Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
Boys got groove
December 12, 2014 20 Kislev 5775 Vol. 95 | No. 13
This Week
by SHERRIE SAAG Communications, Jewish Federation of Omaha Steve Levinger has joined the Federation Campaign Department as Senior Development Director. Reporting to Marty Ricks, Chief Development Officer, Levinger will be supporting the donor development and Campaign activities of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.
Omaha teens “Volunteer as Can-Tribute” Page 3
How to eat sufganiyot without guilt Page 6
Challenging ideas about the face of Federation Page 12
Next Week Senior Living See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press
by GABBY BLAIR While a majority of dancers who walk through the door at the JCC Dance Department are female, it is important to remember that all classes are open to boys. In fact, boys are encouraged and needed in dance, to help fill important roles in various performances. “We have always had a few boys dedicated to learning dance over the years,” says Esther Katz, JCC Dance & Cultural Arts Director. “Attendance seems to come in phases, based on interest. Typically, boys begin dancing young but give it up once they progress in elementary
school.” She goes on to say that “Many male athletes often choose dance as a way to improve agility and coordination in order to improve in their respective sports.” Indeed, it has long been documented that many a football player, including Herschel Walker, who once performed with the Fort Worth Ballet during his time as a Dallas Cowboy, Pittsburgh Steeler and 2001 Hall of Fame inductee Lynn Swann, Steeler teammate Steve McLendon, and former NY Jets wide receiver Al Toon, has benefitted by using ballet as part of their regular workout. “It is harder
than anything else I do,” says 320pound nose tackle McClendon, in a 2013 interview with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Here at the JCC, Katz has seen many boys come in for a variety of reasons, from an authentic love of dancing, to a desire for improvement in physical abilities. More recently, she has had requests for private lessons from parents who wanted to help their sons have more confidence on the dance floor at middle and high school dances. This semester, after being approached by interested families, Katz put together Continued on page 3
The Kaplan Book Discussion Group
Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam
Levinger joins Campaign Team
8 10 11
by MARK KIRCHHOFF Center for Jewish Life Thursday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library, Dr. Moshe Gershovich will lead the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group as they examine the work of Andrée Aelion Brooks in the book, The Woman Who Defied Kings: The Life and Times of Doña Gracia Nasi. Dr. Gershovich is Professor of History at UNO, specializing in Middle East History, and serves as the Director of the Natan and Hannah Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies. The Woman Who Defied Kings was first published in June of 2002. It has been described in “goodreads” as “the first modern, comprehensive biography of Doña Gracia Nasi, an out-
Dr. Moshe Gershovich standing Jewish international banker during the Renaissance.” As a woman of considerable wealth and connections, she operated an underground railroad that saved hundreds of her fellow Spanish and Portuguese “conversos” (Jews who had been forced to convert to Catholicism) from the horrors of the Inquisition. The book relates her continuing negotiations with kings and emperors for better conditions for her people. She led a boycott of the Italian port of Ancona in retaliation for the burning of 23 of her people through the Inquisition.
She spearheaded one of the earliest attempts to start an independent state for Jews. Her life is one that shatters the stereotype of how women, and most especially Jewish women, conducted their lives during the Renaissance period. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group debuted Nov. 15, 1979 as the “Jewish Federation Library Book Discussion Group” to be later renamed in honor of Dorothy Kaplan, recognized for her devotion to the library and in engaging people in discussing interesting Jewish books, poetry and videos. The group meets on the third Thursday of each month from 1-2 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library. All sessions are open to the community free of charge. Contact Library Specialist Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org with questions, including information regarding upcoming book selections. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group is supported by the Center for Jewish Life, whose mission is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences.
Steve Levinger Levinger commented: “After working in the corporate/for-profit world for 33 years, I am truly honored and privileged to transition to this role at the Jewish Federation. The Omaha Jewish community is widely known as an extremely giving and caring community.” Ricks says Levinger is a welcome addition to his Campaign team. “Steve is invested in our community as evidenced by his depth of involvement as a volunteer in multiple community organizations. His corporate experience will be an asset to our departmental operations and I am looking forward to his contributions.” Born and raised in Yankton, South Dakota, in a town with just a handful of Jewish families, Levinger said his parents continually emphasized the importance of living Jewishly “We embraced Jewish traditions in our home, were involved in the community and understood the importance of Tzedakah and Tikkun Olam.” Levinger graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Marketing, began a career with Procter and Gamble in Detroit and met his wife Bonnie while she was a student at Michigan. They eventually relocated to Omaha in 1989 because it was important to them to live closer to family. “My grandfather (Iz Weiner) and aunt and uncle (Janey and Jerry Dann) helped us quickly assimilate and get acclimated Continued on page 2
2 | The Jewish Press | December 12, 2014
Ice cream continues building community spirit by SHERRIE SAAG Communications, Jewish Federation of Omaha The winter weather certainly doesn’t “scream” ice cream, but the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Annual Campaign continues to share the delicious treat with the community. Jerry Greenfield, of Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Inc., was the guest speaker at our Campaign Kick-off in October and he generously left behind lots of coupons for us to share for even more Ben and Jerry’s ice cream! So Campaign staff, with a heaping scoop of help from Campaign chair Suzy Sheldon, got creative thinking of ways for as many people as possible to enjoy the extra ice cream. Last week, The Center for Jewish Life hosted Susan Jane Gilman, author of The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street as part of its Jewish Book Month activities. After serving ice cream cupcakes, CJL Executive Director Beth Cohen raffled ice cream coupons to attendees. Yachad will enjoy an upcoming ice cream social with Ben Dora Goldstrom, left, and Diane Baum enjoying an ice cream treat during the and Jerry’s ice cream. Next week we begin to incorporate Jewish Book Month luncheon. ice cream into campus Hanukkah festivities. Jewish Family are welcome to attend and enjoy some morning ice cream Service will include coupons for free pints of Ben and with their kids. The Federation’s Annual Campaign raises funds used to Jerry’s ice cream in each of its Hanukkah food baskets as part of Project Tzedakah. Ice cream coupons will be used as support the programs and services provided on our campus door prizes at the Friedel Jewish Academy annual and throughout the community. Professional staff works Hanukkah Program on Dec. 11 and the JCC Hanukkah with a broad cross section of lay leaders and volunteers to responsibly allocate our Campaign dollars. We ensure that Extravaganza on Sunday, Dec. 14. The little ones at the CDC are not to be left out! The our mission and core values remain foremost in our minds Campaign department is sponsoring a special Ice Cream as we seek to secure a strong and vibrant Jewish Omaha. Please join us as a donor to the 2015 Annual Campaign. Havdalah on Monday, Dec. 15. Students will enjoy their choice of vanilla or chocolate ice cream following their To make your gift, please contact Sharon Kirshenbaum, Havdalah service. Federation provided Tzedakah boxes that Campaign Director at 402.334.6485 or visit www.jewishom the students decorated and will take home. CDC parents aha.org.
Happ
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Levinger joins Campaign Team Continued from page 1 in this very warm community, while my parents still lived ‘just up the road’ in Yankton,” Levinger said. Relocating to Omaha with Procter & Gamble, Levinger was a district sales manager in their consumer products group and pharmaceuticals division, followed by a position as a national account executive in the managed markets group for two other pharmaceutical companies. “I view this career change as an opportunity to build on all the incredible things we have accomplished in Omaha over the years while infusing some new ideas and perspectives gleaned from my many years of experience in corporate America,” he said. He is looking forward to engaging with community members while working towards meeting the Federation’s mission of building and sustaining a strong and vibrant Jewish community in Omaha and supporting Jews in Israel and around the world. Levinger has chaired Campaign’s Super Sunday and a B’nai Brith Sports Banquet, served as president of the Jewish Press Board and was, until his appointment, a member of the JCC Board. Levinger’s wife Bonnie works as a speech pathologist for Millard Public Schools. They have three daughters, all well represented in Big Ten academics. Allison, a graduate of Indiana University, is a buyer at Dick’s Sporting Goods, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA; Amy, a University of Michigan graduate, is a registered nurse at Medstar/ Georgetown Hospital in Washington, DC and Jessica is a business school student at the University of Wisconsin. All three girls graduated from Millard North (and the JCC’s CDC) and were actively involved in BBYO and Temple Israel youth groups. Please stop by and welcome Steve onto our campus or look forward to his call on behalf of the Annual Campaign! He can be reached at slevinger@jewishomaha.org and 402.334.6433.
