Vol. LXXXVIII No. 49 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 88 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
1 Elul 5769
August 21, 2009
Fine legacy benefits community
Israel studies seminar in China beats obstacles by ALISON KLAYMAN the very reason they were historically demonized in the BEIJING (JTA) -- Chen Yiyi, a Peking University aca- West -- a fabled talent for money management – their demic, said he was glad his institution was hosting the Chinese impressions of Israel are more mixed. first major Israel studies seminar in China. The idea of Jewish professors lecturing on topics such “But you can’t imagine how much trouble it took to as Zionism or Islamic radicalism to a room of Chinese get here,” said Chen, a scholar on the Hebrew Bible and academics raised concerns among school administrators Jewish culture. and government officials. Despite many obstacles in putting on the workshops China’s relationship to the Arab world played a part, last month, the seminar completed its week at the uni- too. China has become increasingly dependent on versity with positive reviews from the participants before Middle Eastern oil, and countries like Saudi Arabia and moving on for two more weeks at Shandong University Iran are relying more and more on Chinese markets. in Jinan. As the most prestigious institution of higher learning in China’s capital, any programming at Peking University, or PKU, is subject to intense scrutiny. When the university applied for approval to host the seminar from the Ministry of Education, the application was immediately passed to the Foreign Ministry, Chen said. “They said an Israel studies seminar was a sensitive topic, could we cancel the seminar -- or maybe rename it?” Chen recalled, saying the ministry wanted to omit the Israel studies aspect in the title. Israel studies programs are relatively new in China, Elie Rekhess, a Tel Aviv University faculty member and a visiting professor at Northwestern, where Hebrew language and lectures on Hamas and Islamic radicalism to Chinese scholars at Peking University last Credit: Alison Klayman Jewish cultural studies were month. around as early as the mid-1980s. PKU founded its The growing affinity was a major factor in the Charles Hebrew language program in 1985, mostly for national and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation agreeing to security reasons. fund the seminar. While the Chinese are known for respecting Jews for Continued on page 3
by MARY BORT Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation As many in the community know, Rose Lillian Fine, who celebrated her 100th birthday this spring, died in June. She arranged for a series of donations and endowment funds to benefit Jewish organizations and Omaha’s Jewish community. “The decision to set up these funds was made even before Rose’s husband died many years ago,” explained Marty Ricks, Executive Director of the Nathan and Rose Fine Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation office. “These plans have been in the works for more than 25 years.” Fine helped the Jewish community whenever she saw a need that “hit close to home.” About 10 years ago she made a significant contribution to the Jewish Community Center (JCC) Capital Campaign during the expansion of the JCC. Her donation helped ensure that a new elevator was installed in the fitness center. According to Ricks, “Her late husband had been a participant in heart rehab that was, at the time, offered at the JCC. Participants had to use the stairs to get to rehab. Some time after her husband died, Rose heard about the opportunity to provide for a new elevator. After it was installed, there was no need for rehab participants to climb the stairs.” He added, “The dedication plaque for the elevator has said ‘anonymous’ all this time, which was according to Rose’s wishes. She agreed that upon her death, we could finally change the plaque to indicate that the elevator was donated by Rose and Nathan Fine.” Continued on page 6
Special needs teacher provides valuable asset to Jewish community by CLAUDIA SHERMAN About 20 children this year in kindergarten through sixth grade in Omaha’s synagogue religious schools have special needs ranging from learning disabilities, mental retardation, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders (ADHD), speech difficulties, neurological and psychiatric disorders, Asperger’s Syndrome, autism, dyslexia, non-verbal learning disabilities, and central auditory processing difficulties. For the past 17 years, Eileen Clignett, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in special education, has been teaching children with special needs who attend the synagogue religious schools. She is employed by the Center for Jewish Education (CJE). “I’ve always loved working with children,” said Clignett, the mother of two young children. “I babysat for years and years -- until I was 17 years old. I’ve always seemed more drawn to children with special needs.” Her father, Fred Kader, a pediatric neurologist, exposed Eileen to children with neurological diffi-
Inside
culties. During high school, Clignett was involved in the YMCA Fun-n-Fitness program for children with special needs. Her background also includes roles as counselor and assistant director at the Fun-n-Fitness Program during the summers of 1984-1988 and then becoming director of the program from 1988 to 1992. Clignett has also worked for Lynne Popp Educational Therapy. Clignett first became involved teaching children in the Jewish community when Susan Drazen, former director of the Jewish Federation Bureau of Jewish Education (now the Center for Jewish Education), asked Clignett to teach special needs students in the Jewish community. Within the Jewish community, Clignett estimates that she has worked with close to 500 students over the years. These children, who don’t necessarily learn by way of traditional methods being used in classrooms, require special accommodations. These include multi-sensory teaching such as touching, feeling, hearing, seeing, speaking; transliteration of
her work means to families prayers; books on tape; and to the religious school allowing the student to programs in Omaha.” listen and follow along on Cohen added that having notes that have been precommunity funding “availviously transcribed; using able to offset the expense of larger print; less informaspecial needs tutoring has tion on a page; extended meant that no child or famitime on a test; permitting ly is singled out; they don’t children who have diffihave to make the difficult culty writing to record decision of whether they can their answers on a tape afford a Jewish education for recorder or on a computtheir child. We have a great er; and adapting or community resource in rewording tests. Eileen and have been fortuIn addition, “I teach the student Hebrew on a Eileen Clignett has been teach- nate that the community one-to-one basis,” ing special needs children in and synagogues have been the Omaha Jewish community able to provide her services Clignett explained. to our families.” Beth Cohen, executive for 17 years. Judy Rubin, education director at Beth director of Beth Israel, extolled Eileen’s “accomplishments over the years” as El Synagogue Talmud Torah, said, “We “amazing. Her patience and tireless devo- also utilize Eileen for working with stution” to her students’ success “shows her dents who are not identified by their secexpertise as an educator. For anyone who ular schools or physicians as having spehas been at a Bar or Bat Mitzvah service cial needs but are experiencing difficulty of one of Eileen’s students is to see -- in learning to read Hebrew.” without a dry eye in the sanctuary -- what Continued on page 5
This Week: The Learning Curve back-to-school issue
See Front Page Stories & More at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’ Opinion Page see page 12
Fatah parley raises questions about PA intentions: Page 2
Coming Next Month: New Year’s issue on Sept. 18 Visiting scholar delivers food for thought at Limmud Omaha: Page 4
Team Omaha returns with medals and memories: Page 16
Page 2
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 21, 2009
Fatah parley raises questions about Palestinian intentions, Obama’s strategy
by ERIC FINGERHUT WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The fiery rhetoric at last week’s Fatah meeting in Bethlehem has renewed concerns that the Obama administration is not doing enough to pressure the Palestinians. At the first Fatah General Assembly in 20 years, participants refused to renounce violence and passed confrontational resolutions, like one blaming Yasser Arafat’s death on Israel. Even as Jewish organizational leaders condemned the assembly, many of them acknowledged that Fatah leaders would remain Israel’s chief Palestinian interlocutors for peace talks. But they urged the Obama administration to issue a condemnation of the harsh talk at the West Bank parley. “We would like to see this administration express some disappointment on some of the rhetoric coming out” of the conference, said Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman. “It’s not in line with the American initiative to bring the parties closer together.” But other Middle East observers, including some who have supported the Obama administration’s calls for an Israeli settlement freeze, cautioned against such an approach. While some of the language used at the Fatah meeting may have been troubling, they said, the White House might be better off if it stayed focused on the broader picture and not necessarily respond to specific rhetoric. Thus far, the Obama administration has said nothing, with the State Department passing up a chance to make a statement. State Department spokesman Robert
Wood was asked at Monday’s media brief- incitement. ing about the party platform Fatah adoptSeveral Middle East observers said they ed at the assembly including the position had only read media accounts of the that the group “maintains the right of Fatah party platform and not seen the full resistance by all means possible.” document. According to the reports, the “I haven’t seen the plan” Wood said, platform reportedly reiterates “the and simply reiterated “the importance of Palestinian people’s right to resistance to both parties” implementing “the ‘road occupation in all its forms in line with map’ obligations, not taking any steps international law”; Fatah leaders asserted that in any way prejudge the outcome of future negotiations.” Some corners are viewing the administration’s lack of response to the conference rhetoric as another example of what some Jewish leaders have charged is an imbalance in the pressure being Jewish leaders criticized the rhetoric at last week’s Fatah General applied by the Assembly in Bethlehem in which party leaders failed to renounce the use administration on of violence and charged that Israel killed Yasser Arafat. (Issam Rimawi / Flash90 / JTA) Israel compared to the Palestinians and Arab states. in statements that they reserved the right President Obama has told Jewish lead- to “armed struggle.” ers that pressure is being placed as well on In his speech to the conference, the Palestinians and Arab governments, though, newly re-elected Fatah chairman and suggested that perceptions of an and Palestinian Authority President imbalance are largely created by the Mahmoud Abbas did stress that the media. But while the administration has Palestinians would focus on “nonviolent” made repeated public demands on Israel resistance. for a settlement freeze, it has said little Some Israeli officials and officials at publicly about the necessary steps that the U.S. Jewish groups also criticized what other side must take, though Obama has they viewed as unreasonable demands issued general calls on Palestinians to stop made by Fatah at the assembly, such as
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proclaiming it would not negotiate with Israel until the Palestinians were given all of Jerusalem. Others downplayed such positions, saying that both sides usually posture by making maximalist demands before a negotiation begins. Another complaint: Some who have engaged in violence and terrorism were honored and spoke at the parley. Israeli government officials have been weighing in on the congress. Before the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said “the rhetoric coming from Fatah and the positions being expressed are grave and unacceptable to us.” The next day, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told a group of visiting Democratic U.S. Congress members that the Fatah platform, along with unrest in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, “has buried any chance of coming to an agreement with the Palestinians in the next few years.” The American Jewish Committee called the assembly “a slap in the face” to those interested in peace. Jason Isaacson, the group’s director of government and international affairs, specifically pointed to the resolution charging Israel with the death of Arafat as “a signal of the lack of seriousness” of Fatah. “How is that acceptable in a political movement trying to operate on the world stage?” he asked, also criticizing the “wink and nod about the return to armed struggle.” “We naturally hope the administration” would view the conference “with the same sense of concern that we have Continued on page 3
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August 21, 2009
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 3
Israel studies seminar in China
Continued from page 1 “China is now concerned with understanding the Muslim world,” said Ilan Troen, director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University and one of the seminar lecturers. Wu Bingbing, an associate professor in the department of Arabic language and culture, said PKU is frequently approached by Arab countries who want to donate money.” He noted that Saudi Arabia offered his department funds to build a Center for Islamic Studies, as well as an eight-story Islamic library. Oman already established a chair of Arabic studies at PKU, pledging more than $1 million over a five-year period. Kuwait and Iran also have expressed interest in donating an endowed chair. Eventually the government approved five days of programming at PKU, but attendance was by invitation only and the title for the seminar was carefully worded. On the official red banner hanging at the front of the room, the Chinese title read, “Antagonistic coexistence and development: Seminar on the Israel issue.” The addition of the word “issue,” absent from the English name, connotes positive and negative considerations to the study of Israel. Even after the seminar was approved and the banners were printed, it faced one more obstacle in early July: China’s relationship with its own Muslim population became a flashpoint when clashes between majority Han and Uighur Muslims forced the goverment to bring tens of thousands of troops to maintain order in the far-western Xinjiang region. Chen was afraid the turmoil in Xinjiang would affect the seminar, but the ethnic violence broke out during the first week of summer vacation. “If it was in September or October, I think 60 percent chance the conference would have been canceled,” he said. Many of the Chinese Islamic and Persian scholars who attended the seminar said they were impressed by the efforts to present balanced views on Israel, perhaps indicating their prior concerns about bias from the all-Jewish cast
of lecturers from abroad. Seth Garz, the seminar’s project adviser, called it an “accidental strategy” to select a more liberal-leaning group of American and Israeli academics. “We didn’t want the seminar to be too much hasbara,” he said, using the Hebrew word for public relations, “but academics tend to be more liberal anyway.” Troen also emphasized that the seminar was meant to show Israel can stand criticism and scholarship. In his lecture at PKU, Troene stressed that there is no singular way to teach Israel. “There are lots of Zionist ideas,” he said. “Zionism is about Jews taking responsibility for their own history, their own future, their own fate.” “The seminar talked about the structure of Israeli society, and the sophistication of the issues benefited us as scholars,” Chen said. Troen said the Chinese have respect for an ancient civilization successfully functioning in the modern world. He said many of the Chinese scholars with whom he met were interested in learning from Jewish history and cultural evolution as it may apply to the experience of China and Chinese diasporas. Sammy Smooha, a sociology professor at the University of Haifa, thinks Israeli and Chinese societies have some parallels. “I think both societies are still in formation,” he said. “They are not yet crystallized entities. Also, they’re both ideological societies -- Zionist, Marxist -- but both with ideology on the decline.” At Shandong University, the seminar was to focus more on student participation. The first day included about 100 attendees from graduate programs from Macau to Chengdu. Garz said the seminar was an important step in encouraging the Jewish community to connect with emerging communities around the world. “People don’t know about the real level of interest scholars and citizens in China have in studying the Jewish and Israeli experience,” he said. “Supporting this in China is worthwhile.”
