Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
Lay leaders in our Jewish community August 30, 2013 | 24 Elul 5773 Vol. 93 | No. 50 3 Sections
A2 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
Introduction
American Jewish Press Association Award Winner
Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008
Passion
The word you will find most often in this issue is “Passion.” To be an effective and successful lay leader, you need quite a bit of it; it’s something every leader featured in this issue agrees on. But while the stories in this issue focus on a specific list of community leaders, that passion is something we all need to have. The main reason we have a thriving community today is our collective involvement. Several years ago, I had a conversation with Joel Alperson. He said something at the time that stuck with me. He told me how he used to do Jewish things by rote, kind of on automatic pilot, but didn’t give much thought to why he did them (I’m paraphrasing). He then talked about waking up, and coming to the realization there was more to it, that he needed to have an awareness of why living a Jewish life is important. I think that realization is something that resonates with many of us; we can’t really be part of this community unless we take ownership, unless we care deeply and passionately. We have to make a conscious choice, and then own that choice. In short, being Jewish comes with strings attached. But, you say, I don’t have enough money to be a lay leader. It’s an uncomfortable question, and one we addressed in several of the stories. I think you should read the answers carefully. Think of it, what would our community look like with unlimited dollars, but no one willing to do the legwork? To sit around a conference table, sometimes for hours on end, making the tough decisions? Exactly. I want to thank the Jewish Press Board of Directors for supporting the staff, and supporting this issue’s theme. I want to also say thank you to every single professional on and off campus who helped us during the busy Rosh Hashanah preparations. The Jewish Press is by no means an island, and the One Campus initiative has made a tremendous difference during the past few years. Thank you, Jody Malashock, for all your support during your presidency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, and thank you for continuing your interest in our agency. Thank you, Jay Noddle, for your willingness to continue the great tradition of commit-
ted and caring leadership. Thank you, Julee Katzman and Jordana Glazer, for neverending support as well as great peptalks, and thank you, Richard Goedeken and Barbara Kirkpatrick, for keeping us honest. And of course, thank you Mike Silverman, for always having our back. You’re a great
CEO. All the writers: Ozzie Nogg, Sherrie Saag, Lois Friedman, David Golbitz, Julianne Dunn Herzog, Oliver Pollak, Lizzy Gilbert, Michael Boekstal, Mark Kirchhoff, Sharon Houchin, Solomon Kleinsmith, Mary Bort, Brenda Ingraham, Sybil Kaplan and Teddy Weinberger: thanks for your hard work! We really could not do this without you. Of course, as always, big praise and thanks go out to our Creative Director Richard Busse, for his beautiful designs and for making everything fit just right. You make the world a better and more organized place. My Assistant Editor Lori Kooper-Schwarz: you’re like the energizer bunny, and you care deeply about what goes on in our community, which makes you uniquely qualified for the job. Thank you for always being there when I need you. Finally, to our advertising maven Jessie Wees: your job presents some very steep
challenges. There’s no one I’d rather have in that chair, and working with you is a joy. Not to mention your fabulous sense of humor, which makes even the toughest days bearable. We are blessed to have great volunteers who work tirelessly every weekend to check the Jewish Press for errors. Dottie Rosenblum, Suzanne Singer, Sivi Roffman, Jody Malashock, Deborah Platt and Margaret Kirkeby: any remaining errors are mine and mine alone. Thank you for the countless hours you have given us. Rosh Hashanah is always a tempting time to look back, but also a time to look ahead; we have some exciting things coming our way. Temple Israel moved into its new building at Sterling Ridge, and we’ll produce a special edition of the Press to mark the occasion. Preparations are under way to welcome a multitude of exOmahans to our community during the big reunion next August, and of course we’ll report on that as well. Campus has welcomed new Shaliach Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan and his wife Sara, who will be a Judais studies teacher at Friedel. , and we can’t wait to see all the good things they will bring to our community. The JCC Community Theater Musical Acting Group is starting rehearsals for their next performance, the gym is busy, and the health spa is waiting for you. There are always new books to check out at the Center for Jewish Life’s Kripke Library, and there is no better daycare than the Pennie Z. Davis Center for Childhood Development. And, the next time you stop by Star Deli to enjoy lunch, check out the upcoming programs at the Institute for Holocaust Education – or sign up for a yoga class. We hope to see you on campus soon, and we wish you all a happy and healthy New Year, L’Shana Tovah! Andy Ruback, President Annette van de Kamp, Editor
ABOUT THE COVER: Many of the stories in this issue are about people in our community; with this many great leaders, we could not possibly pick and choose who to feature on the front. So instead, our Creative Director Richard Busse took a little piece of many, to represent the many different faces of lay leadership. Men, women, young or old (or somewhere inbetween), working for synagogues, community organizations, schools, and agencies: it takes an enormous variety of voluntary (wo)manpower to make our community work this well.
Health and happiness this new year. Staff+Board (Founded in 1920) Andrew Ruback President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Shiri Tene Advertising Executive Jessie Wees Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper
Jewish Press Board Eric Dunning, Caryn Scheer, Bobbi Leibowitz, Past President; Phyllis Brown; Daniel Christensen; Mel Epstein; Scott Farkas; Sandy Friedman; Noah Priluck; Paul Rabinowitz; Mark Senal; Nancy Wolf. The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish LIfe, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishoma
ha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial
material and photos to: avandekamp @jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jew ishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content
and space restrictions, but it should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid per-
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August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | A3
One incredible community out, provides the care and respect our aging community deserves. Our Federation also proudly serves our worldwide Jewish community, generously sharing its financial JAY NODDLE, President, Jewish Federation of Omaha resources with Israel and our As we approach the New Year of 5774, we overseas partners. reflect on our past blessings, but also chalTogether, the pride we feel in our colleclenge ourselves to think about where we may tive efforts should spur us on to ever greater have fallen short and where we can do even accomplishments. better. It is a time to anticipate and offer hope In June, we installed new Board members for the many good fortunes yet to come. across all agencies on campus. Their sincere Almost a year to this day, my Federation desire to do good on our behalf is inspiring; presidency was announced to the communi- they have pledged not only their financial ty (Jewish Press, 9/7/2012). At the time, I commitment but also much of their personreferred to the many, many campus-wide al time to assure that our mission continues. changes taking place as a “modernization” More than 100 leaders serve on the boards and I am happy to say I believe that still of our Federation and its family of agencies. holds true. Words do not do justice to the gratitude we We’ve taken what worked successfully in feel for their efforts. the past and adapted it, in the best possible I encourage those of you not involved, to way, to work for our future. And I see a consider doing so. The 2014 Annual bright future indeed. Campaign kick-off is right around the corWe live in an incredible community, one ner and it is a perfect opportunity to learn that has a “Best in Omaha” designated about all the Federation has to offer. I assure Jewish day camp, a first rate community cen- you, from personal experience, you will ter and a wonderful family service agency derive infinitely more satisfaction than your that provides a wide safety net for those in efforts require. Let this year, 5774, be the our community with the greatest need. year of your active role in making our comWe also have an unparalleled Center for munity the best it can be. Jewish Life that offers educational programIt's an exciting time at The Jewish ming from toddlers to baby boomers and Federation of Omaha, join us! L’Shana beyond. Our award-winning Rose Blumkin Tovah to you and your families -- may it be Jewish Home consistently, day in and day a good and sweet year for everyone.
From the desk of the President
L’Shana Tova! Wishing everyone a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
Transparency in all we do
David Gilinsky
Stacey Rockman
by JULIANNE DUNN HERZOG In the overall modernization of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, which took place over the last two years, the Budget and Financial Review committee (B&FR) underwent its own series of changes with the goals of being more strategic and transparent. During a conversation with the chair, Stacey Rockman, and two members of the committee, Phil Wolf and David Gilinsky, each shared his or her thoughts on the most important aspects of their role and responsibility as a members of B&FR. Stacey Rockman says that the committee intends to be “proactive rather than reactionary.” Phil Wolf says that “This committee wants to communicate that it is taking a keen, serious eye to financial management, transparency and openness in discussion,” and David Gilinsky emphasizes “transparency in all that we do.” So what do those statements mean, coming from this group? First of all, one needs to be aware that this is perhaps one of the key committees of the Federation. Every single person on this committee of 11 including a chair, comes to the committee after years of service to the Jewish community. Professionally, most have experience in the business world and all have been intimately involvement in community leadership. All are donors and have a specific and personal interest in guarding
Phil Wolf
the monies which the Jewish Federation of Omaha raises through its campaign. Annually, the committee reviews the submitted budgets of each agency of the Federation and makes recommendations to the Federation board. The committee also reviews national and international requests for funds. Rockman, adds: “The goal is to ensure that every allocation is legitimate and a worthwhile contribution. Also, it must be tied to the JFO’s mission “to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Jewish community,” wherever that may be. The emphasis in this group is to balance economic sense with social sense. While once a committee that met only annually, the committee now meets multiple times a year to set financial policy, monitor allocations and define a financial road map for the future leaders to follow. Additionally, each member of the committee supports the concept that every member of the community has a right to know how the monies of the Federation are spent. To that end, the Budget and Financial Review book containing a plethora of information regarding Federation spending and policies, is available for inspection by any member of the community. For more details, contact lay chairman Stacey Rockman at staceycollect@me.com or CFO Jordana Glazer at jglazer@jewishomaha.org
“The goal is to ensure that every allocation is legitimate and a worthwhile contribution.”
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A4 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
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BBYO Advisors: Youthful leadership by SHERRIE SAAG you sustain the stamina required to do it? Quite possibly the most under-recognized leadership posiAndy: I like to think that I’m still young enough to keep tion in our community is that of a volunteer BBYO Advisor. up with them. Hopefully being around them will keep me Whether you consider them emerging leaders, young leaders youthful and spry. or something else entirely, these Jewish Omaha twentyCari: Lots of caffeine! The girls keep me young and are a somethings are present at Tuesday night meetings and BBYO ton of fun. Each unique personality brings something speactivities; guiding and advising our teen leaders as they cial to the chapter and keeps me coming back. approach adulthood and Scott: Their energy is infecbegin to navigate their own tious, so I’m just hoping they ANDY SIREF Jewish journeys. keep me young. How do they make you Cari Green, advisor to the Nickname: Andy laugh/smile? Ediar chapter, Andy Siref, Date of Birth: 05/12/88 advisor to the Mother chap- Born In: Rochester, MN Andy: The members of ter, and Scott Sussman, Pre-Omaha: I grew up here Mother Chapter are a genChaim Weismann chapter Formal Education: Tufts uinely funny group of guys. advisor, reflect on their lead- University and the University of Some of the thrift shop outfits Nebraska Medical Center ership experiences they’ve thrown together for How do you remember your Favorite expression: “Striii” programs are fantastic. Best adjective to describe time in BBYO? Cari: They say things and your co-advisors: Fun Andy: I remember convendon’t even realize that they tions and meeting fun and Best Omaha hangout: The are funny! Ediar girls have a interesting people. Staying up Moon giant spark for life and BBYO all night with my chapter for Movie you are most looking forward to seeing this and that’s always fun to see. summer: The World’s End hype-ups and picking up Scott: Cari stole my line. The Sweetheart candidates – these Favorite Jewish Food: Latkes with applesauce things these teens say without always ended up being the even realizing what they are most fun events. saying are the funniest. It’s a given the teens look Cari: My time in BBYO was CARI GREEN up to you. Do you feel any a blast! I learned more about Date of Birth: 07/11/84 pressure? myself and gained some inde- Born In: Omaha pendence from the family. Formal Education: Bradley Andy: Sometimes – but as University and the University Whenever there was a BBYO clichéd as it sounds, I think of Nebraska Omaha event, it was always an easy sell it’s important to always be Best adjective to describe for the parents to let me go. yourself. I just try to strike a Scott: I remember having a your co-advisors: Energetic balance between being “a lot of fun and growing close Skills learned without formal responsible adult” and just training: Everything’s been to some really good guys. one of the guys. learn as you go! Looking back, it was really Cari: Not really, I just prewhen I came into my own Best Omaha hangout: Dundee tend to be a teen! It’s a balancarea personality. ing act between being an Movie you are most looking forward to seeing this What’s your best/favorite adult and having fun with summer: The City of Bones memory as a teen? teens. One of the perks of Andy: Apart from getting Favorite Jewish Food: My mom’s kugel being an advisor, you don’t an acceptance letter and always have to be an adult. “senioritis”, BBYO convenScott: I just try to be myself tions contain a good number SCOTT SUSMAN and hope it’s a good enough of my favorite times in high Nickname: Sus example for them to follow. Words of wisdom you’d like school. Voting at internation- Date of Birth: 04/17/86 to impart? al elections was tedious but a Born In: St. Louis great learning experience. Pre-Omaha: St. Louis Andy: I remember a saying Midway through one set of Formal Education: University back when I was in BBYO – I elections, staff gave me and think it’s still used today – of Missouri my region a box of Oreos, Favorite expression: 42 “you get out what you put in.” expecting us to share. I think Best adjective to describe It’s that simple. Going to conjust a few of us ate the entire your co-advisors: Dedicated ventions are exciting experibox in half an hour. ences, but even meetings and Skills learned without formal Cari: The two weeks I spent a well-planned program can training: Whistling, baking, at CLTC (chapter leadership be as fun and memorable as converting boats into tables training conference). The you make them. and conflict-resolution days were jam-packed with Best Omaha hangout: Barrett’s and Jazz on the Green Cari: In BBYO, it’s imporlearning effective leadership Movie you are most looking forward to seeing this tant to take advantage of skills, Judaic studies, Israeli everything offered, so don’t summer: Hunger Games: Catching Fire dancing, and plenty of free Favorite Jewish Food: Bagels and lox be afraid to try something time. new, whether it’s running for Scott: Attending convenoffice, signing up for a comtions, volunteering at the Covenant House in St. Louis and mittee, or trying a new restaurant. The numerous opportuhanging out at my friend David Roberts’ house. nities locally, through summer programs and trips all over Describe your job as Advisor. the world are all within reach. Andy: BBYO is a youth-led organization so it’s important Scott: Enjoy life, balance work and play, and learn that to let the teens organize and run meetings and program- pleasure can come from taking things seriously just as ming. I’m there to make sure things get done and provide much, if not more so, than taking things light-hearted. Why do you do what you do? insight or advice if they need it. Cari: As an advisor, I wear many different hats. The most Andy: I had a wonderful time during my years in BBYO; common hat is listening and letting the girls run their meet- it provided me with many fond memories and friends. I ings while keeping them on task. I get the opportunity to see wanted to help ensure the continuity of BBYO for the curthe girls develop and grow over the four years. If challenges rent and next group of teenagers. come up, it’s my role to work with the teens to overcome the Cari: It’s fun! BBYO was a key part of my teens and prochallenges. I’m also lucky enough to provide the girls with vided me with a great support system. I want the teens to get older sister wisdom. the same opportunities I got in BBYO. Scott: I am there to help the guys improve – whether it’s a Scott: BBYO was such an important part of my life. It feels program, their leadership ability, or a fundamental life skill great to help these guys have the same opportunities and like how to talk to girls. growth that helped me. And, they help keep me young and Spending time with teens can be exhausting. How do make me laugh.
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More than the sum of our parts by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT ior professionals, most notably through the creations of the Jody Malashock completed her three- year Presidency of “Leadership team,” which meets every Wednesday under the Jewish Federation of Omaha just this June, so the chal- Mike Silverman’s leadership. It includes all agency and lenges and successes are fresh in her department executive direcmind. She took the helm at a time tors, the CEO, CFO and CDO, when the various agencies were not and it means that there is a interacting well together. structure in place where “It was obvious that there were everybody talks to each other many different agendas living next to all the time. It has raised comeach other, but not really with each munication across the campus other,” she says. “There also was not to a whole new level. enough communication between Lay leadership is involved in executives, and the need for change decision making, affecting the was necessary. We needed to take a entire campus as a whole. The good look at our organizational Federation Board is smaller structure, Federation by-laws, ways and much more streamlined. to increase the Annual Campaign There is transparency, and get a better handle on our accountability and the direcfinances. We also needed more tors sit on standing committees accountability and transparency to of the Federation as well so that our donors and the community.” the Board is well informed. Jody is married to Neal (Buzz) The Annual Campaign has Malashock, who is an optometrist at been revamped, and there is a the family-owned Malbar Vision big focus on bringing the Centers. They have two children; son community together. It is Ryan and his wife Michelle live in important to feel that we are Lowell, Arkansas. Ryan teaches 8th part of something bigger, for grade World History and coaches girls instance, coming together basketball at Oakdale Middle School. with families during events Michelle is a Communications like the Backyard Concerts Jody with daughter Erin and grandson Eli Manager for Benefits for Walmart. has been wonderful. Daughter Erin and her husband Aaron are parents to Jody and How does our Federation model compare to the rest of Neal’s first grandchild, Eli, and live in Kansas City. Erin is an the country? attorney who currently is a stay at home mom. Aaron is a We were one of the first communities to make the shift to Projects Director for UBC: An Express Scripts Company. a CEO model, and there are many Federations that have folDid you know what you were getting yourself into? lowed. We are a unique entity in the system as Omaha is a Absolutely not! I was clueless, and slowly started to realize truly functional Federation, which means we own and supwhat was ahead once I became President-elect. port our agencies through the Annual Campaign. What are the biggest changes between 2010 and today? What are you most proud of? We have implemented a CEO style business model to camWe actually accomplished what we set out to do! pus operations and modernized our organizational structure. Throughout the years, the Federation has had several strateWe have established better working relationships for our sen- gic planning committees and Past Presidents and Boards as
From our family to yours during the High Holy Days. May you and your loved ones have a new year that is blessed with love, happiness, prosperity and peace!
well, who realized we had issues that needed to be addressed. As the old saying goes, timing is everything, and with the will of the lay leadership and community we were able to implement the changes necessary for us to stay strong, vibrant and relevant. After three years, I can look at myself in the mirror and honestly say I gave it my best. The “One Campus, One Community” initiative has been a heavy lift. It was by no means an easy or simple process, but I feel good about it. We have engaged so many more people in various committees and projects and people are coming to events on campus in bigger numbers. Jewish life in Omaha must be maintained--it is essential. We have to challenge ourselves contantly. What is important about being Jewish? What do we really care about? Together, as the sum of our parts, we are always better than when we try to go it alone. What has been the most challenging part? I wasn’t President during a typical time, it was definitely different, but I think you have to remember that as President you can’t always make everyone happy at the same time. Effecting change is a work in progress, and there is a careful balance to be maintained. At any given time, there are rumors to be kept in check, and sometimes there are misunderstandings and misinterpretations, and you have to address those head on. What helps is that communication with the community has improved considerably. Also, I am somewhat of a micro-manager, and keeping that side of me in check has been a personal challenge. What is your advice for current President, Jay Noddle? Continue the path we are on, but also be your own President. Whatever issues may come up, it’s important to take the best interest of the community as a whole into account. See the whole picture. Any final thoughts? When I walk past the wall with the photos of all the past presidents, I am thankful to my predecessors for their leadership and think of how fortunate we all are to be a part of this community. Together, along with our donors, volunteers, lay leadership and professionals we have built something fabulous, and I look forward to a bright future for the next generations to come.
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The adventures of Howard Kaslow by OZZIE NOGG Fontenelle Forest holds special memories for Howard Kaslow. “When I was a kid, the Forest seemed immense and the distances from one spot to another enormous. Needless to say, as an adult I discovered my exaggerations.” Kaslow also fondly remembers taking a Cub Scout group on a winter hike in the forest after a snowfall which obscured the trail. “The day was cloudy, and when I told the kids that I had no idea where we were or what direction we were going in because there was no sun, they seemed quite happy. Thankfully, I did manage to return them all to their parents.” In the 1970s, when a colleague invited Howard to sit on the Fontenelle Forest Board of Directors, the offer made sense, and he’s been on the Board almost continuously since then. “I agreed to serve because I remembered Fontenelle Forest from my youth and it seemed like a pleasant change from other organizational activities. I could enjoy the forest with my family as well as serving on the Board and supporting its fine educational and recreational programs. When my children were young I’d ‘invite’ them to accompany me on a hike. They, however, would describe our adventures as a forced march.” Soon to complete fifty years of legal practice, Howard is husband to Gloria, father to Aaron, David and Joanna; grandfather to Emilia, Ben, Maya, Sasha, and Rose. “Because none of my children and grandchildren live in Omaha, I really treasure the time I’m able to spend with them. One’s perspective regarding grandchildren is very different from one’s perspective regarding children, and I enjoy watching each of my grandkids progress through the various stages of their lives and develop their own unique personalities and talents.” Howard’s own unique personality and leadership talents developed early. During high school he was president of his AZA chapter, and eventually served as president of the Cornbelt Region and of District 6. In 1957, Kaslow was president of his Central High graduating class. “In college I focused more on academics and wasn’t involved in any organization leadership positions. I was on the Yale College debate team and, while in law school, coached the Yale College freshman debate team.” Today, Howard engages in regular fitness activities --
swimming, spinning, weights -- and takes outdoor hikes, especially when traveling with Gloria through India, Egypt, Peru, Vietnam, Tanzania, New Zealand, and more than forty other countries. “The many trips we’ve taken have certainly given me a view of the world that I otherwise would not have
Howard and Gloria Kaslow had. First, there’s an enormous appreciation for this remarkable country in which we live, plus an appreciation for the kindness we found among ordinary people everywhere in the world -- regardless of the differences in cultures.” Kaslow enjoys indie films, classical music, and avidly reads newspapers, legal and other periodicals as well as presidential biographies, Civil War history, some fiction (that Gloria recommends) and books with Judaic content -- among them, Mordecai Kaplan’s Judaism as a Civilization, which Howard cited in this interview. “If Judaism is, as Kaplan wrote, the civilization of the Jews, then to me the implication is that one needs to be part of the Jewish community. How one does that will vary from person to person, and will depend on each person’s individual situation.” Kaslow’s current primary involvement with the Omaha Jewish community, in an organizational sense, is through the Institute for Holocaust Education on whose Governance Council he serves with Gloria. He also serves on Beth El Synagogue’s investment committee; on the Board of Directors of Inclusive Communities (originally the National Conference of Christians and Jews); and on the Board of Directors of Fontenelle Forest, of which he is a past president. He is also a past president of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, and a former member of the Board of Directors of Boys Town and the Board of Directors and Grants Committee of the Omaha Community Foundation. Howard
and Gloria also are members of the Community Cabinet of Project Harmony. So why these particular groups? “I was attracted to them because I felt that the organization’s purpose was important, that my involvement would be interesting to me, and that I could contribute in some way to the organization’s success. While I held significant leadership positions with most of the organizations with which I’ve been involved, that wasn’t a motivating factor in my getting involved; it just happened. In some cases, seeing who else was active in the group was also a motivating factor -either because seeing others doing the work made me feel that I also should be doing so, or because I was attracted to the opportunity of meeting and working with people that I otherwise would not have the opportunity to know.” Describing his special affinity for Inclusive Communities, Kaslow says, “I have great respect for the fine work of Inclusive Communities whose youth programs are designed to help children of middle school and high school ages to recognize and overcome their prejudices, to value diversity, and to commit themselves to a society of inclusion for all persons. I’m drawn to it and very supportive of its work because I’m convinced that today’s youth are the change agents for the future of our country in bringing about a society that truly is inclusive for all.” Kaslow cites as role models his late father -- Ben Kaslow - along with Milton Abrahams and Nick Newman. “They led by example. In each case, I saw a commitment to community that had nothing to do with personal recognition. Each of them -- my father, Milt and Nick -- recognized that they could contribute to the betterment of the community through their leadership and involvement with and support of the organizations they served, and I think for them that was sufficient reward for their efforts.” “A lay leader needs to recognize that people who are volunteers are just that -- volunteers,” he continued. “The lay leader’s success will depend, in part, on the organization’s mission, resources, and ability to attract and motivate enough volunteers to accomplish the necessary tasks. How one goes about leading will depend, in part, on what the leader has responsibility for. In all cases, I think it’s critical to be organized, informed, and committed to the job; to identify and effectively communicate what needs to be done; to respect the volunteers’ time and opinions; to make the volunteer tasks at least enjoyable, if not fun; to recognize and demonstrate appreciation for the volunteers’ efforts; and to work effectively with the organization’s professional staff. The greatest challenge to Jewish organizations in 2013 is the competition that exists for people’s time and resources. Somehow, we need to make personal involvement in some facet of Jewish communal life and support of the Jewish community’s institutions high priorities for Jews of all ages. My message to future lay leaders: seek and cherish the opportunity to be a leader. As the Navy says, ‘It’s not just a job; it’s an adventure’.”
Shalom
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August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | A7
Henry Monsky: Community organizer by OLIVER B. POLLAK B’nai B’rith founded in 1843 to new heights of influence. I first heard about Henry Monsky when I belonged to The list of Monsky’s activities is long, inspiring and filled AZA in Los Angeles in the late 1950s. He had been dead just with heavy lifting. His interest in social work, youth and the ten years but his presence and accomplishments still created problem of juvenile delinquency led him to assist Father an aura for Jewish youth. After all he was a founder of AZA, Edward J. Flanagan in the 1917 founding of and serving as which gave him a stature similar to the revered Lord Baden counsel for Boys Town. This is remembered in the 1938 Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts. Academy Award winning film Boys Town and in an exhibit Very soon after I started at the Boys Town Hall of teaching history at UNO History, called Flanagan in 1974, my roll sheet and Monsky, Men of included the name Pam Vision. Monsky. Intriguing I B’nai B’rith was foundthought. We chatted and ed by predominantly she was the wife of Henry’s German Reform Jews in grandson, Henry. 1843. Monsky joined B’nai My scholarly introducB’rith and helped expand tion to Henry Monsky its membership base. occurred in 1993 when I Monsky, an orthodox Jew wrote a paper, The with eastern European Education of Henry roots, became president in Monsky Omaha’s 1938 and served three American Jewish Hero, the consecutive three-year title inspired by the lumiterms. He made it more nary Education of Henry pro-Palestine at a time Adams. Mary Arbitman when there was discord Fellman, who edited the between Jewish Zionists, Jewish Press in 1947, said non-Zionists and antiHenry Monsky, left, Father Flanagan and C. Savage at Boys Town, her legs trembled when Zionists. Public service May 1942. she interviewed Monsky. had priority over his legal Attorneys Milton Abraham, Ben Kaslow, and Phillip practice. A nomination speech stated his “heart beats in uniKlutznick, who were active in B’nai B’rith, and Monsky’s law son with Jewish ideas and Jewish tradition.” The founding partner William Grodinsky, shared their larger than life and growth of AZA at Omaha’s Central High School and Monsky recollections with me. Sam Beber’s and Philip Klutznick’s role led to B’nai B’rith’s Henry Monsky born in 1890 in Omaha, died unexpected- sponsorship and further outreach to Hillel on university ly while presiding over the Interim Committee of the campuses, BBG and BBYO. He was also involved with the American Jewish Congress on May 2, 1947 at New York’s Boy Scouts and a loyal Creighton alum. Biltmore Hotel, at the age of 57. Some opined that the graviMonsky’s work with Associated Jewish Charities, the ty of the Jewish plight caused him to work himself to an early predecessor to the Omaha Jewish Federation, lasted from grave. He spent his life in the service of his faith, the improve- 1913 to his death. He served on many committees, elected ment of conditions for at risk youth, regardless of faith, and positions and was President in 1941. He helped organize the organizing B’nai B’rith as an ideal vehicle to bring local Community Chest in 1923, the predecessor of United Way Jewish men together and strengthen the national and inter- of the Midlands. national influence of the largest Jewish men’s organization. The rise of Nazi Germany, the war, the Holocaust, Monsky had eight siblings; the younger ones were half sib- refugees, Palestine and the looming state of Israel tested his lings as his mother’s first husband, Hyman Greenblatt died conscience, optimism and energy. His position as an in 1884. Betsy married Abraham Monsky, an Orthodox can- acknowledged Jewish secular leader gave him access to tor and fish seller, in 1888. Perhaps this association with Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman. children without a father encouraged his concern for juveSix rabbis officiated at Henry Monsky’s funeral at New nile delinquency. He graduated from Central High School York’s Temple Emanu-El. Rabbi Stephen S. Wise said, “If it and earned his law degree at Creighton University, a Jesuit were well to summarize the fundamental ideal of his life, we institution, graduating first in his class in 1912. He thrived would venture to say that he battled all his days for the unity on oratory and debate. Henry joined the Jewish Publication of his people, for his people’s honor and security, for the Society in 1912. Perhaps the strong presence of the Knights wellbeing of his country, for the fulfillment of its noblest of Columbus at Creighton University, a catholic fraternal dreams.” In Omaha, mourners numbering over 3,000 over organization founded in 1882, influenced Monsky to take Continued on page 9
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A8 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
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Daphna and Joel Alperson by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT When you want to learn more about a certain topic, it’s always best to go directly to the source. And although in our Jewish Omaha community, we are lucky to have many such sources when it comes to lay leadership, Joel Alperson is always one of the first names that comes to mind. Whenever I start on a special issue, and put together my list of topics to cover and people to interview, I talk to people in the community. I ask for their expertise, what they are thinking, whom they’d like to see featured. The ideas for content don’t necessarily all come from my own head. There’s one answer, this time around, that kept popping up: “Talk to Joel.” Joel Alperson, married to Daphna Alperson, received the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2012. He earned it, because of his long and intense career as a lay leader. In the May 18 issue of the Jewish Press, lifelong friend Mike Abramson said: “Jewish life is his passion. The flame never goes out; that passion is always there. Even if you don’t agree with him, you want to hear his side of the story because he cares so deeply, and if an issue is important, he won’t let it go dormant.” Joel is the president of Omaha Fixture International, a member of the World Presidents’ Organization, and a graduate of the Wexner program. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federation of North America (JFNA) and has served as United Jewish Communities’ National Campaign Chair during Israel’s 2006 war with Hezbollah. In addition, he served as Chair of UJC’s National Young Leadership Cabinet and for two terms was the National Chair of UJC’s network communities. What makes for a great leader? Passion. There is simply no way to inspire others unless you are passionate about a cause. People will not only assess a goal on its merits, but based on the energy with which a leader advocates for that cause. Leaders also get others to rally around this common goal and must genuinely care about those people. They let them know how much their efforts truly matter. Some of the best leaders I have ever seen also have a certain charisma about them, which makes following their lead all the more compelling. This allure might emanate from that leader’s confidence, their manner, and yes, even their personal appearance. Charisma is not a make or break proposition in the world of leadership, but it can certainly help. What are the biggest misconceptions
about lay leaders? “To gain access you need money.” That statement is not always false, but oftentimes volunteers allow that statement to disempower them far more than they should. Some lay leaders have absolutely gained influence as a result of the money they have and are able to donate. But those without means can still move mountains, and many do. They just have to realize they have the ability to organize their efforts, and pursue their goals until they are successful. It’s far more doable than many people believe. Why is Jewish community life more successful when lay people get involved? Jewish communal life is better when lay people get involved because other lay people see their peers care, which makes the cause more compelling and credible. If only professionals are involved, the unintended message is that the job is often so unpleasant that others have to be paid to get the work done. How important and compelling could such a cause be? Also, Jewish communal life is improved because the volunteers themselves are bettered as a result of their volunteer involvement. What have you personally gained from serving as a lay leader? It’s allowed me to build tremendous relationships, and I have gained a sense of gratification, which comes from the knowledge that, at times, I was able to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. These involvements also serve as a constant reminder that my life is not only about me. Let’s say a community member would love to be more involved, but has no funds. What would you recommend? Find the arenas you most care about, find out who heads those efforts in the community, and ask to be involved. In many cases, where it’s often hard to find volunteers, the current leaders will be happy to find areas in which you can help the organization. And if you’re turned down repeatedly (which shouldn’t happen, but could), start your own effort. Get some friends together and with volunteer time and the very low cost of getting the word out through technology, so much can be done. It all starts with having a passion for seeing the desired result. Make sure it is considerably greater than potential obstacles. Believe in your own heart you can make a considerable difference. Between the efforts you make, and the passion you demonstrate to others, people will take notice. Under those circumstances, you can do almost anything!