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December 12, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 3
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by RACHEL MARTIN BBYO/Teen Director BBYO, the world’s leading pluralistic Jewish youth movement and DoSomething.org, the largest not-for-profit for young people and social change, teamed up this fall to launch “Can-Tribute,” a campaign that rallied young people across North America to fight hunger in their local community through a food collection drive. The campaign started on Sept. 23, just before the Jewish High Holidays to align with the Yom Kippur tradition of collecting food for the needy during the day of fasting, and lasted through Nov. 20. Omaha teens and families came together to donate more than 1,000 pounds of canned food to the Stephen Center and Jewish Family Service as a part of the initiative. “The Mockingjay pre-screening and food drive raised awareness for the hunger problem here in Omaha,” said Sam Lieb, a senior at Omaha Burke High School. “It also provided a fun and meaningful event for the whole community.” To celebrate the conclusion of the campaign, BBYO Omaha Council and the Jewish Community Center, the Stephen Center, and Jewish Family Service hosted a prescreening of the Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. The prescreening was attended by more than 100 teens and was an additional opportunity for teens to socialize and support the community. Across North America, the leaders of the top three biggest drives won seats for themselves and 20 friends at their local BBYO pre-screening. “BBYO has a long tradition of teens coming together to stand up for the causes they believe in and to take action to create change in their communities and our world,” said Natalie Spring, Director of Campaigns and Movement Initiatives at BBYO. “Working with DoSomething.org on this campaign, we’re able to connect more teens to the value of repairing the world.” “DoSomething.org is all about making social change accessible to young people and working around events in their lives like holidays and movie premieres to make social change a part of a lifestyle” said Naomi Hirabayashi, Chief Marketing Officer at DoSomething.org “Our event really helped the community,” said Jordan Saag,
Mother Chapter AZA #1 Godol, and a junior at Elkhorn South High School. “We made a tangible difference.” The Can-Tribute campaign and pre-screening event is an example of the community-wide events that BBYO offers teens in our community. In December, the Omaha BBYO Council will host a Hanukkah dinner and talent show on Sunday, Dec. 14. “The pre-screening was a good way to get people to contribute to the food drive,” said Josh Polack, Chaim Weizmann AZA #1510 Godol, and a sophomore at Omaha Burke High School. “Everyone had a fun time watching the movie as a reward for participating.” About DoSomething.org DoSomething.org makes the world suck less. One of the largest orgs for young people and social change, our 2.5 million members tackle campaigns that impact every cause, from poverty to violence to the environment to literally everything else. Any cause, anytime, anywhere. About BBYO BBYO is the leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement aspiring to involve more Jewish teens in more meaningful Jewish experiences. For 90 years, BBYO’s leadership programs, the Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA, high school fraternity) and the B’nai B’rith Girls (BBG, high school sorority), have been providing exceptional leadership programs and identity enrichment experiences, shaping the confidence and character of more than 400,000 alumni who are among the most prominent figures in business, politics, academia, the arts and Jewish communal life. Now, BBYO’s network of Jewish teens, alumni, parents, volunteers and philanthropists serves as the Jewish community’s most valuable platform for delivering to the post Bar/Bat Mitzvah audience fun, meaningful and affordable experiences. With year-round activities in hundreds of local communities and inspiring worldwide travel experiences, BBYO’s broad program menu enables teens to explore areas of leadership, service, civic engagement, Israel education and Jewish values. For more information about ways to give back to the community and be a part of BBYO Omaha Council, please contact Rachel Martin, BBYO/Teen Director, at 402.334.6404 or rmartin@jccomaha.org.
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Boys got groove Continued from page 1 a Boys Hip Hop class, led by instructor Domanic Brown of The University of Nebraska-Omaha’s The Moving Company. An avid dancer from a young age, Brown is no stranger to the stage and has performed across the midwest in many venues including the Omaha Dance Project, 45 Degrees Celsius and Rite of Spring. He also dances and choreographs hip hop, cheer, and modern contemporary programs at various schools and dance studios around Omaha. The Boys Hip Hop class is a fun, high energy, and well attended class of about a dozen boys who recently held a parent observation day. It was great to see the kids on
stage, confident and having fun. “I think it is important, especially for young men with no formal training, to realize that dance classes are not just for girls,” explains Katz. “Hopefully, with a little exposure and experience, we can recruit a few good young men to more of our classes!” To see all of the dance department offerings visit their webpage at www.jewishomaha.org/jcc/dance/. If you have children interested in exploring the world of dance, or if you have any ideas or suggestions for specialty dance classes, contact Esther Katz, JCC Dance & Cultural Arts Director at 402.334.6406 or ekatz@jccomaha.org.
JEWISH PRESS NOTICES The Jewish Press office is closed Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 24 and 25, and Thursday, Jan. 1; the deadline for the Jan. 9 issue is Tuesday, Dec. 30, 9 a.m. There will be no Jewish Press on Jan. 2, 2015. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.
David M. Cohen, Ph.D.
4 | The Jewish Press | December 12, 2014
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After midnight, the (Jewish) stars come out by MATT ROBINSON Special went off the air. Goodman says he (JNS.org) From Tevye the dairyman to doesn’t believe MTV could have existed Maroon 5’s Adam Levine to Let It Go singer “without Midnight Special as a precursor.” Idina Menzel, Jews have always been at the Recalling the experience of watching forefront of the music scene. Burt Sugarman Midnight Special, Goodman says, “Some of and Mark Goodman are no different. As one the performances are so incredible... of the pre-eminent television and film pro- because they’re live.” ducers in history, Sugarman’s rolodex of connections would make any A-lister blush. Goodman, one of the first on-air personalities for the MTV network, had his finger on the pulse of pop music for years. The two industry icons spoke to JNS.org about the recent release of a collector’s edition DVD set of Sugarman’s pioneering television program Midnight Special, by StarVista Entertainment/Time Life. From August 1972 to May 1981, the program offered a live look at virtually all of the top performing artists of the day, from Sugarman’s beloved country music to comedy. Among the hundreds of Grammy-winning and chart-topping guests were Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, Randy Newman, John “Bowzer” Bauman and Sha Na Na, and the KISS duo of Stanley Eisen and Chaim Witz (aka Paul Stanley and Gene The Bee Gees perform on the Midnight Special televiSimmons). Midnight Special also sion program in 1973. featured legendary comic talents Credit: NBC Television - eBay via Wikimedia Commons as George Burns, Billy Crystal, Andy Once the show took off, the artists began Kaufman, Robert Klein, and Joan Rivers. to line up to perform. Some came on repeatHaving started out his career in television, edly, taking full advantage of the publicity Sugarman knew network executives and offered by this new platform. Sugarman says had opportunities to pitch them shows. He one performer even “wanted to present me often had their ears because of his successful with a gold album for being responsible, work with programs such as Celebrity they said, for selling all the records.” Sweepstakes and The Newlywed Game. Even Despite having a “who’s who” of music legso, getting Midnight Special to sell was an ends on Midnight Special, Sugarman always uphill battle. regrets the one that got away -- Elvis Presley. “I had trouble getting any of the net“I knew [Elvis] quite well and played footworks,” Sugarman says, noting how his goal ball on weekends with him, and spent a lot was to land at NBC in the spot after Johnny of time with him, so that made it even hardCarson’s Tonight Show. er not to have him on the show,” Sugarman “Johnny was a next-door neighbor of says. mine,” says Sugarman. “We played tennis all Asked what first sparked his interest in the time together. I knew that that rating, music, Goodman recalls growing up in when he went off, would be terrific to lead Philadelphia, listening to his parents’ jazz in to something.” heroes and the soulful sounds of the bands Yet the network was not interested in the in the City of Brotherly Love. audience demographic that they assumed “As a young teenager, while all my friends would go for a late-night music show. were listening to pop music, I was listening Unwilling to give up, Sugarman took a risk to Smokey Robinson and... The Sound of and offered to finance the first show himself. Philadelphia,” he says. “That’s pretty hard [for a network] to turn But when Goodman heard Eric Clapton’s down,” he says. early supergroup Cream, everything changed. The next challenge was finding artists “Between that and a couple of other things who were willing to come on the new show. that were going on with my generation at “Some of the mainline artists,” Sugarman the time, I got into rock and roll, and the explains, refusing to give names, “were pan- rest, as they say, is rock history,” he says. icked... to walk out in front and see a red Though he is no longer at MTV, light on three or four cameras and start to Goodman continues to be a player in the sing or talk or something.” industry as a host on Sirius XM radio. Since Midnight Special did not use lip “I like being in the position that I’m in, syncing (unlike other popular shows at the because... I get to turn people onto [music],” time), the artists had to be at their best and he says. had no second chance to make their impresWhile Midnight Special has not been in sions on the eager audience. regular broadcast for decades, it continues “All that made it very interesting,” to gain fans through videos and online ediSugarman says. “But we got through it and tions year after year. That is why Sugarman loved every second of it.” decided to put out this new edition, which Asked what links the musically, culturally comes in a variety of formats that range and racially diverse talents on Midnight from a single-disc “best of ” to an 11-disc Special, Goodman suggests that “the basic “collector’s edition.” While old fans can remthing that they all have in common is that inisce and new fans can see what they they were musical pioneers and they were missed, Sugarman continues to toy with the artists.” idea of bringing Midnight Special back to the “They were trying to do things that were airwaves. going to make people spark to music and “I am talking to someone now who’s been were current with the times, and in many talking to me for about a year and a half cases, even forward-looking,” Goodman about it,” Sugarman says, declining to reveal tells JNS.org. the name. “He would be a great host, a wonThe MTV network launched in August derful artist, but we’ll have to see if it goes 1981, just a few months after Midnight further. I rather doubt it, but we’ll see.”