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Fatah parley raises questions Continued from page 2 expressed in our statements, unless the bar of expectations is set so low that a disappointing conference isn’t worth commenting on,” he said. One Middle East insider who declined to be identified was more blunt about the administration’s need to respond. “This silence is what creates the impression of the imbalance,” the insider said. “Where is the condemnation for this kind of behavior?” “This rhetoric impacts the street,” said Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. “We’ve learned you can’t dismiss the issue of incitement.” But other observers suggested that the administration should be more cautious about condemnation. Nathan Brown, a political science and international affairs professor at George Washington University and an expert in Palestinian reform, had not seen the full Fatah platform. Still, he said, it should be viewed as akin to a U.S. political party platform that might contain some “red meat language” to satisfy the political factions in a “large and diverse movement” like Fatah but isn’t necessarily followed by the party leaders. Brown said what was more important
was whether the Fatah leaders elected at the assembly would form a “coherent” organization dedicated to a diplomatic solution and whether they continue to “do what the Israelis want them to be doing” on security and other issues, something that won’t be known for a few months. Americans for Peace Now spokesman Ori Nir, whose organization has been supportive of Obama’s approach, said that while some of the “hyperbole” from the Fatah congress was “troubling,” he didn’t think “micromanagement” of inflammatory statements by Palestinians or Israelis would be helpful to peace efforts. Nir also put a positive spin on the excerpts of the party platform he had read, noting that while they were still holding out violence as an option, the platform “adheres to the peace option.” No matter their interpretation of the Fatah assembly, there was general consensus that Fatah is still the only game in town when it comes to a peace partner for Israel -- which is why the group’s actions should be taken seriously. Not everyone agreed with that assessment, though. “This conference made it crystal clear,” said Zionist Organization of America President Morton Klein, that “peace is not possible with Hamas or Fatah.”
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 21, 2009
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by SHERRIE SAAG Center for Jewish Education “What intrigues me most about the past are the rhythms of daily life: how people at the grass roots reared and fed their children, decorated their homes, spent their leisure time and sustained their religious, ethnic and cultural identities,” explained Jenna Weissman Joselit when asked to describe her field of study. Weissman Joselit, a celebrated historian of daily life, specializes in the history and culture of America’s Jews and in U.S. cultural history from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. She is the keynote speaker and a session presenter at the Fourth Annual Limmud: Omaha “Feed Your Hunger for Judaism”, scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 23, 1–5 p.m. at the JCC. According to Dr. Leonard Jenna Weissman Joselit Greenspoon, the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University, “Jenna has been in Omaha before as a participant in the Klutznick-Harris Symposium. Those who remember her from previous visits know what a treat the Limmud audience is in for. Jenna is not to be missed!” “Reading through newspapers, sermons, advertisements, cookbooks and court records is one way to recover the texture of the past but so, too, is the close study of material culture or the things with which ordinary Americans surrounded themselves. Things reflect not just style and the marketplace but also aspiration, heritage and religious practice,” Weissman Joselit stated. “The United States of the late 19th and 20th centuries is especially rich in both the textual and the material aspects of everyday life, which is why I’m so drawn to it,” she added. Weissman Joselit’s work, both in and out of the classroom, mirrors the Limmud theme “Feed Your Hunger for Judaism.” “Food, of course, is central to my work. Much like things, it makes tangible a web of behaviors and a set of cultural assumptions that are particularly germane to the Jewish experience. From Kashrut (the Jewish dietary
laws) and the special foods that are consumed on the Jewish holidays to family recipes,” she said. Weissman Joselit presents her keynote address, “Food & Faith: American Jewry’s Appetite for Connection” at 1 p.m. “In my presentation to the Limmud Omaha audience, I look forward to elaborating on how food is simultaneously a source of physical pleasure, a link to the past, an economic venture, a religious act and a forum for conversation, she explained. Following her keynote address, there will be two breakout sessions with a choice of four classes each at 2 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. Weissman Joselit will speak again at 3:15 when she leads a session entitled, “Jewish Cookbooks: What They Bring to the Table”. She intends for the members of this interactive breakout session to try their hand at interpreting a number of different American Jewish cookbooks, all with an eye to understanding how these texts reflect American Jewish values. “One of the cookbooks we'll be considering is part of a series that attempted, with varying degrees of success, to wed Chinese, Italian and French cuisine respectively with Kashrut. It should be both eye-opening and fun,” she said. Weissman Joselit is the Charles E. Smith Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of History at George Washington University. She was most recently a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the John W. Kluge Center of the Library of Congress. She has written a monthly column for The Forward for almost 10 years and is a frequent contributor to The New Republic. Also an award winning author, Weismann Joselit has written numerous books about popular Jewish culture including The Wonders of America: Reinventing Jewish Culture, 1880-1950, which received the National Jewish Book Award in History. In it, she offers a keen perspective on Jewish social history in a modern time period. Drawing from such unusual “historical” documents as Macy’s advertisements, Mother Goose, and Ladies Home Journal, she paints a lively picture of how American Jews created their distinctive culture. Limmud Omaha is open to the community and offered at no charge. Babysitting is available by reservation by calling 334.6463. Refreshments will be served throughout the afternoon. For more information, please call 334.6445 or email mgrossman@jewishomaha.org.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The play Quilters opens at the Omaha Community Playhouse, tonight and runs through Sept. 27. Quilters celebrates the women of the prairie in the early 19th century and the place that quilting holds in American society. The play in and of itself is a quilt. It is a series of snapshots of the lives of American women. Quilters’ Broadway run was nominated for six Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score. The quilts and quilt blocks used in the production are generously being provided by many volunteers from the Omaha Quilters Guild and the Cottonwood Quilters Guild, under the direction of Jan Fry. Performances run Thursdays through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. and Sundays, 2 p.m. Tickets are $32.00 for adults and $21 for students. and they may be purchased the Playhouse Box Office, 6915 Cass Street, or by calling 402.553.0800, or online at www.OmahaPlay house.org.
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Film Streams announces that acclaimed actress Debra Winger, who will be in Omaha on Sept. 13, 6:30 p.m., for the nonprofit’s second annual fundraiser event, will be the subject of a month-long film series coinciding with her visit. Features 2009 is co-hosted by Eve and Fred Simon, Betiana and Todd Simon, Annette and Paul G. Smith and the Sokolof/Javitch family. A postparty celebration will follow the “conversation” with Academy Award winning filmmaker Alexander Payne and Winger. Last year, Film Streams’ Feature event drew 1,000 people to the Holland Center, raising more than $190,000 for the nonprofit’s Ruth Sokolof Theater. Single tickets are priced at $35 and are now on sale through Ticket Omaha (13th and Douglas; 402.345.0606; ticketomaha.org). Tickets for the presentation and post-party, priced at $150, are also available and can be reserved by contacting Hallie Sharkey at 402.933.0259 ext. 13 or hallie@filmstreams.org.
From her stunning breakthrough in 1980s Urban Cowboy, Winger has long been acknowledged as one of contemporary cinema’s finest actresses, with more than 20 films and three Academy Award nominations to her credit. From Aug. 28-Oct. 1, Film Streams will present eight of her films on the big screen.
Tickets for the Omaha Performing Arts 2009-10 season, including Broadway Across America touring productions, are on sale now. Omaha Performing Arts, in partnership with Broadway Across America, will present a dynamic lineup of Broadway performances at Omaha’s beloved Orpheum Theater including Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Cirque Dreams: Illumination, Little House on the Prairie, Chicago, The Color Purple, Legally Blonde The Musical and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Tickets start at $25. Season subscriptions are still available for the Classical, Dance, Jazz, and Popular Entertainers Series. For information on individual tickets or season subscriptions, call Ticket Omaha at 402.345.0606 or visit OmahaPerform ingArts.org.
Moscow Ballet will hold an open audition for the Great Russian Nutcracker on Aug. 31, 5 p.m. at Cherrie Anderson’s School of Music and Dance; 14633 Grover St. Anna Tyutyunnyk, a soloist with Moscow Ballet, will conduct the audition. Applicants must have dance experience and be between seven and 16 years old. Applicants must also dress in dance attire and may bring Pointe shoes. For more information please contact Cherrie Anderson at 402.333.4426. Moscow Ballet will present its Great Russian Nutcracker performance at the Omaha Music Hall on Monday, Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m. and tickets are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit www.nutcracker.com or call Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000.
