Vol. LXXXIII No. 47 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 83 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
5 Av, 5764 July 23, 2004
Protecting Freedom Top Priority at Lincoln Rally by GARY JAVITCH and COLBY RINKER An ADL Special Report We drove to the Nebraska state capitol building a little unsure of what to expect. This was the first hate rally we had ever attended. The Minneapolis based National Socialist Movement (NSM), and the National Alliance (NA) had invited all white patriots to this “unity rally” to be held in Lincoln, NE, on Saturday, July 17. The hate groups, according to their website, promised it would be a “big one.” The assembly had multiple purposes. The leaders wanted to protest the recent killing of University of Nebraska-Lincoln soccer player Jenna Cooper who had been shot and killed by “a Negro.” In addition, they wanted to condemn once again the four-year-old Wichita, KS, murder of four whites by the Carr brothers, two African-Americans. The NSM group felt it should have been labeled a hate crime and should have received more attention because blacks killed whites. The rally’s main reason, we thought, was to provide convicted felon Gary “Gerhard” Lauck, the chief publisher of Nazi propaganda in America, with a forum to protest the actions of a Lancaster County prosecutor who had filed charges against him. Even though he had beaten the charge, Lauck maintained that his free speech rights were violated.
As we approached the steps to the capitol building, we saw signs containing information for rally attendees. The message: The capitol building was closed for the day. Speakers were going to talk from the steps of the north side of the capitol. Supporters of the NSM and NA were invited to enter staging areas labeled “PRO”. Protesters were provided an equal space in a section labeled “ANTI”. Anyone entering either area would be required to pass through a metal detector. When we finally reached the front of the capitol, we observed that the entire landing below the capitol steps was set aside for media. The steps below the landing that lead to the street were blocked off. Directly in front of us, we saw three cordoned areas set up in the street. The sections were surrounded by police, metal barriers and a fence. The right section was for the hate-group supporters of the NSM and NA. An equal sized counter-protest area was set up to the left. In between the barriers, a rectangular area 50 feet wide separated the two groups and served as a “no man’s land”. Tension began to fill the air just before the rally’s scheduled start time. The shouting began also as the crowd started to move into their respective staging areas. About 50 people entered the “ANTI” section; this included three people wearing sleeveless, fluorescent jackets emblazoned with “Legal Observer” on their Continued on page 11
Lincolnite David Howard quietly protested against the Nazis and KKKers who held a rally on the steps of the Capitol.
Lines Busy, but Hadassah Pushes Stem Cell Case with White House by MATTHEW E. BERGER first, calling the White WASHINGTON (JTA)-House on a the speakerHadassah members are phone as members listrying to get their mestened on. She began to sage on stem cell make her case to a White research to the White House operator before House--all at once. being transferred to a Members of the comment line. women’s Zionist group Using cell phones, the swamped White House membership then began phone lines last week as to call en masse. Many of their national convention them received busy sigopened in Phoenix, AZ, nals or could not competitioning President plete their calls from the Bush to reverse his posiballroom. tion on stem cell Hadassah sees itself as Hadassah President June Walker research. Hadassah says the premier supporter of calls the White House on a speakexpanding the use of stem cell research, foser-phone to petition President stem cells in medical tered by the work of Bush to reverse his position on research could provide Hadassah hospitals in stem cell research, during the new treatments and cures Israel, which have chamgroup's annual convention in for deadly diseases. pioned research in that Phoenix, July 13. Credit: Hadassah Bush allowed research area and which co-own using existing stem cell lines from 2001, several stem cell lines. but few of those lines are still viable Researchers at Hadassah hospitals today. Stem cells are extracted from recently found that the use of stem cells embryos and can be manipulated to cre- alleviated Parkinson's disease in rats. ate various human blood and tissue cells. The group is rolling out a national eduThe lines are cell groups extracted from cation campaign for its members, embryos, and are capable of reproduc- explaining the religious issues in stem ing themselves. cell research and suggesting tools to No further lines are available for use bring the issue to legislators. under current administration policy. The group also is looking to get sup“What President Bush knew and what port for stem cell research from states, scientists knew in 2001 is a lot different planning a day in March 2005 in which from what we know now,” said Marla Hadassah members will march on all 50 Gilson, Hadassah’s Washington repre- state capitals, urging state legislators to sentative. “It’s time to allow new lines to pass pro-stem cell legislation. be formed and those lines to be formed Jewish groups largely support stem cell with federal funding.” research, and they have been working To make their voices heard, about with like-minded organizations to urge its 1,500 Hadassah members all tried to call expanded use. Jewish ethicists largely have the White House at the same time during concluded that Jewish tradition allows their conference in Phoenix. embryos to be destroyed if the research Hadassah President June Walker went has the potential to benefit society.
Inside
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Tuesday that Bush is strongly committed to advancing medical research and combating disease. “He also believes strongly that while we should explore the promise of stem cell research, we should do so in a way that doesn't cross a certain moral line,” McClellan said. One administration official said the White House had contacted Hadassah more than a month ago to offer a repre-
UNMC Researcher Responds to NIH Request for Proposals to use Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines by TOM O'CONNOR UNMC Public Affairs Department A University of Nebraska Medical Center faculty member, Stephen Rennard, M.D., Larson Professor of Pulmonary Medicine, in response to a request from the National Institutes of Health, has applied for a grant to study emphysema that, if funded, would use two of the human embryonic stem cell lines approved by President Bush. Dr. Rennard has spent his career studying lung diseases, such as asthma and emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD affects 20 million Americans and is the fourth leading cause of death, killing 120,000 people each year. While smoking Dr. Stephen Rennard is a major cause of COPD, non-smokers are also afflicted. His recent application builds on a current grant in which he uses a mouse model to study how lung tissue repairs itself. He has found that the cells responsible for healing appear to be abnormal in lungs with emphysema and COPD. He theorizes that if one could infuse stem cells, those cells could grow new tissue. Before this research may be conducted it must be approved by UNMC’s Institutional Review Board, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and an internal scientific review panel as required in the recommendations for Human Stem Cell Research developed by the University of Nebraska Bioethics Advisory Committee. According to Thomas Rosenquist, Ph.D., vice chancellor for research at UNMC, this would be the first time UNMC researchers have proposed using federally approved human embryonic stem cells. “The National Institutes of Health has issued a call to currently funded researchers to submit projects that could utilize the Bush-approved embryonic stem cells lines,” he said. “While we hope that this project is funded, at this time we have not heard that it is.” (Editor’s note: UN Board of Regents member Randy Ferlic has announced his opposition, but a UNMC spokesman has said it will continue to pursue this project.)
This Week: Where Are They Now?: Page 2-3 Jewish Federation’s Community Connection: Page 3
sentative to speak at their conference but was rebuffed. Shelley Klein, Hadassah’s director of advocacy, said she believed the phone campaign was a productive way to get the group’s message across. “There’s nothing more productive than grass-roots efforts,” she said. “As an organization, its important to let President Bush know how many people care about this issue.”
Few Clues, 10 Years After Panana City Bombing: Page 5
Coming Next Month: Simchas Issue on Aug. 6 Friedman Foundation Matches Iowa West Gift to NJHS: Page 7
America Decides 2004-Democratic Convention Opens: Page 12
July 23, 2004
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 3
‘But It’s a Dry Heat!’
Growing Jewish Omaha
Continued from page 2 Mona describes the poignant meeting between Anika and Beth. “Anika was understandably shy and tearful at first. But after a few toys and a playful few minutes on the floor with Beth, it was obvious that they were meant for each other,” Mona said. Anika adjusted quickly to her first airplane experience. Before the plane touched down in Phoenix, Anika had also experienced her first American food treat--a Dove ice cream bar. There was no question that she liked it.. Conversion Anika had no religious exposure in Russia, but after a visit to the mikvah in Arizona and a ceremony where she received her Hebrew name, Chaya Anina, Anika was officially a member of the Jewish community. At age four, Anika is now 100% Jewish and 100% American. In addition to her adoring mother, brother and grandparents she also has many new friends. from Temple Chai, her synagogue play school. Mona often wonders about the impact the adoption of Anika would have had on her father had he lived to welcome her into the family. Bob Feinberg died in 1977. The Family Today Stanley and Claire Feinberg live in Santa Monica, CA, with their four children and nine grandchildren Mona and Sol enjoy their home in Scottsdale and their summer home in Flagstaff. Sol spends as much time as possible outdoors, reading, walking and puttering with gardening. Volunteering is in Mona’s genes, and she remains active in the Phoenix Jewish Federation fundraising efforts and in the local Brandeis Women’s chapter. Daughter Beth, is a teacher and mother to 16-yearold Zachary and four-year-old Anika. She lives in Phoenix and also has a summer home in Flagstaff. Daughter Jayne resides in Iowa City. Her daughter, Robyn, a recent honors graduate of Brandeis University is improving her proficiency in Arabic, Hebrew and Spanish with an eye to a career in the State Department. Mona and Sol agree that there will always be ties to the Omaha Jewish community.
