About a Living Will
Continued from page 1 The catalog includes works by the well-known interdisciplinary theorist, Sander Gilman, who breaks new ground in the provocative area of Jewish self-perception. Gilman, a newly appointed distinguished professor at Emory, has also had books published by Princeton and St. Martin’s Press, and is “a larger-than-life-figure” according to editor Randolph. Not to be outdone at the local level, UNP distributes a compendium of proceedings of the annual KlutznickHarris Symposium held at the Omaha Jewish Community Center, Creighton University and the University of NebraskaLincoln, which attracts scholars from throughout the world. The Symposium’s presentations are published in compilations such as and Judaism, Women Judaism and Spirituality and Millennialism from the Hebrew Bible to the Present. These are co-edited by none other than Creighton University’s own Leonard Greenspoon, Professor of Classical and Near Eastern Studies there. Another noteworthy title is the best-selling---at least by academic standards---Book-of-the-Month-Club selection, Christopher Browning’s The Origins of the Final Solution. Also published by UNP is University of Nebraska Professor Gerald Shapiro’s Bad Jews, which the New York Times called “incisive”. This collection of short stories is the basis for the recently-released film, King of the Corner. Then there is Dump This Book While You Can!, which is said to be “a deeply provocative meditation upon reading and writing.” A serious contender for the most obscure title would have to be Contemporary Jewish Writing in Sweden. It is part of a series that includes Austria, Poland, and Germany. But competing with Stephen King or J.K. Rowling is not the press’s objective. A non-academic cloth-cover book typically averages about 2500 copies in its initial printing. If the number sold eventually surpasses 5000 copies, it is not uncommon for the press to print an initial 2500 copies in paperback. When a manuscript comes in over the transom, so to
speak, it has a less than 10 percent chance of ever making it into print at UNP. If the manuscript is in the minority of those submissions deemed to be a serious contender, it is sent out for peer review by two experts in the field. When both reviewers give it a thumbs up, the manuscript goes to the press’s board which typically gives the author a contract. But if the manuscript only elicits a positive response from one of the reviewers, it undergoes further consideration before it is either axed or given a green light. Surprisingly, “it is only the peer reviewers who uncover fact problems,” not fact-checkers, and after the reviewers are through with their initial role “we trust the author to make sure his material is accurate.” says Randolph. When I ask the editors if the absence of factcheckers has ever caused major errors to slip through, Randolph assures me that this has rarely, if ever, been a serious problem. However, it is not outside the realm of possibility, Demers demurs. Finally, the manuscript goes to a copy editor, who deals with the prose, not the content. The press is largely self-sustaining. Contrary to what one might think, only five percent of its annual six million dollar budget is university subsidized. This financial independence extends into the editorial realm, as well. There is complete academic freedom, the editors insist. Even the faculty members at the university’s highly regarded Harris Center for Judaic Studies scarcely play a role in the functioning of the press, other than historian Alan Steinweis, who collaborates with Yad Vashem in putting out a series of works. Of course, Jewish Studies is not the only horse in the University of Nebraska Press’s stable. There is general history, native studies, humanities, and sports, each with its own catalog. There is also a reprint list of books no longer in circulation and often well past copyright expiration. This list of reprints is called Bison books, and, as one might suspect, it includes Nebraka-related classics such as Mari Sandoz’ Old Jules and The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition by Merriwether Lewis and William Clark. What does the future hold for the University of Nebraska Press? More books of Jewish interest, most certainly. The Press may be a “hidden treasure” but it places Nebraska squarely in the literary firmament. And just like Lewis and Clark, it is a trailblazer. “We’re ahead of the curve,” the two editors exclaim, almost in unison.
June 17, 2005
Jewish Groups Launch Campaign for Rights of Refugees from Arab World by BRETT KLINE “After Sept. 11, I decided it was time to speak up,” she PARIS (JTA)--As the Palestinians continue to demand said. a “right of return” for refugees who fled or were She founded Jimena, Jews Indigenous to the Middle expelled during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, East and North Africa, and has made a film, The Jewish leaders from around the world are intensifying a Forgotten Refugees. Urman said Israeli campaign to advoofficials have collectcate for the rights of ed the case histories Jewish refugees from of some 3,000 famithe Arab world. lies. The campaign to document the mass “We would like to have 100,000 cases,” violations of Jews’ he said, “but honesthuman rights in the ly that figure may be Arab world, as well as too high. People the loss of their prishould be telling vate and communal their stories, but assets, will be there is a process launched in March 2006 by an American involved here to Jewish group, Justice record everything.” for Jews From Arab Jewish organizaCountries, and the tions have been willWorld Organization Iraqi Jews were airlifted to Israel in 1950 and 1952. In this picture, a group ing to get involved in the campaign. Justice of Jews From Arab of Iraqi Jews have just landed in Israel. Credit: Babylonian Jewish Heritage Center for Jews will finance Countries. via American Sephardi Federation projects on the interOnce compiled, the documentation will be catalogued and preserved by national level, while groups in participating countries would pay to compile the case histories. a special unit in Israel’s Justice Ministry. “This is a historical mobilization of the international “No one disputes the fact that the Palestinian refugee issue is on the table,” said Stanley Urman, Justice for Jewish community,” Urman said. “The same thing hapJews’ director. “We want to be on the table with them. pened for Soviet Jews. Now these stories from Jews from There is a sense of urgency to this. Many people who Arab countries must be told.’’ The group’s next meeting is scheduled for September were forced out of their homes are dying or have died already. We are talking about two populations of in Paris. refugees from the same political situation.” Representatives from the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Belgium, Italy and Israel met Monday in Paris to launch the campaign. Representatives from Mexico and Australia participated by phone. “The Palestinian narrative has held sway over international opinion,” said Bernie Farber, CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress. “It’s very compelling, but this narrative must also be told.” Some 860,000 Jews lived in 10 Arab countries, not including Iran, in 1948. Fewer than 8,000 remained by 2001, most in Morocco. Many Jews were forced to flee their homes in the Arab world under duress, especially at the time of the ArabIsraeli wars of 1948 and 1967. They were granted refugee status by the United Nations, but the matter was never pursued. While Israel absorbed most of the Jewish refugees-their descendants today make up about half the population of Israel--Arab countries kept the Palestinians in camps and refused to give them citizenship, using their plight as a weapon in the political struggle against the Jewish state. Today, the number of Palestinian refugees and their descendants tops four million, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides them with services. According to Justice for Jews, the legal and political basis for the rights of Jewish refugees is U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, adopted in 1967, which declares that there should be a “a just settlement of the refugee problem.” The resolution does not make a distinction between Arab refugees and Jewish refugees. Delegates at the Paris meeting stressed that advocacy for Jewish refugees’ rights should not be about money or initiating legal proceedings. “Over the years it has been difficult to raise the profile of Sephardic Jews throughout the world,” said Gina Waldman, who was born in Libya. “This is about telling the stories that have never been told. It is not about money. And some of the stories are very sad.” Waldman recalled fleeing with her family from Tripoli in 1967 as a mob was setting fire to her apartment building. “A Muslim neighbor saved us,” she said. “He convinced the mob to leave. He saved our lives.” She and six family members managed to get to Italy, the former colonial power in Libya, where they lived in one room. Her great-grandfather had founded a land development company in Tripoli, which employed more than 300 people when the family fled in 1967. Her father, she said, “never got over the loss” of the family business. Waldman eventually moved to the United States, while her parents stayed in Italy and a brother went to Israel. She has worked as a human rights activist for many years.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 3