August 21, 2009
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 5
Special needs teacher provides valuable asset
Continued from page 1 the way that she works with each individual student. In addition to the synagogue paying Clignett for Kids really do gravitate to her.” As at Beth El, Clignett working with these children, “we ask these families to works with identified special education students as well contribute a nominal fee towards the special training that as a few for whom “learning a second language is chalshe gives them. The majority of the students,” Rubin lenging.” pointed out, with whom Clignett works “do have idenLori Bennett, Religious School administrative assistant tifiable special needs. at Temple, emphasized that Clignett “motivates her stu“Eileen is very successful and effective in her work,” according to Rubin. “The students love to work with her one-on-one. The parents sing her praises. Some of these students cannot be integrated into our classrooms due to their disabilities and difficulties with their secular studies. Working with Eileen substitutes for attendance in our midweek program. “I have worked with special needs coordinators in other cities and schools that supervise tutors who have not had Eileen’s training and expertise,” Rubin added. “Eileen has certain techniques and devices that really work, and her students shine.” Chad Shulewitz, 13, worked with Clignett for three years prior to his Bar Ben Oyler and Chad Shulewitz enjoyed working so much with special needs Mitzvah at Beth El Synagogue. “Eileen teacher Eileen Clignett that they wanted to stay after class ended. helped Chad read Hebrew, patiently teaching him the dents; she talks with them about their self-esteem. She letters and the vowel sounds,” said Cindy Shulewitz, doesn’t follow the same rules for each child. She tailors Chad’s mother. “Chad had a particularly difficult each child’s instruction and attends all their Bar and Bat Haftarah, and he was able to chant all the words flawless- Mitzvahs.” ly.’ Clignett is teaching Benjamin Oyler, 11, Hebrew and Shulewitz went on to explain that Clignett “used index will be helping with his Bar Mitzvah preparation at cards, drawing each letter or vowel along with the Temple Israel. “Eileen provided the structure and mateEnglish pronunciation. She taught Chad certain tricks to rials for Ben to work with,” according to Ben’s mother aid in his learning. She gave Chad the confidence to Karen. “He was already super-motivated to learn,” when master the Hebrew language.” Not only that, but “he he started working with Clignett last fall. “Eileen made enjoyed it (which) enabled him to learn more quickly. a positive difference in Ben’s education, helping him Her teaching style really clicked with him. He wanted to accomplish the goals he had set out for himself. He stay and practice more after his session was over.” brought in a book that had been translated into Hebrew At Temple Israel, Director of Religious Education so Eileen could help him learn to read it. When he wantElyce Azriel echoed Cohen’s and Rubin’s comments. ed...another workbook for practicing, Eileen made it “Parents are ecstatic that there’s someone with such happen. expertise and the special education background to work “Working with Eileen and seeing her on Sundays for one-on-one with their children. Eileen’s very creative in their weekly elevator ride were highlights of Ben’s
week,” Karen Oyler added. “Having to miss either part tended to make him a bit cranky. He’s not thrilled that he couldn’t continue with lessons through each week of the summer and asks when he gets to start seeing Eileen again. Ben enjoys the nickname Eileen gave him: Professor Oyler. She definitely has a way with kids!” Karen Oyler appreciates Clignett’s “commitment to help kids with special needs achieve all they can within the Jewish community. She is a definite asset and blessing!” For the past few years, CJE has secured grant funding to cover the majority of the special needs program expenses. “We want to continue to provide the same high caliber service to our community,” said Guy Matalon, executive director of CJE. “In light of the economic downturn, there is less funding available, and we are seeking to maintain what we are doing. The Jewish Federation and the synagogues are committed to maintaining the level of services that we provide now and if we cannot find grants and/or donors, we’ll come up with the money one way or another.” Anyone who would like to make a financial contribution to the special needs program can call Dr. Matalon at 334.6560. To establish a fund in support of the special needs program, please call Marty Ricks, director of the Jewish Federation Foundation, at 334.6440.
BIRTH
Anya and David Kricsfeld of Overland Park, KS, announce the March 12 birth of their son, Mark Benjamin, named for his maternal great-grandfather, Muniy Sukholutsky, and his paternal great-grandfather, Bernard Weiss. Grandparents are Cheryl Kricsfeld, Barry Kricsfeld, Mara Sukholutskaya, of Ada, OK, and Igor Berdichevsky, of Kiryat Shemona, Israel. Great-grandparents are Marjorie Weiss, Florence Kricsfeld, and Yekaterina Sukholutskaya, of Irvington, N.J.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 21, 2009
Fine legacy
Continued from page 1 “Rose wanted Nate to be recognized,” said Judy Josephson. “She was excited that she and Nate would leave a legacy. Leaving these gifts was very, very important to her. At the end of her life, she was happy that she could do things for the community. Doing things for children and the community was important to her.” “She was very aware of the Jewish community and the need for philanthropy,” concurred Lisa Epstein. Rose was born in Des Moines and was proud of her family and where she came from. “She felt a strong family bond,” said Josephson. “She cherished her family photos.” One of the bequests that Rose left was to Hadassah -the Women’s Zionist Organization of America -- for its Medical Center in Israel. The gift also establishes a yahrzeit memorial at Hadassah’s medical facility, in memory of Rose and Nathan. Another gift was for Amit Women, a group that educates and cares for Israeli children. “Rose and Nathan did not have children, but cared about them deeply.” said Ricks. “They wanted their donations to benefit children.” She also made a bequest to Temple Israel’s Caring Community. Group members visit those who are in assisted living or are home-bound, knit shawls and other items, deliver food and cards, and more. Members of the group also visit residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home each week, and three, in particular, became close friends with Rose. In her bequest, Rose wrote that the donation was being made “… in honor of my dear friends, Lisa Epstein, Judy Josephson and Bonnie Pfrenger.” “We were lucky to establish our relationship with Rose,” said Josephson. “And she appreciated the care and support provided by Temple’s Caring Community. She came to count on us and looked forward to our weekly visits.” “Rose had an independent spirit and she is an individual we’ll never forget,” noted Epstein. “She was filled with stories and it was so entertaining to sit and listen to her.” As a member of Beth El, Rose also received visits from Beth El’s Caring Committee. Diane Shandell, a member
of the committee, recalled her frequent visits with Rose. “Over the last year, I used to visit her with my daughter, Jessica,” said Shandell. “She was a very witty person and had a very good sense of humor. She got a kick out of visiting with my daughter.” Fine established an endowment fund for Beth El Synagogue, known as the Nathan and Rose L. Fine BESTT Zimriaya Endowment Fund. The fund will provide a luncheon each year on the last day of school, in perpetuity. Remaining annual income from the endowment fund will be used for Beth El Talmud Torah. She also made arrangements to establish the Nathan and Rose Lillian Fine Fund for the Education of Students of the Jewish Faith. Creating this endowment was a long-cherished aim for Rose and Nathan. The endowment fund will provide undergraduate and graduate tuition grants to further the education of students of the Jewish faith who are in need of financial assistance, who qualify scholastically and who are residents of the Omaha metropolitan area. Preference will be given to students who are interested in becoming Jewish communal professionals, such as rabbis, cantors, Jewish educators, or Jewish social or communal workers. Additionally, the Fine’s legacy includes the Nathan and Rose Lillian Fine Jewish Family Service/Tzedakah Endowment Fund. This fund will be used to provide food, medication, and other necessities for financially needy Jewish families, as determined by Jewish Family Service. “Rose led a unique and special life and was very proud of her Jewish heritage,” said Mike Silverman, Executive Director of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. “That she left a gift for those less fortunate is outstanding and we appreciate the gift. She was so quiet and confidential about her gift, and that makes it mean even more. Rose has left a legacy to this community. She was a neat lady and I miss her.” The remaining assets of Fine's estate are going to another endowment fund called the Nathan and Rose Lillian Fine Endowed Teacher of the Friedel Jewish Academy. The endowment will help provide the salary and benefits of one full-time teacher at Friedel, as well as support the educational purposes of the school.
While she was not someone who wanted to call a lot of attention to her self, her friends believe she would be happy that a story was written about her gifts to the community. “Rose loved to read the Jewish Press to see what was going on in the community,” explained Josephson. “She would be so proud to have this story in the Press.” For information about charitable giving such as establishing an endowment fund or leaving other types of bequests to the community, please contact Marty Ricks at the Foundation office, 334.6440.
ORGANIZATIONS
WALK-IN, DROP-IN For those members going on the day trip to the Horseshoe Casino on Thursday, please meet at the JCC by 8:45 a.m. For information, call Maggie Conti at 334.6521.
LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Yiddish brings us closer to our roots! Come join us every Thursday, 1-3 p.m., at the JCC. For information, call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638.
VISIONS & 39 FOREVER Join the festivities and summer fun at the annual summer picnic at Chalco Hill's Recreation Area on Sunday, Aug. 30, 1-3:30 p.m. Cost is $6 per person. Main course drinks provided with entertainment by vocalist Teddy Grable. Send reservations to Judy Katskee, 10356 Browne St., Omaha, NE 68154. If you need a ride, contact Florence Hauss at 571.4583. Make check payable to Visions.
B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS The Honorable Lee Terry (R-NE) will update us on his role as the congressman from Nebraska’s Second Congressional District on Wednesday, Aug. 26, noon, at Regency Lodge. The program is free and open to all men and women in the community. An optional buffet lunch costs $13; beverage bervice only is $3.
August 21, 2009
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 7
Beth El High School’s eclectic curriculum sure to interest, intrigue teens
by JILL BELMONT hands on and around a special project and explore all the Beth El Publicity Coordinator possibilities.” She also noted that students may concenFrom tikkun olam and interpretations and insights into trate in one learning track or may choose an eclectic ancient Jewish texts to Jewish cooking and online learn- ‘fruit salad,’ choosing from any or all of the tracks. ing opportunities, Beth El’s High School of Jewish This year’s high school faculty will include Andy Studies will cover a wide spectrum of Jewish learning for Greenberg, Mark Kelln, Janie Kulakofsky, Daniel area teens during 2009-10, offering expanded courses Christensen, Tuffy Epstein, Bev Fellman, Glen Fineman, and a diverse group of teachers and guest speakers. Bob Goldberg, Leonard Greenspoon, David Herzog, All classes will be based on four learning tracks: “Text Sara Juster, Rabbi Mordechai Levin, Jason Rich, Cantor Messaging from the Jewish Sages”: Explore how the Beth Schlossberg, Howard Shandell, Eadie Tsabari and ancient Jewish texts (Torah, Prophets, Talmud, Pirkei Maya Wertheimer. Avot, etc.) define and prepare us for today’s modern For the second year, the high school will offer longworld. By unraveling the secrets and mysteries that lie distance, online learning through Gratz College in beneath the stories and events, students will discover Philadelphia. Courses will include “Israel Today: their own insights as well Realizing the Dream”; as those from various “Why the Jews? A generations. History of Anti“(P to the 4th Power): Semitism”; and “The People, Places, Planets, Whole Megillah: Five Priorities -- What’s our Little Books of the Purpose in Life?”: Tikkun Bible,” among others. Olam, from social work, These online classes are civil rights, global warmavailable to students ing, caring for the elderly, who cannot attend helping the poor and less Wednesday night sesfortunate, fundraising, sions, as well as those teaching and leading the who regularly attend. way for just causes, the Students who successentire world is depending fully complete the upon each of us to take online course work will an active role. Deep in Last year’s BESTT High School for Jewish Studies students enjoyed receive attendance credour Jewish roots is a tra- the fruits of their labor during cooking class. it toward religious dition of community support. Specialized courses will school, Rubin noted, adding that college credit may be help each person prepare and perhaps select their own earned for students in grades 11 and 12. life’s path. Courses will also focus on personal growth, The first night of high school -- Wednesday, Aug. 26 self-improvement and learning about others. -- will feature a welcome-back barbecue from 5:30-7:15 “Bimah Me Up”: This class will focus on a variety of p.m.; the program welcomes all Jewish students in the ways to encourage positive synagogue citizenship, metro area who are in grades eight to 12. The evening’s including learning to lead services, chant Torah and festivities will be highlighted by a disc jockey, Frisbee, Haftarah, becoming comfortable with the morning and volleyball, football, and much, much more. Current afternoon minyan, and the duties of a gabbai. “The new high school students are encouraged to bring their skills learned in these courses will allow students to guide Jewish friends for dinner, DJ, dancing and socializing; others, both in college and in adult spiritual life,” Rubin they will also have an opportunity to meet the high noted. “This class will prepare our students for this very school faculty in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. An orienrewarding part of Jewish life. Through this track, stu- tation meeting will be held for Merit Scholarship particdents will have opportunities to explore the wonderful ipants. Classes will begin on Sept. 2; to register or for more world of Jewish arts: literature, visual arts, performing information, contact Rubin at 498.0904 or at eddir@ arts and culinary arts. According to Rubin, students will be able to “put their bethel-omaha.org.