to the website, or if you have other ideas, please contact me at jmurow@jewishomaha.org or call me at 334.6566. The summer months are typically when people relocate. If you know Jewish individuals and families movby JANIE MUROW ing to Omaha, please let me know so that I can contact them and begin connecting them to Jewish Omaha. Over the past several months I’ve We want to be a welcoming community that can meet talked about the need for jobs in our community if we the needs of all of its Jewish residents. are to “Grow Jewish Omaha.” At the end of May we Welcome to Naava Naslavsky and her husband, Steve met with some of our Jewish business leaders to dis- Caplan, who arrived in Omaha nearly a year ago. They cuss ideas we had for expanding the job opportunities came here from Israel and spent the last four years in in Omaha. Everyone in attendance agreed that it was in Bethesda, MD, where they were both affiliated with the all of our personal and profesNational Institutes of Health. sional best interests to increase Together they are doing research in our Jewish population. cell biology at the University of Many excellent suggestions Nebraska Medical Center. came from this meeting. I would Naava was born and raised on like to share some of them with Kibbutz Givat Oz; Steve, born in you in the hopes that you will Winnipeg, made aliyah at age 18 and have more ideas that we can add joined the Israeli army. He lived in to the mix. Kibbutz Kfar Blum and later attended • Companies will post their job Hebrew University. It was there that openings on the new and Naava and Steve met while working improved Federation website; on their doctorates. They have two • Companies will allow us to children: Mika, age six, who will be a link their website job postings to first grader at the Freidel Jewish Naava Naslavsky, Steve Caplan, and their Academy, and Eylon, two-years-old, the Federation website; • Create an “industry advisor” children, Mika and Elyon, stop to rest on a who attends the Pennie Z. Davis Child mentoring system for people summer hike in Colorado. Development Center. wanting to network for employment in Omaha; During a recent visit to Israel Naava visited the “Hill of • Develop an internship program for teens and Harvested Flowers”, a memorial to seven young girls from young adults; Bet Shean who were killed at Naharyeem in 1997 by a • The Federation will not become a job placement Jordanian soldier. The woman who created the memorial service. is also leading the final steps of what will become a I know as hard as we try, we are not going to find unique place called “Eyal’s House” that will seek to intecareer matches for everyone who wants to come to or grate physically disabled (children, adults, soldiers) into stay in Omaha. But, we can work together as a com- the mainstream community through educational, cultural, munity to help as many people as possible find sport and health activities. Naava will be writing a piece employment here. in the future describing these places in more detail. Please visit the Federation website at www.jewDespite their busy schedules, Steve, Naava and the ishomaha.org to see the job postings and links to children like to hike. Please introduce yourselves when company websites. If you would like to link your jobs you see them at the JCC, Freidel and UNMC!
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Largest exclusive BMW Dealer in NE, IA, SD!
Now with the Highest Customer Satisfaction Index in NE, IA, KS, SD, MN!
Be Worry Free BMW Defines
Lease or purchase a new BMW and have the confidence of free Full Maintenance 4 yr/ 50,000 Mile Warranty (Including brake and brake pad replacement. See dealer for details.)
#1265W
BMW BMW 2004 2004 Defines Defines BMWZ42.5 Driving! BMWX32.5 Driving!
Lease For
Sale
2004 BMW325i
Driving!
359/mo
$
2.9APR Tax, title and license extra. WAC. See dealer for details.
List $39,620
36,275
$
36 month lease, 10,000 mi/yr lease. $2500 cash/trade down plus 1st month payment and security deposit due at signing. Tax, title and license extra. WAC. See dealer for details.
or
#1178
#1002
2.9APR
with
Lease For
359/mo
$
36 month lease, 10,000 mi/yr lease. $2500 cash/trade down plus 1st month payment and security deposit due at signing. Tax, title and license extra. WAC. See dealer for details.
Tax, title and license extra. WAC. See dealer for details.
2.9APR
or
Tax, title and license extra. WAC. See dealer for details.
Over 200 New & Pre-Owned Certified BMWs To Choose From!
markel BMW
Continuously Serving Nebraska’s Automotive Needs For Over 95 Years
Westroads • 716 N. 102nd • 393-9700 • 800-593-6060 • www.markelford.com Mon-Thur: 8:30-8 • Fri-Sat: 8:30-6
More about BMW 325i Z4 X3 www.markelbmw.com Tel. 402-393-9700 Fax 402-255-3403
The Ultimate Driving Machine®
Page 4
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
July 23, 2004
Lincoln Rally Continued from page 1 backs. In small letters on the jacket, the name “ACLU” stood out. Perhaps 10 Nazi sympathizers entered the “PRO” staging area at the beginning of the rally and no more than 15 were there at any one time. They were joined by three other ACLU-jacketed observers. When I asked Nazi organizer Jeff Schoep why there were not more supporters, he replied, “Probably because too many people are taking pictures.” Many in the crowd never entered either section, preferring instead to mill around. Although a helicopter hovering overhead departed before the speeches began, a substantial police presence was obvious. A security force patrolled “noman’s land” and around the perimeter. The force consisted of K-9 dogs, State Patrol, LPD, Lancaster County Sheriffs Deputies, and the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations staff. Atop the Capitol and on buildings across the street, police sharpshooters stood watching the crowd below. According to Colonel Tom Nesbitt, superintendent of the state police, “The presence of he Nazi party is an unusual occurrence. Our constitution gives them this freedom. My job is to ensure that everyone attending is safe. We spent a lot of time organizing and preparing for this ally with the Lincoln Police Department and Lancaster Sheriff’s Department. We studied tapes of what took place at a rally in Kansas. I’ve got 75 men here and we are spending $1012,000 out of our budget and a lot of man-hours to protect everyone’s rights. I don’t condone what is going on here, but it is my responsibility to keep everyone safe.” The Omaha World-Herald pegged the total police presence at 225. About three minutes after the scheduled start time, approximately 20 people wearing brown shirts and Nazi arm bands emerged from the capitol waving Nazi flags and holding up signs from the National Socialist Movement and the National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. At the sight of the motley group on the steps of the capitol of the state of Nebraska, the crowd noise became even stronger. The “PRO” group on the right began shouting, “White Power!” and “Seig Heil!” The “ANTI” group countered with “Nazis suck!” How ironic it was that the hate group stood under the engraved quote on the Capitol’s tower: “The Salvation Of The State Is Watchfulness In The Citizen.” For about 100 minutes, the speakers
rattled off a number of shopworn statements. Comic-book like characters strode to the microphone to condemn Jews for controlling the world and called for the impeachment of President Bush. They railed about the chaos along the southern border of the U.S., with “millions of Mexicans pouring across.” The Mexicans “are not here to assimilate,” they cautioned. “They are here to take back the country they lost during the Mexican war in the 1830s. Wake up, White America!” They also railed against interracial dating and had a pro-Palestinian message for the crowd. The Milwaukee-born Gerhard Lauck, speaking with a fake German accent, complained about the lack of tolerance and his mistreatment in a recent legal battle. A Kansas Leader of the NSM, Above: protesters outnumbered the supporters of the Col. Tim Bishop spoke, while in Nazis and Ku Klux Klan; below: Tiffany Dalton Lopez, a the background a brown shirt Jewish demonstrator said Nazis were “not welcome in pranced around performing a our community.” Photos by Gary Javitch Nazi strut. Another t-shirted, heavyset goon periodically flexed his elbow across his chest and then extended his whole arm in a Nazi salute, yelling, “White Power.” Further adding to the event’s comic book caricature, at the rally’s outset, the microphone by JILL BELMONT sound kept fading in and out until Beth El Publicity Coordinator Are you raising a budding Julia Child organizers figured out what buttons to or Emeril? Has your child push. Ray Larsen, Imperial Wizard of the Ku expressed an interest in Klux Klan, talked about the “myth of the learning to cook? If so, then Holocaust” and how “only 504,000 were be sure to sign up for “Let’s Eat!” a cooking class for children ages 10 and older, at Beth El Synagogue on Tuesdays, Aug. 3 and Aug. 10, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Taught by Howard Shandell, participants will be guided as they cook and bake (and of course, eat!) matzoh brei, rugulach, and potato latkes. Children from the entire community are welcome to participate.
killed in concentration camps, including the political prisoners.” He said half of Anne Frank’s Diary was written in ballpoint pen. “That’s years before the pen was invented.” The two-hour rally ended 20 minutes early, probably because they ran out of things to say. Their entire message largely fell on deaf ears because the crowd of supporters and protesters, estimated from various sources at 350-400, frequently drowned out the speechmakers. In contrast to the “PRO” side, the protesters, many of whom were Hispanic, were constantly energized and vocal. People came for a variety of reasons. A teenager wearing a black shirt with the “prohibited” symbol of a red circle with a diagonal radius running through a swastika said, that he had come to stage a peaceful protest against the Nazis, while conceding that “it’s a free land and they can speak and do what they think.” In contrast, another Lincolnite said, “They are Nazis and should not be here.” Besides the signs pictured in the article other signs said, “I don’t see white power, I see white trash.” And a rhyme that said “Racist, Sexist, Anti-gay; Nazi skinheads, Go Away!” The governor had urged people to stay away. Omaha Jewish leaders encouraged community members to attend an alternate rally at Pioneer Park, in another part of Lincoln, where nearly 1500 gathered peaceful to celebrate the State’s diversity. We did, however, locate two Jews at the rally at the Capitol; one was Lincolnite David Howard, who came to protest on behalf of his newborn son. Coincidentally, he had just finished reading Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and did not want to let this demonstration go unchecked. His Jewish grandmother lost a sister in the Holocaust. Howard held a sign up: “This Jew is not afraid of you.” The other Jewish protester was Tiffany Dalton Lopez. She came because she “wanted to send a message that their hatred is not welcome in our community.”
“Let’s Eat” to Teach Children the Art of Jewish Cooking Cost for each session is $10. Class size will be limited to the first 15 registrants and registration deadline is July 27, so make your reservations now by sending a check to “Let’s Eat”, Beth El Synagogue, 14506 California St., Omaha, NE 68154. For more information about the class, please contact Harriet Einziger in the synagogue office, 492.8550.
BIRTHS Tippi and Steve Denenberg announce the June 25 birth of their son, Michael Jacob. He has a brother, Daniel Oscar. Grandparents are Carolyn and Bernie Magid, and Eunice and Norman Denenberg. Jennifer and Scott Meyerson announce the July 3 birth of their son, Brady Adam. He has a five-year-old brother, Jake. Grandparents are Steve and Carol Bloch and Larry and Deenie Meyerson. Great-grandparents are Sonia Forbes
and the late Irving Forbes, Leo Meyerson and the late Helen Meyerson, the late Harold and Lottie Bloch, and the late Sam and Lucille Gelenter. Lauryn and Jason Bloom of Dallas, TX, announce the July 4 birth of their son, Hudson Ian. Grandparents are Dr. Bernard and Naomi Bloom of Dallas and Dr. Mark and Ellen Friedman of Miami, FL. Great-grandparents are Dina Bloom and the late Harold Bloom and Ann Wiesenfeld of Dallas and the late Joseph Wiesenfeld.
