July 12, 2013

Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

The Jewish view

July 12, 2013 20 Tammuz 5773 Vol. 93 | No. 43

This Week

Meet Mark Martin by SHERRIE SAAG Communications Specialist, Jewish Federation of Omaha Mark Martin worked, until very recently, at Micklin Lumber and Ace Hardware at 1020 N. 19th Street. He has helped run the business, in a number of management positions, since 1972. If you are fortunate enough, as I recently was, to see his Micklin Lumber

A piece of Israel at Sterling Ridge Page 2

Reps. Steny Hoyer, left, Eric Cantor and John Lewis, a hero of the civil rights movement, singing We Shall Overcome at a memorial to martyrs of the civil rights movement in Montgomery, Ala., March 2, 2013. Credit: Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

The Hermit Kingdom Page 7

Inside This Month The Legal Issue See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

pieces of legislation from that era -Virginia’s Cantor, the Republican majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Georgia’s Lewis, a Democrat and civil rights hero, now have what to overcome. The June 25 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder invalidated Section 4 of the law, which designated nine Southern states and a number of

other smaller precincts as requiring Justice Department clearance before changing any voting laws. The court found that the section was outdated. By leaving the act’s basic architecture in place, however, the court left the door open for Congress to update the clearance standards. “This is an issue that has enjoyed Continued on page 3

Beth El welcomes new youth director

What World War Z says about Israel Page 12

Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Reps. Eric Cantor and John Lewis stood together recently at a Montgomery, Ala memorial to martyrs of the civil rights struggle, joining hands to sing We Shall Overcome. With the recent Supreme Court decision gutting the 1965 Voting Rights Act -- one of the landmark

8 10 11

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity As Beth El’s new youth director, Elizabeth Goodman brings both a rich appreciation for the synagogue’s past, and a keen eye toward the future. A native Omahan and fourthgeneration Beth El member, Goodman takes the helm on Aug. 1, and will oversee both the USY (high school) and Kadima (middle school) youth groups. “History and tradition are extremely important to me,” she said of her longtime connection to Beth El. “There is something to be said about longevity and having deep roots in a place. My great-grandfather, Earl Siegel (father’s side), and grandfather, Edward Zorinsky (mother’s side), both instilled the importance of Judaism in their children, and it has percolated through the years into me.” Goodman’s own experiences in Jewish high school youth groups in-

Elizabeth Goodman spire her as she now has the opportunity to make an impact on other teens’ lives. “It is imperative for me to believe in the work I do, heart and soul, she said. “As a high schooler, USY was a source of community for me. Youth group gave me tools to navigate through the life transitions of college and post-school integration into society. I gained skills such as good work ethics, dedication, communication, and the idea that collaboration is key to success. “I feel really lucky to be surrounded

by the support of this strong Jewish community and such a diverse quilt of lively youngsters. To have the opportunity to witness and be a part of these teens’ lives is a blessing to me.” In addition to offering “a compassionate ear and watchful eye,” Goodman’s priority as youth director will be the development of leadership skills, she said. “These teens have so much individual strength and power. I believe this is because of the healthy family backgrounds that each of them comes from, as well as the acceptance of the ethics and morals encoded within the Jewish tradition.” In addition to her work at Beth El, Goodman is a production assistant at Blooms Organic Farm in Crescent, Iowa, as well as a market manager of the Main Street Market in Council Bluffs. Her most exciting endeavor, she said, is as a founder and curator of the Common Soil Seed Library, located in the Benson Branch of the Omaha Public Library (seeds may be ‘checked out’ from all of the library’s branches, she noted). “It was a long-term goal of mine to install a seed library into the Omaha Continued on page 3

Mark Martin business card, it would perhaps tell you all you need to know about Martin. As part owner and business manager, Martin eschewed all the normal trappings of executive titles; and, printed on the card, underneath his name it says simply, “Customer Service”. It is this all-important principle that has guided Martin in his 41year business career and, which, he affirms, will guide him in his new role leading the Jewish Community Center (JCC). Martin was appointed by the Jewish Community Center Board of Directors as its next Executive Director effective July 1. JCC Board President Mike Siegel has been a regular presence on campus during the agency’s transition and has worked closely with Mark during the past several months. “I wanted to make sure that I understood the type of executive needed to run the JCC. After observing its daily operations, there is no doubt in my mind that Mark Martin is the perfect person for this position. He knows how to operate a business professionally and successfully. His ability to solve problems will be invaluable to the Board of Directors and the JCC staff,” Siegel said. He added, “Mark understands the JCC’s importance to this community and will work tirelessly to make sure our programming and facilities are top quality.” It’s likely he will hit the ground running because this is one agency director who won’t need an education. Mark’s knowledge of the campus is vast. Rumor has it he knows every inch: inside, outside, above ground and below. He was both a member and Chair of the Building and Grounds Continued on page 3

2 | The Jewish Press | July 12, 2013

A piece of Israel at Sterling Ridge by DAVID GOLBITZ Rob Zimmerman, of Project Advocates. Rob tion with the project, just knowing how sigTemple Israel Staff Writer came onboard the construction project nificant the project is for everybody.” Many Temple Israel congregants about two and a half years ago, in late 2010; Zimmerman, whose Catholic church expressed nothing short of amazement after and he and his partner John Taylor have began its own capital campaign for additions walking through their new, still-under-con- been instrumental in the process, from to its school around the same time he began struction home at 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive. “It’s absolutely magnificent,” said Phil Wayne, who, along with his wife Jan and about 175 of their fellow congregants, were given guided tours of the new Temple Israel on June 23 and 25. “There are so many architectural features that add a ‘wow’ feeling to the building,” Phil said. “It’s a shining tribute to the incredible dedication that the committees went through to design this building, because they thought of absolutely everything.” Jan was impressed by the Jerusalem stone used in the construction - “It’s like having a piece of Israel here with us” -and marveled at the Jewish presence in Omaha. “We’re very lucky to have four such beautiful places to worship, between Beth El, Beth Israel, the Tour Guide Sharon Comisar-Langdon explaining the features of the sanctuary in the new Temple Israel. Chabad House and now our new Temple,” she said. “Each one is a prominent design to construction. working with Temple Israel, knows firstreflection of the pride we take in our faith.” “A lot of our work is commercial work, hand how important a project like this is to Cathy Christensen also came away commercial buildings, though we have a congregation, a feeling he thinks has been impressed with what she saw, especially how worked with faith organizations before; and pervasive throughout the project. bright and open the building is. one reason we like working with communi“I have the sense that everyone who “I’m one of those people who likes open ties of faith is that there’s more to it than worked on it felt they were working on spaces,” she said. “The sanctuary, with all the building something for people who want to something special,” he said, “from the windows and the light coming in -- it’s a lot sell more widgets, not that there’s not a place translucent glass company in Bowling more modern and I think it’s going to be for that,” Zimmerman said. “But there’s Green, Kentucky to the quarry in Israel lovely.” more personal fulfillment. This kind of proj- where we got the stone. It’s just been amazOn hand to lead some of the groups ect happens once in a generation. We feel ing to see all the parts and pieces come around the building was Project Manager privileged and blessed to help the congrega- together.”

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With moving day less than two months away, there are still parts and pieces to be installed, but much of it is “finish work,” Zimmerman said. Wood panels have been installed in the chapel and carpet is being laid down in the administration wing offices. The Religious School “is about a week away from being done, aside from small details,” Zimmerman said. And the landscaping company will begin planting grass and trees in a few weeks. “Seeing it in person, as it changes on a day-by-day basis, it’s kind of neat,” Zimmerman said. “There are so many little details that I think will create surprises for people throughout the year.” The groups that Rob led around the building “were very excited,” he said. “It’s fun to show off the building to people who haven’t really seen it yet. The general feeling I got from people was amazement. A lot of people don’t quite get how special the building is. It was fun to share that with people.” One feature Rob thinks congregants will definitely enjoy is the bimah, with the movable reading table. “You’re never going to be more than a short distance to the reading table,” he said. “People will feel a lot closer to what’s going on in the sanctuary.” Phil Wayne is already impressed with the sanctuary and he “can’t wait for services.” “The feeling when you walk into the sanctuary, and you see the landscape around it, should be absolutely overwhelming,” Wayne said.