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Kindergarten in Holland
TIME OUT by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT
A few months after my fourth birthday, my mother dropped me off at kindergarten. “De Woelige Hoek” it was called, which roughly translates as the Restless Corner. I’m thinking whoever named it that probably didn’t have much confidence in the teachers. The building was situated at the end of a long path, which neighbored a field with cows. Walking down that path was the scariest part of my day, since I secretly suspected those animals were only pretending to be docile, and could change their mind about eating me at any moment. I don’t remember most of the other kids, but I do remember our class bunny. It was brown and white, and made a big impression. Unlike the cows, bunnies were animals I was familiar with; we perpetually had bunnies coming through in our home, and they were smaller than me. I was fairly certain they wouldn’t eat me. When you are four years old, you focus on those types of questions. It’s all about survival. My brother and sister went to the same school and whenever we discuss it, someone mentions the shovels. I don’t think anybody who went to that school could ever forget them. When my sister and brother went there, they were metal and they were deadly. If that wasn’t bad enough, there were only a few of them; going to recess meant running like crazy, being first in line at the shed were they were kept and shoving anybody who got in your way. By the time I came around, they had replaced those metal weapons with red plastic ones. Unfortunately,
there still weren’t enough shovels to go around, and I wasn’t aggressive enough to fight the other kids. I don’t remember playing with them even once during the entire two years I went to school there. Also, whoever thought plastic shovels were less dangerous than metal ones was mistaken. But then, the seventies were in full swing, and children’s safety wasn’t as high on the agenda. The one time I tried to pry one away, another kindergartener had put it on the ground, and I thought that grabbing it and making a quick getaway were good options. The other child disagreed, snatched it from my hands, and hit me in the chin. Hard. The next day, my chin was blue, ensuring that I would A) forever hate those shovels, and B) never forget that particular child. Her name was Mathilde; we never became friends. And yes, I have some unresolved feelings about that shovel. Overall, my kindergarten memories aren’t warm and fuzzy. Maybe it is just too long ago; maybe it has something to do with the fact that I thought too much about things at that age. One other memory I have is one of the teachers getting married. We were all invited, I imagined myself in a pretty dress going to the party. When the day arrived, they inexplicably dressed all the children up as ducks, paraded us around for 15 minutes, and sent us home. I don’t know about you, but it wasn’t my idea of an elegant party. The seventies are long gone, and nowadays I’m on the other end of things. The first day of school is not an endless walk past scary cows; my children’s teachers don’t hand out shovels during recess, and they don’t dress my kids like ducks. I trust they will have better memories than I do. Omahan Annette Van de Kamp Wright is a freelance writer and a member of the American Jewish Press Association. Read more of her work at: http://www. examiner.com/x-5645-Parenting-Humor-Examiner.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 21, 2009
SendRosh Hashanah Greetings This year you can send your greetings through these very special ads that will run in our annual Rosh Hashanah issue. Each ad can be personalized with your name, the names of your children or your grandchildren. Just fill out the form below and send or bring it to the Jewish Press office.But hurry these ads will only be accepted through August 25, 2009.
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Beth El Talmud Torah students to be treated to new schedule, ‘dynamite school year’
cial curriculum last year, Rubin said; this by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator year, seventh and eighth graders will also After a quiet summer, the halls of Beth reap the benefits of the program. Rubin El Synagogue will be filled with the voic- announced faculty members for the es and footsteps of children, as the syna- 2009-10 school year: pre-kindergarten, gogue’s Talmud Torah (BESTT) kicks off Annie Rifkin; kindergarten, Holly Weill; this year’s classes on Sunday, Aug. 30, first and second grades, Cari Green; third 10 a.m. And, thanks to an abundance of grade, Jason Rich (mid-week Hebrew), enthusiastic educators, students in all of Deborah Kronick (mid-week Judaic), the primary grades will attend religious Devra Bram (Sunday Hebrew), Sindie school on Mondays and Wednesdays: no Katskee (Sunday Judaic); fourth grade, more Tuesday/Thursday classes. (The Maya Wertheimer (Hebrew), Margo Sunday religious school schedule remains Riekes (mid-week Judaic), Sindie Katskee the same.) (Sunday Judaic); fifth grade; Eadie The simplified schedule has delighted Tsabari (mid-week Hebrew), Dora parents and school officials alike, says Goldstrom (mid-week Judaic), Devra BESTT School Board President Bev Bram (Sunday Hebrew), Margo Riekes Fellman. “Because we’re fortunate this (Sunday Judaic); sixth grade, Eadie year to have enough teachers to make this Tsabari (Project Etgar Tefillah), Deborah change, we decided, as a board, to hold classes only on Mondays and Wednesdays. We’re thrilled that we will now have the whole school together, so that sisters, brothers, cousins, and friends can all come the same days.” BESTT Education Director Judy Rubin expressed enthusiasm about the school’s educational offerings. Above: Second graders showed off the beautiful, personalized Seder “We’ve planned plates they made last Passover. Below: The BESTT fourth-grade another dynamite class enjoyed wedding cake during the reception after the annual school year with a fourth grade wedding ceremony. superior teaching staff which will provide our students with the opportunity to learn on multiple levels,” she said. “Our program transmits the ideals and ideas inherent in Judaism in numerous effective and creative ways. By providing a loving and supportive atmosphere in which our children can study about their heritage, we hope to instill in our students a sense of pride in who they are and a feeling of Kronick (Project Etgar Core), Cantor responsibility and caring for the continu- Beth Schlossberg (Sunday B’nai Mitzvah ity of the Jewish people.” training), Margo Riekes (Sunday Judaic); Each new year represents a fresh begin- seventh grade, Susan Paley (Project Etgar ning, Rubin continued, saying, “Parents Tefillah), Dora Goldstrom (Project Etgar buy new clothes and school supplies for Core), Maya Wertheimer (Sunday Bible), their children, and teachers prepare their Daniel Christensen (Sunday History); lessons to spark their students’ imagina- Friedel Jewish Academy class for grade Ktions and touch their souls. We anticipate 3, Eadie Tsabari. that the expectations of all our families Teen assistants for the year include will equal our enthusiasm.” Naomi Zipursky, Samantha Juster, Ezra In addition to weekly religious school Potash, Shir Palmon, Caroline Juster, classes, the following family programs will Adeev Potash, Noam Margalit and Ari be held during the year to allow families Brodkey. Yonatan Dotan will assist in the opportunities to learn together: Grade 3, school office and the following teens will Siddur program; Grade 4, Fourth-Grade assist during Junior Congregation: Wedding; Grade 5, Family History; Yonatan, Shir, Adeev, Ezra, Samantha Grade 6, Becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah; Wiener, Aaron Zipursky and Naomi and Grade 7, Belonging to the Jewish Zipursky. Community. Thanks to a grant from the Rubin said she looks forward to anothDan Gordman Fund, BESTT will contin- er busy, exciting year for the religious ue to be a pilot school for Project Etgar, school. “Serving as the education director the first full-service Conservative curricu- of Beth El Synagogue Talmud Torah has lum for synagogue middle school stu- been a highlight of my career,” she said. dents sponsored jointly by the United “BESTT students and families are terrific Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and to work with. Our classrooms are filled the Melton Research Center of the Jewish with students who love to learn, teachers Theological Seminary of America. who love to teach and parents who supBESTT sixth graders enjoyed this spe- port us.”
August 21, 2009
There’s nothing like smell of new school clothes!
BERT’S EYE VIEW by BERT LEWIS
Do you remember the back to school preparations when you were a kid? Did your mom shlep you downtown, like mine did, to go shopping for school clothes? I don’t remember a huge closetful of new dresses, but there were some, plus socks -- to match, of course. But the basic, highest item on the list was shoes. No matter what else, new shoes were mandatory. Plus, lots of what my mom called “yard goods” -- the cloth she used when she sewed so many of my things. Of course I’m going by my recollections, since my sweet mom, the shopper, isn’t here to ask. I know for sure that my trepidation about the first day back to school was monumental. I suppose it was the idea of everything new and different, starting with the teacher. And I was such a wimpy little kid, afraid of my shadow anyway, I was the perfect audience for other kids. Kids who liked to say: “You’re going into Mrs. Anderson’s room? Oh boy is she ever mean!” Why do kids do that? Sadistic little brats just love to scare the you-know-what out of their contemporaries. But that was then, which was followed by my own children’s back-to-school experiences. My kids were fortunate enough to start school in brand new buildings and to continue in new, modern facilities until high school. And they were fine with it all. Well, three of them were, and only one reluctant dragon among
them. At the time it was, shall we say, stressful? No matter ... the end of the summer and the start of a new school year required the ubiquitous shopping trip. Not that I shlepped all four of them at once to the kids shoe department! I don’t have a Phi Beta Kappa key, but I was smart enough to know better than that. It wasn’t such a horrific trip when they were small and didn’t have specific ideas about what they should wear. When they got old enough to say they hated something I thought was okay, it got to be a chore. Plus, I did it by gender: I’d take my two boys without their sisters, and then take the girls. You can guess which of the two pairs gave me the most grief! But it’s all part of growing up isn’t it? And after we’ve got that accomplished, we tackle the next generation and go through the same stuff all over again. And by the time it’s you who has to find the answers to “How come vacation is over so fast, and why is school starting so early?”, you wonder how time seems to fly so fast. How it seems not so long ago it was you getting on the streetcar with your mom, to go downtown. To Brandeis. Maybe if there’s an answer to that, it’s simply because there’s very little that’s really new under the sun. What was that old expression ... I’ve been there and done that. Uh huh. That’s it. It’s what we do, and so far it works so why keep asking questions? So, moms out there: hurry and take those kids shopping. There’s so little time before the first day back to school! Bert Lewis can be reached at BertLewis39@aol.com.
by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Shabbat service is his wonderful version of Temple Israel Communications Coordinator “Hinay Ma Tov.” Temple clergy rotate “Tot Shabbat has been a wonderful way conducting the service so children have for us to expose our children to Temple the opportunity to become acquainted services,” confirmed Danielle Gordman, with both rabbis and the cantor. “They do who along with Kelly Nogg, is a Women a beautiful job of engaging the children of Reform Judaism vice president for but also providing a meaningful Shabbat young family programming at Temple experience for adults,” Gordman said. Dinner is $5 per person, no charge for Israel. “The children look forward to attending Tot Shabbat and talk about it at children two years old and younger. “New this year,” Gordman added, “Tot school and preschool with their friends,” Gordman said. “I love going to Tot Shabbat,” chimed in Gordman’s seven-year-old daughter Harper. “I don’t ever want to stop!” Harper’s five-year-old brother, Zev, agreed. “Tot Shabbat is so much more fun than the big service!” Even Nogg’s two-year-old daughter, Riley, “loves all the music and playing with younger children,” Kelly Nogg indicated. A series of services, begin- Rabbi Aryeh Azriel spends Tot Shabbat with some of Temple ning Friday, Aug. 28, Israel’s eager young learners last year. designed for children from newborn Shabbat is scheduled for every other month through eight years old as well as their par- and catering manager, Chef John Hattam, ents and grandparents, Tot Shabbat is led will not only help the hosts plan meals but by the clergy who read stories, sing songs, will also help manage costs and labor. Host families for the first Tot Shabbat lead prayers and parades to get young children excited about going to Temple. are Sarah and Adam Yale and Gordman “Services are child friendly and encourage and her husband, Jeff. Oct. 30 hosts are participation,” according to Gordman. Tot Nogg and her husband Jeff, along with Shabbat begins at 6 p.m., followed by din- Wendy Furst and Jukka Savolainen. Subsequent hosts are Scott and Jennifer ner at about 6:30-6:45 p.m. “Over the years, we’ve added a hakafa Meyerson, Troy and Jamie Meyerson, during the service “which the kids really Erika Felt and Armond Davis, and Sarah love. A highlight of Rabbi Azriel’s Tot Schondelmeyer.