August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | A9
Lincoln’s Gary Hill: Repairing our world by BRENDA F. INGRAHAM When Gary Hill was a young boy, he asked his father Leo, then head of Northwestern Metal, the family business, why he devoted so much effort to the community. “Because the whole community is your family,” Leo responded. “You help your neighbors and someone will always help you when you need it.” Lincoln’s Gary Hill has been helping others in his community and indeed, in the entire world, his whole life. Most of his work has involved corrections, social justice, and service to the local, as well as to the larger Jewish community. “I came from the right family,” he explains. “I came from a grandfather, Dan Hill, who started the Union at his own company, Northwestern Gary Hill Metal. He ran and was defeated for Congress on the Socialist ticket. Both my grandfather and my parents were active civically. I grew up seeing civic engagement modeled for me on a daily, ongoing basis. Both the general community, and especially the Jewish community, depended on volunteers. And volunteer we did! Everybody did! Gary and his late wife, Cece, became involved in a life of serving others early in their marriage when Gary was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1962. Gary elaborates: “Serving in the Army was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me. I was ‘invited’ by then President John Kennedy to personally help save the democracy of our country. I remember that I was in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri when JFK was assassinated. Had I not gone into the Army, I would have stayed in Lincoln and been civically and politically active. I would have lived a very comfortable life. As it was, I went away as Leo Hill’s son and returned home two years later as Gary Hill. The Army equalizes everyone.” Gary recalls that he and Cece shared their strong Jewish values with the Fort Leonard Wood community and remembers organizing a Seder for over 600 people there. Upon returning from the U.S. Army, Gary and Cece took up residence as young marrieds in the Lincoln community. Gary became comptroller at Northwestern Metal and both became enthusiastic participants in the civic and cultural life of Lincoln and in the congregational life of their synagogue, Tifereth Israel. They each assumed active roles in the synagogue and the local Jewish Federation and became increasingly involved with the Lincoln Jaycees, as well. At the time, it
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was policy at Northwestern Metal to often hire men with prison records. Gary grew up with the ongoing message of giving people a second chance. Gary explains that it was Cece who first read about a Jaycee chapter that had been organized in a West Virginia prison. The purpose of the chapter was to teach offenders job skills as they prepared to re-enter society. Gary and Cece spoke to a friend who was then warden of the Nebraska State Penitentiary, and with the warden’s approval, Gary started a Jaycee chapter at the penitentiary in Lincoln. With the success of the Nebraska chapter, Gary helped set up forty additional Jaycee chapters in prisons in thirty states. From these forty chapters, many success stories of individual offenders ultimately emerged. In the early seventies, the young Hills incorporated Contact Center to respond to and elaborate on their earlier work with the Jaycee chapters in the nation’s prisons. In addition to helping former offenders cope with their return to society, Gary and Cece responded to calls from those individuals struggling with problems such as desertion, alcoholism, and divorce. Their efforts eventually came to include a runaway hotline to help troubled teens, as well as a literacy hotline for those who needed this service. Contact Center and its off-shoots soon came to dominate the life of the young Hills, causing Gary to decide to leave his then-presidency of the family company and devote himself full-time to Contact Center and to “repairing the World’. And “repair” he and Cece did. In the 1970s Gary helped then Governor Briscoe of Texas with services for their national Peace of Mind hotline. Contact Center became instrumental in providing services directly to runaways, as needed. Gary recalls that “in those days, we always wore beepers. We could be sitting in a restaurant or riding our bikes, but when that beeper went off, we stopped what we were doing and found a pay phone to find out what was needed directly from the teens themselves. Then we would contact the local community where the teen was so that THEY could provide the help that the teen needed. We were just a bridge, connecting the troubled teen with the community in which they found themselves.” Gary explains that helping huge numbers of people can seem daunting to many, but “if you tell someone that there is a single, frightened youngster in their town who needs help, they will respond.” Contact Center also did printing because printing was the cheapest way to support the young Hills’ other humanitarian efforts. Gary remembers that “almost everything we did: the printing, the hotlines, the speaking, the consulting -- were all to support Contact’s efforts in the community. We did this with a small paid staff and with over one thousand volunteers a year.
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At one time, we handled 1.25 million literacy calls yearly, in addition to 2-3 resource calls from the runaway hotline daily. Today Gary Hill is on the road, traveling the country and the world for about two hundred days of each year. Locally, he is the Managing Director of the moving and powerful Nebraska Holocaust Memorial at Lincoln’s Wyuka Cemetery. Internationally, Gary works for the United Nations and for the U.N. Institute, coordinating all their assemblages in the areas of corrections and justice which are not a formal part of the UN or the respective local governments. He finds and furnishes all the interpreters, student volunteers, and individual experts for these gatherings. He also consults with individual governments in the areas of staff training for justice and corrections-related endeavors. Over the years, he and Cece also provided ongoing support to the Jewish Federation [formerly UJA], both locally and nationally, with Cece often leading the way. In remembering their joint humanitarian efforts, Gary muses, “It’s not that she was behind me -- she was beside me and often she was ahead of me.” For Gary Hill “volunteering and being available for others has always been a natural part of life.” Gary was set in the direction of Tikkun Olam at a young age. “I was exposed to a particular way of life, one that seemed natural and fun to me and still is. My life is constantly changing, and I’m good at what I do.” Jewish mysticism says that in each generation there may be born only thirty-six righteous individuals, ones who fit the description of a true Tzaddik. Unbeknownst even to themselves, they persevere in their quest to quietly repair the imperfections in our world. It is highly possible that you have just read about one of them.’s
Henry Monsky Continued from page 7 flowed into Temple Israel’s basement. The funeral cortege to Fisher Farm stretched three miles. His gravestone is remarkably understated. Monsky’s last tumultuous ten years were critical to saving the Jewish people. Dr. Abram Sacher said, “His loss has orphaned us all. He was a superb symbol of the American way of life. Had he lived, he would have been the undisputed leader of world Jewry.” The State of Israel was created on May 14, 1948 and Monsky good friend Father Flanagan died on May 15, 1948. Monsky has been dead for 66 years. Omaha’s B’nai B’rith lodge commemorates his name. His leonine bust is at the JCC, and Boys Town has a street named after him. Henry Monsky was a volunteer community organizer in times of stress, crisis and deepest needs. His commitment did not waiver.
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A10 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
Family makes it all worth it by SHERRIE SAAG Talmud story. In it, the righteous man Honi Vital, alive and thriving were the words once encountered a man planting a carob used recently to describe ZoĂŤ Riekes and tree. “How long will it take to bear fruit?â€? he husband Carl’s relentless work on behalf of Jewish Omaha. This year’s recipient of the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Phil and Terri Schrager Spirit of Federation Award is happy to explain what the personal commitment and satisfaction mean to her. “It’s because of the kids that I do what I do,â€? ZoĂŤ explained recently over a lunch of cool summer salads. Kids, meaning her own children of course, but especially the grandchildren that, when mentioned, bring an immediate and dazzling smile to ZoÍ’s face. Grandchildren Sydney Parcel (5 1/2), Liam Parcel (3), Zach Atlas (9), Noah Atlas (7) and Marley Atlas (2) take center stage in ZoÍ’s hectic life, especially now that summer is here. Zach, the oldest, loves baseball, shooting hoops and Harry Potter. His brother, Noah, also a baseball player, likes Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and talking... a lot! Marley, a first class snuggler, expends lots of energy keeping up with her brothers, but ZoĂŤ and her grandkids, clockwise from left, Sydney Parcel, will stop for anything Zach Atlas, Noah Atlas, Marley Atlas and Liam Parcel. Cinderella. Sydney loves art, drama and inquired. “About seventy years,â€? the man playing tennis. Liam loves soccer, worms replied. “So you think you will live long and asking questions! enough to taste its fruits?â€? Honi said. And ZoĂŤ compares her motivation to a favorite the man explained, “I have found ready-
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grown carob trees in the world. As my forefathers planted them for me, so I plant for my children.â€? She believes we are all links in the chain of Jewish peoplehood and it is because of this chain that we all have a responsibility to build on what has been done in the past. “Everyone has a role. That’s how community works. And when everyone’s invested, it works great!â€? “Now, when I think about my kids and my grandkids, I have tremendous pride knowing they are grounded in philanthropy,â€? she added. A great example herself, ZoĂŤ has chaired the Annual Campaign not once, not twice, but three times. “Legacy is what keeps our community thriving. I am thrilled that what started as a multi-generational effort last year is continuing with the Erman/Rockman family. I hope they find it as gratifying and as fun as we did,â€? ZoĂŤ said. “I am excited to see the momentum of our community moving full speed ahead.â€? ZoĂŤ is a Lion of Judah and shares its highest distinction, the Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland award with her mother-in-law, the late Dorothy Riekes. With close to 70 Lions of Judah in our community, they represent over 20 percent of our Annual Campaign dollars. ZoĂŤ has described being a Lion in this way, “Philanthropy gives women such a voice; it impacts our lives by giving us the opportunity to help others. It makes me feel good to know that a simple act of kindness can spread so far, not merely in one’s own community, but in the world at large.â€? She is a true ambassador for what she believes. Before she finished her term as President of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, she had another job lined up; chairman of the Western Galilee Partnership with Israel (now Partnership2Gether). With
Israel near and dear to her heart, ZoĂŤ has spent immense time and energy connecting our community to the people of Israel. Originally appointed by JFO Executive Director Jan Goldstein to serve as Omaha’s representative from 2000-02, ZoĂŤ chaired its Social/Cultural Sub-committee and then became part of its advisory board. Founded in 1996 as Partnership 2000 -- or P2K as it was first known -- Partnership2 Gether has many accomplishments to its credit. “We built an emergency command center in the Western Galilee so residents can call one number for fire, police and rescue and the model we put in place was replicated throughout other areas of the country,â€? ZoĂŤ recalled. The most recent example of our partnership in action (and our overseas support at work) occurred just last month when an eight year old Ethiopian boy, mauled in a hyena attack in his village, was brought to the Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya for specialized treatment. Dr. Rick Hodes, chief physician of the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s medical mission to Ethiopia, set in action an international and multi-cultural collaboration with the hospital and United Jewish Communities. Director General of the Western Galilee Hospital, Dr. Masad Barhoum, prepared staff for the extensive treatment while Amir Yarchi, director of the Friends of the Western Galilee Hospital, recruited friends Ismail Khaldi of the Israeli embassy in London and Belaynesh Zevadia, Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia, to organize a fundraising campaign. Yarchi later praised the efforts of the worldwide Jewish community in securing the means for this life-saving effort. “In this instance, and in countless others, the people of Israel in general, and our Partnership region in particular, are blind to Continued on page 11
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August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | A11
Moving forward: Toba Cohen-Dunning by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT never too early to engage a child in the importance of their To hear Brett Atlas talk, the Planning and Community community. Eric and I have very busy jobs and lives – but we Engagement Committee is “the best committee” he has ever make sure we both give of our time. The kids know this, we been on. A relatively new committee, the PCEC is an integral rearrange schedules regularly and as a result I know that part of the One Campus, One both of them will follow in our footCommunity initiative, and as with all steps. What would you say to people who such things, transparency is key. Time don’t see a need to step into a lay to have a conversation with its Chair, role? Toba Cohen-Dunning. Toba is married to Eric Dunning (who, coincidenIn a community as diverse as ours, tally, serves as a member of the Jewish there are many ways to lead and many Press Board of Directors); they have ways to participate. The reason is very two children: Eleanor, 11, and Teddy, 5. simply our future. The Jewish people What does Planning and Community have always stayed together in some Engagement really mean? form or another – religiously, culturalThe purpose of the Planning and ly, etc. I know everyone jokes about Community Engagement Committee Jewish guilt – but it’s really about our is to provide strategic and long- range responsibility and that of our children planning for the Federation. The comto be a part of something bigger than mittee has been very involved in the we are and to feel that bond we feel as modernization of the structure and a people. What examples did you see growing governance of the Federation over the up? past two years since its inception in 2011. The Federation adopted a CEO There is no question that at my earmodel almost three years ago and liest age I remember both of my parToba Cohen-Dunning completely revised the bylaws of the ents so heavily engaged in volunFederation and its agencies. The committee is now finalizing teerism and philanthropy in the Jewish community. My committee charters for all standing committees. There were mother was president of the Hadassah women’s organization several goals in mind when the Federation reorganized. and volunteered for many years, and was always involved in Since the Federation is a $19.5 million business, we need to the Beth Israel Sisterhood. She volunteered regularly in the look for operational efficiencies and sound management Beth Israel Library while my brother and I attended Hebrew created by a solid structure with appropriate processes. School. Both were always involved at Beth Israel. My father’s The committee, during the many hours of deliberations, primary focus was saving for the future to ensure there also wanted to better define the role of the professionals and would be resources in good times and bad. He served on the the lay leaders. The Federation has always been a lay driven Beth Israel board for many years and cherished his time as organization and the development of outstanding leadership president. He started the synagogue’s endowment fund and and lay participation was a major factor in our work. So, relished the opportunity to raise money for it. He served for while our focus is business, it’s really all about community – many years on the Philip Sher Jewish Home for the Aged’s how we serve the community and how we plan for the board and we spent many a Seder there. Children learn what future. they live. Both Michael and Karen and Eric and I will hopeA great example of this is the development of a nominat- fully leave legacies to our children that our parents left to us. ing process at the Federation and the agencies that allows for We make sacrifices so that we can all give something back. leadership development and succession planning. The L’Dor V’Dor. process began this year with the concept of functioning What’s next for the Planning and Community committees feeding into agency boards, and then that lead- Engagement Committee? ership feeding into the Federation committees and boards. The committee will be looking into long-range planning The strength of our community is in our diversity and par- for the Federation and focusing on ways we can further ticipation. We need to attract participation from every cor- engage our community in our mission. Our committee ner of the Omaha Jewish Community so that we remain rel- members have all served and are serving in leadership posievant and important to our constituency. tions and have a broad view of our community needs. Can you walk us through your lay leader history? Committee members are: Jay Noddle, Mike Siegel, Norm I started volunteering in 2000 with a group of young pro- Sheldon, Brett Atlas, Jody Malashock and Bob Belgrade. We fessionals that focused on philanthropy – the Omaha all have a strong commitment to moving our community Venture Philanthropy Group. It was fantastic and I learned forward and engaging as many community members possiabout so many organizations in our community. I had ble in our programs, services and our future. worked on numerous political campaigns in high school and college, and loved volunteering my time. I remember the moment I decided that I wanted to get involved with the Federation. I only knew one person at the Federation, my Continued from page 10 dear friend Julee Katzman and I went and paid her a visit religious, cultural, and geographic differences when a and made a donation. Eventually, opportunities became child is in need of life-saving treatment,” said Riekes. available to give of my time. I became a member of the She shares in the sentiments of the hospital’s directorCenter for Jewish Education (Now CJL) board and fell in general who said recently, “I’m proud to be a part of a love with what was then Limmud Omaha. I loved being a health care system that acts without hesitation to provide part of this agency and was thrilled to become president! I international humanitarian aid when able. This reprewas also part of a strategic planning group for JFO. I chaired sents the unique nature of Israel.” the committee that organized the Jewish High School. I have Riekes added, “I want people to know that the Western served on the JFO board – both as president of then CJE and Galilee is synonymous with the Jewish community of now as a member-at-large. I became chair of Planning and Omaha. When representatives visit here from our Engagement and am so proud of the work we are doing. Partnership in Israel, like they recently did in July for Most recently, I have just joined the JSS board and anxiousexecutive meetings, it is a great opportunity to really get ly await this new opportunity. I served for several years on to know them. ” the City’s Cable/Access community committee. I am also Whether at the helm of Partnership or the Federation moving into my second year on the board of directors for Annual Campaign, efficiency, communication and colthe Omaha Home for Boys. I LOVE VOLUNTEERING! laboration were always high on Riekes’ list of priorities. How do you think your lay leadership affects your Zoë and Carl chaired last year’s Annual Campaign in colchildren? laboration with their daughter Stacey and son-in-law Eric and I both come from families who deeply believe in Brett Atlas. The multi-generational model of leadership philanthropy and giving of one’s time. When Eleanor was was applied successfully to expand the scope and reach of three years old, we gave her a tzedakah box and told her (in the Annual Campaign and resulted in close to 200 new or very simple terms) why it was important to save and give. re-engaged donors. Communication efforts increased She became a donor to the JFO Women’s Campaign at age through the use of social media and e-mail, an expanded three and every year since – she is now 11. When Teddy presence in the Jewish Press, and more community conturned three we did the same thing and he became a donor versations. to the Men’s Campaign. Part of the fun of this is that they get Almost one year ago to this day, Zoë and Carl unveiled to come visit the Federation and have loved visiting Julee plans for the Campaign in this way, “The focus on famiand Jody! lies and their importance to Jewish Omaha cannot be One year Eleanor asked exactly how the money would be over-emphasized. We are all in this together.” Words that used. It was an epiphany that someone that young would remain powerful even as she surrounds herself with the have the insight to ask that question. We hope other parents next Riekes generation. will be inspired to do the same with their children. It is
Zoë Riekes
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A12 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
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by JULIANNE DUNN HERZOG Trim, athletic, with perfect posture, Paul Cohen serves as administrator of the Omaha Douglas Public Building Commission. At 75, he shows no sign of slowing down. During his service to his country with the United States Air Force and the Nebraska Air National Guard, he rose to the rank of Brigadier General (Ret.). IN addition, he has given nearly 50 years to the Omaha Jewish community, and was Federation president from 1982 to 1984. Paul is a New York state native and an economics graduate of Union College in Schenectady, NY. He entered the United States Air Force through the AFROTC program after graduation from college. He served on active duty in North Dakota and near London and left active duty as a captain after six years. After leaving the Air Force, he was visiting in South Dakota when he was introduced to an executive with Northwestern Bell. He interviewed and was offered a position which he accepted. Paul and his family moved to Omaha in 1966. NW Bell supported community involvement for all of its employees. So when Dr. James Wax, pediatrician to the Cohen children, and then-president of B’nai B’rith, invited Paul to join, he did. For many years, Paul participated in B’nai B’rith, the largest Jewish service organization in the world, rising to the position of regional president. At the same time as he was working for NW Bell and leading B’nai B’rith, Paul joined the Air National Guard out of Lincoln in the supply division. He served in the Air National Guard for 29 years and rose to the rank of Brigadier General. Paul can claim two “firsts” in his service with the Guard. He is the first non-rated officer to achieve General rank. That means that he is not rated as an aviator. For a non-aviator to achieve General rank in an aviation service was an unusual achievement, he says. Additionally, he was the first Jewish person to achieve flag (General) rank in the Nebraska Air National Guard. Flag rank is literal. Upon appointment by the President and confirmation by the Senate, a General officer receives a “flag” of office. That flag flies from the front fender when a General travels by car or, in General Cohen’s case, it accompanied his airplane, a C-12 Beechcraft, when he flew on official business. That is pretty heady stuff and Paul loved it. However, he adds, “If you start believing you are something “special”, you will fail and will lose confidence of the people working for you.” That philosophy has followed him into every position he has held whether in Jewish community life, civilian work or armed services duty; he credits that attitude for whatever success he may have achieved. After serving in B’nai B’rith, Paul accepted an invitation to serve on the board of the JCC. Nick Newman, Morley Zipursky and Chuck Monasee were early proponents of an expanded and inclusive Jewish community leadership group, says Paul, and he became part of the “Newman Revolution”. He was also invited to serve on the Jewish Federation of Omaha board. He started out on the Federation personnel committee where he helped to re-write a personnel manual. Then he was moved to
Budget and Planning which he identifies as the most critical committee of the Federation. While on that committee, he participated in an extremely difficult decision: closing the Esther K. Newman camp. That was a controversial decision but it turned out that most of the attendees at the camp were from outside of the community. Children from the Omaha community
Paul Cohen wanted to “go away” to camp and children from outside the Omaha community wanted the same thing. So it turned out that Omaha children were going to Wisconsin and other places, and children from Kansas, Missouri and other places were coming to Omaha. Over much objection, the camp was sold and is now the Gene Mahoney State Park. The proceeds of the sale were placed in the Esther K. Newman Foundation and are currently used for camp scholarships for Jewish children in Lincoln and Omaha. After several years on Federation committees, Paul Cohen was asked to take on the presidency of the Federation from 1982 to 1984, which he accepted. He followed Joe Kirshenbaum, whom he calls a “great president”. He has nothing but accolades for the advances brought about by Joe, not only in construction but in governance and fundraising. Mr. Cohen identified his goals as not only completing the construction projects on both Livingston Plaza and on the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home but also furthering conversations about establishing a Federation Foundation which would act as a reserve, and make fund-raising less crisisoriented and more future-oriented. Paul also opened conversations about Federation participation in United Way funding and changes in Jewish Community Center membership rules. Several years after his presidency of the Federation, Paul went back to the JCC as president with the intent to develop a long-range plan for strategic development. One factor in the long-range strategy was to incorporate changes in the membership rules so that the “J” could enjoy a broader base of support. These activities demonstrate what he saw as the mission of his presidency: to develop strategies for future stability after a period of intense growth. Some of the decisions reached during Paul Cohen’s tenure were not immediately popular within parts of the Jewish community. However, such changes are often best viewed backwards through the lens of time.
August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | A13
Building Jewish leaders for tomorrow by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT by the students, as well as tours of the new classrooms. Harry Berman, President of Friedel Jewish Academy’s “Friedel gives our children the opportunity to experience Board of Directors, is in good company. He is married to Judaism in such a positive way,” Harry says. “Although Beth Center for Jewish Life’s Executive Director Beth Cohen; they and I had great teachers when we were growing up, there have a daughter, Zoë (11), and a son, Brad (9). Both Zoë and was something missing in our own religious education. At Brad attend Friedel, throwing Friedel, the kids not only learn, Harry into the double role of they enjoy themselves while doing father and President. That also so. In addition, the bilingual proputs him in a unique position to gram that kids are immersed in look at his own children, and gives them tremendous advanremember what it is he works so tages, and without exception they hard for. transition very well into public Friedel Jewish Academy is not school after sixth grade. ” How does he separate the parent just any school. Disclosure: I, too, from the president? am a parent of two very happy Friedel children, and my objectivI don’t know if I ever completely ity is therefore severely comprodo, but the school as a whole is mised. Oftentimes people in other very important to me, even parts seem surprised that we have though my bias may always be such a vibrant, healthy and comsomewhat towards my own chilmitted Jewish Community in the dren. However, there are many Midwest. My answer: “Oh, yes. We other people on the board, such as even have a great Day School.” Lloyd Roitstein, Bonnie Bloch, It is a testament to this communiand Jerry Gordman, who don’t ty that Friedel continues to thrive; it have children in our school. In Beth Cohen and Harry Berman means we have many adults who addition, former principals are dedicated to its success. Not all are parents, not all even Cookie Katskee and Ron Giller have stayed involved as lay send or have sent their own children to FJA. But they all have people, and they continue to be extremely supportive. one thing in common: they believe that a strong community What’s next? needs to educate its children Jewishly, and a day school is an We continue to grow, and the financial part needs to grow integral part of that. with it. Tuition still only covers about half of the actual cost Harry Berman was born and raised in Omaha, and per student, and we really want to keep Friedel affordable for attended Central High. He went on to Wesleyan University the parents. We are also looking at eventually adding two in Connecticut, and came back with a degree in Cognitive more grades. That idea is coming more and more into focus Science. Since then, he’s busied himself with software devel- as our class size has become reliably bigger. Having a sevopment, first with his father, Bradley, and currently inde- enth- and eighth grade is starting to look like a realistic pendently. Harry’s mother, Marilyn, continues to live in option. Omaha; together with Deirdre Evans, she recently accepted We want to continue to get the word out; there are many the Center for Jewish Life’s Volunteer of the Year Award. people who’ve moved to Omaha and had an easier time Harry’s first foray into lay leadership occurred when he making that decision because of the school. Friedel is a great joined the Beth Israel Board of Directors, before his wife was place for Jewish children. The teachers are impressive, and the synagogue’s Executive Director. Daughter Zoë started at what’s more, all the synagogues are represented, which is a Friedel in 2007, and a few years later Harry joined FJA’s real benefit for the students. Board. He became President in 2012, during one of Friedel’s How does Friedel help build Jewish leadership? most exciting times. Children who attend a day school are two times more like“Our top 3 goals,” Harry says, “were to find a new princi- ly to remain involved and be leaders in their community. pal to succeed Ron Giller, to finish construction on the Their education immerses them to the point where it building, and to improve our financial health.” becomes an integral part of their lives. Investing in Friedel One way that has been happening over the past years is by means investing in all of us, because everything we put in hosting the Annual Friedel Dinner, an event that pulls in now these children will give back to us. Maintaining a strong community members from many different backgrounds. In community takes effort, and isn’t always easy, but luckily we 2013, the dinner was held for the first time not at one of the have a large group of people who have worked for and supsynagogues but at the Jewish Community Center. In addi- ported Friedel for years. I am just one President; Friedel’s tion to great food, diners were being treated to presentations success is the accomplishment of many.
The last of my generation by MICHAEL BOEKSTAL Brenda Ingraham is a lecturer of English at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, teaching composition to foreign students, mainly from Africa, the Far East, and the Middle East. Although she considers publications and presentations as major achievements in her work, she gets the most satisfaction from the interaction with her students. “When some of the female Muslim students want to sit down with me, just to talk,” she says, “they know I am Jewish, yet they are so comfortable in Brenda Ingraham our relationship they take their veils off just to chat, to have a face to face encounter. That’s very powerful, very moving.” Brenda is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, growing up in a world where everything was Jewish. “At the High Holidays the non-Jewish kids would stay home from school too because there were so very few of them,” she remembers. “There was such an overwhelming Jewish population that teaching school was basically useless on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.” Brenda grew up very well aware of her yichus, her lineage. “I knew all too well that I was the oldest granddaughter of an Orthodox rabbi, and we were always told that we descended from the Vilna Gaon.” In spite of, or maybe because of her famous ancestor, her parents decided to join a newly founded Reform Temple, where Brenda started her Jewish education. “We were members of a Reform congregation while my parents couldn’t deny their observant Orthodox upbringing, maybe that’s why I feel at home at Tifereth Israel.” Tifereth Israel, Lincoln’s Conservative Synagogue, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and Brenda has been a member for 50 of those years. “I came to Lincoln to start a family and since everybody Jewish I knew was a member of Tifereth, that’s where I joined. Not purely out of theological considerations, what is more important to me is that I feel at home, both socially and spiritually, and I’ve always felt at home at Tifereth, it’s like the perfect match. I’ve always felt that I belonged there and it has formed, Continued on page 15
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A14 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
The “back-of-the-bus-” guys by JULIANNE DUNN HERZOG Noddle, in devoting themselves to leadership and service We sat in his conference room overlooking Stinson Park in within the Jewish community. Omaha’s Aksarben Village, the latest in a long list of successful The Kirshenbaums have two daughters who do not live in real estate developments of Noddle Omaha but who maintain active Development, Inc., now known as leadership and service roles in their Noddle Companies. The sky was Jewish communities. Susan lives in blue, the grass was green, moms and Houston with her husband, Jeffrey kids in strollers passed on the sideRaizner, and their three children. walks below the windows. It was a Susan is current president of Beth beautiful May morning the day Joe Yeshurun Conservative day school Kirshenbaum and I spoke about his which their children attended. Debra tenure as president of the Omaha lives in Chicago with husband, Ken Jewish Federation from 1980 to Shonfeld, a native Chicagoan. Debra 1982. We also spoke of his service is an active CPA and is kept busy and leadership leading up to the with their four children. presidency and the 33 years of conDuring Joe’s term as president of tinuing service thereafter. the Jewish Federation, ground was Most storefronts were occupied; broken for the 52-unit HUDcars filled nearly every spot, even financed Livingston Plaza, as well early in the morning. Commercial as for the Rose Blumkin Jewish buildings were rising in the fields of Home which was financed with what was once the Ak-Sar-Ben racedonations. He remembers the prestrack property. Three-story buildentation to Mrs. Blumkin. Her ings took over what was once the daughter and son-in-law were presparking lot where Omaha 15-yearent during the conversation about olds learned to drive. the donation. They hesitated at the Joe, together with the late Harlan size of the request; eventually Mrs. Joe Kirshenbaum Noddle formed a real estate partBlumkin said, “Just give it to them.” nership in 1972 which grew from developing smalltown And that was that. Her name went over the front door. projects in Nebraska and Iowa into a go-to company for big Before, during and after his service as president of the projects, of which Aksarben Village is just one. They had Federation, Joe partnered with Harlan to raise funds for the fun, he says, and Harlan’s death in 2005 was a huge loss to his Jewish community. On their fundraising trips to Israel, they family and friends, to the company, to the Jewish communi- became known as the “back-of-the-bus-guys.” They would ty and to the Omaha community at large. invite others on the trip to the back of the bus where they As they built the company together, the Kirshenbaums would share the scope and nature of the needs of the Jewish and Noddles also devoted their time and talents to service community in Omaha and in Israel. By and large, the backand leadership within the Jewish community. Sons Jeffrey of-the-bus conversations produced increases in donations Kirshenbaum, who lives in Omaha with wife Sharon and which otherwise might not have occurred. Additionally, Joe their two children, and Jay Noddle, who lives in Omaha with related, “Many donors, after having raised their donations, wife Kim and their three children, continue to operate the realized that they could afford that level of giving, and frecompany their fathers founded. quently self-initiated increases.” Both young men also follow the example of their fathers Donations, then and now, have supported the services and their mothers, Maxine Kirshenbaum and Nancy provided by the Omaha Jewish Federation and have helped
to keep the State of Israel alive. Although the fund allocation is different today: in those days 50% went to Israel and 50% to local activities. While continuing to serve and lead several boards as member and president or chair of critical committees, Joe continued to raise funds for the Federation through example and solicitations. He chaired the Annual Campaign on two occasions. In addition, he continued his service to Beth Israel, which his family attends. He was the youngest president of Beth Israel in 1971 and thirty years later, he chaired the building committee which relocated the synagogue to 126th and Pacific Streets. After 46 years of continuous service to the Jewish community and its organizations, Joe currently serves on the board of the Jewish Federation Foundation of which he was once president. He is the current president of the Goldston Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation. In the community at large, he currently serves on the board of the Methodist Hospital Foundation. On that crisp May morning, sitting in that beautiful office, in the midst of that busy development, talking to a perfectly groomed, impeccably dressed fellow who seemed to have substantial professional and family responsibilities, I wondered, “Why? Why spend all this time and money over this long a period of time for people who may or may not appreciate your efforts?” Nearly a month later, I gathered my nerve and asked the question out loud, “Why?” Joe gave several answers: “Once involved, I stayed involved, because I care about the future of the Jewish community; “ and “I was asked, so I agreed to serve;” and finally, “Because I can.” Then he told me about his parents, immigrants from the Ukraine. They came to this country in 1921 from Kupel, a tiny village. They settled in Omaha because they had family here. Although they left the Ukraine before the Holocaust began in earnest, Joe’s father told him that his duty was and is to take care of himself, his family and the Jewish community. There are 5500 Jews in an Omaha metropolitan population of about 415,000. Remembering his father’s admonition, Joe believes that each member of the Jewish community needs to be responsible for each other. He turns belief and memory into personal action. That has made all the difference for himself, his family and his community.
