J Serving Nebraska and Eastern Iowa for more than 75 Years Vol. LXXV
No. 47
. HIST SOCIETY _ JO R ST LINCOLN NE 6850B-1651
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avoid military conscription, Mr. Blumkin left by Carol Katzman and Morris Maline Russia for the United States, where Rose planned Rose Blumkin, affectionately known as 'Mrs. B', to join him as soon as she could. died Sunday, Aug. 9. She would have celebrated her It had been her ambition to go to the United 105th birthday in December. Services were Tuesday States since she learned about Russian antiat Beth El Synagogue with burial at Golden Hill Semitism at the age of six, Cemetery. More than 1000 people attended. "Cossacks came into our village and chopped the. ""Mrs; B' was a pillar of our community, and a very Jews into little pieces," she said. "I hated them.' I charitable woman," said Howard Kooper, President didn't want to live in Russia any more. People of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. used to write from America that it was a better "I remember a story my father (the late Robert place for Jews. I thought to myself that when I Kooper) told me that really demonstrated her spirit grow up 111 go there." ' '.'.-.. ;•''.:. of tzedakah," he continued. "Everyone knows about Meanwhile, in orider to earn the money for pasher million dollar gift to build the Rose Blumkin sage to America, Rose went back to work peddling. Jewish Home for the Aged and her later gift of a Finally, on the same day that Rasputin was killed, half-a-million for its addition. she began her journey. "What most people don't know is that when the old A problem presented itself when Rose reached the JCC on 20th and Dodge was built, it was three stoRussian-Chinese border, but with characteristic ries tall. As the community aged, however, it was good humor, she surmounted it. apparent that an elevator was needed. "There was a soldier standing guard with a rifle," Rose Blumkin, 1893-1998 "One day, my father told me, the money just she said, "and I didn't have a passport. So I said to showed up," Kooper recalled, "It was from 'Mrs. B." True to her word, when Rose turned 13, she left him, 'I am on my way to buy leather for the army. Rose Blumkin was born Rose Gorelick in 1893 in her village for the big city and found a job there in When I come back I'll bring you a big bottle of vodka.' a village near Minsk, Russia. She was the daugh- the dry goods department of a general store. She I suppose he's still waiting for his vodka." ter of a kindly but impractical rabbi whom she proved such a natural at sales that she was quickly Mrs. Blumkin booked passage on a peanut boat described as a "genius in books." While her father promoted to department head and began to boss a that took six weeks to arrive at Seattle. studied and prayed, it was her mother who sup- staff of six married men. She also had no entry permit for the United States, ported the family by runnings little grocery store "Don't worry," she assured her mother in a letter, but immigration officials on the West Coast were not during the daytime and baking bread and doing "They mind me." as bureaucratic as those at Ellis Island. ' ' {' laundry at night. Rose worked until she was 20. "If you were healthy, they let you in," she Mrs. Blumkin once said it was the image of her "I made pretty good money," she said. "I used to explained. "And I was healthy." She had 200 rubles mother working so hard that inspired her to send anything I could to my mother, to help her ($66) with her. , improve the family's situation. buy shoes and other things. I always worried for Mrs. Blumkin: soon joined her husband in Fort - "I can't stand the way you work"," she told-Kisro- •imy family.:.Wa:were very close.'*' ,.:• . .,<•;.•.,;.•"."DoUgeJIowa, ; ..~« whe're IsaJdbre'Blitiirikin had operated mother. "When I grow up, you're not going to work In 1913, Rose married a shoe salesman named first a dry cleaning then a junk business. The so hard." •' ' Isadore Blumkin. Three years later, in order to (Continued on page 14)
Livingston Foundation aids The Livingston Foundation has announced a grant to the Jewish Federation in the amount of $40,300 to fulfill Omaha's entire 1998 commitment for the Hunger Relief Program for Soviet Jewry. "After Joe Kirshenbaum, J a n Perelman and I returned from Minsk in January of this year, the Hunger Relief Program became people and ' not statistics," said Robert Kully, President of the Foundation. "The other Livingston trustees immediately understood the need. •This grant is part of a series of grants being made by the Livingston Foundation this year in commemoration of its 50th anniversary," said Kully. "It will enable the Jewish Federation of Omaha to pay its full share of the cost of this program to the Joint Distribution Committee.'' Jan Perelman, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation, said, "I cannot emphasize enough the significance of this contribution which goes directly and entirely towards feeding the starving Jewish elderly in the former Soviet Union. The fact that the Livingston Foundation has helped the Omaha Jewish Federation to fulfill this mitzvah for the Jewish world says so much for its • own leadership." J The Joint Distribution Committee
(JDC) estimates that there are between 520,000 and 600,000 Jewish elderly in the Former Soviet Union (FSU), and as many as 300,000 are in need of assistance, according to Perelman. Currently, JDC is financially able to reach only 70,000. Before Glasnost, people in the FSU looked forward to retirement the same way most Americans do. Accumulated savings and government pensions provided a seemingly secure safety net. However, by the early 1990s, the former Soviet republics were in the midst of economic collapse. In some countries, annual inflation soared above 10,000 percent, according to information told to the three Omahans on their fact-finding trip last January. Life savings were quickly wiped out. Pensions plummeted as governments struggled to meet monumental financial obligations. Deterioration in the health and welfare of the people, particularly the aged and disabled, followed. For Jews, the problems often are worse. Many,Jewish women never married or had children because the Holocaust and the war caused a shortage of Jewish men. Those who did marry became victims of the Holocaust in other ways. Their children were killed by the Nazis or died ;
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(Continued on page 12)
Judge Lindsey £\/3i!ler-Lerman named to Nebraska Supreme Court Nebraska Appellate Court Judge Lindsay Miller-Lerman was named last week to the Nebraska Supreme Court. A 22-year resident of Omaha, Miller-Lerman is a former associate of the Kutak Rock law firm and a graduate of Wellesley College and the Columbia University School of Law. It was at Columbia, where MillerLerman was a student of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, today a member of the United States Supreme Court. "The diversity on the Nebraska Supreme Court is beginning to reflect the population of this state," Judge Miller-Lerman said in a recent interview. "People have increased • confidence in a judiciary which looks as though it can comprehend the complex nature of modern society." While a student at Columbia, Miller-Lerman worked as a research assistant for the Center for the Advancement of Criminal Justice at Harvard Law School. After graduation, she clerked for Chief Judge Constance Baker Motley of the U.S. District Court, Southern District, in New York. She originally came to Omaha as a trial lawyer, and after three.years, was named a partner in Kutak Rock & Campbell. Son, Jeremy, a 1997 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, has returned to Omaha as an independent film producer. Daughter,
Miller-Lerman, center, won the gold medal in swimming at the 1961 Maccabiah Games in Israel. Hannah, also a graduate of Penn, (Class of 1995), is the admissions director for the San Dominico Schools of Marin County, CA. Miller-Lerman is no stranger to the Jewish community. In the mid1980s, she established the Avy L. and Roberta L. Miller Endowment, in memory of her parents. The fund supports Jewish cultural and performing arts, in addition to Jewish film festivals. Her commitment to the Jewish community and to Israel dates back to her participation in the 1961 Maccabiah Games in Israel. She represented the U.S. in swimming and earned two gold and one silver medal, all while she was still in high school. (Continued on page 13)
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August 14,1998
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Hasidic communities documentary to air on TV
I must hear that melody again!