July 23, 2004
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 5
Few Clues, No Certainty 10 Years after Panama Airline Bombing Killed 12 Jews by BRIAN HARRIS PANAMA CITY, Panama (JTA)--Ten years after a bomber blew up a shorthaul flight here, killing all 21 people on the commuter plane, including a dozen local Jews, authorities still have no idea who was behind the attack. On the afternoon of July 19, 1994, the Alas Chiricanas flight departed from the Caribbean port of Colon for Panama City, a trip of about 20 minutes. It was a familiar commute for most of those on board, passengers who worked at Colon’s tax-free wholesale market for Asian goods. Instead, the flight turned into a disturbing and enduring mystery. Because the bombing occurred during the deadliest week ever for Jews in Latin America--the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires had been bombed a day earlier, killing 85 people and wounding 300--some Jews are convinced the Panama bombing was the work of Arab terrorists. Hezbollah terrorists are suspected in the AMIA bombing, which is believed to have been sponsored by Iran. But other evidence in the airline attack points to drug cartels in neighboring Colombia, who had used a similar modus operandi to eliminate rivals and debtors in the past. Panamanian authorities say they’re not certain about either theory. So far, they say, they are treating the bombing as a case of murder with possible terrorist overtones. A decade later and without a single arrest to show for their efforts, authorities concede they may never find out who was behind the attack unless someone comes forward with a credible claim of responsibility. That hasn’t happened. All the speculations “are indicators, nothing more, for forming a theory. But to present charges in front of a judge we have to have much more evidence,” the lead judicial investigator in the case, Maritza Royo, told JTA. Asked whether it was an anti-Semitic attack, she said, “the pieces never fully fit in place.” But she admits that the same holds true for the theory about a drug-related revenge bombing. Royo’s efforts are centered on determining the bomber’s identity. The man who blew up the plane checked in for the flight using the phony name Lya Jamal; his true identity never has been ascertained. Only the bomber’s torso was recovered from the crash, and no one claimed the remains, which lay in the country’s morgue for eight years before being buried in a local cemetery. Airline employees helped the police draw a sketch of the bomber, but even a $5 million reward for information-offered by the United States--has failed to produce anyone willing to identify the man, who witnesses say was uncommunicative but apparently of Arab origin. There is some evidentiary support for the theory that the bombing was the work of Arab terrorists. Most of the passengers on the flight were Panamanian Jews, members of a traditional and tight-knit community that is well-known in Latin America for its strong political and financial support for Israel. Given the disfigurement of the bomber’s body, he may have been trained to explode his bomb in such a way that authorities would be unable to identify him. Though less than a pound of explosives were used, the bomber sat in the seat in the small plane where the greatest damage could be inflicted.
community leader David Hanono said, speaking of the sense of peace the Jewish community seeks. Hanono helped out the victims’ families immediately after the attack, and now is the liaison between the Jewish community and authorities in charge of the investigation. Hanono refuses to speculate on who was behind the bombing. Caution in attributing blame has not always been shared by foreign security services. After the bombing, Israeli officials were quick to blame Hezbollah, though now they say only that Hezbollah “probably’’ perpetrated the bombing. Early on, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency officials cast suspicion on the drug cartels, but the $5 million reward they offered is more in line with terrorist events connected to Middle Eastern groups. The United States got involved in the case because an American businessman was among those aboard. In Panama, members of the Sephardi Jewish community live with constant reminders of the killings. The expansive Shevet Ahim synagogue has a memorial to the day’s dead. At the newer Ahvat Sion synagogue, opened in 1999, the dome is dedicated in memory of Albert Attie, and a large chandelier is dedicated to Issac Harrouche and his son Mauricio. All three were killed in the blast. The 10th anniversary of the bombing included only commemoration ceremonies services at some local Jewish schools and a Catholic mass for the victims.
Mayer Attie, with photos of his brother Emmanuel and son Albert killed in the bombing of the Alas Chiricanas plane 10 years ago on the shelf behind him, keeps two large file folders with letters of condolence like the one he’s holding from then-Panamanian President Ernesto Perez Balladares in his Panama City office, July 6, 2004. Twenty-one people, including 12 members of Panama's Jewish community, died when a suicide bomber blew up the commuter flight shortly after takeoff. No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing. Credit: Brian Harris/JTA Israeli security agents claim there had meant specifically to kill Schwartz, that been an increase in travel between would make Schwartz--and his remainBuenos Aires and Panama City by peo- ing family--somewhat responsible for the ple of Arab origin in the months before tragedy. the Alas Chiricanas and AMIA bombings. Since the bombing, at least one vicShortly after the bombing, Panamanian tim’s daughter has become friendly with officials detained three Arab men with Schwartz’s children, the eldest of whom false passports who had tried to cross the was 8 years old at the time of the bombborder into Costa Rica, a common route ing. Schwartz’s family is Ashkenazi, for illegal migrants heading to the United while most of the other Jewish victims States. The men released after authorities were Sephardi, as is the majority of could not link them to the attack. Panama’s Jewish community. The other theory, that the plane was “I want shalom--you understand,” brought down by Colombian drug lords, has some support too. In an airliner bombing blamed on drug lords the previous year in Colombia, there also was no claim of responsibility. The explosives used to blow up the Panamanian plane matched the explosives used in the Colombian bombing. One of the Alas Chiricanas passengers, gold merchant Saul Schwartz, recently had had $2 million in assets frozen by authorities on suspicion of money launApproximately dering. Schwartz was away from his 1 out of every 450 bodyguards only when aboard the within the plane, and authorities say the bomber Ashkenazi Jewish insisted on getting on to the flight only population has after Schwartz had confirmed his reserGaucher disease vation. In addition, Alas Chiricanas was not a Jewish-owned company, and more Jews were expected to be on a flight that left a few minutes later. The bombing came at a time when socalled narco-terrorism by drug lords was at its peak in Colombia. In any case, the inability to determine who was behind the bombing has left victims’ families frustrated and bewildered. With no one to blame, their grieving has been a combination of confusion The symptoms may become apparent at any age and they include: and unease--a sense that pervades their lives to this day. EASY BRUISING AND BLEEDING BONE PAIN “I want, for my own peace of mind, to know the final verdict,” said Mayer Attie, who lost his son Albert and brother FATIGUE EASILY FRACTURED BONES Emmanuel on the flight. Knowing “is not going to bring my DELAYED GROWTH ENLARGED SPLEEN AND LIVER back either my son or my brother,” he said, but “by not knowing who it was, I cannot say who my anger is directed at.” Within the Jewish community, the lack of suspects or arrests has generated serious concern. Neither theory about the The consequences of this disorder can bombing bodes well for them. be debilitating. For more information on If Arab terrorists were responsible, it Gaucher disease, treatment, and www.genzyme.com would shatter the Jews’ view of Panama testing, contact your doctor or please as an inclusive and friendly country for call and ask for Information Packet 9. Jews, sullying generations of amicable relations between Jews and Arabs here. RGD/US/P145/01/04 On the other hand, if the bombing was
GAUCHER DISEASE
●
●
●
1-800-745-4447
Page 6
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
July 23, 2004
In Cooking, What’s New Really Isn’t
Summer Cooking with Vegetables
R EAD IT AND EAT Reviewed by LOIS FRIEDMAN Tomatoes by Manisha Harkins (Ryland, Peters & Small, $12.95) Ah, its tomato season and our homegrown tomatoes just are the best...old-fashioned flavor found in backyards and farmers’ markets and sometimes at local supermarkets. Tomatoes are packed with lots of vitamins A, C, K and lycopene. Add tomatoes to your five to eight servings of vegetables and fruits per day. The chapters are appetizers-soups & salads, fish-meat & poultry, vegetarian entrees, pasta-grains & beans, and tomato additions. Over 30 one-to-a-page recipes for tomatoes of every size, shape and color with variations, detailed instructions, hints in the headnotes and terrific color photograph of the dish. One recipe from the international mix of recipes...insalata caprese (mozzarella, tomato and basil salad), easy chicken tacos, rustic chicken panini with Sicilian pesto, provencal tomato tian (named after the shallow ceramic dish in which it is cooked) and more...for you to sample. SALSA ROJA WITH TOMATO AND JALAPENO The classic Mexican red salsa. Make it with a ripe, top variety of tomato, bursting with sweetness and flavor, like those found at roadside stands in late August. Fresh jalapenos are widely available, but you can use sliced ones packed in vinegar (saving the vinegar for other recipes), though they won’t be as good. 1 lb. vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped 1 medium white onion finely chopped 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 fresh jalapeno chiles, seeded and finely chopped or... 2 tablespoons jalapeno slices in vinegar, rinsed, drained and chopped freshly squeezed juice of a lime sea salt Put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well, and let marinate for 30 minutes before serving.