August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | A15
We are in this together by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Morley Zipursky was President of the Jewish Federation of Omaha from 1972 through 1974. In our 2013 Passover edition, he wrote about his involvement with the current Jewish Community Center. This time, he’s sharing some background on what it means to be President. What is it that we do really well? What we are good at is being in this together. We are one entity, and all our facilities, agencies and organizations are somehow connected--no individual stands alone, everyone works together. When you visit other Jewish communities, you often hear that people are envious of us. I don’t know how long that’s been the case, but the word has gotten out somehow that in Omaha, we work together better. In spite of what some might think, we are also good at passing this on to the younger generation. We have a tradition of ongoing leadership, which is very important. What are we not doing well? Morley Zipursky We are not raising enough money, because it is incredibly hard. The community has gotten smaller, so to raise the same funds is more of a challenge. In addition, the community has changed. I used to look at the Forbes 400 list, and find 20-25% Jewish names. The vast majority of Jews came here with nothing, and as they slowly became successful, they would share much of that with the community. In addition, many of those early immigrants had to start their own businesses because they weren’t welcome in many places, leading to a well-developed work ethic and financial success. Starting your own business nowadays is no longer a given. It is key that we work harder to raise the funds, spend the money more wisely, and look to the future. What is the hardest part about being the JFO President? Finding the right people to surround you, people you can count on. Why would anyone become a lay leader? If you have a conscience, you step up. Someone has to be a leader; it may as well be you. I see it when I look at my grandchildren; they are born leaders. You have to be concerned about what happens to your community, and in your community. I think what made a huge difference in my day was the 6day war. I remember when my father-in-law was very antiIsrael, until that war came along and changed everything. Some years later a few of us took a mission trip to Israel, and we were able to go to the Kotel for the first time. I remember the Yeshiva boys dancing down the steps; there was
Happy New Year someone on that trip, by the name of Kaplan, from New York. I recall that moment, when he looked at the scene in front of us and said: “We will never give it back.” It made all the difference. Once you feel that deep connection, and you understand what it is we are working for, you will want to step up and get involved. I think our community understands that very well. Just think of it, between the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s renovations, the new synagogues, including the current Temple Israel building that is being erected, Annual Campaign, and what we send to Israel, it all adds up. Over the past ten years, this community has easily contributed $100 million, and that is an amazing number. What do you tell people who think lay leaders just need to have a lot of money? In many cases, lay leaders have to prove themselves in other areas. Oftentimes, they are people who have been successful in their professional lives, so yes, many of them do have a financial advantage. But they’ve worked hard for that. The truth is, people who have been successful in other areas are often natural born leaders, and feel attracted to a lay leadership role. However, anyone has it in them to step up. What else have you been busy with? I was President of the student body at the University of Tulsa, and was active at Beth El for years -though never as President. Do you have any advice for Jay Noddle? Surround yourself with people you can work with, and get them very involved. Get together with the young leadership, they are very important. Ask advice from others; when you ask often enough, you will eventually get answers! But: Jay’s a bright guy, and he will be successful. What are your hobbies? I love to read. Right now, I am reading biographies of Nixon and Eisenhower. What is your favorite memory associated with lay leadership? All that we achieved with the new building, and the rebirth of the community in the early 1970s. The feeling that we helped make people understand how important this is. We believed strongly in our responsibility to revive the community. What we didn’t have was the right to tell future generations what to do. We created the facility, the organization, and now it is up to those who come after us. Tell me something about being JFO President that no one knows. The fundraising is the biggest frustration. You know people who can give, but won’t; it is your job as President to figure out how to change that, how to motivate people and make them feel like they belong. Only if people feel involved, feel that they are a part of something, will they give.
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Brenda Ingraham Continued from page 13 shaped all members of my family. My children learned to walk here. It’s my shul and I love it.” Two of Brenda’s children had their wedding at Tifereth, but she has always instilled in them that a sense of belonging is more important than anything else. Her daughter and her son-in-law, who Brenda describes as the product of the Solomon Shechter’s Jewish day schools, spent a long time looking for a place where they felt they belonged. “It’s not Conservative,” Brenda states, “I think it’s Reform, or Reconstructionist, but that is not important, it’s where they feel spiritually at home.” Brenda can’t see herself as not being a member of a congregation. “You know what it is, suppose I had been living in New York or Chicago. Sure there are all these dimensions to Jewish life. Culture, Yiddish, music, a corned beef sandwich at a deli, but they are only dimensions. They are nice, but they are not the core, the core is shul. It’s shul that shapes you, that connects you.” Because Tifereth has always been such an important part of Brenda’s life, giving back through assuming leadership roles has always gone without saying. She has been involved in the religious school, the women’s groups and her favorite room of the building, the library, the place where this interview takes place. “When I was in high school, I became president of our Temple’s youth group. In two years the membership grew from 13 to 102 people, just because everybody saw that we had fun. I don’t seek leadership, now that I am president of Tifereth I’ve become even more sensitive to the news stories about important people who abuse their power, who use their position for their own interest.” Just as Brenda was aware of her yichus when she was a child, she is aware of her place in the history of Tifereth
Israel. “When I came to Lincoln, I was welcomed by the women of Tifereth with a lunch. At this moment I am as old or older than the women who welcomed me. I know that I will be the last president of my generation, so I know what my priorities are as president. It’s my job to leave this place in top shape for the first of the next generation who will take over from me. We keep working at the upkeep and improvement of the building. In the past year we have worked very hard at updating our bylaws so they are applicable in the 21st century. I also want to set an example. I’m known for my strong moral compass and I hope that it rubs off on other people. I also hope that my attitude towards my membership and presidency will serve to inspire others. Not a day goes by that I am not doing something for my shul. People can always see me at work when I am here. My sister is a business woman and she told me that you know you are a good leader when you see people doing something. Apparently I am doing a good job, because when I enter the building, I always see activity, there is always someone doing something to sustain our shul.” When asked what Brenda sees for her own future at Tifereth Israel, she states, “Look, I know that a presidency is a volunteer job for only a certain period. I want to be a good steward. As president, I am here almost every Shabbat. When my presidency is over, I will take my place in the pews again. You know what is so amazing? When I was a child, my dad was always called to the Torah on Rosh Hashanah to read the Akedah, the binding of Isaac. I didn’t do my Bat Mitzvah until I was 50, and guess what? My Parasha was the binding of Isaac. A few years back I began learning my first Haftarah, Noach. I’ve studied hard, but didn’t get it all done. That’s still something I need to do, learn all of Haftarah Noach.”
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A16 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
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August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B1
Bonnie Bloch’s exemplary leadership by BETH COHEN Executive Director, the Center for Jewish Life Sometimes as I sit in meetings with Dr. Bonnie Bloch and introductions are being made, she’ll say, “I’m just a volunteer.” Her humble demeanor gives a glimpse of her exemplary leadership. She shows the important characteristic of leadership that we learn about in the Haftarah for Parshah Zachor, “Though you are small in your own eyes, you are a leader of Israel.” (Samuel 15:17) Bonnie is not “just an” anything. Following her undergraduate degree at Brandeis University, Bonnie received her JD at Boston University School of Law and her MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Bonnie moved to Omaha in 1993 when her husband, Dr. Howard Gendelman, accepted a position at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Together with their three young children, they embarked on an adventure, leaving the large Jewish community of Silver Spring, Maryland, to spend a couple years in a small, Midwestern city. “While in Silver Spring, the kids attended day schools and we regularly attended synagogue events,” explains Bonnie. “All the Judaism you could want in terms of children’s activities and adult learning was available to us. It was easy to be Jewish in such a community. I did no volunteering in Jewish organizations because there were dozens of volunteers. No one asked me to help, and no organization seemed to need help. Upon arrival in Omaha we realized that if we wanted to maintain a Jewish home, we had to seek every Jewish opportunity that was offered, and we had to get involved to initiate other Jewish activities. I started my volunteer career at Beth Israel while it was on 52nd Street after several of the “ladies” asked me to help out. I slowly became more involved with synagogue leadership and with the Federation and the Friedel Jewish Academy. I was fortunate to have the time to step up and help.” When her youngest child was in high school, Bonnie completed work at the University of Nebraska at Omaha to be certified as 7-12th grade science teacher, and taught for several years at Norris Middle School and at Burke High School. It was during this time at UNO and teaching that Bonnie served as president of Beth Israel Synagogue. The old adage, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person,” couldn’t have been truer. Bonnie was the first
Bonnie Bloch woman to serve as president of Omaha’s orthodox synagogue at a time when the synagogue had just moved into the Pacific Street building and Rabbi Jonathan Gross was about to start as the new rabbi. Bonnie says: “While the move of Beth Israel to West Omaha may have been anticipated with the purchase of the lot at 126th Street in the 1970’s, the actual move was extremely difficult, as those kinds of significant changes are for any organization. The Board needed and wanted to take care of the needs of the people who decided to remain in the Dundee neighborhood while fulfilling the will of the congregation who voted to build on the Pacific Street property. It was a great challenge for our leadership and our members,
I AM part of a people with 5774 years of living history. I am an active resident of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home and every day I see a community with a bright future because of
THE FEDERATION L'shanah Tovah Happy New Year! JAY NODDLE, PRESIDENT MIKE SILVERMAN, CEO
CARL RIEKES, PRESIDENT HOWARD EPSTEIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
but the congregation was ultimately strengthened as a result.” Along with the change in location in February of 2004, Beth Israel experienced a change in rabbinic leadership in August of the same year. Beth Israel was the first pulpit for Rabbi Gross, who came to Omaha after serving in a yearlong internship at the largest orthodox synagogue in Los Angeles. “In Rabbinic school we learned about Jewish law and culture,” explains Rabbi Gross. “But Jewish leadership is something that can only be learned on the job. I was fortunate to be a student of some of the great leaders of our Omaha Jewish community, and no one was more instrumental in my development and so formative in my education under fire than Bonnie Bloch. She is a great leader and a great mentor. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with her and to learn from her.” Bonnie’s term as president was marked with unprecedented growth of young families joining Beth Israel and with program innovation. Only through the contribution of Bonnie’s many hours of work with synagogue staff, has Beth Israel secured national program grants from the Legacy Heritage Fund Innovation Project and from the Orthodox Union Challenge Grant program. While not in it for the accolades, Bonnie was honored by the Jewish Federation of Omaha in 2010 with the Phil and Terri Schrager Spirit of Federation Award, and by the Friedel Jewish Academy in 2011, along with her husband Dr. Howard Gendelman, for their unwavering dedication to the school. Bonnie currently serves as the president of the Center for Jewish Life, an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Bonnie was integral to the re-envisioning of the CJL, broadening the focus of the agency from traditional Jewish education into a model focusing on creating imaginative and compelling Jewish experiences for learners of all ages. As CJL President, Bonnie sits on the Federation Board, and she continues to serve on the Beth Israel Board. She is also a board member of the American Friends of the Western Galilee Hospital, working to support the hospital which provides the highest quality of medical care to over 600,000 people -Jews, Christians, Muslims and Druze -- living along Israel’s northern border.
B2 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
In love with L.O.V.E by OZZIE NOGG swimming and then relax in the Health Club at the JCC,” When he retired after 36 years as a practicing pediatrician, Jim said. “I can easily spend four hours there, at least three Dr. Jim Wax turned his attention to the senior members of to four days a week.” When not in the pool or the shvitz, Jim our community. Not as a physician, but as a lay leader with and his wife Esther play Mah Jongg, Shanghai and bridge L.O.V.E. (League of Volunteers for the Elderly). “After retire- with friends, attend Symphony and Pops concerts, enjoy ment, I found I was spendclassic movies from the ing more time visiting the 1930s and 40s, and hang Blumkin Home,” Wax said. out with their children and “And then, when I was grandkids. “We spend holthere for rehab following idays together and go to knee replacement surgerdinner with them often, at ies in 2008 and 2009, I least those that live here. experienced first hand And of course we try to how L.O.V.E. volunteers always support our grandprovide support and try to children’s school and improve the well-being of extracurricular activities.” the residents -- more and Both Jim and Esther are more of whom were my stalwarts at Beth El peers.” Wax fell totally in Synagogue’s Friday night love with L.O.V.E., and services. “My parents were currently serves as secular Jews,” Wax said. “I President of the group. don’t remember going to “Our main purpose is to synagogue as a child raise funds for the except on the holidays, but Blumkin Home that will my connection to Judaism Jim Wax and his wife, Esther provide needed items or has evolved. Now, Esther services not covered in their budget. Basically, we’re here to and I attend Kabbalat Shabbat every week and then have do whatever we can to improve the lifestyle of the residents, dinner with friends. There can be twenty to thirty of us sitadd to their enjoyment of their surroundings, and volunteer ting down together. I have strong feelings for Beth El and try our time when we can.” to support its efforts. I also like Rabbi Steve Abraham’s enerAt the July 2011 Jewish Social Services/Rose Blumkin gy and his teaching methods. I’ve learned a lot about Jewish Home Volunteer Recognition Event, Lois Wine -- Judaism from his weekly classes.” Director of Volunteer Services -- introduced Wax as Wax defines a lay leader as “someone who gives help and Volunteer of the Year. “Jim is not one who just talks about support to an organization in a field that is not his or her ideas,” Wine said. “He implements them. When Jim takes profession or career. Success is determined by the leader’s responsibility for a project, he completes it. He’s diplomatic ability to stimulate activity and interest, and to get others to and handles each new situation with vision, confidence and listen and act on the advice you give.” He is saddened by the authority. Jim has proven through his many volunteer activ- shrinking membership numbers of many Jewish organizaities that he realizes the importance of providing social, spir- tions. “Even though my parents weren’t synagogue goers, itual and educational programs geared to, and for, the they did belong to Workman’s Circle, Hadassah, ORT, mature members of the Jewish community. Jim can always Pioneer Women and Bikur Cholim. They devoted time and be counted on.” whatever money they could afford to help the less fortunate In addition to his work with L.O.V.E., Wax is a leader in and the elderly. Today, the younger adult Jewish population, Mainstreeters, a social group for seniors that evolved out of as well as people in their 60’s, don’t see the need to belong to Visions. According to Wine, Jim “did everything in his these groups, and we’re witnessing their demise as the older power to make this a smooth transition while ending population dies out and fewer individuals come forward to Visions and appointing various people to be on the replace them. As a community, we don’t do a good job conMainstreeters’ organizational steering committee.” Wax is vincing all age groups that we need Jewish organizations currently Communications Chairman for Mainstreeters. because they give us the opportunity to practice benevoMaggie Conti, Director of Activities and Community lence. Money raised by groups often provide more than Outreach, calls Jim her “personal advisor.” individual gifts. Belonging to organizations, in my opinion, Though he no longer goes to an office, Wax still gives dis- is the Jewish way. I feel that we have to become involved -ability physicals for the State of Nebraska several times a and stay involved -- to ensure the survival of Omaha’s Jewish week, and covers a pediatric practice in Papillion when the community and the institutions and programs that our forestaff pediatrician is away. “I like to spend some of the day fathers and we have established.”
All sides of the story by SHERRIE SAAG Communications Specialist, Jewish Federation of Omaha Mike Siegel shares a level of enthusiasm and commitment to our community that is at the very heart of what lay leadership is all about. Our lay leaders value Jewish Omaha’s institutions and are intent on both preservation and growth for their children and grandchildren. Siegel, the 2010 Jewish Federation of Omaha Young Leadership Award winner, co-chaired Temple Israel’s recent general building campaign for its move to Sterling Ridge. He has Mike Siegel served on the Jewish Press Board, the JCC Board and the Federation’s Planning and Community Engagement committee. He is currently President of the JCC Board of Directors. He likes tangible results and chooses volunteer projects wisely, knowing his strengths and applying them in ways that make a real impact. Mike and wife Andrea have three children, Tyler, Monica and Josh. The following are Mike’s thoughts and opinions on a variety of subjects. Omaha to me is... A great place to raise a family and be an active participant in the community. I made a great decision when... We moved to Omaha! When I chair a committee... I try to look at all sides of a story before making a decision. Gather information first; then make your decision. Quick decisions, made without considering all perspectives, usually turn out to be bad decisions. When I was a college student... I began to recognize that I liked being a leader. Time with my kids is... The most important part of my life. Time flies by and before you know it, they are off to college. At the end of the day... I look forward to spending time with my family and winding down with Words with Friends and Netflix. My Dad taught me... That every problem has a solution. You must use your resources well in order to solve it. I learned early on... That every decision you make will not be perfect. You need to own up to your mistakes and learn from them. Continued on page 4
Wishing You All a Happy New Year!
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August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B3
Go big or go home by LIZZY GILBERT Operating off generalizations, one would never have thought that Patrick Jensen would be the board chair of a civil rights organization founded to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment for all. Born to a moderately Catholic family in Omaha, Nebraska, Patrick attended 13 different schools from elementary through high school because his family moved frequently. Having lived throughout the midwest he returned to Omaha in time to attend a half-year at Bryan High School in South Omaha and graduate from Omaha Northwest High School. Always with a passion for art, social justice and adventure, Patrick sampled different colleges and different career paths in the years following high school. He would probably be the first to admit he likes to do things his way, but those who work with him on ADL initiatives would never describe him as someone who dominates decisions; rather, Patrick is more likely to call for a decision after a reasonable amount of discussion. He taught Plains States Regional Director Alan Potash the expression “Go big or go home.” Patrick is known for sharing these words of wisdom when ADL board members waver between a safe decision and a bolder alternative. Because of this slogan, board members now often hear Alan say, “Well, as Patrick would say, ‘Go big or go home.’” This mantra has led the ADL to take bold leadership positions in the local civil rights community with Patrick at the helm. His years studying at the Art Institute of Chicago gave him a deep appreciation for art and community. Based on all of this, it makes sense that ADL’s signature project during his time as board chair has been an educational public art project entitled Typecast | Recast, but more on that in a bit. Patrick met his wife Lynne while waiting tables at Bennigan’s on Michigan Avenue in the heart of Chicago. After living in Wrigleyville and several other well-known neighborhoods, they made their home in Logan Square where Patrick renovated a home originally built in 1893. Their daughters, Jordan and Mattie, were born in Chicago. Lynne taught hearing-impaired students and Patrick worked as a master carpenter building custom homes on Chicago’s North Shore. While Patrick describes his love for Chicago often, there is no doubt that having children changed his view of the city. “You have young kids and, all of a sudden, the city seems so dirty and unsafe.” That’s when he started taking his brother’s pleas to return to Omaha more seriously. Patrick has an older brother, Mick, who has always been de facto patriarch of the family, a sister who lives in Kansas City, and a half-sister in San Francisco. Mick started a construction company in 1985, which evolved into today’s AOI Corporation. Patrick has held a variety of positions with the company over the years since the family moved back to Omaha in the mid 1990s: field carpenter, project manager, IT director, to his current role as director of marketing and new business development. Some of his primary responsibilities include strategic planning, formulating proposals for potential clients, and developing and growing relationships between AOI and its client base. So, how about the part where Patrick becomes Jewish? That’s what you are wondering, isn’t it? Okay, here it goes. Lynne’s great-grandmother and grandmother narrowly escaped the Russian pogroms and ended up making a life for themselves in New York. While Lynne’s grandmother didn’t practice all the traditions of Judaism, they always lived in Jewish neighborhoods. Her mother went to Jewish schools. Patrick commented that perhaps given their history, the family had learned their Jewish faith was something to downplay. While Lynne and Patrick celebrated all the major holidays from each of their faiths: Easter, Passover, Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, and so on, they were primarily living secular lives. “Any of the holidays with food involved were the ones we celebrated!” Patrick joked. Upon returning to Omaha, the family reconnected more formally with Judaism and began attending the Reconstructionist Synagogue, but ultimately became involved with Temple Israel. Patrick immediately hit it off with Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, although he had no thoughts or intentions of ever converting. But it was an introduction to Judaism class at Temple that eventually sucked him in. Patrick described how the social justice themes in the class and the teachings of Judaism resonated with him. Toward the end of the class, Rabbi Azriel told him “I think you’re ready,” in reference to Patrick’s becoming Jewish. Patrick was pretty sure he wasn’t; after all, he signed up for the class with no intention of converting. He was just there to learn. Rabbi Azriel told him this is how it works; first you think you’re not ready. Then you’ll think you’re ready and I’ll say not yet. And then one day we’ll look at each other and we’ll both just know. Patrick joked that he had found his “guru” and it was the rabbi of a Reform temple in Omaha, when he shared Rabbi Azriel’s outlook on converting to Judaism. It was clear that he meant they have
Patrick and Lynn Jensen a similar style and approach to the spiritual journey. Patrick became active on Temple Israel’s Social Justice Committee, and it was his involvement there and on the Center for Jewish Education Board that caught David Gilinsky’s eye. A long-time ADL board member and past board chair, David nominated Patrick for the ADL board. Patrick’s favorite part of serving on the ADL board is his fellow board members. “It’s truly a working board with plenty of opportunities and avenues for contributing to the organization’s goals.” Patrick said. “We have a lot of dedicated members and they work very hard to further our mission.” When asked which ADL accomplishment he is most proud of, Patrick responded quickly: “Typecast | Recast,” and then added “although, I’m also very proud of the work the group did in the strategic planning process that Jeff Gordman and Laura Crosby took us through in 2011. It really gave us a road map to stay focused on the long-term goals of our board.” The centerpiece of that strategic plan is the vision of making Omaha No Place for Hate®, “...and we’re moving the
ball forward every day on that,” Patrick said. As for Typecast | Recast, this is the Plains States ADL’s educational public art initiative set to open in North Downtown Omaha in September. The concept was born out of the strategic planning process and, at its core, is about using temporary public art installations to spark learning and engage our community in dialogue around the subjects of hate, bias, bigotry, prejudice, respect, civility, and mutual understanding. “It has been awesome to see the community rally around Typecast | Recast,” Patrick remarked. In May, Patrick and David co-emceed a public selection event for the project where 11 artists presented their concepts for Typecast | Recast to more than 150 guests at the Holland Performing Arts Center. The twosome’s enthusiasm for ADL’s work and mission was obvious as they spouted off facts between artist presentations: • More than 53 million students and educators have been trained in ADL’s A World of Difference® program. • Ten thousand Omaha-area students are touched by the No Place for Hate® campaign annually. • Fourteen different branches of law enforcement in the Plains States Region participate in various ADL training programs. • This year, 2013, ADL is commemorating 100 years of fighting hate to build a better world. The event culminated with guests filling out ballots voting for their favorite artist or concept. The energy in the room was high as the winners, Andrew Conzett and Ryan Fisher, were announced. Right now, Patrick is focused on leading ADL through the first full-cycle of Typecast | Recast, with commitment to the idea that the project can be recurring, and could even grow to other mid-sized communities in the Plains States Region. The project is integral to the organization securing the necessary resources and relationships to significantly grow its reach and impact within and beyond the Jewish community.
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B4 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
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Brett Atlas, left, with friends Andy Ruback and Jeff Schrager by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Brett Atlas has had his share of Jewish Press coverage over the past year, since he helped run the Annual Campaign together with his wife Stacey and Stacey’s parents Zoë and Carl Riekes. Then, he was presented with the JFO Volunteer of the Year Award at the annual meeting in June. He has been a busy, busy man. Enough already, he could say. But that is not Brett’s way: lay leadership means too much to him. “When I think of lay leadership, I think of people who care enough to really give of themselves for no financial benefit, but because they care passionately,” he says. “Every single person I have worked with in Omaha’s Jewish community has made it part of their lives, and put their heart into it.” Brett currently serves on the Planning and Community Engagement Committee, which is chaired by Toba Cohen-Dunning, who is featured elsewhere in this issue. “I just came out of a meeting yesterday, and thought: this is the committee I have enjoyed the most in the ten years I’ve been in Omaha,” he says. “I came in as kind of the junior of the group, and I learn something valuable every time we meet. The caliber of the people on that committee is phenomenal. My first thought, when I was asked to join, was that this would present me with a great opportunity to absorb from these great minds.” What have you worked on during the past year? We’ve spent close to a year rewriting the bylaws of the Federation. We asked ourselves several important questions, such as: how does this benefit the community, what is the right way, and what about the future? Will the decisions we make today hold up? The main focus is on how to best shape our structure, our policies and procedures for the community, and how to anticipate many possible scenarios. The whole process has taught me so much about how to ask tough questions, and how to really prepare when tackling something like bylaws. Every single person on the committee, while discussing things in detail, changed their mind about at least one thing in the process. That really speaks to the quality of the committee. I feel lucky to be in the room and am excited every time we have a meeting. You’ve just come off the Annual Campaign. What was that experience like? It was great, rewarding and very special. I had a lot going on in my life, just started a new business, and remember telling Mike
Silverman and Jody Malashock: you don’t want us for this. If you put us in charge, we’ll do things very differently. They answered: that’s exactly why we asked you. We met weekly for many months, and then started meeting bi-weekly; in all that time, I only missed one meeting. Between work, travel, and raising kids, that’s a small miracle. What helped was that we had a lot of fun doing this. Our biggest task in running a successful campaign is that we have to change the culture. It is not “the” Federation; it is “our” Federation. The most important thing about the Beatles event was that we were able to involve many different people throughout the year. I don’t like the idea of Super Sunday, where you try to make so many calls all at once; instead, it should be something where people feel involved throughout the year. And we can’t be boring -- we have to engage, especially my contemporaries. The thing I am most proud of is that we had a 6% card-for-card increase; there were 191 new and re-engaged donors. I was prepared to fail numbers-wise, because what is more important is to have that many new gifts. It proves we are seeing a change. The Annual Campaign was a big job, it was exhausting, and it was worth it. What is the biggest challenge of being a lay leader? Connecting to the younger generation and getting them involved. We are seeing a gap, and it is not only a financial one -- there will continue to be people with money to give. But I don’t see that strong connection in people of my generation, and that’s worrisome. We have people in Omaha who are obvious leaders in their professional lives, and they should step up in our community. There are simply not enough people in the next generation who are matching the level of commitment their elders have. It’s a problem I’d love to solve. Part of the problem is that we tend to forget there was once a struggle. We are getting further and further away from the experiences of those who came before us, and in that we lose our connection. What comes next? We all have to answer the real question: our passion can point us in many different directions, but where should it really go? How do we ensure the next generation finds that passion for our community within themselves? Giving of yourself to our community is a worthwhile endeavor, and it will make you feel good. Making a difference always does.
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Continued from page 2 Respect is... Critical in order to treat everyone fairly. If you show respect, you’ll earn respect. I can’t imagine... What my life would be like if I did not meet Andrea. Someone once said... That it is impossible to satisfy everyone. No matter your decision, there will always be people who agree with it and people who
do not. You have to do what you believe is in the best interest for the community. I do what I do... Because I love digging in, participating, and solving problems. A bonus from becoming involved has been meeting all kinds of people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I now call many of these people friends. My wish list... A new JCC pool.
August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B5
Foundation Board President Carl Riekes by MARY BORT funds, but to get the word out to the broader general comJewish Federation of Omaha Foundation munity as to our future needs,” stated Riekes. The Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation is pleased to Riekes served as chair of the Foundation Board’s announce that Carl Riekes is the new President of the PACE/LOJE committee throughout his tenure on the board. Foundation’s Board of Directors. Riekes replaces former “I’m so pleased to be leading the Board now,” he continued. board president Jay “With close to 30 years of Noddle, who served in the involvement in our comrole for the last four years. munity, I see the “We are extremely grateFoundation Board as the ful to Jay for his dedication entity that will secure the to the Foundation and our future and sustain our mission,” noted Howard community for future genEpstein, Foundation erations. We’re accomExecutive Director. “When plishing great things here we learned that he was in Omaha.” going to be the next Jewish According to Foundation Federation of Omaha Executive Director Board President, we knew Howard Epstein, “Carl it would be a challenge to often tells me what an find a lay leader who had honor and privilege it has the skill and interest to been for him to serve on become our next President. the Foundation’s board and The Foundation Board as the Foundation’s presiformed a committee to dent. He takes his role as find Jay’s replacement and president very seriously, Carl was identified as the realizing that he is the lay ideal person to become leader of the organization President. We’re so pleased who is responsible for that he agreed to serve in building, managing, and that capacity.” allocating the financial Riekes joined the resources which will be Carl and Zoë Riekes Foundation board in 2007. essential for the long term “When then-President Steve Bloch invited me to come on stability and growth of Omaha’s Jewish community. Carl is the board, of course I accepted,” said Riekes, “I was honored always accessible and responsive and takes a keen interest in to be asked because I’ve always looked at the Foundation all aspects of the Foundation’s operations. It is a pleasure to Board as being comprised of those members of our commu- work with such a terrific guy and dedicated lay leader.” nity who many would identify as the “elder statesmen.” Riekes looks to the future when he talks about the After a few months, Riekes asked Bloch what he could do Foundation. In addition to emphasizing the importance of to contribute to the board and Foundation mission, and PACE/LOJE funds, Riekes noted the value of establishing a Bloch suggested he chair the PACE/LOJE committee. “At the donor-advised fund with the Foundation. time, PACE/LOJE was not widely known or marketed “We’ll do more to market and promote the donor-advised throughout our community,” explained Riekes. “But it is the funds,” said Riekes.” Many people aren’t aware of the advanmost important effort the Foundation will put forth in the tages to having a donor-advised fund with the Foundation. coming years.” We want to educate them so that they know that their fund Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment (PACE) and can be used for any 501(c)(3) charity in the U.S. So contriLion of Judah Endowment (LOJE) funds are established to butions can go to local and national Jewish organizations, support the Federation’s Annual Campaign in future years. A but also to non-Jewish charities. You get an immediate tax donor makes arrangements to establish a PACE or LOJE deduction and our Foundation staff will do all the work and through a bequest, life insurance, charitable remainder trust handle the details pertaining to the various contributions.” or through other arrangements, often with tax benefits. Riekes is also pleased to work with Howard Epstein, who PACE and LOJE funds enable donors to leave a lasting legacy became the Foundation’s Executive Director in January. to Omaha’s Jewish community, because the income they gen- “Howard Epstein is a good friend who I’ve known for 20 erate pays the donor’s annual campaign pledge in perpetuity. years,” he said. “He is excited and enthusiastic about the “We knew we had a lot of work to do not only convince future of the Foundation, and it’s great to work with him.” donors of the importance and purpose of PACE/LOJE Continued on page 6
Happy New Year
Federation Past President: Jerry Slusky by DAVID GOLBITZ Long before becoming president of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, Jerry Slusky was an active leader in the Jewish community. As a teenager, Jerry was “always very active in Jewish things, like AZA.” “Back when we were all going to Central High School and the JCC was across the street, that was a meeting place for Jewish teenagers,” Jerry said. “It was just natural to pledge one of the groups. I became active and found myself involved in leadership. Next thing I knew I was Jerry Slusky president, then regional treasurer, and then vice president. I just sort of fell into it.” Jerry grew up at Beth Israel and had his Bar Mitzvah at Beth El, but it wasn’t until he joined Temple Israel that those Jewish leadership skills he honed with AZA and at BBYO national leadership camps re-emerged. He took his first leadership role with the Federation in 1988 with the budget committee and, much like in high school, one thing led to another. “You know how you get on that track,” Jerry said. “The next thing I knew I was some officer, then vice president.” When then-president Don Yale had to step down for personal reasons in the early ‘90s, Jerry was chosen to succeed him and served as president from 1994 to 1995. “I always cared a lot about our Jewish community,” Jerry said, “and you want to carry that baton of leadership, because you know it was carried before you, for your benefit, and it will be carried after you.” One of Jerry’s biggest responsibilities, and proudest moments, as Federation president was the resettling of Soviet Jews, both in Israel and throughout the United States. “We had to put together a commitment to Israel to sign on a very large bank guarantee which funded hundreds of thousands of immigrants to Israel,” he said. “At the same time, we were responsible for taking immigrants into our community here in Omaha. That was a big deal. Helping all those families, that was a great satisfaction.” Jerry also found himself in the role of mediator during a restructuring of the JCC and the Federation. Continued on page 6
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B6 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
Leading from behind: The bible calls it good by OZZIE NOGG If you read the Wall Street Journal, you might have seen the Jan. 22, 2013 article written by Paul Wolfowitz, former Deputy Secretary of Defense, in which he took then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (along with the entire Obama administration) to task for ‘leading from behind’ in the Benghazi kerfuffle. If you read FP (Foreign Policy), you might have seen the April 29, 2013 article written by Leslie Gelb (former New York Times correspondent and current President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations) in which he describes the foreign policy gods descending with lethal fury, intoning that the word ‘behind’ reeked of weakness, indecision and fear, and likening the ill-named phrase to a military officer commanding his troops to charge while he sipped tea at headquarters. Before you decide that ‘leading from behind’ is an organizational no-no, consider the shepherd. He who leads his flock. From behind. What occupation did Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David -- even Moses -- follow before they took up the mantle of leadership? Bingo. Shepherd. Orlee R. Turitz, Leadership Consultant for The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, writes, “I love the ‘aha’ moment when leaders are introduced to the The Servant as Leader, Robert Greenleaf ’s seminal book, in which he defines a leader as someone who ‘leads from behind,’ who puts others in front and is the caring and nurturing presence that always has the organization as her first priority. Somehow it touches the truth of what it means to lead, and
you can see participants soaking it in and integrating the concept into their experiences. It is powerful.” In his book, Greenleaf argues that organizations need leaders who will encourage board members and chairpersons to reject passivity, reject the role of a rubber stamp and exert leadership that embraces values, takes risks, empowers people, and benefits the least privileged in society. The result, according to Greenleaf, is that those ‘served’ will grow as persons, become wiser, freer, more autonomous, and more likely themselves to become leaders. In other words, not following blindly, like sheep. When describing the shepherd’s role, the Book of Samuel teaches, “In early morning he led the flock from the fold, to the spot where they were to be pastured. Here he watched them all day, taking care that none of the sheep strayed, and if any wandered away from the rest, seeking diligently till he
Jerry Slusky
Carl Riekes Continued from page 5 In addition to volunteering his time to the Foundation Board, Riekes and his wife, Zoë, chaired the Jewish Federation of Omaha Annual Campaign in 2008 and 2009. Together with one of their daughters, Stacey Atlas, and her husband, Brett, they also chaired the 2013 campaign. “We were pleased to do that and consider it a great success,” he stated. When asked why he volunteers his time to the Foundation
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found and brought it back. Sheep require water, and the shepherd has to guide them either to some running stream or to wells dug in the wilderness. At night he brought the flock home to the fold, counting them as they passed under the rod to assure himself that none were missing. Nor did his labors end with sunset. Often he had to guard the fold through the dark hours from the attack of wild beasts, or the wily attempts of the prowling thief.” Yep. Leadership -- in biblical times or today -- is a 24/7 job. Paraphrasing Turitz, “Leaders must hear the needs, feel the needs and take action to provide for the needs. That’s the shepherd. He doesn’t wait for the sheep to find water. She doesn’t assume someone else will send the stray sheep back. The shepherd might be in the back, but there is no question about who keeps the group moving with gentle prods.” Yes. Let’s hear it for the lay leaders in our Jewish community. Now, to be balanced in my reporting, ‘leading from the front’ has its supporters (Mel Gibson, for one.) ‘Leading from the middle’ has fans, too. But only ‘leading from behind’ has made it into popular culture. Proof? The term was #10 on Time Magazine’s Top 10 Buzzwords of 2011. For you trivia buffs, #3 was planking -- the practice of being photographed while lying facedown in an unusual or dangerous place so the photo can be put on a social-networking website. There was also fridging (being photographed while as fully inside a refrigerator as possible.) I’ll stop laughing when/if our lay leadership begin gaveling (being photographed while... what? Best answer submitted to this paper wins a yet-undetermined prize.)
and Federation, Riekes explained, “Although I was born and raised in Omaha, I also lived in Denver and Southern California. Living in larger cities made me realize how special Omaha really is. I have a strong feeling for Omaha’s Jewish community and have enjoyed being involved. I’ve always believed you should give back to your community.” To learn more about establishing a PACE/LOJE fund or donor-advised fund, please contact Howard Epstein, Executive Director, at 402.590.2156.
