thejewishpress AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
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Dr. Michelle Simon honored by Nebraska Hospital Association page 9
Baruch Dayan Ha’Emet
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AlAn potASh CEO, Jewish Federation of Omaha Jon mEyErS President, Jewish Federation of Omaha e learned last week about the vandalism that took place at an Omaha Jewish institution. Yes; a cemetery is an institution. When one of our institutions is the target of vandalism, we personally view this as an attack on the Jewish community. We have a collective responsibility to respond to this as a community. We have the responsibility to come to the aid and share in the repair and also in responsible messaging.
Spotlight Viewpoint Synagogues Life cycles
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mArk kirchhoFF Community Engagement and Education, Jewish Federation of Omaha Jewish Book Month is an important annual event in both the American Jewish community and the publishing world. It is sponsored by the Jewish Book Council and is held annually in the month leading up to Hanukkah. This year marks the 46th anniversary of the Jewish Fed-
Credit: Omaha Crimestoppers Our training directs us to pause and not react without all of the facts. Even as we write this, we are in DC at the JFNA FedLab conference, along with Zoë Riekes, discussing community security and other critical issues impacting the Jewish world. Many people have come up to us and asked about the cemetery issue and have offered support and solutions. We mention this because one of the conversations is about when to communicate to the community. The discussion was across the board but the bottom line was, is it an emergency? Do you have the facts? What is already out there and is it factually accurate? If not, corrections are warranted. See Baruch dayan ha’Emet page 2
Nebraska Furniture Mart’s new collection
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Jewish Book Month Author Luncheon
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Lincoln Jewish Book Month celebration page 4
Hanukkah Truck Party page 8
SponSorEd By thE BEnJAmin And AnnA E. wiESmAn FAmily EndowmEnt Fund
AnnEttE vAn dE kAmp-wright Editor, Jewish Press Nebraska Furniture Mart was founded by Rose Blumkin in 1937 in the basement of her husband’s pawn shop in Omaha. In 1983, investor Warren Buffett purchased a majority interest in NFM and made it part of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. As tempting as it is to think of Nebraska Furniture Mart as a historic venue, a business that’s (almost) as old as the community itself, it’s good to remember that the Mart today is very much part of 21st century Omaha. Today, NFM is one of the na-
Bobby Berk and Andy Shefsky tion’s largest home furnishings retailers, selling furniture, flooring, appliances and electronics. NFM currently has locations in Omaha, Des Moines, Kansas City and Dallas/Fort Worth which totals over 4.6 million square feet of retail and distribution space.
Friday, Nov. 1, a new collection by furniture designer Bobby Berk was unveiled at the Omaha store, with the designer himself in attendance. It was followed by similar events in Kansas City and Dallas. See nebraska Furniture mart page 2
Elyssa Friedland
eration of Omaha’s participation in the Annual Jewish Book Month. The Community Engagement and Education arm of the JFO is proud to host author Elyssa Friedland for its traditional author luncheon in the newly-renovated Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue on thursday, dec. 12 at noon. Advanced reservations by dec. 4 are required. Luncheon cost is $12 payable in cash or check at the door. To make your reservation, contact Mark Kirchhoff at mkirchhoff@jewishoma ha.org or phone 402.334.6463. Elyssa Friedland is the author of three novels: The Floating Feldmans, The Intermission, and Love and Miss Communication. She attended Yale University, where she served as managing editor of the Yale Daily News, and is a graduate of Columbia Law School. She worked as an associate at a major firm before turning to writing full-time. Recently, Elyssa has written for The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, POPSUGAR, RealSimple.com and Bustle. Prior to law school, Elyssa wrote for several publications, including Modern Bride, New York magazine, Columbia Journalism Review, CBS MarketWatch.com, Yale Alumni Magazine and Your Prom. Elyssa grew up in New Jersey and currently lives in New York City with her husband and three young children. Elyssa will feature The Floating Feldmans in her address at this year’s author luncheon in Omaha. As her most recent work, The Floating Feldmans was a People Magazine “People Pick” and was praised by Cosmopolitan, Bustle, Good Housekeeping, National Geographic, Woman’s Day, Woman’s World, Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist and more. Friedland’s website summarizes the book in the following way: See Jewish Book month page 5