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The Jewish view

Continued from page 1 immense bipartisan support, overwhelming bipartisan support from the very beginning of the VRA regime,” said Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center. “There’s no reason to expect it would not continue to do so.” Except that there are reasons -- not least of which are differences between national Republicans like Cantor, who believes that outreach to minorities and other Democratic constituencies are key to turning around the party’s fortunes, and local ones eager to seize on the court’s decision. Republican governors and legislatures in Texas, Mississippi and Alabama already have said they will go forward with voter identification laws that civil rights groups say discriminate against the poor and the elderly. A similar divide exists in the Jewish community. National groups -- including the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the National Council of Jewish Women -lined up in decrying the removal of voting protections for minorities and pledging to join efforts to restore them. In local communities, however, opinion is much less uniform. “It’s amazing how people who are not in these states can comment,” said Farley Weiss, president of the National Council of Young Israel and a lawyer in Arizona, one of the states subject to Section 4. “I see the need for protections against discrimination, but not for discrimination that hasn’t occurred in 30 years. To apply an unbalanced rule for something that doesn’t currently exist doesn’t seem right.” Jews once were central to the struggle for civil rights in the South, an alliance symbolized by Cantor’s appearance with Lewis in Montgomery in March. Outrage over the 1964 murder of two New York Jews attempting to register blacks to vote in Mississippi helped galvanize public opinion and led to the passage of both the Voting Rights Act and its predecessor, the Civil Rights Act. But the powerful alliance has frayed in the South. Bill Nigut, the Anti-Defamation League’s regional director in Atlanta, said a decision by local black groups to invite Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to campaign in Birmingham, Ala., on the voting rights issue exacerbated

It’s the Beat! tensions with local Jews. “Certainly in Alabama there are probably some bridges to repair,” Nigut said. “I think the Jewish - and AfricanAmerican communities of Alabama -- it’ll be interesting to see how they get back on track.” In Birmingham, the local federation director, Richard Friedman, said his organization would stay out of the Voting Rights Act fight because there was no consensus on the matter. “Some members of our community are concerned over what they see as a weakening of the Voting Rights Act that could lead to renewed voting difficulties for blacks and other minorities,” Friedman said. “Others in our community, while sensitive to these minority voting concerns, are comfortable with the court’s opinion and ruling in favor of Alabama’s Shelby County.” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), a Jewish lawmaker from a majority black district around Memphis, said the Jewish and black communities faced a common enemy on this issue and urged Jewish voters to lobby their representatives. “The people trying to repress the black vote are the same people who don’t welcome Jews into mainstream society,” Cohen told JTA. “The same mamzers that were there in 1963 are there today.” Cantor, the only Republican Jewish member of Congress, will likely find himself navigating this divide in the months ahead. In the wake of the ruling, Cantor said he was hopeful that Congress would find a responsible path forward to protect voting rights. But given the realities on the ground -- not to mention a polarized Congress and a reluctance among lawmakers to finger their own districts as needing special oversight -- it’s easy to doubt that congressional action is imminent. “I’m very skeptical on Congress,” said Larry Gold, an Atlanta lawyer and chairman of the JCPA. “I think the political will is not there to do it, the clout is not there to do it.” Saperstein, who works in the building where the original Voting Rights Act was drafted in the 1960s, remains optimistic. He described his own stunned reaction seeing Cantor and Lewis, hands held, belting out the civil rights anthem at the Montgomery event. Whispering to a companion, he likened the scene to seeing snow in Alabama. Then, he noticed, it began to snow.

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Continued from page 1 of BBYO. He double majored at the University of Texas at Committee, sat on both the JCC and Federation Board of Austin, earning degrees in management and marketing. Directors and served as the JCC Board Treasurer. He married Julie (Cohen) in 1980 at Temple Israel and has He was an integral part of been a member for 32 years. the planning and oversight of Son David (27) works at First the many physical improveNational Bank and was also a ments made on the • 175 Full and Part-time Employees BBYO chapter president. Federation campus during • $4 Million Annual Budget Daughter Rachel (22) is a our One Campus, One recent graduate of the Community initiative. As a • 7,600 Individual Members University of Arizona, and, lay leader, he helped ensure a according to Martin, “living • 150,000 square foot facility smooth transition when the with Mom and Dad and lovbuilding and grounds respon- • Open 358 days a year/104 hours a week ing it.” sibilities greatly increased Martin prides himself on with the addition of a campus • 150 students enrolled in the Pennie Z. Davis knowing his customers and Child Development Center manager. looks forward to meeting as Martin had an active role in • 496 campers – Summer of 2013 many JCC members as possirecent facility improvements, ble, if there are any he doesn’t including the locker room • 357 Campus tours last year for new and already know! He welcomes remodeling, fitness equipconstructive comments and prospective members ment upgrades, and the addican be reached at tion of TRX trainers. He oversaw the construction of the mmartin@jccomaha.org or 402.334.6417. Check out the new youth lounge and the move of the Riekes Museum to latest JCC programming at www.jewishomaha.org. the building’s main entrance. Every task he undertakes is done with an unparalleled commitment to quality and customer service, according to CEO Mike Silverman. “As a volunteer he has logged hunContinued from page 1 dreds of hours on the community’s behalf. He completely Public Library system, in an effort to create a locally understands the business side of the JCC and partnered with adapted collection of seeds for backyard gardeners,” said me in building the 2013-2014 Budget. Our JCC enhanceGoodman, a graduate of Northern Arizona University, ments will continue, and I know Mark is already in the planwho holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, ning stages of a few of them. He shares our goal of creating with an emphasis on Community, Sustainability and exceptional experiences for all JCC members.” Biocultural Diversity. She volunteered over 300 hours to Martin received the Omaha Public School’s 2009 A+ establish the library, and currently teaches classes on a Advocate Volunteer of the Year Award after Micklin Lumber variety of topics, such as Seed Saving and Composting. sponsored a neighborhood school, Kellom Elementary. Beth El’s Rabbi Steven Abraham commended After instructing kids on hand tool safety and usage, Martin Goodman for her outstanding work in the community, helped build over-sized tool boxes for classroom storage and and welcomed her to the Beth El staff. constructed picnic tables and outdoor signage for the school “Betsy is an amazing young woman who has already garden. He has the unique distinction of being named JCC made an impact on our youth program by starting to Volunteer of the Year twice, in 2011 and 2012-2013. develop relationship with our teens and their parents. We Martin was born in Omaha to Richard and Josephine are incredibly lucky to find someone who has Beth El in Martin. He was a Bar Mitzvah at Beth El, a member of the her blood and will pass on our rituals, traditions and her Westside High School debate team and National Honor passion for Judaism.” Society and was president of the Chaim Weizmann chapter

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B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Their will be a special combined B’nai B’rith-AIPAC meeting on Wednesday, July 17, noon, at the Blumkin Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha. org. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Yiddish has been called the Robin Hood of languages. The vocabulary of Yiddish is drawn from German (mostly), Hebrew, Slavic Tongues, Romance languages, and English. Yiddish bears the marks of our expulsions from land to land, it has absorbed the laments of generations, the poisons and the bitterness of history, the language whose precious jewels are undried Jewish tears. Yiddish stresses the humor in every situation because the reality for Jews is most often too difficult to bear. That is what we offer-fun and laughter. Come join us at the Blumkin Home’s Boardroom every Thursday from 1-3 p.m. For information, call Anne Skolkin at 402.343.1638.