A U G U S T 1 ST– 6 TH
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Little learners begin Tot Shabbat at Temple Israel
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Thank You Sally Zipursky & Rosie Zweiback Housing Co-Chairs
Page 10
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 21, 2009
Visions of the end examined in new class
by SHERRIE SAAG Center for Jewish Education The Book of Daniel is set during the Babylonian captivity, when Jews were deported and exiled to Babylon following the Siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC. The book revolves around the figure of Daniel, an Israelite captured by the Babylonian army who, after surviving a castration operation, spent the rest of his long life as an adviser to the royal court. The second half of the Book of Daniel describes Daniel’s famous apocalyptic visions, the fourth of which he predicts a momentous vision of Israel’s future, leading to the end of the age some 1,335 days later. Dr. Leonard Greenspoon, Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University and instructor for this course, appropriately titled, “Visions of the End: The Book of Daniel and its Meaning(s) for Today,� begins with a study of chapters 7-12 of that Biblical book. “Throughout history, when things become particularly bad economically, politically, or socially, voices are raised that the Apocalypse is near. This apocalyptic vision is rooted in the belief that the catastrophic end of the world is near, when God, perhaps accompanied by the messiah and the heavenly hosts, will destroy the world as we know it in an effort to cleanse us from an accumulation of sinful actions,� explained Dr. Greenspoon. Study of this version of the “end� in the Hebrew Bible will take place at the first class session, Tuesday, Sept. 15. The final three class meetings will cover other early Jewish apocalyptic literature, from the Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Apocrypha. A variety of traditional Jewish understandings of this material and its application to the present world by both Jews and nonJews will be introduced by Dr. Greenspoon. As noted by Greenspoon, “There has rarely been a lack of those who proclaim that ‘the end is near,’ especially when times are tough, as they have been recently. What we want to do is to place such doomsayers into a proper context, which my class will provide.� The class meets on Sept. 15, 22, 29 and Oct. 6, 78:30 p.m. in the Kripke Library. Tuition is $36, discounted to $27 for donors to the Federation’s Annual Campaign. Pre-registration is required by calling 334.6445 or email to mgrossman@ jewishomaha.org.
EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE The Jewish Press will be closed Monday, Sept. 7 for Labor day; the deadline for the Sept. 11 issue is Wednesday, Sept. 2, 9 a.m. for all articles, ads, and photos. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.
PREPARING FOR
Beth El’s Adult-Ed classes promise an A+ experience
entire year will be selected at the first meeting, planned by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator for Oct. 15. All women are welcome to join; no charge. Rabbi Mordechai Levin’s popular class on Thursday, Want to learn Hebrew? Beth El will teach you. Like to share parenting insights with peers? Beth El has the noon will begin following the High Holidays. Details forum. Interested in an in-depth examination of domestic will be announced in a future issue of The Jewish Press. Adult Bar and Bat Mitzvah Class. Led by Cantor Beth extremist groups? Beth El will inform you. If you’re looking to enrich your Jewish life, look no further than Beth Schlossberg, this class will begin in April and will serve as a continuation of the Beginning Hebrew class. The El and its adult-education programming for 2009-10. Whether thought-provoking, entertaining or challeng- culmination of this course will be a group B’nai Mitzvah ing, course offerings promise to deliver an outstanding celebration in the fall of 2010. Cost: $36, members, year of great learning opportunities. You don’t have to $45, non-members. Those interested in attending are asked to contact the be a Beth El member to participate, and whether you prefer yearlong classes or the more abbreviated mini- cantor in the office, or at cantor@bethel-omaha.org. (Note: If you cannot read courses, you won’t want Hebrew and are not to miss the following: familiar with Beth El’s Year-long Classes liturgy, the above-menBeginning Hebrew This tioned Beginning Hebrew weekly class is geared to anyone interested in course is a pre-requisite to learning the Hebrew lanparticipate in this class.) guage. Sessions will be Sunday Classes with Susi held on Sundays beginFrydman-Levin FrydmanLevin’s entertaining, ning Aug. 30 10-11 introspective and insighta.m. Teacher Eadie ful classes will begin in Tsabari will take students October, after the High from their alefs and bets through basic prayers. Holidays. This class is a prerequisite “How to Make the High for those planning to Holidays More Meaningattend Beth El’s Adult ful� During this three-sesBar and Bat Mitzvah Andy Greenberg, seen here teaching a past Beth El adult-education sion course, Rabbi Levin class. Cost: $36 for Beth class, will lead “Are You ‘Kid’ing Me,� beginning Sept. 13. will take an in-depth look El members, $45 for non-members. (There will also be at the services, liturgy, customs and themes of the Jewish a charge for the class text.) Holy Days. Classes will take place on the following You’re ‘Kid’ing Me! During this monthly class, teacher Sundays: Aug. 23 and 30, 11 a.m.-noon. There is no Andy Greenberg will use Jewish texts to offer parenting charge to attend. insights. Participants will discuss the practicality of the The New Wave of Domestic Terrorism. During this fourteachings, and whether they are relevant in today’s soci- session class, Anti-Defamation Executive Director Alan ety. Attendees will also explore how Jewish parents are Potash will enlighten students about extremist groups portrayed in movies, books and television. Class will operating in our own backyard. Sessions are scheduled begin on Sunday, Sept. 13, 10-11:30 a.m.; subsequent for Sundays, Nov. 8, 15, 22 and Dec. 6, 10-11 a.m. classes will be held on the first Sunday of each month. Cost: $18, members, $25, non-members. Mini ‘Love and Logic’ Parenting Class Jewish Family Perfect for parents, grandparents and parents-to-be! Service Executive Director Karen Gustafson will faciliCost: $36, members; $45, non-members. Bible Study Discussion Group The synagogue’s weekly tate this month-long class, which will focus on a variety Bible Study group meets on Sundays, 10 a.m. to exam- of issues facing parents. Sessions include: “Keeping Cool ine Bible texts and discover how they relate to contem- When Parenting Heats Up�; “‘Seriously, You Took My porary life. This dynamic group is open to all Jewish Phone for That?’ -- How to Design Effective adults in the community: whether you’re a newcomer to Consequences�; “Hormones & Wheels: Have They Lost Bible study or a seasoned student of the text, everyone is Their Minds?� (Parenting Teens); “Date Night? What’s welcome. Knowledge of Hebrew is not required. No That?� Cost: $18, members, $25, non-members. charge to attend. Additional adult-education classes will be offered Women’s Book Club This group, which welcomes regu- throughout the year;. For more information or to register, lars and newcomers alike, meets on the second contact Program Director Margie Gutnik at 492.8550, or Thursday of the month, 1:15-2:15 p.m. Books for the via e-mail programming@bethel-omaha.org.
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The future belongs to those who prepare
by LORRAINE A DIMARTINO, CLU President DiMartino & Associates Inc If there is one thing we have learned, it is that we can’t predict the future. And frankly, who wants to? However, there is one thing we can predict when it comes to the education of our children -- college costs will go up. All during their childhood, we nurture our children, provide for their physical well-being, lay down a foundation of values and usher them through their primary school years. When it comes time to select a college or university -- then what? We are fortunate in Nebraska to have a 529 College Savings Plan for college expenses. Any person who has a valid social security number can be a beneficiary of this plan and the account owner can change the beneficiary at any time to someone in the current beneficiary’s primary family (just in case a child decides not to go to college). The beneficiary can attend any United States’ school qualifying as an Institution of Higher Education, including both public and private schools. Qualified withdrawals may be made for
higher education costs: tuition, fees, books, supplies, equipment required for the beneficiary’s higher education. But there’s more. Account owners who file a Nebraska State income tax return are eligible for an annual Nebraska State income tax deduction of up to $5,000 per Nebraska tax return for contributions to the Plan ($2,500 per year if married filing separately). For Federal gift tax purposes, contributions to an account are considered a gift from the contributor to the beneficiary and a contribution of up to $13,000 in 2009 is eligible for the annual gift tax exclusion. (Consult your tax advisor for specific information.) As long as these funds are in the Plan, the earnings are taxdeferred and are eventually free from Federal income tax, if they are distributed as qualified withdrawals. There are penalties and income taxes due on any non-qualified withdrawals (like, to buy a car). (Again, consult your tax advisor). There’s much more to discuss in terms of suitability. Be sure to work with a qualified financial professional and your tax advisor. DiMartino can be reached at 505.9494.
Saving for your child’s education
by MARY LANGDON Russ Kaplan Investments Naming your child is not the only major decision that a parent needs to make when their child is born. Believe it or not, it is time to make decisions about your new baby’s college education. Educating yourself is the start of your saving’s plan, according to Russ Kaplan, President of Russ Kaplan Investments. Parents should start by establishing what type of educational institute they can realistically afford. There is a big difference between saving for a state school verses an Ivy League College. “A question I am always asked concerning major life events, such as retirement or a child’s education is when is the best time to start saving” Kaplan said, “The answer is always today.” A second major question is “How much do I need to save?” With college education funds, parents should start by establishing what type of educational institution they can realistically
afford and then assume that inflation is going to be about 3 to 5% each year. The good news, according to Kaplan, is that there are tax advantaged ways of saving such as uniform gifts to minors and the 529 plans. More good news is what Albert Einstein called the “Power of compound interest”. For example, saving just $4000.00 a year or $333. per month and earning 10% (the average stock market returns over a long period of time), you will have about $160,000 at the end of eighteen years! “Failure to strategize can lead to disaster especially with cost of higher education these days,“ Kaplan said, “Even State Universities, which a generation ago was considered a bargain are now beyond many parent’s incomes.” For more information on saving for your child’s education fund – it is never too early or too late – contact Russ Kaplan Investments at 402.614.1321.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 11
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by ROB A. RANDELS Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company College-bound students and their parents have a lot of “cramming” to do during the days and months leading up to college: saving money for tuition, selecting the right school, weighing living arrangements, getting good grades and much more. But long before packing up the kids for college, parents need to ask themselves if they have provided their aspiring student one of the most practical and valuable life lessons of all: a solid financial education. The fact is that even a straight-A students can rack up a lot of personal debt during their college years. Faced with rising costs of college, temptations of credit card spending and keep up with the social aspect of school, college students have a lot of financial responsibilities and temptations. A Credit Card Usage Study by student loan organization, Nellie Mae, says that college students, on average, graduate with more than $20,000 in debt, and over 15% of that amount is owed to credit card companies. Establishing common sense money smarts early on will help your child manage everyday spending, saving and budgetingand will go a long way in positively impacting their long-term financial goals. Whether or not you have made efforts to teach your kids money lessons before, it’s a good idea to conduct a refresher money class to help prepare them for their newfound “financial freedom” as college students. Here are some Freshman Finance 101 pointers that parents might want to consider Bank accounts. Consider opening a checking account in the area where the school is located. Choose a bank that offers free or low-fee checking for students and several convenient ATM locations. Talk through debit options and fees, especially for overdrafts. Also, review how to record bank activity and balance a checkbook.