With the month of Elul less than two weeks L Initcd lV.it/ of the Midlands • 339-7937 away, our thoughts focus on Rosh Hashanah, A <. V/r/v. itn >n of Community L • . _. I which follows closely on its heels. We reflect on the essence of who we really are, our life and aspirations for the coming year. There is a story told of a dreamy, young man who was wandering alone through the white birch forests of Russia. One day, many years ago, this young man was 12019Blondo 492T9730 Lettering ^ following his fancy through a lonely forest, alone. It was deep in the province of Wallachia, from which many a soulful folk melody, known in Yiddish as a vollach, has been borrowed by a hoary chassid seeking an otherworldly melody with ftnyx Vanity Tops, Shower Panels, Cabinets & F a u c e t s \ which to daven while meditating alone. Anyway, while this young man was daydreaming in that forest, his ears were bewitched from out of nowhere by the strains of an unseen fiddler. He was swept off his feet by the most exquisite melody PALACE BATH & that mortal ears could be blessed to hear, a melody SHOWER so intoxicating that its harmonies were worthy of angels' ears. But just as soon as its sweetness had 402-331-7505 captivated him, it began to fade away! Desperate, 8810 "L" Street • Omaha, NE 68127 1-800-428-3053 he tried to clutch its fast-fleeing echo, but within minutes it had vanished. "I must find that fiddler!" he exclaimed in anguish. "I must hear that melody again!" And from that time on, till the end of his days, Schollman's haunted by an all-consuming obsession, he wanBeautiful Decorative dered from townlet to townlet and from village to Cabinet, Door & village in search of that unseen fiddler. He just Bath Hardware had to hear t h a t tantalizing vollach again! Supply Whenever he encountered a roaming peasant fidbrowse our showrooms till 8 p.m. every Thursday dler he would beg him, "Please play me the most Schollman's your personal hardware consultant beautiful vollach you know!" And time after time, his hopes were first raised then cruelly dashed. 593-9210 Finally he would say, "My friend, yours is indeed a 8425 "F" St. (across from Acura) re-established, 1998 beautiful vollach, but it's not the one that I heard in the forest!" *** Many years ago our people heard an exquisite • CUP & SAVE melody at Mount Sinai. That was an intoxicating moment of truth that no Jew, whether or not he is C conscious of it, can ever forget. Ever since that day, L however, many wonderful sons and daughters of I our people have found themselves, through no fault P of their own, flung far from the unseen fiddler. • FIUDAY, AUUUST 14 Nevertheless, in the deepest unplumbed recesses of Russian Club, 10 a.m. their souls, there restlessly gnaws a subliminal Temple Israel Summer Service, 6 p.m. memory of the bewitching melody they once heard at Sinai. "I must find that fiddler!" they each SUNDAY, AUGUST IB exclaim in anguish. "I must hear that melody Yn'Chml nt Putt Putt again!" B'ndi Mitzvnh Parents Meeting, 10 a.m., And this is. why every seemingly noble ism and at Beth El ideology that ever claimed to bring humanity a hopeful message of physical or economic or spirituMONDAY, AUGUST 17 al redemption, has attracted to its ranks an extraordinary proportion of idealistic young Jews. And YES Program, 9:30 a.m. time after time, the hopes of these well-meaning young people are first raised then, cruelly dashed. TUESDAY, AUGUST 18 Time after time they finally say, "My friend, yours Temple Israel Board Meeting, 7:.1O p.m., is indeed a beautiful vollach, but it's not the one at Temple Israel that I heard in the forest!" Why? Because the soul of a Jew can find no peace WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19 unless it is allowed to hear the'original authentic JCAC Book Discussion Group Meeting, 7 p.m. melody that it first heard at Sinai. Beth El Board of Trustees, 7:30 p.m., Beth El - So, my friend, promise yourself that instead of sitting around and discussing the statistics of THURSDAY, AUGUST 20 Jewish student involvement in cults and alien ideC Walk-in Drop-in, 9:30 n.m. L ologies, you wilFfeke out your fiddle. Let all those Library Book Discussion Group, 1 p.m. earnest young seekers around you hear the only P BESTT Kindergarten Orientation, 7 p.m., melody that will strike a familiar chord in the at Beth El innermost recesses of their long-starved souls. &
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A Life Apart: Hasidistn in America, will premiere on PBS on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 10 p.m. (ET) (check local listings). This documentary explores the Hasidic communities in the United States, their customs, culture and challenges they have overcome to maintain their separate way of life. (Photo): A young boy recites his prayers in chedder, religious day school. The 90-minute special is presented on PBS by Thirteen/WNET in New York.
Beth El to present 'High Holiday University' by Cheryl Lerner ; Daniel Christensen, chair of the Beth El Adult Education Committee, has announced a new program*. "Holiday University," a series of sessions focusing on holiday observance. The first in this series, "High Holiday University," will be Sunday, Aug. 23 and 30,10:15-11:45 a.m. The August 23 session will be led by Rabbi Ira and Vicki Flax and will focus on preparation for the holidays, customs and rituals, traditional foods and recipes, and family customs. The August 30 session will be led by Rabbi Paul and'Susie Drazen and will focus on the High Holiday services, t h e Mahzor structure, and melodies. Refreshments will be provided. The programs are free but pre-registration is requested. Childcare is available with registration by August 19. For information, call me at Beth El, 492-8550.
Jewish Women's New Moon group to host event by Ellane Freund, Co-ordinator
Hiddush Levanah, the Omaha Jewish Women's New Moon Network, is hosting a Jewish New Moon "Chai Tea" Fundraisng celebration in honor of the upcoming Hebrew month of Elul. The month of Elul officially ushers in the High Holidays and requires from each of us time set out daily for introspection and soul searching so that each can plan a personal strategy for spiritual self improvement in the New Jewish year of 5759. According to Deirdre Evans, event co-ordinator, "Participants will be ableto observe the beginning of this contemplative month by listening to a talented Jewish storyteller, Rita Paskowitz, weave her tales in a participatory program entitled: "Stories Too Personal To Tell.-'f Since this event will mark our Third Annual "Chai Tea" Celebration, we would, as in past years, greatly appreciate a suggested contribution of $18 to ensure future programs." The event will take place Sunday, Aug. 23, 5-7 p.m., at the home of Deirdre Evans, 418 S. 38th. Street. Light refreshments will be served. This event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Cultural Arts Council. For more information or directions, call Deirdre Evans at 551-9005, or me at 496-7118.
August 14,,19#8 „,. ,
Jewish.press, Omaha* J
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CANDLELIGHTING: 8:07 p.m. TEMPLE ISRAEL Member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 7023 Cass Street, Omaha, NTS 68132 556^6536 FRIDAY: A Shabbat service will be held at the JCC Frohm pavilion. Bring a picnic supper at 6 p.m. A service led by Rabbi Debbie Stiel and Dr. Michael Walts will follow. The regular service will be held in the Temple Chapel at 7:30 p.m. Rabbi ' Azriel and Cantor Jennifer Blum will officiate. We will continue discussing the summer Torah portions. (In case of inclement weather, the outdoor service will be canceled.) SATURDAY: Shabbat service, 10:30 a.m. Simcha B'Shabbat-An informal Shabbat service that includes study and discussion of a variety of Jewish texts. Sitter service is available each Shabbat evening service. Please make a reservation so we may plan accordingly. There are no facilities for infants. ADULT EDUCATION THURSDAY, Aug. 20: "Beyond Midrash," led by Don Schwartz, 7:30-8:30 p.m. BEYT SHALOM An Affiliate of the ', Jewish Reconstructionist Federation P.O. Bo*24U8D, Omaha, NE 68124*5130 = 758-9233 http://conie.to/beytshaloin/ FRTOAY: Tot Shabbat, 7 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat next week, 7:30 p.m. Summer Book Club selection: Stalking Elijah by Roger Kammenetz. Now taking registration for the Beyt Shalom religious school. Please call 758-9233. School resumes on Sunday, Aug. 30, 10 a.m., at the JCC.
