November 2, 2012

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It’s time to decide

November 2, 2012 17 Cheshvan 5773 Vol. 93 | No. 7

This Week

Running for OPS Board by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press Jennifer Kirshenbaum, Human Resource specialist at the Rose Blumkin Home, wife of Matt, and mother of Kathleen and Laura, has a plan. This November, she hopes to win a seat on the OPS

Lion of Judah/ Pacesetters Brunch Pages 4 & 8

President Barack Obama by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Israel, a heated issue throughout the campaign, finally took center stage at the final presidential debate. It was mentioned a total of 29 times by President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney at last Monday night’s foreign policy debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. Actual policy differences, however, seemed to be in short supply. Israel and the Iranian nuclear program were among the main topics in

OJC plans overnight at the zoo Page 9

a debate that largely focused on the Middle East. But whether the subject was Iran sanctions, the need to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons or the U.S. commitment to Israel, the clashing candidates sounded surprisingly similar notes. Aaron David Miller, a vice president of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, said the broad areas of agreement on the Middle East reflected a growing consensus among both parties that any president’s priority should be to focus

Governor Mitt Romney on the struggling American economy and tread carefully overseas. “There were tactical political reasons why the governor wanted to create the impression that he is a centrist,” said Miller, a former top Middle East negotiator in Republican and Democratic administrations, speaking of Romney. “But I think we are faced now for the first time since the end of the Cold War with a remarkable consensus on what we can do in the world. The Continued on page 2

The story of Warsaw Anat Hoffman’s arrest galvanizing liberal Jewish groups Page 16

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

This Month Hanukkah Issue See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

12 14 15

by STEVE RIEKES During the summer of 2012, Steve Riekes traveled to Eastern Europe. His wife Margo accompanied him, as did good friends Nathan and Hannah Schwalb, and Dr. Bernard Bloom, formerly of Omaha, and his wife, Naomi, of Dallas. What follows is a story about Warsaw, part one of a series of articles Steve wrote about his experiences. Part two, Krakow, and part three, Auschwitz, will appear during the coming weeks. This long-planned trip was very special to us because, among other things, this is an area of the world in which so many of our ancestors had come from. While these places were special, in and of themselves, highlights were the exceptional lectures, comments, and insights of Professor Stephen Berk of Union College in New York. The tour was organized by Ayelet Tours of Albany, New York. About 50 persons from all over

The older section of Warsaw. the United States participated. While the Holocaust looms large, it is not the whole of the story of East European Jewry. Jews lived in this area for over 1,000 years. During that millennium, Jews in that area made enormous contributions to civilization. They created the Yiddish language and literature. They were engaged in tremendous scholarship, both religious and secular. They developed music, art, dance, and culinary creations. The Hassidic movement was created. Warsaw, the capital, was devastated during World War II. It was rebuilt under Soviet occupation, evident by the many dull looking build-

ings designed in the Soviet style. But it also has a charming old town, beautiful parks, and some shopping centers that are as modern and attractive as one would find anywhere in the world. Chopin is the city’s cultural icon, and his music can be heard everywhere. Before World War II, three million Jews lived in Poland, about 10% of the total population. However, the relation between Poles and Jews has been a “very mixed bag” of positive and negative, as Professor Berk frequently noted. In the 13th Century, the Polish nobility eagerly sought Jewish Continued on page 3

Jennifer Tompkins Kirshenbaum school board, District 12; she is running on a platform of increasing student achievement, leadership, sound judgment, transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility. Her credentials include 16 years of Human Resource experience and a seat on the Board of the Sanitary Improvement District. As a substitute teacher, she has intimate knowledge of what makes a classroom work, and she has been an OPS parent for eight years. Born and raised in Omaha, she graduated from Burke high school and earned her Master’s Degree in business administration from UNO. She also holds a teaching certificate from the University of Nebraska. Why did you decide to run? I found out in early February that Sandy Jensen was going to leave her seat, and I started hearing people talk about who would replace her. I began to think: we need someone who is interested in bringing a supportive attitude, and who isn’t merely tearing things down and criticizing the way things are. I hear a lot of talk about the OPS board, especially the Sebring emails, and that’s sad -- we need to get back to the real business of keeping our schools functioning, and we need to focus on the students. There are also those voters who don’t actually have children in the school system, and perhaps they care more about where their taxes are going. The thing is, when we have quality public school education, everybody benefits. These are the children who will someday be your doctors, your dentists, your accountants, and so forth. Fighting for them now will benefit society as a whole. Which three important qualities can no school board go Continued on page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | November 2, 2012

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It’s time to decide Continued from page 1 public understands that we need to fix America’s broken house, but that we are also stuck in a region of the world where we can’t fix it or extricate from it.” With sharp policy differences mostly missing, both candidates painted their support for Israel in personal terms. Romney cited the strength of his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Obama spoke of how he was affected by a 2008 visit to Israel, with stops at its national Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem and the embattled town of Sderot. Romney’s remark came as he dismissed out of hand a hypothetical proposal by the moderator, Bob Schieffer of CBS News, positing a last-minute warning call to the White House from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israeli bombers were on their way to Iran. “Our relationship with Israel, my relationship with the prime minister of Israel, is such that we would not get a call saying our bombers are on the way or their fighters are on the way,” Romney said. “This is the kind of thing that would have been discussed and thoroughly evaluated well before.” To draw a contrast, Romney accused Obama of saying that he wanted to “create daylight” between Israel and the United States. (The reference was to a 2009 meeting with Jewish leaders in which the president was pressed to have a policy of “no daylight” with Israel, to which Obama responded that such an approach had not advanced peace in the past. Obama, however, is not known to have called for a policy of proactively creating daylight between the two countries.) Romney also criticized the president for not visiting Israel during his travels to the region. Obama responded by suggesting that Romney’s recent visit to Israel contrasted unfavorably with his own 2008 visit to the Jewish state as a presidential candidate. “When I went to Israel as a candidate, I didn’t take donors,” Obama said. “I didn’t attend fundraisers. I went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum there, to remind myself of the nature of evil and why our bond with Israel will be unbreakable.” Obama went on to recount his visit to the southern town of Sderot, which is near the Gaza Strip. “And then I went down to the border towns of Sderot, which had experienced missiles raining down from Hamas,” he said. “And I saw families there who showed me where missiles had come down near their children’s bedrooms. And I was reminded of what that would mean if those were my kids. Which is why, as president, we funded an Iron Dome program to stop those missiles.” The acrimony underlying the exchanges contrasted with the many overall agreements on policy that were acknowledged by the candidates a number of times. Romney opened his statement during the Israel and Iran portion of the debate by seconding the president’s response to a question about whether the U.S. should regard an attack on Israel as an attack on itself. “I want to underscore the same point the president made, which is that if I’m president of the United States, when I’m president of the United States, we will stand with Israel,” Romney said. “And if Israel is attacked, we have their back, not just diplomatically, not just culturally, but militarily.” Romney expressed support for Obama’s Iran sanctions, although he faulted the president for introducing them later rather than sooner and claimed credit for calling for tougher sanctions in 2007 -- although lawmakers for years before had been pressing the Clinton and second Bush administrations to institute such sanctions.

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More critically, Romney’s emphasis was on “diplomatic and peaceful means” -- a posture that aligned with Obama’s preference for exhausting all options before considering a military strike to keep Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. “It is also essential for us to understand what our mission is in Iran, and that is to dissuade Iran from having a nuclear weapon through peaceful and diplomatic means,” Romney said. “It’s absolutely the right thing to do, to have crippling sanctions. I would have put them in place earlier. But it’s good that we have them.” A Congressional Research Service report published last week found that sanctions were seriously affecting Iran’s economy but had not yet stopped its suspected nuclear weapons program. The report held out the prospect of that happening soon. “A broad international coalition has imposed progressively strict economic sanctions on Iran’s oil export lifeline, producing increasingly severe effects on Iran’s economy,” the report said. “Many judge that Iran might soon decide it needs a nuclear compromise to produce an easing of sanctions.” At the debate, Obama argued that the sanctions on Iran have been a policy success, saying that his administration “organized the strongest coalition and the strongest sanctions against Iran in history, and it is crippling their economy.” Both candidates appeared to be on the same page when it came to adjudicating what circumstance would trigger consideration of a military strike. “The clock is ticking,” Obama said. “We’re not going to allow Iran to perpetually engage in negotiations that lead nowhere. And I’ve been very clear to them. You know, because of the intelligence coordination that we do with a range of countries, including Israel, we have a sense of when they would get breakout capacity, which means that we would not be able to intervene in time to stop their nuclear program.” Romney agreed, saying, “Of course, a military action is the last resort. It is something one would only -- only consider if all of the other avenues had been -- had been tried to their full extent.” The candidates also shared agreement on other Middle Eastern issues. Romney’s campaign has assailed Obama for months for not doing enough to intervene in Syria, but during the debate the Republican candidate made clear that he, like the president, opposed direct U.S. military involvement. Romney did favor arming some of the rebels. Romney also accused Obama of failing to advance IsraeliPalestinian peace. Liberal critics of Romney had seized upon a secretly recorded meeting he had in May with Florida donors in which he expressed doubt that there would be any opportunities to advance the peace process in the near future. But at the debate, Romney seemed to suggest that the failure to make progress for peace was not inevitable but rather a policy failure by the president. “Is -- are Israel and the Palestinians closer to -- to reaching a peace agreement? Romney asked. “No, they haven’t had talks in two years.

Jennifer Tompkins Kirshenbaum Continued from page 1 without? Transparency, clear communication, and sound judgment. What about a good school, what does it need? A successful school needs an effective principal, quality teaching and consistency. What should we expect from the students? Having positive student behavior is essential; we want students with a sense of self worth, and they need to be involved with their own education. The job of a school board is to facilitate that. As a substitute teacher, I sub in six different OPS schools, and I see that in any given classroom, there is one child who just won’t participate. You try to engage them and nothing happens. Now, circumstances are different for each individual student, but I believe we should have clear expectations for all of our kids, and take an active role in fulfilling those expectations. Are you having fun? Yes, it’s a lot of fun! I have learned so much about campaigning, about the school board and about voter rules. Jennifer is running for the District 12 seat, which is being vacated. Her opponent is Patrick Bourne (Jennifer beat him in the primary). Only the even-numbered districts have elections this year; the term is four years. For more information about the OPS board, please visit www.ops.org; to show your support or contact Jennifer, visit www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-TompkinsKirshenbaum-for-OPS-School-Board.