Continued from page 5 “We balanced the interests of the JCC and the education wing and the [Blumkin] home and everyone else, to spread the budget dollars and take into account as many peoples’ interests as we could and still provide the services people wanted,” Jerry said. “I have always had a propensity to care a lot about my Judaism and other people, and I try to use my skills to try to help out as best I can.”
August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B7
Get excited about what life will bring by MICHAEL BOEKSTAL music that she met different faiths, “Wherever they needed Eleanor Shirley is in the first year of her presidency of an organist, or a pianist, or a song leader, I was available. My B’nai Jeshurun, better known as the South Street Temple in first marriage ended and I had to provide for my three Lincoln. Even though her days are just as long as anyone daughters, so I went wherever I could pad my income.” else’s, it seems as if she has A string of different jobs and more hours than other peovocations followed, from ple. At a recent board meeting photography assistant to she couldn’t attend, the board insurance agent. What always members found out that she kept tugging was an academic had met nearly every board degree. Given her talent for member for a one-on-one music and her innate drive to conversation over the previhelp people, she had her mind ous month, while her job has set on music-therapy. A casuher traveling extensively. ally meant question from a Eleanor is Head Start Early co-worker at the insurance Childhood Systems Director, agency made her think again. which basically means that “Why don’t you become a she is the connection between counselor?” the co-worker the federal Office of Head asked, “You are such a good Start and all the different listener.” agencies and stakeholders on Eleanor and her daughters state level. “What I do is make came back to the Midwest, to sure that all the different puzLincoln and she pursued a zles fit, that there are no overdegree and a career in social laps or gaps, that we work as work. “As if working and efficiently as we possibly can, studying wasn’t enough, I also and so get the best results we wanted to make music and can,” she explains, “it is exacthave a sense of community, I ly all the things that I love to always need to belong to a do. I am drawn to helping, I community somehow,” she love to help people, I am the laughs. She became a member cheerleader type who sees of a music group at a Eleanor Shirley potential in everybody, all Methodist church where pretthey need is the right resources and a bit of encouragement. I ty soon she was asked to join the staff as a youth counselor. am also a bridge builder. I like to connect people, create com- Another member of the music band was to be her future munities, have people work together and support each other.” husband, although back then she didn’t know that. Eleanor grew up as a farmer’s daughter in Southwest Iowa. “We saw each other for a while, but nothing came of it. He “Poor when I was a small child and non-religious,” she was a spiritual seeker, just like me,” she recalls, “We didn’t recalls. “We were so poor that I remember very few books in reconnect till years later, and in the meanwhile his quest had our house. One of them was a dictionary, the other a Bible. led him to the South Street Temple. That time we became It gave me a lifelong love for words, I’d love to be an etymol- more serious, so I started to join him, and that’s when I realogist, spend the whole day with words, figure out their ori- ized that everything I had read, everything I had experigins, their development.” The other book, The Bible, had a enced, even meeting my husband-to-be, drifting apart and lifelong influence on Eleanor as well. In her teenage years reconnecting again, was all meant to be. It led me to my spirshe started to look for a spiritual home. itual home; it led me to where I was always supposed to be.” Dead set on going to college after high school, life took a Barely converted, Eleanor became instrumental in the different turn. She met her first husband and helped him unique cooperation between the Reform South Street through college while working. In sync with the times, she Temple and the Conservative Tifereth Israel, a cooperation explored different Eastern spiritual paths. It was the Vietnam that led to the founding of the joint Lincoln Jewish era and her husband got drafted, so they moved to Germany. Community School. “Given my professional background I “Without consciously knowing it, I’ve always read a lot of was asked to facilitate the initial discussions between the Jewish authors, ever since high school. I just couldn’t wrap two, and the drafting of the founding agreement.” my mind around the Jewish experience of discrimination Since that initial role as facilitator there haven’t been many and persecution. The resilience, the tenacity of still being activities and initiatives at the South Street Temple Eleanor around even after all those centuries of adversary, it was just hasn’t been a part of. She has been a member of the board mind-boggling,” she recalls, and even after so many years and is a member of the Star City Kochavim, the Temple’s live becomes emotional when she recalls her visit to Dachau band that provides the music at the monthly Friday Night when she was living in Germany. “All those barracks, the gas Live-services. Now she is the Temple’s president. chambers, it was just too much to comprehend. How could “Although I don’t really know what that is supposed to all of that have happened? What struck me most was a house mean, president” she says, “I will always see myself as a helper, right outside of the camp. An old house, it clearly must have a facilitator, a cheerleader. You know, I wake up every mornbeen there when everything was going on. The people who ing full of anticipation of what the day will bring me, what life lived in that house must have known, I mean, it was so close will throw at me, where I will have the opportunity to help by I could have hit it with a rock. From that moment on I people. That’s how I see my presidency as well. Not that I just knew I had to share what I knew, people had to know what sit back and see what will happen, I do want to realize a few happened, they had to become aware of it.” things during my tenure. I want to keep working at the colStill, Judaism as a spiritual path didn’t occur to Eleanor, at laboration of the whole Lincoln Jewish community. Our least not yet. After the time in Germany the family moved building is beautiful, a historic treasure, but not very accessiback to the USA, to Florida. “Somehow I just didn’t get into ble for everybody, so I’ve made that a priority. I’d also like to contact with Judaism, I don’t know why. I did get into con- see a more visible presence of our Temple in the larger tact with a lot of other religions though.” Eleanor is a talent- Lincoln community, and work at better communication, both ed musician and she explains that it was often through with our own members, as well as every other Lincolnite.”
New Year children’s books opening new worlds by PENNY SCHWARTZ BOSTON (JTA) -- Shofars, apples and honey, make room for pomegranates, couscous and pumpkins. A new crop of children’s books for the High Holidays opens a world beyond the beloved traditional symbols of the New Year. Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Sept. 4. A Watermelon in the Sukkah by Sylvia A. Rouss and Shannan Rouss, illustrated by Ann Iosa Kar-Ben; $17.95 hardcover, $7.95 paper; ages 3-8 Decorating a Jewish school’s sukkah becomes inventive
when a young boy, Michael, wants to hang his favorite fruit, a watermelon, from the roof. All the kids’ usual ideas -- think duct tape and string -- fall flat. Michael’s creative thinking and teamwork save the day. A brief author’s note explains the holiday. Iosa’s fall-toned illustrations of gold, green and purple convey the children’s excitement and disappointment with lively action that will entertain young kids.
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by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT B’nai B’rith International is the oldest Jewish service organization in the world. Its name means “sons of the covenant,” and its focus is the security and continuity of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and combating anti-Semitism and bigotry. Its mission: To unite persons of the Jewish faith and to enhance Jewish identity through strengthening Jewish family life; broadbased services for the benefit of senior citizens; and advocacy and action on behalf of Jews throughout the world. Nearly 95% of the members are in the United States. Since the late 20th century, the organization evolved into a dual system of lodges and units. Ari Riekes took over as President of the local B’nai B’rith Henry Monsky Lodge in 2011. This marked the end of the presidency of Gary Javitch, after 13 years. It also marked a new beginning: the attempt to connect B’nai B’rith to a younger generation. Something for which Ari is perfectly equipped. “It seemed like a unique challenge,” Ari says, “to help rejuvenate the organization, and it was something I just couldn’t say no to. B’nai B’rith has so much to offer, and I’m excited about getting more people involved.” Ari is an attorney with Marks, Clare and Richards, and works primarily in litigation. In that role, he handles employment law and commercial law disputes. He attended Emory University in Atlanta for two years, and then transferred to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. “I worked in Chicago for a year and earned my Master’s degree in Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, and worked for the Chicago JCC for about five years. My most recent title there was Director of Sports Leagues and Recreational Services.” In 2000, Ari went to Kent College of Law, and in 2003 he moved back to Omaha with his law degree in his pocket. In addition to being the President of B’nai B’rith Henry Monsky Lodge, he just finished his first year on the Jewish Community Center’s Board of Directors. He served three years on Beth El’s Board of Trustees and was the Chairman of Strategic Planning for the Synagogue. He was a proud member of the search committee that brought Rabbi Steve Abraham, Cantor Michael Krausman and Educational Director Eadie Tsabari to Beth El. What are some things people don’t know about B’nai B’rith? Most people, when they hear ‘B’nai B’rith,’ probably think about our Breadbreakers luncheons, which are offered every Wednesday at the Rose Blumkin Home. They’ll know about the Annual Sports Banquet, but we also sponsor the Zorinsky Bible Quiz and help build the Sukkah for both the Rose Blumkin Home and Friedel Jewish Academy every year. We sponsor the trivia contest during Yom Ha’atzmaut and help sponsor certain programs during the Klutznick Symposium. B’nai B’rith partners with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and hosts a multitude of speakers throughout the year. What’s the structural connection with B’nai B’rith International? The international organization gives us the room we need to develop our own programs and pursue goals that directly benefit our local community.
What is the biggest focus of the Henry Monsky Lodge right now? We are trying to address more needs within our community. The need we have identified is that Jewish life in general needs to be
Ari and Margo Riekes made more affordable. It is not always easy to afford traditional experiences, because it includes many different aspects, such as synagogue membership, religious school, summer camp, membership in certain organizations, and so forth. If we focus on filling that need, we can rally many people to help us. Ultimately our mission is to bring all Jews together, regardless of background. Over the next 12 months we will work on strengthening the partnership between B’nai B’rith and all synagogues and between B’nai B’rith and the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Together, we hope to raise more and more money for scholarships, as that need continues to grow. Less than a year from now, we will be hosting our 60th B’nai B’rith Sports Banquet. We hope to increase our attendance, especially among the younger crowd. As a community, we need to get excited, because if we are not excited, we won’t get involved. We all have demands on our time that never stop. Doing something “because our parents used to” is just not good enough. We, as the younger generation, need to own it. We have to find that passion within ourselves. How have your parents, Margo and Steve Riekes, influenced your drive to get involved as a lay leader? I was raised with the notion that Judaism is very important, and it needs to be vibrant and strong. You cannot get there if some Jews are left behind and miss opportunities for a variety of reasons. If someone can’t afford to be a member of a youth group, for instance, that person’s chances to grow Jewishly diminish. We really need to make sure no one gets left behind. What about you, how did you get here? To be honest, when I moved back in 2003, I was a bit disconnected. I had been away from Omaha for almost 13 years, and for the first few years when I was back I wasn’t overly involved. Being asked to serve on the Board of Trustees at Beth El started the process of reconnecting with Jewish life in Omaha, and I’m very happy to be back. I think I have a lot to offer: I enjoy bringing people together, managing different interests and connecting the dots. One of the great things about being involved as a lay leader is you can help the people you work with focus on their passion. And once we find that passion, the sky is the limit.
August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B9
“It’s my playground” -- Non profit boards are Sally’s hangout by SHERRIE SAAG Sally Kaplan completes her term as President of the Temple Israel Board of Directors in 2014, and it is also the year she celebrates her 65th birthday. These two occasions mark a period of long and significant volunteering in Jewish Omaha. Jon Myers is one of three new members of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors and is a past president of Temple Israel. He has known Sally personally and as a lay professional for almost 20 years. “It’s rather unique that Sally was one of my presidential appointees and I am one of hers. It illustrates the respect and trust we have for each other. We are completely honest and forthright with respect to the issues we discuss. I am grateful that we share a confidence and special bond that comes from truly great friendships.” Myers commented further, “Sally’s leadership is admirable. She sees the BIG picture and is able to articulate her vision to others. She is thoughtful, kind-hearted and compassionate. She has the skills to create consensus or to help people understand and accept their differences.” Born in Ft. Worth, Texas while her father, Sam Davidson, completed his military service, Sally’s family relocated when she was just six weeks old. It seems Sam’s uncle, Leon A. Adelson phoned with an offer to join the family business, Leon’s Stop and Shop at 13th and South Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. At the time it was primarily a butcher shop that sold a few dry goods. Sally grew up just three houses down the street from the store. In 1952, the store moved to its current location in Rathbone Village and was renamed Leon’s Food Mart. After a remodeling more than doubled the store’s square footage, Leon and Sam added a delicatessen known as “Stage Door Deli.” It was the city’s first deli inside a grocery store and contributed to the store’s designation as the highest volume grocery store in Nebraska. The store plays a prominent role in Sally’s history and justifiably so. Sally reminisced about a cartoon booth that was located in front of the store that today’s patrons still recall. The 1983 Academy Award winning film, Terms of Endearment, was filmed inside the store. In 1965 Leon Adelson passed away and Sally’s father Sam became the sole owner until his retirement in 1998. Sally spent her childhood at Lincoln’s South Street Temple. “My parents were in leadership positions my whole life, so I certainly didn’t know anything different. Dad was Temple President three separate times and my mom was Sisterhood President. Rabbi Wolfgang Hamburger was a close family friend.” That’s how Sally grew up. In a tight knit community with plenty of adults to look up to as role models. The same year Uncle Leon passed away, Sally started the first youth group in Lincoln; the Lincoln Temple Youth Group (Lincoln TYG). “As soon as my two sisters (Susie
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Leon’s Mart in Lincoln Davidson and Peggy Sargent) were old enough, they joined me and we pretty much made up the leadership of Lincoln TYG by default. It was just us at the beginning,” Sally remembered. “so we traveled to Omaha often for activities. That’s where I met Gary (Kaplan), my husband, for the first time, when I was 15 years old.” After graduating from Lincoln High School in 1967, Sally attended McAlister College in St. Paul MN and earned her first of three degrees, in sociology. Realizing she needed an
advanced degree for a more fulfilling career, Sally moved home to complete a second degree at the University of Nebraska. “I think I was always inquisitive and I love to study things, so being a student was easy for me. Perhaps not so easy, was choosing the right course of study, but eventually, I got it right,” she said. After earning a second degree in Elementary Education, Sally decided three’s a charm. She earned a Master’s in Social Work from UNO and found her true calling, working in the field of child welfare ever since. Sally and Gary’s daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1976 and, in 1978, they adopted Katie, a baby from Laos. Katie’s adoption spearheaded Sally’s interest in social work and she began working at Child Saving Institute, counseling other adoptive parents. Today, she splits her professional time between Project Harmony, where she is a forensic interviewer and Jewish Family Service, where, as a licensed family therapist, she meets with clients two days a week. Sally was honored recently for her service to the community by Project Harmony with its Kids First Award. At that time Sally said, “I work in the field of child welfare because I have to, knowing that children are being abused and neglected in our community, and not doing something about it is just unthinkable to me. My profession has added so much meaning to my life.” Dan Gilbert, this year’s JFO Bruce Fellman Memorial Young Leadership award recipient and chair of Temple Israel’s Social Justice Committee describes Sally in this way: “Throughout her tenure, Sally continually reaches out to Temple members to learn. She wants to know how the congregation is working now and how it could work better going forward. She is strengthening our entire Temple Israel culture as we prepare for a major transition to a new building. I have learned so much from her about the “hows” and the “whys” of relationship building and the value of a broad network. She is extremely supportive of members who take initiative to improve our congregation and our community, and I am delighted to work with her.” Sally added that the fullness of her life is also complimented by rewarding volunteer work at Temple Israel. “Twentyfive years ago, Rabbi Azriel came to Omaha and that was my ‘aha’ moment. Our views and outlook on synagogue life and community involvement just meshed and he really encouraged my growth and development as a leader.” “As far as mentors go, you couldn’t ask for better than Rabbi Azriel. His guidance and support have encouraged me in more ways than I can express.” Sally has served on the Temple Board since 1993 (with a break from 2000-2004), and she thinks she’s chaired just about every committee or project there is. “I love Boards. It’s my playground. Maybe it’s being the first born, but I just love to delve into an issue, study it, and find a solution.”
B10 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
A delicate balance
Life is never boring
by JULIANNE DUNN HERZOG And, after ten months of negotiations, Borsheims was moved Donald A. Yale was president of the Jewish Federation of to a new location. The children were thriving and life settled Omaha from 1992 to 1993. He is one of the few presidents down. Donald became active in other community organizawho is not an Omaha native tions and received several or long-time resident; howevhonors for his service to the er, he was married to a native, Omaha community at large. Janis Friedman, the oldest In 1989, Donald and Ike daughter of Ike and Roz sold control of Borsheims to Friedman. Ike and his father, Berkshire Hathaway. He conLouis Friedman, owned tinued to serve on the Borsheims Jewelry Company. Federation Board and particiBorsheims was always philanpated in developing a plan to thropic and gave to many difchange how the Federation ferent charitable groups, but was governed and functioned focused corporate giving to in a changing world. Jewish causes. Ike Friedman was diagDonald was the managing nosed with lung cancer in the partner of a Certified Public spring of 1991. Even though Accounting firm in Denver Donald continued to grow his but, after his marriage to Janis community involvement, he Friedman, served as advisor had to take on additional and consultant both to responsibilities as Ike’s illness Borsheims and to Ike personrendered him unable to conally, well before he and Janis tinue his day-to-day role. He moved back to Omaha. At an had an astonishingly full estate planning meeting in plate, but nothing that he and 1984, Ike asked Donald to his wife could not deal with move to Omaha and be part of together. Ike’s eventual death Donald Yale the business, a request he had was a huge loss to the family made every year for 17 years. This time Donald was more and to the community, but the store remained stable, thanks receptive even though he would have to leave a lucrative and to Donald and Borsheims’ experienced and knowledgeable successful accounting practice in Denver. With a vision for staff. He was officially named President and CEO of Borsheims in mind, with which Ike concurred, the Yale fam- Borsheims by Warren Buffet although he had functioned in ily with their three children moved to Omaha in August 1985. that role since 1985. Janis and Donald’s twins were born a couple of weeks later. Donald was asked, and accepted, the presidency of the The household was hectic with newborn twins and an Federation. It was always a major challenge to raise the adjustment to new business and family environments. funds necessary to meet the needs of the local Jewish comDonald also began to involve himself in Jewish community munity and the financial commitment to Israel. Further, it work, as he had done in Denver. He says that when he was was becoming more critical to address the changing nature growing up in Denver he was expected to develop a role, of the Jewish community, including a changing attitude interest and responsibility in Jewish community activity. towards financial support of Israel, he says. Bringing his When moving to Omaha, he continued that involvement. accountant and management sensibility to the task, he He joined the Executive Committee of the Jewish Federation sought to “balance issues of economic sense with social and was asked to participate in other activities in the Jewish sense,” as he put it. Further, he said, “The Jewish Federation community and the Omaha community at large. cannot be ‘run like a business’ because there are often deciEight months after the twins were born, Janis was diag- sions which have to be made which make no business sense nosed with metastatic breast cancer. The next year was a bal- whatsoever, but make perfect social and community sense. ancing act of health, family, business and community That balance is delicate, but necessary.” involvement for them both. Donald remarked that “the And then the worst happened: “Janis’ breast cancer Omaha community was most welcoming to me and my returned with a vengeance,” Donald said. There could be no family. The people are wonderful and it was a great place to question that he had to step up to the plate. No one else raise my family.” That was never more true than when Janis’ could take care of his family the way he could. He wasted no illness threatened. time. He resigned his community commitments and met By the end of the year, Janis’s cancer appeared to be “cured,” Continued on page 13
by OZZIE NOGG Some guys lead on the dance floor. Others lead in volunteer work. Dick Rochman does both. Well-known in certain circles for his terrific two-step, Rochman is also a mover and shaker within Mainstreeters -- a group that offers a mixed-bag of social events and learning opportunities to Jewish residents of the Omaha area age 60 plus. As Mainstreeters’ chairman, Rochman’s connection to programs for older adults is very much hands-on. “I was drawn to Mainstreeters because the group serves a segDick Rochman ment of our Jewish population in an important way, by providing activities for a new generation of people over sixty-five. Taking part in the action is stimulating and just plain fun.” Now retired from the business world, Dick likes to start the morning with a cup of coffee, the newspaper and listening to ‘his’ kind of music -- Big Band and jazz are favorites. The rest of his day might include a bike ride, going to the movies, attending the theater, hearing a lecture or sharing dinner with friends. “Omaha was a great place to raise a family, and it’s a wonderful place to enjoy retirement. This community provides a culture that encourages participation and learning opportunities, no matter what your interests are. My life as a senior in Omaha is never boring because so many activities and volunteer opportunities are available to me.” Rochman finds his role with Mainstreeters very satisfying. “Being a volunteer -- a lay leader, if you will -- can be a real joy. It keeps me in touch with people I’ve known forever, and gives me the chance to make new friends, too. Mainstreeters is a self-directed group that’s interested, mainly, in furthering relationships and social interaction among older adults. I work with the steering committee to help come up with programs designed for our demographic. Computer classes, fitness sessions, art projects, speakers and theater outings -- we share in the decision making, and then share the enjoyment of being together at the event. If I can help grow Mainstreeters by getting others to participate in our activities, or enlisting people outside of our organization who might bring new ideas to the table, that would spell success.” The Federation professional staff who work alongside Rochman describe a ‘positive energy’ that inspires those around him. Continued on page 12
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August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B11
More than skittles and beer
Bert’s eye view BERT LEWIS Let’s talk about people here today, shall we? Not just any people, but particularly people who find great satisfaction in helping others. What kind of people fit that description, and in addition, isn’t that pretty vague? I won’t give you the Jewish answer: (on the one hand... etc., etc, etc.), because I mean this to be a serious question. So, back to the beginning. People who enjoy helping others. Usually, a fast off-the-top-of-the-head reply might be, “do you mean volunteers?” No, not necessarily, but in some cases, yes. If not volunteers, then to whom do we refer? Ok, now comes some fine tuning. Let’s start by listing some differences between those who offer to help by signing up for some volunteer service, to be provided on a given schedule. Maybe it’s to fill in for somebody whose job it is to answer phones, when that person goes to lunch. Or perhaps it’s to devote a morning every week to the public library in the neighborhood. Or even to give a helping hand to the teacher in an over-crowded classroom. The people who deliver prepared meals to shut-ins are perhaps the most warmly welcomed! These are only a very small example of chores (or even mitzvot) done by the multitude of folks who are known as volunteers. Very often, the services they provide make independence possible for those they help. It’s really not fair to limit the topic of volunteerism to those few words, so let me quote a recent statistic I read concerning this very subject: In a typical year, about one-fifth of the American population, more than 62 million people, serve as volunteers according to U.S. government statistics. They contribute more than 8 billion hours of service to local and national groups, valued conservatively at $173 billion. Having said all that, let’s look at other vast numbers of people whose lives are seriously committed to service to others: The Lay community. In that they give freely of their time and energy, they could conceivably be called volunteers too; but wait, let’s explore the differences. To start, people who might sometimes be called lay practitioners are often connected to a religious order of some denomination or other. Not necessarily, but often. Though I certainly can’t claim expertise on the subject, I am familiar with the practice of many churches to train parishoners to do some of the work of their pulpit leaders. I suspect that such programs were instituted to take some of the lesser responsibilities off the shoulders of the head religious figure -- to “lighten the load,” so to speak, of a busy cleric. I’m not familiar with the terminology, but I do know that people trained and schooled to assist the priest, or minister or reverend are often valuable additions to the staff of a large church. They can be the unpaid “right arm,” without whom things wouldn’t run as smoothly. And of course, I only use churches as an example. Our own Jewish community is blessed with the helpful leadership of many of your friends and neighbors, although I don’t think we’re accustomed to thinking of these people as lay leaders. I think most of us are more likely to identify somebody who works tirelessly for some segment of this community as “the president of this board or that” or maybe the “chairman of the such and such committee.” You know who I mean: the people who step up to the plate and say “I have the time and I’d like to offer my help,” whether to raise funds or lead a drive to provide something needed by the community. Here in Omaha, we’re blessed to have had members of some famililies so involved with lay leadership, we naturally associate familiar names with this agency or that. As a native, and given my age, I’m seeing the third generation of many familiar families filling these important leadership roles. A prominent woman has famously said, “it takes a village to raise a child;” and I’d like to add, yes, but it takes a caring and devoted segment of that village to keep it an environment where that child can live happily with all his needs, both spiritual and physical, met. “A devoted segment,” in this case, are those very lay leaders, who quietly step in and organize. They have the kind of vision that allows them to see not just what something is, but what it could be. As I write these words, I think of a member of my own family, who subscribed so whole-heartedly to the concept of lay leadership, that I find myself thinking her story is worth relating here. She was my aunt, my father’s only sister. She was the youngest, the fifth child, the adored sister of her four brothers. She loved to tell how the brother closest to her age, would place her in a toy wagon and pull the wagon all the way to their Hebrew School. They called it cheder. She
learned her Hebrew in cheder and also developed a love for all things Judaic. As a grown woman, she lived with her husband and two daughters in Southern California. The girls were sent to Sunday School and Hebrew School, and the family in time, joined the congregation of Temple Valley Beth Shalom, in Van Nuys. My aunt was a working woman most of her adult life, but when she retired, she became active in her Temple. She was in on everything that went on, chaired every committee, managed the books for something or other, stayed generally involved over the years. And loved it all. The congregation grew and grew, and the time came when it appeared their beloved rabbi either needed a clone or some help. This is where the story becomes interesting:, and where I first was made aware of the term lay practitioner. One of every rabbis (dare I say?) duties surely must be the one who can hear problems or worries or personal troubles of every kind... to listen and try to help. VBS (Valley Beth Shalom) had a Counseling Center of sorts, but funds for hired counselors must have been scarce, and certainly the rabbi couldn’t do it all. I have no idea who hatched the original plan, but it was decided that they needed to train a staff of licensed counselors to serve the needs of their congregation. (At this point, you must bear with me, because I’m not certain of exact years etc., but the basic facts will be correct.) I’m not even sure where the classes were held, but they were legitimate college-for-credit classes, and it was hoped that enough people would be interested to sign up. Now here came my aunt, five feet tall on tippy toes and high heels, ready to go to school. Like all applicants, she was asked her age. I don’t remember exactly how old she was, but I’m certain it was 70-something. Her request for admission was denied -- too old. I don’t know who she petitioned, or what she said, or how she won, but the age limit was waived, and she was in. And happier than if she’d won the lottery. Of course she studied diligently, loved every part of each class and every word she was hearing. It was either a two-year or three-year program, but whatever it was, she graduated and became a legitimate paraprofessional counselor. She was assigned clients and began one of the most fulfilling times of her life. I can’t say for certain, but I know she continued to see clients well into her 80s, and I’m certain anyone she counseled still remembers her. So that was my introduction to a kind of lay leadership, although she was educated and passed all requirements for licensing. I tell the story because, of course, it relates to the topic of the day; but it so clearly shows how important such a role can be, in the lives of so many others. For that matter, I needn’t go all the way to California for true stories relating to the importance of lay leadership. My own beloved mother, without the special training or licensing, saw a need, thought about it, and created her own lay activity. She was an active 60-ish woman when she noticed how many residents of the old Dr. Sher Home for the Aged spent their time just sitting around, vegetating. She thought it all over, read all she could find about geriatrics with little to do, and created various arts and crafts which she introduced to many of those seniors who were just sitting. They made Tchotchkes, they visited while creating wrapped hangers, and crocheted pot holders, and sewed aprons. They were busy and loving it. When the time alloted for her “classes” was over, she would plug in a big coffee pot and serve her own home baked rolls or cakes, and it was a joy to watch. So was my Mom a lay leader or a cracker jack volunteer or what? Actually, the title didn’t matter. She was loved and always, like every other volunteer, said, “I get so much more out of it than I give.” And she meant that with all her heart. So there are my two favorite examples to use when I talk about the kind of person who might be involved in service to others. Does it really take a certain kind of person? Probably, because just like in any other line of work, everything isn’t all skittles and beer all the time. I guess it takes patience, and really caring about others. We all say we care about others, but those who give so much of themselves really prove it. No, you can’t fake it. I don’t think you necessarily have to be a very spiritual person, but it couldn’t hurt, that’s for sure. And so often, I notice that people who are deeply involved in some kind of “do unto others” stuff are people to whom their personal beliefs and their shul or their church is very important. I can tell you this much. If you Google “Lay Leadership,” you’ll find bushels of material and information on the subject. You see, it’s nothing new. It’s a concept that goes way back, so far back I’ve forgotten what it said. But there was a lot of stress on the presence of such helping, here in this country. According to those who study such things, they trace back a form of volunteerism to Colonial days. And I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a really good thing. I can’t imagine how things would run right here in River City without the generous help of all of you who pitch in. Thank you all! Bert Lewis can be reached at BertLewis39@aol.com.
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Rich traditions in Council Bluffs by JULIANNE DUNN HERZOG B’nai Israel in Council Bluffs is the last outpost of organized Judaism in southwest Iowa. The fact that it survives is a credit to the 30-40 families who are members and supporters and the long-time president of the synagogue, Allen Kurland, all of whom infuse the synagogue with life and vitality. Allen, his wife Sandra and their three children moved from Burlington, IA, to Council Bluffs 30 years ago in search of a Jewish community. The Kurlands were one of the few Jewish families in Burlington at the time. They wanted to have the advantages that the Omaha/Council Bluffs metropolitan area had to offer. They joined Beth El synagogue in Omaha but were also attracted to B’nai Israel which was founded in 1904 in Council Bluffs. They joined and have been members ever since. The history of B’nai Israel is rich in tradition and perseverance. Its synagogue has a place on the National Registry of Historic Places. Its ritual is led by the laity; it belongs to no specific movement in Judaism. Although there was a brief interest in the Reconstructionist movement, that interest passed and the community resumed its “non-denominational” Jewish status. B’nai Israel defines itself as a “community synagogue” says Allen. “The congregation is so close that if a member misses a service, someone calls to find out if there is illness or other difficulty.” In 1983, the synagogue members met and considered selling the synagogue. That idea did not take hold and the synagogue was not sold. Sam Sacks led Saturday and Sunday minyan up to 1983 when David Gallner and Gene Freund stepped up to the plate and took responsibility for organizing the synagogue and providing the services. Thereafter, Dr. Jerome Bleicher, a longtime Omaha physician who led the Prairie Clinic in South Omaha, took responsibility and kept the synagogue alive for many years until Allen took the helm. He does not know how many years he has been president but notes that he feels responsible to support the synagogue. His goals for the synagogue are to continue its presence in southwest Iowa and to maintain closeness in the congregation. Although there is no rabbi or cantor serving the congregation, marriages, funerals or other rituals can be held there. Jeff Taxman conducts High Holiday services which are
well-attended by members and guests. Allen spent 25 years as a school principal in Burlington and in Council Bluffs before taking a position with Kohll’s Pharmacy and Home Care in Omaha. His long-time
Allen Kurland involvement in education helped in creating the “Second Friday” speaker series which is open to all in the Jewish community of Omaha and Council Bluffs. Crime scene investigator Joanna Kay, sports reporter Mitch Sherman, Film Streams executive director Rachel Jacobson, Wayne Lainof, M.D., Carole Lainof, RN, MSN, are a few of the speakers presenting information on a wide variety of topics over the last four to five years with more to come. Speakers for the 2013 series are Richard Fellman, Gary Javitch, Joan Cooper, Larry Blass, Mary Sue Grossman and Milton Kleinberg who will each speak on a timely and important topic from foster care to elder care to a variety of other interesting issues. The series begins Oct. 11, 2013 and continues the second Friday of each month thereafter. The schedule of speakers and topics will be in the Jewish Press. When asked why he perseveres in his efforts to keep this tiny synagogue alive, Allen says that it is important not to let his predecessors down. As he sees it, the synagogue’s life and mission have been passed from one caretaker to another for over a century, and he is not about to let it die. Instead, he wants B’nai Israel to be a “gem,” small but perfect, which provides something to enhance the services that the other synagogues provide to their memberships and to the Jewish community at large.