The Classic Zucchini Cookbook by N. Ralston, M. Jordan & A. Chesman (Storey, $14.95) August and September are zucchini months. Here’s a cookbook for squash of every kind. Becoming Acquainted with A Squash is chapter one and covers everything you want to know about this family of versatile vegetables. This over abundant veggie is celebrated at festivals as well as in the next nine chapters, Starters-Salads & Soups, Vegetarian Main Dishes, Seafood-Chicken & Meat Main Dishes, Summer Squash Side Dishes, Winter Squash Side Dishes, Breads, Desserts and Pickling-Preserving & Freezing. Zucchini appears as “Zapple pie and strudel and Zesto (pesto).” The 225 recipes, influenced by the foods of the Mediterranean as well as some of the old standbys of the two preceding editions of this cookbook, are for starters through dessert and are listed at the beginning of each chapter. Headnotes, line drawings and numerical instructions accompany the recipes. You’ll get lots of ideas to help you utilize an overly bountiful harvest of summer and winter squash. Here’s one for the freezer for future pasta and pizza meals. ZUCCHINI MIX IN TOMATO SAUCE Frozen tomato sauce with zucchini in it can be defrosted and used as an instant pasta or pizza sauce. 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup minced onion 1 cup chopped celery 5-6 cups diced or sliced zucchini 1 tablespoon sugar or honey 1 teaspoons salt Force the chopped tomatoes through a food mill or coarse sieve to remove the seeds and skins. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery. Saute until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, tomato puree, and sugar Simmer, stirring frequently until the sauce is reduced by about one quarter and thick, about 25 minutes. Add the salt. Remove from the heat and cool briefly. Ladle into freezer containers, allowing an inch of headroom in the container for expansion. Label and freeze for up to three months. Lois Friedman can ReadItAndEat@yahoo.com.
be
reached
at:
WRJ Used Book Sale Opens at Temple Israel by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Three to four thousand “gently used” books of all kinds will be for sale at “a fraction of the original cost,” promised Wendy Goldberg, chairperson with Stacey Rockman of the Used Book Sale sponsored by Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ). The four-day sale begins Sunday, August 1. Book sale hours are Sunday, Aug. 1, 1-4 p.m. on. On Monday, Aug. 2, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; on Tuesday, Aug. 3, noon to 7 p.m.; and on Wednesday, Aug. 4, the book sale is open from noon to 5 p.m. The sale is at Temple Israel. On Tuesday and Wednesday, prices are reduced even further. “Paperback and hardback, fiction and non-fiction, poetry, history, Jewish, how to, romance, and mystery books have been donated for the sale,” Goldberg said. “The list goes on and on.” “Stacey and I love sorting through the books and
Neon Goose Inc. presents
Lunch • Tues.-Fri. 11-2:30 Dinner • Tues.-Thurs. 5-10 • Fri. & Sat. 5-11 Sunday Brunch • 10-2 1822 N. 120th St. • SW corner of 120th & Blondo
898-1882
finding treasures,” she admitted. “It’s a fun project especially when you see the thrill on people’s faces when they find something they’ve been looking for.” “It’s a service to the community,” added Jane Brooks who has worked on the Used Book Sale for years. WRJ (or Temple Israel Sisterhood at the time) took over the book sale in the late 1950s or early 1960s, she estimated, from Brandeis University National Women’s Committee which started the fund raiser. Brooks said she’s seen many teachers looking for books at the sale. “Children’s books always sell well,” she said. Susie Silverman and Jordana Glazer are in charge of scheduling volunteers working at the book sale. In addition to the volunteers, Goldberg said she is also grateful to Lori Bennett and Maureen Kube, who work in the office at Temple, and the custodial staff. “We could never get this done without their help.” Proceeds from the book sale support WRJ programming.
Dining
Out When you patronize these fine establishments, tell them you saw their ad in the Jewish Press.
BERT’S EYE VIEW by BERT LEWIS
I was in one of our fancy new gourmet kitchen stores the other day, checking to see if they had anything I thought I needed. It’s a gorgeous store and before long, it was making me wish I could throw everything away and start over. It’s just an involuntary reflex all women have. I did, however, see some things that made me notice how many old kitchen gadgets are back in current usage. The chafing dish is a good example. If you’re old enough to remember the 1950s, you’ll recall that every bride received at least three chafing dishes. They were the popular thing to give/receive for quite a while when suddenly they began to turn up in garage sales. How come? The novelty had worn off and nobody used them much anymore. But wait a minute; I see a display of this years’ models, shiny and sleek, just waiting to capture the attention of the younger generation. In addition to that little number, I discovered the pressure cooker was back. When I heard a young woman ask “what the heck is that?” I resisted the temptation to butt in and tell her I had one 50-odd years ago. I don’t think I need one in this century, because if I want to blow something up, I have my microwave. If you ever had a bad experience with a pressure cooker, you’ll know what I’m talking about. And (or), if you’re a modern-day, accident-prone goof like I am, you know things can explode in a microwave in 2004 just like they did in a pressure cooker in 1947. Two words of warning: Read instructions! The more I wandered around, the more I found old things I had forgotten existed. I’ve often heard my friends talk about the “hock messer” their mothers used when making chopped liver. Today we have the food processor. Still, I saw hand-held chopping implements similar to the kind your Bubie brought with her from Russia. And, maybe the star of them all is something Italian cooks still use--something called a mezza luna (half moon). This sharp and scary looking thing chops with a rocking motion--and the experienced user can imitate a food processor. Near as I can tell, only two groups of cooks use (or even know about) these: old time Italian cooks and gourmet chefs. I guess it isn’t fair to classify them with the old stuff being re-introduced, because the mezza luna never went out of style. Of course the kitchen isn’t the only place to find a new version of an old tool or gadget. I’m always a little tickled to see somebody pushing a lawn mower without a motor...the kind everyone used when I was a kid. They didn’t make any noise and the pusher couldn’t ride on them, but they cut the grass. So what’s the big deal with recognizing old stuff making a come-back? It’s related to that warm feeling when you talk about old friends and familiar things recalled from childhood. But, we should be grateful for the newer inventions, too--like the non-stick surfaces on cooking and baking utensils. I always will bless the guy who invented that but he didn’t help me the other day when I was baking cookies. The timer rang and I opened the oven door to take out a pan with one cookie--the exact size of the pan. In my usual hurry, I put the unbaked cookies too close to each other; they ran together into one huge rectangle. No big deal. Square cookies are just as tasty as round ones, and square is what you get when you have to cut them off the pan. One more thing that can happen just as easily on the old fashioned pan as the non-stick. Just ask me--I’m a one-cookie expert!
EL ALAMO “Best Mexican Food”
Nachos • Guacamole • Tacos • Fajitas Burritos • Shrimp • Enchiladas Combination Dinners Carnitas • Tostadas Tamales • Arroz Con Pollo • Machaca MEXICAN BEER Corona • XX • Bohemia • Tecate • Carta Blanca Open for Lunch and Dinner 11 a.m.-9 p.m. OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
4917 South 24th St. • 731-8969
July 23, 2004
Friedman Foundation Matches Iowa West Gift to NJHS by RENEE CORCORAN NJHS Director The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society recently received notice of a gift of $25,000 from the Ike and Roz Friedman Foundation. The gift is a timely one, in that it can be used to match a gift from the Iowa West Foundation to continue the process of preserving, cataloging and proper storage
Ike Friedman
Roz Friedman
of the collection. This grant will assist NJHS in its mission to preserve the history of Jewish families who settled in Nebraska and Council Bluffs, IA. If anyone would like information on our goals and challenges please contact Louise Abrahamson or the NJHS office at 334.6442. Brochures are available upon request.
ORGANIZATIONS WALK-IN, DROP-IN For those members going on the day trip to WinnaVegas Casino, please meet at the JCC main entrance Thursday, 8:15 a.m. VISIONS Reminder: Visions Summer Picnic is Sunday, July 25, 12:30 p.m., at Chalco Hills Recreation Area. Note: Please bring a side dish to share. If your last name begins with the letter A through K, bring a salad; L through Zs, bring a dessert. Join Visions for our first Dinner Cruise on the River City Star on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 6 p.m. Buffet dinner, live music and a cruise down the Missouri River all for $28 per person. Send reservations and check to Sandy and Fred Bromley, 13419 Marinda St., Omaha, NE 68144. No accommodations after Aug. 12. The Producers, the new Mel Brooks Musical is Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005, 2 p.m. at the Orpheum Theater. Cost is $67 per person. Send reservations with payment to Jean Elkon, 1005 North 63 St., Omaha, NE 68132. For information, call Ethel Coldston at 393.7358. Make all check payable to Visions. B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Lee Polikov will speak at Breadbreakers on
Wednesday, July 28, noon, at the Park Inn Regency, according to Marty Ricks, July Chairman. Polikov is the Sarpy County Attorney, and will discuss recent (and controversial Sarpy) events and answer questions. Cost is $9 for lunch and $2 for beverage service only. Breadbreakers is open to the community. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH We are playing Yiddish bingo--Oivai. It’s fun! It’s educational! The Yiddish groups meets at the JCC on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. Call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638 for information. TORAH LEARNING CENTER Rabbi Tuvia Hoffman will teach the following classes: on Tuesdays, 7 p.m.--Jewish Philosophy--ongoing discussions on self-growth, and on Wednesdays, noon-”Down to Earth Jewish Philosophy” in the Omaha Room of the Jewish Community Center. Save the date: Rabbi Yaakov Marcus, so warmly received by this community last month, will make a return visit to Omaha for a Shabbaton at the TLC House, Friday-Saturday, Oct. 15-16. New home-study groups and classes and individual study sessions are available. Please call me at 981.0569 for more information.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Dining
Out
When you patronize these fine establishments, tell them you saw their ad in the Jewish Press.
THE GREEK ISLANDS 3821 CENTER • 346-1528 Greek Specials Daily Greek Beer & Wine Homemade Pastries Dine In/Carry Out Party Room We Cater Too! Full Service Bar Mon.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Master Chef Walter Hecht prepares each meal as it is ordered, using only the finest meats, seafood, and serving only the most palatable wines. For exquisite lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch, Open Every Day reserve your chair at Bistro 121! for Lunch & Dinner Sunday Brunch 10 - 3
12129 West Center Rd. Westwood Plaza
697-5107
JIM & JENNIE’S GREEK VILLAGE Traditional Greek Dishes
♦ Roast Lamb ♦ Fish Plaki ♦ Stuffed Grape Leaves ♦ Chicken Reganato ♦ Souviaki ♦ Mousaka
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
TAKE-OUT
Second Group of Campers Leave for Sabra
Attending the second session of Camp Sabra in the Ozarks are, front row: Joey Kahn, left, Mitchell Sanford, Alec Lerner; and back row: Steven Finkle, Solo Cemaj, and Ygal Schuller.