November 2, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 3

The story of Warsaw Continued from page 1 immigrants in order to build the economy. King Casimir the Great gave Jews special protection. For several centuries, Jews prospered in the Polish-Lithuanian Empire. The Jewish population grew. It became self governing with an elected central governing body. Famous Yeshevot (houses of Jewish learning) were established. Yet, even during this period of growth and prosperity, elements of the Polish Catholic Church remained hostile to Jews, and likewise, Polish peasantry and other segments of Polish society. A severe crisis occurred in 1648 and 49 when a Ukrainian, Bogdan, Chmielnicki led a Cossack revolt against the PolishLithuanian empire. He had a particular hatred for the Jews, and wanted the Ukraine to be free of them. It is estimated that 100,000 Jews were killed and 300 Jewish towns destroyed. Many Jews were forced to convert and others were sold into slavery. All this put strains on Polish society as well as the Jewish community. Poland itself disappeared at the end of the 18th Century, being gobbled up and divided by its neighbors, Russia, Austria, and Prussia. The Treaty of Versailles reestablished an independent Poland, and required that it respect its minorities. But, in fact, it did not. Discrimination against Jews remained. For example, it limited the number of Jews that could attend Polish universities. (It should be noted that many American universities also had Jewish quotas.) The newly independent Polish state collapsed with the Nazi invasion in September of 1939, aided a few weeks later by the Soviet invasion from the east. Then began one of the darkest chapters in Jewish history. The Germans immediately harassed and killed Jews. They established ghettos, of walled-in urban areas, all over Poland, forcing Gentiles to move out and Jews to move in. The original Warsaw ghetto covered approximately 840 acres in the very center of

the city. Four hundred thousand Jews were crowded into this area. The ghetto residents were given an allocation of food of 184 calories per day. Epidemics were frequent. There was constant harassment.

and the killing that went with it, the uprising had an enormous moral effect upon Jews and non-Jews throughout the world. (Encyclopedia Judaica). The story of the Warsaw ghetto, its upris-

From left to right: travel companions Dr. Bernard Bloom, Steve Riekes, Dr. Bloom’s wife Naomi, Hannah and Nathan Schwalb. The ghetto became a warehouse from which Jews were deported to death camps. We visited the “Umschlagplatz,” the assembly point for the deportations. The Germans tried to disguise the purpose of these deportations by telling the Jews that they were simply being resettled or sent to labor camps. When the Jews remaining in the ghetto finally understood what the Germans were doing, they formed underground groups. In the winter and spring of 1943, the ghetto rose in revolt. On April 19, 1943, the Germans, with tanks and artillery, entered the ghetto in order to resume deportations. The Jewish fighters resisted and, overcoming the odds, the Germans were repulsed from the ghetto after suffering heavy losses. Eventually, the Germans reconquered the ghetto by systematically burning down its houses. Despite the leveling of the ghetto,

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ing and its destruction is graphically displayed at the Jewish Historical Institute. In this museum, there are films and photographs of the Jews and their suffering. Much of the photographic material was produced by the Germans, some of whom, apparently, were amused by the persecution they were causing. Personally, after seeing much of this display, I left the expositions and sat down in a hallway. I could not continue because I was emotionally overcome. I could not understand how one people could perpetrate such horror upon another people. What does this say about humanity? Although many Jewish fighters aided the Poles in their abortive uprising against the Nazis in 1944, anti-Semitism persisted in Poland. Thus, even after the war, there were horrible anti-Semitic pogroms committed

by Poles. The Soviet Union defeated the Germans, occupied Poland, and set up a Communist puppet government. That government had vitriolic anti-Zionist policies. The situation was so bad that the overwhelming majority of Polish Jews that survived the war refused to remain in Poland but instead went to Israel or other countries. Consequently, Warsaw today has an estimated population of 2,000 Jews. The Nozyk Synagogue is the only one to have survived. Today, it has the largest Jewish congregation in Warsaw. It is orthodox. Dick Fellman recently wrote in The Jewish Press about attending services at the Nozyk Synagogue. He also attended a Reform service held in rented space in an office building not far from the train station. As part of our tour, we were taken to a large house-type structure in a suburban area, operated by Beit Warsawa, a new progressive congregation. It is supported by a Jewish man living in California, who has roots in Warsaw. He hopes that a more progressive style of Judaism will help revive Jewish life in that city. We toured the Gensa Cemetery, established in 1806, and containing the graves of about 250,000 Jews. As we were leaving, there was a happy coincidence. Dozens of Jewish teenagers in the Conservative USY Movement were awaiting their turn to visit, and, among them was Julia Edelstein, daughter of Stan and Ellene Edelstein of Omaha. It must be remembered that 6,000 Poles have been recognized as being “Righteous Among the Nations” by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. Poles, more than any other people, risked their lives to save Jews during the war. A new museum being built in the former Warsaw ghetto will tell the 1,000-year history of the Jews in Poland. Piotr Wislicki, Chairman of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland, said: “There is no history of Poland without the Jews and no history of Jews without Poland.”

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4 | The Jewish Press | November 2, 2012

Lion of Judah/Pacesetter brunch

RBJH gets out the vote

Clockwise, from left: David Gilinsky and Todd Simon; Anne Shackman and Murray Newman; Joe Erman and Mike Silverman enjoy the fabulous brunch buffet at Blue Sushi; Gail and Irv Veitzer; Darlynn and Tom Fellman.

Blumkin Home resident Betty Arons fills out her early ballot. “I didn’t always vote strictly party lines. I look at each candidate as a person and make my decision on the nominee’s character and policies.”

Why we give by TODD SIMON Editor’s note: On Oct. 28, Todd Simon and David Gilinsky addressed a number of community members during the Lion of Judah and Pacesetter brunch. These are excerpts from their speeches. Read David Gilinsky’s speech on page 8. In 1987, I received a call from Gloria Kaslow, and that was how it started for me. It sparked my connection to the Jewish Federation of Omaha, but, more importantly, something inside of me told me how important it was and is to help people. I credit Gloria with connecting the dots for me. The family legacy of community involvement started with my grandparents. I witnessed it in my father, Fred, who set an incredible example as I was growing up. Watching the work dad did in the community, giving of himself, giving his time and money to provide important leadership to make our community better, was inspiring. Cut to 2012, when I found myself with David Gilinsky and others on a mission trip in the Ukraine. We were outside of Kiev in a shtetl called Zhitomer, and we met a woman named Magda, one of a dozen elderly Jewish widows. When we asked where all the men were, they said: “gone.” Gone because of war, poor diet, Chernobyl, a life of industrial labor. Magda has seen the fall of the Berlin Wall, and varying

levels of anti-Semitism. But today, as hard as it has been, she has an ok quality of life. In fact, better than ok: she has a community, she has friends, and she has what she needs to live and be happy. She has plans for tomorrow, and a real smile on her face. She is grateful, and I in turn am grateful that I had a chance to see the work we are doing sustain life half a world away. We all know these stories don’t end in Eastern Europe. Some of these same people were rescued by Shirley Goldstein and Miriam Simon, and brought to Omaha where they were able to survive and thrive thanks to our work with the Federation. Nearly half of all the money that goes to Federation is allocated to directly help people who need it. We help people overseas, through JDC, JAFI, ORT, and locally, through CDC scholarships, Jewish Senior Service, and JFS. The very next day after visiting Magda, our group visited Babi Yar. It was the eve of Yom HaShoah. Magda would have been born just around the time of the massacres that happened there. It was the most impactful moment of the trip, and it brought home the fact that there was a time in Magda’s life when nobody was there to help. Thanks to the work we facilitate, help is now there for people like Magda, both here in Omaha, and everywhere else.

by OZZIE NOGG While media pundits go bonkers over Presidential debate analysis and swing state polls, residents at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home follow along -- watching TV, reading the newspaper and deciding for whom they’ll cast their ballots in the upcoming election. “For every election, even the small ones, we give residents an opportunity to vote by providing an early ballot,” said Maggie Conti, Director of Activities and Outreach Programs for Jewish Social Services/Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. “Some residents have never missed a chance to vote -Bernie Meyers and Rabbi Myer Kripke are two examples -- and we don’t want that to end just because they can’t get to the voting booth.” Conti keeps Blumkin Home residents politically informed with a fact sheet from the League of Women Voters that educates them on the various Federal, State and County races and proposed Amendments. “Of course, the Presidential race is really big,” Conti said, “and many residents watched the debates. They don’t tell me who they’ll vote for, but they do tell me -- over and over -- that they’re sick of all the TV ads, especially the negative ones, and many feel that the cost of the election and the whole process is too expensive and too long.” Blumkin Home resident Betty Arons said it well. “I didn’t always vote strictly party lines. I look at each candidate as a person and make my decision on the nominee’s character and policies.” Conti gathered early voting ballot applications from forty-one residents. “And I personally brought the ballots to the Election Commission office to make sure they all arrived,” she said. “It’s the residents’ right to vote if they want to or have the cognitive ability to do so. This older generation, in particular, knows how important the voting process is and takes great pride in their political party. They want their voices heard.”

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NCJW presents discussion of Affordable Care Act by LISA LEWIS qualify for insurance, and costs will be brought down NCJW Co-Vice President of Public Affairs because consumers will get treatment rather than relying on Most Americans know that new federal health care legis- emergency rooms when their ailments are far more difficult lation was passed in 2010, but few people understand what to treat. the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often Further, Medicaid coverage should expand to cover peoreferred to as “Obamacare”, means for their lives, their fellow ple who don’t have children, and people who are employed citizens, and their pocketbooks. and above the poverty line, but were unable to purchase A panel of three persons knowledgeable about the law insurance before the Act. made their presentation to an audience at the JCC on Oct. Kyle Carlson of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland said 17. The panelists, brought together by the Public Affairs that “being a woman will no longer be a pre-existing condiCommittee of the tion”, and he said that National Council of contraception is the Jewish Women (NCJW), largest use of the Omaha Section, were: health care system, Nebraska State Senator but the cost has in the Jeremy Nordquist, from past been prohibitive the 7th District, Kyle to many women. He Carlson of Planned discussed the numerParenthood of the ous lawsuits filed Heartland, and Becky around the country Gould, Executive Direcover the contraceptor of Nebraska Appletion mandate, includseed, a public service ing one filed by the and legal assistance Attorney General of organization based in Nebraska, and addresLincoln, NE. sed the issue of aborThe panel, moderated tion coverage. Sen. Jeremy Nordquist, left, Kyle Carlson and Becky Gould by Becki Brenner, Senator Nordquist Executive Director of the Nebraska Chapter of ACLU and a discussed both the proposed Medicaid expansion and the member of NCJW, addressed the “Myth and Reality” of the health care exchanges, as well as Governor Dave Heineman’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) in a comprehensive manner, objection to both. He said that every private individual pays without resorting to the rhetoric often accompanying men- over $1,000 each to cover the uninsured, who still utilize tion of “Obamacare”. health care. He said the Medicaid expansion is “the right Becky Gould provided an overall view of the Act by thing to do” because it will cut costs, and save lives. As it explaining that presently there are 48 million Americans stands now, we are all paying for the uncovered, either not covered by health insurance. She said the Act “levels the through taxes or our own medical expenses. playing field” for all citizens, and then presented some of the Sen. Nordquist encouraged everyone to contact their own coverage benefits. state senator and tell him or her that they support Medicaid Ms. Gould highlighted the numbers of Nebraskans with expansion. preexisting conditions, without insurance coverage by A question and answer period followed the presentations, employers, and with concerns about lifetime limits on their during which a physician in the audience said the ACA is a insurance coverage. She said the Act will eliminate these “noble bill, but horrible policy” in that it doesn’t address cost problems. She said that the ACA builds off the existing sys- containment, access or quality of care. tem of employer-based health insurance and private plans, The panelists acknowledged that there are parts of the bill and insurance exchanges which provide a marketplace for that may need to be adjusted as time goes by, but the bill people to find their own insurance. She said people will provides a major start and expansion of health care equality.