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 1502 No. 52nd S t , Omaha, NE G8104 556-6288 Services conducted by Rabbi Howard Kutner. Office hours: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. FRDDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat service, 7 p.m. SATURDAY: Services, 8:45 a.m.; Little People service, 10:15 a.m.; Jr. Congregation, 10:30 a.m. Kiddush sponsored by Yale Halperin honoring the anniversary of his Bar Mitzvah; Class with Rabbi Kutner, 7:30 p.m., followed by Mincha, 8 p.m., Shalosh Seudot, Ma'ariv and Havdalah. SUNDAY: Services, 9 a.m.; Mincha, 8 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Services at 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of the Worldwide Cbabad-Lubavitch Movement 1800 So. 120th St, Omaha, NE 68144 Phone:330-1800 . E-MAIIt"Chabnd<3)aol,coin SATURDAY: Services, 9:30 a.m. Kiddush following services. SUNDAY: Services, 8:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. THURSDAY: Talmud Class, noon.
Beyt Shalom increases by Mike Salmi, Co-Director, Religious School
The Beyt Shalom Reconstructionist Synagogue Religious School announces it once again expands its curriculum and hours to meet the ever-growing needs of the Reconstructionist Community in Western Nebraska and Southwest Iowa while holding the line on tuition increases. The school meets on Sunday and Tuesday at the Omaha CONGREGATION 8'tJAr JESHURUN Jewish Community Center. '•''•'," SOUTH STREET -TEMPJCE- - , Students in grades 6, 7 and 8 will have an extra •' .. \ Member of the Union hour of class on Sunday mornings, specifically ofAmerican Hebrew Congregations designed to better prepare them for Bar/Bat 2081 S. 20th St., Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 Mitzvah. Marti Nerenstone will lead this class and provide group instruction in chanting trope for 435-8004 Torah reading and in-depth study of the Kabbalat Services officiated by Cantor Michael Weisser. Shabbat and morning services of the ReconstrucTUESDAY: Adult Education classes tionist Kol Haneshema prayer book series. THURSDAY: Choir rehearsal, 7:30 p.m. Beyt Shalom believes religious education is a FRDDAY: Sabbath Eve service, 7:45 p.m. continuing process involving a partnership SATURDAY: Torah study, 10 a.m. between the school, the home, and the synagogue. Therefore, its curriculum follows the guidelines of B'NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation's 618 Mynster St., Council Bluffs, Iowa 51503 Cooperating Schools Network and fully integrates 322-4705 the school/home/synagogue experience for stuE-MAIL: docjel>2<i*juno.com dents. The Religious School also teaches students the FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m., followed by an skills for living a successful Jewish life-Bar/Bat Qneg Shabbat. Mitzvah is not an end, but a milestone on the path of lifelong Jewish education. For example, stuOFFUT AIR FORCE BASE dents under the guidance of the school staff plan and lead four-Kabbalat Shabbat services during 25th and Capehart, Omaha, NE the year. 294-6051 The synagogue also holds monthly Friday Services conducted by Rabbi Ira Flax. Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. evening Tot Shabbats to help prepare pre-schoolers and their families for beginning Religious 4:30 p.m.;_Friday, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. School in Kindergarten. Everyone is invited to ISRAEL attend these services; which start at 7 p.m. Member of the United Synagogue The school meets on Sunday from 10-rioon for all / ' '. of Conservative Judaism '. grades, and Tuesday from 4-6 p.m. for grades 4 3210 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502 through 8. Students in Grades 6 through 8 will also meet Sunday morning from 9-10 a.m. Class resumes on August 30. . Services conducted by'Rabbi Stanley M. For further information, please contact the Rosenbaum. school at 758-9233. , Minyan on Monday and Thursday at 7:15 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 8 p.m. SATURDAY: Services, 0:30 a.m. Attend FRIDAY & SATURDAY, Aug. 21 & 22: Lauren Marcus will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah. Shabbat Judy and Van Marcus will host the Oneg Shabbat Services and Kiddush luncheon in honor of their daughter. ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Shabbat services', led by Rabbi Maximo Shechet, 9 a.m. Kiddush following services.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California, Omaha, NE 68154 492-8550 WEB-http^/omahufreenot.org/bethel Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday; 9 a.m. to 4p.m. " ' •', Services are conducted by Rabbi Paul Drazen and Cantor Emil Berkovits. : ' ' FRIDAY: Services, 6p.m. . :, ; i SATURDAY: Services, 9:30 a.m. Kiddush following services; the Devar Torah will be given by Susie Drazen; Sitter service, 1.0 a.m.; Shabbat Story Time, first and third Saturday, 11 a.m.; K'tantan, second and fourth Saturday, 11 a.m.; Minha-Ma'ariv and Havdalah, 8:15 p.m. SUNDAY: Services, 9 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 6:55 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. JUDAICA SHOP Open Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.2 p.m., or by appointment. , j>"
Bat Mifzvah Sarah Linn, daughter of Michael aiid Pat Linn, ~~ will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 21 and 22, at Beth El Synagogue. An eighth-grade honor student at Morton Middle School, she has participated on the swim, gymnastics and track teams. She has also been a member of -<tf-»-.~ • the JCC swim team. She enjoys playing the flute, baking and sailing. Sarah has a brother, Jonathan, 16. Grandparents are Herbert and Ronnie Linn of Cedarhurst, N.Y., and Eugene and Margaret HeithofTof Templeton, Iowa.
Temple Israel to host Service of Healing and Renewal Temple Israel will hold a Service of Healing and Renewal on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. The service will provide a specia.l;str,uctured time and place for prayer, reflection, meditation and communal connection for those who are looking for spiritual renewal and who are coping:with illness, grief or loss. It will also incorporate traditional prayers, music and contemporary readingsall of which provide helpful insights and an opportunity to gain strength and healing. The service is open to the community and will be held every other month throughout the year.
Rosh Hashana Machzor available in large print and braille The Jewish Heritage for the Blind has announced the availability of the Hebrew-English-High Holiday Rosh Hashanah Machzor in large print or braille in two deluxe volumes free of charge to the visually impaired. Mail or fax your request to: The Jewish Heritage for the Blind, 1655 E. 24th St., Brooklyn, N.Y., .11229; Fax: 718-338-0653. Include your phone number to confirm delivery. /:-..." You must enclose a notefrom~ydur; eye care specialist describing your condition.