December 12, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 5
Assaf Gavron discusses The Hilltop by MARY SUE GROSSMAN The Center for Jewish Life Assaf Gavron shared the fascinating background about his newest novel, The Hilltop, during the second Jewish Book Month event held on Thursday evening, Dec. 4. Gavron, a well-known and awardwinning Israeli author of several novels, short stories and non-fiction, is the current Schusterman Scholar at the Natan & Hannah Schwalb Center for Jewish and Israeli Studies at UNO. In addition to The Hilltop, his books include Ice, Moving, CrocAttack, Almost Dead, Hydromania and his most recent, The Hilltop. His fiction has been translated into German, Russian, Italian, French, English, Dutch, Swedish, Greek and Bulgarian. Assaf shared photos of the West Bank settlement in which he spent considerable time while doing the research for The Hilltop, and talked about the writing process. He also talked about Tel Aviv Noir, the anthology he co-edited with Etgar Keret, which was also recently published in the US. Copies of The Hilltop are available for purchase in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library for just $18. A limited number of copies of wildly popular The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street by Jewish Book Month Luncheon author Susan Jane Gilman are also available for $18. The library is open from 9 a.m.-6
The Musical by KORI RADLOFF Marketing and Public Relations Director, The Rose Theater The Rose Theater triple-dog-dares you to see its holiday production of A Christmas Story: The Musical, playing Dec. 5-28. The show is based on the popular 1983 movie adapted from the writings of radio humorist Jean Shepherd and includes all the favorite moments of its source: Flick getting his tongue stuck to a flagpole, Dad receiving his p.m., Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Fridays. The final event of the Jewish Book Month, PJ Library Gets Ready for Hanukkah, will take place Saturday evening, Dec. 13 from 6-9 p.m. at the Omaha Children’s Museum. The program is free of charge and is open to families’ with children six months to eight years of age. Older siblings and grandparents are also welcome to attend. Omaha’s PJ Library program provides age appropriate Jewish-content books on a monthly basis to Jewish children in Omaha. Event details will be included in an upcoming edition of the Jewish Press. Jewish Book Month events are sponsored by the Center for Jewish Life whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha's Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. For additional information, please call 402.334.6463 or email mkirchhoff@jewish omaha.org.
YJO, Havdalah and Thanksgiving by SHERRIE SAAG Communications, Jewish Federation of Omaha What do these three things have in common? Put them together and they were a great excuse for Jewish friends to gather in gratitude. Saturday night, Nov. 29 was the date for a Young Jewish Omaha Havdalah service/ Thanksgiving party at Broadmoor at Aksarben Village. With 35 people in attendance, the Havdalah service, led by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer of Beth Israel Synagogue, was a time to distinguish the holiness from the every day, reflect on the gratitude and thankfulness of the Thanksgiving holiday and prepare for the week ahead.
A Christmas Story:
Naomi Fox, left, Sara Linn, Cari Green, Annie Rifkin
A scene from A Christmas Story: The Musical at the Rose Theater; Danny Denenberg is second from right major award, a disastrous visit to Santa, and of course, Ralphie’s pink bunny pajamas Christmas present. “A Christmas Story offers a hilarious account of one child’s quest to make sure the most perfect of gifts ends up under his tree,” says Rose artistic director Matthew Gutshick, who is directing A Christmas Story: The Musical. “In the process, he learns some universal truths that will stick with him for a lifetime.” Ralphie is played by eleven-year-old Friedel Jewish Academy student Danny Denenberg. “Danny is an extraordinary young performer,” says Gutschick, noting that Denenberg was recently flown to New York City for a callback to be Ralphie for the national tour of the show.
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6 | The Jewish Press | December 12, 2014
Hanukkah sufganiyot the healthy way by JAIME GELLER (JNS.org) The average Hanukkah sufganiya (jelly donut) has between 300 and 400 calories of nearly pure oil and fat. In honor of the miracle God bestowed on the Maccabees, making oil meant for just a day last eight days, the delicious donut and other traditionally oily Hanukkah foods become annual killers for your diet. For those who are health conscious but do not want to be deprived of the annual treat, here are three healthier recipes selected from Joyofkosher.com. Consider substituting or reducing ingredients further as needed for your diet. APPLE ZEPPOLE WITH JELLY DIPPING SAUCE From Jaime Geller on Joyofkosher.com. Try these apple zeppole as an alternative to doughnuts. The recipe itself is not low-fat, but the portions are bite-sized. Prep Time: 8 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Ready Time: 28 minutes Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1/2 cup Water 1/4 cup Granulated sugar 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt 1 cup all purpose flour 4 large eggs 1 granny smith apple (about 1 cup), peeled and diced Vegetable oil for frying 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam 1 tbsp. orange juice Preparation: 1. In a medium saucepan, heat butter, water, sugar, cinnamon, and salt, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add flour. Return to low heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Continue to cook for 1 minute. 2. Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low speed with a paddle attachment for 1 minute or until cooled slightly. Add eggs one at a time. Add apple and mix until just combined. 3. In a heavy medium sized pan, heat oil to 350 degrees F on a candy or deep fry thermometer. Using a 1 teaspoon scoop, carefully drop batter into hot oil and fry until golden brown,
BAKED “SUFGANIYOT” JELLY DONUTS 5. Turn out dough onto floured From Jaime Geller on Joyofkos surface. Knead once or twice. her.com. Shape into ball. Place in an oiled Another recipe that forgoes frybowl, cover, and place in a warm ing in oil. area for at least an hour or until Prep Time: approximately 2 hours dough is doubled. Cook Time: 10-12 minutes 6. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. Ready Time: approximately 2-3 7. Divide dough in half. With hours lightly oiled hands, take approxiIngredients: mately 2 tablespoons of dough and 1 (1/4-ounce) package rapid rise roll into ball. Place on greased bakdry yeast ing sheet. 1 tbsp. sugar 8. Repeat with remaining dough 1/4 cup warm water placing balls 2 inches apart (about 1 egg yolk Baked sufganiyot 12 balls per baking sheet). Cover 1 egg Credit: Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller. with a kitchen or tea towel and let 1/4 cup sugar rise 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. 1 cup 1% milk, warmed 9. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden. 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Remove from oven and let cool. Pinch of salt 10. Place jam in a pastry bag fitted with a medium pastry 3 tbsp. margarine or butter, cut into 9 pieces tip or use a small ziplock type of bag fitted with a medium Cooking spray pastry tip. Pastry tips are available at most craft stores. 3/4 -1 cup strawberry jam 11. Press tip into donut and squeeze at least 1 teaspoon of Confectioners’ sugar for dusting jam into donut, or more if desired. Preparation: 12. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve. 1. Dissolve the yeast with the 1 tablespoon of the sugar in Makes 24 doughnuts. 1/4 cup warm water. Tips: If you don’t have a standing mixer, use a hand mixer 2. In a standing mixer with a paddle, beat egg yolk, egg, for Step 2 and beat the egg yolk, egg, yeast mixture, sugar, yeast mixture, 1/4 cup of sugar, and milk. and milk for about 1 minute. Knead the rest of the ingredi3. With paddle going, add flour and salt. 4. Add margarine one piece at a time. Dough should be ents together by hand: first the flour, then the salt and margarine, one piece at a time, then proceed with Step 5. sticky but elastic. about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining dough and dust with powdered sugar. 4. In a small bowl, whisk together jam and orange juice and serve with zeppole. Serves 12. Jamie Geller is the only bestselling cookbook author who wants to get you out of the kitchen -- not because she doesn’t love food -- but because she has tons to do. As “The
Bride Who Knew Nothing,” Jamie found her niche specializing in fast, fresh, family recipes. Now hailed as the “Queen of Kosher” (CBS) and the “Jewish Rachael Ray” (New York Times), she’s the creative force behind Joyofkosher.com and Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller magazine. Jamie and her hubby live in Israel with their five busy kids who give her plenty of reasons to get out of the kitchen -- quickly. Check out her new book, Joy of Kosher: Fast, Fresh Family Recipes.