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He who saves one life, saves the world entire... Maimonides by LYNDA MIRVISH The weekend of Nov. 9, 10 and 11 is designated National Donate Life Sabbath, a time when leaders of synagogues, temples, churches and mosques throughout the country can stress the need for worshippers to consider registering to be organ, eye and tissue donors. The need is great— As of this month, there are 115,946 people in the United States alone waiting for a life-giving heart, kidney, liver or lung. Unfortunately, many will die before an organ is found Sounds simple enough. Just go to a website and register, or say “yes” when you renew your driver’s license. However, although most religious groups endorse organ donation, many individuals have mixed emotions about the commitment and have many questions about what their faith teaches about such donation. Here’s one such commitment. The last time Judy Rosenfeld renewed her drivers’ license, she looked at a question on the form that asked if she would be an organ donor. “On the one hand,” she said, “it seemed like this would be a good thing to do. But”, she thought, “on the other hand I’m an observant Jew, and I don’t know what my religion tells me about organ donation... Should I call my Rabbi, right now, while I’m in line and hold up all these other people, or wait until next time?” Judy waited. Some time later, however, she came across an article by Rabbi Dr. Henry J. Hasson president of HODS, the Halachic Organ Donor Society, who addressed the question of Organ Donation in Halacha. “And the light bulb went on,” Judy exclaimed. Suddenly Maimonides teaching “He who Saves One life, saves the world entire” took on a whole new meaning. “And then I read of the story of the death of J.J. Greenberg, the son of Rabbi Irving Greenberg and his wife, Blu Greenberg, president of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance.” Judy related. “While in Israel, J.J. had died in a bicycle accident and his corneas, liver, lungs, kidneys, heart valves and other tissue were donated. These gifts of life and

sight were able to save the lives and sight of six people, both Jewish Israelis and a Palestinian young man.” This story reinforced Judy’s determination to learn more about HODS and last year she signed a HODS organ donation card that enables Jews to donate organs according to their halachic belief. And by so doing, Judy now has joined the hundreds of Othodox Rabbis and their congregants who have pledged to be organ, eye and tissue donors. Founded about 12 years ago, HODS seeks to save lives by increasing organ donations from Jews to the general public (Jews and gentiles alike), needing life-saving and sight-giving organs and tissues. One of the goals of HODS is to educate Jews about the different Halachic and medical issues concerning organ donation and to provide rabbinic consultation and oversight for cases of organ transplantation. Most halachic authorities accept brain-stem death as death and support organ donation even though the heart is still beating. However, some objection to organ donation has been based on whether the donor who is brain stem dead, but whose heart is still beating with the help of artificial means is considered alive or dead. The HODS donation card allows donors to choose to donate their organs at brain-stem death or after cardiac death. Back to Judy Rosenfeld, who now has a mission: A mission to encourage those who have doubts about organ donation to learn more about the Halachic opinions on donation and to realize that this is something that is not only an action that is permitted, but one that is encouraged. “There is every reason to register to be an organ donor, and not one against it. And no-one is too old to be a donor,” she continued, “After I told him about HODS, my father-in-law himself registered to be a donor!” There is much more information about HODS at www.hods.org and about Donate Life Nebraska at DonateLifeNebraska.com.

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UNO to host Biblical Archaeology Conference by OZZIE NOGG The University of Nebraska at Omaha will host the Batchelder Conference for Biblical Archaeology Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 810. Now in its 14th year, the annual conference features scholars from around the world as they unveil their latest research and findings. The 2012 Conference weekend features sixteen presenters, each a leading authority in the field of biblical history and archeology. Keynote speaker Professor Avraham Faust will open the conference on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. with his talk, The Ethnogenesis of Israel: How Israel Became a Nation. Professor Faust is Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Associate Professor at the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University, and an expert on Israelite society in the Iron Age. Faust has participated in excavations and surveys in Israel and abroad, and is the author of several watershed studies, including “Israelite Society in the Period of the Monarchy: An Archaeological Perspective.” His latest book, Israel’s Ethnogenesis: Settlement, Interaction, Expansion and Resistance won the Irene Levi Sala Prize for books on the Archaeology of Israel, ASOR’s G.E. Wright Book Award, and the 2009 Biblical Archaeology Society Publication award. Professor Faust is currently spending his sabbatical year at Harvard University. According to Dr. Rami Arav, Israeli archaeologist and Professor of Religion and Philosophy at UNO, “For many years, scholars and laymen have been intrigued by the questions, ‘What is the origin of the Jewish people? Where did they come from? How did they become a nation? What is the contribution of the biblical Israelite to humanity?’ While most scholars use only the Bible in an attempt to answer these questions, Professor Faust employs a vast array of archaeological discoveries, some of which were done under his directorship, along with his deep knowledge of the biblical and extrabiblical records to answer these questions.” On Friday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. keynote speaker Professor David Ussishkin will present Jerusalem at the Times of Solomon, Hezekiah and Nehemiah: An Archaeologist’s View. Ussishkin, an Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, has done pioneering work on the First Temple period cemetery on the Siloam Hill, the cemetery that served Jerusalem for more than 3000 years. “These three personalities - King Solomon, King Hezekiah and Nehemiah -- were responsible, according to the Bible, for major construction in Jerusalem,” said Dr. Arav. “In his remarks, Professor Ussishkin will discuss the remains of these ancient sites, giving us a unique look into the building activities of biblical times.” In addition to his work at the Siloam Hill cemetery, Professor Ussishkin is co-

director of the excavations at Megiddo -one of the most important archaeological sites in the entire Near East -- and has for many years conducted excavations at the city of Lachish in the southwestern Judean hills. The memorable siege and capture of Lachish in 701 B.C.E. is recorded three times in the Hebrew Bible and was commemorated on the walls of the Assyrian King Senacherib’s palace at Nineveh. This huge, well-preserved relief is now on display in the British Museum. In addition to Professors Faust and

Ussishkin, three other Israeli scholars are slated to participate in the Batchelder Conference. Professor Sagi Filin, from the Technion in Haifa, will present the latest technological developments in photogrammetry and its application to archaeology. Professor Filin uses technology similar to that used on Mars by the rover Curiosity. Film maker Yuval Hollander will present the latest documentary on the excavations at Bethsaida. Dr. Dan Bahat, a world acclaimed archaeologist, currently a visiting professor at the University of Toronto, will act as respondent to the presentations. UNO’s Bethsaida Biblical Archaeology project remains a major focus of the conference this year. Since 1990, UNO has led a consortium of institutions in uncovering and studying artifacts at this site on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee. During the Second Temple Period, there was a thriving Jewish community at Bethsaida, and the annual digs led by Dr. Arav -- with assistance from students, consortium members and volunteers from the general public -- has shed new light on the archaeology of the Bible land and the way scholars interpret the Bible. The Batchelder Conference for Biblical Archaeology was named to recognize the generosity of the late Clifton B. Batchelder and his wife, Anne Stuart Batchelder, former Nebraska political leaders and longtime trustees of the Omaha community. The addresses by Dr. Faust and Dr. Ussishkin, as well as sessions all day Friday and Saturday, are open to the public. Preregistration is not required. The $10 entrance fee includes refreshments. Students are free. All conference events will take place at UNO’s Thompson Alumni Center, 6705 Dodge St., Omaha. For a detailed schedule of the 2012 Batchelder Conference: Download the conference flier (.pdf) http://world.unomaha. edu/bethsaida/img/batchelder_2012.pdf.

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS David Kotok has interviewed presidents and prime ministers. His vast experience covering political events enables him to be a great observer and analyst of the national and local election results, especially the day after the eletion. He will speak and answer questions on Wednesday, Nov. 7, noon at the Blumkin Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the

email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@ jewishomaha.org. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH It has been said that Yiddish doesn’t only have words, it also has an attitude. Leo Rosten wrote: “Yiddish never takes its tongue out of its cheeks!” Come join us at the Rose Bumkin Home’s Board Room, at 13 p.m., every Thursday.

November 2, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 7

Interfaith youth group brings together children of Tri-Faith families by DAVID GOLBITZ Older, middle school-age children who wanted to keep comTemple Israel Staff Writer ing to the meetings after reaching sixth grade attend a group The Tri-Faith Initiative not only provides opportunities for newly formed this year, called CommUnity, led by Theresa the adults of Temple Israel and its interfaith partners, but for Newell. their children as well. Adults generally have preconceptions “These are discerning, perceptive, articulate little people,� and prejudices about religions other than their own that they Fretz said. “It’s a really tight-knit little group.� have to fight against, and perhaps the best way to ensure sucTemple Israel Religious School teacher Natasha Kraft and cess of the initiative is to ensure those religious barriers are her son Alex have been enjoying the InterPlay community never erected in the first place. for three years. That’s what Kimberly Fretz, a “It’s a way to get the children deacon in the Episcopal cominvolved [in Tri-Faith],� Kraft said. “It munity, has been trying to do breaks down the walls and the barriwith her InterPlay group, a ers. If you know somebody, you’re small subset of Tri-Faith familess likely to hate them. To hate somelies with grade-school age chilbody just based on their religion or dren who come together once a skin color is just stupid. ...If you raise month to talk and learn about [children]... not afraid of another culthe differences and the similariture or another religion, you break ties between Judaism, down those walls and those barriers.� Christianity and Islam. It is In addition to the children forming Fretz’s hope that the children a bond, the parents have also become will become friends and remain much closer than they thought they friends as they grow up. would. “Because they are such good “It’s geared toward the kids, but friends,� Fretz said, “they’ve we’ve formed a family,� Kraft said. learned they don’t have to argue, “One day Alex had a conflict, Boy that they can discuss� any difScouts, I think, so he couldn’t go, but Alex Kraft, shown here volunteering for Kids I went to InterPlay, because I wanted ferences between them. Fretz had the idea of a Tri- Against Hunger, enjoys his time with InterPlay. to socialize with the other parents. It Faith children’s group almost immediately after arriving in was Iftar, the breaking of the Muslim fast. It was a great eduOmaha from Dallas about four and a half years ago. cational and learning opportunity.� “One of the first things we saw in the newspaper was the Kimberly Fretz found herself surprised that the adults Abraham’s Tent event,� Fretz said. After attending the inter- have formed such a close group. faith dialogue, Fretz approached Tri-Faith Executive “I never thought or realized I was creating a two-group Director Nancy Kirk about creating a children’s group. organization,� Fretz said. “The first year, parents walked Fretz estimates there are about 10-12 kids, from first grade around each other carefully,� but they eventually became through fifth, who attend the monthly group regularly. friends.

BBYO Connect paint color wars by LEORA AZRIEL Teen/BBYO Director SPLAT! On Oct. 14, 36 teens huddled outside in groups of red and blue for an ambitious game of color paint wars! This was the kickoff event of the year for BBYO Connect, a specialized program just for Jewish 7th and 8th graders. The rules of this colorful game were a mix of those used in dodgeball, hide and seek, and capture the flag. Teens were split into two teams depending on their grade with three BBYO high school members leading in hopes of victory! The objectives of this game were for the players to knock others over with paint and water filled balloons and then run

as fast as they can to grab the flag from the other team without being tagged. After each teen was painted from head to toe, they enjoyed a sweet and salty treat buffet as well as a game of table tennis, pool, and making new friends.

“[InterPlay isn’t] a lecture, it’s not a book, it’s people who are living their faith,� Fretz said. A big part of all the faiths is the idea of social justice, what Reform Judaism calls “tikkun olam,� or “repairing the world.� InterPlay helps the children understand that there are those less fortunate than them around the world, and engages them in action by working with Kids Against Hunger, a non-profit organization that packages and sends food aid to starving families in developing countries and in the United States. “InterPlay is really compassion oriented,� Fretz said. “The kids have to raise enough money to pay for the materials, to earn the money themselves, not just ask their parents for twenty-five dollars.� Once they raise the money, the InterPlay children pack the food materials themselves and help send it on its way. Last year, InterPlay sent food to 90 children in an orphanage in Sierra Leone. “That was their favorite thing to do that year,� Fretz said. “There has to be a purpose to InterPlay. It can’t be just hanging around together.� For his part, fifth-grader Alex Kraft has enjoyed attending the InterPlay meetings. “I do like going,� Alex said. “I learn a lot about different religions there, like Muslims. It’s really fun and there are a lot of different activities. Like one time, we went to a Muslim center. I would recommend it to other kids.� InterPlay and CommUnity meet for an hour once a month. For more information about InterPlay, families can contact Natasha Kraft at 402.991.0702 or Kraftyer@ yahoo.com, or Kimberly Fretz, at 402.339.4007 or InterPlay Omaha@gmail.com.

