December 10, 2004

Vol. LXXXIV No. 14 Omaha, NE

Oak Hills and Bikur Cholim Cemetery Merger in Council Bluffs Protects Sacred Ground by CLAUDIA SHERMAN They sit side-by-side on a hill overlooking Council Bluffs in peaceful repose amidst stately 100-year-old oak trees with only the sounds of an occasional bird chirping and fallen leaves scampering across the red brick road. The Reform and Orthodox cemeteries of Oak Hills/Bikur Cholim gently drape two acres of hillside on East Pierce Street. Walking among the graves and headstones, you wander back into the history of dozens of Council Bluffs and Omaha families. Ted Seldin, whose parents are buried at Oak Hills/Bikur Cholim, the only Jewish cemetery in Council Bluffs, has been involved in the Orthodox cemetery’s affairs since about 1985. However, the cemetery associations became concerned, he explained, because “under Iowa statutes, if a cemetery does not have a perpetual care fund and the cemetery grounds are not maintained, the city can assume ownership.” Neither the original Reform Council Bluffs Hebrew Cemetery Association, established in 1887, nor the Orthodox Society of Bikur Cholim wanted to risk such a possibility. So the two cemetery associations merged about a year ago into one board with representatives from both cemeteries. “It took four or five years to get the legal work done,” said Seldin, assistant treasurer of the board. In past years, Ken Sacks (now deceased) and Maynard Telpner, both Council Bluffs attorneys, had worked to maintain the state charter of the Orthodox cemetery association. Deborah Peterson, a former associate of Ken Sacks’ and now a partner with the law firm of Reilly Petersen Hannan and Dreismeier in Council Bluffs, “deserves great credit” for working through the complex details of the non-profit corporate merger required under Iowa law, Seldin said. Another Council Bluffs attorney, Sheldon Gallner of Continued on page 3

Celebrating 84 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa

27 Kislev, 5765 December 10, 2004

The World’s Biggest Menorah Lights Up in Israel

The Jerusalem Municipality and the Meir Panim’ Organization, in association with the Israel Electric Corporation, have built what is claimed as “the world’s largest menorah in Jerusalem. On Monday, the night before Hanukkah, the menorah was officially inaugurated by Jerusalem Mayor, Uri Lupolinaski, Dudy Zilberslag, chairman of Meir Panim, a volunteer organization that provides food for the needy, former Knesset member Rafi Elul and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger. The menorah, which is built at the entrance to Jerusalem, is 21 meters wide, and

has nine branches, each of them 20 meters tall. It is made of 1800 light bulbs, each of them 500 watts strong, and weighs, in total, 50 tons. The menorah produces more light than all the lights along the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. The idea to build the menorah was conceived by Zilberslag. He said that the menorah, built in Jerusalem, “will welcome and smile on the city and its people, just like his organization.” The menorah will be officially entered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest menorah in the world. Copyright: ISRANET

Family Life by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director Editor’s Note: The story you are about to read is true, and used with permission. The names and some details have been changed to protect the subject’s privacy. Welcome to the final installment of The Project Dreidel Chronicles. This series has introduced you to a few of the Omaha area Jews who have been helped by Jewish Family Service. The people featured in these stories have graciously agreed to share intimate details of their lives with the community in order to increase awareness of the programs and services offered by JFS that have made such a tremendous difference in their quality of Jewish life. Your gift to the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Annual Campaign supports Jewish Family Service as well as the rest of our Centers of Excellence: the ADL/CRC, the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Educational and Library Services and Jewish Senior Services. Your gift to the Federation Campaign is what allows us to take care of each other in Omaha, Israel and 60 other countries around the world. Despite our best efforts, our communi-

Inside Opinion Page see page 12

ty needs conJeff and Kim tinue to outRosenberg pace contriare your typibutions to the cal Jewish Federation family living A n n u a l in Omaha. Campaign. They live in Y o u r a regular increased house in a Campaign n o r m a l gift ensures neighborthat every hood. They O m a h a have two Jewish comchildren; a munity memson in his ber will have senior year of access to prohigh school fessional and and a daughcompassionter in 10th Jewish Family Service needs volunteers to help start the VIP, ate help in a grade. Jeff Volunteer Initiative Project, pairing people with expertise in Jewish envihas a job in job hunting, parenting, financial and stress management ronment. middle manskills with those who need help in our community. This week, agement at a The Project Dreidel Chronicles highlights big company and Kim works part time at an increasing need in our community a veterinary clinic. and proposes a new program to meet They aren’t rich by any means, but barthat need. But it won’t happen without ring any catastrophes, they managed to your involvement. Read on and then get by. Unfortunately, one unexpected make the call that will change someone’s event recently shifted the fragile balance life… of their lives. Kim’s mother, a widow on

This Week: Temple Plans New York Trip to New York! New York!: page 16 Dispute Over Kosher Meat Plant page 2

College Students Share Experiences with Breadbreakers page 5

a fixed i n c o m e , began experiencing a sharp decline in her health. With no other family in town, Kim found herself in the position of the sole caretaker for her mother. The financial and emotional strain of taking care of Kim’s mother eventually became a burden that the entire family shouldered. Jerry Bauerman is in his late 50s and has held the same job for 25 years. Two months ago, he was fired. Jerry has some mental health issues and never graduated from high school. He has never written a resume and has no idea how to look for a job. He also needs help with the basic grooming and social skills that will make him more employable. These are just two examples of real-life situations that the staff at Jewish Family Service encounters on a daily basis. In addition to emergency aid, many people in our Jewish community need to learn basic skills so that they can become self-reliant. Continued on page 10

Next Week: Guide to Senior Living

Library of Congress Exhibit Open Through Dec. 18: page 7

Hanukkah Crossword Puzzle page 11

Page 2

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

December 10, 2004

A big thank you to friends and family who have called, visited, and sent cards, donations and gifts during my recent recuperation. A special thanks to the rabbis and cantors of all the synagogues for their encouragement and to the staff of the Blumkin Home for their special care. Harold “Bae” Epstein and the entire Epstein Family

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

C SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12 L I Religious School Steering Committee Meeting, 8:30 a.m. at Temple Israel P B’nai B’rith Annual Hanukkah Run for Freedom, 9 a.m.

C L I P

Jewish Potpouri, 10 a.m. at Beth El

& Bible Study Class, 11 a.m. at Beth El

&

S A MONDAY, DECEMBER 13 V “Kosher Kitchen” Class, 7:30 p.m. at the Hoffman home E

S A V E

Hebrew Crash Course, 11 a.m. at Beth El Sunday School Class, 3 p.m. at Beyt Shalom Rabbi Harold Kushner, 7 p.m. at Beth El

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14 BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Federation Executive Committee Meeting, 6 p.m. Adult Education, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel Executive Committee Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El Board Meeting, 7 p.m. at Friedel Jewish Academy Federation Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m. TLC “Growth Through Torah”, 7:30 p.m. at private residence WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15 Patter, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El Rabbis & Presidents Meeting, Noon Adult Education, Noon at Temple Israel Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Beth El

C THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16 L Men’s Spirituality Group, 7:30 a.m. at Temple Israel I Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m. P Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel

C L I P

& Book Discussion Group, 1 p.m.

&

Hebrew Crash Course, 11 a.m. at Beth El “Most Important People of the Bible”, noon at Beth El Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. “Meaning of Life” Class, 1 p.m. at TLC Kabbalistic Journeys, 7 p.m. at Chabad House Hebrew Speakers Club, 7 p.m. “Crash Course in Hebrew Reading”, 7:30 p.m. at TLC

S A V E All events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of events. To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. FOR A COMPLETE LISTING, VISIT THE FEDERATION’S WEBSITE: www.JewishOmaha.org (click on calendar)

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by PETER EPHROSS slaughter be allowed to witness the process. When the NEW YORK (JTA)--The Orthodox Union is promising exchange proved unsuccessful, PETA sent an underto institute changes at a kosher slaughterhouse it super- cover cameraman to the plant this summer to film the vises following complaints from a strident animal rights slaughtering process. group. Based on that footage, PETA filed a complaint with The promised changes at Agriprocessors Inc. in the USDA, complaining that Agriprocessors was not folPostville, Iowa, come after People for the Ethical lowing government regulations. It sought suspension of Treatment of Animals released a video that placed the plant’s license and possible criminal proceedings. slaughter practices at the plant in question--and after In the gory video, one slaughterer cuts a cow’s throat, the group filed lawsuits with the U.S. Department of resulting in extensive bleeding, while another takes the Agriculture against both the plant and the Orthodox trachea out. Other clips show cows running around Union, the largest kosher supervisory organization in and looking alive after the killing is presumably comthe world. pleted. The changes are the latest developments in a case “This not how shechita is supposed to be done,” Tal that has shined a spotlight on a religious practice that Ronnen, a spokesman for the Norfolk, Va.-based PETA, gets little public attention. said, using the Hebrew term for ritual slaughter. O.U. officials told JTA on Tuesday that they will make “If it’s done correctly, the animal is supposed to be two main changes to slaughtering procedures followed dead in 30 seconds to one minute.” by the plant, which processes meat for the Orthodox officials, while admitting the video isn’t Rubashkin/Aaron’s Best label. pretty, don’t agree, saying that reflexive movements by The plant no longer will allow slaughterers to pull animals after they are slaughtered are not uncommon. out a slaughtered animal’s trachea in order to hasten For its part, Agriprocessors released a statement last death. Instead, an artery that supplies blood to the week saying it follows the practices set out by its brain will be severed on a second cut. kosher supervisors. The Orthodox Union also said it would look for a “Agriprocessors does not control anything that hapway to either kill or stun cows that are still walking pens in the kosher ritual processes. We adhere strictly even after the initial stage of slaughtering. to the instructions given to us by the rabbinic authoriThe changes come after a visit to the Agriprocessors ties and will continue to do so,” the statement said. plant early this week by several rabbis, including “As we always have, we will also continue to follow Menachem Genack, head of the O.U.’s kashrut division. the strict guidelines set out by both federal and Jewish A PETA spokesman said the group is pleased that the law for the humane treatment of animals during the Orthodox Union is taking steps to improve the condi- slaughter process.” tions for cows at the plant. Among other steps, PETA PETA’s letter to the USDA details what it says are viohopes the Orthodox Union will require an upright pen lations of the 1902 Humane Methods of Livestock for animals while they’re being killed and require that Slaughter Act. By violating halachic procedures, the letAgriprocessors allow the animals to die after shechita ter claims, Agriprocessors is violating the legislation, rather than dumping them still conscious from the pen. which allows animals to be killed according to Jewish “Certainly admitting that there’s a problem is better law. than denying that there’s a problem,” PETA’s Bruce PETA later filed a second complaint with the USDA Friedrich said. against the Orthodox Union. For his part, Genack said he is pleased with changes The group generated controversy last year when it at Agriprocessors, but denied PETA claims that the compared the meat industry to the Holocaust. plant had been violating USDA guidelines. Officials In another one of its more controversial campaigns, it with the USDA, which has sent inspectors to the plant displayed ads a few years ago with the phrase “Got following the complaints, prostate cancer?” and showcould not be reached for ing Rudolph Giuliani, the comment. then-New York City mayor Genack added that “all the by CAROL KATZMAN who had been recently products that came out of Editor of the Jewish Press diagnosed with the disease. the plant were kosher. Area rabbis expressed concern about this issue, espe- The billboards also included These procedures did not cially since Agriprocessors products are carried by Bag the line: “Drinking milk affect the kashrut.” contributes to prostate can’n Save, HyVee and Bakers Supermarkets. Several rabbis were quot“Agriprocessors slaughterhouse in Postville must follow cer.” ed in the media as saying But in this case, PETA is the halachic and federal slaughter requirements,” said that what they saw on a presenting a more moderate video supplied by PETA did Rabbi Mordechai Levin of Beth El Synagogue. “Let the face. Those affiliated with not adhere to halacha, or proper halachic and federal authorities investigate and let PETA said the group is not Jewish law, though some of (them) determine if they are doing the shechita (properly).” going after kosher slaughter, But, according to Rabbi Eliezer Eidlitz, a kashrut expert but just those practices the criticisms later were who is familiar with the situation at Agriprocessors, under retracted. way at Genack said he received “PETA is trying to make the shechita process look bad Agriprocessors. Further, many letters and e-mails and also (making this) an issue among rabbis. This is they say, PETA says it is senfrom members of the kosher very dangerous because the (U.S.) law now recognizes sitive to issues of anticommunity as a result of the shechita as humane slaughter. Semitism. hubbub. In response to the Some Orthodox officials Rabbi Eidlitz also noted that “the media constantly concern, the Orthodox called PETA’s campaign an Union sent a letter to syna- writes about the animal bellowing after it was cut in (the attack on shechita more gogue rabbis last week throat). In reality, the animal cannot make any sounds generally and part of a hisexplaining the organiza- as the sound box was severed from the lung.” tory of anti-Semitic canards. Noted Rabbi Jonathan Gross of Beth Israel Synagogue, tion’s position on the issue, Kosher consumers extend and Genack said a second “Slaughtering animals is always going to be a gory spec- across the Jewish communiletter explaining the tacle no matter how it is done. Through countless studies ty, but the issue generated changes would be sent out shechita has always proved to be at least as humane as an immediate response soon. among those active in the any other form of slaughter, if not more so.” PETA, which is known for Agriprocessors had “an independent humane audit Orthodox community. its aggressive tactics in pro“Shechita often comes done in February, and passed with excellent marks.” It moting its animal-rights under attack by elements agenda--it generated contro- is available on request from Sholom M. Rubashkin. that are unsavory, and in “Most people recoil from the sight of blood because general PETA is not an versy last year when it compared the meat industry to it is associated with pain. Most people could not watch organization that commands the Holocaust--first raised a heart transplant, even though they know that the our great respect,” said the issue with patient is not feeling any pain. In shechita, the animal Rabbi Avi Shafran, a Agriprocessors last June does not feel any pain. Remember the animal is uncon- spokesman for Agudath after being tipped off to scious within two seconds after the incision,” added Israel of America. allegations of improper pro- Rabbi Eidlitz. “ Participants at its annual cedures at the plant. convention voted unani“No matter what you call it, an abattoir, a kill floor, a In an exchange of letters, mously Nov. 29 to condemn slaughter house, or Bais HaShechita there is blood PETA raised objections and PETA’s attack. associated in the process.” asked that an expert on