Beth El Presents K’tantan Plus for Summer Shabbat Fun! by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Although Beth El’s Junior Congregation Shabbat services are on hiatus, there is still much fun and learning to be had through K’tantan Plus, a Shabbat-centered program led by teacher Daniel Christensen. Sessions will be held at 10:45 a.m. on July 31, August 14 and August 28. During the school year, K’tantan involves children in kindergarten through second grades; however, the group has been expanded this summer to include all students through the seventh grade, Christensen said. Activities will include exploring the Siddur in an ageappropriate fashion, he added, noting that the older students will help to tutor the younger kids. All children in the community are welcome to participate; for more information, call the synagogue office at 492.8550.
Girls Inc. of Omaha will receive new playground equipment, thanks to the generosity of KaBoom!, a
Saganaki Spanakopita Lamb Kabob Chicken Kabob Seafood Specialties Full Bar
CATERING
3026 No. 90th St. • 571-2857
li e D e Th at
Spirit World 7517 Pacific Omaha, NE 68114 391-8680
Our Kitchen Can Prepare Your Favorite Box Lunch for Your Any Occasion Party! (BAR AND BAT MITZVAHS) luncheons - parties Call and Ask for Our Catering Department
Serving up a taste of Sicily & Italy ~ that’s Pasta Amore
IN THE NEWS No Frills Supermarkets will acquire five newlymodernized Albertsons food stores next month. Another six Albertson’s stores have been acquired by Bag ‘n Save. No Frills President and Chief Executive Officer, Rich Juro said, “This is an exciting opportunity for us and for the local consumer. We intend to leverage our increased buying power to the greatest extent possible and pass the value on to our customers.” No Frills has grown steadily since it was founded by Harold Cooperman, who opened his first grocery store in 1938. Since the original No Frills store opened in 1980, the company has moved to a full service priceimpact style of business and takes pride in providing unmatched quality and savings to its customers. Today it remains locally owned, independent, and community-focused. Once the Albertsons sale is finalized, No Frills’ current 10-store operation will grow dramatically and employ more than 1300 people.
Page 7
non-profit organization that specializes in linking communities and corporations. KaBoom partnered with Home Depot to provide a state-of-the-art playground, featuring a climbing wall, slides, swings, tetherball and more, which will be built Thursday, July 29, 8:30 a.m. by 125 volunteers, and dedicated at 12:30 p.m. Former Omahan Mike Silverman, son of Jim and Susie Silverman, was recently named to the synagogue executive board of the Lawrence Jewish Community Center in Lawrence, KS. Silverman, a graduate of Omaha Burke High School and the University of Kansas, is a software engineer and lives in Lawrence, with his husband, Dave Greenbaum. Beth Shyken, daughter of Dr. Paul and Susie Shyken, has earned a master’s degree in education from De Paul University in Chicago, IL. She graduated with “highest honors”, earning a 4.0, and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society for academic excellence. She will be teaching second grade at the Solomon Schechter Day School in Skokie, IL.
Your neighbors, Leo and Pat Fascianella
Catering to your home or office Party rooms available for up to 65 people
New! Outdoor Dining And Party Room
Pasta Amore
11027 Prairie Brook Road, Omaha • 391-2585 Lunch: Monday-Friday: 11:00 am-2:00 pm Dinner: Monday-Saturday: 4:30-on Open Sundays for private parties • www.PastaAmore.net
Page 8
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
July 23, 2004
Opinion Do We Still Need Tisha B’Av? Monday evening and Tuesday, July 26-27, corresponds to the Hebrew date, the ninth of Av. For most Jews, this commemoration is just a footnote; it’s barely given a second glance and certainly very few observe its rituals. Tisha B’Av commemorates several calamitous events in Jewish history: the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem, the first in 586 BCE by the Babylonians (today’s Iraqis) and the second by the Romans (today’s Western civilization) in 70 CE. There are several other events, which have also been linked to the ninth of Av--from the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula in 1492; the start of World War I in 1918, and the Wannsee Conference in 1942 when the “Final Solution” of the Jews was proposed by Adolf Eichmann. The rituals surrounding Tisha B’av are similar to Yom Kippur: a 25-hour fast from sundown to and hour after sundown and no wearing of leather; other rituals include the reading of Eicha--Lamentations, as part of the evening service. During the three weeks which preceded Tisha B’av, many Jews don’t listen to music or purchase new clothes. And from the first of Av, there are additional prohibitions, from refraining from laundry to eating meat. While Tisha B’Av does not have the same status as Yom Kippur as far as refraining from work or reciting prayers nearly all day long, still, it is viewed as a serious day--and a prelude to the weeks before the High Holidays. Some Orthodox Jews in the “black hat” world have even suggested that Tisha B’Av should be the real Yom HaShoah--Holocaust Remembrance Day, when Jews should recall all the disasters that have befallen us.
(Founded in 1920)
Someday, perhaps hundreds of years from now, maybe Jews will speak in hushed tones about the Holocaust as yet another in a long line of tragedies which have nearly destroyed the Jewish people. Or perhaps, G-d forbid, there will be additional tragedies added to the list. Regardless of what the future brings, the question we should ask ourselves is what the real meaning of this period on the Jewish calendar should be. The noted author, lecturer and rabbinic authority, Rabbi Yissachar Frand, has suggested to his followers that Jews use this time to avoid “machlokes”--strife: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” he said in a Tisha B’Av video in 2001. “We engage in strife, though, because it is so seductive. Machlokes is all consuming and has the potential to thoroughly disrupt one’s life and his family’s life.” This isn’t a lesson in pop psychology; Rabbi Frand’s plea is that every Jew use this time--from the three weeks prior to Tisha B’Av to the seven weeks until Rosh Hashanah--to make an effort to change his or her behavior. Rabbi Frand also suggests that carrying around anger towards others is a heavy load and that it may be time to move on. After all, we are not responsible for the behavior of others--only our own. If someone has committed what we consider a grievous act and won’t recognize it or apologize for it, there’s not much we can do. Oh, sure, we can stay angry, but, in the end, who are we really hurting?
Perhaps the actions of others--as hurtful as they may have been--are part of G-d’s plan to get us to change our behavior. Maybe we’re the ones who need to look inside; maybe we’re the ones who should forgive those who have intentionally or accidentally wronged us; maybe we’re the ones who need to make a change--for the good. Tisha B’Av isn’t just about calamity; it’s also about overcoming it.
tured, riddled with corruption, unable to provide security for its own people and seemingly unwilling to crack down on terrorist attacks against Israel.” One unnamed Fatah member estimates that 90 percent of gang activity is carried out by Palestinian Authority employees. In February, for example, one Palestinian police officer died and 11 were wounded when rival police factions fought each other within the confines of Gaza’s police headquarters. Things climaxed on July 16, as AlFatah terrorists ambushed and seized Gaza’s police chief for several hours; and then some recently-sacked Palestinian policemen abducted the director of military co-ordination in the southern part of Gaza.
Greater Middle East (Somalia, Sudan, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan) in the general trend toward lawlessness. • Arafat predicted in 1994 that “Either we build a Singapore in our country or fall into the trap of the tragic Somali model.” He thus acknowledges that the PA’s slide to Somalilike anarchy symbolizes his own failure. • The Islamic proverb, “Better a thousand days of tyranny than one day of anarchy,” has an element of truth, for life in the PA territories has truly become hellish. • Although Arafat launched the Oslo war nearly four years ago with the intent to destroy Israel, he is, ironically, destroying not Israel but his own proto-government. The question now facing Palestinians is whether they have learned the right lessons from their bitter experience. That for once they are not blaming Israel for their problems gives some reason for optimism. Cox News Service notes that, “as the disorder spreads, Palestinian intellectuals and politicians are increasingly looking past Israel as the usual scapegoat and admitting they share a part of the blame.” National Public Radio quotes a Palestinian saying that the PA is in trouble “because many people are being killed or kidnapped or robbed. … We are all accusing the government of not doing anything.” A poll by the Gaza-based General Institute for Information finds that just 29 percent of Palestinians hold Israelis responsible for the PA’s failure to enforce law and order. This is a good start. But to emerge from their political predicament requires Palestinians coming to terms with the existence of the Jewish state of Israel. So long as they resist this change of heart, the Somali model remains their fate. Daniel Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum and author of Miniatures (Transaction Publishers). He can be reached at: www.DanielPipes.org.
Palestinian Anarchy BEHIND THE H EADLINES by DANIEL PIPES “There is a crisis. There is a state of chaos.” That’s what Ahmed Qureia said after announcing his resignation from what some call the Palestinian Authority’s prime ministry. “We have an absolute state of chaos,” echoes the mayor of Jenin, a West Bank town. That chaos, growing since Yasir Arafat initiated the Oslo War in September 2000, has prompted the PA to declare a state of emergency; it could signal the end of the PA itself. According to an April poll of the Gazabased General Institute for Information, 94% of Palestinians believe that a state of lawlessness and chaos prevails in Palestinian Authority territories. As Palestinian security forces have fragmented and dissolved, armed groups of unknown identity have taken their place, using strong-arm tactics against a hapless population. The Jerusalem-based Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group finds that “weapons possession has become socially legitimized in Palestinian society.” In gang-dominated Nablus, for example, some deaths have resulted from spiraling criminal activity and reckless accusations of “collaboration” with Israel. But, Reuters explains, most casualties involve mistaken identity or plain bad luck. In two typical stories dating from February 2004, “Amneh Abu Hijleh, 37, entered a pharmacy to buy cough syrup for her infant daughter only to be shot dead in a botched abduction. Firas Aghbar, 13, was killed when he walked into a gang battle on his way to the barber for a birthday trim.” As explained by the Washington Post, “the Palestinian Authority is broke, politically frac-
“as the disorder spreads, Palestinian intellectuals and politicians are increasingly looking past Israel as the usual scapegoat and admitting they share a part of the blame.” Terje Roed-Larsen, the UN’s Middle East envoy, has offered choice comments on the spreading anarchy, telling the Security Council that “Clashes and showdowns between branches of Palestinian security forces are now common in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian Authority legal authority is receding fast in the face of the mounting power of arms, money and intimidation.” He also reached the startling conclusion that “Jericho is actually becoming the only Palestinian city with a functioning police.” This descent into chaos prompts four observations. • The PA has joined other parts of the
Joanie Jacobson Chairman Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Ray Pred Account Executive Timothy J. Ketelsen Bookkeeper Lori Kooper-Schwarz Production Assistant 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; Micahel Siegal; Nancy Skid; and Melanie Weinstein. 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 and the Foundation are constutional committees of the Jewish Federation. Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is a Constitutional Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, noon, eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. 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.