Legendary Talk-Show Host, Dick Cavett, on It’s The Beat! by NORMA JOHNSON “What a privilege Jody and I had to talk with Dick Cavett� says Karen Sokolof Javitch. “We spoke about his interviews with such greats as John Lennon, Marlon Brando and his friendship with Johnny Carson.� “Host of the Dick Cavett Show from 1977 to 1982, Nebraska’s famous native is truly a legend!� “If you missed our broadcast, catch the interview on our website – www.itsthebeat.net.� Also on the Oct. 20 show we talked with Ron Hull about his 57 year long career at PBS Broadcasting and his 50 year friendship with Cavett. Listen to taped broadcasts to learn about Omaha author and musician David P. Murphy and be amazed at the range of accomplishments of Cher & Gene Klosner, the sister-brother, singer/songwriter duo who have performed for the Pope, the President, and 9/11 tribute events. This Saturday, Nov. 3, at noon, It’s the Beat! on the mighty 1290 AM KOIL will feature the amazing career of Michael Beasley, deemed “King of Hollywood South� for his recent work in some 45 film and television projects and commercials with multiple releases in 2012-13 including Steel Magnolias (LIFETIME); and films: Unconditional, Flight, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, The Bay, and Contraband. Co-hosts Karen Sokolof Javitch and Jody Vinci will also be speaking with members of the band “The Nines.� They will also talk with Lisa Worrall, a local 1st grade teacher, whose unique card art form is on sale at Joslyn Art Museum, Lauritzen Gardens, The Bookworm to name a few. It’s the Beat! is sponsored by Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theatre and features Karen’s music. Know someone in arts & entertainment you’d like to hear? Call Norma at 402.393.3893.

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Clockwise, from left: Bob and Murray Newman; Marty Ricks and Howard Epstein: Don Goldstein and Bobbi Leibowitz; Carl Riekes, John and Sandy Lehr; Joe Erman and Brett Atlas; Jay and Kim Noddle.

Your photos on Facebook by SHERRIE SAAG Communications Specialist, Jewish Federation of Omaha Beatlemania in Omaha is not quite over. Almost, but not yet. Federation staff has uploaded all the green screen photos from the Beatlemania community event on Sept. 23 to the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Facebook page.

Why we give by DAVID GILINSKY The Omaha Jewish community is a very special place. It is unlike any other place I’ve lived or visited. Some of us have known each other for generations. Todd Simon and I have been friends our whole lives; the Simons and Gilinskys have enjoyed friendships for generations. I remember Trudy and Chicky’s friendship well. Bruce Simon’s daughter Talia traveled to Israel with both of our daughters, Molly and Laura, just two years ago. While it is special, around here it is not that uncommon. Many of my friends have had friendships that reached across generations. Our community is small, incredibly close, and incredibly generous. How did we get here? Omaha is a microcosm of our Jewish existence. We are a community because of our shared heritage, a set of shared experiences and traditions connecting us back not five, but 100 generations. And to maintain and build upon what we have, we have to remember where we have been and how we got here. Our great-great-grandfathers left their homes, and came here to find a better life for their children. They started with nothing so we could have something. When Todd and I visited Zhitomir, I thought: “but for the grace of G-d and the fortitude of our ancestors, we would still be here.” It is a miracle, and we are very fortunate. So, I moved back to Omaha because of our amazing community. But how did I know what to do? It was people like Phil Schrager who inspired me. He cre-

ated 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. There isn’t a greater honor than being a steward for a portion of the Schrager family legacy. Phil gave us the blueprint and the playbook. We know how to move forward in his absence. Our generation is so much more accepted and integrated into the general community, which is wonderful. The downside is, we can spread thin and develop a blind spot, forget where we came from. We need to infuse each other with passion, remind each other why the Jewish community is important. The challenge is making the Jewish community a priority in any generation. Don’t leave behind the urgency and commitment that your generation brought to the table. Your parents gave you first hand accounts of WW II, you saw the birth of a Jewish nation and the constant fight for its survival. It’s something my generation has only read about. So, ask yourself, 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. Because your story is inspirational. Please share it with the next generation.

Now your photos and those of your friends and family can be downloaded for your personal use. Enlarge them for your office, make a poster size for home or use one for a holiday greeting. Or, transfer them to your own Facebook page. To find the JFO Facebook page, go to www.face book.com, search for Jewish Federation of Omaha and like us! You will continue to receive posts and updates from the Federation. If you have questions or need help downloading your photos, contact Bob Goldberg, Director of Strategic Initiatives at 402.334.6431 or bgoldberg@jewish omaha.org.

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On Oct. 24, ClubWellness – the Federation’s new employee wellness program – hosted a Health Fair. Booths provided information to employees on health issues, and free chair massages and flu shots were available.Left: Denise Ipock, JCC member Services Director; right: JCC Executive Director Aaron Rosenfeld.

OJC plans overnight at the Zoo by BETH COHEN Executive Director, the Center for Jewish Life The Omaha Jewish Connections (OJC) for high school students is planning an exciting overnight event from Saturday night, Dec. 1 through Sunday morning, Dec. 2. Believe it or not, the group will spend the night engaging in interactive learning while at the Henry Doorly Zoo. The OJC has reserved the Scott Aquarium for sleeping but the program will take the group all over the Zoo after hours. The program will be a mix of exploring the Zoo and Jewish learning led by our rabbis and educators. The Zoo program includes a night time hike (weather permitting) and the opportunity to explore the Aquarium during a private tour with Zoo educators. The group will also spend some time exploring Bereshit, the creation of the animal kingdom and how we interact with it. Reservations for teens participating in the Zoo overnight must be made by Wednesday, Nov. 7. Late reservations cannot be accepted. Students participating will need to be dropped off at the Zoo on Saturday, Dec. 1 between 6:45

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and 7 p.m., and will be picked up at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2. Also per Zoo guidelines, students may not arrive later or leave early. Reservations for high school students to participate in the Zoo overnight of the OJC should be made with your synagogue or by contacting Mark Kirchhoff at the Center for Jewish Life, 402.334.6463 or mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org. The overarching goal of the Omaha Jewish Connections is to prepare high school students to be knowledgeable, thinking, involved, responsible Jewish adults. Lay and professional representatives from Beth El Synagogue, Beth Israel Synagogue, Temple Israel, and the Center for Jewish Life have been engaged in a series of creative planning sessions to develop a ground-breaking approach to meeting the needs of Jewish high school students offered in concert with the synagogues’ educational programs. The OJC is open to all Jewish high school students in Omaha. For more information, contact your synagogue or Beth Cohen at the Center for Jewish Life, 402.334.6446.

November First Friday has a teenage twist by DAVID GOLBITZ Temple Israel Staff Writer With two successful First Fridays in the rearview mirror, Temple Israel is turning over the reins to its teenagers in November. With Fall Chavurah beginning that evening, OTYG will be leading a fun, engaging Shabbat service, full of songs and music chosen by the youth group. “It has been a large undertaking, but the kids have diligently met every Sunday for the past month to get everything done,” Youth Advisor Amy Katz said. OTYG President Hannah Perry will lead the Friday evening service as well as a Saturday morning service that will be held at UNO’s Milo Bail Student Center, where the NFTY kids will meet that morning. There will be about 100 teenagers from around NFTY’s Missouri Valley Region in attendance, coming from as far away as Wyoming and Colorado and as close as Iowa and Kansas. “With our teens leading the service, we think this is a wonderful opportunity to show them our love and support,” Program Director Wendy Goldberg said. “It will be a great night for the congregation to come together for a lively, allages service.” The evening will begin with blessings over the candles and wine in the lobby at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Shabbat service in the main sanctuary at 6 p.m. Ariel Kohll will lead the congregation into the sanctuary with her guitar-playing and

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singing. “I’ve never song-led in front of that many people, and I’m honored to be able to spread my love for Judaism and NFTY through song,” Kohll said. “Music means everything to us NFTY-ites, and I see this being the best Chavurah ever.” Chavurah Co-Chair Zane Fletcher will give the D’Var Torah and, after services, the youth group teens will enjoy a Shabbat dinner in the social hall, followed by a song session and a program written by OTYG Programming VicePresident Hannah Budwig. “I say this all the time but it is worth repeating: OTYG kids love what they do, believe in it and work hard to share their energy with those around them,” Katz said. “I am proud to represent them as advisor.” After the service, while the Chavurah kids have their Shabbat meal at Temple Israel, other members of the congregation will meet at Greek Islands, 3821 Center St., at 7:30 p.m. “With OTYG and the Fall Chavurah sort of taking over the building that weekend, it wasn’t really feasible to host a dinner with an extra hundred teenagers running around,” Program Director Wendy Goldberg said. “So, instead, we thought we’d invite our members to join us at Greek Islands for a fun, relaxing evening after services.” Even though dinner is not being held at Temple Israel, congregants are still asked to RSVP with Wendy Goldberg, wgoldberg@templeisraelomaha.com, if they plan on attending dinner at Greek Islands.

Escape the cold

Snowbirds Please let the Jewish Press know in advance when you are leaving and when you are returning. Sometimes several papers are sent to your “old” address before we are notified by the Post Office. Every time they return a paper to us, you miss the Jewish Press and we are charged! Please call us at 402.334.6448 or email us at jpress@jewishomaha.org.