Rabbis Comment

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10 Temple Israel “Shabbat Comes to You”, 4 p.m. at Remington Heights Hanukkah Dinner & Services, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El Hanukkah Shabbat Dinner & Party, 7 p.m. at Beth El SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11 Hanukkah Lunch, 11:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Hanukkah Party, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Israel

Dispute Over Kosher Meat Plant Raises Alarms Among Some Jews

S A V E

December 10, 2004

Council Bluffs Cemeteries Merge Continued from page 1 Council Bluffs, 322.7963. Gallner and Patterman PC, Secretary of Kully and Seldin noted that “the board the cemetery board, and Omaha attor- is very conscientious” about maintaining ney, Cynthia Epstein of Epstein and the property well and has developed “a Epstein, Assistant Secretary of the board, very good perpetual care fund with an recently prepared updated by-laws, reg- amount of money appropriate to meet ulations, and documents including the purchase contract and deed of internment for the cemetery plots. Bob Kully, now President of the merged board, and Dr. John Goldner, the board Vice-president, have been involved on the Reform cemetery board for more than 25 years. Kully credits Seldin with suggesting that the two associations merge. “With so few Jewish people in Council Bluffs, it was appropriate to merge,” Kully said. “We merged the management, and the investments are now handled by the Omaha office of Union Bank & Trust Company. We still have separate burial procedures and traditions for the two sections of the cemetery which are separated by an asphalt path” between the Reform Oak Hills and Orthodox Bikur Cholim Cemetery, top, and Oak Hills Cemetery in Council Bikur Cholim sections. Bluffs, have merged. Seldin noted that the Orthodox side will continue to observe current needs.” They added that “the burial rituals in accordance with halacha board would appreciate additional con(Jewish law). tributions, which are tax deductible, to “The entire cemetery is in excellent continue to maintain long term stability.” condition,” Kully added. John O’Connor Patty Nogg is also on the cemetery has been the cemetery caretaker since board serving as Vice-president. She 1969 as was his father, Dennis O’Connor, described her emotional ties to the who took care of the grounds for about cemetery where her mother, brother, 35 years before John who is also co- grandparents, other relatives, and some owner of J. F. and Bloom Company in of her husband Steve Nogg’s relatives Omaha, a monument business that was are buried. “I would always go there started in 1879. with my mother to the Rosh Hashanah Now that the cemetery associations are memorial service and on Memorial Day,” merged, John O’Connor said his respon- Patty recalled. “The history is important sibility of maintaining, mowing, and and so is making sure it’s being taken trimming the grounds hasn’t changed. care of. Kully said there are several burials a “Because the Jewish population of year at the cemetery. Four or five plots Council Bluffs is shrinking,” Nogg said, were sold last year. Until Jan. 1, 2005, “I don’t want the cemetery to be forgotthe price of a plot is $800. After that, a ten.” Her mother, Betty Studna, helped plot will cost $1000 which includes per- build up a perpetual care fund. “She petual care. This price is consistent with cared deeply about the community,” other cemeteries in the area. Nogg recalled. “I’m involved in the “We want to create an awareness” of cemetery affairs as much to honor my the cemetery, Kully continued, “so peo- mother’s memory as I am for the sake of ple can ask questions and know that my heritage.” there’s a place to find the answers.” Unforeseen expenses always occur. “We’re in the final stages of recording When board members learned of the the history and updating all 117 years of recent desecration of the Catholic cemecemetery records,” explained Kully, tery across the road from Oak whose mother, Carolyn Rosenfeld Kully Hills/Bikur Cholim, they immediately Newman, was from Council Bluffs and is added vandalism coverage to the cemeburied there. “We had a professional tery’s property and liability insurance. come in and survey the land and identi“We are always concerned about the fy each plot.” adequacy of our perpetual care endowMarty Ricks, a new volunteer member ment fund,” mentioned Ricks. “Although and treasurer of the cemetery associa- we are in good shape now, we want to tion, is storing the records in his office at be certain that funds are adequate in the Jewish Federation Foundation locat- perpetuity.” ed in the lower level of the Rose To contribute to the Oak Hills/Bikur Blumkin Jewish Home. Plots may be Cholim Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund, purchased by calling Ricks at the donations can be sent to Marty Ricks at the Foundation office at 402.334.6440. Jewish Federation Foundation, 333 So. 132 “One or more of the cemetery board St., Omaha, NE 68154. Checks should be members will gladly accompany you to made payable to Oak Hills/Bikur Cholim the cemetery to help pick out a plot or Cemetery Association. plots,” Ricks said. Others who can be Other members of the cemetery board called are Sheldon Gallner at his Council are David Goodman, Lloyd Krasne, Mark Bluffs office at 323.0999 or John Eveloff, Zeph Telpner, Sissy Silber, and O’Connor at the cemetery office in Harold Bernstein.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

December 10, 2004

From Swazi Student to Rabbi: The Journey of One African Man by MOIRA SCHNEIDER CAPE TOWN (JTA)--When a young black student of languages at Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand found himself sitting next to someone who was “writing from right to left in a funny script,” he could not have imagined the impact this would have on his life. For Rabbi Natan Gamedze, that 1988 experience marked the beginning of an unlikely journey from his royal Swazi roots to the Orthodox rabbinate. When the young man told him he was doing his Hebrew homework, Gamedze decided that he too wanted to learn the language. On approaching the university’s Hebrew department--as its only prospective non-Jewish student--“they accepted me with open arms, and that really touched me,” Gamedze told a gathering here last month, held under the auspices of the Ohr Somayach yeshiva. “The first warmth I felt from whites was from the Jewish community,” Gamedze said of the days when apartheid ruled in South Africa. “Friends started inviting me to their Shabbos tables. There would have been heavy penalties if they’d been discovered, but they refused to bow to the pressure.” Gamedze said Hebrew conveyed an “inner dimension of truth” that he didn’t get from any other language--and the Oxford honors graduate in modern languages speaks 13 of them, according to

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his Web site. His knowledge of languages isn’t the only thing interesting about him. Born Nkosinathi Gamedze, he is a descendant of a royal clan, but his family lost their rights two generations ago when the British recognized a rival clan as Swazi leaders. As consolation, his family was granted roles like diplomatic posts: His father was Swaziland’s former education minister and its high commissioner to the United Kingdom. While completing a master’s degree in translation at Wits, as the Johannesburg university is known, Gamedze was approached by Hebrew University professor Moshe Sharon, who invited him to study for a doctorate in Hebrew in Jerusalem. He agreed. Eighteen months later, friends from Johannesburg arrived to study at Ohr Somayach. They told him that it was his excitement years before at the writings of Maimonides that had propelled them on the path to Yiddishkeit. When they asked Gamedze if he ever would consider converting to Judaism, Gamedze dismissed the idea, saying that he was upset with God. “Why did he make me a non-Jew and give me such an interest in and love for Judaism?” he had asked himself. “There are so many Jews who don’t identify with their Judaism--why me?” But his attitude changed when he started attending lectures in Jewish philoso-

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was accepted at his first attempt. Today he lives in the northern Israeli city of Safed with his wife, Shayna Golda, and their two children, Menachem David, 4, and Shoshana, fourmonths-old. He teaches at the Sharei Bina Girls Seminary there and lectures around Israel on Jewish thought and his personal journey. Explaining why he does this when some converts prefer not to talk about their path to Judaism, Gamedze says, “If it would open up the heart of just one Jew, it would be worth it.”

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by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Administrator, JELS Applications are now being accepted for Israel Experience Grants, a one-timeonly grant available to high school students who are residents of the Omaha/Council Bluffs area. The grants, provided by the Jewish Federation of Omaha, are for a study trip to Israel. Avi Katzman, who participated in Achva Europe this past summer, traveled to London and Italy and then spent nearly four weeks in Israel. She became friends with 48 strangers and learned things that she will remember for a lifetime. Avi said “Because of Achva, I now have a better appreciation for the State of Israel and have a new found love for this amazing country.” Shevi Katzman participated in Camp Machanayim. As her El Al flight landed, she said that “I felt the warm air waft in through the exit door and embrace me. I was home!” Shevi returned with a greater desire to study and explore more Jewish history and stated “I am inspired to be more active in community and teach whatever I know.” Josh Bleicher traveled with the NFTY

L’dor V’dor program, spending his first week in Europe visiting Holocaust sites in Poland. He then spent five weeks in Israel. In his article about his trip, Josh said, “It is a home away from home for every Jew. It is a place where we can be safe and feel accepted for who we are…I will return and do my part to keep the Jewish state in existence.” In addition to the grant, funds are also available for financial aid. Applicants must be residents of the Omaha/Council Bluffs metropolitan area, currently enrolled in grades nine-12, and agree to perform service to the Jewish community after returning from Israel. The applicant’s family must also be current donors to the annual campaign of the Jewish Federation. Applications are available on the Jewish Federation website, at: www.jewishomaha.org, under Jewish Educational & Library Services/ Scholarships & Grants or by calling the JELS office at 334.6445 or via e-mail to mgrossman@jewishomaha.org. The application deadline is Feb. 15, 2004.

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thought, ‘This is for the Jewish people to deal with, not you’” Gamedze said. He continued touring Rome, but one day at breakfast something strange happened. “I lifted the fork to put food in my mouth, but couldn’t eat it. This happened three or four times,” he told the audience. “I thought to myself, ‘Don’t tell me it’s because it's not kosher that you’re not eating it.’” He started thinking back to his Wits friends, who were prohibited from eating one day of the year. On investigating

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phy and “suddenly realized that the further, Gamedze discovered that it was agenda I was interested in was Judaism.” Yom Kippur. After that, there was no Experiencing an identity crisis, he turning back. attempted to escape his “destiny” by Returning to Israel, he went to Ohr traveling to Rome, where, he told the Somayach and told them of his decision audience, he thought to himself, to convert. He began studying Rashi and “Baruch Hashem, I’ve escaped Judaism.” Torah in a chevrutah, or learning partBut it wasn’t that easy. nership. While marveling at the Gamedze went before a beauty of St. Peter’s in Beit Din in Jerusalem where Rome, thoughts of the he was asked by three rabInquisition and “the terrible bis why he wanted to be things people did to get Jewish--after all, Jews sufJews to convert to fered so much and were Christianity” came flooding hated by all, they said. in. He went back to his “I answered them with a hotel room, covered his pasuk,” or passage “from eyes and said the Shema. Tehillim: ‘For me, the close“I felt a rush of energy and ness to Hashem is good.’” I thought, ‘Judaism is so Rabbi Natan Gamedze is “There was silence for what powerful.’ But then cyni- descended from Swazi roy- seemed like ages,” Gamedze cism took over and I alty. Credit: Moira Schneider/JTA recalled. But, unusually, he

572-1212

by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Beth El’s alternative Shabbat service on Dec. 18 will offer an element of educational entertainment, as the parasha, Vayigash, comes alive during a special “reading theater,” featuring several role-playing congregants reciting the text. The service will be held at 10 a.m. in the chapel; traditional services, beginning at 9:30 a.m., will take place in the sanctuary. Rabbi Mordechai Levin expressed enthusiasm for this creative expression during the service, noting that “the Torah contains history, poetry, ethical commandments and rituals. It also has drama: serious stories that are appro-

priate to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and performing the dialogue. By reading aloud the parasha of this Shabbat, which describes Joseph’s dialogue with his brothers, people will be able to sense the story and reflect on its teachings for us and our lives.” Following the reading, Rabbi Levin will lead a thought-provoking Torah discussion, addressing the symbolism behind and contemporary application of this week’s parasha. The entire community is invited to attend this innovative service, which will also feature instrumental accompaniment throughout the morning.