GREENSPOON/SHERBILL Ellie and Leonard Greenspoon are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Gallit Rena Greenspoon to Elan Efraim Sherbill, son of Lauren and Rabbi Daniel Sherbill. The bride-to-be graduated from Boston University with a degree in Film. She is presently active in hospitality services in Chicago. Previously, she was producer of Check, Please!, an Emmy-awardwinning restaurant review show based in Chicago. Earlier, she had worked with David Axelrod on Barack Obama's senatorial campaign. Her fiancé attended Loyola University in Chicago. He is currently a blogger in e-commerce. A wedding is planned for Sept. 1, 2013, in Chicago.

Birth Susan Long and David Sherman announce the May 21 birth of their son, Aaron Asher Sherman. He is named for his paternal great-grandfather Irvin Aaron Sherman, and paternal great-great uncle Aaron Shafer.

Grandparents are Patty and Michael Sherman; Rae Lin; and Karen and Robert Long of Lakeland, FL. Great-grandparents are George Shafer and Phyllis Sherman.

One year anniversary of It’s The Beat! by NORMA JOHNSON “We can’t believe a year has passed and we’ve met such talented people! We’re sorry we couldn’t list everyone who has been on our radio show,” comments Karen. ACTORS: John Beasley - The Sum of All Fears, Rudy; Gerald Charles Dickens - Charles’ Dicken’s great-grandson; Dick Boyd Scooge at OCP; Elaine Jabenis, Jill Anderson. AUTHORS: Rachel Shukert - Starstruck; Leo Adam Biga Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film; Sandra Dallas - The Persian Pickle Club; Alana Stewart - My Journey with Farrah; Coleen Christian Burke - XMas with the First Ladies; Cara Riggs - Hope in the Urban Schools; Nancy Rips - ABC’s Of Berkshire; Maureen Dunkel - My Decade with Diana; Amy Friedman Millard Times Remembered; Ron Hull - Backstage; Steve Marantz - The Rhythm Boys of Omaha Central; Bill Ramsey David Kaufman - A Holocaust Rescuer from Afar; Andy Greenberg – Your High, Rachel Rosenberg - The Silent Scream, Mike Kelly: Omaha World Herald columnist. THEATRE & FILM: Oscar winner Alexander Payne Sideways, Descendants; Christine and Mauro Fiore - The Persian Pickle Club; Dan Mirvish – Omaha the Movie; Manya Nogg, Randy Nogg - founders of ‘Theatre to Go’; Rachel

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Marriage

Colliers values community Colliers International is a global real estate company. They home. Executive Vice President Michael Miller recently sold serve investors, property owners, tenants and developers all 275-acres of land on West Maple Road, as well as a 200,000over the world. Spread out over 482 offices, it employs 13,500 square-foot office building in downtown Lincoln on behalf of the people. What more is there to say? FDIC. He is a past board member of the Jewish Federation of Quite a bit, as it turns out. The local Colliers offices, located Omaha and a past president of the JCC. Currently, he is workin both Omaha and Lincoln, ing on the Federation’s focus on commercial real 2013/14 Annual Cam-paign, estate. “One of our defining and is the president of the characteristics,” the website Toro Soccer Club for Girls. states, “is the unique blend Barry Zoob, Senior Vice of individuals who make up President, sold the Firstar our brokerage and commerFiber building and orchescial real estate management trated the CREW Deal of the advisory teams. Our teams Year for Tenaska’s build-topossess the experience and suit at First National drive to provide clients with Business Park. He is also the results that can only be the national tenant repreachieved by a cohesive sentative for National group of highly motivated Elections Systems and individuals.” Physicians Mutual InsurComing from Grubb and ance. Barry has dedicated Ellis, the move to Colliers 36 years to the Cystic International was a logical Fibrosis Foundation and has step, according to Vice Colliers employees getting ready to volunteer together held several positions on its Chairman John Waldbaum: “The choice was simple, because board. He recently received the CFF’s Lifetime Achievement our inherent values matched up with the core values of Award. He spent two years on the board of Community Health Colliers.” Charities and is also a Teammates mentor. Those core values are: providing an exceptional customer Charlie Sullivan is a Vice President; he sold the Bag and Save experience through significant work, a focus on giving back to shopping center at 50th and Grover, and the apartments at the community, and the joy that comes from doing your job well. 38th and Dodge near Midtown Crossing. He is a board member And those are not just empty words. of the Anti Defamation League and a former member and execIn addition to his responsibilities at Colliers, John Waldbaum utive committee member of Women’s Center for Advancement. runs the Milton and Miriam Waldbaum Family Foundation. He is In addition, he is involved with Boy Scouts of America’s Mid involved with the planned expansion of Girls Inc., and is the America Council. Chair of Temple Israel’s Building Coordinating Committee. He Maybe it is true that once a place of business creates a certain coordinated Temple’s land acquisition at Sterling Ridge, and sold culture, it starts to build upon itself; it certainly seems as if, in the Brandeis building multiple times to various owners. order to be successful at Colliers, one needs a fundamental underWaldbaum also participates with institutional clients in tax standing of what it means to give back. It’s a win-win for both protests with notable clients, including Mutual of Omaha and Omaha and Lincoln, as well as our Jewish community, to have First National Bank. leaders who know that reaching out and giving back is at least as Several other community members call Colliers International important as being successful in business.

White Deer Retreat by DEBRA COOK Last issue, I described a most beautiful location in Omaha for peace-filled relaxation, hiking, biking, and pampering and all within five miles of I680. One doesn’t need to drive to Nebraska City or Kansas City or Okoboji for a quick getaway. Last weekend a couple came on Friday for just that reason. They needed to get away but didn’t want to have to drive so far. They enjoyed Friday night so much that they came back Saturday night and have booked reservations for future stays for themselves and

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Arts+Entertainment Princess Diana the Musical, written by Karen Sokolof Javitch and Elaine Jabenis will make its St. Paul, Minnesota debut on July 18, running for two weekends – 8 performances. ‘The Cabaret at Camp Bar’ is producing the show, starring McKayla Marso as Princess Diana. Princess Diana the Musical follows Diana on her journey from an unknown 17-year-old to the most famous woman in the world. The musical has also been produced in Omaha, Lincoln and New York City. For information, go to www.actorsmn.org/ princess. For reservations go to www.brownpapertickets. com and type in Princess Diana as the event or call 800.838.3006.

To order a gift subscription to the Press... Send a check for $25, made out to the Jewish Press and prorated for the year, to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. For more information on how to connect your out-of-town relatives and friends, call 402.334.6448.