Dick Rochman When you think of Magen David Adom, you may picture speeding ambulances. But one of MDA’s most important functions is to supply the people of Israel with blood — for everything from routine surgeries to emergency procedures. As we wish for loved ones to be inscribed in the book of life on Rosh HaShanah, let’s remember our family in Israel. Support MDA’s lifesaving blood services. Make a gift today. Shanah tovah.
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Continued from page 10 Like others who have seen the Omaha Jewish community change over many years, Rochman encourages Omaha young adults to join the work of Jewish organizations. “We in the older population need to motivate younger members of the community to get involved with Jewish groups and activities. We should try to adapt programs so they become more relevant to young people and better serve their needs. Of course, there’s a bond between old-time members of this community. Knowing your history, where you come from, helps you navigate what’s ahead. We need ‘the kids’ to feel part of that history and Jewish identity.” Rochman’s passion for our collective history is evidenced by his role as Membership Chairman of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, a group he describes as “ensuring the continuation of our rich heritage. NJHS helps us know who we are and where we came from by looking forward as well as preserving our past for future generations.” Last June, at the Jewish Federation of
Omaha Annual Meeting, Rochman was recognized as Volunteer of the Year for Jewish Social Services. During the presentation, Maggie Conti, Director of Activities and Outreach at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, said, “Seniors thrive in communities where programming and events support and enhance active lifestyles. Our Mainstreeters group does that; and for the last two years, Dick Rochman has been the driving force as its chairman. He makes sure our active and engaged senior community exercises their bodies and brains with stimulating and exciting programming. Dick is a hard-working, dependable, and dedicated volunteer with a warm personality. He cares about the success of Mainstreeters and his input and opinions are vital.” Receiving the award was a proud moment, for sure. “But my proudest moment,” Rochman said, “has come from hearing participants in our Mainstreeters group activities say the program or class was really fun and worthwhile.” His message to future lay leaders? “Get involved. You’ll be glad you did.”
August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B13
The story of family by OZZIE NOGG The family tree of Confucius is regarded as the world’s longest, recording eighty-three generations of the sage’s family that includes more than two million members. Sue Millward’s family tree may have fewer branches, but her interest in genealogy keeps growing. “My mother, Tham Krasne Friedman, and her cousin, Shirley Bernstein Kulakofsky, created the first family tree for the Krasne/ Bernstein side of the family. This piqued my interest to find out more. My great-grandfather, Herman Krasne, had eight other siblings who settled here. I always wondered what happened to those siblings and their families. On the Friedman side, my grandfather J.J. had four other siblings. Why didn’t we grow up knowing any of them? These questions spurred my passion. I thought finding the information would be a quick task, but now I know better. The more I dig into the family history, each question and each answer leads to another question and another answer.” The details Sue uncovered about her family’s origins heightened her curiosity. “I especially wanted to find where our actual roots began in Eastern Europe. This developed into a passion to learn as much as I could about all the Krasnes in Nebraska and Iowa, which in turn led me to the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society where so much local history is stored.” Millward is currently the NJHS President, and a driving force in its efforts to gather and maintain the history of the Jewish Midwest over the past 150 years. “Whether it’s the fifth-grader at Friedel, his parents or his 80-year-old grandmother at the Blumkin Home, you never know where the interest may arise. For instance, when I was asked to find the Ukranian hometown for someone’s grandfather, it began a quest for more details. The person has since made a personal family tree adding pictures and stories for each individual within the tree. Our ancestors were real people. Once we know their stories, they come to life for us.” Sue and her husband, David, raised their four children in Omaha. “They’re the crowning achievements in our lives.” The Millwards also have six grandchildren; four live in Omaha and two in England with their daughter, Joanne. “There’s nothing we like more than to spend time having fun with them. We all love to go walking at the zoo, swim, watch movies and just hang out together. It doesn’t get much better than that.” In Millward’s opinion, “The ‘culture of organizations’ is an important support entity for Jewish life, but the family remains the most essential element for Jewish survival in this country.” To back up her theory, Sue said, “My siblings Anne, Howie and Tom and I were always close when we were growing up. My sister, Anne Shackman, has always been a wonderful friend to me, even though we have different interests -- I was a tomboy who liked to play baseball, ride horses and ride my bike everywhere, while Anne was always the ‘girlier’ girl who loved to dance and dress up. Anne guided me through my awkward teenage years by including me when she and her friends got together. She helped me with my hairdos and even set me up on my first
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ized, and he would be sent back to Russia. There’s so much more to find out before we know the whole story of our grandparents and their parents before them.” The concept of six degrees of separation intrigues Sue Millward. “The whole idea is that everyone is only six steps away from meeting any other person on earth. This seems even more apparent as I continue my investigation of family genealogy. If our Jewish families have been here in the Midwest for four generations, then we’re possibly related. If they’ve been here for five generations, then we’re probably related. For six generations? Then we’re certainly related. And so it goes from there. As I conKathy Weiner, left, Nan Katz, Renee Corcoran, and Sue Millward. tinue my research, our simple Friedman/ date. She’s opened doors for me to so many wonderful expe- Krasne family tree (my First Degree) has grown to include riences. Anne is my role model in life, and for the way to my Second and Third Degree families -- such as the learn and be involved in the Omaha Jewish community.” Greenberg, Sherman and Riseman families. I’m always find“There have always been good influences around me to ing relationships in the most unexpected places.” aid in my Jewish identity,” Millward said. During her years at Central High School, Sue was active with BBYO, President of Ner Tamid, and AZA 1 Sweetheart. “When people find some part of the ‘fabric’ that makes up their lives, they can share their passion and inspire others. I found my ‘piece’ Continued from page 10 when I began my search for ancestral history, and that’s what with Warren Buffet to explain his decision to resign as brought me to my lay leadership role with the Nebraska President and CEO of Borsheims. Everyone understood Jewish Historical Society.” his motivations and was supportive of his decisions. He Credit for the success of the NJHS, Millward said, goes to went home to take care of his wife and children. its volunteers, staff and Executive Director Renee Corcoran. When Janis died, it seemed that the entire Jewish com“In everything Renee does, she promotes the importance of munity and many in the larger community, which she heritage and history in the Omaha community. She touched and Donald served, attended her funeral. The curtains of my life even back in high school, where Renee always had a all sides of the sanctuary at Beth El had to be opened to smile and a warm hello for me. She’s still like that today. In accommodate the crowd. Not wishing to disrupt his chilher office at the Historical Society, she never fails to make me dren’s lives and education, Donald persevered in Omaha and other people feel welcome. People love to share their for a few more years and then, twelve years after they lives with her, whether it’s for historical documentation or arrived together, he returned to Denver with the children simply conversation. Renee is always connecting people with to rebuild their lives where he had business, professional their past, and to other people searching for the same thing.” and family connections. Part of Millward’s search centered on her grandfather, J.J. The Yale family had twelve years in Omaha filled with Friedman, who came to America in 1891 at age four. great joys and great sorrows. With their return to Denver, “Grandpa always told us he was born in Chicago, but my dad Donald undertook a life as a full-time dad and communiwasn’t sure about that. Then I found the 1891 immigration ty volunteer participating in local, national and internarecord that showed when J.J. and his mother, Ida, arrived in tional philanthropic activities. His five children are thrivthe U.S. I also discovered, after looking through old records, ing in Denver, Omaha, and other cities as their careers that in 1949 my grandfather applied to Cook County, take them. He is the proud grandfather of three boys. Illinois, for a ‘missing birth certificate.’ He had to have affiTo quote the late Mary Fellman, also a Federation presdavits from three people, other than family, who would conident, “...You have enhanced every occasion when your firm he was born in the States. I have a copy of those papers sensitive and sensible thinking has helped important with a replacement birth certificate issued by Cook County. decisions to be made. You have set an example for so But based on my findings, we know for sure that grandpa many of us by your devotion to family and community. wasn’t born here. He waited all those years to apply for a ...Having you in Omaha has been a blessing for all of us. birth certificate because he feared the government would Losing you from Omaha is a sadness.” find out he was an illegal immigrant who was never natural-
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The importance of giving by DAVID GOLBITZ she studied journalism. Despite growing up in a town with only “I wanted to be Barbara Walters,” Jan said, two Jewish families, Jan Schneiderman had a but “the first journalism professor I had said, strong Jewish influence as a child thanks to ‘You can’t do that, women don’t do that.’” her father, a Lithuanian immigrant, who Bloodied, but unbowed, Jan turned her made sure Judaism was practiced within the attention to the sciences. She took a geology walls of their home. “My father was a very religious man,” Jan said. “Though we didn’t keep kosher, Judaism was very important to him” and “a very important part of the way we lived.” For the High Holidays and Passover, her family--Jan, her brother Marty Ricks, now the Chief Development Office for the Jewish Federation of Omaha, and their parents--would drive to Omaha to attend services at Beth Israel, back when the Orthodox congregation was located at 18th and Chicago Streets. The other holiJan Schneiderman and her brother Marty Ricks. days were observed at home, in Missouri Valley, Iowa, where her class and “loved it. I thought it was wonderfather owned a grocery store. ful, and I said to the professor one day, ‘I And when, as a child, she was called a think I want to become a geologist,’ and “dirty Jew” by some of the townspeople and again, he said, ‘You can’t do that, women classmates, Jan kept it to herself, and didn’t don’t do that.’” tell her father, worried he could lose busiWith her dreams of an exciting career ness if she made a fuss. dashed, after college Jan returned to live “He probably would have said to me, ‘Don’t with her family who by this time had moved let it bother you,’” Jan said. “So I didn’t let it to Omaha. She met a young man, Les affect my life outwardly, but inside it hurt.” Schneiderman, and they married in 1959. That hurt stayed with Jan through the Jan spent the next few years raising their years, as she graduated high school and three children. It wasn’t until she became enrolled at the University of Missouri, where involved with the Omaha section of the
National Council of Jewish women in late 1960’s that Jan finally found an outlet for the pain she had been carrying since childhood. “It’s a part of my life that I would like to forget about, but I can’t,” she said. “When you’ve been called a ‘dirty Jew,’ and when you’ve been ignored because you are a Jew, it has strengthened my life in such a way that I feel I must give back to make sure this doesn’t happen to other people,” Jan said. Already a member of NCJW--new brides received free memberships in those days-but heretofore uninvolved in the women’s group’s activities, Jan told the local vice president that she wanted to do something. “I became very interested in the organization and what the organization did,” Jan said. “It’s always been important to me to give to the Jewish community. My theory is that if we as Jews don’t do for us, nobody else will do for us.” One of the projects Jan helped NCJW with was testing newborn babies for hearing disabilities. Money was raised through a thrift shop. It wasn’t too long before, in 1976, Jan was elected president of the Omaha section, followed by becoming district president in 1982. The district Jan oversaw stretched as far east as Charleston, West Virginia, and as far north as Minneapolis. At the time it was the largest district both in terms of geography and number of members. Jan remained district president until 1985, when she was elected to the national board of NCJW. She became vice president in 1993, and served as president from 1999 2002. “Social issues are important to us, such as violence against women and gun control,” Jan said. “You can’t give up, you have to continue to talk about them, to speak about them, to do programs about these issues that
you feel so strongly about, so that maybe something will change.” With her time as NCJW president over, Jan turned her attention to local organizations. A member of Temple Israel since the late ‘60s, when her eldest daughter was going to start religious school, Jan joined the Board of Trustees in 2004. “Temple is, along with NCJW, really something that is very close to my heart,” Jan said. “I think the rabbis here have been able to touch my Judaism in a way that no other rabbis ever have. I don’t speak Hebrew, I was never Bat Mitzvahed... not until I came to Temple did I really feel the strength of my Judaism. Rabbi Azriel, and now Rabbi Brown, and Cantor Shermet have touched my life in a way that I thought would never happen to me.” After serving on the Board for about six years, Jan became president of the congregation in 2010, though her presidency was cut short due to illness. Still, she remains an active member of the congregation and is looking forward to what the future holds for the community. “I was one of the first members of Temple who went along with Tri-Faith, and I am so proud of the effort Temple Israel has made to join these congregations in a dialogue,” Jan said. “The very fact that we’re going to be neighbors is extraordinarily exciting to me. When I tell my NCJW friends, who are from all over the United States, they feel the same way I do, just extraordinarily proud of this effort we’re making.” In addition to her continued work both here in Omaha and on the national stage with NCJW, Jan also serves on both the regional and national boards of the Anti-Defamation League, as she still wrestles with the antiSemitism directed toward her as a child. Continued on page 15
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August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | B15
Lloyd Roitstein: Be prepared to help others by OZZIE NOGG Alumni Association bestowed its Citation for Alumnus recruit, train and motivate others to carry out a mission, a Lloyd Roitstein, retired President/CEO of Mid-America Achievement upon him. The honor encompasses career vision, and a strategic plan for the organization. The more Council of the Boy Scouts of America, still lives by the Boy achievement, community service, involvement in business and we can get our congregants involved, the more they are Scout Oath. He recognizes his professional associations, and inspired to do great things, to feel more Jewishly connected. duty to God and country, to fidelity to UNO. At the presen- Identifying potential young leaders is the challenge. I’ve parother people and to himself. tation, Lee Denker, UNO ticipated in Gallup courses, read all their books, and was one He greets you with a smile, Alumni Association President, of fifty most successful CEO’s selected from around the and embodies friendliness, said, “Lloyd is a reflection of world to participate in a week-long leadership conference at good cheer and loyalty. If this the university’s commitment to Harvard. Succession planning to recruit the ‘right’ leaders is sounds corny, so be it. “My community engagement, tak- key. The person who comes forward and volunteers is not most enjoyable hobby is helping what he has learned and always the ‘right’ person. Building a successful organization ing others,” Roitstein says. changing the world for the bet- can take years. The ‘wrong’ leader can destroy it in months.” And his current role as Beth ter by serving others.” “In Scouting,” Roitstein continued, “we strove to improve EL Synagogue President The tornado that struck the everything we did every year. If we didn’t provide the best affords him myriad opportucouncil’s Little Sioux Scout possible programs, we knew we’d lose our kids because nities to do a good turn daily. Ranch in Iowa’s Loess Hills on there’s so much competition for their time. The same is true “For me, the greatest feeling in June 11, 2008, tested Roitstein’s at Beth El. We have to keep upping the ante. Every day I the world is to effect change leadership skills. He arrived at watch the enthusiasm grow, see more congregants attend that can make a difference.” camp soon after receiving services, take advantage of educational opportunities, join At Beth El, Roitstein connews of the tragedy which synagogue committees. And contrary to what you hear, the siders his greatest accomtook the lives of four scouts number of young people who participate is amazing. It’s plishment to be three-fold. “I and injured more than 40 oth- contagious. I love working with them. They voice their opinwas part of the Board that ers. Lloyd helped with search- ions and don’t agree just because ‘the boss said so.’ I love it.” hired Rabbi Steven Abraham, and-rescue missions and was More to the point, Roitstein loves life -- period -- and recHazzan Michael Krausman the Scout’s spokesperson to the ognizes his blessings. At the top of the list is his wife Debbie, and Eadie Tsabari, our media. “That terrible night their daughter Carrie, their son Steve, his wife Stephanie and Director of Congregational had a lasting impact on me. the couple’s baby son, Ayden -- the Roitstein’s first grandchild. Lloyd and Debbie Roitstein Learning. Their enthusiasm After being in Scouting for 51 “They are the calming influences in my life.” Lloyd names his and charisma has helped Beth El revitalize. When I retired years, helping young scouts become leaders, that tragedy late parents, Dr. Morris and Ann Roitstein, as role models. from Scouting, I needed to stay involved in a leadership showed me and the world that my work -- our work -- truly “They had a long marriage, supported each other, were active capacity. Now, watching Beth El grow, seeing our members made a difference in the lives of those young men. They knew in the community, at Beth El, and had many loyal friends. I’ve engaged in Torah study and acts of loving kindness, is very what to do, they knew where to go, and they prepared well. tried to follow their example in my professional and personrewarding. If Omaha is to remain a strong Jewish communi- They were brave and resourceful, putting their first-aid train- al life. If I died tomorrow, I’d know I had great parents, a ty, we must have three thriving synagogues. Along with our ing to use and digging victims from the rubble. The leadership beautiful wife, children who are engaged in Judaism, and a Board and staff, I hope to continue helping our congregants they showed saved lives, and proved that the program works.” grandson I’m very proud of. They all loved me and allowed meet their needs so Beth El becomes the place to be.” With the Scouts, Roitstein was responsible for operational me to grow into the man I am today. I’ve had a rewarding Roitstein joined the Boy Scouts at age eight and held vari- goals, expansion, strategic planning, endowment develop- career and would like to believe that I left this world a better ous leadership positions while working towards his Eagle ment and Board of Directors recruitment. At the time of place because I contributed a little something to it. Sure, the Scout badge. “I served as an Explorer Post President, an offi- Lloyd’s retirement in June of 2010, the Mid America Council Boy Scouts taught me how to camp and hike and tie knots. cer in Rayim fraternity, and belonged to the AHAMO was recognized as the #1 Council in the BSA. “Now I’m But it also taught me about ethical decision-making and Indian Dancers.” After graduation from Central High involved in the same tasks at Beth El. A lay leader needs to teamwork. Those values are still part of who I am.” School in 1964, Lloyd enrolled at Omaha University where he belonged to the Student Senate, the Student Programming Organization and was chair of the Committee for Athletic Promotion. Before earning his BA in education in 1971, Lloyd participated in campus events and athletic contests as Ouampi, the UNO Indian’s mascot. In full feathered headdress regalia, Roitstein performed authentic American Indian dances which he learned through Boy Scouts. “I always considered my performances as a show of respect for American Indian culture.” Nonetheless, Lloyd was the last Ouampi. In response to Native Americans’ PC LLO protests, UNO dropped the Indian mascot and became The Mavericks in 1971, the same year Roitstein won the Attorneys at law. Founded in 1898. Outstanding Student Achievement Award. Bob Freeman Troy Meyerson “If it weren’t for UNO I wouldn’t be here today,” Lloyd said in a 2002 interview. “I learned a lot about organizations, leadership and supporting the community at UNO. I got 500 ENERGY PLAZA • 409 SOUTH 17TH STREET • OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68102 more than the traditional education.” Roitstein served on the 402.341.6000 • WWW.FRASERSTRYKER.COM UNO Alumni Association Board of Directors from 1997 to 2002, and has assumed leadership roles with Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs, the Jewish Press, Omaha Jewish Federation, ServeNET and Friedel Jewish Academy. In 2008 Roitstein received the BSA’s Distinguished Executive award, and in 2009 the University of Nebraska at Omaha
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Jan Schneiderman Continued from page 14 Jan attended a high school reunion a few years ago, and one of her former classmates, now a minister, came up to her and asked, “Did I ever do anything to hurt you?” “I thought to myself, ‘What do I say to him?’” Jan said. “Because he was the worst offender of what I felt was hate and maliciousness, but I didn’t have the heart, because he’s such a warm person.” Jan doesn’t know if that sort of hatred will ever stop, but she adamantly refuses to let her doubt get in the way of her trying to eradicate it. “We can work as hard as we possibly can to show that hate doesn’t get anybody anywhere,” she said. “It only makes life miserable. If I can in the least way make a difference so that other people don’t have to experience what I had to experience, I will have fulfilled something my father would be very proud of.”
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“We are in the money laundering business� by MICHAEL BOEKSTAL Since 2010 Albert Weiss has been a professor emeritus at UNL, but that doesn’t mean he is resting on his laurels. Earlier this year he taught for a month in China; His field of expertise is agriculture. For a kid who was born in the Bronx and grew up in Queens, that seems far removed from his urban roots; but back in his youth, New York City still had rural areas. “I grew up in Rockaway, the peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and Jamaica Bay, South of what is now Kennedy Airport,� Albert recalls. “We moved there because a friend of my father had moved there and said it was such a perfect place to raise children, and he was right. The highest building back then was my school. It had five floors.� The last time Rockaway made the news was when it was hit by Hurricane Sandy. Albert remembers the hurricanes of his childhood very well, “There was no difference anymore between the Atlantic and the Jamaica bay; it was just all water.� Albert’s parents were European immigrants who had grown up very traditionally, but the choice to join the Orthodox Synagogue Derech Emunah was more a matter of geographical proximity. “Although my mother kept a kosher kitchen, I can’t say that I grew up in a deeply religious household. I went to Derech Emunah six days a week to be prepped for my Bar Mitzvah. Six days a week and not a single class on Jewish history or culture. I really didn’t like it very much. As soon as I had done my Bar Mitzvah, I was out of there.� After his academic training took him from New York’s City College to Rutgers and Cornell, he accepted a position at UNL’s Panhandle Research and Extension Center and moved to Scottsbluff in 1974. “At the East Coast it’s not that hard to lead a Jewish life without being religiously affiliated. You
don’t have to make much of an effort to have a Jewish social life, it’s just all there. I’ve never eaten treyf in my life and back home
Albert Weiss there is always a kosher hotdog around the corner. That changed when we had our sons and we moved to Nebraska. How do you want to raise your children? What are the values you want your children to have? You raise children to be independent, and, as adults, they get to make their own choices, to make a difference in the world. I don’t expect them to find a cure for cancer, but you do hope that their presence in the world is for the better. So if you raise them to make their own choices, you want to give them something to choose from.� While it was easy to maintain a Jewish identity back home, Scottsbluff had only a few Jewish families and it took more of an effort to be Jewish. “Our oldest son did his Bar Mitzvah in Cheyenne, Wyoming. We drove there once a month to talk with the
rabbi, to worship. My wife and I home schooled him in Haftarah Beresheet. Not just a few verses, but the whole reading.� When the Weiss family moved to Lincoln in 1985 they joined Tifereth Israel right away, as their youngest needed his Bar Mitzvah education. It was there where Albert’s Jewish leadership took shape. He attributes it to the size of the Jewish community in Lincoln. In every community there is only a small percentage “After a couple of years, I was asked to become vice-president, which automatically led to the presidency of the synagogue,� he recalls. “It wasn’t until then that I saw how many people put in an effort to make a congregation function. So much of the volunteer work, so much of the free time people put in goes unnoticed when you are just attending services.� It was also the time when Albert had to learn things he never thought he needed. “During my tenure we had serious roofing problems that damaged the sanctuary. I know a lot about the climatological effects on agriculture, but not that much about the climatological effects of a leaking roof on a sanctuary, let alone how to fix it. A lot needed to be fixed, serious expenses had to be made; but I learned how to ask the right questions to bring the project to a successful end.� About 20 years ago there didn’t seem to be much of a future left for the Jewish Federation in Lincoln. Two local lawyers, Herb Friedman and Bob Nefsky, the first a member of Tifereth Israel and the latter a member of the South Street Temple, took it upon themselves to revive the Federation. “I was asked to be the second treasurer after the revival, so I did my tour of duty and thought that was the end of it, not knowing that years later I would be asked to become president.� Why did Albert accept the invitation? “It’s just something you do. Not
because I have the urge to be a leader, nor do I think I have ideas that will change the world. But when you are asked to step up to the plate for a community that is dear to you, that’s what you do.� When asked to describe the work of the Jewish Federation, Albert has a very concise answer. “We are in the money laundering business. Primarily, we are a social service agency; we ask the community for their donations and then we allocate the funds in the most ethical way.� Probably the most visible and noticeable Federation contribution is to the Lincoln Jewish Community School, the joint education effort of Tifereth Israel and the South Street Temple, but most of the Federation’s work goes unnoticed. “As it should be,� Albert explains. “People call on us for so many different reasons. Someone has been unemployed for a long time, finally finds a job, needs a car. How do you make your first payment on the car when you haven’t had your first paycheck yet? Nobody but us needs to know about requests like that.� While performing Tzedakah with dignity is the strength of the Federation, it can also be a weakness. “I work with this amazing group of people who give their scarce free time to the Federation. They are so dedicated, it is so inspiring. But my tenure ends in December, and who is going to take over? We need new people, younger people with fresh ideas, new insights. Where do we find them if all they know of the Federation is the annual phone call to donate and we can only show them the tip of the iceberg of what we do?� Albert asks. “I am not that special, I just manage these wonderful people, channel their efforts. I’ve even wondered if I should be interviewed. But it would be nice if someone who reads this, decides to give us a call to become part of the Federation. It’s worth giving your time to.�
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August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | C1
The legacy of Phil Schrager by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT In 1992, The Jewish Federation of Omaha honored Phil Schrager with the Humanitarian of the Year award. In her speech, past president Mary Fellman said this about Phil: “Through his establishment of two endowments, the Lois Jeanne Schrager Memorial Fund and the Philip G. and Terri I. Schrager Foundation, Phil has touched the lives of thousands of people in this community. Because of his caring and concern, Phil has helped men, women and children to achieve their goals and their dreams.” Marty Ricks, current Chief Development Officer, has his own memories of Phil. Marty’s involvement with him started sometime in 1993, about five years after he started as Executive Director of the JFO Foundation. “It was when Phil decided to recommend to the Federation that the Schrager Supporting Foundation board, filled with Phil’s contemporaries, should be replaced by the next generation. Phil wanted his kids’ contemporaries to step up.” David Gilinsky is one of those contemporaries, representatives of the “next generation,” which Phil felt needed to get involved. They heeded the call. When, in 2012, Murray Newman and Anne Shackman organized the Pacesetters and Lions of Judah brunch, David, together with Todd Simon, spoke passionately about what it meant to have Phil as a mentor. “It was people like Phil Schrager who inspired us,” David said. “He created a legacy of giving not only through his Foundation, but by bringing in the next generation, and showing us how it’s done. I remember the snowy February morning he asked Todd and me (amongst others) to serve on his Foundation board. By bringing younger people in on his thinking and beliefs, he created something much bigger than just the dollars in the family Foundation. Phil gave us the blueprint and the playbook.” Of course, no one knows better what this community meant to Phil than his wife, Terri Schrager. How would you describe Phil’s personality? “Phil was a very multidimensional and passionate person,” she says. “He loved many things, was so full of energy and life, and possessed many gifts as well as a soft heart. Phil knew tragedy in his life and great joy; he responded to both with grace. Phil was the sort of man, if you met him, you
Phil Schrager
Terri with Jeff Schrager, left, and Tom Fellman
remembered it. He wasn’t vague or fuzzy, he was vibrant and left an impression. He was a great businessman, an art lover (Phil’s collection is known as the best in the state), a fantastic motivational speaker. He had a rare kind of charisma. And he gave a lot of himself to his family as well as the community.” How has his lay leadership affected you and your family? “He led by example and did not need coaxing to get things done. He didn’t act like a leader; he was a leader. He strongly believed in what he did and then was able to convey that belief to those around him. Phil felt that philanthropy was very important, but it was equally important that others take up the cause, both in his immediate family, in the Jewish community, and in the community at large. When you see someone like Phil, with that level of passion, it opens your eyes and connects you.” What would he tell the community about the future? “He would tell people to take care of each other. We need solidarity; the community comes first.” What was Phil most proud of? “I think he was most proud of his family. He certainly was proud of all he had accomplished, but not in an obvious manner. It was his family and the way he kept that family together; he communicated well with his family and truly loved them.” “Observing this special human being in action,” Marty Ricks added, “was an educational experience for me. Phil’s goals ranged from building Jewish institutions to helping Jewish families with scholarships from pre-school through college. He was very concerned with helping those in need, he was a big supporter of Jewish Family Service and always pressed me to find places where more help was needed.” It is that eye on the future that symbolizes Phil Schrager’s legacy. Not only the question of what we need now, but also what we’ll need tomorrow, next year, ten years from now. A true legacy doesn’t just leave memories; it provides those who remain with a job to do. “So, ask yourself,” David Gilinsky said, “how can you crystallize what’s important and communicate it to those who can have an impact on our future? The community needs the inspiration of your example as much as your financial support.”
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C2 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
Double vision by JULIANNE DUNN HERZOG and OZZIE NOGG Steve Nogg and Richard Jacobson have known each other all their lives. The first cousins (their mothers were sisters) grew up in Omaha. Each has been involved in Jewish community activities, and each has supported and encouraged his entire family to be involved. Their wives, Joanie Jacobson and Patty Nogg, are stalwarts of Beth El synagogue and long-time volunteers in a variety of capacities both within the synagogue and in the greater community. So when, during the latter half of 2012, Marty Ricks became the Chief Development Officer, and Howard Epstein filled Marty’s vacancy at the Foundation, the names Nogg and Jacobson were brought up. Although they had Richard Jacobson been on the JSS board for a long time, the concept of co-chairing was a new one. They knew that they could work together easily and productively; the Jewish Federation of Omaha would benefit by getting two for the price of one. Since both travel with their work and for pleasure, they knew that duties would be covered when the other was gone. Most important, there would be four hands on deck. They eventually said yes, and in January of this year, their appointment was announced. “With both of them sharing the job, you’ve got two people who can fill in for each other,” said predecessor Howard Epstein. “They don’t miss a beat.” The presidency of Jewish Social Services is a big job. JSS is the umbrella agency under which are found the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Jewish Family Service and Jewish Senior Outreach. Through a variety of programs, JSS promotes and enhances the quality and continuity of Jewish life for families and individuals of all ages in our community. Like so many in the Jewish community, Steve’s and Richard’s mothers were residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, which makes both men particularly sensitive to quality of care and the mission of the organization from a consumer perspective: “Then, like now, the care was extraordinary,” Jacobson said in the Jewish Press earlier this year. “Because of the care my mother received, I owe this commitment, this debt of gratitude, to the Home.” Nogg echoed these sentiments. “I have great respect for the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home,” he said. “Through my many visits I’ve seen the love and care the staff provides. I’ve also become more intimately aware of
the work done by Karen Gustafson, Executive Director of Jewish Family Service, and her team. JFS Counseling continues to grow and the innovative programming is recognized throughout our city.” That perspective informs their decision-making process and aids in their understanding of the impact of the Home on families of residents. Both men credit Mike Silverman, CEO of the Federation and Executive Director of JSS and Mike Schop, Assistant Administrator of the Home and his staff, for incorporating changes which have resulted in making this the destination for care. From Main Street to the Friday Deli and from lectures by both community members and guest speakers to B’nai B’rith Breadbreaker Steve Nogg lunches, the Home is busy and accessible to the Jewish community. It has become exactly the community center and gathering place envisioned by staff, volunteers and donors. The care given to residents is consistently of the highest quality; staff members are recipients of national recognition in their fields. Steve and Richard see their jobs as helping to support professional staff efforts to maintain the level of excellence as a residential as well as a rehabilitative facility. In reviewing the efficiency, productivity and responsiveness of Jewish Senior Outreach and Jewish Family Service, Steve and Richard favor a business analysis model. As Steve puts it, “There may be a great program, but if only two people enjoy its benefits, it doesn’t make much sense financially. That program is likely to get a second look in the budget review. However, economic sense is not the only measuring stick. Sometimes, economic sense must give way to social imperatives in social service organizations.” It is up to these leaders to manage that delicate balance. Both presidents also cited additional factors in the decision to try a co-presidency model: building a deeper bench of interested, informed leaders and providing greater opportunities for community members to participate in leadership opportunity. Speaking for both, Steve says: “Some people would like to participate but don’t want to take on a big community obligation. They have companies to operate or heavy employment requirements and families who need them. However, they might be more open to sharing the top job if they can work together and share the responsibility.”