December 10, 2004

College Students Share Experiences with Breadbreakers by JOAN K. MARCUS Four young people were guest speakers at the weekly luncheon of B’nai B’rith Breakbreakers last week. The program, the first annual for Breadbreakers, introduced former BBYO members who told the group about their lives and what they are currently doing. Marty Ricks, chairman of the project said, “The pride of every family is its children and we are always interested in their lives--their accomplishments and their plans for the future.” First to speak was Rachel Javitch, 20, a junior at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. “Every Saturday morning at 7 a.m.,” she began, “while my friends are sleeping in and enjoying themselves, I report to the football field. No! I’m not on the team but I play saxophone in the marching band. When she tried out for the band, she didn’t realize “it would be one of the rewarding experiences” of her life, she explained. “Since I’m from Nebraska, I didn’t realize that the band is run military-style and members use a marching gait that is very athletic.” The daughter of Karen Javitch and Gary Javitch, added that each week, she gets to perform in front of 80,000 screaming Badger fans. Besides the opportunity to sit with the team, she says, “We’re there to support the team. I think we really provide spirit for the students.” Mark Javitch, 24, Rachel’s brother and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, said he is currently a consultant for Huron, a new company that came about after the collapse of Arthur Andersen Company.The company employs more than 600 people with offices in eight or 10 cities; Javitch lives in New York City. “They’ve done quite well by positioning themselves to help companies comply with increased regulations,” he explained. “I’ve been getting into legal business consulting more recently, which is basically consulting for law firms and legal departments.” Although the job isn’t what he had originally expected, he likes the consulting work because of the flexibility of the scheduling. “I have been able to spend a lot of time at home, although I have an apartment in New York.” About three months ago, he read an article in the Wall Street Journal and discovered there is a big market for inkjet cartridge refilling. “For the past several months, I have been working on setting up a store which will soon open on 129th and Center Streets,” he added. “It’s exciting being involved in this small setup in a growing market. We will be refilling empty car-

tridges and will also be selling cartridges that have already been refilled.” Mark’s plans for the future include possibly working for a smaller company as a consultant. Brittany Epstein, 22 year-old daughter of Harriet and Ron Epstein is a 2004 magna cum laude graduate of Indiana University. She had originally intended for her undergraduate degree in biology to be a prelude to entering medical school, however, upon more careful evaluation, Brittany decided she would like the opportunity to have a family and not undergo the rigorous routine of being a doctor. After more research, she decided she would like to be a physician's assistant. “It is as difficult to get into physician’s assistant school as it is be accepted into medical school. I have applied at several different schools--including Northwestern University in Evanston, St. Louis University and the Nebraska Medical Center. “Now, it’s just a waiting game!” Jay Kulakofsky, 22, son of Janie and Alan Kulakofsky, is a graduate of Northwestern Uriversity, with a degree in biology. His last semester at school, he only had one class. And, on the first day, the professor told the class that the students didn’t have to come. “I was basically on vacation for three months! Kulakofsky added that “in order to fill my time, I became a volunteer at the John Kerry for President of fice. Then the Democratic Convention came around, I was working as a volunteer and everyone there encouraged me to find a job in politics.” He was surfing around on the internet one day and he discovered that Nancy Thompson, candidate for the second congressional seat in Nebraska, was running. “I had my job interview the day I got home and went to work for her the next day. I worked in her campaign’s field department. We did everything we could to try to persuade voters to elect her.” He added that though Nancy lost the campaign, he enjoyed his work and really thought that she could win. “Lee Terry had won by a large margin before,” Kulakofsky, “but he had never had a challenger who ran a real campaign. Nancy is popular in her community and we did put up a good fight.” Kulakofsky’s future options include teaching high school biology after becoming certified or possibly doing work in pharmaceuticals. “Initially, I thought I wanted to leave the Omaha area but now, I’m not sure!” he smiled.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 5

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Eve Bernstein Celebrates 97th Birthday Eve Cohn Bernstein, who was born in Omaha and lived here most of her life, celebrated her 97th birthday recently with family and close friends. Her son and his wife, Marty and Martha Bernstein, and their son, Michael, and his wife, Jennifer, of Troy, MI, hosted a dinner at Happy Hollow Country Club. Mr. & Mrs. Don Olson held a brunch her honor. A grandson, Rob Friedman, and his wife, Kelly, of Dallas, TX, were hosts at a family luncheon at Remington Heights for other grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Another birthday dinner was held in Mrs. Bernstein’s honor at the Omaha Press Club.

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Beth El Clergy Plan Special Temple Rabbis and Staff Get-Together with College Invite College Crowd Students during Winter Break to Coffee by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Attention all Jewish college students gearing up for winter break in Omaha: Beth El’s Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Gastón Bogomolni invite you to join them for a special luncheon at the synagogue on Saturday, Dec. 18, 12:20 p.m. And, as a bonus for those planning to attend Shabbat services beforehand, two services will be offered that morning: the traditional one held in the sanctuary at 9:30 a.m.; and the alternative service at 10 a.m. in the chapel. “We look forward to spending some time with our college students during their winter break," Rabbi Levin said, noting that afternoon will be spent enjoying lunch, singing songs and sharing college experiences with one another. “This will also be a great opportunity for our young people to catch up with old friends and make new acquaintances,” he added. Winter break is just around the corner--please call the synagogue office, 492.8550, to make your reservation. Call your friends and enjoy a fun-filled get-together.

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Temple Israel Rabbis Aryeh Azriel and Craig Marantz; Elyce Azriel, director of Temple’s middle/high school; and Lynne Jensen, director of youth and informal education at Temple invite college students and college-age Temple members to stop by Espresso Mary’s at 5111 Leavenworth for a chance to catch up with friends on Saturday, Dec. 18. Collegians home for winter break or those who live or go to school in Omaha are welcome “to drop by and say hello between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.,” said Jensen. If possible, call the Temple office at 556.6536 and let us know you’ll be there. If you aren’t able to RSVP, “don’t let that stop you,” she added. “Please come anyway! “It’s very informal,” Jensen said. “It’s also Rabbi Azriel’s birthday so come by and make it a happy one for him. We’d all love to see you!” Jensen also suggested checking the Kesher link on Temple’s website, www.templeisrael-ne.org.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

December 10, 2004

High Society BERT’S EYE VIEW by BERT LEWIS

As you may have heard me say before, just when I think there's nothing new under the sun, somebody surprises me. This time it was the local daily gazette, which isn’t exactly the New York Times, but it’s what I find on the doorstep every day so I read it. I read a lot, if not all of what they print, and find between the tv, radio and the paper, I can fairly well keep up. Included in that category, I have to admit I read some of the less than important stuff, like the classifieds, the advice columns and that which we used to call “the society page”. And, among the not so funny comics, there are three I never miss. Okay, so I’m not an intellectual. You already knew that anyway. Let’s back up, and return to the whole point of this story: the society page. The Sunday paper gives this section the most coverage of the week, which makes sense. There are wedding announcements, engagement announcements and in recent years, big anniversary announcements, like the 50th for example. Sometimes there’s a photo of a charming oldster celebrating anywhere from a 75th to a 100th birthday. In other words, what we in this paper would call simchas. Let’s talk about the wedding photographs which are either of a lovely bride or of both bride and groom, and accompanied by the details of the wed-

ding. It tells when, where, who the principals are, who their parents are, where they’ll honeymoon and where they’ll live. This is the way these items have been written up since somebody thought they were important enough to be made public. Okay? Fine. So what’s new about them? Apparently there’s a trend toward following and recording the event a year later. Several times lately, I’ve seen a gorgeous bridal picture of what had clearly been a big, fancy wedding. All the obligatory details were there, plus one surprising one. The event had occurred a year ago! In addition, I’ve seen a more modest announcement of a first anniversary, tucked in between some of the 50 year plus celebrations. What’s that all about? I’m wondering if in this day and age of hardly getting a thank you note for the wedding present before there’s gossip about divorce, are these announcements to say, “See, we made it for a whole year!” I’m being facetious, but who knows, maybe I’m right. The fact is, I find it odd to publish a big megillah about a wedding which took place a year ago. Maybe there’s more to this then I’m seeing, so I think I’ll call the editor of that newspaper section and ask her. (Of course, it’s a “her.”) If I find out anything really, really interesting about this, I’ll let you know. I’m not expecting to, but listen, who am I to question something new? Bert Lewis can be reached at: Bertlewis39@aol.com.

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An Insider’s Look at the Jewish World by CAROL KATZMAN Though the campaign reform laws Editor of the Jewish Press have changed the fundraising landscape Dr. Mendy Ganchrow is not your ordi- somewhat, Dr. Ganchrow warned nary doctor. Besides being one of the against becoming complacent. “We’ve few observant Jews in the military during worked too hard as a community. the Vietnam War, his “hobbies” are Support Israel because it’s a democracy, unusual among medical practitioners. because it’s a democratic state and Not only is he active in the Jewish because it’s moral and serves the interworld (Dr. Ganchrow served several ests of the U.S.” terms as President of the Orthodox The work is constant and neverending, Union--the largest federation of he said. “It doesn’t take long for a vacuOrthodox synagogues in the United um to form,” he asserted. “Anti-Israel States--he’s also involved in several and pro-Palestinian groups are ready to major advocacy groups, from AIPAC (the jump into the fray.” American Israel Public Affairs Back to the macro issues. When Dr. Committee) to the founding of HUVPAC: ganchrow was President of the the Hudson Valley Political Action Orthodox Union, he was fortunate to Committee. Today, he serves as Executive Vice-president to the Religious Zionists of America, an organization that promotes Zionism through education, camping an aliyah. He’ll be in Omaha Dec. 17-18 to serve as a scholar-in-residence at Beth Israel, where he’ll give the D’var Torah on Dec. 18 and sign books that night at a 7:30 p.m. reception at the synagogue. In a recent interview, Dr. Ganchrow talked about his activism, his Dr. Mendy Ganchrow, left, and his wife, Sheila, met President “big picture” view of the George and Laura Bush at the White House. Jewish world, and the issues he thinks are most pressing. participate in a number of gatherings of “In the macro sense, “ Dr. Ganchrow world Jewry. At one of them, he was explained, “Jewish survival, assimilation slated for a panel discussion with then and the State of Israel will always be the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, big issues. “It was a bit of an insult to Bibi,” Dr. “But the sub headings change all the Ganchrow recalled, “to put me on the time.” panel with him to talk about ‘Fighting Those “sub-headings, as Dr. Ganchrow the Peace Process.’ We were each supcalled them, can range from covert anti- posed to speak for 20 minutes and Bibi Semitism to complacency in the Jewish went on for 55. world, from Jewish education to “At that point, I didn’t know if I should internecine arguments among Jewish even speak!” he said. Yossi Beilin had people. spoken that morning in favor of the He points to a recent talk radio show Peace Process and Shimon Peres was to in which the speaker, “known widely as speak that afternoon. a liberal politician,” he said, “attacked So Mendy Ganchrow came to the the ‘neo-cons’ because he says they podium and said, “I can’t be an expert work under two flags.” Ganchrow con- on the future, but I’m positive about this. siders that anti-Semitism--using the cover Regardless of the war on terror, the of political criticism of current presiden- peace process or the relationship with tial positions to veil the attack against the United States, if we don’t bring our Jewish figures in key positions. children up as Jews, it will be worse “The concept that the U.S. should go than anything Arafat has ever done.” to war in Iraq or should attack Iran Though Dr. Ganchrow is passionate because it’s good for Israel” is ludicrous, about Israel advocacy, without making he insisted. “There is good and evil in sure our children have Jewish education, the world.” future advocacy is impossible. He traced his early involvement as an But, he added, “it’s not enough to say advocate to Sylvia Schreiber, the mother ‘I’m a good doctor and I give my time to of his best friend, who urged Dr. treating poor people.’ You also have to Ganchrow to join AIPAC in the 1970s. give dollars. Jews are giving more and Energized by the Near East Report, more of their gifts to big institutions like AIPAC’s publication, and by its annual museums, universities and hospitals. meeting in Washington, D.C., a chance That’s very nice, but they’re not Jewish encounter with Dick Durbin who was causes. You have to give to Jewish instirunning for Congress in Illinois, led to tutions--synagogues and the Federation. the formation of a pro-Israel political “At the end of the day, we need to get action committee in Monsey, NY. through to people to support Jewish Durbin, now a senator, told Dr. education. Every Jew has a responsibiliGanchrow that more pro-Israel political ty to the Jewish people.” action committees were needed to raise And if you’ve talked to Mendy money for pro-Israel candidates. Ganchrow for any length of time or read At the time, individuals were limited to his book, Journey through the donations of $1000 to a candidate, but Minefields: From Vietnam to could give more to a PAC for the primary Washington, you should know this: he and again for the general election. So in won’t let you off the hook. 1982, when he was still a practicing col(For information about Dr. Ganchrow’s orectal surgeon and President of the appearance, contact Beth Israel local Hebrew Academy, Dr. Ganchrow Synagogue at: 556.6288 or e-mail: formed HUVPAC. BethCohen@OrthodoxOmaha.org.)