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August 14,1998
The end of an era The death of Rose Blumkin last Sunday has surely meant the end of an era in Omaha. She was the kind of woman who only comes along once in a century and we'll probably not see another like her in our lifetime. Itwasn't just the business acumen or the spunk which belied her 4'10" size. And it wasn't the honorary degrees, accolades and tributes which separated.. her from the crowd. Omaha has its share of wise and wealthy business'people, its v'isionaries and its philanthropists.-, . • , , . . I Truly, whatmade 'Mrs. B' so njemorableis her down-to-earth attitude toward the people around her. She had high standards for her family, her employees and her suppliers and woe to anyone who let her down! TJjose who didn't pass her test of hipnesty and integrity are no longer in her circle, but those
Our man in Israel
who did were rewarded with far more than tangible gifts--her wisdom, her advice and her common sense. Rose Blumkin served as a role model to women who wanted to succeed-in whatever their chosen field. Her advice was always, "Do it, honey!" Refusing handouts, "Mrs. B' made it on her own - and then turned around and shared it with her community, Jewish and non-Jewish. Her name will live in, yes, in the furniture world and in business circles, but also in the hearts and minds of Nebraskans who have benefitted from her generosity. Everyone who enters the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home for the Aged or the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center will remember her name. But countless more will remember little acts of kindness that made a difference in their lives. May her family know no more sadness and may Rose Blumkin's memory live in our hearts forever.
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Stronger hate crimes law awaits return of Congress
by Carl Alpert
Baltimore, who also came as a volunteer in 1948, and since then has become involved in big time industrial development. The third is Meyer Kaplan, formerly of New York, who likewise made aliyah with the birth of the state, and for many years served as head of the science office for the Israel police. Do they really believe that they can convince large numbers of American Jews, to leave the good life and come to live in Israel? Ben-Yosef puts it this way: The message must be repeated again and again. Those who don't care, will pay no heed, and will disappear. But with constant repetition, the idea will get through to more and more American Jews who are concerned with Jewish survival, and will come to realize that the answer is Israel. ' The trio - and as they organize they hope that they are but the initiators of what could become a mass movement - do not hold out the threat of a major anti-Semitic movement in America. The impetus must come from positive reasons, the desire to live as Jews and to avoid the trap of assimilation which awaits their children in the U.S. If one asks, what kind of Israel will they find, the reply is that large numbers of American Jews coming to live here can help shape the kind of Israel we'd like to see. Impractical, unrealistic dreamers? They don't see themselves that way. They are confident that they are lighting a" torch which will be picked up by others, and still others. For them this is but the beginning of what they expect will gradually become a ground-swell of public opinion, as American Jews will get the message. They will soon be on the internet, and their provocative message is bound to stir up a storm of discussion. Optimistically, they expect American Jews to be so responsive that they are already thinking of a drive here in Israel to prepare the authorities for the growing tide of aliyah from North America. There should be no repetition of the mistakes made in absorbing the Moroccan, the Russian, the Ethiopian immigrations. Has anyone asked American Jews what they think of all this? Well, I'm asking.
THE JEWISH PRESS • ; :; (Foundedin 1920) •. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Centers of Excellence of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Educational and Library Services, Jewish Family Service, Jewish Senior Services. The Jewish Press is a Constitutional Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. ' The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $26 per calendar year U.S.; $30 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is Thursday, noon, eight days prior to publication. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154; Telephone 402-334-6448; FAX 402-334-5422; E-mail •gshpress@aol.com>
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"Help Save American Jews"
Haifa - It was a small, unobtrusive advertisement in The Jerusalem Post, the kind that one hardly sees as the eye skims the page, but then something suddenly arrested my glance, and the eye returned for a closer look. The ad was signed by the Committee to Save the American Jews. We have heard a great deal these days about the need to save the remaining Jews of Ethiopia, and the situation in some other countries which might warrant a campaign to save them,there, but we had not heard of the great danger menacing American Jewry. And so we read the few brief explanatory lines which appeared in small type. The text was as follows: "The overall American population increased from 144 million in 1948 to 267 million in 1997. In the same 50 years, the Jewish population, instead of increasing from 6 million to 11 million, decreased to 5 million. The Jews of America are assimilating rapidly and have become a vanishing minority." So that was the story. Apparently a call for more intensive Jewish education, a plea against intermarriage, a campaign to stimulate Jewish consciousness by attendance at Temple and by subscribing to and reading the local Jewish press - the latter an excellent idea in itself. But wait, there was one more line in the ad. Referring to the Jews of America, it concluded: "To survive as Jews, they must return to Israel." A dozen thoughts crowded in. In his day, David B.en Gurion had incurred the wrath of American Jewish leadership when he had extended a similar invitation, implying that otherwise American Jews were doomed. But first, who was behind this new appeal? We answered the ad. The movement to save the American Jews is yet in its infancy. The initiators are three former Americans who came here around the time of the birth of the state, and since then have contributed in various ways to the strengthening of the country. They are: Murray Greenfield, who helped man the ships which brought in the survivors of the Holocaust in Europe, "illegal" immigrants in the eyes of the British. He has since led an active community life here. Another is Rafael Ben-Yosef, formerly of
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Stovo Lovlngor Chairman Carol Katzman Editor-in-Chief Mortis Mollne Editor Emeritus Maureen LaPour Managing Editor ShoryllFrlodmon Bookkeeper Lorry Axetrod Advertising Manager Barbara Frankal Rocky Stern Sales representatives George Schaplro Volunteer
by Daniel Kurtzman
WASHINGTON (JTA) - Jewish activists involved in the fight against ratism, bigotry and prejudice are hopeful that U.S. lawmakers will pass a tougher hate crimes statute after their August recess. A measure pending in Congress would give federal prosecutors new authority to prosecute hate crimes against women, the disabled, and gay and lesbian Americans. Current federal law applies only to crimes motivated by race, color, religion or national origin. The Hate Crimes Prevention Act also seeks to make it easier for the federal government to investigate and prosecute hate crimes by extending the Justice Department's jurisdiction. Under current law, the Justice Department's authority is limited to crimes that occur in conjunction with a federally protected activity, such as voting or going to school. The proposed bill would eliminate that limitation, thereby making it easier for the federal government to prosecute cases like the murder of Yankel Rosenbaum, a Jewish student from Australia, during the 1991 Crown Heights riots in New York. "These are two very important changes that will bring federal hate crime law to where it should be in 1998," said Michael Lieberman, Washington counsel for the Anti-Defamation League, which has spearheaded Jewish support for the tougher law. The legislative effort gained some momentum after last year's White House conference on hate crimes. Now, in the aftermath of the grisly death of James Byrd, a black man dragged to his death in Texas in a hate crime earlier this summer, sponsors of the bill are hoping that incident can help push the legislation through before Congress adjourns the first week of October. Some lawmakers, however, have maintained that the legislation is unnecessary because dozens of states have laws protecting the groups identified in the bill. Forty states and the District of Columbia have adopted laws against hate crimes, many of them based on a model law drafted by the AntiDefamation League. But about 30 states lack protections for crimes motivated by sexual orientation, gender or disability, according to the ADL. JEWISH PRESS COMMITTEE Lloyd Roitstein, Vice Chairman; Fred Tichauer, Treasurer; Joanie Jacobson, Secretary; Elyce Azriel; Jill Belmont; Steve Danon; Sheryl Lee; Linda Saltzman; George Schapiro; Howard Silber; Steve Simon. Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish Community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashruth of any product or establishment. .