Beth El Women to Show Their Artistic Side During July Rosh Hodesh Meeting by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator The women of Beth El will have an opportunity to show their creative colors during the synagogue’s upcoming Rosh Hodesh get-together on Thursday, July 7, 7 p.m., as Hollie Fineman and M’Lee Hasslinger host “L’Dor V’Dor,” an evening of scrapbooking at Archiver’s, located in the Village Pointe Shopping Center (168th and Dodge Streets). Attendees are encouraged to M’Lee Hasslinger and Hollie Fineman bring two to five multi-generational family photos, Fineman said, noting that the size of the photo will determine how many can be used. Participants will be able to choose between creating a scrapbook page or grouping their photos together in a frame. “Sharing memories and preserving pictures is the only way to assure that our history will be shared from generation to generation,” she said. “We hope that everyone will bring some stories and memories of the special people in their lives.” Instruction will begin at 7 p.m., but participants are asked to arrive earlier to select materials for their projects. Space is limited; reservations are needed by Wednesday, June 29, and may be made by contacting Fineman at: hfineman@carlson.com.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
June 17, 2005
Pennie Z. Davis CDC at the JCC Graduates Pre-Schoolers
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Graduating preschoolers and their teachers include, pictures from top left: Teacher Julie Shelburne, back row left, Jackson Clark, Karin Berg, Ryan Hayes, Ellie Simon, Adam Silverman, and Assistant Teacher Barb Giller; front row: Anna Denman, Libby Bekins, Grant Jabenis, Jane Glazer, Jeffrey Garvey, Chloe Ray, and Lauren O’Leary. Not pictured: Hannah Liu. Assistant Teacher Janette Morrisey (left), and Bettie Adams, teacher; back row: Vicki Nickonov, Aaron Hansen, and Benjamin Leathers-Arnold; front row: Ethan Shrago, Allison Pulver, Julia Raffel, Nina Oleynikov, Sanjana Dhindsa, Mia Sherlock, and Noah Lavelle. Bottom left: Teacher Wendy Hutchinson, back row left, Cooper Clark, Eliana Reiss, Adam Cooper-Kahn, Katie Kirshenbaum, Benjamin Raffel, Assistant Teacher Cindy Salkin; front row: Alex Connely, Aleia Budwig, Rylan Bishop, Miriam Grady, Samantha Matz and Joe Seina; not pictured: Alec Kratky, and Jacqueline Szatko. Assistant Teacher Amanda Gustafson back row left, Adam Folsom, Madigan Brodsky, Kara Roos, Brayden Shanahan, Dash Wedergren, Noah Hale, Assistant Teacher Cindi Godden; front row: Hannah Bargas, Madeleine Rauhauser, Natalie Pichik, Harrison Stoneking, Mali Seran, and Adam Lehman.
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My father, The Philosopher by GLORIA SHUKERT JONES Long-time Omaha residents probably remember my father, Harry Shukert. He and his dad, Jacob Shukert, and brothers: Dave, Max and Nate Shukert, and sister, Rose Sherman, owned and operated Shukert’s Meats for many years. The family business was located on 24th and Franklin Street, in the heart of what was once an area of Jewish small enterprises; butcher shops, bakeries, delicatessens, and a fish market, interspersed within a predominantly black neighborhood. When I was a teenager, I worked there on Sunday mornings as a cashier. I can remember when our finest Harry L. Shukert grade-A ground beef sold for 69¢ a pound. This was back in about 1950. After my work shift was over, I looked forward to lunch in the back room. I remember having corned beef sandwiches on poppy-seed horn rolls, and they were delicious. My dad had great rapport with all his customers. He was jovial, good-natured and a real people person He would often throw in an extra few slices of corned beef to an order, and when children came into the store, they always got a slice of kosher baloney. Because of its demographics, the store catered to a few Black customers who were totally unaware of Kashruth. They would come in and ask for ham. My dad would say, “Have you ever tasted kosher ham?” And he would sell them corned beef. He also explained matzas to them as “Easter crackers”. Harry Lewis Shukert was born in Kiev, Russia (now Ukraine) in 1907, to Jacob and Minnie, his biological mother. The family emigrated to the United States when dad was just an infant. My father was the oldest of six children. When he was 11-years-old, his mother died, and he helped raise his siblings. Years later, Jacob married his second wife, Mirel, dad’s stepmother, and the only bubbe I ever knew. My dad was a veteran of the Marines, having served in Pearl Harbor in the Marine Intelligence Division prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor and outbreak of World War II. After his service in the military, he helped his father establish the family-owned meat-cutting business. In addition to a sense of humor, dad was a bit of a philosopher. There was a Spanish proverb he was fond of quoting: “Quien se levanta temprano tiene mas tiempo para trabajar”--in other words, “He who gets up early has extra time for work.” And this was essentially his work ethic. He would get up at dawn, cut meat all day, and deliver orders to people’s homes or businesses until late in the evening. We hardly ever saw much of him in those days. Dad was a dedicated Jew. Although not quite as devout as my grandfather, he would nevertheless quote scripture and parables from the Bible. He was a devoted husband
and father, and he and my mom were both long-time members of the old Beth Israel Synagogue on 52nd and Seward. Dad displayed a temper at times, but always knew when to keep his cool. In those days it was customary for people to go for car rides without any particular destination in mind. We would often stop for ice cream cones in Irvington, following an aimless drive around town. On one such evening, Dad’s foot got a bit heavy on the accelerator, and a policeman stopped him and gave him a speeding ticket. I huddled in the back seat, fearful that a confrontation might ensue. Instead, dad politely thanked the officer, and even called him, “sir”. My mother was astounded also, as she figured there would be an argument. But my dad had another Spanish expression he followed: “Quien mucho habla mucho yerra”, or “He who talks too much makes many mistakes.” I learned a great deal from my dad. I learned to conquer my bug phobia when I was young. I insisted Dad check under my bed each night to make sure there were no sixlegged creatures lurking there. There never was, but he would tease, pretending he had caught one and act like he was going to drop it down the back of my neck. I would run screaming, and he would laugh and remind me I was much bigger than a bug. I learned spiritualism. He taught me the Ten Commandments, especially to honor God, and my father and mother. I learned how to manage money. He cautioned me never to squander my allowance, and to save for things I wanted. It was essential to him that I “learn the value of a dollar”, and nest eggs were ultimately more enduring than spending sprees. My allowance was generous, but I had to earn it by helping my mother with household chores. Otherwise, said allowance was withheld. Then when I was old enough to have a job, he insisted I open a savings account. To this day, although a “shopaholic” at heart, I do try to talk myself out of unnecessary purchases. My dad was a family man, a good provider and always encouraged me in my endeavors. He was also a visionary. Fifty years ago, he foresaw the area around 42nd and Farnam Street as a potential for a major property redevo opment center, and had plans to look into that as a possible business venture. Unfortunately, he passed away before he could realize his dream. True to his prediction, that area is now the expansive site of the Clarkson and University of Nebraska Medical Center, and is still developing. He had similar expectations about 72nd and Dodge and its environs, long before the Crossroads Shopping Center was even in the planning stage. Losing my father has left a void in my life. I often wonder how different things might have been had he lived longer. As Father’s Day approaches, I am filled with bittersweet memories and nostalgia. But then I remember another of his favorite philosophies, a credo by which he lived his entire life: “Laugh, and the world laughs with you--cry, and you cry alone.”