Budget power. Work with your child to list all sources of income-job earnings, savings and parental support, followed by another list of what they think they might spend in each category for a month. Then work through costs of books and school supplies, meals, entertainment, personal care items, laundry, telephone, clothes, and other living expenses. After a few months of school, review with your child how the budget is working. Open communication and flexibility is important. Credit card smarts. Even though your child will be bombarded with credit card promotions at school, encourage them to avoid these offers. Having one card- co-signed by you – before school starts is all they need. Make sure your child understands it’s a better choice to use a debit card for everyday expenses and save the credit card in case of emergencies. Avoiding identity theft. Personal financial data left on laptop computers, cell phones and other electronic devices can be easily stolen around campus and even in a dorm room. Keeping all paper records in a safe place and using passwords will keep your child’s information safe. Savings strategies. If your child works while going to school, remind him or her to observe the adage, “pay yourself first.” If they can continue to save and invest, even in small amounts, every little bit can add up over time. On the flip side, constant spending- even smaller purchases- can add up too! Remember, whether your new collegian is putting earlier money lessons to the test or first learning how to manage their new financial responsibilities, your continued parental guidance, communication and encouragement are key. Article prepared by Northwestern Mutual with the cooperation o f R o b A . R a n d e l s , a f i n a n c i a l r e pr e s en t at i v e wi t h t h e Northwestern Mutual Financial Network . To contact me, please call 402.390.8271 or e-mail me at rob.randels@nmfn.com.
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August 21, 2009
Current events education in the 21st century Remember “Current Events” assignments? They usually arrived on Friday afternoons and included instructions to “cut out” a newspaper article to bring to school on Monday where the students would share the “news” with the class. Those current events could pertain to local news about the city in which we lived, or a foreign country (like Israel) or a particular event -- from the moon landing to a neighbor’s home burning down. With the advent of the internet and “citizen journalism”, have “current events” conversations gone the way of typewriters and 35mm film cameras? How can students -- or teachers for that matter -- know if what’s being discussed in class or described in a term paper is factual? Even that citizen-based web-based encyclopedia, Wikipedia, contains numerous errors. Since the articles are “edited” by anyone who’s willing to log on to the site, mistakes (or intentional errors) can creep in on everything from the history of the State of Israel to rewriting entries on the Holocaust. Are we expecting those same teachers (and parents, too) to have the ability to sift through a myriad of books to attempt to differentiate fact from fiction? (Does anyone still use books for research, or is every student now dependent on the web?) And what are the consequences (if any) if inaccuracies find their way into school assignments -- or even Ph.D. theses? There are dozens, if not hundreds of professors on campuses all over North America who are bringing their personal politics (and misinterpretations, errors and outright lies) into the classroom. Here, thanks to CampusWatch for example, are statements made by academics on some of America’s most prestigious campuses: “As Palestinians are murdered and injured in the thousands, world powers are cheering on. This is hardly a new development. It happens often in the context of other populations being murdered by allies of the U.S. and
Europe, and it even happened during World War II as the Nazi genocide was proceeding,” said Joseph Massad, Columbia University associate professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual history, in “The Gaza Ghetto Uprising,” which appeared in The Electronic Intifada, Jan. 4, 2009. A photo of Nazi troops rounding up Polish Jews during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of May, 1943, accompanied the article. Or this: “This class traces the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict from its roots during the late Ottoman period through the current period. Students should keep in mind that this course is NOT designed to present ‘an objective’ account of a ‘two-sided’ conflict. The fact that there are supposedly two sides does not obligate us to portray each as equally right and/or equally wrong,” noted Joshua Schreier, assistant professor of history at Vassar College, in the introduction to the syllabus for History 214, “The Roots of the Palestine-Israel Conflict,” which he taught during the Fall 2008 semester. So what’s a parent to do...especially as they drive their recent high school graduates off to college? It’s one thing to be a part of the discussion when an elementary student comes home with myths about the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, but once a child reaches the age of 18, well, we all know they’re on their own. In addition to CampusWatch, on the web at www.campus-watch.org, another helpful resource is “Responding to Anti-Israel Campaigns on College and University Campuses,” a publication produced by the Anti-Defamation League. It’s available at ADL’s website: www.adl.org, or at the Omaha office by calling 334.1303. A discussion about current events doesn’t have to put your child into the uncomfortable position of not being able to defend herself. But it does mean parents and children alike will have to do a better job of educating themselves to defend from the misinformation on the web -- as well as from students and teachers!
FOCUS ON ISSUES by JONATHAN D. SARNA
WALTHAM, Mass. (JTA) -- Eightyfive years ago, in 1924, two wealthy and accomplished Jewish college students, Nathan F. Leopold and Richard A. Loeb, motivated by Nietzchean philosophy and determined to commit the “perfect crime,” brutally murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks in Chicago. Shocked B’nai B’rith leaders in Mobile, Alabama, wrote to the national secretary of B’nai B’rith, Leon Lewis, expressing interest in the case and wondering what the Jewish organization’s response would be. The answer, in one word, was “Hillel.” The new campus organization, whose establishment Lewis characterized as “almost providential,” would henceforward provide Jewish students with precisely the kind of initiation into Jewish communal life that Leopold and Loeb never had. Wisely, B’nai B’rith adopted Hillel in 1925 and sponsored the organization for nearly 70 years. Hillel, which continues its 85th anniversary year celebrations this summer, began independently in 1923 at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and focused from the start on winning over assimilated Jewish college students. “The average student is sick and tired of hearing about the glorious past of our people,” a Hillel executive reported in 1928. “He wants to have definite advice as to sex morality, about Jewish home life, his attitude toward his girl,
Hillel has adopted a new mission statement and strategic plan that commits the organization to “enriching the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.” Since Jews faced significant social discrimination on college campuses in those days, Hillel provided them with a refuge, a home away from home. It strove to meet their social, cultural and religious needs. Following World War II, thanks in part to the G.I. Bill, the number of Jews on college campuses mushroomed. The American Jewish community’s interest in campus affairs, meanwhile, waned. As B’nai B’rith support for Hillel diminished, Hillel professionals -- fatefully -concentrated their attention on the minority of involved Jewish students. For the rest, Hillel became irrelevant. Underfunded and passive, Hillel was ill pre-
Jewish Press Board Andy Ruback, Vice President; Michael Sigmond, Secretary; Michael Siegel, Treasurer; Howard K. Marcus, Immediate Past-chairman; Daphne Pollak Alperson, Marc Brodkey; Eric Dunning; Jason Epstein; Andie Gordman; Michael Kaufman; Bette Kozlen; Jamie Meyerson; Jim Simon; Dorothy Spizman. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Education, Jewish Family Service/Jewish Senior Services, and the Jewish Press . Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org.
At 85, Hillel mission remains vital etc. Unless we can give him that conception, make him understand that any sort of Jew is accepted, that we do not classify the Jews as Orthodox or Reform, then we have failed.” Under the direction of Abram Sachar, later the founding president of Brandeis University, Hillel expanded, growing to more than 100 units at universities across North America. Many of these, significantly, opened during the dark days of the Depression when (as now) higher education seemed to many Jews a more sensible alternative to unemployment.
(Founded in 1920) Bobbi Leibowitz President Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Managing Editor Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper
pared to weather the cultural and political storm of the 1960s. “In an age when students protest against the establishment, Hillel is the symbol of the establishment,” Rabbi Edward Feld, then Hillel director at the University of Illinois, complained. Rabbi Irving Greenberg characterized the American college campus as a “disaster area for Judaism, Jewish loyalty and Jewish identity.” By the 1970s, Hillel was admitting defeat. “We are doing our job poorly in some places,” its national director, Alfred Jospe, confessed. “We continue to have utterly inadequate and sometimes virtually nonexistent program budgets. Jospe went on to note that with “a staff-student ratio of one to 2,000 or one to 3,000 or even one to 5,000,” Hillel is “cruelly underfunded.” The 1988 appointment of Richard Joel as international director began Hillel’s modernday revival. During the course of his tenure, Joel remade, re-energized and repackaged the organization. Exploiting communal concerns over “Jewish continuity,” he reminded Jewish leaders that “the campus is … a key gateway for Jewish continuity and a key definer of the Jewish future.” Under his leadership, Hillel became an independent organization, reached more students than ever and raised unprecedented sums. Today, guided by President Wayne Firestone, Hillel has adopted a new mission statement and strategic plan that commits the organization to “enriching the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.” Continued on page 13
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 it should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, call the Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $35 per calendar year U.S.; $72 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. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 13
The Rafsanjani connection in AMIA bombing
BEHIND THE H EADLINES by DINA SIEGEL VANN
WASHINGTON (JTA) – The upheaval in Iran following the disputed presidential elections in June has thrust one veteran of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, back into the spotlight. As chairman of the powerful Guardians Council, Rafsanjani could still emerge as a counterweight to the hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But Rafsanjani is not the moderate many in the West believe him to be. As the 15th anniversary of the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires approaches, one might well ask why Rafsanjani remains a central figure in Iranian politics, given that his rightful place is in a prison cell in Argentina awaiting trial. Argentina’s investigation into the AMIA attack, which killed 85 people and wounded more than 300, for several years was marred by incompetence, corruption and political intrigue. But under the determined state prosecutor, Alberto Nisman, who took over the case in 2006, solid evidence has accumulated that the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah carried out the July 18, 1994 bombing on the orders of its Iranian paymasters -- with
Hillel mission remains vital Continued from page 12 Through Taglit-birthright israel trips, social justice alternative breaks and on-campus educational initiatives, Hillel strives to infuse Jewish meaning into the lives of the most uninvolved Jewish students. Hillel has returned to its roots as an organization committed to those lacking a Jewish education while still providing outlets for more Jewishly committed students. Hillel celebrates its anniversary at a moment when the largest group of Jewish students in American history -the children of the baby boomers -- is reaching college campuses. Meanwhile, the Jewish community’s funding sources, drained by the economic downturn and the Madoff scandal, are dramatically shrinking. As communities everywhere reassess their priorities, the needs of Jewish college students need to be remembered. Eighty-five years after the Leopold and Loeb case brought the needs of Jewish college students to the community’s attention, Hillel’s mission is more urgent than ever. Jonathan D. Sarna is the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University and author of “American Judaism: A History.”