December 10, 2004

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 7

‘A Milestone in American Jewish History: ‘From Haven to Home’ Exhibit at Library of Congress

by Aaron Leibel Arts Editor WASHINGTON--A colonial etrog container that started life as a mustard pot. A 1883 “treif menu” from the banquet marking the graduation of rabbis from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. A poster from the “you don’t have to be Jewish to love Levy’s Rye Bread” ad campaign. Those are some of the more offbeat of the 150 items on display in From Haven to Home: A Library of Congress Exhibition Marking 350 Years of Jewish Life in America, which opened at the LOC earlier this fall. “The exhibit celebrates an important milestone in American Jewish and American history,” the arrival of 23 Jews from Brazil to New Amsterdam in 1654, says curator Michael W. Grunberger, head of the library’s Hebraic section. “We also want to make our collection of American Judaica better known.” In addition to items of “Judaica Americana” from the library’s collections, the exhibit features pieces on loan from partner institutions on the congressionally recognized Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History the National Archives and Records Administration, the American Jewish Historical Society and the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives. The etrog container, from the historical society, illustrates how Jews adapted to their new life in the New World, explains Grunberger, whose extensive curating experience at the LOC includes the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit in 1993, From the Ends of the Earth: Judaic Treasures of the Library of Congress in 1991 and Israel at 50 in 1998. The treif menu from the American Jewish Archives, which led to many guests walking out of the 1883 banquet, didn’t cause fissures in the Jewish community but was emblematic of them, the curator says. The Levy’s Rye Bread poster, from the LOC collection, was an effective ad campaign that is still remembered. Although the exhibit is not put together specifically with Jewish visitors in mind, Grunberger recognizes that many Jews will want to see it. Those who come will see an interesting account of how a diverse group of immigrants “made the U.S. their home,” he says. Pamela Nadell, professor of history and director of the Jewish studies program at American University and a historical consultant to the exhibit, says it will have a

HAPPY HANNUKAH

great educational value. “To see this exhibit displayed in a space, which so many visitors walk through, is remarkable,” says Nadell, who contributed a chapter on America’s Jewish women to the exhibition’s companion book, From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America, edited by Grunberger. “The library has some extraordinary documents. For example, Irving Berlin’s ‘God Bless America’ in his hand.”

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg addresses the crowd during the New York Jewish Music and Heritage Festival. Credit: JCRC of New York

Volunteers re-enact the 1654 arrival of the first Jews to settle in North America. The event was part of the New York Jewish Music and Heritage Festival. Credit: JCRC of New York Seeing Berlin’s document along with a film of people singing that song “connects American Jewish history and American history,” she says. She sees the upcoming exhibition as a great opportunity to tell that story to anyone coming into building. Grunberger points to other well-known American Jews whose works make an appearance in the exhibit. Visitors will see Emma Lazarus’ handwritten copy of “The New Colossus,” the poem whose words “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to

breathe free” are inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty. Also on view will be Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, hand-written in a document for the Library of Congress during World War II to raise money for war bonds; Hannah Arendt’s travel papers, which the philosopher used in lieu of a passport when she was stateless; a letter written by conductor Leonard Bernstein to his parents in 1948, while he traveled to Israel to entertain during the War of Independence (Bernstein wrote that “if my present mood keeps up, I see my future as very close to the future of Israel. I can do so much here and its the most important of all.”); and a quotation from author Philip Roth about his father “... the real work, the invisible huge job that he did all his life, that his whole generation of Jews did, was making themselves American. Europe stopped with him.” The curator also points to the following historical documents on display as highlights of the exhibit: • The letter from the Newport Hebrew Congregation to George Washington and the first president’s response, containing the famous phrase that the United States “to bigotry gives no sanction, to persecution no assistance”; • Thomas Jefferson’s 1818 letter to Mordecai M. Noah, in which the former president cautions that “more remains to be done, for altho’ we are free by the law, we are not so in practice”; • The “Riegner Telegram,” which alerted Rabbi Stephen Wise in August 1942 of the Nazi plan to murder with poison gas all the Jews in occupied Europe; • The May 14, 1948, note from President Harry S. Truman recognizing the state of Israel, with the president’s handwritten corrections. The exhibition includes a section on anti-Semitism in the United States, Grunberger says, featuring a note in President Abraham Lincoln’s hand expressing his intention to rescind Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s infamous Order No. 11 banning Jews from areas of Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi. The curator notes that the exhibit also celebrates the arrival of the Jews in 1654 with an early map of Recife, Brazil, the area from which they came, fleeing the Inquisition. That “Prelude’’ section also highlights Jewish connections with America with a book of Psalms published in Genoa in 1516 that mentions Christopher Columbus in a commentary and another published in Venice in 1586 with the first map of America in a Hebrew-language book. From Haven to Home: A Library of Congress Exhibition Marking 350 Years of Jewish Life in America closes Dec. 18 in the Northwest Gallery of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

December 10, 2004

The Jewish Kitchen by Clarissa Hyman (Interlink, $29.95)

ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Ben Nelson will be the guest speaker at our Breadbreakers on Wednesday, Dec. 15, noon, at the Park Inn Regency, according to Gary Javitch, Chairman. Sen. Nelson will update us on Congress. Cost is $10 for lunch and $2 for beverage service only. Breadbreakers is open to the community.

B’nai B’rith Recruits at Appreciation Night

Aaron Weiner, left, Gil Cohen and Richard Diamond were among the 60 members and prospective members who attended Henry Monsky Lodge’s Membership Appreciation Night at DJ’s Dugout last month. WALK-IN, DROP-IN For those members going on the Mystery Trip on Thursday, please meet at the JCC main entrance at 10:45 a.m. Call Maggie Conti for transportation at 334.6521.

LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Come to the Yiddish meeting at the JCC on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. Even if your Yiddish isn’t so “Aye-Aye-Aye”-you’ll enjoy it anyway! Call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638. TORAH LEARNING CENTER (TLC) All classes are taught by Rabbi Tuvia Hoffman. Please call 981.0569 for details. Mondays, 7:30 p.m.: “Kosher Kitchen”--learn the laws of keeping kosher. No prior knowledge necessary. Beginner and Advanced students will gain from this class at the home of Rabbi and Ariella Hoffman. Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.: “Growth Through Torah”--personal growth through studying Jewish philosophy from the Torah, at a private residence. Thursdays, 1 p.m.: “Meaning of Life & Other Business”--based on the Kabbalistic text Way of G-d by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto in the Kripke Library. At 7:30 p.m. in the Omaha Room of the JCC, learn to read Hebrew in just a few weeks with a “Crash Course in Hebrew.” Discovery is coming to the JCC, Sunday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. Discovery is a one-stop extraordinary presentation that combines philosophy, psychology, history, and computer science to take audiences on a journey into the “why” of being Jewish.

MARRIAGE RHOTEN/COOPER Laurie Nicole Rhoten and Joshua Adam Cooper were married Sept. 11 at the Omaha Marriott. The bride is the daughter of Larry and Linda Rhoten of Coldspring, TX. The groom is the

son of Ronda Thompson of Scottsdale, AZ, and Jeff and Susan Cooper. He is the grandson of Selwin Suvalsky and the late Reva Suvalsky and the late Nate and Celia Cooper. The couple resides in Aurora, CO.

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R EAD IT AND EAT Reviewed by LOIS FRIEDMAN This cookbook is the result of the author’s (an award winning food writer) journey around the Jewish world where she stood next to someone while they told her about their recipe, how to cook it, what it means to them and their stories behind that recipe. The “Brisket Joke” (gotta read the book) begins the story of food, traditions and nostalgia, how recipes evolve to adapt to our times, our places and our lives and reflect the changing circumstances, our personal tastes and skills. We move from hand-chopping, beating, grating, shifting to our high-tech Cuisinart fast paced life of the 21st century and “modern cyber-commentary”. Jewish cooking is a map of the past, ongoing story of religion, history, culture and family. One of Hyman’s intentions is that the recipes are “a little forspeis (appetizer) of the pleasures of the Jewish table”. The first pages are the introduction, foods and festivals. The recipes and the stories of nine Jewish families (including Hyman’s grandfather’s journey on the Titanic...and back to England after a brief stay in America) and communities are throughout the cookbook and begin in the first chapter: Dairy. The eye-candy, color photography of people, places and food are scattered among the recipes and proverbs (“For borscht, you don’t need teeth.”), quotations and sayings. Headnotes offer a bit of insight and interesting details. Meat and Pareve are the other chapters. Recipes are for Zimtsterne (cinnamon stars), Zena’s Lekach using any eight-

ounce glass you like for measuring the ingredients, Ruben’s family potato chremslach and the gathering of over 12 women cooking a dish for lunch, which stimulated the idea for this cookbook and more. A glorious read. Detailed instructions for over 100 recipes from Almond Cake to Zwetschgenkuchen (plum flan). Delight in the food of celebrations, festivals and everyday life...a subject close to the Hyman’s heart, the Jewish cooking of the Diaspora, (which Webster defines as “the settling of scattered colonies of Jews outside Palestine after the Babylonian exile...from the Greek dispersion”). Gather some friends for a Jewish melting pot-luck having everyone bring a dish representing their backgrounds and try this recipe from the Pareve chapter that gave birth to this cookbook and would be good for Hanukkah, which ends Tuesday night. And if you’re looking for gifts, this is a beauty. RUBENS FAMILY POTATO CHREMSLACH Makes about 12 3 potatoes, peeled salt and pepper 1-2 tbsp margarine, softened 3 egg whites vegetable oil, for frying Boil the potatoes, drain and mash with the seasonings and margarine Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold into the potatoes. The consistency should be quite soft. Heat some oil in a frying pan and when really hot, drop tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the pan and shallow-fry for a few minutes on each side until golden-brown on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. Drain on paper towel and serve right away.

IN THE NEWS The Ollie Webb Center has named Rick Fox as Volunteer of the Year for its annual Community Partnership Award. The owner of Julio’s Restaurants was recognized for what he and Julio’s does in support of individuals with developmental disabilities, like the donation of funds to purchase household furnishings for a home run by Mosaic. “Fox also fosters an accepting environment in his restaurants for people with disabilities,” who are always “treated with dignity and respect,” said Laurie Ackermann of the Ollie Webb Center. Debby Jewett of Minneapolis, President of the Upper Midwest Region of Hadassah, which includes the Lincoln and Omaha chapters, was one of the participants to Israel for Hadassah’s Region and Big Chapter presidents this fall. The mission included a visit to the new Center for Emergency Medicine

(CEM) at Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem. She is pictured here at the state of the art trauma center which opens this month. For information about Hadassah, visit www.hadassah.org or call the Upper Midwest Region office in Minneapolis (toll-free) at 888.924.4999. For membership information locally, contact Georgia Ann Steinberg, Omaha chapter President at 558.5813 or Lincoln c h a p t e r President Lea Weiss at 402.489.0801.

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Diana Senik and Dmitriy Masyuk announce the Nov. 30 birth of their son, Ivan Yan. Ivan has a sister, Alena, and brother, Arthur. Grandparents are Konstantin Bogdanov, and Galina Bogdanov of Netanya, Israel, and Laura and Alexander Masyuk of Belarus, Minsk.

Jeffrey and Shanny Katzman of Baltimore, MD, announce the Dec. 1 birth of their daughter, Rena Bracha. Grandparents are Carol and Michael Katzman, and Levana Kovo of San Antonio, TX. Great-grandparents are Maury and Madeline Katzman, Janie Levin of Miami, FL, and the late Marvin Levin.

December 10, 2004

Beth El Families Enjoy Hanukkah Fun for Everyone

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Dining

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by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator The halls of Beth El synagogue were filled with children, parents and grandparents last Sunday morning as BESTT celebrated its first annual All-School Family Hanukkah Party. Families were kept busy throughout the fun-filled morning enjoying arts and crafts, games, a sing-a-long with Cantor

Gastón and delicious treats in the Latke Cafe. Left photo: Jeff and Shoshana Halev, Eadie Tsabari, Grant Jabenis, Jon Jabenis, Davida Halev, Maxine Passer, Robert and Stephen Levitan gather around the arts and crafts table to make colorful holiday decorations. Right: Seventh grader Rachel Stein shows her cousins Zach, left, and Hannah Stein, how to properly light the Hanukkah menorah.