6 | The Jewish Press | July 12, 2013

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Heeding Kerry’s peace call, Jewish groups rap Bennett’s two-state obit by RON KAMPEAS Danon, who also has declared the two-state option dead. WASHINGTON (JTA) -- It’s almost boilerplate: The “It would be good for Mr. Netanyahu to find as many American Jewish community asks a foreign leader with occasions as possible to reinstate his commitment to a twowhom it has cultivated a close relationship to kindly tell fire- state solution, and make clear once again that it is he that brands in the leader’s government to pipe down and fall in wants to move forward through negotiations, while it is with an established policy that happens to be embraced by Mahmoud Abbas who is injecting rejections and is the true the U.S. government. obstacle to peace,” Foxman wrote. Greece? Romania? Hungary? Russia? AIPAC, notably, declined an invitation to attend the meetTry Israel. ing June 27 between In a rare rebuke of a sitting Dayan and top Israeli minister, three major Republicans, including centrist Jewish groups in Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), recent weeks have criticized the chairman of the House Naftali Bennett, the economForeign Affairs Commitics chief in Prime Minister tee; Rep. Ileana RosBenjamin Netanyahu’s govLehtinen (R-Fla.), the ernment, for saying that the chairwoman of the comtwo-state solution is a “dead mittee’s Middle East subend.” Bennett also called on committee; and Rep. Pete the government to annex the Roskam (R-Ill.), the party’s West Bank. chief deputy whip. “Minister Naftali’s remarks, Instead, the Zionist rejecting outright the vision Organization of America of two states for two peoples, and the Republican Jewish are stunningly shortsighted,” Dani Dayan, a leader of Israel’s Yesha settlers council, makes a Coalition led the Jewish David Harris, the American point at a meeting with Republican congressional leaders in contingent at the meeting. Jewish Committee’s executive Washington, June 27, 2013. The ZOA has counterCredit: House Republican Conference rebuked the Jewish groups director, said in a June 17 statement. “Since he is a member of the current Israeli coali- that criticized Bennett and Danon. Foxman, the ZOA said in tion government, it is important that his view be repudiated a June 24 release, was “suppressing opposition to a by the country’s top leaders.” Palestinian state.” Also repudiating Bennett, who heads the right-of-center Ros-Lehtinen declined to comment, and Royce and Jewish Home party, were the Anti-Defamation League and Roskam did not return requests to do so. But an official in the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the umbrella body for the office of the House Republican Conference, which public policy groups, although the JCPA statement did not organized the meeting, said the meeting did not constitute name him personally. an endorsement of Dayan’s call to bury the two-state soluTypically loath to publicly criticize the Israeli government, tion. The official said there was sympathy with Dayan’s view centrist groups in recent years have been the targets of liber- that Kerry’s mission was counterproductive and potentially al critics who charge that they are, at best, lukewarm sup- harmful to U.S. interests. porters of Israeli-Palestinian peace. But coming in the wake There was interest as well in a proposal by Dayan that of an appeal to Jewish groups by U.S. Secretary of State John Congress hold a hearing on how Jewish settlement has Kerry to press “leaders” to back the peace process, the latest improved the lives of Palestinians; Palestinians say the statements suggest otherwise. expansion of settlements and the security measures that Each of the groups that repudiated Bennett framed their protect settlers have seriously impeded and frustrated daily statements in the context of Kerry’s bid to restart the peace life in the West Bank. process and come as Israeli settler leaders opposed to a two“The discussion focused on the historic and strategic sigstate solution are making their case in Washington. nificance of Judea and Samaria, and on the current obstacles The initial reaction to Kerry’s appeal was hesitant, but in to peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, such as recent weeks a number of mainstream groups have warmly Holocaust denial, hero worship of terrorists, and incitement embraced it. Participants in a closed-door meeting June 26 of to violence by the highest levels of the Palestinian Authority,” Jewish leaders and Democratic U.S. senators said that said an email from the House Republican Conference to Michael Kassen, the president of the American Israel Public Jewish groups in the capital. “We also discussed the positive Affairs Committee, “heartily” embraced Kerry’s initiative, ways in which Arabs and Jews currently coexist in Judea and albeit with a caveat: The main obstacle to peace, he reported- Samaria, including the tremendous economic and jobs boost ly said, is Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. that Jewish settlements have brought to the area since 1967.” A similar point was made by ADL National Director Dayan in an interview in the House Republican Abraham Foxman in a recent Op-Ed calling on Netanyahu Conference office immediately after the briefing said he was to rein in Bennett and Deputy Defense Minister Danny pleased with the reception.

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The Hermit Kingdom: Part 2 by RICH JURO Ironically, despite the small amount of vehicles, there were numerous pedestrian underpasses connecting all four corners of many intersections. And there were many white-uniformed, baton-wielding young traffic ladies, even at intersections that had traffic lights. These young women directed the few vehicles with robotic arm movements, and motioned pedestrians to use the pedestrian subways. One of the few disobe-

Kim Il Sung dient acts performed by some citizens was crossing the street rather than using the underpass, but this only happened when the traffic lady was standing on the far corner of the intersection. On my unescorted walk outside the hotel, I became a keen observer of this surprising noncompliance. However, I think it was convenience rather than insubordination that inspired the errant behavior. The young traffic ladies became the favorite photo subject of our two traveling companions. I suggested that these attractive young women might be a future Playboy pictorial feature. John and Bucky, our two fellow tourists, friends from Milwaukee, thought that was a great idea. Citizens who work together are encouraged to do “team games”. It was not unusual to see small groups on the sidewalk jumping rope, singing or exercising together. It seemed to be an enjoyable activity, but the American phrase “Thank God It’s Friday” is definitely not applicable in Pyongyang. Every Friday afternoon most of the workers in the city head out to toil on the collective farms. Su Yung said the office staffers “like to help the farmers”, but we were a little skeptical of this claim. Throughout Pyongyang there are huge statues of Kim Il Sung, the founder of modern North Korea, and his son, Kim Jong-Il, who ran the country from 1994 until his death late in 2011. One is referred to as the Great Leader, the other as the Dear Leader, along with many other laudatory phrases and titles. Every important building or landmark has an outsized picture or sculpture of one or both, depending on which one is credited with designing, building, or inaugurating the project. Virtually every North Korean wears a lapel pin with the picture of the Dear Leader. According to their history books, Kim Il Sung spent World War II fighting against the Japanese who had occupied all of Korea since 1905. He then led the newly independent country through the next 40 years. The North Korean people, of course, never learned that Kim Il Sung actually spent most of WWII in Moscow learning from Josef Stalin how to organize a Communist Party

and set up a totalitarian dictatorship. Kim Il Sung outdid even Stalin, Mao, and other Communist leaders by continuing his legacy and setting up his own son as the next leader. Kim Jong Il followed his father’s teachings by maintaining the million man army (out of only 20 million inhabitants), concentration camps, informant networks, collective farms, and other accoutrements of a completely isolated socialist autocracy. In turn, after his death, Kim Jong Il has been succeeded as head of state and Army by his #3 son, Kim Jong Un. My wife Fran was well-behaved during most of the journey, but the nationally required reverence for the Dear Leader almost got her in trouble. We were at one of the parks with big concrete steps leading up to a massive statue of Kim Il Jung. It was a hot day. Pointing to my ankle, I asked to be excused from walking up the steps. Su Yung mercifully indicated that I could stay below with the driver. Although our driver’s English was limited, we got along well, but I never did learn to play the Korean version of chess that he sometimes played with other drivers. Meanwhile, Fran climbed up and was dutifully looking at the statue, but was wearing sunglasses due to the bright sun. Su Yung by now was calling Fran “Grandma”, and I was “Grandpa”. Su Yung said, “Grandma, please take off your sunglasses”. Fran replied, “OK, but I’ll put up my umbrella for shade.” Su Yung: “No, umbrellas are disrespectful too.” Fran: “That’s ridiculous! And besides, the local guide over there is holding an umbrella, and her guests are wearing hats.” Su Yung, who is only 23 but a national guide and thus outranks the local guide, promptly went over to the other group and had them take down their umbrellas and remove their hats. Fran then complied also, and an international crisis was averted. Meanwhile, I was sitting in the shade listening to the whole scene with alarm. Fran has gotten into arguments with cops, soldiers, and other local officials in Ethiopia, Uganda, and other less-developed countries, but has so far avoided being arrested. Thankfully, her clean record is still intact even after the North Korean incident. Our other guide was a 21-year-old university student, and we were his first tourists. We just called him Mr. Lee, as his other names were difficult for us to pronounce. His English was excellent, and he had a good sense of humor, so when we asked him if he were descended from the Li Dynasty that governed all of Korea for several centuries, he just laughed. We did not joke about the Dear Leader, the Great Leader, or even about the new leader. Mr. Lee’s father and grandfather were both major generals, and his goal is to run an international business in a foreign country. He is one of the few North Koreans to have lived abroad, as he grew up in Nigeria as a young boy when his father was living (stationed?) there. Mr. Lee also spent time in China with his aunt running a North Korean enterprise. To be continued

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In the news Sandy Gordon of Omaha ATA Martial Arts has ended this tournament year as State Champ in forms; sparring; weapons and weapons sparring. She also finished in first place as District Champ in weapons competition, which qualifies her to compete in the Top Ten Championship in Little Rock on July 12. Cantor Mark E. Kushner received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, at a convocation recognizing

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8 | The Jewish Press | July 12, 2013