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December 12, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 7
Unraveled: A Visual Response to RavelUnravel by SCOTT LITTKY Program Director, Temple Israel Unraveled: A Visual Response to RavelUnravel is a traveling art exhibit based on the themes explored in Project Interfaith’s RavelUnravel.com. RavelUnravel is an
ity have woven through their upbringing, their lives, and their communities; and statements on prejudice, faith, misperceptions, community, isolation, celebration, ritual, tradition, connection, deities, grace, humanity and identity.
interactive, multimedia website featuring more than 1,100 short video interviews of people discussing their religious or spiritual identity, stereotypes that they have encountered, and how welcoming they have found their communities to be. Project Interfaith invited artists to submit art pieces that were inspired by RavelUnravel.com. Fifty-two artists submitted their work, and pieces were chosen for the exhibit by a three member jury. The pieces differ in size and medium; however, the art is connected in that each piece is a visual response to RavelUnravel’s multiple themes. These include: spirituality and all the ways it can be defined, practiced, questioned, ignored, and embraced; the ways that the threads of someone’s spiritual-
According to Dr. Cynthia Curtis of Belmont University, who hosted the exhibit in August, “Unraveled generated some good conversations among our students about lived religion and the different ways we experience the Divine. Thanks to Project Interfaith, the Unraveled exhibit provided our students with a wonderful opportunity to see how artists use different mediums to express their stories of faith. The exhibit helped them to think critically about the formation of spiritual and religious identities - the artists’ and their own.” Unraveled is now on display at Temple Israel through Jan. 7, 2015. The exhibit is open to the public. If you would like to see it, please contact Scott Littky, Temple Israel Program Director at 402.556.6536.
Celebrate Hanukkah at Star Catering’s Taste of KC BBQ Dinner by OZZIE NOGG On Tuesday, Dec. 23, Star Catering will serve up a toothsome Hanukkah package. “From 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. you can celebrate the Festival of Lights with a Taste of KC BBQ Dinner,” said Josh Gurock, Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Director of Operations. “We offered this dinner on Sukkot and totally sold out, so we’re bringing it back to satisfy c u s t o m e r demand. This dinner is all BBQ, nothing but BBQ, and we’re taking reservations in advance to make sure that if you want BBQ you’ll get BBQ.” A sneak-peek at the December 23 dinner menu reveals these choices: • A taste of our Star Catering KC BBQ Competition entries: one chicken thigh; one short rib; 4 oz. smoked turkey breast; 4 oz. brisket; and 4 oz. baked beans with burnt ends • Smoked Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich served with Potato Latke and Applesauce • Mike’s Chili with Jalapeno Cornbread • Child’s Plate of Smoked Chicken Legs
with Potato Latke and Applesauce • Latkes and Applesauce a la Carte • Sufganiyot Jelly Donuts Mike Aparo, Director of Food Services at the Blumkin Home, led the Star Catering team at the Kosher BBQ Competition in Kansas City last August. Gurock, along
with Marco Martinez and Andy Kudlacz of the Star Deli culinary staff, rounded out the foursome that grilled their way to stardom at the nation’s only kosher BBQ festival sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society. “The celebrity judges and visitors to the Competition were blown away by the Star Catering entries,” Aparo said. “To make your reservation for the Dec. 23 Taste of KC BBQ Dinner, please call 402.330.4272 today.”
Please let the Jewish Press know in advance when you are leaving and when you are returning. Sometimes several papers are sent to your “old” address before we are notified by the Post Office. Every time they return a paper to us, you miss the Jewish Press and we are charged! Please call us at 402.334.6448 or email us at jpress@jewishomaha.org.
When Jehan Berman saved the lives of his loved ones, we helped ensure he didn’t lose his own life in the process.
Jehan Berman was shielding his wife and son during a mortar attack in southern Israel in August, when he was critically injured by a piece of shrapnel. But thanks to Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical response agency, Jehan got the lifesaving care he needed. “If it weren’t for MDA,” he says, “I don’t think I’d be here today.” As we celebrate the miracles of Chanukah, please join us in our Eight Days of Giving Campaign to help make more miracles possible in Israel. Visit www.afmda.org/year-end-2014 to watch a video about Jehan and make a gift to MDA. Please donate today.
Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Sean Callahan, author, sportscaster, and Husker insider will talk about the firing of Bo Pelini, his replacement and much more on Wednesday, Dec. 17, noon. LIMITED
Snowbirds
SEATING. RSVP required before Dec. 16 at 5 p.m. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.