Nebraska Press Association
National Newspaper Association
July 23, 2004
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 9
We Must Confront the Darkness of Tisha B'Av to Find Its Meaning
BEHIND THE HEADLINES by JANE ULMAN ENCINO, CA (JTA)--In the blazing heat of mid-summer, with its long, light-filled days and leisurely pace, we confront the darkest day on the Jewish calendar, Tisha B’Av. This holiday, which begins this year at sundown on Monday, July 26, marks the destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem, the fall of the Betar fortress to the Romans, the expulsion of Jews from Spain and other tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people throughout history. In many ways, Tisha B’Av is the inverse of Hanukkah, a holiday of lights that occurs during the darkest days of winter. “At the moment of light, we have to remember darkness, and at the moment of darkness, we have to remember light,” says Sharon Brous, rabbi of Ikar, a new spiritual community in Los Angeles that is both traditional and progressive. But unlike Hanukkah, one of the most celebrated Jewish holidays in the United States, Tisha B’Av is commemorated primarily by observant Jews and kids at Jewish summer camps. Are the rest of us missing an important opportunity? Does the demise of the Temple and, for some, the desire for its return have meaning for us almost 2,000 years later? “There is a movement in religion today toward greater consciousness and symbolic understanding,” says J. Marvin Spiegelman, an author and Jungian analyst in private practice in the Los Angeles
area. “I think when we say we want to rebuild the Temple, we mean that we want to make it real psychologically.” But before the Temple can be rebuilt, psychologically or otherwise, we need to come to terms with the forces that caused the devastation. As the Talmud tells us, “Why was the First Temple destroyed? Because of idolatry, incest and the spilling of blood within it. And why the second? Because of senseless hatred.” In other words, because of the forces of darkness that reside within human beings. “I think it’s healthy to take that upon ourselves,” Spiegelman says. “It’s important that we become aware of evil--our own murderousness, coldness and selfishness--so we don’t act it out and project it out.” Unlike Yom Kippur, in which we concentrate on individual sins, Tisha B’Av focuses on the collective evil, the darkness or shadow that dwells within a whole community or nation, and the wreckage it can engender. Evil always has existed. In the book of Isaiah, God says, “I am the Lord and there is none else. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I am the Lord that does all these things.” “There’s a sense, though, that the world is particularly off-kilter now,” Spiegelman says. Thus, the need to recognize the darkness is even more crucial. “Ultimately Tisha B’Av is about emerging from the darkness into something much more whole,” Brous says. To do this, both Brous and Spiegelman see power in the time-honored traditions of Tisha B’Av.
This includes observing a 25-hour fast from sundown to nightfall and, during evening services, sitting on the floor in semi-darkness reading the book of Eicha --Lamentations--and other kinot, or elegies, which also are read the following day. “But we can’t just go through the motions. We have to contextualize it, to ask, ‘What are we actually doing? What does it mean to commemorate this event right now in this way?’ “ Brous says. “The problem now is we have only the shell of the ritual without the essence.” The summer camp experience often provides more context. At Camp Ramah of California, located in the Ojai Valley north of Los Angeles, campers and staff gather together on Tisha B’Av eve in the outdoor synagogue, the area illuminated by dim candlelight. They sit on the ground as mourners and listen as Eicha is read. Afterwards, before the campers leave for their tents, Rabbi Daniel Greyber, Executive Director of Camp Ramah of California and the Zimmer Conference Center, urges them not to speak to one another. “I want to create an awareness for them of how we use words and the ways in which they’re hurtful to one another. I want to bring alive what it feels like to hate each other so much that we can’t even speak to one another and how destructive this was for the Jewish people.” That evening, staff members watch Nine Days in November, an Israeli film depicting the years and months leading up to the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. “I believe that there’s no time in modern Jewish history that better reflects the dangers of sinat chinam, senseless
hatred, than that moment,” Greyber says. The following day, the mood progressively lightens. Campers engage in creative projects, such as painting murals of Jerusalem or acting in skits about hurtful speech. They talk about the importance of Israel. “Tisha B’Av is not the most fun day in camp. The kids learn about some of the dark things that have happened to the Jewish people historically. But they walk away having grown as individuals, with a very deep message about what it means to be part of the Jewish people and to take responsibility for creating the Jewish community they want,” Greyber says. That is the message Tisha B’Av can teach all of us--to take responsibility. And not only for the Jewish community. “Tisha B’Av isn’t just ancient history; it’s also the awful, sad and gruesome reality for many people today. A lot of the horrible images that are depicted in Lamentations are actually happening in the world, in places like Sudan and Haiti,” Brous says. Tisha B’Av teaches us that survival and change are possible. The destruction of the Temple, horrific as it was, revolutionized Judaism, dispersing us in all directions and eventually transforming our communication with God from animal sacrifices and priestly rituals to prayer and good deeds. And we have been able to continue to survive. We have turned the minor holiday of Chanukah into an extravaganza of light and celebration. Can we now turn the most tragic day in Jewish history into an experience of deep significance and transformation? “Let there be light,’” God says in Genesis. But let us also not forget the darkness.
ICJ Misused cide bombings and other attacks that have murdered hundreds of Israelis in cafes, buses, on their streets and in their homes.
FOCUS ON ISSUES by HOWARD KOHR
In an unfortunate decision, the U.N.’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion condemning Israel’s security fence as a violation of international law and demanded that Israel dismantle it. The court’s advisory opinion is just that, advisory, and is not in any way legally binding. Regardless of the opinion of the court, the issue should never have been referred to the ICJ in the first place. This misuse of the court is the latest attempt by opponents of Israel to denigrate the Jewish state in international forums and sets a dangerous precedent for other nations, making it possible for countless controversial political matters to be referred to the ICJ. Israel does not need permission to build a muchneeded security barrier to defend its citizens against Palestinian terrorism, particularly after four years of sui-
Israel does not need permission to build a much-needed security barrier to defend its citizens against Palestinian terrorism... The recent landmark decision by Israel’s Supreme Court that an 18-mile segment of the barrier must be rerouted to reduce the impact on the Palestinian population, demonstrated that the democratic institutions in Israel, the only ones of their kind in the Middle East, are perfectly capable of dealing with issues arising from the fence’s construction. In its ruling, the Israeli court reaffirmed that the construction of the fence was a security rather than political decision, and noted that Israel has a legal duty to balance properly between security considerations and humanitarian ones. Perhaps most importantly, the fence has already
demonstrated its effectiveness in saving innocent lives. Terror attacks emanating in the northern West Bank, from which terrorists easily entered nearby Israeli population centers, have been reduced by 90 percent. Now the origin points for terrorism have moved south where the fence’s construction has not yet been completed. The international community, especially the European nations, should not participate in the effort by Israel’s detractors to use the court’s advisory opinion to damage Israel’s international standing through antiIsrael U.N. resolutions. Instead, they should play a constructive role by supporting Israel as it takes bold steps for peacefully implementing Prime Minister Sharon’s plan to break the current impasse by withdrawing from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank. Howard Kohr is the Executive Director of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He can be reached at the group’s website:: www.aipac.org.
Gift Subscription Subscribe to the Jewish Press for $31 per calendar year US or $35 foreign From: Name _____________________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________________________ From: City/State/Zip ______________________________________________________________________________________ Phone __________________________________________________ For: Name _____________________________________________________________________
For: Name _____________________________________________________________________
For: Address ___________________________________________________________________
For: Address ___________________________________________________________________
For: City/State/Zip ______________________________________________________________
For: City/State/Zip ______________________________________________________________
Enclosed is $31 per each US subscription or $35 foreign.
Number of subscriptions ______
TOTAL $____________
Please send this by mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 S. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198; fax: 334-5422; or email: jpress@jewishomaha.org
Page 10
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Synagogue Listings B’nai Israel Synagogue 618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com
Beth El Synagogue Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org
Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org
Beyt Shalom An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation 3012 S. 119 St. P.O. Box 390352 Omaha, NE 68139 660.2395 www.beytshalomomaha.org
Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 nebraskajudaism.com email: chabad@aol.com
Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 jewishnebraska.org
Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244
Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 333 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154
Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org
The Neighborhood Minyan Torah Learning Center 1313 No. 58 St. Omaha, NE 68132 553.5397
Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org
Diane Schrage LICENSED ESTHETICIAN
402.618.5648
❧✻ ✻❧
• FACIALS •WAXING • MICRODERMABRASION • OXYGEN TREATMENTS • SKIN CARE PRODUCTS
❧✻ ✻❧ Oakview Wellness Center 14441 Dupont Court, Ste. 102 Elmwood Salon 5207 Leavenworth
July 23, 2004
Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m. FRIDAY, July 30 & August 13: No Services FRIDAY, August 6: Services followed by Oneg in honor of the marriage of Naomi and Ruvane Kurland, 7:30 p.m.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning Services, 9:30 a.m., Kiddush sponsored by Beth El Synagogue. Evening Services, 8:45 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sunday, 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Weekdays, 6:55 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. TISHA B’AV SERVICES MONDAY, July 26; 8:30 p.m. TUESDAY, July 27, 6:55 a.m. and 1 p.m. SITTER SERVICE During Friday night and Saturday mornings services, on a drop-in basis, at no charge. SPECIAL PROGRAMS COME & DANCE! Israeli Dance Lessons Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. For information, contact Cheryl Lerner, 334.8430 or cldancer@ aol.com. SATURDAY, July 31: K’tantan Plus (K-2), activities will include exploring the Siddur in an age appropriate fashion, 10:45 a.m. HONEY FOR THE HOLIDAYS: What better way to wish loved ones a sweet New Year than through a festively-wrapped sixounce bottle of honey accompanied by a special New Year’s greeting? Support Beth El Sisterhood’s annual honey sale! Place your orders by Aug. 6; order forms will be sent in the mid-month mailing and are also available in the synagogue office.
