Community celebrates Yom Ha'aztmaut
''We cannot forget" The Omaha delegation of yontii participants to the International "March of the Living" mission to Poland and Israel departed from Omaha on April 27 and will retam on May 11. The teenagnrs are part of a 5,000-member contingent of Jewish youth worldwide who wiU visit the cites of former concentration camps in Europe and then proceed to Israel where they will particpate in Yom Ha'atzmaut festivities. They are being sponsored through BBYO. From left are Gary Shyken, Karen Friedman, Leslie G<dfaitz, Becca Goldstflin and Matt Goldberg. Not pictured. Dan KuUy.
OMaha to Host NCSY Regional Shabbaton By Diane Axler Banra NCSY publicity One hundred twentyfive members of the NaItional Councfl of Synagogue Youth will converge on Omaha's Beth Israel Synagogue today to particqiate in a regional Shabbaton for 5th- through 7thgraders this weekend. Rabbi Joey Friedman of St. Louis, Mo., director of NCSY's Midwestern Re>gion, will lead the religious and sodal activities. The theme of the Shabbaton is "Counting the Omen Counting to Greatmm." The subject, according to Rabbi Friedman, will open dialogue' on "counting toward acceptance of the Torah" and on •newaring the question, "What is the Torah to us?" He said the story of Rabbi Akiva will serve as a basis.for disctiaaion. Rabbi Friedman coMklars a Shabbaton exparfanoe a forum for calling on each Jewish adolaaoant to move toward functioning at hia/her "optimal state of yjmriat obaervaDce." He said. "We're ail Jewish, the moat iaqwrtant for each Jewiah perI to propreae from •tnt A to Point B." Religious observances will be combined with numarous aodal aeUvitiaa, inchidlng a rock and roll and the ariaafltar funny anta and ataSaturdAynigfat
awards banquet. Scott Saltzman, an active junior member, said the mix of activities gives NCSY members an ideal balance. "The Shabbaton will be an important Jewish spiritual experience and a lot of fun," he said. Ben Gooaher, jimior president, considers the regional Shabbaton a culmination of a year of successful activities. In April, the group sponsored a mini-Shabbaton led by Rabbi Allan Ocnaher, Ciintor Leo Fettman, and two rabbis from Margolin Hebrew Academy in Memphis. Other recent activities included a T-ahirt deaign workllw^, a jewelry making aaaaion, a visit to Peony Park, and a aoccer toumamaot. Ongoing discussions during the year have explored the subject of "LaShon Hora," or avoidance of an evil tongue by thinking before "Every time we have an activity more kids attend, and we hope the kids in Omaha are beginning to understand that you don't have to be Orthodox to find your place in NCSY," aaidBan. Members of the Omaha NCSY aanlora will aaaist at the Shabbaton by serving aa counaelor/chaperooaa, aetting up and serving at tlia banquet, and offertag other support
Rabbi Gonsher, who serves as adviser to the juniors, expressed gratitude to- Rabbi Mark Urkowitz, spiritual leader of Beth Israel, for assisting the members in preparing and planning for the Shabbaton and for making arrangements with Beth Israel members who live in walking distance of the synagogue (o provide hdet homes for the out-of-town participants. The National Council of Synagogue Youth, formerly the Synagogue Youth Organization, is an arm of the Union of Orthodox Congregations of America. The Midweat region of NCSY comprisee over 200 membora. Officer a of NCSY'a Omaha Junkva, in addition to preaidant Ben Qonahar, are Jdf Shyken, vke preaident; Jeff Katzman, aecratary; and David Shrago, treasurer. Twenty boys and girls ara mambers of Omaha's junior chapter of NCSY: the senior chapter has 15 active naambara. NCSY is rn to all Jewiah youth in community. regaHllaes of Synagogue affiliation. APPOINTED DEAN NKW YORK (.) Ur. Harold Nierenboig ui North BaUmoce. NY. was utpointed dean of Yaahiva University's Sy Syms School of Businasa.