AFMDA Midwest Region 3175 Commercial Avenue, Suite 101, Northbrook, IL 60062 Toll-Free 888.674.4871 midwest@afmda.org www.afmda.org
8 | The Jewish Press | December 12, 2014
Point of view
American Jewish Press Association Award Winner
Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008
(Don’t) Blame the media by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor I’m sure many have of you have been following the news out of Ferguson, Missouri during recent months. Most of what happened there is the fault of the media. At least, that’s what I read online. And since I read it online, it must be true. Traditionally, “The Media” has been given a bad rep, especially in the movies. Annoying reporters who shove microphones in the protagonists’ faces, and ask questions no one has the right to. It’s a narrative we are all familiar with, but it didn’t become a genuine part of everyone’s vocabulary until the 2008 election year. While every campaign comes with its own catch phrases, Sarah Palin’s “Lame Stream Media” comment hit a nerve, both with those who loved her and those who hated her, albeit for different reasons. Arthur Chu recently wrote in The Daily Beast: “Blaming the media is old hat, a tired reflex. Any time something bad happens, The Media gets the requisite ritual excoriation for “making the problem worse,” right up there with The Lawyers and The Politicians. (...) It’s a cliché. You can summon up the requisite phrases in your sleep. “Taking things out of context.” “Making mountains out of molehills.” “Spinning a narrative.” As a society, we’ve bought this refrain wholesale: it’s difficult to have any valid discussion about what goes on in our world, and not have at least one person comment on how the media is to blame. But my question is, what media? Who are we talking about when we speak of “The Media?” Is it The New York Times? CNN, FOX News, or the local Television station? Or maybe my best friend’s blog, or
Politico.com, or John Stewart’s Daily Show? What about Twitter, or Facebook? During the last election cycle, my thirteen-year-old learned all about the various platforms from You Tube. She ended up knowing more than I did, and I’m the biggest news addict I know. Where we get our information and how we process it illus-
trates that the very term “Media” no longer means what it used to. It is a scattered, multi-platform monster, this Media, and we have access to all of it. It’s a privilege, really, and a necessary element of any democracy. But with privilege, as always, comes responsibility. Because all those stories we stream, download, read and comment on are written by human beings. People like you and me, and they are imperfect. Sometimes they are a little bit wrong, sometimes they are very wrong; sometimes they don’t tell the whole story. Sometimes they don’t even know the whole story, but they are under deadline and something needs to be pushed out to the readers now, this very minute,
So, What’s new? A Letter about Shabbat by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor Some messages never go out of style. Take this letter from the Nov. 20, 1924 Jewish Press, written by Mrs. Henry Q. Marx: Thoughts on the Shabbat It is a sad commentary on our times that in this day, when our labors have been lightened to a minimum, when our household machinery runs with the least possible amount of individual attention, that we can find less time to devote to our religious life than ever. We have so much leisure that the Sabbath is no longer the day of rest--and what was a joy to our ancestors we will not even accept as a duty! From a people who permitted themselves to be martyred for religious freedom, we have become a people who ask nothing but freedom from religion.We are doing the things we prefer to do, rather than the things we ought to do. We can accomplish nothing that is worthwhile during our leisure time. It is only when we are ourselves inspired that we can inspire others. We need a fixed habit, a set duty, to put the needed iron into our backbone. What better habit can we acquire than the old one of our ancestors: the habit of attending services every Sabbath morning in reverence and with a sincere desire in our hearts to so give ourselves to our devotions for those few hours that we will go from there cleansed and renewed. If we turned our faces every Sabbath morning toward our Temple just as religiously as if it were an appointment with our doctor or our hairdresser, and for those few hours shut ourselves absolutely away from the outside world and let the service sink right down into ourselves, it would not be necessary for us to say “every day in every way we are getting better and better.” It will reflect in everything we do and say, in our personal lives, and in our life as an organization. We cannot go ahead
without inspiration and enthusiasm. I wonder what Mrs. Marx would say about the PEW study, were she alive today. I also wonder what she would say if she knew that, 90 years after the publication of her heartfelt letter, her words ring as true as they did when she wrote them. Have we really changed that little? I don’t know who she was, Mrs. Marx; there is no mention of her in the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society’s archives (Kathy Weiner was nice enough to check). We don’t have any pictures of her, and we don’t even know her birth name. We don’t know if she had children, if she was born here, or whether she even lived in Omaha. What we do know is how she felt about one particular topic, thanks to that old Jewish Press issue, and it’s kind of humbling. Through that letter, we get a window into one woman’s mind; she talks to us across the years, and the distance seems smaller than it should. Why? Because what occupied her thoughts is what we still discuss today. There may be many years between us, but we are not so different. And yet, when we look at newspapers today, we see them as something that is temporary, fleeting, and not as a time capsule that our great-grandchildren will read 50 years from now. And maybe we are wrong in thinking that; maybe we should therefore be a little more cautious in how we word things, and what we write about. It’s easy to write something nowadays and send it out into the world. Ask anyone who’s ever gotten themselves in hot water because they clicked their mouse too soon. We have no heavy typewriters to deal with, we have smart phones and can post anything, anytime. With that, we have become careless. Force yourself to hand type a letter (remember white-out?) and you’ll choose your words as carefully as Mrs. Marx did back in 1924. With thanks to Jewish Press Board members Nancy Wolf and Debbie Kricsfeld for finding this letter in our archives.
before they go somewhere else. And if they realize they made an honest mistake, and try to correct it, that original story has already been repeated online and started a life of its own. And then there are the times when the mistake is a not-so-honest one, and one media outlet or another gets it wrong on purpose because they (or their sponsor) have an agenda. “And yet.” Chu wrote, “You can talk about a political “bias” or “slant” in the press but the main thing the press wants, like any other business institution, is profit -- is to make money by sniffing out the stories people are attracted to, that they want to hear. And it’s quite true that the fallible men and women of the press all too often earn their paychecks with rumor or slander or yellow journalism that feeds prejudice.” So, where does that leave the public? Paranoid, confused and irritated, most likely. But here’s the thing: the media landscape has changed, and we must change with it. We are not passive consumers, and we should stop acting like we are. What the media -- all media -- offers us is like a buffet. We can try a bite of everything and then decide what is good and what isn’t. If something doesn’t taste right, we don’t have to swallow it. We also need to remember that not all media is bad. With the wide variety of news outlets these days, it is our responsibility to pay attention and decide what is true, and what is valuable. The fact that it’s your best friend who posts a story to her facebook page, doesn’t mean it is true -- or useful. When we blame the media for bad news, we really blame ourselves: we are the ones who read it. And as long as we do, sensationalist half-truths will continue to be offered to us.
No, Bono did not disguise himself as a Hasidic Jew by GABE FRIEDMAN U2 guitarist The Edge recently gave the world a new outfit in which to imagine lead singer Bono: that of a Hasidic Jew. Bono seriously injured himself while riding his bike through Central Park on Nov. 16, and when asked this week why no photos were taken of Bono right after his accident, The Edge gave an amusing answer. “You know, when Bono goes cycling, he likes to dress up as a Hasidic Jew,” he told his interviewer at KROQ, a Los Angeles radio station. Several media outlets pounced on the story without knowing that The Edge was joking. A spokesman for Bono had to confirm the joke to the Times of Israel. There are several ironies here. Firstly, Bono’s injury forced U2 to pull out of KROQ’s Christmas concert, “Almost Acoustic Christmas.” Secondly, the Hasidic communities of Brooklyn have actually come out strongly against New York’s bike lanes in recent years. In 2009, Hasidic Jews successfully campaigned to remove a bike lane from Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg, arguing that cyclists do not follow traffic laws and dress immodestly. In 2012, when the Citi Bike bike-share kiosks opened across the city, there was a glaring lack of them in South Williamsburg, something many Brooklyn residents saw as a deference to the Orthodox communities there. Lastly, for many U2 fans, the fact that Bono’s accident happened on a Sunday holds an additional darkly ironic significance. (However, at least he was not riding his bike on Shabbat.) It really has not been the best year for Bono. In addition to missing the KROQ concert, he was forced to miss Monday’s concert for AIDS in Times Square. U2’s last album was not reviewed favorably, and many criticized the band’s decision to insert their album into everyone’s iTunes libraries for free. On Nov. 12, a flight that Bono was on almost crashed. On top of all of this, the cycling accident left him with a broken eye orbit and a shattered humerus bone, among other injuries.