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: MondayThursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m-2 p.m.. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Services, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY: Morning Services, 9 a.m.; Free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by the Sisterhood. Junior Congregation, 10:30 a.m.; Mincha, 8:25 p.m. and Havdalah, 9:37 p.m. SUNDAY: Morning Service, 9 a.m.; Evening Service, 7 p.m. Weekday Morning Service, 7 a.m.; Weekday Evening Service, 7 p.m.. TISHA B’AV Tisha B’av is traditionally a time for focusing on Ahavas Yisrael and the bond that connects all Jews to each other. In a video presentation prepared by the OU, you will be given the opportunity to explore how to bring chesed (kindness) into your heart and into your life. According to Rabbi Moshe D. Krupka, OU Executive Director of Program-ming, the program challenges its viewers to perform acts of kindness toward fellow man, expecting “nothing in return”. The video will be shown at Beth Israel. MONDAY, July 26, 8:35 p.m. Mincha; Fast begins at 8:45 p.m., Following Ma’ariv at 9:05 p.m., Eicha (Lamentations) and Kinnos will be recited. TUESDAY, July 27: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; OU video presentation, 7 p.m., followed by Mincha at 8:51 p.m. and a free dairy dinner. Rabbi Howard Kutner and his family have left Omaha for their new home in Cleveland, OH. Rabbi Jonathan Gross will assume the pulpit at Beth Israel on Aug. 9.
BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Family Service, 7 p.m.
Shabbat
CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. MONDAY-FRIDAY, Morning services, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Mamarim class, 9 a.m.; Services, 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Services, 8:30 a.m. Mishneh class, 9:30 a.m. MONDAY Halacha Intermediate level, 7 p.m.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Rabbi Debbie Stiel will be in the office Tuesdays and Thursdays, all day. You may reach her 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays at 416.2321 (local for Lincoln), or at rabstiel@aol.com. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. Led by Rabbi Debbie Stiel with the study topic “God and Mitzvot in Reform Judaism”. Oneg to follow. SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. Services will be led by Rabbi Stiel. SATURDAY: Havdalah and Movie Night--Teens and adults are invited to enjoy the movie: A Life Apart: Hasidism in America, 7 p.m. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAYS: Beginning Hebrew Prayers, using the book Hineini, on July 25, Aug. 15 and Aug. 29, 9 a.m.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME FRIDAY: Services, 7 p.m.; led by Nancy Rips. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.; led by Andy Greenberg.
TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 6 p.m. Cantor Wendy Shermet will officiate and give the first sermon in a two-part Shabbat series about the life and and ideas of acclaimed author Leon Wieseltier. Wieseltier will speak at Temple Israel in October at a lecture sponsored by the Harris Center for Judaic Studies at UNL. SATURDAY: Bagels and Sacred Books, 9:30-10:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. SITTER SERVICE During the months of July and August, sitter service will be available at each Friday evening service. Please make a reservation through the Temple office.
Candlelighting Friday, July 23, 8:31 p.m. Cost is $2 per family. Sorry, there are no facilities for infants. SUMMER SERVICE TIMES Continuing through Aug. 27, all Friday evening services will begin at 6 p.m. in the Livingston Chapel. Saturday morning services remain at 10:30 a.m. NOURISH THE SOUL NOURISH THE BODY Part II of a two-part Shabbat series Friday, Aug. 6, 6 p.m. Rabbi Craig Marantz will give the second sermon exploring Wieseltier’s works. The discussion will continue at a no-host dinner at Pasta Amore (108th and Center) immediately following the service. Call the Temple office, 556.6536, to reserve your spot at the table. WRJ-O BOOK SALE Temple Women of Reform Judaism-Omaha sale of nearly new and used book begins Sunday, Aug. 1 at Temple Israel through Wednesday, Aug. 4 in the Friedman Social Hall. The sale will include hardcover, paperbacks, novels, cookbooks, children’s books and much more.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN AT TLC FRIDAY: Kaballat Shabbat services, 7 p.m., . SATURDAY: Shabbat services, followed by a festive kiddush, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:25 p.m., followed by Havdalah.
TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Rabbi Stanley M. Rosenbaum. Minyan, MONDAY AND THURSDAY, 7:15 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 8 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. TISHA B’AV SERVICES MONDAY, July 26, 8:45 p.m. TUESDAY, July 27, 7:15 a.m. WEDNESDAY: The 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.
Large-Print Directory of Jewish Internet Sites and High Holiday Prayer Books Available from the Jewish Heritage for the Blind by YAEL GORMEZANO For members of the Jewish community who spend a significant amount of time at home-including senior citizens and those with visual or other disabilities--the Internet offers a wealth of resources and information about classical Jewish knowledge and Torah topics. However, many people are unaware of the many Internet websites that can bring illuminating Torah knowledge into their homes. In a new venture designed to publicize these valuable homeaccessible resources, the Jewish Heritage for the Blind has produced the Large Print Directory of Jewish Topics on the lnternet. The easy-to-read directory lists a
wide variety of Torah topics available on one’s home computer, dividing dozens of popular websites into six clear, manageable categories. The directory’s Shiurim section includes websites featuring Torah lectures by distinguished Torah scholars, about Jewish philosophy, holidays, the Talmud, and the history of Israel. The Halacha section contains a list of websites focusing on lessons from the Mishnah Brurah, business law, and the teachings of the Rambam. Other areas of the Directory of Jewish Topics on the Internet contain websites devoted to discussions of Tanach, Gemara, and the weekly Parsha.
“We believe this publication will open new vistas of Jewish learning for a large segment of the Jewish population,” says Rabbi David Toiv, Director of the Jewish Heritage for the Blind. “With its array of information and arresting visual style, the Large Print Directory of Jewish Topics on the Internet is bound to become a valuable reference work for the many individuals wishing to expand their Torah knowledge through the use of a home computer.” Jewish Heritage for the Blind is planning to compile a second volume of the Directory of Jewish Topics, which would expand its listings to include websites with useful information on Jewish
social service organizations, publications, and historically important Jewish personalities. To request a copy of the Large Print Directory of Jewish Topics on the Internet, please call the Jewish Heritage for the Blind at 718.338.4999. As in previous years, the Jewish Heritage for the Blind will distribute extra large-print High Holiday prayer books (Machzorim) free of charge to the visually impaired population. For complimentary copies of our publications or for further questions, please contact the Jewish Heritage for the Blind at 800.955.1888, fax: 887.230.2205 or e-mail JHB.NY@Verizon.net.
July 23, 2004
The Need for Vision
SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Devarim/Shabbat Hazon This Sabbath gets its name, Shabbat Hazon, from the opening word of the Haftarah: “The Vision of Isaiah.” Isaiah lived in the eighth century before our era; he was one of four great voices in that century, Hosea and Amos in the North (in Israel) and Isaiah and Micah in the South (in Judah). Very many, perhaps most Bible readers, think of Isaiah as the greatest of the prophets, and that not merely because the combined book of Isaiah and Deutero-Isaiah is so long. His book opens with the title of “The Vision of Isaiah,” but we must understand at once that “vision” does not mean looking into the future, excepting to the extent that the prophets took for granted that a moral present will lead to a happy future and, conversely, an immoral present will lead to disaster. He does not hesitate to chastise his people severely, for what he considered economic injustice and social offenses. He calls them citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah, the legendary evil cities of ancient Canaan. He has one remedy for all the ills of his people: clean
yourselves, purify yourselves, remove the evil of your deeds from the Lord’s sight. And he knows that repentance and change of ways can lead to the bleaching out of all sinfulness. He does not expect that that will happen, and indeed, it does not. It took 400 years, approximately, of the verbal whippings of the prophets against their people to leave the lasting impression that has continued through all these centuries of the moral lessons that we associate with the Bible. We ought not to omit from our attention the fact that Tisha B’Av, the ninth of the month of Av, is before us (this year falling on Monday evening, July 26, and Tuesday, July 27). Jews associate this day with many calamities: the destruction of Israel by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and a second destruction by the Romans in 70 CE, and other calamities some how squeezed into the period immediately before and after the ninth of Av. Traditionally it is a day of mourning, and fasting. At the very least, let us give attention to it and the calamities that the House of Israel has met. Perhaps no people has had more experience with disaster than we. No people have suffered the hatred of human brothers than we. How can one explain the Holocaust to one’s children? And how can the perpetrators of the Holocaust explain it to their children? How does one explain anti-Semitism, history’s oldest and most persistent crime?
