August 21, 2020 by Jewish Press

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The Jewish Press AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA | WWW. JE WISHOMAHA.ORG

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A story about fear and nerve Page 3

2 0 2 0 SPONSORED BY THE BENJAMIN AND ANNA E. WIESMAN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND

The Arthur L. and Betsy Davidson Emergency Assistance Fund

National LIFE and LEGACY Initiative tops $1 Billion JAY KATELMAN Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation Local Jewish organizations secured 659 legacy commitments from 324 individual donors totaling $20.9 million to date through the LIFE & LEGACY® initiative. 324 Omaha area donors have made 659 legacy commitments to support the Greater Metro Omaha Area Jewish community. These

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JEWISH PRESS STAFF hen Art Davidson passed away in August 2019, his family wanted to find a more permanent way to honor his memory. Reflecting on his life, they envisioned something that typified his quiet, caring nature, always finding solutions and supporting those around him. As owner of Davidson’s furniture for over 40 years, he viewed his staff as an extension of his family, celebrating their accomplishments and striving to support them in times of crisis and educational endeavors. Art and Betsy’s son, Doug Davidson said, “My parents always believed that we are part of a community, that community is important, and that we should be helping one another and trying to lift each other up.” Doug said they believed very strongly that people that needed a helping hand should get one. Betsy agreed “When people are in need, we always wanted to help if we could.” Art and Betsy extended their deep love of community to many organizations See Davidson Emergency Assistance Fund page 3

“(Not really) Goodbye” Page 12

REGULARS

Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles

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Staenberg gift will strengthen Creighton ties to Jewish community MICAH MERTES Campaign Content Writer University Relations, Creighton University “To remember this history is not for the sake of keeping alive the memories of old tyrannies, but to recognize present tyranny, for these patterns are in us still.” — Doris Lessing We face a crisis of memory. In 2020 — 75 years after Auschwitz was liberated — only 400,000 survivors of the Holocaust are still living. In Nebraska, the number is just 13. “It’s vital that we keep these voices heard and keep their stories going,” says Michael Staenberg, a St. Louis businessman and philanthropist born and raised in Omaha. “These times especially show us that we need to have respect for people, that we need to recognize that the color of a person’s skin or their religious beliefs

Students on the trip — Nuremberg to the Hague on Aug 5, 2014

should never change how we think about them or treat them.” Staenberg has made it his life’s

work to keep these stories fresh in our collective memory. Through the See Staenberg gift page 2

commitments are part of an ongoing, collaborative endowment building effort that includes 10 Omaha area Jewish organizations and congregations. The Omaha LIFE & LEGACY initiative is coordinated by the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation in collaboration with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. Local Metro Omaha partners are the Jewish Federation of Omaha, Anti-Defamation League - Plains States Region, Institute for Holocaust Education, Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, Friedel Jewish Academy, Chabad Lubavitch of Nebraska, Beth Israel Synagogue, Beth El Synagogue, Temple Israel, and B`nai Israel Synagogue. “The goal of LIFE & LEGACY is to assure future financial stability for all of the Jewish institutions in the Omaha metropolitan area. Our fellow Omahans have generously stepped up to include all ten of the Omaha area LIFE & LEGACY partners in their estate plans,” said Howard N. Epstein, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. “They will give these gifts, totaling almost $21 million, through their wills and estate plans, by designating their selected organizations as beneficiaries of retirement plans, life insurance, and through charitable trusts. Those are all gifts that will come to fruition after their lifetimes. Several LIFE & LEGACY supporters have already given gifts of cash and appreciated stock; they want to see their See LIFE & LEGACY page 2