December 12, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 9
U.S. museums must deal fairly Nazi-looted art claims
Behind the headlines GIDEON TAYLOR NEW YORK (JTA) -- A Swiss museum’s pledge this week to conduct a full search into the provenance of some 1,600 works of art it plans to accept from the estate of Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of one of Hitler’s main art dealers, once again has thrust the issue of Holocaust art restitution into the headlines. The announcement by the Kunstmuseum Bern underscores the ongoing quest for the transparent restitution of Holocaust art, but we should remember that the problem is not Europe’s alone. Here in the United States, our own museums still have much to do. A painting by Camille Pissarro, “Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep,” now sitting in a museum in Oklahoma after making its way from France more than half a century ago, illustrates the point. The painting, originally owned by a French Jewish businessman, was seized by the Nazis in 1941 and trafficked through a Swiss art dealer known to have been a Nazi collaborator in art looting. Unbeknownst to the businessman’s family, the painting was brought to New York, where it was sold to an American couple in 1956. In 2000, the University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art received the painting as a bequest from that couple. The daughter of the original owners finally discovered the location of the painting in 2012. After the museum decided not to return the painting, the daughter began pursuing legal action to secure return of the painting. The museum has raised a series of technical defenses to deny the claim, including challenging the jurisdiction of a federal court in New York. The World Jewish Restitution Organization has no involvement in the lawsuit and does not take positions in individual art cases. But we do advocate for museums to act ethically when pieces of art in their possession are alleged to have been looted during the Holocaust. Unlike the approach the museum in Switzerland has announced it will take, the response from the governing
body of U.S. museums has been most disappointing. The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the nationally recognized voice of the American museum community with almost 800 accredited museums, has declined to review the case. In response to requests for review, Ford W. Bell, the AAM chief, was quoted in various news reports as saying that the body’s accreditation commission would not review ethical compliance with AAM standards in cases “in which litigation is ongoing.” Bell added, “The accreditation com-
Kunstmuseum Bern mission is not a legal body.” But the AAM’s own code of ethics stipulates clearly that the law should not be the determining factor in reviewing claims. “Acting ethically is different from acting lawfully,” the code says. “Museums and those responsible for them must do more than avoid legal liability,” it says. “They must take affirmative steps to maintain their integrity so as to warrant public confidence. They must act not only legally but also ethically.” Whether claimants exercise their legal rights in court is an entirely separate issue from whether the museum in question is acting, as the AAM puts it, “not only legally but also ethically.” Museums are central to a civilized society. The American museum community, while understandably an advocate for artwork to remain in public hands, also has recognized that
American art museum collections should not be tainted by art stolen during the Holocaust. Thus in 2001 the AAM adopted the current version of the Standards Regarding the Unlawful Appropriation of Objects During the Nazi Era, following discussions with the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States, which was established by an act of Congress. These standards, and the code of ethics for museums, are integral parts of AAM’s body of ethics, standards and best practices for museums. The standards stipulate that museums take steps to research the provenance of items of art in their collections and how to address claims. It is difficult to follow the logic of an argument that would say that a determination of whether the museum is indeed meeting the ethical standards can be made only if a lawsuit has not been filed. Either the standards are being met or they are not. Either the museum is acting ethically or it is not. The AAM cannot ignore its obligation to make that determination simply because a claimant is seeking to vindicate his or her legal rights. Nor is the issue of a review by the AAM of a museum simply a theoretical one. Earlier this year, the AAM determined the Delaware Art Museum had violated the code of ethics by selling one of its paintings. The penalty imposed by the AAM in that case was not a light one: It removed the museum’s accredited status. Would the AAM have ignored this breach had there been ongoing litigation at the time? The American public expects no less vigilant oversight of the museum community when it comes to claims relating to objects confiscated during the Holocaust. Regardless of whether and how claimants pursue their own individual claims, self-regulation by the American museum community must not translate into a failure to do what is necessary to ensure that the museum community’s own ethical standards are being met. Gideon Taylor is the chairman of operations for the World Jewish Restitution Organization, which represents world Jewry in pursuing claims for the recovery of Jewish properties seized during the Holocaust in all countries except Germany and Austria.
In football-crazed Alabama, a respite from the world’s ills
Focus on issues RICHARD FRIEDMAN BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (JTA) -- On Thanksgiving at my son’s house, I found myself at the end of a long dinner table, some in-town family members on my left. They were chatting about college football, especially the Alabama-Auburn game that would be played two nights later. No surprise there -that’s what people in Birmingham do on Thanksgiving. On my right was a family member from another state. “What is it with you people in Alabama?” he teasingly chided me. “All you care about is college football!” “Yep,” I answered. “What about world peace, disease and all the other problems facing society?” he asked. I pretended to ponder his question before answering, “I have two words for you.” He took a guess at those two words using a well-known coarse expression. “Nope,” I shook my head, deadpanning. “The two words are ‘Roll Tide!’ “ (That’s how University of Alabama fans cheer for their beloved Crimson Tide.) It was a fun exchange, but afterward I found myself thinking seriously about it. We in Alabama, of course, do care deeply about the ills of the world to which the out-of-towner referred, and The Birmingham Jewish Federation is involved in responding to many of them. At the same time, however, Alabamians indeed care more about college football than the folks in any other state, according to a recent New York Times story. Why wouldn’t we? Over the past five years, either the University of Alabama or Auburn University, also located in our state, has played in the national championship game, winning four times. And Alabama, if it wins the
Southeastern Conference title game on Saturday against Missouri (they did- edit.) and conquers all in the new college football playoffs, would again be crowned national champions. Moreover, the annual Auburn-Alabama game, which was played this year in Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama, is considered by many national experts to be the most intense rivalry in college football. This year’s game was another classic, an action-packed drama full of twists and turns with Alabama, ranked No. 1 in the country, rallying for 55-44 victory. We in the Birmingham Jewish community have special ties to our state’s college football programs. Through our Birmingham Jewish Federation and Foundation, we work with Alabama, Auburn, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and BirminghamSouthern College to strengthen Jewish life on campus and encourage Jewish students to consider these schools. Beyond that, well-known Birmingham Jews play important roles on the college football stage. Mike Slive is the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference and often has been described as one of the most powerful figures in college sports. Dr. Robert Levin, a pediatrician, is the longtime announcer for the University of Alabama Million Dollar Band. Eddie Garfinkle is head football coach at Birmingham-Southern. And our past federation president, businessman Jimmy Filler, has been a major benefactor and advocate for the UAB football program. Most (but not all) members of our Birmingham Jewish community are Crimson Tide fans. Many of them attended Alabama and still revel in going to the games. They have multigenerational ties to the university. In thinking about it, I also have come to realize that one reason that so many of us care about college football, especially in these tough times, is actually due to the ills of the world. We Americans, especially Jews and supporters of Israel, are facing daunting issues: growing anti-Semitism, Israel’s securi-
ty challenges, radical Islam, general upheaval in the world and acute political polarization in our country, just to name a few. So this football thing that we never tire of down here takes our minds off these and other issues, if only momentarily. It sure does for me. That was made clear as I sat at home in my favorite chair watching the Alabama-Auburn game wearing my crimson turtleneck and Alabama hat. I was absorbed in the agony and ecstasy of the football drama that was unfolding; not once did the difficult issues that I am concerned about constantly as a federation director cross my mind. Saturday was an evening to put all that aside, marvel at Alabama’s remarkable comeback and shout two words: Roll Tide! Richard Friedman is the executive director of the Birmingham, Ala., Jewish Federation.
Letter TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, Your editorial in the most recent edition of The Jewish Press was a declaration of editorial concerns about what to disseminate and how. This letter does not comment on your decision as to what to report and how to report events. I write to describe that one of the slain rabbis in Jerusalem was the grandson of my grandfather’s rabbi from Milwaukee. The untold story of the Twersky family should be told to our readers. The members of this Chasidic family from Chernobyl have had many interesting and accomplished lives. I personally met the son of the teacher of my grandfather’s rabbi in Milwaukee at the synagogue on 54th street and attended services there. The building had a balcony for women, and a bima in the front two-thirds of the main floor. The feeling I got was one of time reversed; there is an aged and dated presence. Yes, this murder is all too familiar and all too frequent an occurrence. It is so painful to reflect on this wrenching event. Yet, a life such as Moshe Twersky’s shows us how we are impacted when it suddenly and brutally ends. Sincerely, David L. Herzog
10 | The Jewish Press | December 12, 2014
Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 |712.322.4705 email: BnaiIsraelCouncilBluffs@gmail.com Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m. with guest speakers, Julianne Dunn and David Herzog on The Jewish Life of a Nice Catholic Girl: The Blessings of Intermarriage. Oneg to follow service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel! For information on our historic synagogue, please contact any of our board members: Mark Eveloff, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Katelman Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf.
WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office. WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak. THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@unmc.edu. All programs are open to the entire community.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.; Tot Shabbat/Got Shabbat and Dinner, 6 p.m. followed by dinner. SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10 a.m.; Mini Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:45 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY: BESTT Classes, 9:45 a.m.; Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.; Torah Tots, 10:15 a.m.; Adult Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m.; Sunday Scholar Series, 11 a.m., featuring Dr. Waitman W. Beorn, PhD on Ruthlessly and Mercilessly: The German Army and the Holocaust. WEDNESDAY: BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m.; Pre-Dinner Magic Show for 2nd Grade and under, 5:30 p.m.; Congregational Hanukkah Dinner, 6:15 p.m. Chef ’s Demo, Friday, Dec. 19, 1:30 p.m. at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Women’s Rosh Hodesh Olive Oil Tasting, Monday, Dec. 22, 6:30 p.m., at Old World Olive Oil in Rockbrook. All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.orthodoxomaha.org Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 4:37 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m. Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 4:20 p.m.; Havdalah, 5:42 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Midrash, 9:45 a.m.; Kids Craft - Hanukkah, 10 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 8 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Hanukkah, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m. THURSDAY: Hanukkah, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.
CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 8:30 a.m.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. led by Michael Boekstal with oneg following hosted by Vicki Edwards. Our guests are the confirmation class from FirstPlymouth Church and LPW “World Experience” class. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. led by Michael Boekstal; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Veyeshev led by Michael Boekstal. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Kindergarten, 9:30 a.m.noon at Tifereth Israel; Grade 1 through Hallah High, 9:30 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple for Hanukkah “Wrap” -Please bring UNWRAPPED toy to be wrapped and given to Center for People in Need; LJCS Hanukkah Celebration, 11:45 a.m. Parents are invited to join students at the Temple for games and treats. TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at Dafodil. Please RSVP to Stephanie Dohner. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Hanukkah Celebration, Friday, Dec. 19, Potluck Dinner and Celebration, 6 p.m., Family Shabbat Service with lighting of the Chanukiot and with the Star City Kochavim, 7 p.m., Oneg, 8 p.m. Please bring a main dish, salad, vegetable for the meal or a dessert to share for the oneg! Please RSVP by Friday, Dec. 12, to Jean in the Temple office, 402.435.8004 or office@southstreettemple.org so we are prepared with enough latkes and seating for all. Bakers Needed as part of the Temple’s celebration of its 130th anniversary as a congregation and the 90th anniversary of our beautiful building, we are having monthly events culminating in the anniversary gala in May. For many of these events, we would like to serve cookies or other easy to handle dessert items. We are looking to volunteers to supply home-baked goodies. If you are willing to contribute in this way, please let Alan Frank know at afrank2@unl.edu. We’ll have you bring your treats to the Temple and store them in the freezer. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast on Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, 7 a.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1040 P Street. Keynote Speaker: Mr. Amir Azimi, Administrator, Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services. The Jewish Community would like to fill a table of 10. If you plan to attend, please send your check for $20 to the Temple office by Wednesday, Dec. 17.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road | Offutt AFB, NE 68123 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.
B’nai Mitzvah Rachel Miriam Kricsfeld, daughter of Debbie and Alan Kricsfeld will become a Bat Mitzvah on Sunday, Dec. 21, at Beth Israel Synagogue. Rachel is twelve years old and in the sixth grade at Friedel Jewish Academy. Her interests include dancing, art and playing violin. She has a brother, Sam, 15. Grandparents are Susie and Jake Besser, Cheryl and Richard Diamond of Omaha and Barb and Barry Kricsfeld of Council Bluffs. Great-grandparents are the late Rose and David Besser, the late Miriam and Mauritz Ceder, the late Joseph and Florence Kricsfeld and the late Marjorie and Bernard Weiss.
Ethan Loe Spivack, son of Marcie and Brent Spivack, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Dec. 20, at Beth El. Ethan is an eighth-grade Honor Roll student at Millard North Middle School. His interests include Three years of KWAA football, and Seventh and Eighth grade school football. For his mitzvah project, Ethan collected items to keep at-risk teens with Youth Emergency Services of Omaha warm this winter. He has a sister, Chaeli, and a brother, Jake. Grandparents are Shirley Spivack and the late Richard Spivack, and Chase and F. Gail Doughten. Great-grandparents are Eva and Sam, Helen and Samuel, Lena and Guy, and Jessie and Eddie.
Candlelighting Friday, December 12, 4:37 p.m.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to the Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. with LOVE. SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Steve Riekes. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.
TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. with Scholar-inResidence: Rabbi Josh (Yoshi) Zweiback and Mah Tovu. SATURDAY: Torah Study with Rabbi Josh Zweiback, 9 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.; Adult Concert with Mah Tovu, 7:30 p.m. at the home of Cindy and Bruce Goldberg, 1314 Ridgewood Avenue. SUNDAY: Temple Israel Blood Drive, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Call the Temple Israel office, 402.556.6536, to make an appointment. You can also visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter the sponsor code 009113; Teacher-in-Service, 9 a.m.; Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; Mah Tovu Community Concert for Everyone, 11 a.m. at Temple Israel; Religious School Steering Committee Meeting, noon. WEDNESDAY: No Religious School; No Family Night; No Grades 7-12. THURSDAY: Music in Transition, 10 a.m. with Cantor Shermet. L’Dor Va’Dor Link Dedication, Friday, Dec. 19, 5:30 p.m. Please join us as we dedicate the L’Dor Va’Dor Link Sculpture now installed at the Temple Israel entrance. Family Friendly Hanukkah Service and Dinner, Friday, Dec. 19, 6 p.m. Shabbat Service followed immediately by dinner. The cost of the meal is $10 for adults, $5 for children in 2nd-6th grade and no charge for kids under 2nd grade. Please RSVP, 402.556.6536 or rsvp@templeisraelomaha. com, by Tuesday, Dec. 16.
TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Kindergarten, 9:30 a.m.noon at Tifereth Israel; Grade 1 through Hallah High, 9:30 a.m.-noon at South Street Temple for Hanukkah “Wrap” -Please bring UNWRAPPED toy to be wrapped and given to Center for People in Need; LJCS Hanukkah Celebration, 11:45 a.m. Parents are invited to join students at the Temple for games and treats. TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at Dafodil. Please contact Stephanie Dohner with any questions. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Join us for a Home Shabbat service and Hanukkah potluck dinner, Friday Dec. 19, 6 p.m. at the home of Marlon and Cindi Weiss. Space is limited please RSVP to Nava in the office no later than Friday Dec. 12. Annual Hanukkah/Latke Party, Sunday, Dec. 21, 12:15 p.m. TI has talent will be returning for a second year as well! 22nd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast on Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, 7 a.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1040 P Street. Keynote Speaker: Mr. Amir Azimi, Administrator, Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services. The Jewish Community would like to fill a table of 10. Please send your check for $20 to Nava at the office no later than Wednesday, Dec. 17 if you wish to attend.
To Submit Announcements: Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press with attached photos in .jpg or .tif files to jpress@jewish omaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Forms are available through Omaha and Lincoln synagogues, by contacting The Jewish Press at 402.334.6448, by e-mailing the editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org or online at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press’ and go to Submit Announcements. Submit other announcements -- births engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Federation website: www.jewishomaha.org, click on ‘Jewish Press,’ scroll down to ‘Submit Announcements, complete form and click on “submit” twice.