Beth Israel Offers Hebrew Language Summer Program by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue Have you ever wanted to learn Hebrew? Here's your opportunity! Beth Israel will offer an intensive Hebrew language program this summer. The Hebrew Language course will be held weekdays, July 6-22, 9 a.m.-noon. The intensive Hebrew language course will be taught by Sarah Kasher, faculty member from Yeshiva University (YU). She joined the Y.U. faculty as a lecturer of Hebrew in 2004. Kasher received a teacher’s certificate from Beth Jacob of Jerusalem and has taught Hebrew in Israel and across the U.S. Prior to joining the Y.U. faculty, she worked as a professional Hebrew grammarian and editor of many publications including Mishpacha magazine “This is a very, very exciting opportunity for Omaha,” stated Rabbi Jonathan Gross. “To get someone here with the expertise of Ms. Kasher would be a privilege for any community. She’s extremely experienced in teaching this intensive, total immersion class, having taught Hebrew to college students on university campuses as well as to new immigrants in Israel.” It’s not just Kasher’s fluency and understanding of Hebrew that sets her apart; she is known for her love of teaching and instructional expertise. “She’s a great presenter in addition to being very knowledgeable,” said Gross, who plans to attend Kasher’s class. There are a number of reasons why it’s important to study Hebrew. “Our tradition is in Hebrew,” explained Gross. “It’s our national language. The Torah and Siddur are in Hebrew. Any translation, however accurate it may be, is still an interpretation. Being able to approach a text in the original language allows for a more sophisticated
level of study. Then you’re not dependent on the teacher or a translation. You’re thus more engaged in the dialogue. “There should be a variety of opportunities for the Omaha community to learn Hebrew,” the rabbi added, “and I’m happy to see what’s currently available. We wanted to provide another option by offering a total immersion Hebrew class for anyone seeking that type of language course.” So far, a number of people have signed up for the class, with various goals. According to Gross, “Registrations are ranging from people planning to visit or live in Israel, to those interested in more serious Torah study.” Due to Beth Israel’s commitment to make the intensive Hebrew language program available to everyone in the community, the class is free to Beth Israel members and costs only $50 for non-members. Participants in the program should already have base knowledge of the Alef-Bet, Hebrew reading and very basic Hebrew vocabulary. For planning purposes, everyone planning to take the July class must register. The program is open to people ages, from junior high through adult, who have the base skill set needed for the class. Call the synagogue office, 556.6288, by June 24 to register. For those who would like to review their basic Hebrew language skills prior to the intensive class in July, Gross will teach a free preparatory course Tuesday-Thursday, June 21-23, 10:30 a.m. noon. Attendance at the review course is encouraged, but not required. Gross explained, “This is a refresher course to get everyone up to speed. It will be a good way to ‘get your brain in gear’ for Kasher’s intensive Hebrew language program in July.”
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YOUNG ENERGETIC SENIORS Learn about Israel and meet our community shaliach, Uri Levin, on Monday at the JCC. Lunch will be served at noon in the auditorium. The cost is $6 per person. Join us for bingo with Eileen Remer at 10 a.m.; exercise at 10:30 a.m., and the discussion group at 11 a.m. For transportation call Dee Dee at 330.4272. Call Maggie Conti at 334.6521 for reservations to the Bluffs Run Casino on June 30. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Come to the Yiddish meeting at the JCC on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. Call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638. VISIONS We’ll be cruising down the river on the River City Star Tuesday, July 26, 6:30-8 p.m. (meet at the dock at 6 p.m.) Enjoy good company, music, food and a super evening. The cost of $27 per person includes the cruise, dinner buffet and music. Send reservations by July 18 to Sandy and Fred Bromley, 13419 Marinda St., Omaha, NE 68144. Make check payable to Visions. JEWISH SENIOR SERVICES Reminder: 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. BREADBREAKERS John Mackiel will will be the guest speaker at Breadbreakers on Wednesday, June 22, noon, at the Park Inn Regency, according to Gary Javitch, chairman. Mackiel, Omaha Public Schools Superintendent, will talk about the proposed annexation of Millard and Ralston schools. Cost is $11 for lunch and $2 for beverage service only.
MARRIAGE Lisa Renee Coren and Bradford Stephen Green were married April 2 at Temple Israel. The 7 p.m. ceremony was followed by a reception at Temple. The bride is the daughter of Fran and Mickey Coren and the granddaughter of Paul Grossman and the late Joy Grossman and the late Henry and Sylvia Coren. She graduated with distinction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in elementary education and earned a master’s at the University of NebraskaOmaha, also in elementary education. She taught for four years at Dundee Elementary in Omaha and currently teaches fifth grade in Williamsburg, VA. The groom is the son of Ruth and Lester Green of Bethesda, MD. His grandparents are the late Abbee and Gertrude Talamo and me late David and Shirley Green. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in environmental science, a master’s in space and solar sciences from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is currently a Major in the USAF stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton Roads, VA, where he is a weather officer. The wedding party included Julie Coren of Eugene, OR, as maid of honor, along with bridesmaids Melissa Rosenthal of Hollywood, CA, Leah Abraham of Omaha and Jennifer Green of Beaverton, OR. The best man was Dan Smith of Omaha, and groomsmen were Mark Adair of Arlington, VA, Dave Weinbach of Madison, WI, and David Gershon of Beaverton, OR. The usher was Dan Reyhle of Eugene, OR. The couple reside in Yorktown, VA. They plan a delayed honeymoon this summer.
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Marcy and Mike Klein of Woodland Hills, CA announce the April 8 arrival of their daughter Zoe Grace. She has a brother, Griffin. Grandparents are Susan and Ray Somberg, Marty Sophir, and Kathy and Jerry Klein. Great-grandparents are Audrey Sophir and the late Al Sophir, and the late Ruth Cohen.
ENGAGEMENTS DEPORTE/ESHEL Pam and Dennis DePorte announce the engagement of their daughter, Stephanie Anne, to David Eshel, son of Maggie and Larry Kosmin of Long Beach, CA and the late Eli Eshel. The bride-to-be is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison with a BA in Hebrew with a Jewish Studies certificate. She earned a masters in Jewish education and Jewish communal service from the Hebrew Union College, and currently is the Religious School Principal at Temple Judea in Tarzana, CA. She is the granddaughter of Louise Martin and the late Elvin Martin and the late Stan Kahn. Her fiance graduated from UCLA with a BA in history and received a masters in Jewish education and Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Union College. He is a rabbinic student at the Hebrew Union College and will be ordained in May 2006. He is currently the rabbinic intern of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, CA. He is the grandson of Elsie Kosmin of Philadelphia, PA, and the late Irving Kosmin, the late Sara and Layosh Zimmermann and the late Chaya and Zvi Kosover. The couple will be married in August in Omaha. KRICSFELD/DIAMOND Cheryl Kricsfeld and Richard Diamond have announced their engagement. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Marjorie Weiss and the late Bernard Weiss. She earned a masters degree at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and is a reading specialist for the Westside Community Schools. Her fiance is the son of Theresa Diamond and the late Oscar Diamond. He is a realtor with the N.P. Dodge Company. FRIEDKIN/POLIKOV Carol and Alan Friedkin of Girard, Ohio, announce the engagement of their daughter, Sara, to Lance Polikov, both of Atlanta, GA. The bride-to-be graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelors of Science in Education. She is a third grade teacher at the Davis Academy in Atlanta. Her grandparents are the late Helen and Albert Wagner and Laura and Saul Friedkin. Her fiancé is the son of Sheila and Marvin Polikov. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where he earned a bachelors degree in Journalism and is the Director of Contract Staffing for MRI, an executive recruiting firm in Atlanta. He is the grandson of Ethel Goldston, and the late Seymour Goldston and the late Bemice and Abe Polikov. A July 2006 wedding is planned in Atlanta.