August 14,1998 Jewish Press, Omaha, NE Page 5
K.C. mayor presents sanctions against Swiss by Michael A. Levine, The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle
KANSAS CITY -- A resolution introduced last week and passed by the Kansas City, MO, Council, led Kansas City to become the first in the nation to boycott Swiss banks and other businesses in protest of the Swiss failure to reach an agreement resolving Jewish claims from the Holocaust era. Kansas City Mayor Emanuel Cleaver introduced the resolution on Thursday prohibiting the city from investing in Swiss businesses or dealing with Swiss banks. The resolution, that passed unanimously, put Kansas City ahead of New York City and the state of New York, which have approved legislation to impose sanctions if a resolution is not reached by Sept. . Cleaver presented the resolution to the Kansas City Council last week and then asked for the approval of the document on first reading. Normally, the city council would meet and discuss the issue, followed by successive readings before being passed. As for the timing of the resolution, Cleaver explained that he had been hearing numerous reports on television and reading about the issue in the newspaper and felt something needed to be done. "I introduced a resolution a few years back with regards to South Africa," Cleaver said. "When I listened to President Nelson Mandela say that apartheid would still be a policy if not for the pressure applied by the sanctions, I realized what many of us did and said about the issues mattered. I read about the Swiss' so-called neutrality. We in Kansas City should speak out on that, as well." Part of the information Cleaver gathered for the resolution came from Kansas City Jewish community leaders Rabbi Michael Zedek and David Goldstein of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau • The JCRB/AJC applauds Mayor Cleaver and the city of Kansas City," said Goldstein, the agency's executive director. "By acting to divest funds from Swiss banks, the city of Kansas City sends a powerful message to the Swiss and to the world: Never again!"
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Rabbi Michael Zedek of Temple B'nai Jehudah echoed the praise for Cleaver. • "There are occasions when the conscience of humanity is held to account," Rabbi Zedek'said in written remarks. "This is clearly one of those moments. Without question, the world did not do enough to save lives ... now is the time to protest the indifference for the sake of those who survived." The Kansas City sanctions are set to take effect immediately, Cleaver said, because the current Swiss offer of $600 million to the families of Holocaust survivors is not sufficient. The World Jewish Congress and lawyers for survivors are seeking a $1.5 billion "global settlement" that would cover all claims against commercial banks, the Swiss central bank and the Swiss,government. "I think the Swiss, because of their, to some degree, partnership with the Nazis, should, unfreeze all of the accounts and repay survivors, or at least their descendants," Cleaver said.) Cleaver added that, while the resolution regarding Switzerland is a step in the right direction, more communities need to join in and take a stand. "I don't operate under the illusion that we are somehow going to impact what happens in Switzerland by what we do in Kansas City," Cleaver said. "We need to let people around the city and the nation know where we stand on the issue." Cleaver "ho E'iiil that the city has no idea of the
current amount of. business interaction with Swiss companies, but that the resolution will instruct the people who handle city employee pension funds to withdraw from and avoid future investments in any companies doing business with Switzerland. Former Omahan Michael Levine was Program Director and USY Adviser at Beth El Synagogue. He is currently a staff writer for the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle.
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To the Editor. The United States Department of Justice, Office of Special Investigations, is asking for assistance in locating survivors of the. Jasenovac concentration camp, which operated in Croatia from January, 1942, until May, 1945, and/or survivors of the Stara Gradi Gradiska camp. The testimony of these survivors is needed in connection with a pending case against an alleged war criminal. Call Susan Adams, collect, at the OSI, with information: 1-202-616-2533. Guila S. Franklin, Associate Director Jewish Council for Public Affairs Washington, D.C.
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In the News
Organizations
The 1£98 Ak-Sar-Ben Coronation Ball is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17. Among those chosen as escorts are J o e y H o r n s t e i n , son of Nancy Horpstein and the late BennettHornstein, Tony Shrager, son of Harley D. and Beth Schrager, and
Y.E.S. Members will meet Monday at the. JCC. English as a second language class for new Americans will start at 10 a.m.; exercise and bingo both start at 10:30. The "YES Talk" discussion group will meet Jimmy Friedlander, son of Bruce and Pam at 11. Lunch will be served at noon in the auditoriFriedlander. um. The Cnildren of Promise, area children age 7-15 who perform under the direction of Steve and Priscilla Brockway, will be our special guest. Since 1994, the group has performed for many community events, including Omaha's Cathedral Arts Project, the Grand Encampment celebration in Council Bluffs, the Omaha Symphony's '96 The Magic of Christmas and both the Joffrey and Dayton Ballet productions of The Nutcracker. For transportation, call 330-4272. WALK-IN, DROP-IN There will be no meeting Thursday due to the trip to Bluffs Run Casino. Reminder: For those Joey attends Colorado State University and is going on the trip on Aug. 20, please meet at the majoring in Journalism-Public Relations. He is a JCC by 8:45 a.m. We will return approximately at member of Si jma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He is the 3 p.m. For transportation to the JCC, call Maggie grandson of Mrs. Joseph Hornstein and Mrs. A.V. at 334-6521. Venger. Tony is a student at Stanford. His major is comBREADBREAKERS munications and minor is Philosophy. He attended Richard Freund, Professor of Philosophy and Yale University in 1996. He is the grandson of Mr. Religion at UNO, will speak at Breadbreakers on and Mrs. Jack Schrager of Omaha and Mr. and Wednesday, according to Steve Riekes. Professor Mrs. George R. Bisacca of Fairfield, CT. Freund also heads the Bethsaida Excavation in Jimmy attends the University of Pennsylvania Israel. and is majoring in Biology. He is a member of Breadbreakers meets every Wednesday at noon Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, Pennsylvania 6-5000, at Highland Country Club. Cost is $7.75 and the and is chairman of the Student Arts Council. He is program is open to the community. the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard L. Weiss of Omaha and the late Morton and Sylvia JEWISH WAR VETERANS Friedlander. Epstein-Morgan Post #260 of the JWV will host Pam Cohn was recently named principal of monthly meetings on the third Sunday of each Mars School for the Omaha Public School District. month in the JCC Conference Room at 10:30 a.m. She received her bachelor's degree from the The next meeting is Sept. 20. University of Wyoming and an MA in Administration from UNO. She was the past recipient of the Ruth Sokoloff Scholarship. Child Saving Institute Joey Hornstein
Tony Shrager
Jimmy Friedlander
needs volunteers
Danny Cohn, son of Pam and Jeff Cohn, has been asked to serve on the National United Jewish Appeal Board as national student representative for 1998-99. His position will focus on UJA's University Programming. Danny is a senior at the University of Kansas, majoring in Business Communications and Pre-Law.
Visions hold annual luncheon meeting
Seventy Visionaires gathered recently at the Venice Inn for the summer membership luncheon meeting. Attorney Richard Peterson (center),, discussed the story A Night of Watching the Rescue of the Danish Jews in October 1943. Also pictured are luncheon cochairs Harry Alloy and Vera Lewis.
Visions latest Mitzvah Project was to collect sample size items such as soap, cosmetics, toothpaste, etc., to help support the Siena Wing, a shelter for battered women and children. Mitzvah co-chairs Elaine Feldman (left), Dorothy Parilman (not pictured), and Maurice Meiches collected four large bags of donations at the luncheon.
CSI is presently recruiting volunteers for four different programs: Mama and Me, Parent Assistance Line, Children's Crisis Center/Kids' Cottage, and Just Me and You. Fifteen hours of mandatory training begins Sept. 12, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sept.'15 and 17, 6-9 p.m., and Creighton hosts city-wide Sept. 22 or 24, 6-9 p.m., at Child Saving Institute, 46th and Dodge. information technology night For more infonnation, call Anne Barker at 553An Information Technology Pair will be held 6000. Wednesday, Aug. 12, from 5-7 p.m. at the Creighton University Skutt Student Center, Rooms 104-105. Several local employers will participate in a panel discussion on the need for information technology professionals in their businesses and the community. There are more than 2,000 I.T. openings locally. Also participating will be repCall the NationalTancer Institute's resentatives from -the University of Nebraska at Cancer Information Service at Omaha, Bellevue University, the College of St. Mary, Iowa Western Community College and the (I-800-422-6237) 9 am - 8 pm Eastern Applied Information Management Institute. For 1-800-332-8615 TTY more information, call John Glenn, 280-1786.
Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA., has named Michael Sigmond to the Dean's List for spring semester. He is the son of Diane and Donald Baum of Omaha and Richard Sigmond of Lafayette Hill, PA.
To find an FDA-certified mammography fa
The University of Nebraska Medical Center has received a $40,000 grant from the Shrike-Hlavac Memorial Trust to continue research to identify factors that put people at risk for cardio-vascular illnesses. Dr. Irving: Zucker, PhD, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics and Director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at UNMC, will administer the project.
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by Bert Lewis
A recent issue of the Wall Street Journal carried an interesting story about the current popular use of Yiddish words. Everyone from President Clinton to actors, comedians and just plain folks in general have picked tip on many of our words and phrases and toss them around like they know what they're saying. Sometimes they do, but to the horror of Dr. Mordkhe Schaechter, a Yiddish professor at Columbia University, often they don't, and misuse is fairly common. Too bad, because those of us who know and love Yiddish, cringe when we hear a word used incorrectly. Of course, we all know the old jokes about confusing schlemeil and schlmazel, but it's our language and if we make a mistake, well so be it. Besides, we love to correct each other. The article explained that Yiddish is "a GermanHebrew hybrid language spoken by Eastern European Jews" and carried to this country by immigrants. . Another authority, Tom McArthur, "a linguist who edits the Oxford Companion to the English Language, claims that Yiddish entered the vernacular through "Jews in Hollywood, comics and the media." I wouldn't argue with an expert. He's probably right, but I can't prove who taught New Yorkers to order a bagel "with a shmear," can you? I don't know of any other place in this country where that phrase is commonly used to mean "spread it with cream cheese." And shmear is, of course, a Yiddish word, meaning spread. The word shvitz is said to be a favorite these days, but not by people who happen to be perspiring. Its non-Jewish usage is "to be under pressure," which, if you're willing to stretch.a point, might come close. We all know that when "under pressure," a person could really shvitz. The misusage is sometimes innocent, sometimes not really acceptable in mixed company! One fellow from Nova Scotia picked up his Yiddish from a Jewish neighbor and was quoted as saying he likes to spend time shmutzing with his pals. He meant shmoozing, of course, but didn't know he was using the wrong \ W > r d . '
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There are expressions and phrases which simply do not translate with the same flavor, no matter how hard the translator tries. For those fortunate enough to have grown up with grandparents who had come here as immigrants, Yiddish is probably a familiar sound to the ear. Among my most treasured memories are conversations with my Yiddish speaking grandparents....I answered in English, but I understood every word they spoke. I still use terms and expressions and without fail, when I do, somebody smiles and usually remarks, "I haven't heard that in years." So Americans use such words as chutzpah, maven, klutz, meshuga and mazel, to name a few. It's ok, if they would use the words correctly. It's said that in the diamond district in New York, there are so many Orthodox Jewish dealers, non-Jews are starting to use Yiddish words here and there. One, who was born in India, has started to close a deal by using the word mazel. He could add tov, but he's happy knowing mazel means luck. I remember writing a column on this very subject a few years ago, when I began to notice how much Yiddish was sprinkled into our speech. Seeing this lengthy article in the WSJ ticked me, though. I guess I could say I scooped them, but I suspect they won't notice! They don't know my mishpocha has been speaking Yiddish since way back when. Ahbe gezint, right? .
There is a way for a better tomorrow. • Approximately 8,600 women and children will be shctercd horn abuse. You made n possible by ghlng generously, an) putting your trust In i M e d W a y o f l l i e M l d l a n d t K - V •-, H i i •
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In other cases, a wrong word can be very embarrassing, when the user finds out what he actually said. (We won't go into any examples here~use your imagination.) , According to another expert, Joshua Fishman, a sociolinguist at Stanford in California and Yeshiva in New York, outside of the ultra-Orthodox communities where Yiddish is on the rise, fewer than 50,000 Jews in the U.S. speak Yiddish. What a shame to see this colorful, warm language begin to slip away from us. English is, for most of us, our native tongue, but I have to tell you, there's nothing to take the place of the Mama Loshen.
Diversification: That is the key to the appeal of the OT/Y.E.S. program for seniors. ' Take a choice: Exercise, Bingo, EarlyBird Discussion, lunch, entertainment. All geared to get rockin' chair folks out of the house and socialize with peers. And membership is the bargain of the century-$2 and two grey hairs opens the portals to. camaraderie and lots of fun. The Aug. 3 get together was typical. After swinging and swaying exercises, we exercised our minds. It beats going back to school. We discussed the madness of the Powerball jackpot, rise in bankruptcies, the gloom of a possible recession, influence of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan on the economy, declassificntion of : secret documents describing U.S. intelligence deal-, ings with Nazi criminals in the Cold War years. Wow! How do we squeeze all that in less than one hour? And, to top all of this, we were enthralled with Mary Fellman providing a travelog of her recent trip to Israel, where, she related, immense progress is occurring. Following lunch, we observed reverent silence in memory of Bernice J. Falk, Barbara Harris and Dorothy E. Heyman. Names of August birthday celebrants were recognized and cake served. In sick bay are Rose K. Abrahams and Lester"!: Wnxman at Methodist; Frances Abrahams at Clarkson; and Bernard Falk at Bergan Mercy. Shalom
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Page 8
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 14,1998
Lincoln Jewish Lincoln's Jewish Community played an important role in the Lincoln/Lancaster County Habitat for Humanity's 10th Anniversary recently. They helped build five houses during July. Around 40 volunteers gathered at the Lincoln High School shop to sand, "stain and varnish, wood pieces, including closet shelving and dowels, that were used in all five homes. The Jewish Community Habitat Project, which was sponsored by the Lincoln Habitat affiliate, Congregation Tifereth Israel, Congregation B'nai Jeshurun, and the Jewish Federation of Lincoln, was initiated by Alan Frank, who is a member of the local Habitat affiliates Board of Directors. The project was coordinated by Deborah Ward, who said the project was a great success. "My job was so easy because everybody said 'y es -' It was wonderful to see everybody working together."
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Community helps with projects Lincoln Habitat President James P. Cooke remarked that the Jewish Community Project got the blitz build off to "a great start. I really appreciated the enthusiasm and workmanship of the volunteers." . In addition to sanding, staining, and varnishing, volunteers supplied food, drink, music, fans, and work gloves and donated, close to $1000 to Habitat. According to Frank, "We really appreciate the contributions everyone made, and they seemed to have a good time doing it. We're already planning for next year's project. It is one way we can fulfill one of the basic ideas of our faith -- tikun olam."
for Habitat for Humanity
Among the volunteers who helped with the houses were, from left: Shachar Argov, Nancy Coren, Rabbi Stanley Rosenbaum and Lourdes Ocanto.