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

The American Jewish Press Association

I want to start this editorial by thanking the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation, for enabling my annual trip to the American Jewish Press Association conference. It was held in Seattle this year, and hosted at the Washington University Hillel House. Added bonus: they have a kosher kitchen, which meant no rubber chicken. Of course, venue and food are not the most important things; it’s the programming that matters. When you put a group of editors in a room together, you end up with very interesting conversations. We compare notes, on everything; we talk about how hard it is to stay financially healthy, how often we publish special issues and how to keep both our readers and our advertisers engaged. We share experiences and endless questions. We discuss community, the impossibly difficult task of making everyone happy, and our independence. Many of the Jewish newspapers still in business are Federation papers; I count myself among the few lucky editors to have a CEO who understands his job is not to censure, but to support. It’s something that can be uncomfortable to discuss. Yet, I do get that question from time to time: does Mike Silverman tell you what to print? The answer is no. And that is a good thing, and it can be a risky thing, but in the end we all benefit from the resulting transparency. Besides, where would he find the time? A Jewish newspaper like ours is forever in transition. The Jewish Press of yesteryear has little to do with what comes off the printer today. At the same time, the central mission remains the same: we are here to communicate what is going on in Jewish Omaha, in Jewish America, and in the Jewish world at large. In that order. Finding out what is going on locally is not that hard, and we have a very decent number of sources where we find our

U.S. Jewish news. Once we look outside of the United States, however, it can sometimes be difficult to get the real story. Particularly as far as Europe is concerned, we don’t hear much news. And what

we do hear is almost exclusively negative. Stories about antiSemitism, the Jobbik Party, vandalism and so forth; they certainly are relevant, but we also need to hear about the positive side of Jewish life, particularly in Eastern Europe. This is why it was exciting to meet Klaudia Klimek at this year’s

conference. She is a Polish Jew, who has put together Jewrnalism, a task force of European Jewish writers to tell the whole story. It’s a brand new resource for us American Jewish editors, and you will see their stories in print and online from time to time. Many Israelis mirror the concerns of European Jews regarding the lack of positive press. Drop a rocket anywhere and it makes the news, they say, but what about everything else? What about our culture, our economy, our academics, and the myriad of accomplishments that deserve to be covered? It’s a valid point, and we will listen. Finally, the role of the press is to be comprehensive and inclusive, rather than limited. That responsibility comes with the task of selecting news for many different people, from many different backgrounds, even in a small community like ours. That also means you, the reader, shouldn’t be happy with everything we print. You may find some stories boring, or strange, or politically off the mark. We as editors have to live with that. If you find yourself reading something you don’t agree with, or don’t think should be printed, it quite possibly means we are doing our job. The Jewish Press will publish an article about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in its “Health and Wellness” issue of August 2, 2013, and wishes to interview any Jewish woman - either for public or anonymous attribution - about her decision to either undergo or not to undergo hereditary cancer testing and, if positive, whether or not to undergo prophylactic removal of breasts or ovaries. Complete discretion and confidentiality guaranteed if the subject wishes anonymity. If you are willing to participate by being interviewed, please contact Annette van de Kamp at avan dekamp@jewishomaha.org by July 15.

Jewish values dictate protecting gay marriage

Behind the headlines EDGAR M. BRONFMAN NEW YORK (JTA) -- In the early 1970s, while I was CEO of the Seagram Company, public dialogue about gay rights was largely nonexistent in corporate America. Social discourse had not yet even evolved into the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ethos that dominated the following decades. Homosexuality was simply not discussed and therefore, by implication, was shameful. During that time, as the head of a company with thousands of employees, personnel issues often came across my desk. One day, the director of human resources came into my office with a recommendation to terminate one of my brightest executives. I found myself puzzled that anyone would want to fire such a promising young man until the director leaned in and confided in a hushed tone, “Well, you know, he’s a homosexual.” The declaration did persuade me -- but not in the way he had hoped. The promising young executive continued on to a distinguished career at Seagram, and the HR director was soon let go. Although my choice was shocking to the director, the decision was obvious to me: to fire a person because of their sexual orientation was not only wrong, it was bad business. It was discrimination, plain and simple, and would not be tolerated in the company I ran. More than 40 years later, I still feel such discrimination to be unequivocally wrong, but my views on the subject of gay rights have evolved. Particularly today, as we celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to recognize the legality of gay marriage, I now see marriage equality as a moral imperative because of my Jewish roots.

(Founded in 1920) Andrew Ruback President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Jessie Wees Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper

Jewish Press Board Eric Dunning, Caryn Scheer, Bobbi Leibowitz, Past President; Phyllis Brown; Daniel Christensen; Mel Epstein; Scott Farkas; Sandy Friedman; Noah Priluck; Paul Rabinowitz; Mark Senal; Nancy Wolf. The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish LIfe, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishoma

Just as the high court has shown moral bravery in its recognition of gay marriage, the Jewish community should follow its example in our myriad communities. As Jews, we should remember that our tradition upholds the bond between two loving people and the families they create as a source of strength and commitment to the betterment of the world. “Justice” is a word we are taught early in life, and we are reminded constantly that it is a principle we should uphold and promote. In Hebrew, the word tzedek is used to promote acts of loving kindness and righteousness. Its diminutive, tzedakah, is translated as charity, but it is much more. We are taught in the Torah, in the book of Deuteronomy 16:20: “Justice, Justice shall you pursue.” In Hebrew, “Tzedek, tzedek tirdorf.” It is a vital, active imperative for the Jewish people to be on the front lines of issues protecting and promoting the rights of any group being treated unfairly. To take approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population and tell them they are second-class citizens is clearly unjust. As Jews we are instructed to seek justice for the stranger, the widow and the orphan because too often society discriminates against and takes advantage of those without advocates. I have come to see the protection of gay marriage as a manifestation of the Jewish value of seeking justice for those who are enslaved. To those who cover their prejudice with reference to biblical injunctions against homosexuality, I ask if they are willing to live by every other law listed in the Torah. For such literalists, I submit that the very Torah portion of Leviticus that they so often quote also enjoins us to harbor no hatred against our brother and our neighbor. To freeze Judaism in time because of ancient biblical edicts is to deny that Judaism is a mighty river that moves forward through time, a living entity that changes course

and becomes renewed through what it meets on the banks. Like a river, it retains its essential character although it is constantly renewed and evolving. Today, the Jewish pursuit of justice must channel itself against the denial of marriage equality. For Jews, who have suffered so much throughout history at the hands of prejudice, to stand idly by while any group is treated so unfairly is unequivocally wrong. I have been inspired in my thinking on gay rights and marriage equality by a woman I have known since she was a teenager. She is now the leader of Keshet, a group that promotes equality for the LGBT community in the Jewish world. Idit Klein first came to my attention when she was in high school. She was a student on a program I founded called the Bronfman Youth Fellowship that targets Jewish teens of exceptional promise from an array of backgrounds. In my conversations with her over the years, I have learned that the issues facing LGBT Jews are ones on which all Jews need to speak out. Within the Jewish community we must endeavor to include and celebrate the diversity of families and couples within all aspects of religious, communal and institutional life. When our communities continue to open their tents as our forefather Abraham did, to include all who wish to participate in Jewish life, our people’s possibilities expand and gain strength. Edgar M. Bronfman, the former CEO of the Seagram Company Ltd., is president of the Samuel Bronfman Foundation, which seeks to inspire a renaissance of Jewish life. He is the author of The Bronfman Haggadah (Rizzoli Press) created in conjunction with his wife, artist Jan Aronson.

ha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

and space restrictions, but it should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid per-

Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial

material and photos to: avandekamp @jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jew ishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content

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July 12, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 9

