October 6, 2023 by Jewish Press

A N AG E N C Y O F T H E J E W I S H F E D E R AT I O N O F O M A H A

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35th Annual Symposium LEONARD GREENSPOON ardly a day goes by without a news story or feature about relations between the State of Israel and Jews living in the Diaspora. With so much going on, it can be difficult to keep in mind that there is a long and rich history of these interactions, going back to Second Temple Judaism. So it is that this fall’s Symposium, titled The Jewish Diaspora and the Promised Land: Origins, Developments, Future Prospects, provides the historical contexts as well as contemporary texts. There are 15 presenters on Sunday Oct. 22, and Monday, Oct. 23. Three presentations center on developments in the ancient world. Shlomo Zuckier, Princeton University, will speak on Atonement and the Land in Early Biblical Interpretation: Land of Israel and Diasporic Perspectives. Zuckier will consider the biblical theme of atonement for the Land and its reception throughout Second Temple and rabbinic Judaism. As he demonstrates, this topic touches on a variety of central issues across the period: valuation of the Land of Israel and patriotism; conceptions of the Temple; conceptions of atonement, whether it is primarily achieved through sacrificial means or not; and the perspectives of both the Land of Israel and Diasporic texts on the Land. Miriam Ben Zeev, Ben-Gurion University, investigates Roman Jews in the First Century CE: A Case Study. Beginning in the second century BCE Jews arrived in Rome both from Judaea

Rabbi Geiger to lead you on a spiritual journey Page 4

Lion Behind the Pin Page 5

Welcome to the New Friedel Jewish Academy Page 12

Nadav Berman

Abraham David

Paul Finkelman

Victoria Khiterer

Menachem Keren-Kratz

Aaron Koller

Daniel Lasker

Amir Segal

Martin Shichtman

Yossi Turner

Hana Waisserova

Motti Zalkin

Marzena Zawanowska

Miriam Ben Zeev

Shlomo Zuckier

and from other Mediterranean places. As Ben Zeev shows, with minor exceptions, the attitude of the Roman government toward these Jews was tolerant. And yet, the war fought in Judaea against the Roman government in 66-70 CE altered the balance and had negative effects on the life of the Jews. This was the first time that events transpiring in Judaea would have direct repercussions for Diaspora Judaism.

Aaron Koller, Yeshiva University, will be making the third presentation with an ancient focus. Its title is Language and Identity in Israel and Diaspora: Ancient Perspectives on a Modern Problem. Koller begins by identifying the United States where the vast majority of Jews cannot conduct a conversation in Hebrew. Is this a potentially fatal problem for the community or a sign of its strength in a new English-speaking Homeland?

Circle Theatre presents The Wise Men of Chelm

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FRAN SILLAU On Nov. 18 & 19, 2023, Circle Theatre will present two Chelm stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer in the Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater at the Staenberg Kooper Fellman JCC. Circle Theatre actors will present The Wise Men of Chelm, adapted by Sandra Fenichel Asher, based on Jewish folktales. In this Chelm story, an angel, carrying a sackful of foolish souls back to heaven for repair,

snagged his sack on a tree on top of a tall mountain. The sack tore and all the poor, foolish souls spilled out of the ripped sack, and fell down the mountainside into the town of Chelm, where they have stayed ever since. For each Circle Theatre production, a partnering social service organization is invited to perform a brief opening act. Actors from Quality Living Inc will present their own adaptation of the Singer play When Shlemiel Went to Warsaw adapted by local playwright JR Dawson. Quality Living Inc is a world-class rehabilitation center in Omaha, specializing in limb loss, spinal injury, stroke and brain injury. Dawson, a writer and educator with an MFA in Creative Writing, works across the Midwest as a teaching artist. In 2021 she collaborated with the Institute of Holocaust Education See The Wise Men of Chelm page 2

Koller cannot locate any parallel among pre-modern Jewish communities that survived, but there are parallels in communities that disappeared into the mists of history. The significance of Hebrew for Jewish cultural survival is hard to overstate, and American Jews rush headlong into the translation industry at their own peril. There are also three presentations covering the historical expanse from See Annual Symposium page 3

OMAHA

F IL M F E S T I VA L

MARK KIRCHHOFF JFO Community Engagement and Education The 21st Annual Omaha Jewish Film Festival will take place on Oct. 16, 17, 18, and 19 at 7 p.m. in the Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Center at the Staenberg Omaha Jewish Community Center. The festival opens with iMordecai, the story of Mordecai (Judd Hirsch), a man from another era, facing the challenges of the modern world. His son presents him with an iPhone to replace his flip phone, and the help he receives from tech instructors opens the door to new experiences for him. My Neighbor Adolf is the second festival showing. This 2022 film is the story of a grumpy Holocaust survivor living in South America who convinces himself that his

neighbor is Adolf Hitler. He becomes acquainted with him, attempts to collect evidence of his belief, and forms a nuanced friendship in the process. With two strong films opening the festival, it is gratifying to know that two great films will close it. That Orchestra with the Broken Instruments, hosted by Aviva Segall and Patrick McNamara, will be screened on Oct. 18. What can come of a broken string, a fractured echo chamber, and rusting valves? What magic can come about when one brilliant conductor, three gifted composers, and 100 musicians meet for four days of rehearsals? After all, they speak different languages. They are a mixture of professionals and amateurs who are See Jewish Film Festival page 2