IN THE NEWS Beltone, a pioneer in the hearing care industry, is launching a trial event for its sophisticated hearing instrument technology, the EDGE™. Continuing through July 8, individuals with hearing loss and their families can participate in the “Get Your Edge Back” event at participating local Beltone Hearing Care centers, including the 8313 Cass St. location with Janice Johnson. Jamie Skog graduated cum laude on June 4 from Denver University with a Bachelor of Arts in music. She has been accepted at Hebrew College in Newton Center, MA, where she will be enrolled in a five-year program to earn a cantorial degree with a masters in Jewish education and be trained as both a Reform and a Conservative cantor. She is a 2001 graduate of Temple Israel Religious School and Westside High School. At Denver University, where she minored in Judaism, she was President of Hillel and periodically conducted worship services.
June 17, 2005
If Hate is the Question, then NCCJ’s Anytown is the Answer by BARBARA ANGELILLO In just six days, stereotypes are broken, friendships are built and leaders are created, says Amy Cotton, Anytown volunteer counselor. From July 4-9, the Midlands Region of the National Conference for Community and Justice, NCCJ, will present Anytown, the award winning, nationally acclaimed leadership program for area high school students, at the Carol Joy Holling Conference and Retreat Center in Ashland, Nebraska. In a week long residential format, Anytown empowers students to become effective leaders for positive social change by assisting them with skill development and awareness to reduce prejudice and discrimination. Anytown is a life-transforming experience where each summer, 60 delegates and 30 staff from diverse backgrounds tackle difficult and complex human relations issues facing our community and world today. In a safe and respectful environment, Anytown participants speak openly and honestly about their feelings and perspectives in regards to race, culture, faith, sexual orientation, gender, ability, age and class. The goal of Anytown is to create a community where mutual respect and inclusion are the norm, and where every participant is accepted unconditionally for who they are. The process of sharing personal stories and experiences with prejudice and discrimination, along with self and group examination, leads to a deeper understanding and empathy for one another. The result is that many delegates return home with the resolve to make their schools and communities a better place for all people, not just some people! Anytown is open to high school students who will be entering grades 10-12 this fall. For program details, or to request an application, please contact the NCCJ office at 402.391.4460 or email jgerstan@nccj.org. Full and partial scholarships are available. The NCCJ has a 75 year history of fighting bias, bigotry and racism across America. Anytown is just one of the programs that the NCCJ Midlands Region offers to educate youth and adults about the pain of prejudice and the power of one person to make a difference. To learn more about the NCCJ Midlands Region, please visit www.nccjmidlands.org.
JEWISH PRESS NOTICE The Press office will be closed Monday, July 4. Pictures from the Passover issue and last week’s high school senior graduation issue may be picked up in the office during regular business hours.
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A hand-clapping, foot-stomping crowd of about 750 packed Beth El’s sanctuary on Sunday, as the synagogue presented “The Best of Beth El,” a spirited and soulful musical salute to Beth El’s 75th anniversary. Directed by Joanie Jacobson, the show featured more than 70 congregants--men, women and children--who sang and danced their way into the audience's hearts during the hour-long show. The evening was also highlighted by the unveiling of “Living an Ageless Story,” the synagogue’s 75th anniversary quilt project. The project, comprised of four magnificent and unique biblically-themed quilts created by congregants Ozzie Nogg, Susi Frydman-Levin, Julie Phillips, Barbara Rennard and Karin Levine, will be displayed
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in perpetuity in the synagogue’s social hall. Photos clockwise from top left: Susi Frydman-Levin and Rabbi Mordechai Levin proved to be inspirational song leaders during “Shalom/Ki Va Moed”; The entire cast joined together to perform the show’s moving finale, “Holy Place”; Performers rocked out during the show’s opening number, “Light Up Beth El”; the Minyanaires extolled the virtue of attending daily services during the “Carolina in the Morning”-inspired number, which included the lyrics, “Everybody’s swayin’ to the rhythm of our prayin’ in the mornin’”; Karin Levine and “Best of Beth El” director Joanie Jacobson chatted in front of Levine’s quilt, “Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors”. Credit: Ophir Palmon and Jill Belmont
June 19 Father’s Day Cruise 11:30am - 1:00pm Father’s Day Brats and Beer Cruise 1:30pm - 3:00pm
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Congregants Razzle-Dazzle ’Em During “Best of Beth El”
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July 3 Public Sightseeing Cruises 1:00pm - 2:00pm 2:30pm - 3:30pm Lanoma Mashers & Rhythm Collectives on the Landing 5:00pm - 9:00pm Rosenblatt’s Fireworks Cruise 8:30pm - 11:30pm July 4 Public Sightseeing Cruise 1:00pm - 2:00pm Harrah’s Fireworks Cruise 8:00pm - 11:00pm
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
June 17, 2005
Disengagement, Pull-out, Evacuation, or Abandonment? Overheard recently in the Jewish community of Omaha: “I don’t understand ‘disengagement.’ Just what exactly does that mean?” The questioner is not alone; many of us are not sure how Israel will evacuate from the Gaza Strip and what the impact will be on Israelis and Palestinians. Here’s what we do know: According to a newly released opinion by Israeli supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy, “After surveying the legal history of these areas, including various League of Nations and United Nations decisions...Israel (is) not an ‘occupying power,’ but rather had a right to those lands--both a historic right and ‘a right anchored in international law.’ Israel never conceded this right in any of its agreements with the Palestinians, he continued, and could only do so by a ‘constitutional act’ such as a Basic Law. “However,” Levy continued, “Israel is de facto conceding its rights through the disengagement. Therefore, the pullout will ultimately undermine the Jewish people’s right to settle even in those parts of the land where there is a consensus that they should remain under Israeli sovereignty under any future agreement.” In other words, while Justice Levy admits that despite any legal rights to the land and despite infringing upon the rights of Israelis who settled in that land (with the approval of both Labor and Likud administrations over the past 38 years), Jewish residents of Gaza have to leave. One the surface, it does appear that the current government of Israel is giving in to terrorism by pulling its troops out of Gaza, evacuating its residents and turning over control to the Palestinian Authority. And in doing so, it means dismantling synagogues and centers of Jewish learning, as well as the possible exhumation of Jewish gravesites and re-interment in cemeteries within Israel.