Building aJewish Community for the 21st Century (The following people have made
Founders. $250,000 and above
Pioneers. $50,000 - $99,999
Phil & Tcrri Schragcr Mycr & Dorothy Kripkc Mill & Pauline Abrahams Tom & Darlynn Fellman Howard & Sharon Kooper The Newman Family Jule M. Newman Memorial Fund Bob & Phyllis Newman Murray & Sharcc Newman The Simon Family Alan & Anne Simon Bruce & Stacy Simon Fred & Eve Simon
Gene & Nancy Rcch Harley & Beth Schragcr The Slusky Family Jodi Slusky "Yoav Gershoni Jay Slusky Jerry Slusky Irving & Gail Veitzer and Norman & Joodi Veitzer Speedy & Hermene Zweiback Anonymous (3)
Sieve & Kathryn Simon Todd Simon Builders. S100.OO0-S249.9W The Baker Family Louie & Fran Blumkin Harold & Merriam Coopcrrnan Rich & Frances Juro Kevin & Kimara Clark Kevin Juro Keri Juro Pennie Z. Davis Friedland Family Foundation Frohm Foundation Joe & Maxine Kirshenbaum and Harlan & Nancy Noddle The Riekes Family Henry & Dorothy Riekes Steve & Margo Riekes Carl & Zoe Riekes Harry & Jcancllc Wcinbcrg Foundation Anonymous (I)
Pioneers. $50.000. $99,999 Harvey & Phyllis Aronson In memory of Edward Belgrade Sandra Belgrade Bob Belgrade Jim & Robyn Belgrade Henry & Mary Kay Davis Joe & Ruth Erman The Mike Erman Family In Memory of Eileen Erman n/iiKe erman Michael & Lori Miller Jonathan & Slacey Rockman Ike & Roz Friedman Foundation Marvin &Susan Cohn Alan Friedman Donald Yale The Goldstein Family Donald & Ann Goldstein Becca Goldstein Deborah Goldstein Leonard & Shirley Goldstein Nancy & Don Greenberg Howard & Carol Hahn Steve ft Sheri Idelman Howards Gloria Kaslow Steve & Party Nogg In Memory ofBurton L Robinson . • • Sam £ Frances Fried Andrew AKimbcrty Robinson Mark & Paula Robinson
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Leaders $10,000 - $24,999
Groundhreakers. $25.000-$49,999
Leader* £10.000 .124.999
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' Aaron Fcrer& Sons Irv& Susie Blumkin Ron & Chris Blumkin Barry Brodei The Epstein Family Harold & Etta Epstein Paul & Sandy Epstein Gary & Lisa Epstein Mort & Jan Glass
Innantnm. np In S9.949 Art & Charlotte Adler William & Rose Abrahams Norman & Louise Abrabanuon Edith Abrams Alvin ft Doris Abramson Mike & Sherry Abramson Jeffrey & Susan Aizenberg •
Please join us in this incredible opportunity!
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Lawrence & Paula Albert . Leon & Eleanor Alexander Margie Alperson JoelAlperson Bemie & Shirley Altsuler Harry & Ruth Altsuler .'• Aryeh&QyceAzrier Bruce & Jill Baron Donald & Diane Baum Dennis & Jeanne Beavers John&AngieBekins Jay Beaton Gerald & Lois Bemstien Harold and Millie Bernstein Thomas & Mary Bernstein Harry Berman & Beth Cohen Albert & Juni Bloch Robert Lachowiez & Margaret Block Menasse Bohbot Mclvin & Gcnevieve Bornstein Randal & Rhonda Brand Bess Brodkey • Harold & Lucille Brodkey Peter & Carol Brodkey Ron & Beth Brodkey Sherman & Sandy Brodkey Peter Brodsky Jack & Florence Brody The Brown Family Jonathan & Debbi Brown Leigh-Anne Brown Lauren Brown: Sam & Elaine Bukengolts Esther Canar • Louis & Eudice Canar Richard & Sandra Canfield
Kathy Malashock The Manvitz Family Marilyn & Justin Manvitz Wendy & Todd Manvitz Gcnnadiy & Nelli Menkov Sol & LeeJane Parsow Yale & Ida Richards Larry & Silvia Roffman Blaine & Judith Roffman Jerry Rosen Mark&VickiSanford Milt & Rosaline Saylan Joel & Nancy Schlessingcr and Bernard & June Schlessinger Les & Jan Schneidcrman Stuart ft Esther Simon Jerry & Judy Simons Howard & Judy Vann and Family The Milton G. Waldbaum Family Foundation Mimi Waldbaum John & Natha Waldbaum . Amie&AnneWeitz ' Tim Zweiback Anonymous (8)
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Innovators (continued)
The Goldstein Family David & Judi Goldstein Joe & Jill Goldstein Rick Goldstein Jeff & Danielle Gordman David &Pam Gross and Rose Gross Jerry & Cookie Hoberman The Josephson Family Larry & Debbi Josephson Keith & Judy Josephson and June Goodbinder David Keiser & Lillian Keiser Sloms Fdn Sally dayman Dr. & Mrs. Allen Morris Mr. & Mrs. Jeff dayman Kevee & Myrna Kirshenbaum The Krantz Family In Memory of Rose Krantz David Krantz Howard & Barbara Krantz Stewart & Susie Srnoler Bob & Connie Kully Marshall & Barbara Kushner The Benton Kutler Family Ben & Harriet Kutler Laura & David Chait Robert & Terri Ellen Kutler David &Debi Kutler Howard & Nancy Kutler Bruce Kutler The Malashock Family Barbara & Slan Malashock Jody & Neal Malashock Diane & Larry Malashock Beth & Steve Leeds
< Alan & Marcia Baer Foundation Helen Brodkey Jack & Marcia Cohen The Glazcr Family Richard & Phyllis Glazer Jim fcjordana Glazcr John & Jennifer Glazer Art & Ruth Goldstein The Gordman Family Nelson & Linda Gordman J.D. Gordman Julie & Max Goldman Kip & Bridget Gordman RoseKatzman In Memory of David Katzman The Lehr Family Marty & Joanie Lehr Bruce & Cindy Goldberg Susan Lehr John & Sandy Lehr Leonard & Bert Lewis David & Sue Meyers Sherman & Jcanie Neff and Herman Goldstein Jay & Kim Noddle Sydney & Regina Osten Alan & Carol Parsow N.Pillor& Sons, Inc.." In Memory of Norman Pillor The Plait Family Max & Dorothy Plait Mike & Barb Plart Jeif& Ellen Platt The Schrier Family Stan & Felicia Schrier Jeff& Tracy Schrier Bennett & Julie Ginsberg Jill Schrier Dorlhy Schrier Bruce and Anne Shackman In Memory of Hymen "Ttteet" Belman Margarette Belrnan Yudelson Murray J. & Laura Belman Patti Belman Lynn Anonymous (2)
commitments to the Campu;
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Frederick & Molline Cassman Truman & Rosemary Clare Gilbert Cohen Paul &Arlene Cohen and Family LeonaCohn Sieve & Lirida Colin David Cooper Ron & Cheryl Cooper & Family Jerold & Janey Dann David Davis Rose Davis Manuel & Karen Dclgadillo Jack & Mindcl Diamond Edward & Esther Dolgoff Paul & Susie Drazcn Stan & Ellene Edelstein RexEkwall Wally&JeanElkon Bob & Lois Endelman Randy & Penny Endelman Todd & Lisa Ephriam Edith Epstein ' Howard & Sharon Epstein Melvin& Lois Epstein Sam & Rosaline Epstein Tuffy & Helen Epstein AbeftUbertyFaier Al ft Ellie Feldman Mike & Judy Feldman MaryFellraan Frank ft Cheryl Flatowicz Pierre Flatowicz Irving & Sonia Forbes
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Building a Jewish Community for the 21st Century
$900,000 still needed!