Rafsanjani at the helm. Nisman issued arrest warrants against eight Iranians, including Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander of the regime’s Revolutionary Guards who ran as a conservative candidate in the recent contested presidential elections, and Rafsanjani, who was Iran’s president when the decision to bomb AMIA was made. Anyone who understands the decision-making process in Iran will know that it is highly unlikely that the AMIA operation could have been approved without the agreement of both Rafsanjani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to Nisman, the approval was granted at a meeting in the Iranian city of Mashad in 1993, in Rafsanjani’s presence. Six of the eight Iranians named by Nisman are now the subject of Interpol warrants, known as “red notices”-- a testament to both Nisman’s professionalism and the Argentine government’s firm political will. And Nisman remains persistent. Last October and in May, Federal Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral approved Nisman’s request for the seizure of properties belonging to those named in the official report as culpable for the attack, among them five lots belonging to the former “cultural attaché” in Buenos Aires, Mohsen Rabbani. The proceeds from the sale of the seized properties are expected to be distributed to AMIA victims and family members taking part in a civil action. More fundamentally, Nisman’s investigation has helped to expose the growing danger posed by Iran to the security and well-being of the Americas. Most countries in the region, eager to pursue commercial and diplomatic ties with Iran, have put the AMIA atrocity to one side. Their discomfort in recognizing that the attack
was a key indicator, several years before 9/11, of how far terrorists will go (not to mention the realization that Latin America, in common with the rest of the world, is not immune from terrorism) is too great. Of particular concern is the strengthening of the alliance between Iran and Venezuela -- and by extension, those countries in the region aligned with the demagogue of Caracas, Hugo Chavez. Chavez and Ahmadinejad, his Iranian counterpart and “revolutionary brother,” have undertaken nearly 200 cooperative ventures worth more than an estimated $20 billion since 2001. In April, Chavez visited Tehran to attend the ribboncutting ceremony for the joint bank, Banco Binacional Irani-Venezuela, which was established to fund projects internally and in third-party countries run by antiWestern regimes. Kurosh Parvisian, the bank’s president, is also chairman and managing director of the Export Development Bank of Iran, or EDBI. In October, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed financial restrictions on affiliates of the EDBI, which supports the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. As Argentina knows only too well, the most wellknown consequence of Iran’s activities in Latin America has been the continent’s worst-ever terrorist atrocity, in the form of the AMIA bombing. Therefore, as Tehran attempts to expand its influence, all countries in the region need to understand that the Iranian regime is an enemy of freedom, and remember that even so-called moderates in Iran’s ruling circles have no qualms about exporting terrorism and massacring innocents. Dina Siegel Vann is director of the American Jewish Committee Latino and Latin American Institute.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR To the Editor: My vacation was very instructive; it taught me that I didn’t want to do this anymore. Despite the current wealth of material for political humor, after 40 years, my enthusiasm for the task has begun to wane; thus I am taking the opportunity to retire from this task. I sold my first cartoon in 1969, right after returning from service in Vietnam to complete my degree in art education. I taught art in the public schools and in art schools and worked in both educational and commercial television. I turned to editoral cartooning part-time in 1975 at the Rocky Mountain Business Journal, beginning a relationship with specialized weeklies that became a full-time career lasting until today. Since then, and some 5,000 cartoons/illustrations later, for newspapers, magazines, books, animations,
museum collections, gallery shows and academic publications, I have reached the point where I acknowledge that I am tired and a bit jaded. Is is said that the best time to leave the field is at the top of your game, so let’s hope that I have not overstayed my welcome. To the editors and publishers who have kept me in print during these three decades, and the fellow travelers who joined this caravan along the way, here’s a little secret: Know that I have indeed truly appreciated your patronage, but most of all I thank you for granting me the sheer delight of looking people in the eye when they asked what I did for a living and seeing their absolute envy when I answered: “I’m a cartoonist.” Thanks again and goodbye. Stu Goldman Editorial cartoonist (retired!) Ft. Lauderdale, FL
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August 21, 2009
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B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE
323 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154
Services conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Beth Schlossberg. FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning services, 9:30 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:05 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. HIGH HOLIIDAYS MINICOURSE: Rabbi Levin will lead How to Make the High Holidays More Meaningful on Sundays, Aug. 23, and 30, 11 a.m. to noon. No charge to attend; open to everyone in the Jewish community. To RSVP, contact the office. BESTT HIGH SCHOOL: Wednesday, Aug. 26, 5:30 p.m., the BESTT High School of will kick off the 2009-10 school year (See full story on page 7.) BESTT: Classes for grades PreK-7 will begin on Sunday, Aug. 30, 10 a.m. BEGINNING HEBREW: Weekly adult-education class led by Eadie Tsabari, Sundays from 10-11a.m., beginning Aug. 30. (See full story on page 10.) SHABBAT AT THE BLUMKIN HOME: Join Rabbi Levin and Cantor Schlossberg on Friday, Aug. 28, 2:30 p.m. and join residents in a joyous, musical early welcome to Shabbat.
Temple Israel
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org
Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross and Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m.
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
Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 www.OChabad.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 southstreettemple.org
Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244
Rose Blumkin Jewish Home
The Neighborhood Minyan 1317 No. 57 St. Omaha, NE 68132 551.6609
Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org
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SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; free babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes, 9:45 a.m. with Torah Parade; Kiddush is sponsored by Gary, Liat, Shmuel Aaron, Aviva Chana, Shevy and Eliezer Shyken in honor of Paysie and Susie’s wedding anniversary; “Guard Your Tongue”, “The Great Midrash” and “Advanced Parshah Study for Kids” (ages 10 and up) one hour prior to Mincha, 7:45 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:08 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Reading the Rambam, 9:45 a.m.; Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha, 5:45 p.m. TUESDAY: Rabbi Mizrahi’s Weekly Class is cancelled this week. THURSDAY: Women of the Torah class, 9:30 a.m..
CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Service, 7 a.m.; The Parsha Club for Level I beginners, ages 5-6; and Level II intermediates and experts, ages 7-9, noon. Please contact Shevi@ochabad. com to receive a guest pass. SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Service, 9:30 a.m.; Youth Minyan, 10:30 a.m. MiniMensch title will be awarded; Kiddush lunch follows; join Rabbi Katzman from 12-1 p.m. SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: W.O.W. Parsha, Prophets, and Prayer, 9:15 a.m. THURSDAY: Shofar Service and reception, 7:45 a.m. FRIDAY, Aug. 28: The Parsha Club for Level I beginners, ages 56; and Level II intermediates and experts, ages 7-9, noon. Please contact Shevi@ochabad.com. All events and programs are open to the entire community.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel. FRIDAY: Outdoor service and potluck dinner, 6 p.m. at Holmes Lake Park, Shelter #3. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. all led by Rabbi Emanuel. SUNDAY: Major Donor event for the Jewish Federation of Lincoln, 7-8:30 p.m. at the home of Dr. Larry and Julie Widman, 8801 Augusta Dr. RSVP to Donna Hersch at 483.7331 or dhersch@neb.rr.com. THURSDAY: Choir Rehearsal, 7:30 p.m. August Back-to-School Supplies Drive: The Social Action Committee is collecting school supplies to donate to Saratoga Elementary School. Bring your items to the Social Hall.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME FRIDAY: Chef’s Demo by Miriam Gross, 1 p.m. at the Blumkin Home. SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Phyllis Hoffman. THURSDAY: LOVE Board Meeting, 7 p.m. at JCC.
TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, and Cantor Wendy Shermet; Summer Speaker Series: “Friendship Tour of Turkey” with Lee and Harold Needelman, Rita Paskowitz, and Wendy and David Goldberg. SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat
Service, 10:30 a.m. Michelle Davidson, daughter of Juanita and Doug Davidson, will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah. SUNDAY: OTYG Fall Rush, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. at Mahoney State Park; Worship Meeting, noon. MONDAY: Annual Temple Golf Outing, noon at Ironwood Golf Country Club. TUESDAY: WRJ Board Meeting, 7 p.m. THURSDAY: Religious School Steering Committe Meeting, noon; CSA delivery for shareholders, 4:30-5:30 p.m. at South entrance. Tot Shabbat and Dinner, Friday, Aug. 28, 6 p.m. RSVP to Maureen in the office. (See full story on page 9.)
NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN FRIDAY: Minyan, 7 p.m. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m.
TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Nancy Coren, Lay Leader. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. MONDAY and THURSDAY: Minyan, 9 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush lunch and Talmud study. SUNDAY: Major Donor event for the Jewish Federation of Lincoln, 7-8:30 p.m. at the home of Dr. Larry and Julie Widman, 8801 Augusta Dr. RSVP to Donna Hersch at 483.7331 or dhersch@neb.rr.com. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066.
Preschoolers learn the joy of Judaism through Beth El’s Nitzanim program by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator To grow healthy trees and plants, you must first plant seeds, then take time to nurture and encourage their growth. Beth El holds the same philosophy when it comes to growing dedicated Jews: take the littlest members of the congregation, plant the seeds of knowledge, add the joys of Judaism, and watch them grow. Beth El’s “seeds” come in the form of an exciting program called Nitzanim (Hebrew for ‘buds’), which introduces preschoolers to Jewish holidays and their accompanying celebrations, as well as Jewish values. Nitzanim, an auxiliary to the synagogue’s regular preschool class, has scheduled four holiday-related programs during the upcoming school year (most programs are held on Sundays, Oct. 18, Tzedakah, Dec. 13, Hanukkah; Feb. 21, Purim; and March 14, Passover, 10:30 a.m. to noon): Nitzanim is geared to threeand-four-year-old children and their parents, according to
Education Director Judy Rubin, who leads the program along with a group of guest facilitators. “I wanted to give this age group a very special experience on Sunday mornings,” Rubin remarked. “This is a great introduction to the synagogue, plus synagogue personnel and the Talmud Torah. Our early-childhood Shabbat programming -Tot Shabbat, Shabbat Tunes ‘n’ Tales and Shabbat Morning Live -- has created a cadre of participants who are used to a certain
level of programming, and Nitzanim serves as a transition from these early-childhood experiences to the Talmud Torah itself.” Touting the program’s “fun and experiential” opportunities, she added that, “These programs create an environment in which learning takes place with joy and with age-appropriate, creative and interesting activities to transmit this knowledge.”At the end of each session, I would like the children to have had a marvelous time
Last January, preschoolers and their families were treated to Tu B’Shevat fun, led by Education Director Judy Rubin (standing).
learning and absorbing Judaism on a cognitive, as well as an experiential level. I would like the parents to also come away from each program with information that they can transfer to their own lives, and the tools to make it happen.” The Nitzanim program is open to all families in the Jewish community, at no charge. For more information or to register, contact Rubin at 498.0904, or eddir@bethel-omaha.org.
Rabbi Levin joined Nitzanim participants in the sukkah to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot.
Pulverente MONUMENT CO.
August 21, 2009
The nature of humankind
DEATHS BEDE OSTROW Bede Ostrow died at the age of 83. Graveside services were held Aug 18 at Beth Israel Cemetery. She was preceded in death by her husband, Nathan (“Nate”); sister, Rose Lee Gold; and nephew, Michael Gold. She is survived by her son, Dr. Stosh Ostrow and partner Allen Walterman of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and son, Jeff Ostrow of Hollywood, FL. She was a life member of the Board of the Friends of Children’s Hospital. Memorial to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. IRVING J. BABENDIR Irving “Sonny” Babendir died Aug. 6 at the age of 88. He retired a few years ago from Nebraska Wine & Spirits. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Rosalie; daugher Leslie Babendir; son and daughter-in-law, Keith and Terri Babendir of San Jose, CA; four grandchildren; and one great-grandson. Memorials to charity of choice.
BAR MITZVAH Jacob Henry Arnold, son of Brenda and Barton Arnold, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Aug. 29, at Temple Israel. Jacob is an eighth-grade Outstanding Honors student at Westside Middle School. His interests include golf, swimming, basketball, movies, and music/choir. For his mitzvah project, Jacob volunteered at Rainbow House Pantry Drive, Food Bank Duck Race, Komen Race for the Cure and was a Madrachim at Temple. He has two brothers, Spencer and Zachary. Grandparents are Joy Arnold of Florida, Charles “Uncle Chuck” Arnold of Council Bluffs, and Mae Petersen of LaVista. Great-grandmother is Beverly Freiden.
SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Shoftim In a perfect world, men and women the world over would treat others like brothers and sisters; that is to say, like loving siblings. How fortuitous, then, that this week’s Sidra comes now, Rosh Hodesh Elul, exactly four weeks before Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of a new year. In case you haven’t noticed, however, we don’t have a perfect world. Instead, human beings are envious, prideful and, frankly harbor dislike for one another. Thus, we have need of police officers, courts of law and judges -all of which is pointed out in this week’s Sidra, Shoftim, which translates literally as “judges.” (And, if I may add, we can’t get along without lawyers, some of whom are willing to bend the law and interpret or misinterpret it in favor of their clients -- paying clients!) I am somewhat dismayed that the Sacred Text was already honest about the nature of humanity, ahead of the game, so to speak, in ancient days. Not much has changed. In the Psalms, humanity is described as “little lower than the angels.” In fact, we are very, very much lower. We must accept the facts that we see all around us: none of us, including you and me, is totally what human beings ought to be. Therefore, to settle quarrels or even physical violence, we need officers of the law and courts, presided over by (honest!) judges, to make decisions that make life in civilized society possible. The most oft-quoted verse of the Sidra is, of course, “Justice, justice shall you pursue.” It is interesting to note that this verse is preceded by an admonition that judges shall not pervert justice, show favoritism or take bribes. So, like the rest of humanity, judges are not immune from human failure and weakness. The Sacred Text does not try to cover up the sinfulness of ordinary people. And although we might wish for a more perfect humanity, we have found that it is not attainable, at least not yet. Therefore, like it or not, we can explain, but we cannot deny the nature of humanity.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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Statewide Classified CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in over 175 newspapers. Reach thousands of readers for $210/25 word ad. Contact the Jewish Press at 334-6448 or call 1-800-369-2850. LOOKING FOR the classic car, truck or motorcycle of your dreams? Go to www.midwestclassiccars.com. It’s your Midwest connection to classic vehicles for sale. Need to sell a classic vehicle? For only $25, your ad with photos will run until sold! Call this newspaper today for more information or call 800-369-2850. NEBRASKA ANGUS Tour - September 18-19. Visit Angus ranches throughout Central Nebraska. For registration and more information check out the website at www.nebraskaangus.org or call 308-577-6700.
Try this class before you judge the Book of Judges by SHERRIE SAAG Center for Jewish Education Fueled by the interest and success of “Conflicts and Controversies in the Bible”, a just-completed four-week class presented by the Center for Jewish Education (CJE), Dr. Guy Matalon, executive director, will lead a new 4 week course entitled, “Looking at Judges: The Best of Times and The Worst of Times”. The Book of Judges is a period of nearly 400 years, spanning the time of Joshua to Samuel. It is a time when the Israelites were led by local charismatic leaders or warriors. The course will cover such famous Judges as Samson, Jephtach, Gideon, and Deborah. It was the best of times and it was the worst of times is much more applicable to the book of Judges than to Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities, according to Matalon. “Society was less organized, yet individuals were much closer to one another. The judges held authority and as such, had the potential to use or abuse their power. In our study, we will reveal something of what the state of Israel was like at this time,” he added. The class will meet in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library on Fridays, Sept. 4, 11, 18, and 25th, noon1 p.m. Tuition is $36, discounted to $27 for donors to the Federation Annual Campaign. Pre-registration is required by calling 334.6445 or email to mgrossman@jewishomaha.org.
CORRECTION Last week’s article about Norma and Stanley Silverman reaching their 65th wedding anniversary incorrectly noted that the date of their marriage was Aug. 25, 1944; the correct date was Aug. 20, 1944. The Jewish Press regrests the error.
Prayerbooks Available for Visually Impaired The Jewish Heritage for the Blind announced the availability of the High Holiday Machzor in large print and in Braille free of charge for those who need them. A doctor’s note stating necessity is required. To receive a complimentary Machzor, contact our office at 718.338.4999; or fax 718.338.0653; or e-mail to Jewishheritage@gmail.com.
BANKRUPTCY: FREE initial consultation. Fast relief from creditors. Low rates. Statewide filing. No office appointments necessary. Call Steffens Law Office, 308-8728327. www.steffenslaw.com. We are a debt relief agency, which helps people file bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code. BIG WESTERN wear sale. Buy 2 pieces of Wrangler apparel & get $10 back (ends 8/30/09). See Fort Western store online for details, www.FortWestern.com/NE. COFFEE: SAVE 10, 20, 30% every day at www.goodsip.com. Handpicked and imported from farms throughout the world. Fresh roasted, always organic. That’s Good Sip Coffee! FIND BUSINESSES you can trust. Better Business Bureau Member Directory. Available now! 800-649-6814, bbb.org.
JEWISH PRESS EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE
HOT TUB floor model sale. 4, 5 and 6-man. $995 to $3,995. Walk-in bathtubs $3,995 up. Saunas $1,005 to $2,695. Town Center Showcase, Lincoln, NE. Our 27th year in business. 1-800-869-0406. www.goodlifespa.com.
The Jewish Press will be closed Monday, Sept. 7 for Labor day; the deadline for the Sept. 11 issue is Wednesday, Sept. 2, 9 a.m. for all articles, ads, and photos. The Press will publish the New Year’s issue on Sept. 18, 2009, entitled “What we did THAT summer!” All lists of marriages, births and deaths, as well as board lists and synagogue schedules for Rosh Hashanah are due immediately. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.
LIQUIDATING - PALLET racking uprights, 9’-13’, 18’x 44’ deep. Crossbeams 10’ long. 5,300 lb. capacity per pair. Big Rack Shack, 308-440-7286.
To Submit Announcements to the Jewish Press: Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154 (with photos we will scan and return). Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, or by e-mailing: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org. Readers can also submit other announcements -- births engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements. Deadlines are normally eight days prior to publication, on Thursdays, 9 a.m. Check the Jewish Press, however, for notices of early deadlines prior to secular and Jewish holidays.
NEBRASKA’S JUNK Jaunt, September 25-27, 2009. Three hundred mile garage sale, 32 towns, 400 vendors. Shopper guides, $7, www.junkjaunt.com or by mail: PO Box 21, Burwell, NE 68823. 308-346-4815. RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT Outlet; new & used restaurant equipment. See www.Chillmasters.biz for more info; Sioux City, IA, 1-800-526-7105. SELECT HANCOCK Breeders horse sale 8-30-09, 12:00 CST. Kearney Livestock Market, Kearney, NE. Bid online: www.LMAAuctions.com. Includes Blue and Red Roan with some of highest Joe Hancock/Blue Valentine bloodlines. 308-383-0039, 308-3465213. STARTRAN’S BIG Red Express season tickets on sale now, only $50. Call 402-4761234 or on the web at startran.lincoln.ne.gov. STOP WASTING $ on rent! Own a new single-wide home for as low as $400/month W.A.C. Call for details: 307-635-3100. ZERO DOWN for land owners. EZ financing for manufactured, modular homes, land, foundations, and utilities. Big screen TV with purchase. 800-375-3115. AIRLINES ARE hiring - train for high paying Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualified. Housing available. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance, 888-349-5387. DANCE TEACHER position available! Will offer Ballet, Tap, Jazz & Hip-Hop. New Studio located in McCook, NE. Call 308-340-6300 or email divinefilms@gmail.com to apply. SOUTH CENTRAL Diesel, Holdrege, opening for parts department. Experience, motivated and good with computers. Retirement, paid holidays, vacation and health insurance plan. Unlimited opportunity. 800-228-8482. USED PALLET racking 4'x8'x14'-$199.50; 5'-$150; from Sam's Clubs, capacity 6,000#. Used compact tractors w/loader from $8,950; used commerical mower, 250 hours, 17hp 48" $2,950. Details 1-800-284-7066.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 21, 2009
Team Omaha returns with medals and memories by ANNE MUSKIN four gold, a silver and a bronze medal. 2009 Omaha Delegation Head Additionally, Cameron Davis and Sophie Team Omaha had an incredible week at Cemaj each took home the silver medal in the San Francisco JCC Maccabi Games. their 4 x 800 meter mixed relay in the The Team of 20 teens brought home 31 finals. medals and even more memories. Dance athlete Cleo Rogers took home The games kicked off with Opening the Gold in Jazz, and a silver medal in Ceremonies, where Team Omaha stole the show. Omaha entered the arena in a “20 man huddle” and then proceeded to toss out boxer shorts, advertising Omaha’s JCC Maccabi Games in 2010! While that was fun, things were just heating up. Every morning brought competition, which continued well into the afternoon. Omaha’s teams performed well and individuals were on fire -- from dance to golf, to mixed teams in soccer and basketball, track and field, Left: Sapir Baum, left, Cleo Rodgers, Gabbie Fried and table tennis, swimming and Michelle Davidson danced their way through the JCC bowling, Team Omaha Maccabi Games in San Francisco in early Aug. Right: Sophie medaled in every sport entered! Ballet, while Kansas Citian Gabbie Fried Boys basketball 16-and-under took (granddaughter of Omahans Sam and home the bronze medal in the Blue Frances Fried) won gold in Tap, a bronze Division. Players included Steven Vinci, in Hip Hop, and a second bronze in Jazz. Patrick Coyle, David Glazer, Grant Table tennis athlete, Lee Lohman took Glazer, Reuel Ben Moshe, Ben Lohman, home a bronze medal, and golfer John and Ryan Kirshenbaum. Gallahger won the Gold Medal in the Boys soccer 14-and-under received the Longest Drive competition. Sydney bronze when Omaha athlete Max Robinson won two silvers and a bronze in Saferstein-Hansen participated on a Bowling mixed team with Memphis. Likewise, Swimmer Ari Juster returned home Girls basketball 14-and-under won the with an impressive 10-medal count, bronze medal, with Sara Potash playing including four golds, five silvers, and a on a mixed team with Austin, Mexico, bronze. San Jose, and Albuquerque. As the week drew to a close, excitement Track and Field athlete, Sophie Cemaj mounted for what promised to be an epic won several individual medals, including evening. Closing ceremonies took place at
AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. Team Omaha walked into the park, and this writer barely saw the team again! There were batting cages, a Builda-Bear workshop, and a Coca Cola metal slide in left field; hot dogs, sliders, and even “super-rope” graced buffet tables.
By evening, the stands began to fill with familiar faces of host families and games’ chairmen whom the athletes had came to know all week. The Closing Ceremonies began, and Lou Seal, the Giant’s mascot, set foot on the field with the JCC Maccabi Games torch held high. After a brief tackling of the mascot, Seal gracefully made his way to the pitchers mound where 2010 Assistant Games Director Esther Katz and I were presented the torch to soon bring home to Omaha. With the 2010 Omaha JCC Maccabi Games just around the corner, volunteers are needed to “Get in the Game!” Hundreds of opportunities await the Jewish community. Local Jewish teens, ages 12-16 (as of Aug. 1, 2010) Cemaj garners gold in track and field at the 2009 Games are encouraged to sign up in earlier this month. Below: The Omaha boys 16-and under an individual sport, team basketball team took home the bronze medal. sport, or as a star reporter. Additionally, the JCC is actively seeking 350 Jewish host families; hundreds of volunteers will be essential in the planning and implementation of the Games. Athlete, housing, volunteer and sponsorship information can all be found on the Omaha JCC Maccabi Games website, www.jccomaha.org, which goes live this week! Check it out, and “Get in the Game!” Cotton candy and Rice Krispy treats sat For more information on the Games in next to center field, and the largest out- Omaha, please contact Lisa Shkolnick, door dance party you’ve ever seen played Games Director at 334.6425 or lshkolnick@jccomaha. org. shortstop.
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* NEW: Star Reporter - The JCC Maccabi Games® needs local Omaha teens as Star Reporters to cover the Games! You will take photos and videos, produce a daily newsletter and help update the web-site. You will receive training in sports journalism and have all the same rights and responsibilities as the other Team Omaha athletes!
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