Past President: Dr. Norman Sheldon by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT From 2006 to 2008, Norm Sheldon was president of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. It was a memorable time, he says, and he misses being involved on that level to this day. “It was a privilege to serve you,” Norm said in 2008. “Your spirit and generosity have brought great pride and honor to the Jewish people.” Norm’s term came on the heels of his presidency of the Jewish Community Center’s Board, long before the current One Campus initiative was in place. He Dr. Norman Sheldon knows a little bit about making changes: it was during his presidency that Jewish Family Service became a part of Jewish Social Services. The years when Norm was JFO president were interesting in many respects: Gilad Shalit was kidnapped, Rabbi Craig Marantz moved away and Rabbi Eric Linder came, and Friedel Jewish Academy celebrated its 40th anniversary. Bob Wolfson said goodbye, and Alan Potash became the new Executive Director of the Community Relations Committee. Marty Ricks celebrated his tenth anniversary as Executive Director of the JFO Foundation and Iowa flooded, not for the last time. Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States, and Chabad marked 20 years in Omaha with the Mitzvah and Music Gala at the brand new Kaneko. In addition, the Home began its massive and very successful renovation project. About his presidency, Norm said: “We managed a number of critical fundraising campaigns during my term, and I personally watched your incredible generosity. Through two Annual Campaigns, Operation Promise, the Israel Emergency Campaign and Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Capital Campaign, you donated a total of $24.5 million.” What do you think of all the changes we’ve made during recent years? “Jody Malashock has done a remarkable job guiding our community through these changes, and I am really excited about everything that’s happened. I think in the past there were things we didn’t accomplish, programming that we missed out on, because the campus was fragmented. Not every department worked together, and Continued on page 3
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August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | C3
The message is universal by SOLOMON KLEINSMITH every performance. In all, 9,000 students had the opportuMarketing and Communications Coordinator, nity to have a theater experience, to learn about children in Institute for Holocaust Education the Holocaust, and to be witness to a survivor’s riveting tesShe went to Vassar, and he went to Yale. The two schools timony. The program also showcased the collaborative had regular social functions, but they actually met on a blind efforts of IHE and Opera Omaha. date. Fast forward a few years, and he came back from Echoes and Reflections – This curriculum was a joint projOxford early to be with her, and they married as he entered ect of Yad Vashem, the ADL and the USC Shoah law school. Foundation. It is considIt sounds a bit like the ered today’s leading start of a movie; but luckiHolocaust education proly for us, Gloria and gram. Gloria talked about Howard Kaslow are real IHE’s involvement in members of the Omaha enabling the Echoes and Jewish community. Since Reflections program to making their home in meet Nebraska state eduOmaha 49 years ago, cation standards. To date, Gloria and Howard (a 50% of high schools in the native Omahan) have constate have received Echoes tinually given of their time and Reflections training for and abilities to volunteer their teachers from the activities in the Omaha IHE. Howard said that the area. In particular, Jewish development of ageFamily Service, the Jewish appropriate and accurate Federation and the educational materials was Institute for Holocaust vital, and Gloria added Education (IHE) have that using survivor testiHoward and Gloria Kaslow been blessed with their mony is critical to the support. effectiveness of Holocaust education. Beyond their professional and charitable endeavors, the IHE’s work has helped to have Holocaust studies included Kaslows enjoy traveling. Often they travel to see family or as recommended subject matter in Nebraska’s social studies simply to see a place in the world that they haven’t been to curriculum. Both public and Catholic schools have been before. Although it came before they met and were married, receptive to having their teachers attend ongoing education traveling had a part to play in their involvement in seminars presented by the IHE, resulting in thousands of Holocaust education. young people across the region gaining a deeper underGloria had been drawn to the subject since she was young, standing of the lessons to be learned from the Holocaust. after traveling to Israel and visiting the Yad Vashem Giving an insight as to why the Kaslows focus much of Museum. She taught students about the Holocaust for years, their community involvement on the IHE, Howard pointed most notably at Beth El Synagogue. out that the IHE reaches more people in the non-Jewish Both Gloria and Howard have been involved with the community than any other Federation-based organization. Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) since the very Gloria added that the IHE also works with local churches beginning - before the beginning in fact. They’d been active and other groups in the area to connect them with survivors in the Jewish Federation, but, as someone who deeply cared willing to give testimony. about Holocaust education, Gloria was intrigued by a new Bringing that point home, they both spoke about the project that aimed to share Holocaust-related books, con- importance of preserving the testimony of Holocaust surnecting classrooms in the U.S. to those in Israel. The new vivors, so the youth of the future will be able to see real peoproject, organized by the local Anti-Defamation League, ple speak of their personal experiences during the Holocaust. was developed by Beth Dotan who had come to Omaha Gloria admitted that the Holocaust is a difficult concept for from the Ghetto Fighters Museum in Israel. Gloria was young people in our country to understand, but that having thrilled to have a professional Holocaust educator in town to someone who reminds them of their own grandparents speak collaborate with on curriculum and educational programs. to them, even if it’s through a video, can help the lessons of Over time, the Kaslows, Dotan and other early supporters the Holocaust resonate with them on a more personal level. found that there was a great demand for Holocaust educaThe Institute for Holocaust Education is pleased to have tion services, and they worked to ensure that the IHE grew this opportunity to recognize the Kaslows for the many ways to meet that need with new and expanded programming. in which they have contributed to the IHE and helped it While the Kaslows have been deeply involved with all of the become the thriving organization that it is today. IHE’s programs and endeavors over the past decade, a few “The message is universal, no matter when it took place,” programs were highlights for them: Gloria said. For her, the importance of teaching about the Brundibar – The IHE brought Brundibar to the Rose Holocaust goes beyond its vital lessons about racism, indifTheater in November of 2009. The opera had a cast of most- ference and unbridled power. Teaching about the Holocaust ly children and was performed originally at Terezin, a so- has a moral imperative: to remember and honor all those called “model camp” for the Red Cross inspectors to visit whose lives were tragically lost so that their identities will during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. For Gloria, not be lost again through our indifference or forgetfulness. one of the most important aspects of the Omaha program With the help of people like the Kaslows, the message will was having a survivor, Ela Weissberger, who had performed continue to be delivered for many years to come. in the original play in Terezin, speak to the students after
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Dr. Norman Sheldon Continued from page 2 we needed a strong CEO. Our community is only 6,000 people, and we are so much stronger when we come together. Why do you think we have been successful with this transition? It is extremely difficult to get a process like this done, and I think it took an outsider like David Bailis to come in and suggest the changes. He didn’t have all the prior relationships we all have with each other, and that helped, I’m sure. Many of us are related or have known each other’s families for years, and that can make changing things more challenging. What do we need right now? We need an evaluation of our current needs and to learn more about who our community members really are. We are the last mid-sized Jewish community between Chicago and Denver, and we need to remain vibrant. A vibrant
community continuously evaluates the needs of its members; knowing our demographic data helps with that. For instance, where are our numbers going? How is the makeup of the community changing? How has lay leadership changed over the past 40 years? I think there are fewer volunteers than 40 years ago -- we do, as a community, rely more on professionals. In four decades, we have seen more women enter the work force, which changes the demands on their time considerably. What should our current president, Jay Noddle, pay attention to? In spite of the fact that we need the successful business model, we have to remember the Jewish part. What I mean by that is the culture of us, the communal part -- we are not just a business, we are a community. We have to pay attention to the human part.
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C4 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
Tom Fellman and Howard Kooper
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Howard Kooper and Tom Fellman by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT There are many times I write in this paper about how nice this community is and what we need to do to keep it strong and vibrant. I very much believe in this community; it has welcomed me and offered me a home, and I will forever be grateful for that. Of course, I haven’t really been in Omaha that long, and speaking to so many lay leaders for this issue has been a great privilege. While listening and reading what the Jewish Press freelancers have written, I am once again reminded of how lucky we all are. It has been a humbling experience, to say the least. We stand on the shoulders of giants. Great lay leaders are people with tremendous passion and drive; people who have been on the forefront of change and who have shown great courage in pointing this community in the right direction. The pressure is on, but it is a healthy kind of pressure. Here are two more past presidents, sharing some words of wisdom. TOM FELLMAN Tom was the Federation president from 1995 to 1997. It figures that his business partner and good friend Howard Kooper followed him. One could do a lot worse than looking at these two to find inspiration for leadership. What comes to mind when you think of your presidency? It was a terrific time for me personally, especially with the addition of the Pennie Z. Davis Childhood Development Center and the gorgeous new fitness center. I was thrilled to be a part of it during such an exciting period. What is our collective responsibility to Jews locally and globally? We need to work on having a good understanding of the needs of the community, and how they change. Nothing stays the same anywhere, and we have to stay awake and pay attention. Needs must be reevaluated constantly, in Israel as well as at home. It is also our responsibility to remain flexible; we have to be willing to change, even when it’s hard. When we look at Israel, we cannot be judgemental. After all, we don’t live there, and we don’t always know what life is really like over there. There are always Jews in bad places and situations, and so many of them have found a home in Israel. Thank goodness Israel has been there for all of us. What would you like people to say about you?
I hope they say that I did a nice job; but what others say isn’t something that should motivate a president. What motivated me was figuring out hopefully what’s good for the community. What advice do you have for Jay Noddle? Jay needs no advice from me; I have known him forever, and he is a good guy who really cares. He comes from wonderful parents and knows exactly what to do. We were all born with two ears and two eyes and only one mouth for a reason: we have to watch and listen twice as much as talk, and Jay gets that. We have a magnificent community, and I believe our new leadership will continue to achieve great things HOWARD KOOPER Howard was the Jewish Federation of Omaha President from 1997 to 1999, he knows that a good leader has to have vision, a healthy dose of patience, and a willingness to go against the flow. “My favorite memory, and what I am most proud of,” he says, “is hiring Jan Goldstein as the Federation Executive Director. Her commitment really made her stand out, as well as the hours she put in and her willingness to learn.” Of his years as president, Howard said: Since then, we’ve left the Executive Director model and replaced it with the CEO model, something many Jewish Federations around the country are doing. What needs to happen next, according to Howard, is “engaging the younger generation, both in time and financial commitment.” What is Jewish Omaha really good at? Together, we are very good at meeting certain financial challenges, the best examples of which are raising the funds for our Jewish Community Center, the renovation of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, and the new Temple Israel building. What do we need to improve? We need to make sure we continue to stay committed to a strong and inclusive community. Where do you, as a lay leader, have the most impact nowadays? Whenever the younger people ask for advice, I respond. What is your advice for Jay Noddle? Always keep the Jewish community in your mind, and maintain your vision of what that community needs to look like here in Omaha.
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The future of Beth Israel by JULIANNE DUNN HERZOG David Kohll, who holds a Doctor of Pharmacy from Creighton University, operates Kohll’s Pharmacy and Homecare with his brother Justin. He is currently serving his second term as president of Beth Israel synagogue. He served his first term during the construction of the new synagogue at 127th and Pacific and the relocation from 52nd Street in midtown Omaha. Kohll remembers that first term as highly challenging and recalls meetings in the homes of some members to get their input on the construction and David Kohll relocation, which was a traumatic event for many long-term members, for a variety of reasons. Not the least of those reasons was that members of Beth Israel adhere to a strict observance which, among other things, prohibits driving on the Sabbath. Many of the members had moved their homes near to the synagogue so
congregation. Now he is an older member and president who needs to work with his board to listen to the young families who are already members of the synagogue and the potential members arriving in Omaha every day from the east and west coasts to work at UNMC and large corporations. Together, they need to figure out ways to attract and keep these young families who are the future of the synagogue. One of the ways that Beth Israel believes can make it more attractive and relevant to these young incoming families is the Eruv which has been put in place after 10 years in the making. The Eruv defines an area surrounding the synagogue where the observant may carry items and push strollers during the Sabbath. Many Jews in other parts of the country are accustomed to this convenience which makes Sabbath observances easier for them. They expect to find this in Omaha; and if they do not, they may go elsewhere. The Eruv was completed by Rabbi Jonathan Gross, who has been a wonderful addition to Beth Israel, Kohll says. “I see my role as president to clear the way and support the work of our great rabbi. My wife Janet and I devote our time to see to it that our family and other families are comfortable and at ease in the synagogue so that they may worship in peace.” The Kohlls have five children, ages 9 through 21, who worship with them and participate as a family in Jewish community life at Beth Israel.
that they were within walking distance. Now the synagogue was to be moved away from them. This caused much upset. Initially there was an idea to construct housing on the Beth Israel property to accommodate members who would not be within walking distance of the new synagogue. The proposal was that those who wanted to do so could stay in the apartments from Friday before sundown through Shabbath, to avoid a violation of the rules. The housing idea fell through. However, many long-time members demonstrated flexibility on one side and kindness and generosity on the other. Some families who lived near the new synagogue opened their homes to those who were not within walking distance. Both sides of such exchanges made it part of the Sabbath ritual. Others sold their homes and moved within walking distance of the synagogue. Beth Israel was the smallest of the three Omaha synagogues. There was much concern that the relocation would lose long-time members while not drawing the young families sought as new members. Although there was eventually a slight loss in membership, 200 family units made the move to the new synagogue. Kohll says he faces a whole new set of challenges during this second term. The new members who joined Beth Israel since the synagogue moved are, for the most part, young families. Ten years ago he was one of the few young members who, with their families, were bringing new thoughts and ideas to the
For the New Year, children’s books opening new worlds by PENNY SCHWARTZ BOSTON (JTA) -- Shofars, apples and honey, make room for pomegranates, couscous and pumpkins. The new crop of children’s books for the High Holidays opens a world beyond the beloved traditional symbols of the New Year. From ancient times to today, the savory, engaging reads presented here will take families from the kitchen to the bedroom to the sukkah. (see also page 14 and 19) What a Way to Start a New Year! A Rosh Hashanah story Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Judy Stead Kar-Ben; $16.95 hardcover, $7.95 paperback; ages 3-8 Award-winning author Jacqueline Jules’ What a Way to Start a New Year! is a lighthearted and authentic story for Rosh Hashanah that reflects the diversity of today’s Jewish families and the hustle and bustle of daily life. In the opening pages, a perky young girl is eating a slice of pizza in her family’s new home, which is filled with unpacked boxes. Her family, including two younger brothers, has just moved to a new town. While her dad isn’t Jewish, he loves celebrating the High Holidays. But how will they observe the New Year, our storyteller wonders with some concern. When they venture back to their old neighborhood to
ored, cartoon-like illustrations are a lively accompaniment to the story. An author’s note reminds parents that while starting in a new home or school can be difficult, it’s made easier by generous hosts. She explains the mitzvah of “hachnasat orchim,” “welcoming guests.” Sam and Charlie (and Sam Too!) by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Stefano Tambellini Albert Whitman, $13.99, also available on Kindle; ages 6 to 8 A delightful chapter book that was published earlier this year, Sam and Charlie (and Sam Too!) is a story of friendship of young new neighbors. The book is divided into five stories that tell of the daily ups and downs among two Jewish friends and a younger sibling. The format and Kimmelman’s light and endearing touch evokes the classic George and Martha series by James Marshall, or the beloved Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel. The last of the set, titled I’m Sorry Day, will have the kids giggling along with Sam and Charlie even as it opens up an easy conversation to the tough subject of apologies and forgiveness. Children of all faiths and backgrounds will have fun with these memorable stories and learn about the meaning of Yom Kippur, the holiday of forgiveness.
share a traditional Rosh Hashanah meal with their friends, one plan after another goes awry. “What a way to start a new year!” they each sigh after mishap follows zany mishap. Things begin to look up when one of dad’s coworkers invites them to synagogue services. While the prayers and songs are familiar, the kids still feel out of place because they don’t recognize anyone. Finally they are welcomed to share Rosh Hashanah dinner with new friends. “What a wonderful way to start a new year!” the young girl exclaims. Judy• Stead’s col• brightly • • ••
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Messages The most important Jewish symbol by RABBI CRAIG LEWIS Rabbi, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, Lincoln During a recent family meeting in my home, the symbols of Rosh Hashanah became the focal point of our conversation. My wife Jennifer and I were planning our annual New Year’s greeting cards. We struggled to decide, as do many families, what cute picture to include on the card. Most of the ideas involved around posing Eden, our 5year-old son, with a jar of honey, or picking apples, or even dipping apples in honey. We wanted to be more original, so we considered another symbol—the shofar. The picture could show Eden blowing the horn, and we could write the caption, “Trumpeting in a sweet new year!” or “May you be terua-ly blessed in 5774” or we could take the photo outside just before dawn and write the caption “Another tekia sunrise.” Needless to say, we did not really love any of these ideas. So we thought of another symbol. We could show Eden taking a big bite of holiday Challah while riding a carousel horse, and we could write, “Rosh Hashanah makes the world dough round.” I have to admit, I really liked this one, but, like so many good ideas these days, it failed to make it out of committee. Alas, I think we are stuck with our final option, a staged re-enactment of the Akeda…. Just kidding. We will simply take a picture of the three of us. Maybe we will include the dogs and possibly the cat. And we will write, “To a sweet and happy New Year, Love, the Lewises.” I know, it does not sound terribly original. It is not as much fun, but to my mind, this is the best idea. I call it “the best” because it depicts the most important Jewish symbol— togetherness. The New Year reminds us that nothing is more important than drawing nearer to important people in our lives. Over the course of a year, we may say hurtful things. We may be insensitive to the feelings of others. We may even be downright selfish, putting our own desires ahead of the people we care about. But the new year challenges us to confront our behavior. We find the challenge in the liturgy of our machzorim, but we need not look farther than the symbols of the holiday. The circular challah reminds us of the cycles of the year, and that the season for introspection is once again upon us. The blast of the shofar is a wakeup call reminding us of the trial of Abraham and Isaac. It tells us that the task
of Teshuvah is not easy and demands that each of us step out of our comfort zones, to perform a task which does not come naturally. The apples and the honey, two inherently sweet things from distant sources, remind us that it takes specific effort to bring them together. Furthermore, when we do, the payoff is more than worth the effort. We learn from a midrash that human relationships are similar. There was a prince who lived a hundred days’ journey from his father. When his friends encouraged him to return home, he replied, “I cannot; I have not the strength.” And then his father sent word, “Come back as far as you can according to your strength, and I will go the rest of the way to meet you.”
It could be said, that their reunion was even sweeter than the merging of apples and honey. Therefore, I maintain, there is no better symbol for Rosh Hashanah than a family together. It reminds us that the purpose of the High Holidays is to draw people nearer to us. It teaches that Teshuvah begins in the home and from there we can find a blueprint to reach out to the rest of the world. Of course, through this process, the hope is we can ultimately draw nearer to God as well. May you, your families, and all those you care about draw each other ever closer in this New Year. May we all have a blessed 5774, as our names are inscribed in the Book of Life. Shanah Tovah.
Teshuva by RABBI JONATHAN GROSS Rabbi, Beth Israel Synagogue In the 2nd century CE there was a great Rabbi by the name of Elazar Ben Azaria. At the young age of 17 he was already known as a man of great influence and wisdom. In the aftermath of the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, the most pivotal epoch in Jewish history, the Jewish community found themselves like sheep without a shepherd. After much deliberation it was decided that Rabbi Elazar Ben Azaria was the man for the job. So the community turned to him and asked him, “Rabbi, will you lead us?” Before giving a response, Rabbi Elazar Ben Azaria consulted with the wisest person that he knew - his wife. His wife helped him weigh the pros and the cons and noted that the prestigious job would be demanding and challenging. She cautioned him that if he took the job, one misstep could lead to his immediate dismissal. Would it be worth taking such a risk? Rabbi Elzar Ben Azaria answered, “We use our crystal dishes even though they may get smashed.” Rabbi Elazar Ben Azaria did not let his fear of what could be stop him from doing what should be. He was the right man at the right time and he had a responsibility to give it his all, even if there was a chance of failure.
We need to plan for the future as best we can, but as the old Yiddish saying goes, mentch tracht un God lacht - man plans and God laughs. What will be later, leave to God. What will happen now, that is up to us. Judaism asserts that man was created in the image of God. Unlike other religions, our belief is that the natural state of man is righteous, pure, and good. Sometimes we stray from our natural state and do things that are wrong, things that are against our nature. In Hebrew, the word for repentance is Teshuva, which literally means ‘to return.’ Because when we repent we leave our foreign ways, we revert to the way things ought to be, and we return home. Teshuva is hard. It requires patience, humility, and courage. It is easy to make excuses, to rationalize and to put it off for another day. As we get further away from the right path, we look back on what appears to be a great distance between our current state and our natural state. It can be overwhelming. On Rosh Hashanah we stand before what Rabbeinu Yonah referred to as the gates of Teshuvah, the beginning of an arduous journey that begins with a single step. The journey is long and hard and there is a good chance that we may not succeed. But as Rabbi Elazar Ben Azaria taught us, if there is a chance of failure, that means that there is also a chance of success. He accepted his challenge. He led the people, and in the end he made Jewish history. As the great sage Hillel used to say, “if not now, when?” Rosh Hashanah is the best time to start a process of Teshuvah. Let this be the year that we overcome our fears and embark on the path toward a complete Teshuvah. The path is long, but the journey is a reward in and of itself.
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Rabbi, Congregation Temple Israel Being a defender of this faith of ours has been a great privilege, and, at times, an awesome burden. This God of ours does not always make it easy to believe. The Jewish mystics compared God to rays of the sun reflected on the water’s surface, radiant, but not graspable, elusive, darting in and out of our consciousness. If we are attentive, we are given many intimations of God’s Presence; but God also gives us the space we need to be persons. That space, that freedom, enables us to turn toward God or away from the Source of our being, and we have a great capacity to ignore the signs that are daily presented to us. Being a rabbi hardly guarantees that I don’t ignore those signs. For much of our daily life, we do what we are scheduled to do because we are programmed, that’s what’s expected, and it’s our job. We give it our all and we generally find much satisfaction in what we do. But occasionally, this level of living is punctuated by moments when we are aware of doing more than just performing our jobs or meeting the needs of another person. At that moment we feel we are where we intended to be, we are responding to the Giver of the
lives. At that moment we feel the power of those traditional words: “For such a moment as this, were you created.” Reading this, you may say: “You’re a rabbi, no wonder your job is lifted from time to time to the level of vocation and calling.” I know we can all have such moments if we raise our level of spiritual consciousness. The insurance adjuster who visited us after a rainstorm damaged our roof, the person who drew my blood for testing at the laboratory, and the person who waits on me at the store lift our encounter beyond the mundane by how they respond to us and we to them. But even if our job never rises to the level of vocation, we are all capable of experiencing such moments in other venues when we devote ourselves to a worthy cause, when we are there for our family and friends in time of need. There can be times in all of our lives when we too feel: “For such a moment as this, I was created.” At such a level of consciousness we become aware, if only for a moment, that we repairers of brokenness, we human healers, are partners of the Divine. Through our prayers we become humbly aware of that Presence that is greater than ourselves, greater than our human healers. Even when we pray for, but are not granted, a healing of the body, it is possible to receive the healing of the spirit - the amazing courage of strength to face what we must face and the discovery that God is “even in this place of my life and I did not know it.” Someone has said there is a believer and a non-believer in each of us.
The spark of Moses by RABBI MENDEL KATZMAN Rabbi, Chabad Center A cantor was approached after services by an indignant member of the congregation. “That was the most awful rendition I ever heard in my life!” The president of the shul turned to the cantor to console him: “Oh don’t worry about HIM, he just repeats what everyone else says!” You’ve met folks who go with the flow. They say what everyone says. Think what everyone is thinking. Swim with the current. They are busy keeping up with the Joneses. And they’re satisfied with the status quo. Then we know others who move mountains. heal global ills. They go to the ends of the earth. They wheel and deal. These visionaries are solution oriented. They clean up the messes. Fix the world’s problems with flair and devotion. They make a huge difference in the world for which we are grateful. And then there are the leaders. One day as Moses was shepherding his flock, a little lamb broke away. Moses followed the runaway animal until it reached a spring of water where it stopped for a drink. Moses compassionately said to the sheep, ‘If only I had known that you thirsted for water. You must be exhausted from running...’ He scooped up the tired animal, placed it on his shoulders and headed back to the herd. Said the Almighty: “You are merciful in tending sheep - you will tend
My flock, the people of Israel.” This telling Midrashic anecdote encapsulates G-d’s model for leadership. Firstly, a leader’s commitment must be to the individual as to the community. Moreover, this tale tells of a leader’s extraordinary devotion to each member of his flock, regardless of behavior. This unconditional love that Moses displays is the legendary virtue that would come to characterize him. In the wayward lamb, Moses sees a frightened, thirsty animal - not a rebel or rabble rouser. A timid lamb in need of attention, not a threat to authority. It is easy to write off defiant children, members of our faith and of society at large. But Moses’s paradigm of outreach and empowerment goes way farther. Moses acted this way because he saw in each of his charges great potential and virtue. He perceived the greatness hidden behind the mask of unrest and rebelliousness. This faith in the individual. The belief in his people’s inherent goodness nurtured and enabled them to peak performance. Which leads me to another one of my favorites about a modern day Moses: Into his ninth decade, on Sunday mornings, the Rebbe would stand at the door of his office for hours as thousands of people filed by, seeking a blessing or advice about a personal or spiritual dilemma. The Rebbe would exchange greetings with each visitor and share a crisp dollar bill to be given to Tzedaka. An elderly woman exhausted from a many hours-long wait asked the Rebbe how he had the strength to stand all day, often for seven or eight hours without interruption, to accommodate everyone. The Rebbe beamed and replied: “When you’re counting diamonds you don’t get tired.” The Zohar (Kabbalah) states that every Continued on page 9
August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | C9
Messages
“Hands Up!!!”
Looking inward and outward by NANCY COREN Lay-spiritual leader, Congregation Tifereth Israel, Lincoln Introspection on the High Holydays has a different purpose than the self-absorption we see so often in individuals today. Looking inward at this time of the year is for the explicit purpose of being able to examine our deeds, mend our souls and right the wrongs we have done to others. It is indeed a part of the process of our spiritual growth. Its purpose is not to place our own needs above the needs of others, nor to view oneself as the center of the universe. The Shofar’s call is perfectly designed to help us in the process of introspection. Blown during the month of Elul, on Rosh HaShanah, and at the end of Yom Kippur, its familiar call awakens us. The one long blast (tekiah) reminds us to review our deeds of the past year. The three medium broken blasts (shevarim) remind us of the wailing of those who are suffering and oppressed. The nine rapid bursts (teruah) remind us to join the struggle against the wrongs we see in the world. Whether it is feeding the hungry, providing shelter for the homeless, comforting the mourner, or providing companionship for the lonely, there is much that we can do. (adapted from Mahzor Chadash)
Introspection at this time of year is meaningful, but I believe it would be overwhelming if it were a task set aside for only once a year. By taking stock of oneself on a daily basis, it is much easier to attend to the needs of others and connect with G-d, correcting one’s aim (so to speak) when one finds him/herself off course. I truly believe that part of being on course for a Jew is also to tend to the needs of the Jewish community. That is something that all Jews can do, not just those who are ordained or who have jobs in professional Jewish spheres. Every Shabbat we ask G-d to bless “all those who unite to establish synagogues for prayer, and those who enter them to pray, and those who give funds for heat and light, and wine for Kiddush and Havdalah, bread to the wayfarer and charity to the poor, and all who devotedly involve themselves with the needs of this community and the Land of Israel.” It is possible to feel the difference that such individuals make in the lives of all of us every day of the year, not just during the High Holydays. My prayer for this upcoming year, 5774, is that the call of the Shofar will spur each of us to look inward so we can then use our outward actions to positively affect the lives of those with whom we have contact. May we find the strength to help one another as we each attempt to start over by turning ourselves around. May our aim not be about self-absorption, but rather about the ways in which we can involve ourselves in the needs of our community. I wish everyone a meaningful year! L’Shanah Tovah Tikateyvu.
Rabbi Katzman Continued from page 8 Jewish soul has at its core a spark of Moses’ soul. By virtue of the spark of Moses within us, each of us can emulate him. We can all be the kind of leaders that empower and motivate. That sustain and inspire. To see the best in others and
to propel them to be the best they can be. That is leadership. Best wishes to all for a sweet, happy, healthy New Year. May we all merit to find the ‘Spark of Moses’ within our souls. And to see the best in others. Shana tova!
by RABBI JOSH BROWN Assistant Rabbi, Congregation Temple Israel The youngest among us are often the most fearless and most ambitious. Just ask a group of 5-year-olds to raise their hands if they would like to volunteer and you will see eyes light up and hands shoot in the air. Ask a group of ten-year-olds and you will see many hesitate; but many, if not most of them, will raise their hand to get involved. Ask a group of grown men and women to volunteer or to answer a question in public or to volunteer to be the next chair of a committee and you are likely to watch the horizon of heads remain calm, the hands remain down and the room remain awkwardly silent. As adults we know about the risks of volunteerism. Volunteers ask for work, but receive no pay. They put in hours late at night and early in the morning. Their tasks often go unnoticed and too often unappreciated. Volunteers rarely have any sort of supervision, quality feedback or ability to grow in their job. They are left to complete jobs, reach loosely-defined expectations and to serve the needs of the community that we are not willing to pay anyone else to do. So our hands don’t shoot up so fast when the director of a non-profit asks us to volunteer because, as Rabbi Charles Simon writes; “the hand of the volunteer is often slapped as often as chicken is served at the Shabbat table.” As we approach a new year, assessing the past and planning for the future, perhaps we can begin to remember exactly why we continue to ask for volunteers in our community. Those who have volunteered to visit strangers at the Blumkin home, chair committees or to be the friendly face who serve as an usher at the holidays are the people who keep our community the success it is. Moreover, they are also the people who know that the greatest Continued on page 10
Wishing the Omaha community
L’Shana Tova from
Karoline S. Anderson | Marie Belin | Thomas M. Byrne Michael D. Cohen | Kurt A. Davey | Mary C. Dek | Patrick J. Steinauer 18018 Burke Street | Omaha, NE 68022 | Corner of 180th and Burke | 402.573.7337
C10 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
Messages Setting an example for our children by RABBI STEVEN ABRAHAM Rabbi, Beth El Synagogue “One who is wise, humble and fearful of sin may be made a community leader.” Tosafot - Sanhedrin 7:1 When I started rabbinical school in the Fall of 2005, it was clear to me that while my classmates and I shared a vision of our communal Jewish future and a deep rooted passion for our faith, I never imagined the similarities that could be drawn by looking at our parents’ involvement in their Jewish communities. While neither a survey nor a straw poll was ever completed amongst my classmates, it was clear that each of our journeys had begun by watching someone special in our lives give of themselves to the Jewish community. More than a decade ago my mother, Wendy Abraham, served as the president of a synagogue outside Washington, D.C. not all that different from Beth El Synagogue. I remember the countless meetings and phone calls, watching her chat with various congregants at the Kiddush luncheon, speak on
Kol Nidrei, and the list goes on. This front row seat to Jewish communal work, watching my mother volunteer her time and dedication to her synagogue, undoubtedly instilled the values that I have brought with me into my rabbinate. A synagogue is a holy place, not because of the walls that hold it up, but because of the people found inside those walls. In every generation the Jewish People have survived because the mantle of leadership has been passed to dedicated souls who selflessly gave of their time, energy and expertise for the betterment of their community. The volunteer who gives of his/her time to the Jewish community, whether it be the president of an organization or a first time member of a committee, has my respect and admiration. As we enter 5774 perhaps the greatest gift any of us can give the Omaha Jewish community is to make the commitment to sit on a committee or volunteer at an event. There is no question in my mind how influential it was to watch my mother so dedicated to the Jewish community, and that at such a young age I began to value the Jewish community in a way I might never have. Imagine if the fruits of our labor are not just serving an organization, sharing your thoughts at a meeting or lending your voice to a conversation today, but that our children who see us give of our time to our community grow up valuing our Jewish community just as much, if not more, than their parents. Shana Tova U’metukah.
Rabbi Brown Continued from page 9 reward we can receive in this world is to be there when someone else needs us with no strings attached. The Prophet Jeremiah wrote: “pursue the welfare (shalom) of your community and pray on its behalf, so that all may share in its well-being” (Jeremiah 29:7). At this holiday season, let us be thankful for the many people who raised their hands in order that we could experience the full potential of
our community. And for those of us, like myself, who often find ourselves taking volunteerism for granted, let us ask for their forgiveness for the time they gave that went by without notice. And let us pray that our generation and future generations will continue the practices that date back to our prophets, as we continue to raise our hands to volunteer for the betterment of our community and our world.