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Ask Four Rabbis by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator It was a chance to ask four rabbis representing the Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Movements of Judaism “everything you ever wanted to ask a rabbi and were afraid to question,” said Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, right, of Temple Israel. He was joined by Rabbi Jonathan Gross, left, from Beth Israel, Rabbi Mordechai Levin of Beth El, and Temple’s Rabbi Craig Marantz on Nov. 30 for a discussion of topics including God, Yasser Arafat’s death, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and what happened on the day Moses received the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai. The panel responded to questions from Temples Basic Judaism class, adults enrolled in Temple’s Family School, and other members of

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Tiberias Revealed by EDGAR ASHER stories and legends of one of Israel’s most historic An ISRANET Feature places could only be found in books. All over the city Despite the dearth of tourists in the past few years, archaeological digs can be seen, bringing to light the due to the on-going intifada, Israel has been able to remains of bygone times such as the Roman, Greek and manage to maintain its tourist infrastructure and devel- Byzantine eras. opment. In fact this year has shown a remarkable The leader of the great Jewish revolt against the upturn in the number of tourists, particularly from Romans, Rabbi Akiva (50-137 CE), was put on trial in European countries, as well as a dramatic rise in the Tiberias. He was convicted and sentenced to death number of Christian visitors. Last month also saw the there and his mausoleum can still be visited. In the opening of the new air terminal at Ben Gurion Mishnaic and Talmudic periods the city was an imporInternational Airport and tant spiritual center. The the slow but steady return Mishna was compiled here of cruise ships to Israel’s in 200 C.E. under the superMediterranean ports. vision of Rabbi Yehuda HaInternal tourism has saved Nasi and 200 years later the many a tourist enterprise Jerusalem Talmud was also from closure, however the completed in the city. number of new projects, The Ministry of Tourism such as hotels, transport has focussed on one of links and tourist-related Judaism’s most respected infrastructure is a sure indiand revered icons, the cation that investors are Rambam, on the occasion of showing confidence in the the 800th anniversary of his future of tourism in Israel. death in 1205. The city of In 1961, a hospice for pilTiberias, where the An excavated ancient synagogue near the lake is part of a grims was established by Rambam is buried, will be strip of archaeological remains that will make up an archaethe Church of Scotland in initiating the year 2005 as Copyright: Edgar Asher–Isranet. ological park in Tiberias. Tiberias, which in turn the ‘International Year of developed into a guest house. In 1999, the Church of the Rambam’. Many events and symposia are planned Scotland General assembly overwhelmingly adopted a to honor his memory. proposal to further develop the site into a modern Tiberias has something for everybody, all year round. hotel. The plan went ahead and $16 million dollars was Accommodation to suit all pockets and an ideal center invested in the new ‘Scots Hotel’. The 69-room hotel is to tour the Galilee and the Hermon regions. The one of the finest in the city and plans are already in the municipality and the hoteliers are confident that the pipeline to enlarge the hotel to 150 rooms. tourists will continue to return in even greater numbers. Tiberias always had its famous lake, the Sea of And now, as the archaeological searches become even Galilee, a wide range of hotels and its spas. Perhaps its more intense, the city’s secrets are coming to life and most famous claim to fame, its archaeology, remained soon Tiberias will be a location not to missed when deep under the ground and to most of its visitors the coming to Israel.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

December 10, 2004

Temple Israel to Honor Jane Brooks at Farewell Oneg by CLAUDIA SHERMAN nationally, she served as president of Temple Israel Communications Coordinator District 20 of the National Federation of It has been more than 50 years since Temple Sisterhoods (NFTS) and as a Rabbi Sidney and Jane Brooks came to member of the NFTS National Board. In Omaha. “The respect and affection 1975, she was president of the Jewish accorded Rabbi Brooks by the congregaCommunity Center. She also served on tion extends to his wife Jane, who serves the Omaha City Charter Review as Youth Group Advisor,” wrote Suzanne Committee in 1974 and 1975. Richards Singer and Silvia Greene In recognition of her contributions Roffman, authors of Consider the Years, a throughout the years, Brooks was awardhistory of Temple Israel from 1871 to ed the B’nai B’rith Women’s Citizenship 1971. Award in 1971, National Council of Rabbi Brooks, who served Temple Jewish Women’s (Omaha Section) Israel from 1952 until 1985 and then as Hannah G. Solomon Award in 1995, and rabbi emeritus, died in 1999. was honored by the National Association Jane Brooks “Jane has remained a beloved member of Retired Reform Rabbis in 2003. of our congregation,” said Temple’s Rabbi Aryeh Azriel. She will be living near her daughter and son-in-law, In honor of “this remarkable woman,” who will be Miriam Brooks and Philip Wright, in Massachusetts. moving to Braintree, Massachusetts, near Boston, in Rabbi Azriel said he would like “to invite the entire January, Temple will host a special farewell Oneg Jewish community and the general community to come Shabbat following the worship service on Friday, Dec. celebrate the contributions and the life of this most 17, 6 p.m. incredible woman. Please join me in offering our heartAmong Jane Brooks’ roles throughout the years in the felt, warm appreciation for all she has done for the conJewish and greater Omaha communities as well as gregation and the community-at-large.”

Arab Woman Apologizes to Hadassah Nurse

Family Life

Nonie Darwish, founder of Arabs for Israel, left, visited Hadassah University Hospital Mount Scopus and apologized to neo-natal nurse Aviva Raziel, whose daughter, Michal, was murdered by the terrorist in Sbarro on Aug. 9, 2001. Darwish, who lives in California, grew up in Gaza and Egypt. She changed her views about Israel and Jews after her brother, who lives in Gaza, received life-saving treatment at Hadassah Hospital. “I am ashamed, and I have the greatest admiration for you and your strength,” she told Raziel. Credit: Hadassah

Continued from page 1 “This community has a desperate need for a comprehensive network of volunteers who can link a need with an action,” explained JFS Director Becki Brenner. “With so many talented people in the Omaha Jewish community, we need to find a way to utilize their skills and expertise and put them to good use educating others.” The Jewish concept of tikkun olam or repairing the world, is a big part of the mission of Jewish Family Service. And what better way is there of repairing the world than helping others to help themselves? Brenner has a vision for a Jewish Family Service sponsored project that would do just that. Tentatively called the Volunteer Initiative Project, or VIP, the project would match up people with expertise in areas such as financial planning, job searching and resume writing with JFS clients who need to be educated in those areas. “A program of this kind is a wonderful way for us to help each other. It’s a short-term commitment with long-term results. And both parties, the client and the mentor, benefit from the experience,” said Brenner. Volunteers are needed to help JFS develop the VIP program. If you’d like to be part of this exciting new program, call Becki Brenner at 330.2024. Become part of the solution and help “repair the world” one person at a time!

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Federation Strategic Planning Process Builds on Work of Planning and Evaluation Committee by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director The Strategic Plan now in development by the Jewish Federation of Omaha has its roots in the work of the Planning and Evaluation Committee of the Federation, led for the past two years by chairman Sandy Friedman. After being dormant for a time, the P&E Committee was reinstated by Steve Pitlor, President of the Federation from 2002-04, with Friedman at its helm. Pitlor charged the committee with examining the Jewish Federation of Omaha and its agencies in terms of our strengths, weaknesses, needs and demographics. “Sandy and the rest of his committee put a tremendous amount of time and effort into the process. They developed effective tools for gathering data and carefully studied and compiled their findings. The work that they did was the springboard for what Norm Sheldon and the Strategic Planning Committee are doing now,” explained Pitlor. Friedman guided the P&E Committee through a process known as a “SWOT” (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity and Threat) Analysis. The committee looked at what needs are being met, areas that are not being adequately addressed, new emerging issues and identifying the trends that could affect future generations. A professional survey company was hired to administer a survey to members of the Omaha Jewish community who were selected using a scientific method of random sampling. The results of that survey will serve as a guide for the Strategic Planning Committee as they lay out plans to address the future needs of the community. Federation President Zoë Riekes has made Strategic Planning a priority of her administration. “We have an obligation as leadership to become proactive and to look at how we will continue to carry out the mission of the Federation. We must continue to meet the immediate needs of the Omaha Jewish community and at the same time predict and plan for meeting the needs 10 and 20 years down the road,” said Riekes. Strategic Planning Committee chairman Norm Sheldon has established five sub-committees, each focusing on a specific role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. The five sub-committees are: Volunteer and Leadership Development, Federation Structure, Financial Resource Development, Outreach and Engagement and Jewish Learning. For more information about the Federation, please contact me at 334.6431 or pmonsky@jewishomaha.org.

our End Y s ay Holid g! in Laugh

Purchase a Jewish Press Gift Subscription and you will be entered in a drawing for a pair of tickets to the 3 p.m. performance of The Original Harlem Globetrotters on Sunday, Jan. 2. at the Qwest Center. The Harle Globetrottem rs rlem The Htraotters Globe our End Y s ay Holid g! in Laugh

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Special Book Sale and Signing to Follow Rabbi Kushner’s Community-Wide Presentation by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Those attending renowned author and speaker Rabbi Harold Kushner’s special presentation at Beth El this Sunday evening will be treated to a book sale featuring all of his titles--and the guest of honor will spend time afterward signing books. The author of best-sellers such as When Bad Things Happen to Good People and How Good Do We Have to Be?, Rabbi Kushner is returning to Omaha to help celebrate Beth El’s 75th anniversary this Sunday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m. His presentation, “Three Things the Jewish People Can Teach the World,” is free and open to the public. Throughout the evening, hundreds of Rabbi Kushner’s books will be on sale in the synagogue’s community court, cour-

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tesy of The Bookworm, located in Countryside Village. “This sale will be huge,” said Beth El congregant Nancy Rips, who works as a Bookworm bookseller and local book reviewer, and is overseeing the sale. She also noted with appreciation that the bookstore is generously donating 20% of the evening’s proceeds to Beth El. The event is being co-chaired by Julie Potash and Vicki Sanford, and has been underwritten by the Dr. Benton and Harriet Kutler Scholar-in-Residence Endowment Fund. “This is so exciting and such a great opportunity for the entire community to hear Rabbi Kushner,” Rips said. “Besides being one of the top writers in the country, he is also an extraordinary speaker. I’m looking forward to this inspiring and stimulating evening!”

Warsaw Ghetto Menorah on Display at Yad Vashem In the photo at left, a Hanukkah menorah found in the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto is now being exhibited at the Historical Museum at Yad Vashem. The menorah recently underwent a preservation process to enable its exhibition in the new Holocaust History Museum, now under construction at Yad Vashem. The new Museum will open in March 2005, replacing the current Historical Museum. Credit: Yad Vashem

Discovery’s Road Trip into the “Why” of Being Jewish:

Experience it in Omaha by RABBI TUVIA HOFFMAN for Torah Learning Center Discovery Production, the non-profit Jewish organization whose programs have been experienced by over 150,000 Jews across the United States, presents Discovery, an extraordinary and insightful multimedia presentation that combines psychology, philosophy, history and computer science to take the audience on a three hour voyage into the why of being Jewish. Discovery is being presented at the Jewish Community Center, on Sunday, Dec. 19, 7-10 p.m. Tickets are $5 if paid for in advance, $10 at the door.

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Seating is limited. For more information or to get your tickets, please call 1.888.883.4726. Discovery is based off of analytical techniques used by the Mossad (Israeli Intelligence Agency). The highlights of the program include the five wonders of Jewish history, what really happened at Mt. Sinai and hidden codes. Since 1986, Discovery Production has been one of the leaders in Jewish programming and education. Discovery’s mission is to provide people with the opportunity to explore the beauty, wisdom and significance of their Jewish heritage.

Can You Identify These Photos?