10 | The Jewish Press | November 2, 2012

Mainstreeters in November by OZZIE NOGG From concerts to classes to luncheons and lectures, the Mainstreeters’ November activities schedule offers a slew of appealing programs. Check out these events, put them on your calendar and say bye-bye to boredom. The Brownville Concert Series presents Taxi Driver: A Musical Ride, Sunday, Nov. 11. Seven musicians will take you on the Concert Series’ second excursion into the world of rock music. The band features Sarah Girres, Nicole Kountze and Michelle Irions (vocals); Cory Kountze (guitar); Andrew Neely (bass); Miles Loretta (drums); and Al Irions (keyboard). They will thrill you with the music of the 50s to the present -- Classic Rock, Motown, Country, Dance, and New Hits. Cost: $17 per person including show admission plus Deluxe Coach Transportation sponsored by Jewish Social Services. Bus leaves the JCC at noon -- please be at the main entrance by 11:45 a.m. -- and returns at approximately 7 p.m. Dinner, on your own, is available after the show at the Greek Islands. Ticket reservations are needed by Thursday, Nov. 1. Please make checks payable to Jewish Social Services and mail to: Mainstreeters c/o Maggie Conti, 323 South 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154. Questions? Call Rose Pitlor at 402.558.5144. Note: bring your own snacks and water for the ride. Fused Glass Project with Artist Larry Budwig: Monday, Nov. 12, 1: p.m. - 3 p.m. in the RBJH Board Room. Back by popular demand, this one day workshop with Larry Budwig of Kind Designs Glass Studio will teach you what fused glass is all about, and help you create the gift of your choice: a 6” plate and piece of jewelry -- $20; a 5” x 1” clear base mezuzah and piece of jewelry -- $30; a 12” x 7” platter and piece of jewelry -- $40. Each would make the perfect one-of-a-kind Hanukkah present for yourself or a loved one. The price includes instruction and all materials plus firing. Deadline for reservations is Friday, Nov. 2. Please make checks payable to Jewish Social Services and mail to: Mainstreeters c/o Maggie Conti, 323 South 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154. But beware... working with fused glass is addictive! A Novel Lunch with Brian Bogdanoff: Monday, Nov. 19, 12:30 p.m. in the RBJH Auditorium. You’ll be spellbound as Brian Bogdanoff discusses his novel, Three Bodies Burning. Now retired from the Omaha Police Department, award-winning homicide detective Bogdanoff holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and graduated from the Omaha Police Academy. Before becoming a homicide detective, Bogdanoff was a member of one of the most successful undercover narcotics units in Omaha. This is the true story of his blockbuster case. For your entree, choose either a Hot Turkey Sandwich with mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce; or Panko Crusted Perch filet over rice pilaf. Both entrees come with roasted mixed vegetables, challah rolls, pumpkin pie and a beverage. Cost: $11.50 per plate. Make checks payable to Jewish Social Services and send full payment to: Mainstreeters c/o Maggie Conti, 323 So. 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154. Reservations are appreciated by Monday, Nov. 12. Further information is available from Maggie Conti at 402.334.6521. Live from NY’s 92nd Street Y: Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. in the JCC Theater: What Is Jewish Culture? This special lecture features Amos Oz, Daniel Libeskind, Deborah Dash Moore, Fania Oz-Salzberger and James E. Young. Come hear the presenters explore the words at the heart of Jewish culture, and make the case that Jewish continuity depends on written words and an ongoing conversation between the generations. Please join us for the post-broadcast dessert reception, hosted by Young Jewish Omaha. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Live from NY’s 92nd Street Y: Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. in the JCC Theater: Science, Religion & the Search for Meaning: Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks with Ira Flatow. There have been ages when religion tried to dominate science. And there have been ages when science tried to dominate religion. Take a fascinating look at the interdependence of religion and science with former Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and host of NPR’s popular “Science Friday” Ira Flatow, as they explore the ways in which they complement each other in our lives. Please join us for the postbroadcast dessert reception, sponsored by Beth Israel Synagogue. The lecture is free and open to the public. Join Us at the Movies: People Like Us, Friday, Nov. 30, 1 p.m. in the JCC Theater. No charge for the film or for unlimited bags of warm, delicious popcorn. No reservations necessary. Invite a friend. People Like Us (from DreamWorks Pictures, the studio that brought you The Help) is a smart and witty drama featuring an all-star cast, including Chris Pine (Star Trek), Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games), award-winning Michelle Pfeiffer and Olivia Wilde. Sam (Pine) is a twenty-something, fast-talking salesman whose latest deal collapses the day he learns his father has suddenly died. Against his wishes, Sam is called home to put his father’s estate in order and reconnect with his estranged family. While there, he uncovers a startling secret that turns his entire world upside down -- he has a 30-year-old sister he never knew existed. Complete with bonus material that reveals how people like us became People Like Us, this is an inspirational and touching movie everyone can relate to. If you want to have lunch at the Star Deli before the show, call Maggie Conti at 402.334.6521 to reserve a table. The cost of lunch is not included in the program. The Star Deli starts serving at 11:30 a.m. Mainstreeters welcomes all Jewish residents of the Omaha area age 60 plus. “Tell your friends and join us for all our programs,” said Maggie Conti, Director of Activities and Outreach Programs at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. “Monthly luncheons, live theater, all kinds of classes, movies, and the Brownville Concert Series are just a few of our diverse activities. And,” Conti continued, “for those of you who haven’t yet sent in your Communications Fee, here’s a friendly reminder. Please help us offset the cost of printing and postage through June of 2013, by contributing $5 a person or $10 per couple. Just make your check payable to Jewish Social Services and mail it to Mainstreeters c/o Dr. Jim Wax, 1103 North 93 Street. #350, Omaha, NE 68114. Thanks in advance for your support.”

In the news Sandy Gordon, from the JCC/Omaha ATA Martial Arts, has just become a fully certified instructor. Gordon completed the required 300 hours of classroom instruction and attended 2 regional certification camps. She learned different techniques and approaches to teaching martial arts in the classroom and trained with 4th through 8th degree Black Belts from the American Taekwondo Association. She also received her 2nd Degree Recommended Black Belt in August. Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman and Chief Administrative Judge A. Gail Prudenti recently announced their new initiative to mandate 50 hours of pro bono work for every law student in the state of New York and appointed Touro Law Professor and former Dean Lawrence Raful, formerly of Omaha, the Director of the New York State Courts’ Pro Bono Initiative. Professor Raful will oversee the program for the initial two years and rule on questions and requests for exceptions and approvals statewide.

Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday celebration by CASSANDRA NOVOTNE In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, his great-great grandson Gerald Dickens performs the premiere of a brand new show, specifically written for the bicentenary, titled The Complete Works of Charles Dickens featuring extracts from all the major novels in chronological order. The premiere takes place at the General Crook House Museum at Historic Fort Omaha. Guests will be transported back to the 19th century, when Charles Dickens himself was touring America. This is the only mid-west performance of this special celebration of Charles Dickens’ works, and seating is limited. Mr. Dickens’ time here in Omaha will be a whirlwind of performances and book signings at the The Field Club of Omaha, 3615 Woolworth Avenue, offering two performances of the traditional holiday classic, A Christmas Carol. Performances include a formal evening “Dickens Gala” on Friday night, Nov. 16, the

other is a matinee performance on Saturday, Nov. 17. Gerald will also debut to Omaha A Chance Encounter with Dickens, which takes us back to the end of Charles’ second tour in 1868. Dickens’ 2012 tour will take him to 13 states across the country. His performances are produced by Byers’ Choice Ltd. of Chalfont, PA, makers of the nationally known Carolers® and Kindles® figurines. Custom figurines commemorating this year’s performances are available for sale through the Douglas County Historical Society. Mr. Dickens will be available to sign a special selection of books and gifts at the signing reception after each performance; photos at this time are encouraged. For a full schedule of events and ticketing information, please visit the society’s website at DouglasCoHistory.org, or call 402.455.9990. Tickets to the Nov. 17 Matinee performance of A Christmas Carol are available for purchase at Conversations in Rockbook Village.

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Fall means fun for Beth El kids by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator

This fall, the children of Beth El have been treated to a variety of fun-filled activities, from special holiday festivities to field trips. Top picture: Toddlers and their parents recently enjoyed play time at a local pumpkin patch, as part of the Beth El parent-toddler playgroup; middle and bottom picture: members of the Kadima and Chaverim youth groups dined in the synagogue's sukkah during “Pizza in the Hut,” before getting their sweet tooth satisfied during a field trip to The Great Omaha Chocolate Festival.

First annual kugel contest by LEORA AZRIEL BBYO/Teen Director Are you Krazy for Kugel? Join us in the JCC auditorium on Sunday, Nov. 18 because BBYO’s MZ Yoshanah is serving you up some savory noodle dishes! Come taste delicious flavors such as potato zucchini, raspberry pecan, cinnamon sugar, apricot, raisin and many more. From 12:30 to 3 p.m., competitors will show off their skills with savory and sweet kugel samples. Prizes will be awarded to the top two kugels. Help us choose the most delectable recipe and join in with friends and family to raise money for BBYO. Admission to this event is $5, which will buy 5 tickets for 5 tastings; additional tastings are only $1. And, if you are interested in being a judge, the entry fee is also $5. Think your kugel is the best? For a fee of $8 you can enter your kugel and find out! For more information and to sign up, please contact Leora Azriel at lazriel@jccomaha.org or 402.334.6404. Please RSVP with your recipe by Thursday, Nov. 15.

JEWISH PRESS NOTICE The deadline for the Nov. 23 issue is Wednesday, Nov. 14, 9 a.m. The 2012 Jewish Press Hanukkah edition will publish on Nov. 30. Please send all content by Monday, Nov. 19, 9 a.m. Please feel free to submit stories early, as you are more than welcome to do so. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.

November 2, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 11

We want you by LEORA AZRIEL BBYO/Teen Director Red, White, and BOOM! JCC Omaha is looking for a group of star studded Jewish Teens for the 2013 Maccabi Games! This Olympic style competition is the second largest organized sports program for Jewish teenagers in the world. The Maccabi Games provide an environment of respect and sportsmanship, encourage health and physical fitness, while teaching the appreciation of Jewish values in an exciting atmosphere. We need YOU to join our team for the following events: Basketball (Boys 13-14), Swimming, Table Tennis, Bowling, Golf, Dance, Team Sports, and ArtsFest. Please join us for Maccabi Parent Information Night on Nov. 8 from 7-7:45 p.m. in the JCC Teen Lounge. The 2013 Maccabi Games location will be revealed this evening so don’t miss out! It will blow you away! RSVP to Leora Azriel at lazriel@jccomaha.org or 402.334.6404.

Blumkin Home plans annual Family Night Dinner by OZZIE NOGG The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s annual Family Night Dinner is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 15. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails on Main Street. Dinner follows at 6 p.m. “This year our theme is a fall harvest festival with beautiful autumn flowers,” said Maggie Conti, RBJH Director of Activities and Outreach Programs. “Guest dining will be set up everywhere on Main Street, with tables in the Schrager Café, the Husker Lounge as well as in the Blumkin Home Auditorium. The residents always look forward to these festive meals when they can dress up a bit and enjoy being together with fam-

ily and friends. It’s a very special time for everyone at the Home, and we invite the community to join us for this harvest celebration.” Strolling violinist Deborah Greenblatt brings her special brand of soothing background music -- classical, Jewish favorites and American standards -to the evening, and Natalie Osborne, RBJH Nurses Manager, will take complimentary family portraits in the Blumkin Home Chapel prior to dinner. The Family Night Dinner menu includes Mushroom Barley Soup, Stuffed Cornish Game Hen, along with Roasted Root Vegetables, Asparagus Spears with Slivered Almonds, and Dutch Apple pie. The cost is $17 per adult plate. Children under 12 can enjoy delicious Chicken Tenders for $8 a plate. “Residents’ meals are provided at no charge,” Conti said. Deadline for reservations is Nov. 8. For more information, call Maggie Conti at 402.334.6521.

Vote Rich Tesar for District 5 by RICH TESAR Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District My family and I have a long history of respected public service in Douglas County. I am a son of Omaha District Court Judge and Mrs. Rudolph Tesar, and brother of Rudy Tesar, longtime Douglas County Clerk of the District Court. I continue to be motivated to seek re-election to this office because of my love of the outdoors, my respect for our fish and wildlife, and a deep appreciation of Nebraska’s greatest natural resource, our rivers. With twenty years of experience on the NRD Board, I have been an active advocate for increased flood control and promot-

ing the development of trails and public access sites to the Platte and Elkhorn Rivers. The most important issue currently facing this NRD is that of providing meaningful flood control in the Papio watershed. There is more we must do to protect lives and property, therefore, flood control is still my number one priority. In addition to water quantity issues, we must also strive to keep our waters clean and safe. I have acquired the knowledge and ability to work with other governmental agencies, earning me numerous endorsements from local and state officials, including Congressman Lee Terry. In 2007, Governor Heineman appointed me to represent the second congressional district on the Riparian Vegetation

Management Task Force. The Task Force is charged with determining the best approach to control the invasive vegetation that is finding its way into the state’s waterways, creating a threat for open water and ice jam flooding as well as harming habitat for threatened and endangered species and other wildlife. You deserve experience, proven leadership, and the commitment to representing your interests at the Papio-Missouri River NRD. Please vote to Re-Elect RICH TESAR, Papio-Missouri River NRD Board. For more information visit www.RichTesar.com or on Facebook at Rich Tesar NRD Director.

CelebratingHanukkah

Publishing Date | 11.30.12 Space Reservation | 11.07.12 Camera Ready Deadline | 11.21.12 Contact your advertising representative to advertise in this very special edition.

