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Omaha Jewish Film Festival: Tel Aviv on Fire
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Hanukkah Extravaganza
Mark kirChhOff Community Engagement and Education There is still time for you to purchase your ticket for the showing of Shoelaces that opens the 18th Annual Omaha Jewish Film Festival on Monday, Nov. 4, 7 p.m. at the Aksarben Cinema, 2110 S 67th St. Advanced tickets are available for $8 either online through the Aksarben ticket office which you may access through www.jewishomaha.org using the top “Omaha Jewish Film Festival” slider to navigate to the movie. Tickets are also available at the box office.
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GabbY blair Staff Writer, Jewish Press he Jewish Federation of Omaha will be hosting the 2019 Hanukkah Extravaganza on Sunday, Dec. 8 from 5-7 p.m. at the Omaha Children’s Museum (500 S 20th St, Omaha, NE 68102). While recommended for families and grandparents with children 12 & younger, older siblings are always welcome! Upon arriving to the event, families will first get to create a three-part ‘Moonjar’
provided by this year’s event sponsor, Lutz Financial. “The Moonjar concept is a new twist on a Tzedakah box of sorts,” explains Louri Sullivan, JFO Senior Director of Community and Special Projects. “Families will construct three separate banks, one for saving, one for spending and one for Tzedakah. These three banks lock together with a decorative band to create one Moonjar. Giving is such an important value in Judaism, but the importance of saving and spending cannot See hanukkah extravaganza page 2
Yoga, Tai Chi, Jazzercise and Gifts
Ozzie NOGG Who wouldn’t want to take home a $100 gift certificate from Lululemon, two months of free Jazzercise, two weeks of free Tai Chi, or three free Yoga classes? You could be a lucky winner during Beth El Synagogue’s Miriam Initiative Fitness Sampler scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 17, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Jewish Community Center. The event will offer samplings of Yoga (led by Shiri Philips), Jazzercise (led by Caryn Scheer), and Tai Chi (led by Beth Staenberg) and is free of charge and open to all
women in the Jewish community. “The Sampler is a brand new idea that’ll be a whole lot of fun,” said
The Fitness Sampler begins promptly at 10 a.m. and features three 25-minute sessions in rotation with two 10-minute passing periods. The first rotation runs from 10:15 a.m. to 10:40 a.m., the second rotation from 10:50 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and the third from 11:25 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. A participant can sample all three disciplines or just two or even one depending on her curiosity. “The idea for the Sampler came from the Initiative’s Design Team,” Jacobson said. “The committee meets once a year to brainstorm ideas for our upcoming season. We wanted to address health and fitness in a fun and inclusive way and ended up with a totally new concept. It was a win-winwin.” Members of the Design Team are Jenny Gates Beckman, Pam Friedlander, Margie Gutnik, Amy Isaacson, Abby Kutler, Patty (Steve) Nogg, Shiri Phillips, Caryn Rifkin, Caryn Scheer and Melissa Shapiro. “Caryn Scheer, Shiri and Beth have See Miriam initiatve page 3
The Miriam Initiative Joanie Jacobson, general chairperson of the Initiative. “It’s a perfect opportunity to try out a variety of new and pleasant ways to stay fit and healthy. How many of us say we want to get back to exercise or find a new way to exercise but we never do? We don’t have the time. We don’t take the time. Problem solved. Now you can enjoy two hours of one-stop fitness shopping free of charge -- and all for your own good!”
In support of this year’s festival, Film Streams and the Jewish Federation of Omaha are collaborating to present a screening of Tel Aviv on Fire on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. After lacing up your shoelaces from the first film, Shoelaces, watch the trailer and purchase your tickets for this one online at https://filmstreams.org/ films/tel-aviv-on-fire (also available at the box office) and head to Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater for the showing of this outstanding film. Standard Film Streams ticket prices apply. Tel Aviv on Fire is a 2018 comedydrama satire film directed by Sameh Zoabi and co-written by Zoabi and Dan Kleinman. The film premiered internationally at the 75th Venice International Film Festival where Kais Nashef won the Best Actor award. The Israeli premiere was at the Haifa International Film Festival, where the film won the Best Film and Best Screenplay awards. It was selected as the Luxembourgish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards. In the film, Salam, an inexperienced young Palestinian man, becomes a writer on a popular soap opera after a See Jewish film festival page 3