Coming to America: Israeli of Iraqi ancestry gets the ‘Sephardic’ treatment

Focus on issues EYAL SOLOMON NEW YORK (JTA) -- I had only known my girlfriend for a few weeks when she invited me to a friend’s house for Shabbat dinner on the Upper West Side. As a 44-year-old secular Israeli who had moved recently to New York City after my divorce, I didn’t have much experience with American Jews. Her friends were great: educated, liberal traditional Jews who seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me. While their religious rituals were new to me -- I never saw people washing their hands and not speaking before making blessings on the challah -- it was the conversation that shocked me. “Are you Sephardic?” one of the guests asked me. Everyone stopped talking. “I have some Sephardi friends,” another guest offered. I froze, my fork midair. They weren’t really inquiring about my origins -- my dark skin was a dead giveaway. What they were really asking me was, “How come you don’t behave Sephardic? We’re not in Tel Aviv anymore, Toto. In Israel, when people wanted to know where my family was from, the answer was easy: Both my parents came to Israel in 1951 as part of the “Iraqi Exodus,” where they quickly assimilated into the Israeli melting pot. I was a firstgeneration Israeli and proud second-generation “Iraqi” -shorthand for urbane, even-keeled and good with numbers. But in Israel we hardly ever used the term Sephardic, lumping together all Jews from Arab lands. Moreover, the literal term Sephardim -- i.e. from Spain and Portugal -does not apply to Iraqi Jews who, like most Mizrahi Jews from other Arab countries, were never persecuted and exiled during the Spanish Inquisition. The Iraqi experience was different from the Moroccan, Tunisian, Yemenite, Egyptian, Spanish and Greek ones. Jews of European descent used the term Sephardic to denote anyone who wasn’t like them: the non-Ashkenazi. The category may have been helpful for religious Jews, who followed either Ashkenazi or Sephardi customs in prayers and Jewish law, but it had no relevance among the secular. Moreover, the discrimination in Israel against the nonAshkenazi immigrants from the 1950s through the 1970s was a thing of the past. The older generation, like my mother, loved to make distinctions between ethnic groups.

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“We’re Iraqi,” she would exclaim proudly, even though her blond hair would have people believe otherwise. “Iraqis are like the Ashkenazim of the Sephardim,” she would add, explaining how her people were educated and modern, not like the others -- implying how backwards other groups were. I’m sure that somewhere out there, a Moroccan or Tunisian or Egyptian mother was making the very same boast. Yet I never heard people my own age make these differentiations. We tended to categorize people by their socio-economic class: Were they educated, artists, upwardly mobile, yuppies or creative types? After that initiation on the Upper West Side, I discovered many American Jews used this terminology. My girlfriend’s friends would describe a date as “too Sephardic,” which I learned meant pushy, sleazy, aggressive. What they termed Sephardic was what Israelis often termed “Arss,” Arabic for “pimp" -- a derogatory term for the type of guy who opens his shirt buttons to expose his chest, sporting a large gold Chai, and has dice hanging from his souped-up BMW. Over time I discovered that things are different in America: There’s the “Syrian” community – comprised not just of Syrians but Egyptians, Moroccans, Israelis and anyone who lived in the tight-knit Brooklyn and Deal, N.J., communities where family was paramount and outsiders hardly welcome. The “Persian” community in Great Neck on Long Island, the New York City suburbs (and Los Angeles, where my girlfriend lived before she met me) had similar values. Often when someone in America would say Sephardic, they would be referring to someone from one of those communities, where the women marry young -- usually older men who work in cash businesses such as shmattas or elec-

tronics -- and the men look for a traditional “girl” to be a stay-at-home mom. Little did I know that my girlfriend was just as bad. After we started dating, we both got to wondering how we’d never connected through JDate? We showed each other our profiles and I was appalled that she had unchecked the “Sephardic” box on the Jewish dating website (another American institution perpetuating the divisive stereotype). “I didn’t want to date a Persian guy -- they are too traditional for me,” she said. She had left her Orthodox upbringing because she found it too paternalistic for her feminist tastes. “Anyway, I never even saw your profile – you saw mine and rejected me,” she said. It was true: I’d discounted her because her profile said she was “traditional” and kept kosher in her house. As a secular Israeli who fought the stranglehold of my country’s rabbinical institutions, it was something with which I could not live. “It’s not the same,” I told her. “I discriminated against you, personally, and you discriminated against a whole race of people.” Who is worse: Her for discriminating against Sephardim as a group, or me for discriminating against an individual who doesn’t share my religious beliefs? We’ll have the rest of our lives to figure it out. We recently married and settled on a semi-kosher household (read: we don’t have bacon for breakfast). But I have the last revenge: According to Jewish law, because she married me, she’s Iraqi now. And I don’t mean Sephardic. Eyal Solomon is a musician and marketing director for a New York-based technology company.

Letters TO THE EDITOR A note from Louise Abrahamson: Thank you my dear friends for your vote and confidence in electing me "Purim Queen", for the opportunity to show leadership and caring. For helping me fulfill my abilities to be a leader for my friends here at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. This has been a blessed year for me - with my friends. Thank you, thank you all. Louise Abrahamson Dear Editor: How sad to read the recent article, “Liberal Jewish groups

unleash on doomed abortion bill” ( June 28 issue), on liberal, Jewish groups unleashing their vitriol on attempts to regulate abortion here in the United States. Although personally opposed to abortion, it is legal and I agree with President Bill Clinton that abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare.” Certainly, reasonable people can agree that abortion should be regulated to make sure that such a procedure is safe and not abused. A lot of Jews, like me, are turning their backs on Jewish organizations, Temples, and Synagogues which politicize social issues of our time, such as abortion, homosexuality, etc. When I go to Temple, I do not want to hear politics from the bimah. Rather, an uplifting, spiritual experience is what I seek when I go to Temple. I feel that Jewish philanthropies should be focused on assisting Jewish people and Israel, not on divisive political causes. Barry G. Kaiman Northridge, CA

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10 | The Jewish Press | July 12, 2013

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 712.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, call 712.323.8885.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:45 p.m.; Join Beth El’s team for OwL Ride (Omaha with Lights), bike ride at 10 p.m. OwL raises money for Meyer Foundation for Disabilities. Meet at Beth El at 9:30 p.m. to share Havdalah, and then we’ll head downtown for the ride. Marty Shukert is Beth El’s team captain. Registration is required; for details and to sign up, visit http://owlride.org/ event-info/. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY: Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.; Beth El will cook and serve at The Stephen Center, 5:30 p.m. Donations of canned foods and baked goods are welcome. For more information, contact M’Lee Hasslinger, mlee011@gmail. com. MONDAY: Tisha B’av begins during 8 p.m. services, we will mark the destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of Jewish independence in the land of Israel, with a day of fasting and national mourning. TUESDAY: Tisha B’av morning service, 7 a.m.; Mincha service, 1 p.m.; Ma’ariv service, 9 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Choir Rehearsal, 7:30 p.m. in the chapel. THURSDAY: Sisterhood Dames and Drinks, 7 p.m. Beth El’s monthly girls’ night out will meet on the synagogue’s back lawn (weather permitting) for pina coladas, non-alcoholic drinks and snack. Roni Reiter-Palmon is hosting. Babysitting available, by reservation only made by noon, Wednesday, July 17 to Roni at rreiter-palmon@unomaha.edu. Lucky Bucket Brewery Tour, Thursday, July 25, 6:15 p.m., Beth El’s YAC group heads to Lucky Bucket Brewery, 11941 Centennial Road, LaVista. Cost: $3 per person; includes tour and a beer. Babysitting will be available at Beth El from 6-9 p.m., by reservation only. Cost: $5 per child. Babysitting reservations must be made by noon on Wednesday, July 24. RSVP to hosts Heidi and Jeremy Friedman at Jeremy.friedman@gmail.com. Lunch at Nebraska AIDS Project, Friday, July 26, 11:30 a.m. Join us to prepare and serve lunch at the center. For more information or to volunteer and/or provide baked goods for dessert, contact Joan at hmarcom@juno.com. All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:15 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:25 p.m. followed by Seuda Shlishit; Havdalah, 9:51 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

Bat Mitzvah Adam Blake Lehman, son of Denise and Howard Lehman, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, July 20, at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, AZ. Adam is a seventh-grade Honor Roll student at Desert Canyon Middle School in Scottsdale, AZ. His interests include basketball, swimming and spending time with family. For his mitzvah project, Adam visited and supported children with traumatic brain injury. He has two sisters, Stephanie and Allison. Grandparents are Shirlee Serap, Earl and Deborah Serap, and Arlene and Jerry Lehman.