Jessie Wees 402.334.6559 | jwees@jewishomaha.org

12 | The Jewish Press | November 2, 2012

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

The first rule of Fight Club

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor of the Jewish Press So, here we are: the election issue. That means we are almost done with the silly commercials, the campaigning, and the speeches. We can get back to doing, I don’t know, stuff. Isn’t it funny? We say national and local politics are important, ‘the future of the country’ and all that, but then we proceed to treat it like an old Seinfeld re-run. And not a very good one at that. We forget that elections aren’t supposed to be won and lost through comedy. I imagine the people of Syria wish they had our problems. Having said that, making jokes about politicians is nothing new. Dante Alighieri did it in his Divine Comedy, and William Shakespeare did it on stage. “Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress,” Mark Twain wrote. “But I repeat myself.” Were Twain alive today, he could make a decent living as a writer for Saturday Night Live. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Political satire is something even Bibi Netanyahu couldn’t escape when, in front of the UN assembly, he drew what some described as an “Acme bomb” (Ah, so that’s what a red line looks like!). Let’s face it, we like joking about politicians, because it helps us avoid talking about real issues. It’s not polite to talk about politics, we tell each other; we could get into an argument with family and friends, and we wouldn’t want that. We long to be polite, and shun conflict as much as we can. We’d rather let Rush Limbaugh and Bill Maher do our screaming for us while we quietly watch from the sidelines. The first rule of Fight Club: we don’t talk about Fight Club. However, as of this publication, there are only four days left until the election, and I say: talk as much as you want. Talk about Mitt Romney, talk about Barack Obama; about Deb Fischer and Bob Kerrey, about Lee Terry and John Ewing, and then some. Talk about what you think of Richard

Mourdock’s recent comments, what you think of Paul Ryan and his performance during the debate, or whether Joe Biden’s mouth is too big. Talk about gay marriage, talk about contraception, about Roe vs. Wade, about the Affordable Care Act, and about deficit spending. Talk about budgets, about Detroit; talk about the economy until you’re blue in the face, about immigration and about the Second Amendment. Talk about veterans, and taxes and the war on women. Talk about creationism and climate change and the transCanada pipeline. Talk about education, and Pell grants, about benefits and 47% and faith-based initiatives; talk about poverty and Wall Street, war and peace, and the conflict in the Middle East. Talk about Medicaid, Medicare, social security, and entitlements; about pork and millionaires, about Afghanistan and Benghazi, about allies and enemies, and jobs, jobs, jobs. It’s about time to throw all this politeness out the window. Why do we think that we can’t be involved and passionate, without doing irreparable damage? We should all be passionate, and we should all care. This is a democracy, for the people, by the people, and nobody should feel the need to be quiet so as not to insult anyone.

Don’t agree with your neighbor? So what. We can all still be friends. Go ahead, be opinionated, and rock the boat. He has his yard sign, you have yours, and you can both be respectful grown ups about this if you try. Trust in your ability to have an adult conversation with someone who has a different opinion, without getting mean. The universal right to vote is a phenomenal invention. It’s something that’s not available to millions of people worldwide, especially women. So when you do have it, you should not only exercise it, you should be excited about it. And having a sound political discussion, well, it’s one of the advantages of living in a democracy. We have the freedom to disagree, and we should celebrate that, not avoid it.

Christians’ letter is an unworthy tactic

Focus on issues NOAM E. MARANS NEW YORK (JTA) -- Iran is threatening Israel, the Middle East and the world with the specter of nuclear weapons. Christians across the Middle East are persecuted and martyred in the repercussions of the so-called Arab Spring. But some American Christian leaders are busy dedicating time, money and resources to their habitual demonization of Israel. The latest tactic is an Oct. 5 letter to Congress alleging human rights violations by Israel and calling for an investigation of U.S. military aid to the country. The signatories include certain leaders of the Presbyterian Church (USA), United Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the National Council of Churches, among others. What motivates these individuals to open a new antiIsrael front? One could be the frustration of their own failure to convince denominations to use divestment as a club to pressure Israel. The letter’s signatories are grappling with the reality that Methodists and Presbyterians again rejected their leaders’ divestment proposals in May and July. Criticism of the letter to Congress by diverse Christians has been sharp, including a call for leadership accountability. Presbyterians for Middle East Peace, for example, declared, “It is unjust and disrespectful to the many General Assembly commissioners who worked so hard to serve the church at past assemblies to see their work undermined and misrepresented by church officials and staff with no authority to make policy.”

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The new initiative led to the cancellation of the annual Christian-Jewish Roundtable, which was founded in 2004 to open lines of communication between Christian and Jewish leaders in the wake of initiatives by liberal Protestant movements to divest from companies doing business with Israel. Jewish organizations expecting to discuss Arab-Israeli peace efforts at the Roundtable on Oct. 22-23 were blindsided when they learned of the Christian outreach to Congress. In lieu of this year’s Roundtable, a broad spectrum of seven Jewish organizations joined to call for an extraordinary meeting of Jewish organizations and the senior leadership of the Christian institutions that signed the letter to Congress and have participated in the Roundtable. At that meeting a more positive path forward for our communities might be determined. Even as we hold specific Christian denominations accountable for the excesses of some of their leaders, we should not generalize about all Christians or even all Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, etc. Americans are overwhelmingly supportive of Israel, and at least 75 percent of Americans are Christians. They understand that Israel is on the front line of the worldwide terrorism threat. They know that Israel strives mightily to avoid inadvertent harm to civilians while protecting all of its citizens -- Jews, Christians and Muslims. They believe that Israel has pursued peace relentlessly and, when there is a partner -- as there was with President Sadat of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan -- has obtained sustainable peace and security with its neighbors. They comprehend that Israel is America’s only reliable ally in the Middle East, with shared democratic and religious freedom values, in a dangerous part of the world.

Interfaith dialogue has had a transformative positive impact on the Jewish experience; we must never take that for granted. Christian-Jewish relations in the past two generations have changed the course of the unfortunate first two millennia of Christian enmity and persecution of Jews and Judaism. Even as we continue to labor in the religious relations vineyard, we should be ever vigilant that the successes of the past 50 years not be undermined by a non-representative anti-Israel sentiment of some Christian leaders and their small but vocal, energetic and well-funded following who are attempting to hijack the positive trajectory of Christian-Jewish relations. So it is important for American rabbis and other Jews to share their concerns with their Christian clergy colleagues and neighbors about this latest effort to demonize Israel and damage American-Israeli relations. The people in the pews, Christian and Jewish, deserve better. Time will tell whether Christian leaders will take this crisis opportunity as a moment to reflect and offer a credible reset to Jewish leaders who have called upon them to step up to the plate. Peace for Palestinians and Israelis will arrive only though direct negotiations between the parties leading to a twostate solution, the Jewish State of Israel and a future Palestinian state, dwelling in peace and security. New tactics that ultimately are not about peacemaking but are about demonizing Israel will not bring the peace that Israelis and Palestinians so much desire. Rabbi Noam E. Marans is the director of interreligious and intergroup relations for the American Jewish Committee.

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November 2, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 13

Christians’ letter was reasonable, worded sensitively

Focus on issues BRANT ROSEN CHICAGO (JTA) -- There has long been an unwritten covenant between the Jewish establishment and Christian leaders when it comes to interfaith dialogue: “We can talk about any religious issues we like, but criticism of Israel’s human rights violations is off limits.” Over the past few weeks, we’ve painfully witnessed what can happen when Christians break this covenant by speaking their religious conscience. On Oct. 5, 15 prominent American Christian leaders released a letter that called on Congress to make military aid to Israel “contingent upon its government’s compliance with applicable U.S. laws and policies.” While most Americans wouldn’t consider it unreasonable for our nation to insist that an aid recipient abide by U.S. laws, some Jewish organizations, including the AntiDefamation League and the Jewish Council on Public Affairs, lashed out at their Christian colleagues, eventually walking out on a scheduled Jewish-Christian roundtable. They are now requesting that the Christian leaders come to a “summit meeting” to discuss the situation. Considering the vehemence of such a response, one might assume that the Christian leaders’ letter was filled with outrageous and incendiary anti-Israel rhetoric. But in fact their letter is a sensitively worded and faithful call supporting “both Israelis and Palestinians in their desire to live in peace and well-being,” as well as acknowledging “the pain and suffering of Israelis as a result of Palestinian actions,” the “horror and loss of life from rocket attacks from Gaza and past suicide bombings,” and “the broad impact that a sense of insecurity and fear has had on Israeli society.” Yes, the authors of the letter also expressed their concern over “widespread Israeli human rights violations committed

against Palestinians, including killing of civilians, home demolitions and forced displacement, and restrictions on Palestinian movement, among others.” As painful as it might be for these Jewish groups to hear, however, these are not scurrilous or arguable “allegations.” They long have been documented by international human rights groups, including the Israeli human rights organization B’tselem. The letter points out that a 2011 State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices has detailed widespread Israeli human rights violations committed against Palestinian civilians, many of which involve the misuse of U.S.-supplied weapons. Why has the Jewish establishment reacted so violently to a relatively balanced and religiously based call? Because by speaking their conscience, these Christian leaders had the audacity to break the unwritten covenant: If you want to have a dialogue with us, leave Israel alone. A recent JTA Op-Ed by Rabbi Noam E. Marans, who serves as director of interreligious and intergroup relations for the American Jewish Committee, provided an interesting window into the mechanics of this covenant. In his Oct. 21 piece, “Christians’ letter is an unworthy tactic,” Marans said nothing about the substance of the letter itself, choosing instead to vehemently attack the Protestant leaders and reject the statement as nothing less than “the opening of a new anti-Israel front.” Marans went on to surmise that this reasonable, religiously based call for justice was the product of “certain leaders” who are frustrated with “their own failure to convince denominations to use divestment as a club to pressure Israel.” Nowhere did he address the issue of Israeli human rights violations (except to refer to them as “allegations.”) In the end, he suggested that this letter represents “the anti-Israel sentiment of some Christian leaders and their small but vocal, energetic and well-funded following who are attempting to hijack the positive trajectory of Christian-Jewish relations.”

It is difficult to read such a statement without concluding that Marans’ definition of “postive Christian-Jewish relations” means anything other than “no criticism of Israel allowed.” It is important to note that the letter to Congress was not written by a few angry church renegades; it was authored by 15 prominent church leaders representing a wide spectrum of the Protestant faith community, including the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Methodist Church, the National Council of Churches, the United Church of Christ, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the American Friends Service Committee (a Quaker agency) and the Mennonite Central Committee. While it is painful to read such accusations leveled at respected Christian leaders by a Jewish director of interreligious and intergroup relations, it is even more saddening that some Jewish organizations have chosen to walk away from a scheduled interfaith roundtable, then demand that the Christian leaders attend a “summit” on their own dictated terms. It is not the role of Jewish organizations to dictate how their Christian partners can live out their conscience or their values, no matter how much they may disagree. Unpleasant realities cannot be discarded simply because these organizations regard such issues as off limits. We can only hope that these Christian leaders will stand firm and that this sad episode will lead us to a new kind of interfaith covenant -- one based on trust and respect, a willingness to face down our fear and suspicion of one another, and a readiness to discuss the painful, difficult issues that may divide us. Will the American Jewish establishment be up to such a task? Rabbi Brant Rosen is the co-chair of the Rabbinical Council of Jewish Voice for Peace and a congregational rabbi in Evanston, Ill.

ence to the tax revenue-built “roads and bridges” he specifically mentioned---was intended to show disdain for the accomplishments of hard-working Americans. “You didn’t build that” may well prove to be the most memorable sound-bite of the 2012 campaign. One’s thing’s certain: From a Jewish point of view, it deserves top billing--not as a reminder of our tax dollars at work but read more deeply, as a larger truth that should inform every moment of our every day. Which is to begin, with its very first moment of consciousness, with opening our eyes and saying the words of Modeh Ani, thanking our Creator for allowing us to awaken. Yes, we were alive and well the previous night, but we have no right to take our continued living for granted. We didn’t build it. Throughout the day, we acknowledge much else we enjoy but didn’t build. From the Birchos Hashachar we recite, thanking Hashem for our sight and our clothing and our ability to move and our energy, to the gratitude we offer in the form of blessings we pronounce over the foods that we eat, a Jewish life is saturated with expressions of hakaras hatov, “recognition of the good”---the understanding that when it comes to all that we have and enjoy and use, we didn’t, so to speak, build any of that; G-d did. The concept was imbedded in the very week of creation, as we recently read in the Torah portion. The first rain was held back (Beraishis 2:5) until there was, as Rashi explains, a human being to “recognize the goodness of rain.” Most everything we have we didn’t build. That’s the meaning of the Talmudic dictum “All is in the hands of Heaven, except fear of Heaven.” All our circumstances, including our successes and failures, regardless of how hard we worked, are determined not by us but by our Creator.

