Vol. LXXXIV No. 15 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 84 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
5 Tevet, 5765 December 17, 2004
A Wedding Story JSS Generates Options That Help Keep Seniors Independent Recently, Shelly worked with a woman who had been avoiding a conversation with her father about whether he should still be driving. Continued on page 7
Esther âTibeâ Stoler uses several community services to help her continue to live at home, including kosher meals-on-wheels from Jewish Senior Services. Gary Larson, a driver in the JSS transportation department, recently delivered a meal prepared in the Blumkin Home kosher kitchen, and paused for a conversation with her before continuing his route.
Ceremony in France Ends 60 Years of Betrayal of Jews
Inside Opinion Page see page 12
This Week: Senior Life Issue Starts on Page 5 Whatâs New in the Capitol-Lincoln Center: Page 4
M ET A Z
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by HOWARD SILBER We had Special for the Jewish Press accepted an They never said goodinvitation from bye. Christian They looked the other Pierret, Saint way, the Gentiles of Saint Dieâs mayor, to Die-des-Vosges, as 170 of participate in their fellow townsmen, ceremonies were pulled from their marking the homes and herded into 60th anniverthe rickety freight cars sary of the libthat would transport eration of the them to Poland where city along with they would meet the the adjoining âFinal Solution.â village of Never would any of the Saulcy-sur170 return to Saint Die, a Meurthe from picturesque small city German occustraddling the Meurthe pation. River deep in the Vosges I representMountains of northeast- Silber, right, and Simon Dargols during ceremony at the U.S. 103rd Infantry ed the 103rd Division monument in Saint Die, France. Both served with the 103rd when it Infantry Diviern France. Now, the 170 who liberated Saint Die and nearby Saulcy in 1944. In the background are French sion of World departed for Auschwitz war veterans taking part in ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the lib- War II, which are mourned. Yes, there eration battle. fought its way may be a few descendents and some other Jews who across the Meurthe in the pre-dawn darkness of the mornsay Kaddish for them. ing of Nov. 22, 1944, and, after a daylong battle, sent the But the mourners whom my wife, Sissy, and I Nazi occupiers, including fanatical SS troops, retreating encountered on our recent trip to France were the toward the Rhine River some 60 miles to the east. Gentiles of Saint Die-des-Vosges. Continued on page 6
PIZ
by RITA SHELLEY for Jewish Senior Services Mom and Dad raised four great kids--a daughter who is an attorney in Phoenix, a son with a medical practice in Florida, another daughter who took over the family business in Omaha, and a son who is busy raising two pre-schoolers in Texas. Even scattered all over the country, any member of this family will tell you âthereâs no place like home.â Thatâs why nobody wants to talk about Momâs failing health or whether it is still safe for Dad to drive. The family has several choices. They can wait for a crisis. They can lean unfairly on the sister who lives in Omaha. They can have tense holidays when the out-oftown relatives express their concern and the local relatives feel criticized and misunderstood. They can even conduct an exhaustive research project on their own to learn what services might be available for their parents. Or they could make one phone call to the experts they probably already know--the staff at Jewish Senior Services. With that phone call, they can tap into a network of support services and ongoing support customized to each familyâs needs. Shane Kotok, Director of Community Outreach, and Shelly Fox, staff social worker, know plenty about alternatives, support services and all the ways people can stay independent where many of them most want to be: home. In some instances a short stay in the Blumkin Home rehabilitation unit for therapy can enable a person to return home. âA lot of people think that because our offices are in the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, that our primary role is admitting residents,â Shane said. âBut helping community members move into the Blumkin Home to live is only one option that we may or may not explore, along with many, many others.â
by SUSAN PALEY for Chabad of Nebraska Celebrate Jewish marriage and Jewish women in a ceremonial bridal pageant titled âAnd My Beloved Is Mineâ at a dessert reception on Sunday, Jan. 16, 12:30 p.m., at Ironwood Country Club. The community-wide event is the kick-off for a new series of enrichment classes on Jewish marriage to be offered by the Chabad House. The original pageant was created by Chani Katzman, sister-in-law to Rabbi Mendel Katzman, to educate women in her own community about the beauty and importance of marriage in Judaism. She composed a fashion show of historic Jewish brides throughout the ages, complete with personal stories related to each brideâs unique contribution to the Jewish people. Enter Miriam Hurwitz, costume designer and makeup artist. After seeing the wonderful success of the program, she decided to create permanent costumes for the brides. Further research utilizing the books of the Chumash, the work of Sir Alfred Rubin, a noted authority of Jewish costumes, as well as on-site visits to innumerable museums in Israel and Europe, provided her with authentic period gowns for each bride. Louri Sullivan, general co-chairman of the event, commented, âWhen you see the video from other communities, itâs just fascinating. Everybody always loves to hear about other peoplesâ weddings; thereâs always something interesting to learn about every bride. These brides are our Jewish roles models from the past, each bringing her unique story to us today.â âThe womenâs classes at Chabad House have raised our awareness of the historic role of the Jewish woman. The goal of the pageant is to share the knowledge weâve gained with the Jewish women of our community at large, as well as have a wonderful afternoon together celebrating Jewish marriage and the extraordinary contributions of our historic brides,â said Shani Katzman, educator for Chabadâs âWomen of Worthâ classes. âInvitations will be in the mail soon, and we look forward to a beautiful celebration.â
$2.7 million pledged to The 2005 Jewish Federation of Omaha Annual Campaign! 500increased 500 increasedgifts! gifts!
RAISE YOUR PLEDGE, SEND A PIZZA! Show your support and boost the morale of Israel Defense Forces troops! In honor of YOUR increased gift to the 2005 Jewish Federation of Omaha Annual Campaign, a private donor will sponsor the delivery of hot, kosher pizza to active-duty IDF soldiers with an acknowledgement from the Omaha Jewish community. Pizzas provided by a generous donor. Pledge increases will NOT be used to pay for the pizzas. The Federation is working through Pizza IDF (www.pizzaidf), a non-profit website that lets supporters send pizza to active duty soldiers on the front lines.
Next Month: Guide to Tax and Financial Planning on Jan. 14
Bernie Meyersâ Column-How to Care For a Feed a Senior: Page 10
Book Review of Ozzie Noggâs Josephâs Bones: Page 12
Breadbreakers Meets Nebraskaâs Next Governor: Page 13