ACROSS 1. _____ A HILL, AS THE MACCABEANS DID TO SCOUT FOR THE SYRIAN-GREEKS 6. Anatomical passage 10. Crimean capital 14. She married Jason, of the Argonauts 15. Word used by beer makers to denote low caloric content 16. Cell phone display units 17. One without ice, as a British pub patron might request 18. Scientists and technicians who deal with crops and fields (abbrev.) 19. Othello villain 20. WHAT ONE SYRIAN OFFICER MIGHT HAVE FOR SHELTER (one numeral, one word) 21.WHAT “HAMACCABI” MEANS IN ENGLISH (JUDAH’S NOM DE GUERRE) 23. Native of Lithuania 25. Performed 26. WHAT A MACCABEAN UNIT LEADER MIGHT SAY TO HIS COMMANDER AFTER COUNTING THE MEN PRESENT (2 words) 30. Garfunkel or Spiegelman 31. MATTATHIAS’ TOWN 32. Equestrian performance routine 37. Federal Reserve chairman Greenspan, American composer Shulman, others 38. Pershing's army in France 39. He's ___ __ the ranch (2 words) 40. THE EIGHTH LIGHT (sometimes now, always “in those days” (2 words) 42. Pacific’s Rim __ ____ (referring to volcanos situated around ocean’s edge) 43. WWII era federal agency

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44. GREEK-RULED PEOPLE WHO WERE THROWN OFF BY MACCABEES 45. Fastener 48. Enclosure with a MS submission 49. ________ __-EPHANTS (what the Syrian-Greeks brought into battle, yet were defeated by the Maccabees) 51. River of the Gold Coast, West Africa 56. “At your ____!” barked the sarge 57. U.S. – European alliance 58. Smells 59. Letter or memo abbreviation 60. “__ __ call” (hosp. staff notation on available physician) 61. Exists or resides 62. Lean to the side, as in a ship 63. Japanese coins 64. Garage procedure for adjusting wheels DOWN 1. The year 902, by Roman counting 2. Gave money on loan 3. ____ fixe 4. Nasty 5. “AH, WOE! THE _____ __ _____!” cried the Syrian-Greek general as the Maccabees appeared victorious) 6. Single order at Starbuck’s 7. Miserly 8. Raison d’____ 9. Divide among partners again 10. Painter Gustav 11. “_ ____, I saw, I conquered” 12. Barely surpassed another

in points 13. Front part of a cap, abbrev. 22. DEEDS OF REBELLION (as those of Mattathias and his sons against Antiochus) 24. Sea eagle 26. Labor, in Hebrew 27. “Whatever ____ wants...” (song) 28. Learning Disability Assn. and Lyme Disease Assn. 29. Clue or suggestion 30. To Little Orphan Annie, from Andy 32. Airport schedule abbrev. 33. Moslem mystic 34. “I’ll have _ ___ maria, please,” he told the barman 35. Semi-precious stone, for short 36. Summers in St. Tropez 38. National doctors orgn. 41. Attaches to, as in a report 42. Cries of “Vei!” 44. Large rooms, especially those devoted to beauty or art 45. _____, raccoon relative 46. Covets mightily 47. About, concerning (now rarely used) 48. AND THEN THE MACCABEES ___ __ THE SYRIANS (attacked, 2 words) 49. EACH HANUKKAH, WE HAVE A WONDERFUL _____ OF LATKES, APPLESAUCE, AND MORE! 50. HAVE COURAGE TO VENTURE, AS JUDAH AND HIS BROTHERS DID 52. Start of word meaning meriting hatred or repugnance 53. “___ thy neighbor as thyself” (Levit.) 54. ____-llage, synonym for trellis 55. Orgn.

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The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society is looking for help in identifying these photos and others. If you’d like to volunteer your time or know the names of the people pictured above, please call Renee Corcoran, NJHS Director, at 334.6442.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

December 10, 2004

Opinion When Anti-Semitism’s in the Air, Hanukkah’s a Good Holiday to Celebrate An animal rights organization takes on a kosher slaughtering plant; the FBI is after AIPAC, and the Presbyterians are divesting their portfolios of Israeli stocks. Anyone feeling a little edgy? Despite the fact that we live in the greatest country in the world--at the greatest time of freedom in the world--the threat of antiSemitism still abounds. Though the AntiDefamation League has noted that individual acts of violence against people and institutions are down, many Jews can’t help but worry about the bigger picture. This kind of anti-Semitism is pervasive; it’s subtle...and it’s dangerous. In Europe, it’s “deja vu all over again,” to quote Yogi Berra. They seem to have forgotten what led up to World War II. Instituting laws against Jewish ownership of business and homes, dismissing Jewish professors from academia and doctors from hospitals, and requiring Jews to wear the yellow Star of David ultimately lead to the murder of six million Jews across the continent. Now, the next generation of Europeans have turned anti-Semitism into an art. British academicians have instituted a boycott of Israel; a first place award is given to a British cartoonist for his depiction of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon biting off a child’s head, and fans wave banners at soccer games in Belgium calling on citizens to “Strangle the Jews.” No one stops the perpetrators; no one is arrested. The academic conferences continue; the soccer fans celebrate. Of course, no one has perfected this art bet-

(Founded in 1920)

ter (at least since the days of Hitler--may his name be blotted out forever) than Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority. Guess what book ranks sixth among best sellers among Palestinians? You’re right--Mein Kampf. And, of course, it’s well known among many Arabs that Jews use human blood to make matza (in a bizarre twist of that myth, one Arab writer noted that human blood is used to make hamantashen--and we thought poppy seeds were hard to find!). It would be easy to find some of these statements humorous--but some people in some places actually believe this stuff--and they act on it. Whether it’s the myth that the Mossad carried out the attacks on Sept. 11 or the use of the “South African strategy” to isolate Israel by accusing the state of apartheid practices, anti-Semitic propaganda is being used to justify behavior that we should all find offensive. But, hey, it’s Hanukkah--so we should be used to this! It’s the darkest time of the year (winter solstice, you know) but here we are, this small band of Jews, less than 15 million worldwide, lighting one additional candle for each night of Hanukkah. The symbolism is there for all to see: the light of truth in a dark world. Why are we still doing this, especially after an event that occurred more than 2000 years ago? Could it

be that through the din of cell phones and iPods, we still recognize the power of our Jewish heritage--our gift to the world: monotheism, a day of rest, and laws to govern every day behavior. To quote Rabbi Avi Shafran of Am Echad Resources, “The darkness that has yet to be banished, though, is the hatred for Jews that accompanied contempt for Jewish ideals.” Better light those candles!

tion. He warned me that failing publicly to retract and apologize for this passage “would end up causing more damage to your own professional career than my own.” My reply was terse: “I note your threat to do damage to my career. On principle, I do not communicate with someone who attempts to intimidate me.” Card responded, “I deeply regret using that phrase,” thereby opening the way for negotiations between him, Schanzer, and me. Schanzer and I offered to compromise if he took several steps, including showing us the final exam in question and writing something that “describes the dangerous atmosphere that has developed on campus, then condemn the outbreak of hatred against Jews and Israel supporters.” Were he to do so, we would publicly announce that we understand he does not condone extremism on campus.

ly, he appealed the trial court’s judgment. This fall, the appellate court suggested a mediator to explore a settlement, as it does routinely. He and we ultimately agreed to a resolution that, ironically, brought us almost precisely to where things had left off before Card resorted to litigation. Card finally showed us his examination and, in a joint statement, Card condemned “anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism” as well as “professors who use their classrooms to promote anti-Semitic and anti-Israel beliefs.” He recognized “the danger of espousing such views--particularly on university campuses.” He expressed “his horror at the wave of antiSemitic events around the world in recent years” and said he was “especially troubled by the attacks on Jewish students on college campuses.” In light of these statements, Schanzer and I said we are now convinced that “Card does not condone extremism in the classroom.” I come away from this experience with two conclusions. • First, Card made a mistake in going the route of legal action, with all its nuisance and expense, for in the end he and we each did what could have done had he simply cooperated with us two years earlier. Exposing himself to the unforgiving demands of the court system turned out to be a bad idea. • Second, this libel case confirms what I noted concerning another lawsuit which I helped publicize: a cohort of smart, ambitious attorneys at major law firms are ready, even eager, to help on a pro-bono basis to fight back would-be censors such as CAIR. Freedom of speech, I am pleased to report, is still robust in these United States. Daniel Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum and author of Miniatures (Transaction Publishers); he can be reached at: www.DanielPipes.org.

Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

My Day in Court

BEHIND THE H EADLINES by DANIEL PIPES Threats of legal action in Middle East and Islamic issues are about as common as corrupt practices at the United Nations-and almost as problematic. Islamist organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Global Relief Foundation frequently resort to litigation to suppress free speech, as do individual figures such as Khaled bin Mahfouz. Personally, I have never threatened a lawsuit, preferring the court of public opinion to the court of law. If those who disagree with me have often enough raised the prospect of libel, just one person has actually gone to court against me. That would be a certain Douglas Card, adjunct professor at the University of Oregon. His action originated from an article Jonathan Schanzer and I published in June 2002, “Extremists on Campus.” The oped discussed anti-Israel activities at American universities and referenced several faculty members, including Card. In his complaint, Card took issue with the following paragraph: University of Oregon: In a course entitled “Social Inequality,” the sociology department’s Douglas Card reportedly called Israel “a terrorist state” and Israelis “baby-killers” and insisted that students agree with his view that Israel “stole land” on the final exam. One student said Card bashed Israel and Jews “at every opportunity.” A few weeks after the article appeared, Card contacted me to protest this depiction, saying it caused him “great pain” and damaged his personal and professional reputa-

Threats of legal action in Middle East and Islamic issues are about as common as corrupt practices at the United Nations--and almost as problematic. He and we bargained over the details of this for a few rounds, going nowhere. Card then went quiet for many months and I forgot the whole matter. Suddenly, in September 2003, he brought a libel suit against Schanzer and me, seeking a preposterously large sum of money. At the earliest possible point in the litigation, however, Card not only had his case dismissed in March 2004, but ended up owing us thousands of dollars in legal fees. Not surprising-

Joanie Jacobson Chairman Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Timothy J. Ketelsen Bookkeeper Lori Kooper-Schwarz Production Assistant Jewish Press Committee Howard K. Marcus, Vice-Chairman; Bobbi Leibowitz, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Finance Chairman; Steve Simon, Treasurer; Fred Tichauer, Immediate Past-chairman; Jean Duitch; Penny Endelman; Kip Gordman; Stanley Mitchell; George Quittner; Linda Saltzman; Joey Shyken; Michael Siegal; Nancy Skid; and Melany Weinstein. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Centers of Excellence of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Educational and Library Services, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Senior Services. The Jewish Press and the Foundation are constitutional committees of the Jewish Federation.

Editorial The Jewish Press is a Constitutional Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, noon, eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1-402-334-5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org.. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions, but should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For more information, contact Carol Katzman, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $31 per calendar year U.S.; $35 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.

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Jewish Confidence Remains High as FBI Probe of AIPAC Intensifies that going to a grand jury meant the investigation had eign agent is any individual or group that works under become adversarial. the direction of a foreign government. BEHIND “You can’t automatically sound the alarm, but more But AIPAC has always maintained that it represents often than not it means that they don’t believe” that American supporters of the Jewish state, not Israel itself. THE HEADLINES those under investigation have been “totally cooperaSome Jewish leaders suggested that AIPAC--with its by RON KAMPEAS and MATTHEW E. BERGER WASHINGTON (JTA)--The public resurrection of a federal investigation involving Washington’s top proIsrael lobby has done little to shake Jewish confidence in the group--but some organizations worry about the long road that now appears ahead. FBI investigators searched the Washington headquarters of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Dec. 1, the second search in five months. At the same time, the agents subpoenaed four top officials to appear before a grand jury in Virginia later this month. The four were Howard Kohr, the group’s Executive Director; Richard Fishman, the Managing Director; Renee Rothstein, the Communications Director; and Raphael Danziger, the Research Director. Sources told JTA that federal investigators have interviewed several former AIPAC employees in recent weeks. An FBI official confirmed the search but had no further comment, and a spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office also would not comment. A new report also suggests two of the alleged targets in the investigation--Steve Rosen, AIPAC’s director of foreign policy issues, and Keith Weissman, an Iran specialist--may have been set up by the FBI. The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday that the FBI directed a Pentagon official to give the two AIPAC staffers intelligence about alleged dangers facing Israeli agents in northern Iraq, which Rosen and Weissman later allegedly shared with Israeli officials in Washington. AIPAC continues to defend the integrity of the organization. “Neither AIPAC nor any member of our staff has broken any law, nor has AIPAC or its employees ever received information they believed was secret or classified,” a statement from the group said. AIPAC’s support on Capitol Hill and among U.S. Jews has been steadfast since the controversy first erupted in August. The latest developments have hardly dented that wall, especially among the grass roots. Hannah Rosenthal, Executive Director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the umbrella group for Jewish community relations councils, said JCRCs around the country have not received calls about the latest developments--a sharp contrast with August, when JCPA conference calls on the matter drew hundreds of participants. “It’s kind of amazing how low priority this issue is,” she said. “I think a lot of people think the investigation will show there’s nothing there and we’ll move on.” Still, Jewish leaders expressed anxiety at what appeared to be a long haul for AIPAC. “A lot of people thought, when nobody followed up, that they were going to just let it die,” Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice-chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said of the FBI investigation. “But you know when people bring charges to a grand jury, chances are this will be the tip of the iceberg,” he said. Laurie Levenson, a law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and a former prosecutor, said this “is obviously a very serious matter.” “It does not necessarily mean there will be indictments or that we know who the targets are, but a grand jury has a great deal of power, they can call witnesses, documents, people who go can’t bring lawyers--it’s usually all very exhausting.” A former top Justice Department official suggested

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tive,” said Bill Mateja, a former U.S. Attorney in Texas who until last month was the top federal corporate fraud official. Less often, Mateja said, a U.S. attorney will refer a matter to a grand jury simply to wrap it up, “crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s.” Levenson said it was significant that Weissman and Rosen were not among those subpoenaed--targets of a probe almost never appear before a grand jury in the early stages of the investigation. “Usually the people who are brought in at the initial stages are designated as witnesses, rather than targets,” she said. “You work from the outside in. The targets are the people in the middle of the bull’s-eye.” When investigators first arrived at AIPAC’s offices in August, seizing computer files and interviewing Rosen and Weissman, many suggested that AIPAC was secondary to an investigation into Larry Franklin, a Pentagon analyst suspected of passing the group classified documents on Iran. However, insiders say the investigation has appeared to be moving away from Franklin and toward Rosen and AIPAC.