Of course these events are sad, even if one is for the pullout. But it’s also impractical and frankly life-threatening to have 14,000 Israeli soldiers guarding 8000 Jewish residents of Gaza. Plenty of Jewish lives have been lost over this messy beachfront property. On the other hand, leaving Gaza means leaving it “Judenrein”--free of Jews. And why should it be? Shouldn’t Jews be allowed to live anywhere they want (find a Jew still living in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, or Iraq, however!)? It also means leaving Gaza in PA hands. From past experience that means increased smuggling of weapons from Egypt into Gaza (though the Egyptians insist they’ll help stop it) and from the Mediterranean (remember the Karine A, the ship which purportedly carried toys, but really held massive amounts of firepower?). It also means terrorists can continue to fire rockets at Israeli communities like Sderot--and who’s going to stop them? On the other hand, with Gaza part of the sovereign nation of Palestine, Israel could fight back-nation against nation--instead of the perceived powerful army of Israel against the assumed underdogs of Palestinian resistance. Does the PA really want an outand-out war? Will they control the terrorists with the borders of Gaza? Will they use the $50 million recently promised by President George Bush to Mahmoud Abbas for the good of the Palestinian people--will it assist start-up businesses, improve the infrastructure--from schools and hospitals to highways and garbage disposal, create textbooks that call for peace with its neighbor, instead of the destruction of the State of Israel?
All this remains to be seen. Sitting in the safety of our comfortable living rooms in the West, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to leave Gaza to the Palestinians. But if you live in Sderot or Ashkelon, minutes from the Gaza border, having armed terrorists pointing Kassam rockets at your home doesn’t seem like such a great idea either. But whatever you call it: disengagement, a pull-out, evacuation--or abandonment--Israel runs the risk of emboldening an enemy by ceding its territory. Regardless of the details-the ‘how’ of this enormous undertaking--we won’t know for years whether this was the right decision or not. And in the meantime, more Israelis may pay the price.
Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press the Jewish Committee, 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.
What’s in a Word? For Backers or Opponents of Disengagement, a Lot
BEHIND THE HEADLINES by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON--A lot of people aren’t happy with disengagement--the word, that is. What a speaker uses to describe the Israeli government’s plan to leave the Gaza Strip this summer--in Hebrew, “hitnatkut”--says a lot about what he or she believes it means. Israel formally describes the plan as “disengagement, with a willingness to coordinate elements with the Palestinians,” an Israeli official said. “There are issues of perception, whether Israel is doing it for its own interests, or whether it is retreating under terrorism,” the official said. “Disengagement” suggests that Israel is controlling the event, the official said, while the other terms--withdrawal, pull-out and especially evacuation, referring to the 9,000 settlers who must leave their homes--could suggest a departure under fire. “We’re not going to play into that,” the official said. U.S. officials, including President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, also prefer “disengagement,” bolstering Sharon as the plan incurs blistering opposition from settlers and hawks at home. For Palestinians, an opposite set of considerations apply. Palestinian Authority officials prefer “withdrawal” or “evacuation” to avoid
letting Israel spin the move as it wants. That’s because the full plan, as outlined in Israeli Cabinet documents, includes the West Bank security barrier and plans to expand some West Bank settlements, all part of the process of “disengaging” from the Palestinians. Using “disengagement” might mean endorsing such plans, Zeinah Salahi, a Palestinian negotiator, said during a U.S. tour last month. “The disengagement plan refers explicitly to
Some who choose alternatives to “disengagement” simply want to avoid a cumbersome word that, without plenty of additional context, is a fairly meaningless bit of jargon. continued construction of the wall and the strengthening of the settlements,” she said. “Obviously, those are two things the Palestinians don’t support. We’re willing to coordinate, but only the evacuation process, the withdrawal from the settlements.” That’s also why Americans for Peace Now prefers “settlement evacuation,” said Lewis Roth, assistant executive director for the dovish, pro-Israel group. “If you read the proposal as it was approved
(Founded in 1920) Joanie Jacobson Chairman Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper Amanda Marcuccio Sales & Marketing Intern 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.
by the Cabinet, you see that it does include a deepening of the fence and Israel’s presence in the West Bank,” Roth said. “Peace Now is focused on the part of the plan we like, the settlement evacuation. Once that’s complete we will continue to take issue with parts of the proposal we don’t like.” The APN’s ideological opposite, the Zionist Organization of America, shares its preference for “evacuation”--in the ZOA’s case, because it keeps the focus on settlers who will have to leave their homes against their will. “They’re forcibly throwing Jews out of their homes,” ZOA president Morton Klein said. “It’s a euphemism to try to hide the truth of the forced removal of people from their homes of over a generation.” Some major Jewish groups stick to “disengagement.” They understand the sensitivities, they say, but as long as the term has a U.S. and Israeli stamp of approval, there’s no reason to break ranks. Some who choose alternatives to “disengagement” simply want to avoid a cumbersome word that, without plenty of additional context, is a fairly meaningless bit of jargon. “I don’t think ‘withdrawal’ connotes leaving under fire, it just connotes withdrawal,” said M.J. Rosenberg, the Israel Policy Forum policy director who prefers that word in the analysis he sends each week to legislators and opinion makers. “People have talked about pros and cons of ‘withdrawal’ for 35 years. It’s the most neutral term.’’ Then again, he may just want to disengage from the discussion.
Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1-402-334-5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org.. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions, but should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For more information, contact Carol Katzman, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $31 per calendar year U.S.; $35 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.
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In Britain, U.S, Sides Rearming in Struggle over Israel Boycott
FOCUS ON ISSUES by DANIELLA PELED LONDON (JTA)--A British teachers union has decided to retract its ban on two Israeli universities, but the boycott battle in British academia looks to be far from over. Both those calling for links to be severed with Israeli institutions, and those hailing the Jewish state as a beacon of academic freedom, are preparing to regroup and rearm for the next confrontation. There was widespread jubilation among pro-Israel activists May 26 when the of the 48,000-member council Association of University Teachers canceled the previous month’s motion blacklisting Haifa University for allegedly persecuting anti-Zionist lecturer Ilan Pappe and Bar-Ilan University for cooperating with a West Bank college. That policy sparked international condemnation and led to a backlash, culminating in last month’s specially convened session that overturned the boycott motion by a 2-1 vote. The British government welcomed the decision. Kim Howells, the Cabinet’s newly appointed Middle East minister, said “the best way we can help achieve a peaceful resolution in the region is to encourage both sides to take the steps necessary for progress through close engagement. We do not believe that sanctions and boycotts help toward that aim.” Both sides of the debate claimed the decision as a victory. “It’s fantastic to see the balance of reason” restored, said a spokesman for the Campaign Group for Academic Freedom, a Jewish-led organization formed to overturn the AUT’s boycott decision. “We hope the unambiguous results” will put an end to “any further misleading and destructive maneuvers, and allow British scholars to build bridges and promote peace in the Middle East,” said Ronnie Fraser, chair of the Academic Friends of Israel lobby group. Palestinian campaigners say they expected to lose the AUT fight--blaming intense lobbying and a “disinformation” campaign by a well-organized opposition, backed by the Israeli government--but believe it has put them on course to win the boycott war. Not only were they given the opportunity to raise Palestinian “rights” at a time when relative calm has taken the conflict out of international headlines, but they also ensured that the idea of a boycott was placed firmly on the agenda. They hope to capitalize on their comparison of Israel and apartheid South Africa through the aid of South African institutions, including church councils and prominent African National Council politicians. “We gave notice,” said a spokesman for the British University Committee for the Universities of Palestine, a coordinating group for the boycott campaign. “This is not some simple short-term battle to be decided by a vote at one meeting or another. “People of conscience worldwide, in their families, in their communities, in their trade unions will ensure that the boycott movement will grow and continue until a just peace is secured.” British Jewish leaders are concerned that this is far from an empty threat. The boycott movement seems to have refined its methods since its launch in an April 2002 letter to the left-wing Guardian newspaper by professors Steven and Hilary Rose, who proposed a moratorium on European sup-