All we can ever really call our own is our “fear of Heaven”--the way we choose to live our lives with whatever Hashem allows us to have as we pass through life. The truth is that imagining that we are self-made, that “we built that” is no mere under-appreciation of a sublime truth but the embodiment of a decadent attitude, the one characterized in Devarim 8:17 by the boast “My power and the might of my hand made me all this wealth.” Which boast is followed by the injunction: “You shall remember Hashem your G-d, that it was He Who gave you strength to make wealth.” How rare that a phrase from a political campaign might deserve to be ornately printed on heavy stock, framed behind glass and hung prominently in a Jewish living room. But in this case, Mr. Obama’s statement---if not as he intended it---well qualifies for that honor.

We didn’t build that

Behind the headlines RABBI AVI SHAFRAN The current extended silly season called a presidential campaign has certainly provided its share of absurdities. Wouldn’t it be nice if all there was to consider were objective facts about the candidates and carefully drawn policy statements by each? If those manipulative and disingenuous political ploys known as ads were outlawed? (I know, I know, we have a Constitution that’s very kind to free expression, even of lies and innuendo.) If money and gullibility didn’t somehow combine to yield votes? Instead we have dog stories---that Mr. Romney long ago traveled with one atop his car (albeit in a windshieldequipped animal container---and with Seamus reportedly enjoying the ride); and that Mr. Obama, as a child in Indonesia, had tasted canine meat (a delicacy in a number of countries). And slightly less peripheral but ultimately irrelevant “issues” like the contents of the Republican candidate’s personal tax returns and the fact that some Navy SEALS don’t support the president’s re-election. Then there are the outright mischaracterizations. Like the portrayal of Mr. Romney’s ill-spoken but less-than-horrifying admission to a group of donors that the 47% of Americans who pay no income tax aren’t likely to vote for him, as some sort of “let them eat food stamps” disdain for the poor. Or the insinuation that Mr. Obama’s statement “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that”---a clear refer-

Halevy’s blind spot on Democratic presidents’ pressure? by DANIEL TREIMAN In his New York Times Op-Ed, former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy argued that Republicans are the only U.S. presidents who have mounted “serious, sustained pressure on Israel’s leaders.” In response, Commentary’s Jonathan Tobin offers a lengthy survey of how Democratic presidents -- including those who were unquestionably friends of Israel -- have also pressured the Jewish state. Tobin writes: The problem with his op-ed is not that Republicans have not always backed up the Israelis. The fallacy here is that he cites this in order to refute Mitt Romney’s charge that

President Obama has repeatedly thrown Israel “under the bus.” It’s that he chooses to ignore the many instances of pressure from Democrats. Indeed, just as every Republican occupant of the White House has some blots on his ledger with regard to Israel, the same is true of almost every Democrat dating back to Harry Truman. Yet what’s truly odd about the piece, and causes me to question the judgment not only of the Times editors that chose to publish it but those liberals circulating the article around the Internet today as if it was a damning refutation of Romney’s allegations, is that none of this stuff about past Republicans or Democrats has anything to do with Obama.

Letters TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, Congratulations on the NJHS’s 30th Anniversary. It was only a success by the endless work of Renee Corcoran, Joanie Bernstein, Sue Millward, Bob Belgrade, the NJHS board, Ozzie’s articles as well as anyone else I failed to mention who was involved. Our special thanks to you all for honoring Ben Nachman’s legacy. Elaine Nachman and family Dear Editor, Regarding the story “The other side of the story” appearing in the Jewish Press on Oct. 26, 2012, which quoted my dear Israeli friends, Irit and Murrel Kohn, the undersigned was not the “disenchanted American former Israeli activist.” Several readers have asked me if I was that unnamed individual. Quite the contrary, I am a totally engaged and enthusiastic supporter of Israel. The person the Kohn’s were responding to was unnamed in order to protect the identity of that individual. That individual does not live in the Omaha area. Murray Newman

JEWISH PRESS NOTICE The deadline for the Nov. 23 issue is Wednesday, Nov. 14, 9 a.m. The Jewish Press office will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 22 for Thanksgiving. The 2012 Jewish Press Hanukkah edition will publish on Nov. 30. Please send all content by Monday, Nov. 19, 9 a.m. Please feel free to submit stories early, as you are more than welcome to do so. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.

14 | The Jewish Press | November 2, 2012

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. FRIDAY, Nov. 9: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker, Gili Gutwirth, Community Shlicha will speak about Experiences in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces). The community is invited. Services will be conducted by Cantor Beth Schlossberg.

4:45 p.m.; Rabbi Gross’s Twitter Topic class, 4:45 p.m.; Mincha, 5:45 p.m., followed by Seuda Shlishit; Havdalah, 7 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. followed by breakfast; LEAP Limmud for Teens, 10 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. WEDNESDAY: Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 7:45 p.m. THURSDAY: Sacred Grounds, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Gross; Scholars Club for fourth-sixth graders, 3:30 p.m. with Rabbi Gross.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

CHABAD CENTER

Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin, Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.; Oh Say Shalom to Shabbat and Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. Dinner follows at 6:30 p.m. Dinner cost: Beth El members, $5; non-members, $7.50. No charge for children six and younger. RSVP online at www.bethel-omaha.org, or contact the office at 402.492.8550, or programming@bethel-omaha.org. SATURDAY: Morning Services, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; Simchat Shabbat, 10:30 a.m., Beth El’s contemporary, congregation-led alternative Shabbat service returns. Stay afterward for lunch at Café Schmooze. No charge for lunch, but RSVP to the office, or email programming@bethel-omaha.org; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 5:05 p.m. 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.; Yad Squad, 10:30 a.m., come to Beth El to learn about the Yad Squad, a group for all Torah/Haftarah readers and those who would like to learn to chant. Led by Hazzan Krausman, the group welcomes all adults and post-B’nai Mitzvah celebrants. For more information, contact the hazzan in the office, or at hazzankrausman@bethel-omaha.org; Hebrew Crash Course, 11 a.m. with Susi Frydman-Levin and continues on Nov. 11, Dec. 9 and 16. MONDAY: Wrestling with Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham. WEDNESDAY: Women’s Book Group, 7:30 p.m., at the synagogue. We’ll discuss Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larson. Highly Controversial Laws of Torah, Sunday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg. YAC Playgroup, will meet at P.E. 101 on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 10:30 a.m. For more information, contact Caryn Scheer at carynscheer@yahoo.com. All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.

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.; The Life of Sarah: What One Women Can Accomplish. WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. Birthday of Shalom Dov Ber, the 5th Chabad Rebbe. Enjoy refreshments and L’Chaim. TUESDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.; Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. Please reserve by calling 402.330.1800. Annual Womens Friday Night Dinner, Friday, Nov. 9, 5:30 p.m. Join us for dinner and reserve by calling 402.330.1800. All programs are open to the entire 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: Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free babysitting service begins at 9:30 a.m.; Children’s Classes begin with Torah Parade, 9:45 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored in honor of October/November Simchas; The Laws of Shabbat, 3:45 p.m.; Advanced Parshah Study for Boys (ages 10 and up),

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: LJCS Family Shabbat Service and Dinner, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Vayera. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Annual Festive Summit, 12:30 p.m. Jewish Potluck Luncheon, Music, Pictures from the Past Year, Year in Review, Budget and Priorities Discussion, Election of Board Members and Presentation of 2012 Mitzvah Award. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Judaism’s Great Debates: A Lunch and Learn Session with Rabbi Barry Schwartz, Thursday, Nov. 15, noon-1:15 pm at Tifereth Israel. Hosted by University of Nebraska Press. RSVP by Sunday, Nov. 11, to 402.423.569 or office@tiferethisraellincoln.org. Wine and Cheese Reception, Thursday, Nov. 15, 6-7:30 p.m. at 5941 Cross Creek Road. RSVP by Sunday, Nov. 11, to Erin Rippeteau at erippeteau1@unl.edu. Rabbi Schwartz and Donna Shear, Director of the University of Nebraska Press, will discuss major JPS projects on the horizon. Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, Sunday, Nov. 18, 3 p.m. Clergy and congregations from all over Lincoln will be joining us along with the Star City Kochavim. ADULT EDUCATION THURSDAYS, Beginning Hebrew, 6 p.m.

Candlelighting Friday, November 2, 6 p.m.

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 David Herzog. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street | Omaha, NE 68132-2651 | 402.556.6536 www.templeisrael-ne.org FRIDAY: First Friday Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel, Rabbi Brown and Cantor Shermet; No Host Dinner, 7:30 p.m. at the Greek Islands. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Joshua Wax, son of Melissa Wax and Bill Wax, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah. SUNDAY: Teachers Meeting, 9:30 a.m.; Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; Grade 2 Field Trip, 10 a.m. WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; All School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-8, 6-8 p.m.; Religion and Film, 6:30 p.m. with William Blizek. THURSDAY: The History of Judaism in Greece with Cantor Shermet, 10 a.m.

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: LJCS Family Shabbat Service and Dinner, 6 p.m. led by the school children at South Street Temple. SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed a by Kiddush luncheon. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at TI; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at TI. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. LJCS Spaghetti Feast, Sunday, Nov. 11 after school at Tifereth Israel. The first and second grades will be cooking and serving. Cost is $4 per plate. Judaism’s Great Debates: A Lunch and Learn Session with Rabbi Barry Schwartz, Thursday, Nov. 15, noon-1:15 pm at Tifereth Israel. Hosted by University of Nebraska Press. RSVP by Sunday, Nov. 11, to 402.423.569 or office@tiferethisraellincoln.org. Wine and Cheese Reception, Thursday, Nov. 15, 6-7:30 p.m. at 5941 Cross Creek Road. RSVP by Sunday, Nov. 11, to Erin Rippeteau at erippeteau1@unl.edu. Rabbi Schwartz and Donna Shear, Director of the University of Nebraska Press, will discuss major JPS projects on the horizon.

To Submit B’nai Mitzvah Announcements Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewish omaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, by e-mailing the editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org or online at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press.’

Bat Mitzvah Olivia Nogg, daughter of Patty and Tony Nogg, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 10, at Temple Israel. Olivia is an eighth-grade Honor Roll student at Kiewit Middle School. Her interests include taking dance at Just Dance Co. and she is also a member of their dance club, a group of girls who dance/participate in parades and other local events. For her mitzvah project, Olivia has volunteered at Project Harmony over the past year, assisting in the administrative offices with data entry for fundraising, mailings and other clerical duties as needed. She also helped them clean and organize toys.. Grandparents are Ozzie and Don Nogg, and Fina D’Agosta and the late Charles M. D’Agosta. Great-grandmother is Nellie D’Agosta.

Netanyahu casts his lot with the right by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu parties will merge their candidate slates for the upcoming Israeli elections, bolstering Benjamin Netanyahu’s chances at forming Israel’s next government. The surprise announcement by Netanyahu, the prime minister and chairman of Likud, and Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beiteinu came at a news conference Thursday evening in Jerusalem. The move makes the joint entity more likely to win the most votes in January’s elections, giving Netanyahu first shot at assembling the Knesset majority necessary to again become prime minister. Likud currently controls 27 Knesset seats and Yisrael Beiteinu has 15. In Israel’s last elections, Kadima edged Likud by one seat. But Netanyahu managed to beat out then-Kadima leader Tzipi Livni when it came to coalition building, putting

together an alliance of right-leaning parties, including Yisrael Beiteinu, to create his Knesset majority. The new joint list “strengthens the government, strengthens the prime minister and, because of this, strengthens the country,” Netanyahu said at Thursday’s news conference. The merger comes amid talk in recent days of creating a unified coalition of centrist and left-wing parties as a counter to Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc. “I call on voters who feel they’ve lost their political home to join the Labor Party and stop the Netanyahu-Liberman government,” Shelly Yachimovich, Labor’s chairwoman and opposition leader, said following the announcement, calling on centrist parties to align with Labor. Yachimovich added that she would not join a government led by Netanyahu and Liberman. Likud’s Central Committee is scheduled to vote Oct. 30 on the merger.