MONDAY, Erev Tisha B’Av: Mincha, 7:45 p.m.; Faith after the Holocaust, 8 p.m.; Ma’ariv and Megilate Eichah, 8:30 p.m. TUESDAY, Tisha B’Av: Shacharit and Kinot, 7 a.m.; OU Webcast featuring Rabbi Steven Weil, 9 a.m.; The Pawn Broker (1964), 2:30 p.m.; Out of Faith, 5 p.m.; Mincha, 6:30 p.m.; Reflections of the Second Generation: A discussion led by Bob Eisenberg, 7 p.m.; The Quarrel (1991), 8 p.m.; Ma’ariv, 9:30 p.m.; Fast Ends, 9:45 p.m.

CHABAD CENTER An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush lunch in honor of the Bat Mitzvah of Feigy Katzman by the Katzman family. Celebrate with Feigy and wish her a mazal tov, 11:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.; Breakfast Bonanza, 9:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office. WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 10 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. Contact Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@ unmc.edu to receive updates. All programs are open to the entire community.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. celebrating the conversions of Karin Coulter, Vicki Edwards, Linda Glaser and Zoya Zeman - the honorees will also host the oneg following. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parsahat Devarim. MONDAY-FRIDAY: Camp Israel 2013, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Contact Andrea at Tiferth Israel. THURSDAY: Join Soul Train Camp Israel counslers Shira and Hadas for an evening of education and understanding, 7 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Refreshments will served and child care will be available; High Holiday Day Choir Rehearsal begins, 7:30-9 p.m.

Candlelighting Friday, July 12, 8:40 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway | Offutt AFB, NE 68113 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to RBJH, 2:30 p.m. with LOVE. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street | Omaha, NE 68132-2651 | 402.556.6536 www.templeisrael-ne.org FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to you at Remington Heights, 4 p.m. led by Cantor Shermet; Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Brown and Cantor Shermet; Summer Speaker: Rabbi Josh Brown “Sacred Transitions: Why I went to Mikvek to become a Rabbi.” SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Torah and Haftarah Reader: Miles Remer. SUNDAY: Tots Day Out in the Park, 10 a.m. at Elmwood Park playground. TUESDAY: Executive Meeting, 5:45 p.m.; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. Summer Speaker, Friday, July 19, 6 p.m.: Janey Dann “There are no coincidences.”

TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. FRIDAY: Dairy Potluck Dinner, 6:30 p.m. at the home of Ruth and Dan Friedman followed by a 7:30 p.m. service. SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon prepared by Nanci Hamicksburg. MONDAY, Erev Tisha B’Av: Listen to the chanting of Eicha (The Book of Lamentations) followed by a discussion about baseless hatred among Jews, 8:30 p.m. followed by the chanting of Eicha, 9:30 p.m. MONDAY-FRIDAY: Camp Israel 2013, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Contact Andrea at Tiferth Israel. TUESDAY: Temple office closed for Tisha B’Av. WEDNESDAY: Torah Trope Class, 7:15 p.m. THURSDAY: Join Soul Train Camp Israel counslers Shira and Hadas for an evening of education and understanding, 7 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Refreshments will served and child care will be available.

Date set for Temple Israel move by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staff Writer On Sunday, Aug. 25, Temple Israel will officially move into its new building at 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive. The day will begin at 8 a.m. with a celebration of Temple Israel’s history at Cass Street as the Torahs and mezuzah are removed from the building, followed by the symbolic procession of one of the Torahs from Cass Street to Sterling Ridge. The major donors will be honored with a mezuzah hanging and cornerstone dedication ceremony. The Torah will make a few stops along the way, where the Tri-Faith Initiative of Omaha community and the Omaha Jewish community will gather for blessings before making the final walk to the new Temple Israel. Temple Israel congregants will be invited to help walk the Torah from Cass Street to Sterling Ridge. Members who are interested will be broken up into teams, each of which will cover a half-mile stretch of the procession route. When assigning teams, consideration will be made for those members with physical limitations, but care is being taken to ensure that everyone who wants to take part in the parade will have that opportunity. If you would like to participate in walking the Torah from Cass Street to Sterling Ridge, you are asked to contact Temple Israel or to register online. Be sure to check the eTidings for more information. Once the Torah reaches the new building, it will be joined by the other four Torah scrolls, which will have been carefully driven to Sterling Ridge earlier that morning. The Building Council, made up of the major donors and their families, including Tom and Darlynn Fellman, Nancy and

the late David Friedland, Murray and Sharee Newman, Bob and Phyllis Newman, Sylvia and the late Larry Roffman, Phil and Terri Schrager, Harley and Beth Schrager, Ted and Sarah Seldin, Alan and Anne Simon, Bruce and Stacy Simon, Fred and Eve Simon, Todd and Betiana Simon, David and Martha Slosburg, Richard and Ellen Slosburg, and Stanley Slosburg will have the honor of affixing the mezuzah to the front door and dedicating the cornerstone, the equivalent of a ribbon cutting, and students in grades 8 through 12 will participate in walking the Torahs into the sanctuary. “Usually only once in a Jew's life time does each of us have an opportunity to help establish a new synagogue and then experience a move like this,” Bob Freeman said. “Temple Israel has called 7023 Cass Street ‘home’ for almost 60 years. We pause here to reflect on our long history in Omaha as we also exhibit our long- term commitment to being an important part of this community for a long time to come. ” All ages are encouraged to come and participate in this once-in-a-generation event. City officials will also be invited to the ceremony. After the ceremony, lunch will be provided, free of charge, and Religious School students and their parents will have an opportunity to meet their teachers and visit their new classrooms. Professional photographers and a videographer will also be on hand to capture every moment of this historic move, and there will be music from the First Friday Band. Temple Israel is also coordinating with Alan Potash of the ADL to ensure security will be in place throughout the day’s activities.

Pulverent e

July 12, 2013 | The Jewish Press | 11

In memoriam DAVID M. RICE David M. Rice passed away on July 8 at age 82 from progressive Parkinson Disease. Services were held July 10 at Temple Israel Cemetery. He was preceded in death by his beloved partner, Ephraim Marks, parents Dorothy Belle and Franklin Chester Rice, sister Vivien Sauter, and brother Franklin Charles Rice. He is survived by sisters, Patricia Farkas of Longview, TX, and Barbara Robards of Carnegie, OK, nieces,  nephews and many close friends and admirers. He spent 46 years with his partner, the late Ephraim Marks, one of the founding partners of Marks, Clare, & Richards Law Firm of Omaha. David said about his life with Ephraim: “Though our lives were sometimes difficult, we were happy and successful: we valued the chance to live together.� At the young age of 17, he joined the Army and served for two and a half years with the Corp of Engineers. After receiving an honorable discharge in 1950, he settled in Omaha, Nebraska. He attended Omaha University where he majored in interior design. David went on to become one of Omaha’s leading interior designers. His professional career began in the Interior Design department of J. L. Brandeis & Sons Department Store, and

Enough to live for

in 1968 created his own firm, David Rice Inc. David was an active member of the Omaha Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and served as its President in 1973. He helped found the Annual Symphony Show House, and established a Scholarship for design students at the University of Nebraska in Omaha. David was instrumental in the establishment of the Nebraska Aids Project. Recently, the David Rice-Ephraim Marks Scholarship for LGBT students was founded at Omaha’s Metropolitan Community College. Memorials may be made to the David Rice-Ephraim Marks Scholarship Fund at Metropolitan Community College, the Nebraska Aids Project, or Opera Omaha.