Traditional and modern tastes for New Year’s tables
by HELEN NASH NEW YORK (JTA) -- Nearly 30 years ago, when my first cookbook was published, I wrote that kosher cooking wasn’t just about traditional recipes like gefilte fish and chopped liver, that you could make gourmet meals and international dishes using kosher ingredients. Since then, many new kosher ingredients have become readily available, making all kinds of fusion cuisine even easier to prepare. Some of these ingredients include vinegars, oils, mustards, panko bread crumbs and a larger selection of cheeses. But traditional recipes also have their place -- and Rosh Hashanah is a great time to use them. There is something about ushering in the New Year with old family recipes that is very satisfying. I do, however, introduce one or two new dishes to make it more interesting for my friends and family with whom I celebrate every year. For dinner on Rosh Hashanah, I like to begin my meal with Chopped Chicken Liver. This traditional dish brings me back to my Eastern European roots and my guests love it. Another traditional favorite is Honey Cake, moist and light with a touch of sweetness. It freezes well but also can stay fresh in the fridge for many days. Here’s a new dish for Rosh Hashanah lunch: Chicken Rolls with Orange Sauce. The sauce adds some sweetness to the chicken, which is perfect for the holiday. The dish can Continued on page 11
Jewish Social Services, an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, meets the social, health and mental wellness needs of the Jewish community and the community at large through every stage of life.
We wish all of you a sweet, healthy New Year.
Jewish Social Services JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE | JEWISH SENIOR OUTREACH
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August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | C11
Traditional and modern tastes Continued from page 10 be made ahead of time and served at room temperature. Broccoli with panko, the flaky Japanese bread crumbs, is a delicious side dish that can be served with the chicken rolls. Panko is lighter and crunchier than ordinary breadcrumbs. When toasted, they transform an ordinary vegetable into something quite special. This dish also can be made in advance and served at room temperature. These are just a sampling of the many delicious recipes featured in my latest cookbook, Helen Nash’s New Kosher Cuisine (Overlook Press). I hope they help make your preparations a little easier and your holiday more enjoyable. Shanah Tovah!
CHICKEN ROLLS WITH ORANGE SAUCE This is similar to Chicken Rolls with Mushrooms but with a more distinct Asian flavor. I serve it as the main course for dinner or as one of several dishes on a buffet table. Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each (Ask the butcher to butterfly the chicken breasts and pound them thin.) 12 large spinach leaves Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper
Refrigerate if not using right away. TO COOK THE ROLLS: Bring the chicken rolls back to room temperature, if necessary. Place them in the basket of a bamboo steamer. Set the basket over a large pot or wok, whose bottom third has been filled with water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Cover and steam over high heat for 9 to 10 minutes, turning the rolls once. Cook until the chicken has turned pale pink inside. Turn off the heat and let rest, covered, for 1 minute. TO SERVE: Remove one of the ties and, holding the other end, slip each roll onto a plate. Pour off the accumulated juices. Cut each roll on the diagonal into 3 pieces. Place the pieces on a dinner plate or serving dish. Reheat the sauce and spoon the hot sauce over the pieces. Makes 4 servings.
FILLING Ingredients: 1/2 cup raw sushi rice 3/4 cup cold water 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper
BROCCOLI WITH PANKO Ingredients: 1 small bunch broccoli, about 3 stalks 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Preparation: Separate the broccoli into florets and set the stems aside for another use. Steam the florets until they are bright green but still crisp to the bite. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the garlic and saute over low heat for a few seconds. Add the panko and stir until golden. Add the broccoli and combine well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings.
ORANGE SAUCE Ingredients: 1 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated 3 to 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons honey Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Preparation: TO MAKE THE FILLING: Place the sushi rice and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Season with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix well and cool. TO MAKE THE SAUCE: Bring all the sauce ingredients to a boil in a small enamel-lined saucepan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. TO MAKE THE ROLLS: Lightly salt and pepper each chicken breast on both sides and place it on a piece of cling wrap. Remove the stems from the spinach leaves and flatten the leaves so they will roll easier. Line each breast with 3 spinach leaves and one-fourth of the filling. Starting with the narrowest end, roll the breast up (not too tight!) until it looks like a log. (I use the cling wrap to facilitate the rolling.) When the breast is rolled and completely enclosed in the cling wrap, twist the sides and close them with a metal tie.
HONEY CAKE I could not resist sharing this heirloom honey cake recipe. Following tradition, I make it every Rosh Hashanah. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted margarine, for greasing the pans 2 1/3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons for dusting the pans 2 large eggs, room temperature Scant 2/3 cup sugar 1 cup strong brewed tea (made with 3 tea bags), cooled Continued on page 12
Thank you to our community partners for contributing to the Weekend Food Program! Find out how you can help feed hungry children at completelykids.org or call (402) 397-5809.
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C12 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
Traditional and modern tastes Continued from page 11 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 cup honey 1/2 medium-ripe banana, thoroughly mashed Grated zest of 1 navel orange 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda Preparation: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans with margarine and dust with 2 tablespoons of the flour. Invert the pans and tap to shake out the excess flour. Place the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer bowl. Using the balloon whisk attachment, beat them at medium speed, gradually adding the sugar until the mixture is pale and bubbles appear, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed and beat in
the tea, oil, honey, banana, orange zest, cinnamon and cloves. Combine thoroughly. With a rubber spatula, gradually fold in the flour, baking powder and baking soda, combining well after each addition. No traces of flour should be visible. Pour the batter evenly into the two pans. Bake the pans side by side, without touching, on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes. Increase the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes on a wire rack. Run a metal spatula around the sides of the pans to loosen the cakes. Invert each pan onto a serving plate. Note: These cakes freeze well. Wrap them individually in wax paper, then in foil, and place in plastic freezer bags. Makes 2 loaves, each serving 12.
L’Shanah Tovah
Oak Hills/Bikhor Cholim Cemetery 1350 East Pierce Street, Council Bluffs, Iowa Mailing address: 333 South 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154, Attention: Janet Henthorn
Memorial Service Sept. 8 10 a.m. Plots Available, Call Marty Ricks, 402/334-6440 Cemetery Manager John O’Connor, 670-8913 New Year’s Greetings from the Board of Directors: Bob Kully, President; Patty Nogg,V.P. ; Sissy Silber, Secretary; Marty Ricks,Treasurer; Harold Bernstein, Mark Eveloff, Joel Finkel, Mike Gallner, Dave Goodman, John Goldner, Rick Katelman, Gail Krasne Kenkel, and Ted Seldin
Happy New Year!
From the Blumkin Family and Nebraska Furniture Mart
Signing-In on Rosh Hashanah
Journal entry from Israel TEDDY WEINBERGER Note: The following is a free translation of the words of my friend and teacher Rabbi Lior Engelman, whose first novel, You Don't Stop Love in the Middle, will be published in the coming months. There is a kind of book that accompanies the consciousness of a Jewish life from beginning to end. A kind of book in which all of our deeds are written. A book in which all the events of our lives leave a trace. This book is mentioned in Pirke Avot: “Know what is above you: a watchful eye, an attentive ear, and all of your deeds are written in a book.” This book is accorded an especially prominent place during the High Holidays. However, it could be that this book is really three books, for it is written in the Talmud: “Three books are opened on Rosh Hashanah. The absolute righteous are immediately written and sealed for life, absolute evil-doers are immediately written and sealed for death, and those in the middle have their fates suspended between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: if they are found worthy they are written for life, if they are not, they are written for death.” Mention of this book appears several times in Hebrew Scriptures: “they were all recorded in Your book” (Psalms 139.16), “may they be erased from the book of life and not be inscribed with the righteous” (Psalms 69.29), “a book of remembrance has been written at His behest concerning those who revere the Lord and esteem His name” (Malachi 3.16). Perhaps the Lord of the Universe is the one who writes in these books, or perhaps the person himself is the one who “signs in,” as it is written in a key Rosh Hashanah prayer (“U'nesaneh Tokef ”): “And You will open the book of remembrance and it reads itself; every man's signature is contained in it.” We see here that there is a book that accompanies our lives from beginning to end, a book of humankind, a book of the world. When Moshe Rabeinu fought for the continued existence of the people of Israel after the sin of the Golden Calf, he tells God: “And now bear their sins, and if not erase me from the book that you have written.” God answers him: “Whoever has sinned against me I will erase him from my book.” What is this book of which Moses speaks? What is this book from which God wishes to wipe out those who have sinned against him? What is this book in which all is written? Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) explains as follows: The entire plan for the world that God realizes during history may be found in the “book” that God has written ever since Genesis. During the course of time God brings to fruition the contents of this book. All of the people whom God uses to carry out his plans are mentioned in this book, and the life and deeds of Moshe Rabbeinu will of course have a significant place in this book. “Erase me from the book that you've written,” therefore, can only mean: erase my name from among the names of those who are important before you, free me from the destiny that you have designated for me in your world's plan. Rabbi Hirsch teaches us here that God's book is the blueprint for the world. Space is designated in the book for the fingerprints of every person according to what is expected of him. “Every man's signature is contained in it.” A person “signs in” through actions. If you fill your space in the book with positive actions that advance the world, you are sealed in the book of the righteous. If your actions retard the progress of the world and its destiny, you are sealed in the book of the evil-doers. If the sum total of your actions produces mixed results, your signature goes into the book of the in-betweens. Nothing is absent from this book; all human actions and plans are contained in it. On Rosh Hashanah the book reads itself before the King of the World. May it be that we will “press our fingerprint” in a way that is meritorious. May we be written and may we be sealed with all of the people of Israel in the book of the righteous. Shana Tova. Teddy Weinberger made aliyah in 1997 with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Ross, and their five children. Their oldest three, Nathan, Rebecca and Ruthie, are veterans of the Israel Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@net vision.net.il.
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August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | C13
Life cycles
B’nai Mitzvahs
Births Dayton Shane, son of Marissa and Bradley Abramson; Lola Sam, daughter of Allison and Ashish Aryal; Aaron Gabriel Jacob Bennett, son of Megan Adams and Jeffrey Bennett; Ephraim Terry son of Shannon and Russell Bennett; Benyamin J. (Yehuda Shalom), son of Adrianna Eide and Jay Benton; Eli Finn, son of Erin and Aaron Berger; Noah Alan, son of Carrie and Rabbi Josh Brown; Britton Bay, daughter of Lesley and John “Ashley” Buchanan; Micah Rachamim, son of Danni and Michael Christensen; Benjamin Joseph, son of Jessica and Shane Cohn; Nina Y’aira, daughter of Crystal and Aryeh Epstein; Emma Rivka, daughter of Melissa and David Estaver; Greta Anne, daughter of Jessica and Jamie Feinstein; Ryleigh Elizabeth, daughter of Becky Fuehrer and Jeff Friedman; Yael Natanya, daughter of Sarah and Matthew Frey; Eila Gilchrist, daughter of Patrick and Breanne Gilchrist; Sarah Eve Ginsburg, daughter of Elvira Stepanova and Mike Ginsburg; Baila Rhea, daughter of Debbie and Greg Greenberg; Joseph Zvi, son of Miriam and Rabbi Jonathan Gross; Nathan Wallace HackCurtis, son of Lori Hack and Tim Curtis; Aurora Rose, daughter of Sarah and Jeff Howard; Mae Simone, daughter of Heather and Eric Jagher; Sydney Reese, daughter of Annie and Todd Jason; Tate Charles, son of Andrea and Chad Johnson;
Lucy Pearl, daughter of Anna and Matthew Kenkel; Talia Jane, daughter of Sara and Ari Kohen; Avraham Shlomo, son of Sarah and David Kotlyar; Aria Isabelle, daughter of Naomi and Ruvane Kurland; Samuel Louis, son of Abigal and Adam Kutler; Ryane Cate, daughter of Lisa and Nic Miller; Nechama Nacher, daughter of Meredith and Robert Nacher; Jude Isaac, son of Kelly and Adam Oles; Jordyn Larissa, daugther of Sara and Lance Polikov; Mabel Jane, daughter of Cari and John Rabroker; Lauren Macy, daughter of Amy and Evan Robinson; Ayden Morris, son of Stephanie and Steve Roitstein; Abigael Leigh, daughter of Courtneay and David Saylan; Lea Alyn, daughter of Melissa and Matt Shapiro; Adeline Holland, daughter of Angelyn and Jeff Shapiro; Aaron Asher Sherman, son of Susan Long and David Sherman; Yehuda Simcha, son of Liat and Gary Shyken; Akiva Yitzchok Reuven, son of Rachel and Joey Shyken; Asher Sokol, son of Levi and Qian Sokol; Aurelia Tindall, daughter of Nikki and Jon Tindall; Jack Turnbull, son of Michelle and B J Turnbull; Emmet S. Voegele, son of Carrie Jacobson and Eric Voegele; Jaxon Robert Gabriel Vuagniaux, son of Jackie Neesman and Gregory Vuagniaux; Tyler Alan, son of Kori and Josh Wees; Cy Dresner, son of Alyssa and Brent Zacharia; Jordan Ryder, son of Lauren and Jonathan Zoob.
In memoriam Ruth Abrahams, Richard Abrahamson, Marian Clayman Abramson, Gertrude Ambrose, Gerti Arav, Beatrice “Betty” Arons, Bea Azriel, Amy Steinberg Bianchini, Louie Blumkin, Thomas Brown, Abe J. Bucksner, Marilyn Bush, Charlotte Casten, Joseph Jay Chasen, Edith “Edy” Chesen, Edith Comisar, Leni Crounse, Florence C. Davis, Esther Molly Witkin Dolgoff, Norman Durmaskin, David Dvorkin, Mildred “Mimi” Elsasser, C. Randy Endelman, Robert (Bob) Endelman, Edith Epstein, Harold Epstein, Sam Epstein, Evelyn Finkelstein, Betty Fisher, Beverly Frieden, Murial Israel Freifeld, Sheldon M. “Shelley” Gallner, Honey Gilbert, Pearl Richman Giventer, Richard “Dick” Goldberg, Ruth E. Goldenberg, Maurice Gordon, Edwin “Eddie” Gorelick, Jerome P. Grossman, Barbara Gutnik, Ida Halperin, Morris “Moe” Handleman, Eric Harrison, Louis Heller, Anna Novak Hemingway, Shirlee Hersch, Cecelia F. “Cece” Hill, Lawrence Hornstein, Nancy Isler, Doris Izenstat, Eve Katskee, Minette L. Katz, Robin Katz, Elaine Honigblum Kaufman, Rosa (Reizel) Kogan, Dorothy H. Kotok, Hilda Kramer, Irving Abraham Krutter, Dr. Morton H. Kulesh, Ben Kutler, Susan Landow, Julie Leff, Ruth Diamond Levinson, Darlene Lewis, Lester Lewis, Marilyn Lewis, Gail Ruth Levin, Saul Libowski, Beverly Liggett, Marjorie Lincoln, Donald August Lindow, Anna Shea Lundberg, Elton L. Lyles, Malcolm
Mehlinger, Paul Militzer, Sr., Norma Lou Levin Novak, Earl Alton O’Connor, Sydney Osten, Lucille Paskowitz, Robert Perelman, Joseph Polonski, Hyman Polsky, David M. Rice, Cory L. Richards, Kaleb Rimmerman, Nathan Rimmerman, Jacob Roberts, Larry E. Roffman, M.D., Rita M. Rosen, David Rosenberg, Yankiel Jacob Rosenberg, Reva Rubenstein, Milton M. Saylan, Nigel Schneider, Sandy Schuchman, Phyllis Lee Wohlner Schwartz, Joe Silverman, Steve Sokolof, Marlon Somberg, Norman Sellz, Dave Shkolnick, Stuart Edward Simon, Leo Sivin, Ruth Skolnik, Merrian Spiegal, Arthur P. Stein, Gerald Stein, Tom Steinberg M.D., Donald Stern, Sheldon Sterenberg, Sylvia Swartz, Toby Swichkow, Helena Tichauer, Billie Pepper Trachtenbarg, James David Tully, Sheldon Jay Turkel, Joanne Louise Urban, Helene Wasserman, Alan Wolfson, Blake Wolfson, Norman Harold Zevitz, Roza L. Zlotnik, Evelyn Zysman.
EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE The Jewish Press office is closed Thursday and Friday, Sept. 5 and 6, for Rosh Hashanah; the deadline for the Sept. 13 issue is Tuesday, Sept. 3, 9 a.m. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Catherine Cox, daughter of Penny and Michael Cox; Lauren Dietrich, daughter of Sheri and Gregory Dietrich; Callie Epstein, daughter of Laurie and Jeffrey Epstein and Eleanor and Alexander Fields; Jacob Kirshenbaum, son of Barbara and Scott Kirshenbaum; Natalie Pichik, daughter of Shelly and Mike Pichik; Julia Raffel, daugther of Amy Tipp and Andrew Raffel; Josie Slovut, daughter of Beth and Mitchell Slovut; Hannah and Josh Stein, children of Julie and David Stein. BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Ethan Shrago, son of Michael Shrago and Lesli Shrago; Sam Kricsfeld, son of Alan and Deborah Kricsfeld; Raelyn Cherry, daughter of Michael and Kimberlee Cherry; Ilana McNamara, daughter of Patrick McNamara and Aviva Segall; Max Kohll, son of David and Janet Kohll. CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN/TIFERETH ISRAEL Shoshanah Schreiber, daughter of Michelle Schreiber and Allen Schreiber; Sarah Zlotsky Hoagland, daughter of Amy Zlotsky and Kyle Hoagland; Jared Murray, son of Alisa and Tommy Murray; Josh Jolton, son of Marcy Wood and Jeff Jolton. CHABAD Nina Pfrenger, daughter of Bonnie and Jochen Pfrenger of The Woodlands, TX; Feigy Katzman, daughter of Shani and Rabbi Mendel Katzman. TEMPLE ISRAEL Hannah Faye, daughter of Sharon and Damon Bargas; Benjamin Noah, son of Stacie Brodkey and Marc Brodkey; Aleia Grace, daughter of Larry Budwig; Cooper Jonathon, son of Kimara and Kevin Clark; Jackson Samuel, son of Kimara and Kevin Clark; Adam Charles Cooper-Kahn, son of Amy and Paul Rabinovitz; Jack Elias, son of Hillary and John Fletcher; Jane Elizabeth, daughter of Jennifer and John Glazer; Harley Nelson, son of Bridget and Kenneth Gordman; Jonothan Jacob, son of Bridget and Kenneth Gordman; Noah James, son of Debbie and Patrick Hale; Kathleen Tompkins, daughter of Jennifer and Matt Kirshenbaum; Simon Alex, son of Kate and Joseph Murphy; Zoey Haiden, daughter of Karli and Jody Newman; Olivia Ruth, daughter of Patty and Tony Nogg; Seth Harry, son of Susie and Michael Norton; Benjamin Grant, son of Wendy and Adam Raffel; Bennett Lincoln, son of Shayna and Matthew Ray; Chloe Madison, daughter of Shayna and Matthew Ray; Eliana Rochelle, daughter of Wendy and Robert Reiss; Adam Reuben, son of Mimi and Michael Silverman; Ellie Paige, daughter of Stacy and Bruce Simon; Harrison Jon, son of Cynthia and Brian Stoneking; Samantha Frances, daughter of Louri Sullivan and Charles Sullivan; Mia Nicole, daughter of Jody Vinci and Gino Vinci; Joshua Michael, son of William Wax.
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Life cycles
New Children’s books open new worlds
Marriages Laurie Kimberly Snyder and Paul Berkowitz Aly Bowers and Alex Bollinger Jennifer Lauren Cooper and Erik Michael Brook Anne Muskin and Matthew Brower Toni Auger and Jon Chester Elizabeth Kaplan and Steve Christensen Carrie Allison Evans and Cory James Epstein Rebecca Fuehrer and Jeffrey Friedman Kristen Peter and Joe Gelber Brooke Chaussee and Ben Gordon Julie Feldman and Eric Hamburg
Natalie Madelyn Tavlin and Kurtis James Kadlec Andi Michelle Gutnik and Jason Elliot Kaufman Rebecca Murow and Josh Klein Rachel Iris Drossman and Daniel Albert Morris Erica Rubin and Michael Parks Ariella Lowensohn and Joe Rohr Marissa Dayle Epstein and Robert Michael Solls Meagan Katelman and Sam Spomer Hofit Pinchas and Ran Tsabari
5773 Year in Review: Fighting over Jewish pluralism by URIEL HEILMAN NEW YORK (JTA) -- In 5773, the religious wars just would not go away. In Israel, elections that extended Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure as prime minister delivered big wins to two antiOrthodox-establishment upstarts, Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett. For the first time in nearly two decades, Israel’s coalition government included no haredi Orthodox parties. The Israel Defense Forces took concrete Women of the Wall members praying at the steps toward ending the draft exemption for Western Wall plaza to mark the beginning of haredi men. Israel’s Ministry of Religious the Hebrew month of Av, July 8, 2013. Credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90 Services agreed for the first time to allow non-Orthodox rabbis to serve in commuto get the Israeli government to consider nal positions with state-funded salaries. changes to the Orthodox monopoly over ritAnd the Reform and Conservative move- ual and prayer at the Western Wall -- but ments finally broke through years of apathy Continued on page 16
by PENNY SCHWARTZ BOSTON (JTA) -- Shofars, apples and honey, make room for pomegranates, couscous and pumpkins. The new crop of children’s books for the High Holidays opens a world beyond the beloved traditional symbols of the New Year. From ancient times to today, the savory, engaging reads presented here will take families from the kitchen to the bedroom to the sukkah. (See also p. 5 and 19) Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts by Jane Yolen; recipes by Heidi E.Y. Stemple; illustrated by Sima Elizabeth Shefrin Crocodile Books/Interlink, $25; ages 5 and older Master storyteller Jane Yolen and her daughter, Heidi E.Y. Stemple, a cook and children’s writer, serve up a collection of richly detailed retellings of Jewish folk tales from around the world paired with kidfriendly recipes for Jewish foods. Yolen presents a range of tales, from the entertaining and humorous to lesser-known sophisticated tales for older readers that pose life’s challenges. Stemple offers up tempting recipes adapted for today’s families, from the traditional, familiar Eastern European fare to some lesser-known African and Sephardic cuisine. The brightly colored collages and recipe illustrations by Sima Elizabeth Shefrin make the book a pleasure to browse for all ages. Among the 18 stories and recipes are two Rosh Hashanah entries. Two Jars of Honey, set in the days of King Solomon, where a
wise-beyond-his-years Solomon resolves a feud between neighbors. All ends well on a note of compassion and forgiveness. A recipe for honey cake, a traditional sweet eaten during the High Holidays, includes a surprising ingredient -- a can of cola. In The Pomegranate Seed, a tale that originated in Morocco, a poor man caught stealing uses his wit and a moral challenge to save himself. An appealing recipe for pomegranate couscous is packed with flavor, texture and color from pomegranate seeds, dried apricots, cinnamon, cilantro and fresh mint. An added note explains that pomegranates are associated with Rosh Hashanah because the red, globeshaped fruit is said to have 613 seeds that correspond with the Torah’s 613 mitzvot, or commandments. It would have been easy to fill a cookbook with Jewish tales about challah and chicken, common Jewish foods, Yolen tells JTA, adding that it took plenty of research to find stories that matched the book’s breadth of recipes. “When I found the honey cake story, I was thrilled,� Yolen recalls. Budding storytellers, folklorists and teachers will appreciate Yolen’s outstanding end notes that credit other storytellers for their earlier versions and provide the origins and cultural history of the stories. In the introduction, Yolen and Stemple write that storytelling and cooking change over time and location. “Be playful,� they encourage, and “let’s eat!�
Celebrate Brownell-Talbot School’s 150th Birthday! 4BUVSEBZ t 4FQUFNCFS 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ■ćF 1BODBLF .BO t 0QFOT BU B N ■'VO 3VO 8BML t 4UBSU BU UIF .FNPSJBM 1BSL #BTFCBMM %JBNPOE
12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ■-JWF FOUFSUBJONFOU ■T FSB MJWJOH IJTUPSZ FYIJCJUT XPPE DBSWFST NPVOUBJO NFO CMBDLTNJUIT MPPNFST DSBęT BOE HBNFT ■'BDF QBJOUJOH EVOLJOH CPPUI BOE TUPSZUFMMFST ■#SPXOFMM 5BMCPU 4DIPPM TQPSUT DMVCT BOE BDBEFNJD UFBN QFSGPSNBODFT ■'BOUBTUJD GPPE GSPN 0NBIB 4UFBLT¼ BOE F$SFBNFSZ¼ BOE GBSF GSPN UIF FSB JODMVEJOH QPQDPSO DPUUPO DBOEZ IPU QSFU[FMT BOE NPSF ■1MVT HVJEFE UPVST PG PVS DBNQVT BOE DMBTTSPPNT BRVBUJD DFOUFS BDUJWJUJFT BOE NVDI NVDI NPSF
3FHJTUFS GPS UIF 'VO 3VO 8BML BOE TFF EFUBJMT BU brownell.edu/150years 400 N. Happy Hollow Blvd. /MAHA .EBRASKA s
402-556-3772 Shuttle service will be provided from the Omaha Community Playhouse at 69th and Cass streets. "ROWNELL 4ALBOT #OLLEGE 0REPARATORY 3CHOOL IS ACCREDITED BY THE )NDEPENDENT 3CHOOLS !SSOCIATION OF THE #ENTRAL 3TATES s WWW ISACS ORG WWW !DVANC %$ ORG s 4HE .EBRASKA $EPARTMENT OF %DUCATION s WWW EDUCATION NE GOV
August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | C15
Boards Jewish Federation of Omaha JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA JFO Board President, Jay Noddle; JCC Board President, Mike Siegel; JSS Board Co-Presidents: Richard Jacobson and Steve Nogg; CJL Board President, Bonnie Bloch; Jewish Press Board President, Andy Ruback; CRC Board President, Patrick Jensen; Budget & Financial Review Chair, Stacey Rockman; Members at Large: Brett Atlas, Bob Belgrade, Toba Cohen-Dunning, Bruce Friedlander, Jon Meyers, and Amee Zetzman; Past President, Jody Malashock; Chief Executive Officer, Michael Silverman; Chief Financial Officer, Jordana Glazer; Associate Director, Julee Katzman; JCC Executive Director, Mark Martin; Executive Director ADL/CRC, Alan Potash; Editor of The Jewish Press, Annette van de Kamp-Wright; Executive Director CJL, Beth Cohen; Executive Director JFS, Karen Gustafson; Chief Development Officer, Marty Ricks; Executive Director Foundation, Howard Epstein; Assistant Administrator Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Mike Schop. ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE/ COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL President, Patrick Jensen; Past President, Richard Evnen; David Gilinsky, Carol Bloch, Laura Crosby, Jeff Gordman, Tom Vann, and Aaron Weiner; Michael Alley, Ellie Batt, Bob Bleicher, Shirley Cemaj, Mel Clancy, Katherine Finnegan, Ted Friedland, Herb Friedman, Bruce Goldberg, Danielle Gordman, Rich Juro, Jeff Kirshenbaum, Michael Levine, John Levy, Dan Marburg, Gary Nachman, Bob Nefsky, Brian Nogg, Alan Parsow, David Phillips, Jonathan Rockman, Susan Rothholz and Jan Schneiderman. THE CENTER FOR JEWISH LIFE President, Bonnie Bloch; Secretary, Julie Phillips; Treasurer, Matt Ray; Karla Cohen, Dusty Friedman, Ron Giller, Debbie
Roitstein, Becca Ruetsch-Finkelstein, Matt Shapiro, Rachel Shyken and Dorothy Spizman. JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER President, Michael Siegel; Vice President, Jason Epstein; Treasurer, Steve Levinger; Past President, John Glazer; Stacey Atlas, Dan Epstein, Rabbi Jonathan Gross, Mark Kelln, Chuck Lucoff, Jamie Meyerson, Scott Meyerson, Wendy Raffel, Shayna Ray, Ari Riekes, Scott Simon, Dorothy Spizman and Dana Wear. JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA FOUNDATION President, Carl Riekes; Vice President, Donald Goldstein; Steven Bloch, Paul Epstein, Michael M. Erman, Ted Friedland, David Gilinsky, Gloria Kaslow, Joseph Kirshenbaum, Jody Malashock, Allan Murow, Murray H. Newman, Steve Nogg, Andrew Robinson, Harley D. Schrager, Frederick J. Simon, Norman Veitzer, Adam Yale; Emeritus: Ted M. Seldin; Past President: Jay Noddle; Stacey Rockman.
JEWISH SOCIAL SERVICES Co-Presidents: Richard Jacobson and Steve Nogg; Treasurer, Jeff Kirshenbaum; Secretary, Sally Zipursky; Past President, James A. Farber, Ex-Officio; L.O.V.E. President, Jim Wax, Ex-Officio; Joanie Bernstein, Justin Cooper, Toba Cohen-Dunning, Paul Epstein, Ted Friedland, Debbi Josephson, Janie Murow, Nancy Noddle, Susan Norton, James Polack, and Dorothy Spizman.
B’NAI ISRAEL President, Allan Kurland; Vice President, Mark Eveloff; Secretary, Nancy Wolf; Treasurer, Rick Katelman; Board Members: Sandra Kurland, Sissy Silber and Phil Wolf. CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN/ SOUTH STREET TEMPLE President, Eleanor Shirley-Kirkland; Vice President, David
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Weisser; Secretary, Julie Moore; Ex officio and Co-Treasurers, Peter Mullin and Leslie Delserone; Immediate Past President, Marc Shkolnick; Board Members: Stacy Balter, Michael Boekstal, Nathaniel McHargue, John Mosow, Anne Rickover, Dave Rosenbaum and Lori Schwartz. TEMPLE ISRAEL President, Sally Kaplan; President Elect, Mike Halsted; Vice Presidents, Paul Rabinovitz and Rosie Zweiback; Secretary, Mike Norton; Treasurer, Alan Fredricks; Assistant Treasurer, Jeff Schweid; Past President, John Lehr; Presidential Appointees, Andie Gordman and Jon Meyers; Board Members: Stacie Brodkey, Hannah Budwig, Sharon Comisar-Langdon, Justin Cooper, Marlen Frost, Dan Gilbert, Scott Goodman, Danielle Gordman, Gary Kaplan, Cat King, Dan Marburg, Paul Miller, Jeff Nogg, Susie Norton, Rob Reiss, Jane Rips, Susan Rothholz and Louri Sullivan. Omaha Temple Youth Group: President, Hannah Budwig; Programming Vice President, Abby Hack; Social Action Vice President, Maddie Jensen; Religious/Cultural Vice President, Jacob Arnold; Membership Vice President, Maddie Miller; Communications and Visual Vice President, Sophie Budwig; Special Projects Coordinator, Maddie Jensen. TIFERETH ISRAEL President, Brenda F. Ingraham; Vice President, Jennifer Rosenblatt; Secretary, Daniel Friedman; Treasurer, Howard Feldman; Immediate Past President, Lou Halperin; Trustees: Aaron Bowers, Seth Harris, Marlon Weiss; Spiritual Lay Leader, Nancy Coren; Administrator, Nava Halpern; Fair Share Dues, Everett Evnen and David Brockman; Membership, Jeffrey Payne and Jodie Stein; Ritual, Joe Weber; Legal, Robert Evnen; Community Relations and Social Action, Harlan Priesman; Adult Education, Lucy Bowers; Fundraising, Marcia Kushner; Social, Cindi Weiss and Joyce Davidson; Kitchen, Nanci Hamicksburg.
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Boards Jewish Organizations B’NAI B’RITH HENRY MONSKY LODGE President, Ari Riekes; President Emeritus, Gary Javitch; Board Members: Alvin Abramson, Mike Abramson, Gerald Meyer, Marty Ricks, Steve Riekes, Howard Shandell and Aaron Weiner.
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FRIEDEL JEWISH ACADEMY President, Harry Berman; Vice President, Rebecca Ruetsch-Finkelstein; Treasurer, Jerry Gordman; PAC, Joel Alperson; Members at Large: Sharon Comisar-Langdon, Debbie Denenberg, Joanie Jacobson, Alan Kohll, David Kutler, Bruce Potash, Adam Raffel, Helene Shrago, Harry Weiner, Jeremy Wright; Ex-Officio: Lloyd Roitstein; Ex-Officio/Clergy: Steven Abraham, Aryeh Azriel, Jonathan Gross; Principal, Pam Cohn. LOVE (LEAGUE OFFERING VOLUNTEERS FOR THE ELDERLY) President, Jim Wax; President-Elect, Mark Kazor, Rene Kazor; Treasurer, Esther Wax; Secretary, Beth Friedman; Membership, Ricki Skog; Historian, Michael Shrago; Past President/Advisor, Judy Brookstein; Directors: Sheryl Friedman, Dora Goldstrom, Howard Kaplan, Les Kay, Mark Lippett, Jim Polack, Vicki Perlmeter, Shelley Stern, Sheila Tomps; and Staff, Lois Wine. MAINSTREETERS Committee Chairs: Executive Chair, Dick Rochman; Advisor, Harry Alloy; Luncheon CoChairs; Linda Abrams-Tederman and Shelley Stern; Menu Chair, Tootie Simon; Recording Secretary, Dottie Rosenblum; Communications, Jim Wax; Social Programming Co-Chair, Rose Pitlor; Education, Rocky Stern; and Staff Director, Maggie Conti.