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JTA NEWS BRIEFS
port for Israeli academia. action on the matter since the AUT was Their petition was followed by sporadic reconsidering its stance. individual efforts. But the movement Scholars for Peace urged its roughly began to truly gather steam following the 650 members to write letters of protest to • Using a seed found in the Masada formation of the boycott coordinating the AUT. The group also worked with group last year and an international con- the Anti-Defamation League to collect fortress, Israeli scientists have sprouted an ference held at a London college last more than 450 names of university facul- ancient date palm tree. The date palm, December on strategies to resist “Israeli ty from around the world for a petition which is praised in Jewish and Islamic writing, once grew throughout Israel but disapartheid.” delivered to the AUT. Activists, The group also encouraged fac- appeared over the centuries. The date “...people were able to whose sweep- separate their feelings from the ulty to apply for affiliate faculty palms in modern Israeli agriculture are ing boycott appointments at the blacklisted descendants of a different line of trees from current government of Israel, motion in universities. Some 400 fac- other parts of the Mideast. Dr. Elaine Israeli policy and the question Israeli 2003 was ulty have applied for affiliate Solowey, of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, grew the plant, over whelm- of academic freedom and appointments, Beck said. ingly rejected scholarship (seeing) the “The thing that we learned is which a New York Times article says dates by the AUT academic boycott as a violation that people were able to separate back approximately 1,990 years, according c o u n c i l , of academic freedom.” their feelings from the current gov- to DNA testing. • An Israeli Olympic champion retrieved developed a ernment of Israel, Israeli policy and more targeted policy, taking advantage of the question of academic freedom and his stolen gold medal. Gal Fridman, a windpressures of time, attendance and internal scholarship, and they were able to land on surfer who triumphed at the 2004 Athens association politics to give their new the issue of the academic boycott as a vio- Games, had his medal stolen from his parents’ home last week. He was told by police motion the best chance of success. lation of academic freedom,” he said. Fraser, a lecturer in math at Barnet Some people, such as Jeff Weintraub, a Saturday that the medal had been found in College in London, sees the boycott move- social and political theorist at the a forest in central Israel. He told Israeli ment as the culmination of a long process University of Pennsylvania, worked on media that the culprit probably decided to abandon the medal after realizing they that has seen left-wing British academia their own to make a difference. become increasingly hostile to Israel. Weintraub drafted an online petition to could not sell it, given the public outcry Others see it as a symptom of a wider academic associations endorsing the over its theft. There was no sign of the rest anti-Jewish prejudice. American Association of University of the booty from the burglary, including “What is it about certain areas of U.K. Professors’ statement and asking other aca- jewelry belonging to Fridman’s mother and academia that finds every opportunity to demic associations to adopt it. To date, he a handgun belonging to his father. • Postwar Jewish life in Germany is to slam Israel?” asked a spokesman for the has garnered nearly 5,000 signatures. Campaign Group. “To many in the comOn the whole, the British Jewish com- receive a new boost with the opening of a munity, this has all the hallmarks of anti- munity was encouraged by the support it traditional Jewish preschool in Berlin. The Talmud Torah Or Avner, under the ausSemitism because it seeks to delegitimize, received for its anti-boycott efforts. demonize and judge Israel by double “We’ve seen a situation we haven’t seen pices of the Rohr Chabad Center of Berlin, standards.” for a long time, where Israeli policy can is scheduled to open with 18 pupils in Boycott supporters deny that anti- be healthily debated in the U.K. without August, Rabbi Yehudah Teichtal of Chabad Semitism is a motive. questioning Israel’s right to exist,” said a Berlin told the JTA. The new Talmud Outside of Britain, boycott opponents spokesman for the Campaign Group for Torah “is not an Orthodox school to make people Orthodox, but it works on tradiapplauded the AUT’s move. Academic Freedom. (JTA Staff Writer Rachel Pomerance tion,” said Teichtal. “We want to show peo“This wasn’t a victory in the true sense ple the beauty” of Judaism. where we’ve won the war; we’ve just won in New York contributed to this story.) the battle,” said Juda Engelmayer, chief communications officer for the American Jewish Congress, which coordinated letters of protest to the AUT from Congress and a group of Rhodes Scholars and encouraged its members to do the same. The Palestinian Union of University Teachers and Employees has called for the resignation of Al-Quds University President Sari Nusseibeh, who conApproximately demned the AUT boycott, for issuing a 1 out of every 450 joint statement with Hebrew University within the President Menachem Magidor supportAshkenazi Jewish ing academic cooperation between population has Israelis and Palestinians. Gaucher disease Pro-Israel activists say the activity spawned by the AUT boycott has helped lay the groundwork for future battles. Both Scholars for Peace and the Association for Jewish Studies, an international association for professors of Jewish studies, issued condemnations against the boycott and encouraged members to ask other academic associations to protest the AUT boycott. Some groups, such as the American Association of University Professors, issued a strong statement of condemnaThe symptoms may become apparent at any age and they include: tion. The group took particular note of the boycott’s exemption for Israeli proEASY BRUISING AND BLEEDING BONE PAIN fessors who object to their state’s “colonial and racist policies,” saying that “deepens the injury to academic freedom FATIGUE EASILY FRACTURED BONES rather than mitigates it” because it “requires compliance with a political or ideological test in order for an academic DELAYED GROWTH ENLARGED SPLEEN AND LIVE R relationship to continue.” The American Federation of Teachers also called on the AUT to retract its decision. Other North American groups were silent. The National Education The consequences of this disorder can Association, for example, told Scholars be debilitating. For more information on for Peace that it would not consider the Gaucher disease, treatment, and www.genzyme.com issue, and gave no further explanation, testing, contact your doctor or please Beck said. call and ask for Information Packet 9. In Canada, the president of the Canadian Association of University Teachers said the group would take no RGD/US/P145/01/04
GAUCHER DISEASE
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Beth El Synagogue Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org
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
FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by Michael and Andrea Skolkin, in honor of their daughter, Marlee, becoming a Bat Mitzvah; Evening Service, 8:55 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. SUMMER K’TANTAN School may be out, but K’tantan fun continues throughout the summer for Beth El kids in grades K-6! Led once again by Daniel Christensen, K’tantan will be held Shabbat mornings, June 25; July 9 and 23; and Aug. 13 and 27,10:45-11:45 a.m. WOMEN’S ROSH HODESH MEETING On Thursday, July 7, Hollie Fineman and M’Lee Hasslinger have planned “L’Dor V’Dor,” at Archiver’s scrapbooking store. Space is limited; reservations are needed by June 29 and may be made by contacting Fineman at: hfineman@carlson.com. (See full article on page 3.)
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
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
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BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Shabbat in the Home.
CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Services, 9:30 a.m., followed by a Kiddush luncheon. SUNDAY: Services, 8:30 a.m. Mishneh class, 9:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Halacha, 7 p.m. TUESDAY:Torah for Teens, 4:15 p.m. FRIDAY, June 24: Services, 7 a.m.; Ima & Me, 10:30–11:45 a.m. Programs are open to the community. 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: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m., led by Stephanie Dohner, with oneg following provided by Tracy Gordon. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. led by Eleanor Kirkland; Game Night, 6 p.m. FAREWELL TO RABBI STIEL The Temple Board of Trustees invites all members of the South Street Temple congregation to a Farewell BBQ in honor of Rabbi Debbie Stiel. Rabbi Stiel’s last Shabbat weekend with us will be June 24-26. Rabbi Stiel has energized our congregation for the past two years and brought innovative programming to us. Please come and share your best wishes and farewells for Rabbi Stiel. Join us Saturday evening, June 25, 6 p.m. At the home of Barbara Barren and Mark Calidonna, 1145 Mockingbird Lane No. Please, if possible, RSVP to the Temple secretary at 435.8004 so we can have a rough estimate of how much to prepare.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg.
TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 6 p.m. Rabbi Craig Marantz and Cantor Wendy Shermet will officiate. Join us for our summer worship-study discussions about “Praying in the 21st Century.” 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 the Temple website, www.templeisrael-ne. org, for the fall schedule. ADULT EDUCATION THURSDAY, June 23: “Adult Study with the Clergy” with Rabbi Azriel, 10-11:30 a.m.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN AT TLC FRIDAY: Kabbalas Shabbos, 7 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharis, 9 a.m.
TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Rabbi Stanley M. Rosenbaum. Minyan, MONDAY & THURSDAY, 9 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 8 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. TUESDAY: The Ladies’ Lunch Bunch will meet at Windchimes, noon. If for any reason you don’t receive a call for your reservation, just call Marcia Kushner at 423.5959. Let her know if you need a ride and someone would be glad to pick you up. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. If you do not receive a call, contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066.
Art, Halachah & Mysticism: Torah Scribes
Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org
a.m.; Free Babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10:30 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by Leon and Dani Shrago; Brooke, David, and Taliah Shrago; Tobye Swichkow; and Alice Cohen in honor of the Shrago’s summer birthdays and in commemoration of the yahrzeit of Morris Philip Cohen. Robert Berman, founder and director of the Halachic Organ Donor Society, will speak at 4:30 p.m.; Mincha will follow; Havdalah, 9:52 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Contact the synagogue office for Mincha/ Ma’ariv service time. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Contact the synagogue office for Mincha/Ma’ariv time. TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, & THURSDAY: Rabbi Gross’s Hebrew Review Class, 10:30 a.m. to noon.
PEOPLE OF THE
BYTE
by MARK MIETKIEWICZ The next time you’re called up to the Torah and are concerned about reciting the blessings perfectly, you should know you have it easy. The sofer, the scribe who wrote that Torah, had to inscribe all 304,805 letters perfectly. Today, we’ll look at the incredible amount of work that goes into creating Torah scrolls--an amazing creation that combines the art of calligraphy, the fine detail of halacha and the secrets of Jewish mysticism. A Jewish scribe is called a “Sofer STaM.” Sofer because he literally counts the letters to make sure his work is perfect. STaM is a acronym for the major areas of work: Sifrei Torah, Tefillin and Mezuzot. [http://rabbiwein.co m/column-888.html] Today’s sofrim have some pretty high standards to adhere to. According to a Midrash, before Moses died, he wrote 13 Torah scrolls. He gave one to each tribe
and placed the 13th scroll in the Holy Ark along with the tablets from the Ten Commandments “so that no one dare falsify the text of the scroll.” If a single letter is incorrect, the Torah cannot be used for its holy purpose. The Talmud tells us that Rabbi Yishmael once asked his student, Rabbi Meir, “My son, what is your profession?” R. Meir replied, “I am a scribe.” To this R. Yishmael remarked, “My son, be scrupulous in your profession, for it is a heavenly pursuit, and should you delete one letter or add one letter, such effort is tantamount to destroying the entire world.” (Eruvin 13a) [www.sofer.net/stam.htm] Actually the 613th and final commandment is to write one’s own copy of a Sefer Torah. If you don’t happen to be a scribe, there are many sofrim who will be happy to write one for you. But if you don’t have $35,000 to spare, you can still fulfill the mitzvah by contributing toward the writing of a Torah or just pitching in for the cost of a let-
ter or two. [http://tinyurl.com/92zut] As for those letters, there are complex laws concerning the shape of each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet (as well as the five final letters.) To get an idea of how complicated the calligraphic laws can be, take a look at the Safrus.com site that has a graphic of each letter. The letter Aleph has three distinct parts and 10 laws concerning its form. Even the Yud, the smallest letter of the alphabet, has eight distinguishing features.[www.safrus.com/alph abet.html] Some of those features have mystical origins. For example, the designs (“taggim”) that crown many of the letters are much more than ornamental squiggles. The kabbalistic book, the Zohar “teaches us that the right tag, crown, represents G-d’s attribute of mercy while the left tag represents His attribute of justice. The right tag has to be taller than the left one, symbolizing G-d’s Mercy rising above His Justice.” [www.hasofer.com/html/hiddurstam.html] When you think of a sofer, the image may come to mind of a tal-
ented artisan intricately guiding that quill onto parchment. That picture is accurate. But it seems that in their spare time, many also design websites, too. [www.mavensearch.com/subjects.asp?S=571] The most impressive site that I have come across belongs to Mordechai Pinchas who hails from Essex in southeast England. His 27-part “Diary of a Sofer” tells of his love of calligraphy and his journey to becoming a sofer. Although some challenges faced by sofrim haven’t changed in centuries, contemporary scribes face tests. modern some very [www.bayit02.freeserve.co.uk/] Here’s what happened when Sofer Pinchas set out to create the “d’yo”, the kosher ink used by scribes. “One recipe calls for iron sulphate crystals and tannic acid. The corner pharmacist informs me it is now illegal to buy such chemicals over the counter as I might be making a bomb!” Pinchas eventually convinced a kind chemist that he’s no terrorist and went on to complete his a Sefer Torah.
Mark Mietkiewicz is a Torontobased Internet producer who writes, lectures and teaches about the Jewish Internet. He can be reached at: highway@rogers.com.
June 17, 2005
Preparing for Journeying On
SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat B’Haalotekha The reader is astonished at the very beginning of our Sidra by the description of the lampstand (menorah). It was an elaborate piece, large and complicated. It had a central stand and six branches from the center, each with knobs and cups and blossoms, all made, hammered out from a single piece of gold. One is staggered to think of the workmanship involved in so detailed a piece of work. If one is permitted to do so, one wonders where the Israelite slaves had acquired the necessary skills of the artisan who was to work out this menorah! The Levites are now commanded to place themselves under the control of the priesthood. By the priests, the Levites were individually assigned to tasks in the Tent of Meeting and to carrying duties as the community was to journey on. There was a consecration ceremony to qualify the Levites for these duties, which mainly consisted of carrying the parts of the Sanctuary. There is a short description of a second Passover, which was
to be available a month late for Israelites who for, one reason or another, had been unable to observe the Pesach on time. We are told also of the departure of Jethro (here named Hobab), Moses’ father-in-law. Jewish tradition assumes, though he went back to his own people, he became converted to the religion of Israel. Once again we are reminded that the people had been over a year at Sinai--since the end of Shemot, all of Leviticus and a substantial part of Numbers--all part of the instruction at Sinai. Now...a list of complaints. The ancient Israelites (how about modern Jews?) were full of complaints. Moses, despairing, transfers the complaints to the Lord: Why am I responsible? “Did I give birth to this whole people?” The Lord assigns 70 elders to assist him and sends some of Moses’ spirit to each of them. How human is the next! Miriam and Aaron complain to Moses about their sister-in-law, a Cushite woman whom Moses married. It is Miriam who is punished and Aaron who intercedes for her. Moses, in a marvelously brief prayer, asks the Lord to cure her. She must live seven days outside the camp, while the people waited for her. When she was cured the people continued their journey.