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December 12, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 11
Clinton, at Saban Forum, endorses Obama’s Middle East policy by RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- From the drive for IsraeliPalestinian peace to nuclear talks with Iran, Hillary Rodham Clinton is endorsing President Obama’s Israel-related positions. Clinton, who was Obama’s secretary of state during his first term, spoke Friday night with Haim Saban, the IsraeliAmerican entertainment mogul who through the Brookings Institution convenes an eponymous annual forum of Israeli
Herzog said Netanyahu was isolating Israel. “I don’t believe in the biblical proverb that says a people who dwells alone,” he said, referring to the passage in Numbers that ends “shall not be reckoned among the nations.” “We can’t in this era dwell alone,” Herzog said. On Saturday, Vice President Joe Biden strongly defended the Obama administration’s record on Israel, saying that because he was perceived as friendlier to Israel than the president, he often fielded complaints about Obama’s alleged coldness to Israel. “There’s no doubt in President Obama’s mind” about his “ironclad” commitment to Israel, Biden said. Biden added that U.S. officials coordinated closely with Israel on Iran policy, saying that Israeli officials were present for “every jot and tittle” in the policy. “We will not let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon, period,” he said. Biden appealed to the pro-Israel crowd to tone down talk of tenHillary Rodham Clinton, with Haim Saban, making a point at the Israeli-American entersion between the governments. tainment mogul's eponymous annual forum, at the Brookings Institution in Washington, “Let’s not make more of what are Credit: Peter Halmagyi Dec. 5, 2014. normal disagreements between and American leaders. Saban has been a backer of Clinton friends than warrants,” he said. and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. The vice president called on Israelis and Palestinians to Her talk was notable for the degree to which she endorsed refrain from actions that could increase tensions, citing Obama’s policies. Clinton derided perceptions that U.S.- incitement on the Palestinian side and what he called the Israel tensions had become tense under Obama. “collective punishment” of the Israeli practice of demolish“Nobody can argue with the commitment of this admin- ing the homes of terrorists. istration to Israel’s security,” she said when Saban pressed Biden also expressed concern about what he said was her on the perceived tensions. increased anti-Semitism worldwide, including efforts to Clinton, a likely contender for the 2016 Democratic pres- delegitimize Israel. idential nomination, has been perceived since leaving the “There’s no threat that worries me more than the rising government as distancing herself from Obama -- notably in tide of anti-Semitism,” he said. her strident defense of Israel this summer during its war Much of the conference was off the record, but Martin with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Obama officials criticized Indyk, who returned to the Brookings Institution this sumsome Israeli actions as excessive. mer after shepherding the latest failed attempt to return She forcefully endorsed the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks Israelis and Palestinians to the peace path, and Naftali aggressively advanced by the Obama administration and Bennett, Israel’s economics minister and a popular rightresisted by the two sides. Their absence, Clinton said, creat- wing figure, agreed to make their debate on the record. ed dangers for Israel and “leaves a vacuum that is filled by The heated exchange was focused on Bennett’s rejection of bad actors, threats.” Palestinian statehood. Indyk and Bennett each called the Clinton deemed as “essential” the two-state solution other deluded. sought by her successor as secretary of state, John Kerry. “How many people need to die in our country before you The nuclear talks with Iran had effectively suspended its wake up from this illusion?” Bennett asked Indyk. weapons program, she said, and the Obama administration Indyk also pressed Bennett on past comments in which had managed to sustain international support for sanctioning the Israeli said John Kerry, the U.S. secretary of state, Iran as a means of keeping the Islamic Republic at the talks. encouraged terrorism and “amplified” anti-Semitism. Clinton anticipated a U.S. security umbrella for Gulf Arab Apparently chastened, Bennett said there were things he states as a means of reassuring them about Iran’s intentions, regretted saying and added that Kerry was a friend of Israel. but said membership in the group would be predicated on a “non-aggression pact” with Israel. To Submit obituaries to the Jewish Press: Speaking after Clinton was Yitzhak Herzog, the leader of Email to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; Israel’s opposition Labor Party. Herzog, who described parts fax to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., of his campaign platform ahead of Israeli elections early Omaha, NE 68154, or online at the Jewish Federation next year, said he was likelier than Netanyahu to conclude a of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on deal with the Palestinians and to improve relations with the Jewish Press and go to Submit Announcements. United States.
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12 | The Jewish Press | December 12, 2014
Black, Jewish and challenging ideas about the face of federation by REBECCA SPENCE (JTA) -- When Ilana Kaufman, a program officer at the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation, arrived at San Quentin State Prison for a meeting with the Jewish chaplain at California’s oldest correctional facility, the chaplain couldn’t seem to find her -- even though Kaufman was standing in plain sight. “Finally the officer says, ‘Chaplain, this person is standing right next to me,’” Kaufman recalled. “And the chaplain says, ‘You know, you are not who I expected.’” It wasn't the first time that Kaufman, 42, had heard such a comment. In her two years as the federation officer responsible for regional grant making in Marin and Sonoma counties, Kaufman had seen her fair share of jaws drop when she walked into a Jewish communal space. Kaufman is black -the daughter of an Ashkenazic Jewish mother and an African-American father. “There is a deeply established set of assumptions about who represents federation,” said Kaufman, who stands nearly 6 feet tall. “So when I walk into a space where they’ve seen my name, which is a very traditional Jewish name, they cannot fathom that a person of color is going to walk in the door.” North America’s central Jewish charities employ many nonJewish people of color -- some at high levels of management, including an Asian-American chief financial and investment officer at the San Francisco federation. But Kaufman, having reached out via email and social media to colleagues across the federation system, has yet to identify any other Jews of color working in forward-facing programming roles. The Jewish Federations of North America, the umbrella group of 153 federated charities, does not track the racial and ethnic composition of its approximately 2,700 employees. In response to questions about the role of racial and ethnic diversity at Jewish federations, a JFNA spokesman said, “Jewish federations enjoy a tremendous commitment to inclusivity and diversity, one that is highly reflective of the different kinds of Jews there are in our communities, vis-avis Jews of different ethnic origin, Jews across the religious spectrum and interfaith families, among others.” Kaufman was raised in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood by a hard-working single mother who spoke to her in Yiddish. Kaufman, who is a lesbian, now lives with
her almost 9-year-old-daughter, Noa, in Berkeley, Calif., and has a long-term partner. While she was growing up, her struggling family often benefited from Jewish philanthropy, and Kaufman attended a Jewish summer camp on scholarship. She spent 20 years working in independent school education and administration. Most recently, Kaufman served as director of the Windrush School, a private elementary school in the East Bay city of El Cerrito, which was forced to shut down in 2011 as a result of the economic downturn. After the school closed, Kaufman embarked on a Ilana Kaufman and her daughter search to find a job that would “totally rock my world,” she said. Kaufman was steeped in her Jewish identity: Her daughter had attended Hebrew school since the age of 6, and she was a part of a diverse Bay Area social network that included other Jews of color and LGBT Jews. But she had never considered a career in Jewish communal life. That changed when she visited Afikomen Judaica, a Jewish bookstore and Judaica shop in Berkeley, and encountered the shop's co-owner, Nell Mahgel-Friedman, an old friend from her Jewish Student Union days at Humboldt State University. Mahgel-Friedman said she remembered Kaufman’s passionate commitment to social justice issues and deep spiritual connection to Judaism -- as well as her role in bringing Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach to the Humboldt campus in 1994. She looked Kaufman squarely in the eyes and said, “I just want you to consider working in the Jewish community.” The statement resonated so deeply, Kaufman said, that for the first time she could envision a career that would bring her social, spiritual and professional lives into tighter alignment. By October 2012, she had begun her work at the San Francisco federation, known officially as the Jewish
Food Guide The
Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties. “Maybe it’s not coincidental,” Kaufman said. “But I came out of an independent school world that’s equally rarefied. My purpose in the world has always been to be a bridge.” In her role at the federation, Kaufman allocates grants in Marin and Sonoma counties. Her program officer portfolio includes the Early Childhood Education Initiative and the Affordability Initiative, which provides federation scholarships for Jewish education from preschool to day school. Jim Offel, the San Francisco federation’s interim CEO, said that Kaufman “brings a really keen intelligence, thoughtfulness and high level of commitment to her work.” He also said that if it’s true that Kaufman is the system’s only program officer of color -- it’s impossible to say with certainty, given the lack of data -- it wouldn’t be the first “first” for their federation. In 2010, the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation became the first big-city federation to hire a female CEO, Jennifer Gorovitz, who left in March. “There’s a likelihood that the Jewish community will become more diverse in a variety of ways, and being inclusive of the full Jewish community is going to be important for any communal institution, whether it’s our synagogues or JCCs,” Offel said. “Diversity as a value is important, and I would hope that the federation system would reflect that.” According to a 2005 study conducted by the late Jewish demographer Gary Tobin, 10 percent of America’s approximately 6 million Jews identify as black, Latino, Asian or mixed race. A 2011 Jewish Community Study of New York, the American city with the largest Jewish population, found that 12 percent of the city’s Jewish population is non-white. These figures reflect wider demographic changes, according to Diane Tobin, the CEO of Be’chol Lashon, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that promotes racial, ethnic and cultural diversity in Jewish life. Chava Shervington, president of the Jewish Multiracial Network, a volunteer organization that promotes diversity in Jewish life, said that mainstream Jewish communal organizations are finally starting to “get it.” Over the past decade, she said, an increasing number of synagogues and Jewish groups from across the country have contacted JMN seeking counsel on how they can be more welcoming to Jews of color.
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