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 11
Pulverente MONUMENT CO. 60 Years Experience With Jewish Lettering and Memorials
1439 So. 13th 341-2452 Frank L. Ciciulla, Jr.
Jackson Home Appliance “OMAHA’S MOST TRUSTED NAME IN APPLIANCE REPAIR” NOW BRINGS THAT SAME ATTENTION TO HEATING & COOLING
Jackson Heating & Cooling FEATURES CARRIER HOME HEATING & COOLING PRODUCTS CALL TODAY FOR YOUR FREE QUOTE FROM ONE OF OUR HVAC SPECIALISTS ON A NEW FURNACE, AIR CONDITIONER OR HEAT PUMP 8827 Maple Street Omaha, NE 68134
391-4287 Carrier Factory Authorized Nate Certified Technicians
PLUMB CONSTRUCTION, INC Quality Craftsmanship
Jeff Plumb General Contractor 5728 Colorado Lane Ft. Calhoun, NE 68023
Phone:
572-0115
Addiction: How to Recognize It • Have ever been addicted to any drug • Have taken more than the prescribed dose of a preJFS CORNER scribed drug by TERESA DRELICHARZ Addiction to alcohol and other drugs is a chronic disease. It is progressive, continuous, and long-term. Alcohol or drug abuse means that a person has control over whether he or she drinks or uses. Alcohol or drug dependence means that a person has lost all control over his or her drinking or using behavior. Thanks to Faye Springs, Ph.D., from whom much of this article was adapted. Addictive Behavior People who suffer from addictive diseases engage in compulsive behavior and gradually lose control of their lives. They continue to drink or use drugs, even when they know it will lead to negative consequences. They tend to have low self-esteem and almost inevitably suffer from anxiety and depression. If someone in your life suffers from addictive disease, you have experienced his or her extreme behavior, ranging from depression to exhilaration. You probably have also experienced the person’s state of denial (“I can quit anytime” or “I don’t have a problem”), dishonesty, frequent disappointments, and the series of ruined relationships. These are the hallmark behaviors when a person suffers from addiction to alcohol or drugs. Who Is Affected by Addictive Disease Alcoholism and drug addiction affect people from all parts of society. Addictive disease affects rock stars, writers, artists, and homeless people. Victims also include stay-at-home moms, teenagers, and corporate executives. There are addicts who are students at top universities and physicians in your local hospital. They may be teachers at your neighborhood school or salespeople at the local hardware store. Studies have shown that there is a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. About half of all alcoholics had an alcoholic parent. Men seem to be more vulnerable than women to the alcoholic traits of their parents. Women may be more affected by factors in the environment (such as financial and life circumstances) than by inherited factors. The Physical Side of Addiction Chronic alcohol abuse produces long-lasting damage in many areas of brain function. It damages the capacity for abstract thinking, problem solving, memory, and physical dexterity. It also impairs verbal, visual, and spatial ability. The extent of damage to brain tissue depends on the extent of heavy alcohol abuse. When the drinking stops, a certain amount of healing is possible. Prescription Drugs Prescription and illegal drugs with psychoactive side effects target the brain and can change a person’s mood. This causes these drugs to be potentially addicting. Some people think that if a doctor has prescribed a drug, it is not addictive. This is not true. It is important to tell your doctor if you: • Are an alcoholic (using or in recovery)
• Have taken a prescribed drug for a long time • Take a prescribed drug with alcohol Addictive disease is often progressive and can be fatal. Thankfully, with proper treatment, recovery is possible. Treatment The first phase of treatment of addictive disease focuses on the physical effects of alcohol or drug use. This phase can include detoxification or treating life-threatening disorders such as liver failure. Since addictive disease is primarily a brain disease that results in behavioral symptoms, the main treatment is psychosocial therapy. Treatment usually focuses on the irrational feelings and distorted thinking that accompany chronic alcohol or drug abuse. Alcoholism and drug addiction are chronic diseases that require a lifetime recovery plan. Most successful treatment plans include a focus on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and involve ongoing, long-term participation in self-help groups. Treatment of the Family Addiction affects every member of the patient’s family. As the disease progresses and the patient continues to drink or use, it causes a range of emotional, spiritual, and financial problems for almost everyone involved, including family, friends and co-workers. When the family is ready to begin the recovery process, Al-Anon and Alateen are excellent resources. A qualified family therapist who understands the process of addiction and recovery may also be consulted to work with the family. If you suspect that a friend or family member has an addiction, encourage them to get help. If they are in denial and not ready to admit they have a problem, seek help for yourself in dealing with this issue. While Jewish Family Service does not have a specific program for substance abuse or other additions, please call use for more information, counseling or referrals: 330.2024.
DEATH IRVIN A. SHERMAN Irvin Aaron Sherman died July 17 at the age of 86, while visiting family at Grand Lake, OK. Services were held July 22 at Temple Israel Cemetery. He was a partner and CEO of Cornhusker Packing Company, after the death of his father-in-law, Leo Waxenberg, and served as a Captain during World War II. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Jeanne Louise. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Phyllis W. Sherman; sons and daughters-in-law, Michael and Patty, Dan and Usha, Mark and Debra, all of Omaha, Steve and Gaye of Oklahoma City; grandchildren, David and Jenny Sherman, Alison, Emily, Augie, Micah, Ben, Sarah, and Max Sherman. Memorials to charity of choice.
Classifieds
Got Husker tickets you can’t use? Need a ride to Kansas City? Want to sell your ‘gently used’ baby furniture?
Reach your buyer through jBay– the new classified ad section for individuals in the Jewish Press! What a deal--36 words for just $18 (30¢ for each additional word). Call the Press, 402.334.6448 for more info.
Here’s my ad for jBay: Name ________________________________________ Address _______________________________________ City, State and Zip _______________________________ Phone _______________ Check enclosed for $ _________ Mail to jBay, The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154 The Jewish Press jBay classifieds are only for use by individuals–businesses should contact the Advertising Department– Allan Handleman, 334.6451, or Ray Pred, 334.6559, for display ads.
Page 12
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
July 23, 2004
As Democrats Converge on Boston, Jewish Groups Plan Busy Schedule AMERICA DECIDES 2004 by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA)--This year’s Democratic Party convention will play to the down-home strengths of the presumptive nominees, but Jews attending the proceedings will be emphasizing foreign policy. Jewish events planned for the week, from a mass reading of the names of Israeli victims of terrorism to intimate chats with top foreign-policy makers, emphasize Israel’s role in the party’s policy. U.S. Jews traditionally have been second only to blacks among ethnic groups in their overwhelming support for Democrats, but the party is concerned that President Bush’s perceived strong support for Israel could cut into Jewish support for Democrats. That explains the emphasis on Israel at the convention’s Jewish events, which start in Boston Sunday, July 25 and run through all of next week. The importance the party attaches to the Jewish vote was reflected in the confirmed guest list for a July 25 reception co-hosted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the United Jewish Communities: Sen. John Edwards (DNC), the Vice-presidential nominee, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the minority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. Among other highlights of the week, celebrities will read the names of the Israeli terrorism victims, and there will be invitation-only AIPAC meetings with
top party foreign-policy drafters and strategists. “The Democratic convention will focus on their support for Israel,” said Jess Hordes, Washington Director for the AntiDefamation League, which will host several Jewish events at the convention. “They want to attempt to neutralize the credit the Bush administration has built up with the Jewish community in its support for Israel and combating anti-Semitism internationally.” By contrast, other parts of the convention will play equally to domestic and foreign policy strengths of the candidates and the party platform, a balance reflected in the theme of the convention, as enumerated Tuesday by chairman and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson: “Stronger at home, respected in the world.” Party literature suggests that if there were to be an emphasis, it would be on the domestic side: Speeches on July 26 focus on job creation and expanding health care. Highlights also will include the life stories of Sens. John Kerry (DMA) and Edwards, emphasizing downhome attributes: Kerry the war hero, and Edwards the poor boy who helped the disenfranchised fight corporations. Domestic policy is not a not hard sells to Jewish voters, Jewish Democrats said. “The Jews we lose over domestic issues-you can have that convention in a phone booth,” said Ira Forman, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, which has daily events planned throughout the convention. Still, some Jewish events are planned to address domestic issues, including an
ADL commemoration of Jewish-black cooperation during the civil rights era and an encounter with “Blue Dogs,” congressional Democrats who lean conservative on fiscal and social policies. That, Forman said, was to remind Jewish voters that their best home was with the Democrats, especially as the GOP leans more to the right. Forman acknowledged the emphasis on Israel derived from concerns over
and former Secretary of State James Baker--both perceived by many Jews as anti-Israel. Forman says he can name a litany of Israel-critical comments made by Bush administration officials, especially regarding the route of the security fence, that are worse than Kerry’s statements on Israel. The party went some way last weekend toward erasing impressions that it lags on Israel issues by matching Bush word-for-word on his historic recognition this year of some Israeli land claims in the West Bank and his rejection of any Palestinian refugee “right of return” to Israel. ProIsrael activists said they welcomed such consistency and would be looking for more of it in encounters at the convention, especially in maintaining the isolation of Syria, Iran and John Kerry and John Edwards greet supporters in Dayton, Ohio, Palestinian Authority on July 7. President Yasser Arafat. Credit: Sharon Farmer/John Kerry for President Inc. “It will be an opportuniBush's strength on that subject but said ty for people to express their appreciahe felt confident that by the time of the tion for the Democratic Party’s important convention, the Democratic Party would and abiding support for Israel and the prove that its nominees U.S. Israel relationship,” said Josh Block, were stronger on the issue. an AIPAC spokesman, “for Israel’s conOne National Jewish Democratic struction of its anti-terror barrier, conCouncil session tentatively is titled ``Are gressional concern over Iran’s pursuit of Jews becoming Republican?" nuclear weapons and Syria’s continued Jewish Democrats are seeking to bury misbehavior, and unwavering memories of some of Kerry’s gaffes dur- Democratic support of Israel's partnering the primaries, including a reference ship in the war on terror--especially in to Israel’s security fence as a “barrier to the last few years when Israel has weathpeace” and a pledge to name as peace ered an unremitting assault from brokers figures such as President Carter Palestinian terrorism.”
333 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE | 68154-2198 | Fax 402/334-5422
Coming this September
New Year s p e c i a l
i s s u e
Second Time Around featuring Jewish men and women who have changed careers
SpecialEdition Publishes September 10 Stories & Photos July 30 Space Reservations July 30 Camera Ready Ads August 9
To be included in these special editions, Call Advertising Manager, Allan Handleman at 334-6451 or Account Executive, Ray Pred at 334-6559.