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN - OMAHA SECTION President, Holly Weill; Vice-Presidents of Community Service, Kelly Kirk and Sonia Tipp; Vice-President of Fundraising, Lise Sasson; Vice-Presidents of Membership, Dana Kaufman and Lori Kooper-Schwarz; VicePresidents of Public Affairs/Education, Becki Brenner and Lisa Lewis; Vice-President of Communication, Alice Klein; Treasurer, Eileen Remer; Recording Secretary, Cheryl Lerner; Corresponding Secretary, Lisa Lucoff; Financial Secretary, Patty Nogg; Parliamentarians, Julie Martin and Dottie Rosenblum; Directors: Debbie Friedman, Nikki Kirshenbaum, Tina Meyers, Sarah Spooner; Past President, Jan Fischer; Honorary National President, Jan Schneiderman; Honorary Vice President, Lois Friedman; Finance Chair, Beth Friedman; Nominating Committee Chair, Beth Friedman; Planning and Evaluation Chair, Debbie Friedman. NEBRASKA JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY President, Sue Millward; Vice President, Beth Staenberg; Secretary, Rocky Stern; Treasurer, Nan Katz; Past President, Debbi Josephson; Founders: Mary Fellman and Oliver Pollak; Board Members: Norma Fried, Michael Gendler, Lorrie Katelman, Angela Krieger, Rocky Lewis, Vicki Perlmeter and Dick Rochman; Ex Officio: Louise Abrahamson, Bob Belgrade, Joanie Bernstein, Midge Bowers, Helen Epstein, Lois Friedman, Ira Nathan and Helen Rifkin; Honorary Member, Max Neiden; Board Advisory on Archives & Exhibits, Doug Hartman; Office Staff: Executive Director, Renee Ratner Corcoran and Assistant, Kathy Weiner.
5773 Year in Review Continued from page 14 few days after the trial, a hasidic assailant there’s been no movement beyond proposals. threw bleach in the face of a community In the United States, Yeshivat Maharat, a rabbi, Nuchem Rosenberg, who advocates New York school for women founded four for victims of sex abuse. years ago to train Orthodox female rabBut to extrapolate a storyline or trend binic authorities, graduated its first class of from these disparate events could be folly. Orthodox clergy, known as maharats. The For one thing, the Orthodox sex scanSupreme Court granted federal benefits to same-sex couples and struck down a California law banning gay marriage in the state. While Jewish liberals seemed to have a good year, Orthodox leaders and institutions found themselves on the defensive. Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Yona Metzger, was arrested on suspicion of fraud and money laundering. Yeshiva University, the flagship institution of Modern Orthodoxy, became the sub- Yeshivat Maharat graduates at their ordination ceremony ject of a $380 million lawsuit at Ramaz High School in New York City, June 16, 2013. Credit: Joe Winkler by former students alleging that two rabbis who used to teach at the Y.U. dals might be more about the dawning of a high school for boys in the 1970s and ‘80s new age of reckoning on sex abuse than the committed hundreds of acts of sex abuse. prevalence of sexual misdeeds among When Y.U.’s chancellor, Rabbi Norman Orthodox Jews. Lamm, announced he was stepping down, And for all the triumphs that Jewish liberhe apologized for mishandling the allega- als saw this year, demographic trends suggest tions when he was university president. that the Jewish communities in the United The Satmar hasidic community in New States and Israel are growing less liberal. York became embroiled in its own sex Data released in January from the 2011 scandal when it lined up to support an Jewish population study of New York unlicensed therapist from Brooklyn showed that two-thirds of the metropolitan charged with the repeated sexual assault of region’s Jewish population growth over the a female teenager in his care. last decade occurred in two haredi neighEven after Nechemya Weberman was borhoods in Brooklyn. While there hasn’t found guilty and sentenced to 103 years in been a national Jewish population study in prison, the community’s support did not more than a decade, the data from waver. Rather, Satmar leaders inveighed America’s largest Jewish community suggest against the victim and her supporters. A Continued on page 17
August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | C17
5773 Year in Review
Two Chasidic men walk in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Along with Borough Park, the neighborhood accounts for twothirds of overall Jewish population growth in the New York area, according to new details from a 2012 study. Credit: Gedalya Gottdenger via Creative Commons Continued from page 16 that Orthodox Jews, with their high birthrates, will represent an ever-larger proportion of the American Jewish community. “The traditional population of American Jews has high fertility and the non-Orthodox population as a group is well below replacement level,” New York University sociologist Steven M. Cohen, one of the researchers who conducted the study, told JTA. “So American Jewry, with no other change, will become increasingly traditional in the years to come.” While fertility rates among non-Orthodox Israelis are not as low as those of American Jews, they lag far behind those of Orthodox Israelis. The relative size of Israel’s haredi community, as a share of Israel’s total population, is expected to double by 2020, to 16 percent. In Israel, the culture wars between haredi and non-haredi have focused on the haredi draft exemption and the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly over marriage. The haredi establishment has mostly succeeded in protecting the status quo on both those counts, notwithstanding changes in the draft law. And when the 150 or so electors charged with choosing new Ashkenazi and Sephardic chief rabbis went to the polls in July, they rejected the reformist favorite David Stav and instead elected two haredim, Continued on page 19
In honor of my husband Mike Sadofsky and daughter Katya Kuzmina While we enjoy September weather in many nice and peaceful ways, It’s time for us to get together - to greet the Jewish Holy Days! The last year past... If we (suppose) have made mistakes or have regrets the introspection helps expose why one’s soul aches or mind upsets. We pray, and make the “resolutions”. We plan to have a better life... Hope for a change and some solutions - a goal that pushes us to strive for love and health, for smiles and laughter among our friends with their support... And to enjoy forever after our life itself not to be short. The New Year Day - the Shofar sounds, the ram’s horn trumpet makes us think about a Jewish sad background, “a cup of sorrows we had to drink”. We can’t forget how many years so many things for Jews went wrong... But Jews are “chosen”, all our fears just help us learn how to be strong. Let eating apples dipped in honey - be our symbol of sweet dream. And our next year let be sunny, and our last year sins redeem! We’ll walk to nearby floating water for Tashlick on New Year’s day... We’ll take the crumbs from our pockets and quickly throw them away. If Jews should struggle, let us cope - we’ll stay together and be brave... With our prayers, thoughts and hope for all our “dearest” to be safe. Marina Sadofsky
Перевод на Русский Посвящается моему мужу Майку Садофски и дочери Катюше Кузьминой. В Сентябре, наслаждаясь погодой, в предкушении приятных хлопот, День указан Евреям Природой - мы готовы встречать Новый Год! В год прошедший случались ошибки, и о них мы могли сожалеть. Нам понять надо - сделать попытки, что заста вило душу болеть. Мы помолимся, примем решение, лучше жить запланируем мы... Пусть надежда развеет сомнение и печаль, что тревожит умы. Цель поставим - любить, улыбаться среди милых и добрых друзей, Быть здоровыми, чаще смеяться - это делает жизнь длинней. Звук Шофара в дни Нового года нам напомнит как много беды, И как часто страдание народа оставляло разрухи следы. Не забыть нам Еврейских гонений человеческой боли страстей, Но, коль избраны мы (нет сомнений), пусть боль сделает нас лишь сильней. Дольки яблока в мёд окунаем - это символы “сладкой” мечты... Мы в грядущий год, солнечный, знаем, что иску пим былые грехи. По традиции - “жить без изъянов”, к водоёму мы днём подойдём, Вынув крошки из наших карманов, быстро выбросим их в водоём. Если нам предстоят испытания, мы сплотимся в отважный отряд... Пусть молитвы, надежды, желания наших близких от горя хранят! Марина Садовски
C18 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 | 402.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com For information on our historic synagogue – dates and times for Friday night services, please call 712.323.8885. ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m., Patrick McNamara, PhD, Aviva Segall, Music Director of Omaha Area Youth Orchestras, Ilana McNamara and Leora McNamara speaks about A Family Presentation. Apples, honey and sweets to follow. THURSDAY: Services, 10:30 a.m., Dr. Oliver Pollak addresses Adventure in Jewish History. Saturday, Sept. 14, 5:30 p.m., Yom Kippur concluding service and Break-the-fast potluck. Please call Sandra at 712.323.8885 to RSVP and let us know what dish you’d like to bring. All services led by Jeffrey Taxman.
Candlelighting Friday, August 30, 7:42 p.m. Wednesday, September 4, 7:34 p.m. | Thursday, September 5, no earlier than 8:33 p.m.
All Beth El classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. FRIDAY: Mincha/Ma’ariv and Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Mincha, 7:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:42 p.m.; Selichot, 11:59 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. ROSH HASHANAH THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Sermon, 10 a.m., followed by Shofar blowing; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Sermon, 10 a.m., followed by Shofar blowing; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m. Larry Raful will be our guest speaker during services; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:45 p.m.; Come to Beth El to participate in our “Build a Prayer” workshop, 9 p.m. The Selichot service follows at 9:45 p.m., and the evening concludes with a dessert reception honoring Rabbi Abraham and Hazzan Krausman. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY: Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.; Torah Honors 101, 10 a.m., Rabbi Abraham and Hazzan Krausman will teach the basics of aliyah-taking. Class is for first-timers and those wishing to brush up on their skills. No charge to attend; Bowling party for USY and Kadima, 5-7 p.m., at Maplewood Lanes. Cost is $15. RSVP by calling or texting Betsy Goodman, 402.321.1806. MONDAY: Morning Service, 9 a.m. ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Ma’ariv, 6 p.m. THURSDAY: Morning Service, 9 a.m.; Youth Service, 10:30 a.m.; Mini-Minyannaires (Tot Service), 11 a.m.; Tashlich, 4:45 p.m. at Boys Town Lake; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 6 p.m. FRIDAY: Morning Service, 9 a.m.; Youth Service, 10:30 a.m. Shabbat Shuvah Mincha service, Friday, Sept. 6, 5:45 p.m. Ozzie Nogg will present the D’var Torah during services on Saturday, Sept. 7. Join Men’s Club for Sukkah Building on Sunday, Sept. 8, 8:30 a.m., as they construct the synagogue’s sukkah in the front courtyard. Primary and high school BESTT classes resume Sunday, Sept. 8, 9:45 a.m. Merit scholarship informational meeting, Sunday, Sept. 8, 12:30 p.m. Weekday classes resume Wednesday, Sept. 11, 4:15 p.m. High school dinner, 6 p.m. Classes begin at 6:45 p.m. Register online at www.bethelomaha.org. Wrestling with the Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. weekly adult-education class led by Rabbi Abraham resumes Sept. 10. No charge to attend; everyone is welcome.
CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush luncheon follows the service. SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.; Breakfast Bonanza, 9:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office. ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Mincha, 7 p.m. followed by dinner. THURSDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.; Shofar Sounding, 11 a.m.; Tashlich, 6:30 p.m.; Evening Services, 7 p.m. followed by dinner. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.; Shofar Sounding, 11 a.m. Yom Kippur Break-the-fast, Saturday, Sept. 14, 8:15 p.m. All programs are open to the entire community.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Maureen and Dale Lobb. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Nitzavim/Vayelech; Selichot: Potluck Dessert, 7:30 p.m.; Presentation Talking Turkey: Interfaith Reflections on a Shared Journey, 8 p.m.; Havdalah and Selichot Service, 9 p.m. led by Rabbi Craig Lewis and the High Holy Days Choir. MONDAY: Temple office closed for Labor Day ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Evening Service, 8 p.m. with oneg following hosted by the Board of Trustees. THURSDAY: Family Service, 9 a.m. (Parents, please accompany your children); Morning Service, 10 a.m.; Tashlich service, 3 p.m. at Wilderness Park. LJCS Classes begin, Sunday, Sept. 8 at 9:30 a.m.
Spanish towns gear up for Sukkot Judaica festival by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- Two Spanish towns are preparing a two-day Judaica festival featuring a mock wedding to celebrate their lost Jewish heritage. The Sept. 28-29 event, during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, is being co-organized by non-Jews from San Juan and Rio Jerte in the province Extremadura in northwestern Spain. It also will include a Judaica market and songs, according to festival coordinator Antonio Gil. “This is a local event for the local population so that people who live here know that part of our history,” Gil told JTA. Gil added that the idea for the festival came last year from Maria Dolores Marin of San Juan and is not geared toward attracting tourists. In planning the event, Gil and Marin consulted Avigail Cohen Komer, an Israeli Jew who owns a shop in the nearby village of Hervas, where a Jewish festival is held every year. Northern Spain had a Jewish population of hundreds of
thousands before the Spanish Inquisition, which began in the late 15th century and drove countless Jews into exile. Others were forcefully converted to Christianity, though for decades many of the converted secretly practiced Judaism. In recent years, municipalities across Portugal and Spain have been spending millions of dollars renovating Jewish heritage sites. Gil said the festival’s organizers will decorate some homes that used to belong to Jews. The municipality of Zamora, some 130 miles north of the two towns, also announced its own Jewish project earlier this month in which it will post plaques near its places of Jewish historical interest, according to the daily La Opinion-El Correo de Zamora. Zamora’s head of economic development, trade and tourism, Francisco Javier Gonzalez, told El Correo that the city has “a historic debt" to its Sephardic ancestors, who were forced to leave the Zamora and Castile and Leon.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway | Offutt AFB, NE 68113 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Marti Nerenstone. ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Erev Evening Service, 7 p.m., led by Andrew Greenberg. THURSDAY: Morning Service, 9 a.m., led by Andrew Greenberg. FRIDAY: Morning service, 9 a.m., led by Miles Remer. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.
TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 www.templeisrael-ne.org FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel and Cantor Shermet. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.; Havdalah & S’lichot, 7 p.m. We invite our congregants to join us on a spiritual walk through the new sacred spaces as we celebrate our new home as a place to laugh and to cry, and to heal. There will be a teaching during the service about forgiveness and repentance. We will also be changing the Torah covers for the High Holidays. A chocolate oneg will follow the service; OJC pre-Slichot Program at Beth Israel, 9:30 p.m. TUESDAY: Kol Rina and Quintet Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m. ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Sitter Service, 7 p.m.; Evening Service, 7:30 p.m. THURSDAY: Tot Service (preschool-age children), 9 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah Morning (K-Grade 4), 10 a.m. led by Rabbi Brown, Debbie Massarano and Nikki Flatowicz followed by holiday-themed activities, stories and craft projects; Morning service, 10:15 a.m.; Tree Planting, 2 p.m. After the morning service, congregants are invited to help with the landscaping around our new building by planting trees. There will be plenty of time to go home after the service and change into casual clothes. Apple cider will be served. Please bring a shovel. Shabbat Shuvah Service, Friday, Sept. 6, 6 p.m. Tashlich, Saturday, Sept. 7, following Shabbat. We will gather with our neighbors from Beth Israel for Tashlich, which means “cast away.” We will throw our transgressions into the creek behind our new building and begin the new year cleansed of our sins and misdeeds. Lunch will be provided afterward at Beth Israel.
TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. FRIDAY: Shabbat Services, 6:30 p.m. followed by a discussion of timely news topics pertaining to the Jewish world. SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon; Havdalah/Selichot, 8:45 p.m. led by Mike Eppel. MONDAY: Temple office closed for Labor Day ROSH HASHANAH WEDNESDAY: Temple office closed; Ma’ariv, 8 p.m. THURSDAY: Temple office closed; Services, 9 a.m.; Youth Service, 11 a.m.; Mincha/Tashlich, 5 p.m. at Holmes Lake. FRIDAY: Temple office closed; Service, 9 a.m.; Youth Service, 11 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:15 p.m. LJCS Classes begin, Sunday, Sept. 8 at 9:30 a.m. Annual Congregation Break-the-fast at the end of Yom Kippur. Havdalah service and meal around 8:20 p.m.
MEMORIAL SERVICES Sunday, September 1 Golden Hill Cemetery, 5025 N. 42nd St., 11 am Beth Israel/Mt. Sinai, 78th & Crown Point, noon BHH/Fisher Farms, 8900 S. 42nd Street, 1 p.m. Sunday, September 8 Oak Hills/Bikhor Cholim, Council Bluffs, 10 a.m. Mount Carmel Cemetery in Lincoln, 10:30 a.m. Beth El Cemetery, 84th and ‘L’ Sts., 11 a.m. Temple Israel Cemetery, 6412 No. 42 St., 1 p.m. Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, 3 p.m.
August 30, 2013 | The Jewish Press | C19
For the New Year, children’s books open new worlds by PENNY SCHWARTZ BOSTON (JTA) -- Shofars, apples and honey, make room for pomegranates, couscous and pumpkins. The new crop of children’s books for the High Holidays opens a world beyond the beloved traditional symbols of the New Year. From ancient times to today, the savory, engaging reads presented here will take families from the kitchen to the bedroom to the sukkah. (See also pages C5 and C14) Tikkun Olam Ted by Vivian Newman,
illustrated by Steve Mack Kar-Ben; $5.95 board book; ages 1-4 From Sunday to Friday, a young, small boy named Ted spends his days doing some big things to make the world a kinder, better place. On Shabbat he rests, dreaming of tikkun olam, the repair of the world. Tikkun Olam Ted is a lively toddler book with colorful illustrations that will engage younger kids. Older ones may be inspired by simple, fun ways to help around the house or out in the world.
5773 Year in Review Continued from page 17 David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef, the sons of former chief rabbis. In the American Jewish community, the battle has not been between denominations but over Jewish values. Is it a Jewish value to support the right of gays to marry or does the practice contravene Jewish ethics? Should Jews be advocating for greater government funding for private religious schools or fighting the use of taxpayer money in non-public schools? Should Jews press Washington to make a concerted push for Israeli-Palestinian peace or is such pressure right now not in Israel’s best interests? The divisions among American Jews on these issues do not fall neatly along denominational lines. Meanwhile, the American Jewish political divide appears slowly to be widening. Though Jews as a whole still skew heavily Democratic, in last November’s election President Obama dropped at least 6 points among Jews from 2008, winning an estimated 68 percent of the Jewish vote. The 2012 election also ushered in a Congress with fewer Jewish members than at any time since the 1990s. The divides over politics and religion stood in sharp contrast to the relative consensus that held up through much of the year on international issues. There was practical unanimity on concern that Syria’s civil war not spill over the border, that instability in Egypt not turn the Sinai Peninsula into a breeding ground for Islamic militants, that Iran be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons capability, that the European Union enforce its decision to designate Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist organization. But external threats did not dominate communal discourse in 5773. There wasn’t the same public urgency on Iran as in past years. The Egyptian coup in July was less
concerning for Israel than the 2011 revolution that overthrew longtime ally Hosni Mubarak. The Israeli-Palestinian relationship was marked more by the absence of progress than anything else -- until U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry managed to coax both sides back to the negotiating table in July. There was a mini-war in Gaza in November 2012 that lasted eight days and resulted in the deaths of some 150 Palestinians and six Israelis, but after that Israel’s border with Gaza was mostly quiet. It was tragedy in the United States that left the community with lasting scars. Late last October, a massive storm surge generated by Hurricane Sandy battered communities, synagogues and Jewish schools up and down the Northeast coast. UJA-Federation of New York convened an emergency meeting to authorize $10 million for rebuilding efforts, many of which continue today. Outside of the United States and Israel, the big Jewish stories included the banning of Jewish ritual slaughter in Poland and a new German law regulating ritual circumcision; a controversial exhibit at Berlin’s Jewish museum dubbed “Jew in a box” and a new Jewish museum in Warsaw; a much-criticized deal between the Argentinean and Iranian governments to investigate the 1994 AMIA Jewish community center bombing; sex abuse scandals in Australia; concerns about far-right movements in Hungary and Greece, and the appointment of a new chief rabbi in England. There was some good news here: None of these stories were about major Jewish calamities. To be sure, the Jewish people suffered tragedies in 5773 – from natural disasters, from Gaza rocket fire. But for a people obsessed with survival and accustomed to attacks, the absence of mass casualty events in 5773 made it a remarkable year as much for what did not happen as for what did.
Advertiser Page Gallagher Grace/Mayer .............................................. B2 Garbo’s Salon and Spa .............................................. B13 Gordmans ................................................................... B6 Herzog & Herzog, PC ................................................. A15 Hiller Electric .............................................................. A13 Hockenbergs ............................................................... A3 I-Go Van & Storage ..................................................... A13 Ideal Pure Water & Coffee ........................................... C8 Impact Management & Consulting .............................. C5 Industrial Packaging Corporation ................................. B4 Institute for Holocaust Education .............................. C20 Interim Homestyle Services ....................................... A12 Jewish Community Center .......................................... C1 Jewish Federation of Lincoln ....................................... C4 Jewish Federation of Omaha ....................................... B1 Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation .................... B1 Jewish Press ....................................... A2, A16, B14, C17 Jewish Social Services ............................................... C10 Jewish War Veterans ................................................. C20 Julio’s ........................................................................ B11 Kids Inc. .................................................................... A12 Klutznick-Harris Symposium ....................................... C4 Kohll’s Pharmacy & Homecare ................................... B4 League Offering Volunteers for the Elderly ................. C20 Lerner Company ......................................................... A3 Louie M’s Burger Lust ................................................ B11 Malashock Jewelry .................................................... B10 Malbar Vision Centers ................................................. A7 Marathon Real Estate .................................................. C4 Marathon Ventures ...................................................... A7 Mark Sanford Group .................................................... B7 Marks Clare & Richards ............................................. B13 McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp, PC, LLO. ............ C8 McGrath North ............................................................ C2 Mid Con Systems Inc. ................................................ A15 Mid-City Jewelry & Loan .............................................. B8 N. Pitlor & Son, Inc. ................................................... A12 Nan C ........................................................................ C11 Natan & Hannah Schwalb Center for Israel & Jewish Studies ................................................................. C20 National Council of Jewish Women-Omaha Section .. C20 National Siding & Windows ......................................... C2 Nebraska Democratic Party ........................................ B8 Nebraska Furniture Mart ........................................... C12 Nebraska Jewish Historical Society ........................... C20 Nebraska Press Statewide Classifieds ....................... C15
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FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY Pride in your product, giving back to the community and financial independence - all with great Pizza, Pasta, and Sandwiches in a warm Italian restaurant - that makes Sam & Louie’s the perfect choice when deciding on a Franchise. In smaller towns our menu represents not only Pizza, but also the upscale Italian restaurant in town. In larger cities our atmosphere, food and service make us stand out from the crowd. Sam & Louie’s is tailored to fit your community. Started in Omaha in 1994, we began to Franchise in 2001 and now have 24 locations open or under construction across NE, IA, MT, SD & KS and it looks like several more coming up soon. We are specifically targeting the following NE towns for immediate expansion; Columbus, Fremont, Hastings, Holdrege, Kearney, Lexington, McCook, Nebraska City, Norfolk, N. Platte, Ogallala, Plattsmouth, Schuyler, S. Sioux City & Wayne. If this sounds like something you’re interested in please visit our website or call Michael at (402) 614-8327 or email mn@samandlouiesnyp.com
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Nebraska STATEWIDE CLASSIFIEDS ATTENTION ADVERTISERS! For $225/25 word classified you can advertise in over 170 Nebraska newspapers. For more information contact the Jewish Press at 402-3346449 or call 1-800-369-2850. NEBRASKA ANGUS Tour - September 21st. Visit Angus Ranches throughout Northeast Nebraska. For registration information check out the website at www.nebraskaangus.org or call 308-577-6700. BANKRUPTCY: FREE initial consultation. Fast relief from creditors. Low rates. Statewide filing. No office appointment necessary. Call Steffens Law Office, 308-872-8327. steffensbankruptcylaw.com. We are a debt relief agency, which helps people file bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code. AFFORDABLE PRESS Release service. Send your message to 175 newspapers across Nebraska for one low price! Call 1-800-369-2850 or www.nebpress.com for more details. SELL YOUR classic car, truck or motorcycle online. Call this newspaper or call 1-800369-2850 to place your ad on the national Midwest Classic Cars web site for only $25.00. Your ad with photos runs until your vehicle is sold!
Advertising index Advertiser Page A Permanent Solution ................................................. B7 Abrahams, Kaslow & Cassman LLP ............................ A6 Accura of Omaha ........................................................ B4 All Makes Office Equipment Co. .................................. B3 Allens ......................................................................... A15 American Friends of Magen David Adom ................... B12 American National Bank ............................................ B15 Anti-Defamation League ............................................ C20 Arnold Weitz & Co. ..................................................... B12 B’nai B’rith Henry Monsky Lodge .............................. C20 B’nai B’rith Youth Organization .................................. A16 B’nai Israel Synagogue .............................................. C20 B’nai Jeshurun Synagogue ......................................... C6 Badger Body ............................................................... C3 Bag ’N Save ................................................................. A6 Bagel Bin ................................................................... A11 Belgrade Family ........................................................... A9 Bergman Incentives ..................................................... A4 Bergman Jewelry ......................................................... A4 Beth El BILU USY ....................................................... A16 Beth El Synagogue .................................................... C20 Beth Israel NCSY ....................................................... A16 Beth Israel Sisterhood ............................................... C20 Beth Israel Synagogue .............................................. C20 Body Basics ................................................................ C7 Boys Town ................................................................. A14 Boys Town Ear, Nose & Throat Institute ...................... B5 Broadmoor .................................................................. C8 Brownell Talbot .......................................................... C14 Canfield’s Sporting Goods ........................................... A7 CB Richard Ellis/MEGA ............................................... A9 The Center for Jewish Life ......................................... C20 Chabad ..................................................................... C20 Charleston’s ................................................................ C2 Colliers International .................................................... B8 Community 360° ........................................................ C6 Completely Kids ........................................................ C11 Countryside Village .................................................... C13 Covenant Award .......................................................... A8 Creative Hair Design .................................................. B10 Creighton University ..................................................... A5 Eagle Nursery .............................................................. A9 Enterprise Bank ........................................................... A8 Frankel, Zacharia .............................................................. B7 Fraser Stryker Law Firm ............................................. B15 Friedel Jewish Academy ............................................. A15
MOOSTASH JOE TOURS ARKANSAS SPECTACULAR
Advertiser Page No Frills ....................................................................... A6 Nobbies ....................................................................... A4 Noddle Companies ................................................... C11 Oak Hills/Bikhor Cholim Cemetery ........................... C12 Omaha Compound Company ..................................... A8 Omaha Steaks ............................................................ B3 Omaha Surgical Center ............................................... B9 Omaha Temple Youth Group ...................................... A16 Once Upon A Time ...................................................... A4 Parsow’s .................................................................... B12 Pasta Amore ............................................................... C7 Peterson Brothers Realty Co. ....................................... B7 The Post & Nickel ........................................................ C7 Pulverente Monument Co. .......................................... C6 Remington Heights .................................................... A10 Republic National Distributing Company ................... B11 Ricks Family ................................................................ A7 Rockbrook Village ........................................................ C7 Russell’s .................................................................... C13 St. Joseph Villa ............................................................ B9 Savory Spice ............................................................... C7 Schwalb Realty ........................................................... C3 Security Equipment, Inc. ............................................. B5 Seim Johnson ........................................................... C14 Seldin Company .......................................................... A3 Shulters, Kim .............................................................. C3 Silverman Family ......................................................... A6 Sol’s Jewelry & Loan ................................................... C3 Sonny Gerber Auto Sales ............................................. B9 Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP ...................................... C5 Suburban Newspapers Inc. ......................................... B2 Swartzbaugh Farber .................................................. B10 Temple Israel ............................................................. C20 Terry, Congressman Lee ............................................ C16 Tifereth Israel Synagogue ............................................ C6 Valentino’s ................................................................. A11 van de Kamp-Wright Family ......................................... C8 Vann Realty ................................................................. A4 Village Pointe ............................................................. B16 Village Pointe Pediatrics ............................................... C9 Wiesman Development ............................................. B11 The Winery ................................................................. A11 Wolf Bros. Western Store ............................................. B7 Wright Printing-Joel Rich ............................................ C15 Zio’s Pizzeria .............................................................. A11
REGULAR/HANDICAP Walk-in tubs or shower units, complete bathroom remodeling, reasonably priced models available. Licensed government contractor. 402-896-2966, more info: www.showersplumbing.com. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR needed for Central Mediation Center, Kearney, a nonprofit organization covering central and southwest Nebraska. BA required; Mediation experience preferred. Details at: www.centralmediationcenter.com FARMERS RANCHERS Cooperative seeks an experienced and motivated Agronomy Department Manager to lead successful operations at Ainsworth, NE. Call 816-516-3652 or send resume to dave.lemke@chsinc.com. EARN $500 a day. Insurance Agents needed; leads, no cold calls; commissions paid daily; lifetime renewals; complete training; health/dental insurance; life license required. 1-888-713-6020. AFS TECHNICIAN Position Available. Grosshans International, Inc., is hiring for a fulltime technician for our Trimble Precision Farming Systems. Applicant must have strong computer, people and organizational skills and physically be able to install systems on tractors, combines and planters. Extensive training is required to become certified and some travel for education is required. This position includes excellent benefits for the right person as part of a growing team. Please send resume to: Grosshans International, Inc., PO Box 168, Aurora, Nebraska 68818, Attention: Alan Anderson, or call 402-694-2121. PRODUCTION SUPERVISORS: Growing Central Nebraska manufacturer seeking (2) Production Supervisors. New positions offer opportunity for growth and advancement. Responsibilities include meeting production schedules, controlling costs, maintains quality controls and supervising people. Must have experience in production supervision in a manufacturing environment, understand production methods, scheduling, lean manufacturing and production metrics. Must have proven people skills including being able to listen, motivate, lead, train, coach and develop employees. Salaries depending on experience. Excellent benefits. EOE. E-mail cover letter and resume to gckoepke@frontiernet.net. SOUTH CENTRAL Diesel, Inc., Holdrege, NE, has a FT position in our growing sales department. Must be very organized, excellent computer skills, detail oriented, self-motivated and have good communication skills. Knowledge of Automotive & Diesel Parts a must. Great Pay, Retirement, Paid Vacations, Employee Health Insurance Paid. Contact Mike @ 308-995-6528 or scdinc2@qwestoffice.net. OWNER OPERATORS: ITL Tanklines need owner operators to pull tank trailers throughout Nebraska & surrounding states. $200,000 average. Call Brian, Monday to Friday, 85, 800-728-2675. “PARTNERS IN Excellence” OTR Drivers APU equipped Pre-Pass EZ-pass passenger policy. 2012 & newer equipment. 100% No touch. Butler Transport, 1-800-528-7825. DRIVERS WANTED: $2,500 Sign On Bonus. Estimated average earnings of $65K+ per year. Excellent Regional Opportunities! Home Weekly, Great Benefits including Health, Dental, 401K, etc. Paid Driver Assist. Class A-CDL with 9 months experience required. Call 1-630-961-7327, www.ryder.jobs. Ryder Dedicated. EOE. Drug test required for employment. OWNER OPERATORS for flatbed operation based in the Norfolk, NE, area. Running mostly in the central U.S. Call Jody at S&S Express, 402-582-4791.
C20 | The Jewish Press | August 30, 2013
Have a sweet New Year! B’nai Israel Synagogue A Century of Tradition 618 Mynster Street, Council Bluffs 51503
323-8885
You’re always welcome at B’nai Israel! National Register of Historic Places
A Peaceful and Prosperous
Rosh Hashanah to the Community
With Your Help We’ll Have A Great Past Ahead Of Us
Happy & Healthy New Year Benefactor $1,000 • Platinum $500 Gold $250 • Patron-1 Year $100 Sponsor $50 • Regular $25
JEWISH WAR VETERANS of AMERICA Epstein Morgan Post 260
Best wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful Rosh Hashanah.
Best Wishes for a Happy New Year
Henry Monsky Lodge B’nai B’rith
Sincere wishes for a Happy, Healthy New Year
FREE membership to all active-duty personnel Contact: Jay Benton, Commander 402-250-6133 We welcome any and all new members
NCJW extends its warmest wishes to the Jewish community for a Joyous New Year.
Best wishes to our wonderful community for a sweet, healthy, happy year. May this year bring the fulfillment of our most fervent wishes and dreams. Rabbi Mendel and Shani Katzman and Family Chabad Board Members and Volunteers
The Natan and Hannah Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha wishes all our Friends and supporters a
Happy New Year
League Offering Volunteers for the Elderly The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Auxiliary
L’Shana Tovah
BETH ISRAEL SISTERHOOD
Shana Tovah! From the Board Members and Staff of the Center for Jewish Life
A beneficiary of the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Omaha