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Jay Lemer
By Beth Seldin-Dotan, Cultural Arts Director Israel will celebrate 44 years of Independence on May 6. Omaha's Jewish Community will participate in the celebration on May 17 at the JCC which will be hosted by the Jewish Cultural Arts Council. Complying with the 500year aimiversary of the Jewish expulsion from Spain, the theme will be a Sephardic Folk Festival. The festivities will begin at 12 p.m. and will end by 2:30 p.m. A concert with the popular Israeli music duo, The Amranim Brothers will be held in the JCC Theater from 2:30-4: p.m. Tickets for the concert are $3 for adults and $2 for students and seniors. The Sephardic Folk Festival activities will reflect the dispersement of the Jews from Spain, Sephardic culture around the world and Israel. Omaha Jewish organizations will be participating in the program. The Jewish Cub Scouts and the Jewish War Veterans will begin the day with the opening ceremony. Activities will include art projects for adults and children. Paper cutter.
The annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Omaha \irill take place in the Jewish Community Cento- Theater on June 14 at 7:30 p.m. A reception will follow in the JCC gallery. Dr. Erigme ''Speedy" Zweiback, annual meeting chairman, explained that ''world changee have made managing local Jewish affairs more difficult, more challenging and more inOmaha's Spring Mission teresting. Never before have we needed the sup- to Israel, which departs port of the entire Jewish May 3, will begin with a community as we do now. briefing by Shimon Peres The annual meeting gives and end with planting us an opportunity to trees in a Jerusalem forest, recognize our beat workers During their 10 days in and we hope the entire Israel, participants will community will turn out stiiy in Tel Aviv, Haifa, for this event." Tiberias and Jerusalem. This year's meeting will They will visit a number of include a tribute to Jewiah other cities including the Federation president Jay coastal city of Akko, Tzfat, Lsmar, who will step down the center of Jewish mysafter aervihg two yeara. tidsim in the Middle Ages, 1992 UJ A/Fadaration Cam- and Beit She'an where paign chairparaona Jan ' they will tour new archaeoSchnaidarman, Oaiy Ja- logical excavations and envitch and Carl Riekea WiU joy a Moroccan dinner. be racogBixed for tbeir efParticipants will talk forts in making thia camwith political and military paign succeaaful. Elaction and installation leaders about the ecoof the 1992 alato of Feder- nomic and military situaation offioars and board tion. They will ascend the naainbara aa wall as Volun- Golan Heights to get a teers of the Year. Commu- clearer picture of its stranitjr Service, Endowment tegk Importance to Israel, Achlevaoiant, Humanitar- and visit Misgav Am, a ian of the Year, Young kibbutz on IsrMl's border Laadarship, and Jewiah with Lebanon, where Miks Tian Leaders awards will Ginsburg, a civilian security officer, will discUss be praaantad. Invitations will be mailed measures to prevent ter roriat infiltration. u> Omaha's entire Jewiah Plans also include visits CoouBOnity in the middle of May. according to Fed- to abaorption canters for eration apokaaparaon Jan an update on the inunigratton and raaattlement Pwalman.
Dahlia Haberman, will hold a paper-cutting workshop: Susan Abraham will show basketweaving. In addition, the Burke High School Hebrew class will assist batik artwork, and Beth Israel Synagogue will host n^meplate creations. Friedel Jewish Academy and the Y.E.S. group have planned a special (Usplay and project to conunemorate 25 years of Jerusalem's reuniHcation. Also, ORT, the JCC Youth Departinent, Temple Israel ReUgious School, OTYG, and the JCC Preschool will have activities for youth. A food courtyard will have Israeli and Sephardic cuir sine, sponsored by other local Jewish groups. There will be minimal fees for some activities and food. "Oiu- many volunteers from the various Jewish organizations in Omaha always make this event a great success. We're looking forward to the community joining us again this year," conunented chairperson Kathy Simon. M Yom Ha'atzmaut is ^ sponsored by the Morton A'. Richards Foundation, the Carl L. Frohm Foundation and B'nai B'rith.
Mission participants to tour Israel process. At Hulda, an^ Ethiopian Caravan site, participants will meet with people who were instrumental in faciliating Operation Solomon. • Visits to Israel's many• historical sites include Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial, Qumran. the cite of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls; Caesaria. to view the Ruins of the Crusader Harbor and the Romai) Theater, in addition to Masada and the j Hotel (Western Wall). | Highlights of the tripinclucb the celebration of Yon HaZikarcHi, Rememberance Day (Israel's Me-, morial Day), and Yom] Ha'atzmaut, Israeli Ind pendence Day.
Bulletin Graveside services for Mort Trachtenbarg, a past praddaot of the Jewiah Foundation of Omaha and the first chairman of the Federation's foundation, will take place today, at it p.m., at Temple laraal Canatary, 42ad and Redick.