Pulverente MONUMENT CO.

November 2, 2012 | The Jewish Press | 15

A glorious impudence

Delayed Bar Mitzvah

60 Years Experience With Jewish Lettering and Memorials

Sparks from the word

Rockets from Gaza continue to bombard southern Israel by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Some 20 rockets fired from Gaza struck southern Israel on Oct. 28 and 29. The rockets landed in unpopulated areas and did not cause any injury or damage. In response, Israeli airstrikes early Monday morning hit what the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement were a rocket launching site and a “terror activity site” in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as a terror activity site in the southern Gaza Strip. Hamas’ military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. The attacks were “in response to the continued Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip,” the brigades reportedly stated. The rocket fire came after three long-range Grad rockets struck Beersheva on Sunday morning, ending a three-day unofficial cease-fire brokered by Egypt. Schools throughout the region reopened Monday after being shut down throughout Beersheva on Sunday following the Grad attack. More than 70 rockets and mortars were fired last week from Gaza at southern Israeli communities. More than 615 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip have hit communities in southern Israel since January, including 150 in October, according to the IDF. On Oct. 28, Israel’s Cabinet unanimously approved full protection from rocket fire for all communities located up to 7 kilometers, or 4.3 miles, from the Gaza border, at a cost of about $70 million. Communities up to 5 kilometers, or 3 miles, previously were protected.

To Submit obituaries to the Jewish Press: Email to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; fax to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154, or online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on Jewish Press and go to Submit Announcements.

Frank L. Ciciulla, Jr.

Accounts Payable/ Receivable Payroll Clerk

RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parsha Vayeira We must recognize that the Sodom-Gomorrah story is kind of a sequel to the narrative of Noah and the Flood. Hollywood would call it Flood II. The Great Flood in the Bible differs sharply from a somewhat similar Mesopotamian story. In the Mesopotamian version, it is the whim or caprice of the gods that led to the destruction of humankind. In the Bible account of Noah, it is quite different. There is one God of all the earth. He is not capricious, the Flood comes from a moral decision He has made. He cannot abide the corruption and violence to which humankind has become accustomed. In Sodom and Gomorrah there is a repetition of this theme, as though it were a reinforcement. It is the wickedness of the population that obliges God to decide on their destruction. And the nature of God emerges from the story clearly. He is moral, and He is just. He is a God of justice who demands justice also of mankind. Second, implied in the story is a glorious view of the relationship between God and mankind. How is mankind to react to what God does in the world? May a human being question God? Take Him to task? Yes, yes, our story implies. Before destruction, God tells Abraham what He is about to do. Abraham does not listen dispassionately; he cannot accept without dissent that people are about to be annihilated. Abraham dares to challenge God’s sense of justice: Just because You have all the power, does that give You the right to disregard justice? What impudence! But what a glorious impudence it is. Here is an implication of a lasting importance. Do we accept God’s judgments humbly? Yes, of course, for we are human and He is God. Humbly, but not unquestioningly. We have the right to question Him, to challenge Him. We have the right to protest the human condition, for we are not pawns in some capricious divine game. We are intelligent, sentient beings, who have the intellectual right and the spiritual duty to investigate. For God has made us a little like Himself.

1439 So. 13th 402-341-2452

by EDGAR ASHER Twenty Holocaust survivors from the central Israeli town of Ramat Hasharon celebrated their bar mitzvah at the Kotel (Western Wall) today. The ceremony was initiated and organized by the ‘Kotel Heritage Foundation’. Most of the Holocaust survivors had been incarcerated in various concentration camps and many still had their ‘camp numbers’ on their arms. At the instructions of Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, the Rabbi of the Kotel, all the survivors were told to put their arm tephillin on the arm that bore their concentration camp numbers applied by the Nazis.

U.N. special rapporteur’s report calls for boycott by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- U.N. Special Rapporteur Richard Falk called on the member nations of the General Assembly to boycott companies that do business with Israel. “My main recommendation is that the businesses highlighted in the report -- as well as the many other businesses that are profiting from the Israeli settlement enterprise -should be boycotted until they bring their operations into line with international human rights and humanitarian law and standards,” Falk said in a statement Thursday after he presented his “Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories since 1967” to the U.N. General Assembly. The report highlighted the activities of companies he said are involved in the establishment and maintenance of the Israeli settlements. He cited Caterpillar Inc., Hewlett Packard and Motorola in the United States; Ahava, Elbit Systems and Mehadrin of Israel; and the Volvo Group and Assa Abloy of Sweden, along with Veolia Environment of France, G4S of the United Kingdom, the Dexia Group of Belgium, the Riwal Holding Group of the Netherlands and Cemex of Mexico. Independent experts, or special rapporteurs, are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. On Oct. 24 the Anti-Defamation League called on U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to distance his office from the report, saying its boycott call is one of the hallmarks of the international boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign to pressure companies doing business with Israel. “While the issue of human rights violations experienced by Palestinians is a legitimate area of concern and inquiry, Richard Falk has repeatedly abused his position as special rapporteur to unleash unrestrained hatred and disdain for Israel,” said Abraham Foxman, ADL’s national director. “This malevolence permeates his official reports and, at times, his personal statements, which include the use of anti-Semitic imagery and comparisons of Israeli actions to those of the Nazis.” As special rapporteur, ADL said, Falk has made it his mission to single out Israel as a human rights violator while using the imprimatur of the United Nations to advance a biased agenda fueled by anti-Israel animus that erodes the credibility of the U.N. “The United Nations should not be complicit in this wholly unjustified effort to single out Israel,” Foxman wrote in his letter to Ban on the eve of the session devoted to Falk’s report.

CORRECTION Our headline article “The other side of the story,” which appeared in the Oct. 26 edition of the Jewish Press, mentioned a “disenchanted American.” For privacy reasons, we did not disclose the identity of this individual. The story was brought to our attention by Murray Newman, who was also kind enough to write the introduction. We failed to make it clear that the “disenchanted Jewish American-Israel activist” mentioned in paragraph six was not Murray himself. He has never been anything but supportive of Israel. The editor of the Jewish Press regrets causing any confusion, and promises to be much more careful in the future.

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16 | The Jewish Press | November 2, 2012

Anat Hoffman’s arrest at Western Wall galvanizing liberal Jewish groups by BEN SALES and NEIL RUBIN Women’s Israel office, said legal initiatives are the best way TEL AVIV (JTA) -- Last week’s episode was hardly the to effect change on the issue. first time Israeli police stopped activist Anat Hoffman “With all of the screaming and yelling and American while she was leading a women’s prayer service at the Jews banging on the table, at the end of the day this is a Western Wall in violation of Israeli law. land with a court system,” Eshet said. But this time, police actually arrested her -- a first, she Leaders of some religiously pluralistic American Jewish says -- and the incident appears to be galvanizing liberal groups admit that their efforts to date on this issue have Jewish groups in the United States and Israel. not worked. Some hope that Hoffman’s arrest will galvaIn the United States, the Union for Reform Judaism nize their constituents anew. called for a police investigation and expressed its dismay to “This is a moment for us to think differently,” said Rabbi Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador in Washington. The Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism. He United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism announced a said his organization was considering an array of options. global “Shema flash mob” for Monday -- a nod to the Rabbi Steven Wernick, executive vice president and CEO prayer Hoffman was reciting when she was arrested. of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, said a In Israel, the Israel Religious Action Center, which new strategy is needed. Hoffman leads, launched a petition to the Supreme Court Israeli police arresting Anat Hoffman after she said the Shema “We’ve been very reactive thus far to these circumstances requesting that the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Israel prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Oct. 16, 2012. when they come,” he said. “Whatever strategies that we’ve which runs the Kotel, change its decision-making process Credit: Women of the Wall been doing previously are not enough because this issue is station, leaving bruises. She also claims that police ordered getting progressively more difficult and troublesome.” to include non-Orthodox Jews. “There is no voice around that table for women, for the her to strip naked, and that she spent the night in a cell withIn Israel, groups working for religious pluralism face a dual paratroopers who liberated the Wall, for the variety of plu- out a bed. She was released the following morning after challenge: They are fighting legal and legislative battles on a ralist voices,” Hoffman, who is also chairwoman of Women agreeing to stay away from the Kotel for 30 days. range of issues, and most Israelis are not motivated to join As the incident received wide coverage in the American the fights -- especially when it comes to the Western Wall. of the Wall, told JTA. “We want to dismantle this body. If the Wall belongs to the Jewish people, where are the Reform, Jewish media, the condemnations of Hoffman’s arrest “Israelis view the Wall as something not relevant to daypoured in, particularly from women’s groups such as the to-day life,” Hess said. “What could have been a national Conservative, secular?” For now, however, there is no grand coordinated strategy Women’s Rabbinic Network and the National Council of symbol to connect Jews from all over the world is now only to challenge the laws governing Israel’s holy site, which bar Jewish Women. an Orthodox synagogue.” Yizhar Hess, executive director of Israel’s Conservative women from praying while wearing a tallit prayer shawl or Women of the Wall could attract more of an Israeli followtefillin, or from reading aloud from the Torah. In a 2003 movement, said that if Hoffman actually is charged with a ing if it linked its cause to other religious freedom issues, said Israeli Supreme Court decision, those rules were upheld on crime, it would force a reexamination of the rules governing Rabbi Uri Regev, president and CEO of the Israeli pluralism the ground that “local custom” at the Wall did not allow for the Western Wall. organization Hiddush. “As emotionally attractive and justiHoffman says she wants the courts to allow her group to fied as Women of the Wall is, there are bigger and more comsuch practices. So with Women of the Wall intent on continuing its prac- pray for one hour per month at the Wall, and ideally wants pelling issues,” like legalizing non-Orthodox Jewish marriage tice of organizing a women’s prayer service at the site every the Wall’s council to allocate some time for prayers without in Israel or funding non-Orthodox Jewish rabbis, he said. mechitzah -- the divider that separates men and women. She Rosh Chodesh, another incident likely is not far off. Hoffman says she hopes Diaspora Jews will push the issue Hoffman’s arrest during the Rosh Chodesh service on sees an opening in the Supreme Court’s reliance on “local with Israeli leaders. Wernick says he wants the Jewish Oct. 16 garnered more attention than previous incidents. custom” as the basis for upholding the current rules. The Agency for Israel’s board of governors to put the issue of Hadassah, which was holding its centennial celebrations in Israel Religious Action Center’s petition aims to change who women praying at the Western Wall on its agenda. He also is Jerusalem, had sent some 200 women to pray with Hoffman, defines “local custom.” pushing for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Alternative services, like those of the Reform and Netanyahu about it. USCJ, however, will not press for a new giving a significant boost in numbers to the service, which Conservative movements, are allowed at Robinson’s Arch, at Israeli law on the matter, he said. totaled about 250 women. After Hoffman was arrested, she claims Israeli police the Kotel’s southern corner and not adjacent to the plaza. “We’re not Israeli citizens and we respect Israel’s right to Shari Eshet, director of the National Council of Jewish determine its own course,” Wernick said. chained her legs and dragged her across the floor of a police