“Neither AIPAC nor any member of our staff has broken any law,” AIPAC said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating with the governmental authorities. We believe any court of law or grand jury will conclude that AIPAC employees have always acted legally, properly and appropriately.” Making things even murkier was the Jerusalem Post account, which alleged that Franklin, already under FBI investigation, cooperated with authorities and, at the FBI’s request, detailed for Rosen and Weissman presumed threats to Israelis in northern Iraq. The AIPAC staffers allegedly passed that information on to Israel. If there was such a setup, sources close to those being investigated told JTA, it was so subtle that its nefariousness apparently went unnoticed by its targets, who were unaware that what they were allegedly doing would be considered illegal. AIPAC said in its statement: “We continue to cooperate fully with the governmental authorities and believe any court of law or grand jury will conclude that AIPAC employees have always acted legally, properly and appropriately.” The sources insisted that whatever information Rosen and Weissman passed on, it did not involve an exchange of documents, classified or otherwise. Even if Weissman and Rosen passed on information they knew to be classified, it is not clear that it was illegal. Two former federal prosecutors said that government officials have an obligation not to disclose classified information, but the obligations to civilians who receive that information are not as clear. If an outsider bribes or otherwise induces a government official to give him classified information, he could be guilty of conspiracy, one of the former prosecutors said; but, at least according to the Jerusalem Post account, that was not the case. Some former AIPAC employees suggested the group could be under investigation for acting as an agent for Israel. Under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, a for-

reputation for erring unstintingly on the side of caution when it comes to lobbying rules--was the least likely group to walk into such a trap. “They have always been scrupulous about the rules and not stepping over the line,” said Rabbi David Saperstein, the Executive Director of the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center. Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) suggested the FBI was creating a “moral dilemma” for AIPAC officials, trying to entrap them to tell Israelis about information that could save innocent lives. Wexler wrote to President Bush last Friday, asking him to investigate media leaks and other ethical lapses in the AIPAC investigation. He told JTA he hopes the matter will be broached when the Senate holds confirmations for Bush’s choices for secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, who now serves as National Security Adviser, and for Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, who in his new role would oversee the FBI. “The president is responsible for the particulars of this investigation and the apparent increased action that has transpired,” Wexler said. Jewish organizational leaders say their biggest concern right now is how the negative media attention paid to AIPAC will reflect the broader perception of American Jews and Israel advocacy. Abraham Foxman, national director of the AntiDefamation League, said the community will stand together, although some Jewish activists may become anxious. “People get impatient,” Foxman said, noting ADL was subject to its own investigation a decade ago by the Justice Department. “This will impact on the community. Some will be less confident in standing together. That’s very normal." Others will note the positive signals, he said, including the fact that both Bush and Rice spoke to AIPAC during the two years the FBI investigation has presumably been going on, and that AIPAC officials met Rice at the White House late last month. AIPAC was eager to underscore such successes, saying that membership and fund raising have only increased since the case first made headlines in August. “On Capitol Hill in the last three months alone, several measures that strengthen America’s policies in the Middle East have been passed with overwhelming support,” AIPAC said in a statement. “Israel’s annual foreign aid package has just been approved by Congress, giving Israel some $2.6 billion and extending the duration of Israel’s loan guarantees." The group also noted that the Senate recently passed by unanimous vote a bill expanding homeland security cooperation between Israel and the United States. The Senate also approved a resolution supporting Israel’s disengagement plan and Bush’s call for democracy as a prerequisite for Middle East peace, and the “road map” peace plan. The extension of the loan guarantees was an especially sweet victory, considering the administration cut a portion of the guarantees last year to punish Israel for settlement activity. Steve Pomerantz, a former FBI investigator who consults for Jewish organizations, said the nature of the subpoenas suggests that FBI investigators know what they're looking for. “The FBI is not suicidal,” he said. “They are not taking on AIPAC lightly or without full knowledge that this is a powerful organization seen positively by this administration.”

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Synagogue Listings B’nai Israel Synagogue 618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

Beth El Synagogue Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org

Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

Beyt Shalom An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation 3012 S. 119 St. P.O. Box 390352 Omaha, NE 68139 660.2395 www.beytshalomomaha.org

Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 nebraskajudaism.com email: chabad@aol.com

Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 jewishnebraska.org

Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 333 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154

Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org

The Neighborhood Minyan Torah Learning Center 1313 No. 58 St. Omaha, NE 68132 553.5397

Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org

December 10, 2004

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Annual Hanukkah Potluck and Menorah lighting. Please bring your menorah. Questions? Call 323.8885

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m.; Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. We welcome the entire community to experience Tot Shabbat in the West Court. Come for stories, music, prayers and our kid-friendly Oneg Shabbat with juice and cookies! Following services, the synagogue’s festive congregational Hanukkah dinner will take place in the social hall. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation (3-7), 10 a.m.; K’tantan (K-2), 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Andrea and Cary Grossman, in honor of their daughter, Anna, becoming a Bat Mitzvah; Evening Service, 4:40 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sunday, 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Weekdays, 6:55 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sitter Service is available during Friday night and Saturday morning services, on a drop-in basis, at no charge. SUNDAY: Jewish Pot Pourri Class, 10 a.m. Bible Study Class, 11 a.m.; Hebrew Crash Course, 11:10 a.m. AN EVENING WITH RABBI HAROLD KUSHNER As part of its 75th anniversary celebration, Beth El welcomes back author and speaker Rabbi Harold Kushner Sunday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m. He will speak about “Three Ideas the Jewish People Can Teach the World.” This presentation is free and open to the community. WOMEN’S ROSH HODESH GROUP Monday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m., women of Beth El will welcome the month of Tevet with a celebration of the Festival of Lights, at the home of Joye Wees, 12605 Lafayette Cir. Wees, with co-host Diane Axler Baum, will lead “Giving New Relevance and Enthusiasm to the True Meaning of Hanukkah.” Refreshments will be served at 7 p.m.; the program begins at 7:30 p.m. Reservations may be made by contacting Baum at 496.7455, or via e-mail at hypelady@aol.com.

PARALLEL SHABBAT SERVICES Saturday, Dec. 18, the alternative service will be held at 10 a.m. in the chapel, featuring a thought-provoking Torah discussion led by Rabbi Levin; traditional services will take place in the sanctuary at 9:30 a.m. LUNCHEON FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS If you’re a Jewish college student home for winter break, Rabbi Levin and Cantor Gastón invite you to join them for a special luncheon on Saturday, Dec. 18, 12:20 p.m. Please call the office, 492.8550, to make your reservation.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. FRIDAY: Ma’ariv and Kabbalat Shabbat, 5:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free Babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10:30 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by the Sisterhood followed by a festive Hanukkah Lunch; Mincha will follow; Rabbi’s class, 5 p.m. followed by Ma’ariv; Havdalah, 5:42 p.m.; At 7:30 p.m., enjoy a musical evening with an All-Star Beth Israel band. We’ll light the menorah, play driedel, eat sufganiyot, and enjoy the talents of our member musicians. Lunch costs $8 for adults, $4 for kids. There is no charge for the evening Hanukkah party. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Ma’ariv, 6:45 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Ma’ariv, 6:45 p.m. THURSDAY: Senior NCSY Latte and Learning, 7:30 p.m. at Starbuck’s, 114th and Dodge. Make plans to attend the Scholar-in-Residence events on Dec. 18 with Dr. Mendy Ganchrow. For more information or to make lunch reservations, contact the synagogue office.

Candlelighting Friday, December 10, 4:37 p.m.

a.m.; Services, 9:30 a.m., followed by kiddush luncheon. Public menorah lighting at Westroads Mall, 6:30 p.m. SUNDAY: Services, 8:30 a.m. Mishneh class, 9:30 a.m.; Hanukkah On Wheels, Skateland, Irvington Exit at I-680. Skating, Hanukkah Family Dinner and lots of fun. Bring your most original, creative menorah and win a prize, 4-6 p.m.; Public menorah lighting at Crossroads, 6:30 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Public menorah lighting at Oak View Mall, 6:30 p.m. TUESDAY: “W.O.W: Strength and Majesty, 9 a.m. Women only; babysitting available on request. WEDNESDAY:“The Kabbalah of Hanukkah”: one-time session with Rabbi Katzman exploring the mystery and meaning of oil and Jewish survival, 7-8:30 p.m. The new eight-week session of Kabbalistic Journeys will begin Wednesday, Jan. 5. Programs are open to the community. For information or to register, call 330.1800.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN

THE NEIGHBORHOOD Rabbi Debbie Stiel will be in MINYAN AT TLC

Lincoln two weekends a month. Please call her at 402.416.2321 or e-mail: dstiel@everestkc.net to set up appointments. FRIDAY: Hanukkah Potluck Party, 6 p.m.; Hanukkah Family Service, 7:15 p.m. led by Rabbi Stiel. Religious School students in grades one and two will participating in the service. SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. all led by Rabbi Stiel; Youth Group Hanukkah Party, 7:30-10 p.m. at the home of Carly Feldman. SUNDAY: Hebrew School, 9 a.m.-noon; Joint Chanukah party, 11:30 a.m. at Tifereth for Religious School students.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.

BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Hanukkah at the synagogue, 7 p.m. SUNDAY: Religious School, 3-5 p.m. at the JCC.

CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Mamarim class, 9

ate. Children and adults who celebrate birthdays during December will be invited to the bimah for a special blessing. SATURDAY: Bagels and Sacred Books, 9:30-10:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Alexander C. Finkle, son of Sue and Terry Finkle will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah at Shabbat Morning Services. ADULT EDUCATION WEDNESDAY, Dec 15: Conversation with Rabbi Marantz, noon-1 p.m. THURSDAY, Dec. 16: “Adult Study with the Clergy” with Rabbi Azriel, 10-11:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 10, 4 p.m.: “Shabbat Comes to You” at Remington Heights. COLLEGE STUDENTS GET-TOGETHER Saturday, Dec. 18, 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Espresso Mary’s, 5111 Leavenworth. All of Temple’s college students and college-age members are invited to stop by and chat with Rabbis Azriel and Marantz, Elyce Azriel and Lynne Jensen. Stop by and say hello and have a cup of coffee on us!

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg.

TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Hanukkah Family Service, 6 p.m., Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Rabbi Craig Marantz and Cantor Wendy Shermet will offici-

FRIDAY: Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 4:35 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; followed by Kiddush Luncheon and Mincha, 12:40 p.m.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Rabbi Stanley M. Rosenbaum. Minyan, MONDAY & THURSDAY, 9 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 8 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Hanukkah Festival, 11:30 a.m. TUESDAY: The Ladies’ Lunch Bunch will meet at Macaroni Grill, noon. If you need a ride, call the synagogue at 423-8569 or Marcia Kushner at 423.5959. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066. ADULT EDUCATION MONDAYS: Introduction to Judaism with Rabbi Stanley Rosenbaum, 7:30-9 p.m. SUNDAYS: (during Hebrew School days): Jewish Law through the Ages with Rabbi Rosenbaum, 10-11:45 a.m.

BAR MITZVAHS Alexander Chase Finkle, son of Sue and Terry Finkle, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Dec. 11, at Temple Israel. A seventh-grade honor roll student at Kiewit Middle School. Alexander sits on the Teen Social Justice committee at Temple. He enjoys football, and music. His mitzvah project is Project Linus, an organization that helps kids in crisis. Alex made 100 blankets for kids who are ill or

abused. Alexander has a brother, Zachary. His grandparents are Barbara J. Finkle and the late Maynard O. Finkle, and Barbara B. Pierson of Council Bluffs, IA. His great-grandparents are the late Fern and Robert Smalldon, the late Jane Finkle Lagman, and the late David Finkle.

Justin Reed Idelman, son of Jill and George Idelman, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Dec. 18, at Temple Israel. A seventh-grade honor roll student at Beveridge Junior High School, Anna enjoys participating in all sports, especially baseball and basketball. He is a member of the JCC Youth Basketball program and also will play for the Suburban Stampede Baseball team in the spring. He plays

trumpet in the Beveridge Jr. High Band. For his mitzvah project, Justin made a donation to the Nebraska Special Olympics, and volunteered as a scorekeeper/umpire for the softball tournament and as scorekeeper/measurer for bocci. Justin has a brother, Brandon. His grandparents are Barbara and Ronald Archer of Assaria, KS, and Gloria and Martin Hersh of Northbrook, IL.

December 10, 2004

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 15

Perhaps, We Could Have...?

SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI CRAIG MARANTZ Parasha Mikketz Our Torah portion, Mikketz, invites us into Pharaoh’s special dream. The dreamscape shows Pharaoh standing at the edge of a river, stuck in place. First, he beholds seven, plump cows. Next, he witnesses seven skimpy cows as they devour the seven, well-endowed ones. Suddenly, he wakes up, left to ponder the strangeness of his dreamy vision. He hasn’t a clue of what it means–hence, his encounter before long with Joseph, the gifted interpreter. Modern commentary suggests Pharaoh’s dream is a moment of real self-reflection. From a Jewish perspective, nothing about a dream fails to tell us something about ourselves. Sometimes dreams even predict real events, like “a prophecy in miniature.” So what does Pharaoh actually learn about himself and his future? What does this dream tell us about ourselves and what lies ahead in our own lives? According to commentary, as Pharaoh stands on the edge of the river, unable to move forward as the emaciated cows consume the fat ones, he finds himself bewildered. Has his life been but a fantasy? Commentator Mayir Aynei Yesharim crafts this idea with a play on words: When a man comes to the end of his days, to the time of his old age [the word] upharaoh...can be misread as paruah hu, “he is confused,” for it is revealed that it was all a dream, which is to say he realizes his whole life has been nothing more than a dream. In spite of all his “success” in the past, Pharaoh’s dream evokes within him a sense that maybe he has unfinished business. Of course, this is confusing. What more could he accomplish? In his eyes, he has built a magnificent civilization. He has shaped a powerful empire. He should feel great about his life.

Instead, he feels like it is all an illusion. Let’s imagine that Pharaoh finds himself in a moment of personal clarity and humility. As a result, he possibly comes to realize his accomplishments were built on shaky moral ground, on the backs of slaves. To create a great world civilization required him to sacrifice the humanity of the Hebrew people and others. He stripped them of their dignity as human beings, so his society could rise. Where was his sense of justice? Where was his compassion? Whatever Pharaoh is missing seems to make him wonder how substantial his achievements are. They are beginning to seem more like fantasy. For all his greatness, Pharaoh seems reluctant to take necessary growth steps. His accomplishments cannot help repair the world. Only personal change can. Yet, he is too afraid to cross the river. He is too frightened to make the effort. Unless he puts the right foot forward, he will remain stuck in place, never even entering the river, never making his old age a time in which he can make a real difference. While thankfully our lives don’t exactly compare to Pharaoh’s, surely many of us can look back on a long life of success, realizing how many sacrifices it took maximize our achievements. Perhaps we sacrificed time with family. Perhaps we dedicated less effort toward tikkun olam rather than more. Maybe we did not engage in Jewish study as much as we could have; or, we were not as generous with tzedakah as we should have been. Perchance we could have been kinder to others. In other words, as we reflect back on our lives, we realize we could have done more to shape a better world. Judaism tells us if we are not willing to enter the river then we’ll never cross it. If we think we have become too old to make a difference in this world, we will never make one. By taking steps forward, by growing during the advanced stages of life, we enable our accomplishments to remain real for us. May our steps toward and within the twilight of our lives be filled with gratitude for the blessings we have enjoyed throughout our lives and the courage to grow anew. L’chaim!

DEATHS BARBARA K.FRANKEL Barbara K. Frankel died Dec. 4 at the age of 65. Services were held Dec. 7 at Beth El Synagogue. A salesperson for nearly 20 years at the Jewish Press, Frankel also sold an exclusive line of table linens. She served as President of the Variety Club and volunteered for Children’s Hospital, NCJW, Opera Omaha and the Arthritis Foundation. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dean, who died Nov. 10, and her father, Ernest A. Nogg. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Drs. Harris and Jan Frankel; daughter and son-in-law, Amy and Evan Kleeberg, Chicago, IL; grandchildren, Sarah, Emily, Hannah and Samuel Frankel, and Maximilian Kleeberg; her mother, Ruth Nogg; and brother and sister-in-law, Alan and Sandra Nogg. Memorials to Beth El Synagogue or charity of your choice. JONATHAN A. GOLDSTEIN Former Omahan Rabbi/Professor Jonathan A. Goldstein died in Iowa City, IA, Dec. 1, at the age of

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75, after a long illness. Services were held Dec. 3 at Agudas Achim in Iowa City. He was preceded in death by one brother, Alexander, and by his parents, Rabbi David A. Goldstein, who served as Beth El Synagogue’s rabbi in Omaha from 1930-45, and his mother, Rose Berman Goldstein. He earned BA and MA degrees from Harvard University in Semitic languages, a rabbinic ordination and an MA in Hebrew literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a PhD in ancient History from Columbia University. He was the author of five books: I Maccabees and II, 1976 and 1983, The Letters of Demosthenes (1968); Semites, Iranians, Greeks, and Romans (1990); and in 2002, Peoples of an Almighty God: Competing Religions in the Ancient World. He met his wife, Helen, at Harvard; they both were professors at the University of Iowa Department of History and Classics, and members of Iowa City’s sole synagogue, Agudas Achim. Jonathan is survived by his wife of 45 years, Helen; his daughter and son-in-law, Rachel Goldstein and Steve Lester of Chicago, IL; daughter, Rise Goldstein of Los Angeles; brothers and sisters-in-law, Jeremy and Barbara Goldstein of Elkins Park, PA, and Rabbi Nason and Carole Goldstein of Royal Palm Beach, FL. Memorials to Agudas Achim or to the University of Iowa History or Classics Department, c/o the University of Iowa Foundation. Online condolences may be directed to www.lensingfuneral.com. ALBERT WHITE The Jewish Press has learned of the death of former Omahan Albert White, who died Sept. 16 in New York City at the age of 80. Burial took place at Arlington National Cemetery. White served as a cannoneer in France during World War II. Upon his return to the U.S., he earned undergraduate and law degrees from George Washington University. He also graduated from the Ecole de Louvre with the highest grade ever given for the four-year history of art course. He remained in Paris for 20 years before returning to Manhattan. He is survived by two sisters, Sylvia White Byer of San Diego, CA, and Maxine Polsky of Chevy Chase, MD; as well as many nieces and nephews.

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Page 16

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

December 10, 2004

New York! New York! A Trip Back to the Beginning of Jewish America by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator In 1654, the first permanent Jewish settlers on American soil, fleeing from Brazil, landed at the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. Ten years later, the settlement was captured by the English and renamed New York. As the Jewish American community celebrates the 350-year journey that began with the arrival of those first 23 immigrants, New York is the logical first stop. Temple Israel is offering an historical trip, March 10-13, 2005, back to where it all started. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, who has taken numerous teen groups on Jewish heritage tours of New York City, will be the guide and spiritual teacher for the journey. Via a non-stop flight on Continental Airlines, this trip back in time will take in important stops in the history of American Jewry including Ellis Island and the Lower East Side, home to millions of Jewish immigrants who passed through New York City on their way to becoming Americans. Upon arrival on Thursday, March 10, the group will enjoy first class accommodations at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Times Square. After settling in, they will gather for dinner in the theater district at Becco’s Italian restaurant. Joining them for dinner will be Al Vorspan, Senior Vice-president emeritus of the Union for Reform Judaism, and his wife Shirley. Vorspan was a scholar-in-residence at Temple Israel in October. “He made such a wonderful impression on our community that we decided to invite them to meet our group for a leisurely evening of fine food and lively conversation,“ said Rosie Zweiback, Program Director at Temple Israel. On Friday, a guided tour of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty will be followed

by a visit to the Battery Park Museum of Jewish Heritage where a living memorial to the Holocaust was opened to the public in 1997. The mission of the exhibit is to educate people of all ages and back-

ing during services,” Zweiback mentioned. Shabbat dinner, catered by Josh’s Place, a kosher gourmet restaurant, will complete the evening. Zweiback promises “an elegant dinner of unique dishes topped off with their signature dessert-- chocolate pecan pie.” On Saturday morning, the group will head to a Reform synagogue, Congre-gation Rodeph Shalom for worship services. “Our travelers will feel at home at both congregations, and they will experience cutting-edge Jewish practices that will move them spiritually,” noted Rabbi Azriel. Sunday morning, a visit Ambassador Arye Mekel, left, Israel’s consul general in New to the Lower East Side York and Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, center, attend a candle light- Tenement Museum is ing ceremony at Ground Zero in downtown Manhattan on the scheduled. By presenting first night of Hanukkah, Dec. 7. At left in foreground stands and interpreting a variety Laura Lehrfeld, 4, whose father died in the World Trade Center of immigrant experiences Credit: Christopher Smith on Manhattan’s Lower attacks. grounds about the 20th century Jewish East Side, a gateway to America, the experience before, during, and after the Tenement Museum promotes tolerance Holocaust. Artifacts relate to aspects of through its historical perspective. Jewish history and culture including Located in America’s most renowned books, clothes, artwork, and religious immigrant neighborhood, the Tenement objects. Short educational films play at Museum’s interpretation of historic immiseveral locations in the museum. grant experiences illuminates the presAlso on Friday, Rabbi Azriel will lead a ent. The centerpiece of the museum is a memorial service at Ground Zero, the flagship tenement building at 97 Orchard site of the destroyed World Trade St. Built in 1863, this structure is the first Towers. homestead of urban, working class, poor “To celebrate Shabbat, the travelers and immigrant people preserved in the will experience two congregations noted United States. Carefully restored apartfor their warmth and innovative ments open windows on the lives of approaches to prayer,” said Zweiback. actual residents struggling against all Kabbalat Shabbat worship services will odds to make their way in America. be at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, “a “Guides pause so visitors to the museConservative synagogue acclaimed for um can hear actors’ voices tell stories spirited singing and spontaneous danc- about the lives of the people who lived

For Ukrainian Jews, the Past Weighs Heavily on the Present by LEV KRICHEVSKY KIEV (JTA)--In last month’s presidential ballot in Ukraine, Raisa Likhter from Kiev voted for Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich. It wasn’t because she supported Yanukovich’s political or economic programs over those of his opponent, opposition leader Viktor Yuschenko, but because of a fear of anti-Semitism. “As a Jew, how could I vote otherwise?” the 81-year-old woman asked, echoing concerns shared today by many elderly and middle-aged Jews in Ukraine. Ukraine’s controversial presidential contest, which appears to be headed toward a second ballot, highlights unresolved issues that have marred Ukrainian-Jewish relations for decades, mostly beneath the surface. Unlike Yanukovich, who is seen as pro-Russian and associated with corruption, Yuschenko is considered to be proWestern and democratic. But he’s also associated with a phenomenon that doesn’t correspond with democracy or tolerance--Ukrainian nationalism. Pro-nationalist sentiments have deeper roots in western Ukraine, in part because of the region’s shorter history under communism. “I’ve been to western Ukraine many times, and I’ve seen leaflets calling to do away with Russians and Jews. I cannot vote for this,” Likhter said. Yuschenko has never made statements viewed as anti-Semitic or xenophobic,

but his political ties to some radical nationalists--and the fact that Ukraine’s West overwhelmingly supports him--has given him a controversial image in the eyes of some Jews. Jewish fears of anti-Semitism emanating from Western Ukraine are difficult to back up today, as Jewish leaders say cases of anti-Semitism are even less frequent there than in other regions. But in a land where anti-Semitism often has reared its ugly head--and where a 1648 uprising led by a Ukrainian nationalist hero, Bogdan Khmelnitski, is remembered by Jews for its destruction of Jewish communities-memories die hard. More recently, many elderly Jews remember how, during and after World War II, some Ukrainians took revenge on Russians and Jews in western areas for their alleged or actual role in bringing communism to this part of Ukraine, which was annexed by the Soviet Union during war era. Ukrainian Jewish leaders say such fears were stoked for political gain: Ukraine’s current regime made a special effort during this year’s presidential campaign to paint the opposition as hard-line xenophobes and anti-Semites, and as heirs to World War II-era Ukrainian nationalists. “This deep-seated fear of anti-Semitism in Ukraine is beneath the surface, and it takes a long time to get rid of it,” said Yakov Dov Bleich, chief rabbi of Kiev and Ukraine.

there,” described Zweiback. “It’s non-traditional and has a ‘you are there’ quality as you hear the conversations and view the historically restored flats. Tenement life, so celebrated in Jewish American fiction, becomes less imaginative and more real as you tour the exhibits.” The tour of the Tenement Museum will prepare the group for a walking Big Onion Tour of the Jewish Lower East Side. Participants will stroll through more than 150 years of Jewish history not to mention “lots of fabulous delis,” Zweiback added. The tour combines historic and religious sites, politics and people of what was once the largest Jewish community in the world. Stops include the founding site of B’nai B’rith, the Jewish Daily Forward Building, the Eldridge Street Synagogue, and sites associated with Rabbi Jacob Joseph, first and only chief rabbi appointed by an association of American Orthodox rabbis; Abraham Cahan, founder and editor of The Forward; and Lillian Wald, a nurse who became an influential leader in city, state, and national politics. There will also be plenty of free time to explore New York City on your own, assured Zweiback. Limited to 30 people, the cost for the trip is about $1200 depending on the number of travelers and the method of payment. The fee includes airfare from Omaha to Newark, round-trip transportation from the airport to the hotel, three nights accommodations, museum fees, meals on Thursday and Friday nights, taxes and gratuities, and transfers to tour locations. Payment is due Jan. 4, 2005. The tour is open to members of the Jewish community. For more information, please contact Zweiback at Temple at 556.6536 or at rzweiback@templeisraelomaha.com.

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