MERRIAN SPIEGAL Merrian Spiegal passed away on June 20 in St Louis Park, MN. Services were held June 23 at Pleasant Hill Cemetary. She was preceded in death by her husband Harry and son Jeffrey. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Sue and Stu Weinstein of Minneapolis; daughter in-law, Dede Spiegal; grandchildren, Ben and Ellen Weinstein of Seattle, Marc Weinstein and fiancee, Emily of Seattle, Leah Weinstein of Phoenix, Justin and Jen Spiegal of Overland Park, KS, Joe Spiegal of Kansas City, Andy and Shelly Spiegal; three great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the donor’s favorite charity.

Seldin-World Group merger

Sparks from the word RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parsha Devarim I sometimes mourn the fact that so many people take vacations in July and August and miss the wonderful Sidrot in the book of Devarim. Here the Torah rises to unusual eloquence in Moses’ review of his leadership and his teaching about the way of life that Israel has accepted. There is the arresting chapter of Isaiah that gives this Shabbat its title, Shabbat Hazon, the Vision of Isaiah. This Haftarah always precedes Tisha B’Av, when we are reminded of the destruction of the two Temples. The language of Isaiah is so striking and commanding that the reader cannot resist its power. It is a Great Indictment. The faults of Judah are so glaring, in the prophet’s words, that it is no wonder that the Lord has permitted great evils to come upon it. Here a major theme of the Book of Deuteronomy and the prophetic literature, the doctrine of reward and punishment, has been expressed eloquently, and the reader cowers before the stark power of the prophet’s tongue-lashing. When one reads the prophetic literature in general, one sees how uncompromising the prophets were. Israel and Judah, unable to reach perfection or rise even half-way to moral excellence, suffered vituperative attacks by Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah and others. No matter that Israel and Judah had risen far above the immoralities of their neighbors. For the prophets that was not enough. But we must not understand the prophetic position as a view of the world that is. Wickedness does not necessarily bring punishment, virtue does not always bring reward. The marvelous poetry of the prophets and their consistent ethical stance have made them, quite properly, teachers of morality for all time.

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by JEFF BEALS Executive Vice President, World Group Commercial Real Estate In order to achieve sustainable, long-term success, businesses can’t afford to be timid. That’s why two Omaha-based real estate companies are building upon their strong, long-standing foundations while pursuing ambitious growth plans both locally and regionally. Seldin Company and World Group Commercial Real Estate joined forces in January of 2011 in order to attract new business while improving the services they provide to existing clients. Since that merger, both companies have flourished. Seldin Company traces its roots back to 1923 when Ben I. Seldin started a business in Council Bluffs. The company grew under the leadership of co-chairmen Ted Seldin and Stanley Silverman and Randy Lenhoff, chief executive officer. Today Seldin Company is a 350-employee real estate firm focusing on conventional, affordable and senior multi-family real estate. The company manages 11,500 apartment units in Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas. World Group was founded in 1997 by Trenton Magid. The company offers office, retail and industrial brokerage and property management services throughout Nebraska and Iowa. In the past two years, World Group has added several new real estate agents to its Omaha team while at the same time, becoming more active outside the metro area. As an example, World Group started managing West Glen Town Center, a half-million-square-foot mixed-use center in West Des Moines, Iowa, in 2012. The property is one of Des Moines’ most popular and best-known gathering spots. The Seldin-World Group merger provided the synergy necessary for both companies to grow and prosper. That success has allowed them to attract new business while improving the service they provide to existing clients. The companies are now embarking on an ambitious plan to triple their size by the year 2020, because if companies that are not growing, are not improving, keeping ahead of the curve and maximizing client value.

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12 | The Jewish Press | July 12, 2013

What World War Z says about Israel by JANA BANIN HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA) -- World War Z gives us the basics of a summer blockbuster -- a star actor worth looking at (Brad Pitt) and a far-fetched action-packed plot (hero races to stop virus that is turning all of humanity into zombies). So can’t we all just buy some popcorn, suspend our disbelief and enjoy the show? Well, no. The movie features another equally wellknown newsmaker, if in this case less publicized: Israel. The zombie plague is spreading like wildfire, and Pitt’s character, Gerry Lane, a former U.N. official turned stay-at-home dad, learns that only two countries have been able to successfully stave off infection. One is North Korea, where in a 24-hour period, the government has removed the teeth of its citizens, making it impossible for the disease to A scene from the film World spread. Then there’s Israel, Jerusalem. which has built a wall in Jerusalem between the undead and the uninfected. In the movie we don’t see Jerusalem for very long. As zombies storm the city’s streets, flights of people hoping for refuge are landing in a place founded by people who not so long ago were refused refuge by most of the world. Pitt, off to solve the next piece of the puzzle, hops on one of these planes (run by Belarus http://forward.com/arti cles/131838/the-last-shtetl-jews-of-belarus/ Airlines), with his new pandemic-fighting partner, a tough female Israeli soldier played by Danielle Kertesz. But that’s all the blogosphere http://www.huffington post.com/2013/06/26/israel-world-war-zwall_n_3502076.html needed to start buzzing for weeks about the deeper meaning of the Israel-related plot line and the message that it sends about Israel and its policies. Some see the cinematic version as a pro-Israel

arouses the zombies. Oops. Peace, one might deduce, is untenable -- no matter how much people are willing to move past their differences. Writing in the Los Angeles Times http://www.la times.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mnworld-war-z-isr ael-br ad-pitt-the aters-e ast20130621,0,7077581.story, Steven Zeitchik offered up a more optimistic, albeit still daunting, takeaway. “It may well be that there’s no single message intended by the film,” he wrote. “Still, when it comes to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict -- and, for that matter, conflict in general -- World War Z” offers what seems like at least one clear takeaway. The most aggressive policy won’t be useful in the face of a serious threat. A long-term solution probably involves even the most creative form of reactive thinking -it requires a willingness to contemplate the root cause.” Try telling that to the folks at Al Jazeera, who compiled a roundup http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201306252 344-0022857 of online commentators and posters who have panned the film as pro-Israel propaganda. And it’s not just Israel bashers who think it. As Al Jazeera noted, Jeffrey Goldberg admiringly tweeted, “World War Z is the most pro-Israel movie ever made. Or at the very least the most pro-Israel zombie movie ever made.” At the same time, he added, “With Israel’s highly lauded defense repuWar Z showing zombies trying to climb the wall surrounding tation, the wall breach surprised me.” Credit: Paramount Pictures Complicating any attempt to discern a concrete message and Palestinians together. In apocalyptic Jerusalem, back- were the deviations from the 2006 novel on which it is based. ground is irrelevant. As long as you’re not a monster with an In World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max appetite for humans, you’re cool. Brooks (son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft), it is not Pitt is there to find out how Israel could have possibly built zombies who ruin everything but haredi Orthodox Jews, a structure of that magnitude so quickly -- not to mention a who rebel after the government decides to pull back to the full week before the pandemic hit in full force. pre-1967 borders and welcome in Jews and Palestinians. From a member of the Mossad intelligence agency he That said, in the book Israel’s success does hold up. learns that the tip came from an intercepted email mentionBack to the film. Together Pitt and his Israeli friend battle ing zombies. It seemed crazy, but so had the prospect of the zombies and find the answers that will finally help to pretty Holocaust, the Munich massacre and the Yom Kippur War. much save the day. The movie closes with a voiceover from Israel has committed to imagining the unimaginable -- and the lead actor, reminding us that we should always “be prepreparing for it. pared for anything” -- yeah, like the Internet peanut gallery’s Ultimately, though, the experiment in segregation doesn’t ability to turn anything into an Israel debate. work. In a twist, cross-cultural harmony is the wall’s downfall. Hey, Hollywood, next time could you just save us all the Celebrating their survival, everyone joins together in song. headache and set the Middle East plot line in Cairo or Unfortunately, the joyous masses don’t realize that noise Istanbul? http://stream.aljazeera.com/stor y/2013062523440022857 statement, justifying the existence of a wall in the real-life, non-zombie-ridden West Bank -- the wall is extreme, but it keeps people safe. Interestingly, in the film the wall actually brings Israelis

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