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SELWIN SUVALSKY Selwin Suvalsky died at the age of 77. Graveside service were held June 9 at Oak Hill Cemetery in Council Bluffs. He was the co-owner of Master Furniture & Appliance of Council Bluffs for 47 years and a member of the Nebraska/Iowa Model Railroaders Club. He was preceded in death by his wife, Reva Suvalsky. He is survived by his daughter, Ronda Thompson of Scottsdale, AZ; son and daughter-in-law, Steve and Lucy Suvalsky of Clive, IA; daughter and son-in-law, Marti and Michael Goodman of Scottsdale, AZ; grandchildren, Josh and Laurie Cooper, Erin Cooper, Ryan Goodman, Abby Goodman, Zackary Suvalsky, Max Suvalsky, and Rebecca Suvalsky; brother and sister-inlaw, Marvin and Dottie Suvalsky Memorials to the Methodist Hospital Hospice.
To Submit an Obituary Notice: Send full name, age, date of death, location of service and burial site to the Jewish Press via e-mail: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; fax, 402.334.5422; or mail, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Or visit the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s website: www.jewishomaha.org, and click on Jewish Press and go to ‘Submit Announcements.’ Complete form and click on ‘send’; it will automatically be sent to the Press--or call 402.334.6448 for guidelines and the form.
Press Adds Intern to Staff by CAROL KATZMAN Editor of the Jewish Press Amanda Marcuccio, a graduate student at the University of NebraskaOmaha, has joined the staff of the Jewish Press as a Sales and Marketing Intern. Marcuccio earned a bachelor’s degree from Creighton University and is currently pursuing a Master’s in English at UNO. “This is the first time the Press has created a program like this incooperation with Amanda Marcuccio area colleges and universities,’ explained Allan Handleman, Advertising Manager of the Press. “The idea came from the Press Committee-in particular, its Vice-chairman Howard Marcus, who suggested this as a creative way to add sales staff as well as provide a work experience for local students. “We’re very excited to have Amanda on board!” The position was partially funded by a donor-advised fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. For more information or to reach the advertising department of the Jewish Press, call Handleman at 334.6451 or Marcuccio at 334.6559.
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Jewish-Arab Play Continued from page 1 At writing sessions and in rehearsals there were arguments and tension, but in the end they came together around the idea of depicting life on both sides of the conflict--the pain, the absurdity, even the humor. Director Yael Ronen said one goal of the production was to get the actors and the audience to see the conflict through the other side’s eyes. “We are not as blind as we were in the beginning of the process,” she said. The play opens with a replica of the concrete section of the West Bank security barrier the Israeli government has built to keep Palestinian attackers out of Israel. The actors, dressed in black, push back the pieces of the wall to reveal the world on both sides of it, and the play begins. The opening scene shows a Jewish couple hosting their first-ever Arab Israeli dinner guests. In the comic scene, the Jewish woman reveals her ignorance by repeatedly asking her guests how difficult it was to make it through the checkpoints to reach her home. They tell her over and over again that they are from Tyre, an Arab town inside Israel, so there were no checkpoints for them to pass. One of the most powerful scenes is drawn from the experiences of Yoav Levy, a Jewish actor who served in a combat unit in the West Bank. In the scene, Levy plays the role of an officer who chases down and beats a Palestinian boy who has thrown stones at him and his fellow soldiers. The officer blindfolds the boy and puts a gun to his head before returning him home to his father. The father takes in the son and then starts beating him for throwing stones. The officer, who just moments before was beating the same boy, asks the father how he can beat his own son. Enraged, the father forbids the officer from telling him what to do in his home, saying that the occupation ends at his doorstep. Levy drew the scene from an incident he was part of as a soldier in Nablus. It was at that moment in the Palestinian home, seeing the father beat the same boy whom Levy also had participated in beating, that he first saw “a red light that said ‘something here is not okay.’” Levy said several of his friends from the army came to see the play but disappeared after the curtain call. He found them outside, crying on the stairs. “For me the play is like psychological therapy,” Levy said, a time to see how being on the front lines of the conflict had affected him as a person. The strong images on stage evoked equally strong reactions. “I came here and did not know what I would see. I was crying and laughing and was embarrassed. When it finished I felt stunned,” said Devora Averbuch, a member of the audience speaking to the actors after the show. “I want to thank you for putting on stage what we all speak about in our homes. Suddenly, it is so real.”
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Page 12
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
June 17, 2005
JCC Has Much to Celebrate at Final Board Meeting who participated in JCC sports programs in their youth and went on to make significant contributions to the Jewish community, the general community and/or the JCC. The “Jewish High School Athlete of the Year” Award recthe ognizes achievements of Omaha’s elite Jewish athletes. The following seniors lettered in a varsity sport, and include: Adam Skog, left, Joel Passer, Jodi Levine, and Corey Green, and, not pictured: Jacob Finnicum, Amy Saylan, and Gal Tsabari. The Isadore “Boggy” Bogdanoff All JCC Maccabi Team award recognizes outstanding teen participants in the annual JCC Maccabi Games. These young athletes, honored for their consistent participation, athletic talent and contribution to the “community spirit” of the Games, are Sarah Spooner, above, and, not pictured: Zach Muskin. 14 JCC The employees celebrating “significant” their anniversaries this year, ranging from five to 26 years, are, back row: Nora Zoob, left, Rachel Bennett, Amy Thomas, Wendy Larson Cooper, Ed Heller, Denise Baccus; front row: Laura Wine, Lynne Saltzman, Rachel Blum, Leslie Schnabel Wallace, Carole Greenberg, and Basya Tsed; not pictured: Pauline Petersen, Raisa Vinokurov, and Nick Maslowsy. The evening ended with gratitude and encouraging remarks from JCC Executive Director Jeff Aizenberg and JCC President Gary Epstein, thanking all our volunteers, staff and award winners for a job well done.
by LISA SHKOLNICK JCC Assistant Executive Director Earlier this month, the Jewish Community Center held its end-of-the-year Board Meeting, one that is special to Center members and staff as many individuals who have excelled or accomplished great achievements are recognized. JCC member recognition awards include the JCC Volunteer of the Year, the Eileen S. Erman Educator of the Year, the Jewish Athletic Wall of Fame Inductees, the Jewish High School Athletes of the Year, and the Isadore “Boggy” Bogdanoff All JCC Maccabi Team. President, Gary D. Epstein announced that Shayna Ray, below, is the JCC’s 2004-05 Volunteer of the Year. Ray is a JCC member and accomplished sargeant with the Omaha Police Department. She was recognized for volunteering her services to the Center by teaching safety lessons each year to the children of the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center, and for volunteering numerous times as an officer and security guard at several large events, including the Israel Scouts Caravan, and the JCC Eddie Belgrade Memorial ‘3-on-3’ Basketball Challenge, to name a few. The Eileen S. Erman “Educator of the Year” Award was presented to CDC Full-time teacher, Bella Nakhimovich, right, for her outstanding achievement and devotion. This year’s inductees to the “JCC Athletic Wall of Fame” include: Don Goldstein, left, Barry Zoob, and David Kohll, and not pictured: Justin Kohll, Louis Kohll, and Jack The Cohen. award recognizes the achievement Omaha’s of Jewish athletes
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