We're Helping to Build the Community! Building F u n d a n dhave a l l o w e d their n a m e s t o b e p u b l i s h e d . )
Innovators (continued) Irving & Ida Forbes The Fox Family Dee Fox Rick, Shelly & Naomi Fox Marsha Fox Michael & Jodi Fox Ira&MaitaFox Ron & Marsha Frank Beverly Freiden : A1& Esther Friedman Gloria Friedman Hairy & Merriam Friedman James Friedman * Lloyd & Lois Friedman Morris & Beth Friedman Scott & Debbie Friedman WillanJ & Thama Friedman Robert & Kay Gerelick ' Lawrence &DeannaGilinsky John & Marcia Gilmore Donna Givner ' David & Wendy Goldberg Gene & Mila Goldman The Goodman Family Harold Goodman In Memory of Samuel & Delma Goodman Bob & Barbara Goodman Fred & Barb Uchling Steve Goodman Rob, Debbie & Isabel Goodman Barbara Gottlieb Saul & Esther Graetz Lonnie & Dlanne Graul Barton (Bucky) & Caryl Greenberg Arthur & Deborah Greene Bud & Rosalie Greenspan George & KnthrynGrieb Jerry & Pearl Gross The Grossman Family Ait Grossman Ronald Grossman Lorry & Linda Grossman Arlcne Gilles Roberta Grossman Paul & Joy Grossman and Meyer & Frances Coren Bruce & Margie Gutnik Yale & Ida Halpcrin Bobbi Hofitein David & Belte Hnrkin Louis & Eva Heisler Joel & Esther Hellrnon Larry & Retha Herman David & Phyllis Hoffman Adele Homstein Louis & Lillian Hurwitz Philip & Marsha Itkin Jon Lance & Dacia Jobenis Richon) & Joanle Jacobson Ed & Anne Joseph Harvey Josin' Sorin & Sara Juster TobyKagan . Marcel &,Itse Kahn Robert & Roxanne Kahn Jerome & Sylvia Kaiman PaulKaiman Gary A Sally Kaplan Lazar & Bemlce Kaplan
Innovators (contii ued)
Innovators (continued) Robert" Kaplan Beatrice Karp Frankie & Sandy Kasin Rick & Juice Kalzman and Mike & Carol Katzman Mendel & Shani Katzman Maury & Madeline Katzman Leonard & Cindy Kaufman Peyman Kharazi Corey Kirshenbaum & Marcy Noodell Jen* & Sharon Kirshenbaum Don & Ilene Klein Harry & Janet Klein Milton & Marsha Klcinberg Marvin & Sandra Kohll Som&MollieKohn Leonid & Marina Konfisakhar Joseph & Leah Kosinovsky Scott & Mindi Kotzen Jack & Belte Kozlcn " Abe & Beverlee Krasne Cris & Peggy Krasne Leonard & Peggy Krasne Lloyd & Edylhe Krasne David &VickiKrecek Howard & Nancy Kutler Doris Kwiatek Jay & Barbara Lashinsky Michael & Sharon Lawler Ben & Grace Lebowich Mike & Bobbi Leibowitz Ben & Eileen Levin Michael & Cheryl Levine Michael & Karin Levine Steve & Bonnie Levinger Vera Lewis . Dmitriy & Marian Libov Morris & Helen Lipp Rubin & Louise Lippelt Harvey & Marcia Lipsman Steven & Thelma Lustgarten Bernard & Carolyn Magid Trenton Magid Lorry & Diane Malashock Neal&JodyMalashock • Myron & Harriet Marko Milton & Ann Margolin Mark & Julie Martin Thomas & Margo Meehan Maurice & Rosalie Meiches Gennadiy & Nclli Menkov Gerald Meyer Bernie&Roie Meyers Bruce Meyers & Solly Barenbaum Joseph & Tina Meyers Scott & Jenny Meyerson Jerry & Fran Milder Mike & Ducky Milder :, Pete &Rhoda Milder and Larry & Gcorginc Koom Michael & Lori Miller Sidney & Lynda Mirvish Stan &Evie Mitchell Semyon Mogilcvsky Charles & Lyra Monasee. Henry & Pain Monsky ..
Allan & Janie Murow Bruce & Mary Beth Muskin Stuart &BettieMuskin
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Jcanelle Nadoff Jeanette Nepomnick Steven & Maria Ness Allan Noddle Irving & Marian Nog Leo & Babe Nogg Ruth Nogg Mike & Susie Norton Linda Novak Robert & Donna Oles Michael & Barbara O Ualley Dennis & Susan Pale) Claire Passer Scott & Kristi Pavel Wayne & Sarita Penki Harold & Rose Pcreli Jason, Rebecca & Zac lary Perelrnan Willard & Shirley Pes al Eric & Julie Phillips . Michael & Del Pisci Marv & Sheila Poliko Joseph & Bluma Poloi ski Larry & Dinah Raful Neal & Nancy Rauhai Lorraine Reiss Lou &Bev Rich Marty & Iris Ricks Gary & Caryn Riftin The Doug Riley Famil Foundation Sheldon & Nancy Rip: Andrew & Kimberly R }binson Stuart Rochman Jonathan & Stacey Rockman Mimi Rogers & Michael Marcovitz Jacob & Rose Rosenberg Charney & Jerry Rosinsky . Lee & Peggy Ross Steve & Bunny Rothenbcrg Belly Rubin Elliot & Belly Rubin Michael & Lynn Salmi Errol & Lynnc Saltzman Belly Sanford George & Julia Schapiio Andrew & Wendy Schcrcr BeaSchimmel Ed & Carol Schneider Harry & Sophie Schulman Maurice & Phyllis Schwartz Howard & Diane Shanilcll Norm & Suzy Sheldon Marc & Claudia Sherman Rose Sherman Dave & Phoebe Shkolnick Rodney & Lois Shkolnick Paul & Suiann Shyken Jeff & Mary Silver David & Janis Silverberg James & Susan Silverman : Ervin & Miriam Simon Mickey & Tootie Simon Suzanne Richards SingaDavid & Ann Sjalin Norm & Shiriee Smecrin Morton & Helen Soiref Ramon & Susan Somberg CariSommcr '• joe & Miriam Soshnik Sherman 4 Harriett Sptding
Innovators (continued) Dorothy Spizman Moe & Muriel Steinberg Don & Lois Stem Arnold & Carolyn Stern Belly Slernhill HartanSludna Charlie & Louri Sullivan Jeffrey & Nancy Tclcnbaum Sleven & Marilyn Tipp Shirley Trachlenbarg Isadora & Selma Treliak Henry & Fan Tsuei Lazar & Margaret Turelsky TomVonn Sylvia Wagner John & Natha Waldbaum Arthur & Mary Walker Gordon & Joy Watanabc Raymond & Sandi Weinberg Art & Ruth Weincr Henry & Roberta Werner George Weise Earl & Lee Wigodsky Chris & Allyson Wilczewski David &AndiWillensky Ernie & Janet Wintroub Phil & Nancy Wolf Bob&SibbyWolfson William & Ann Wolfson Thaddcus & Deanna Woods Irvinft Annette Yaffe Harold & Phyllis Zabin Jamie Zacharia Richard & Tcrri Zacharia Sieve & Kathleen Zalkin Inna Zevakin Norman & Dorothy Zcvilz Todd & Linda Zimmerman Barry & Nora Zoob . .Seymour & Roz Zoob Anonymous (44)
. lb make a ambautior^ contact the Project Go^hairnien: Patty & Steve Nogg, 493-3479 and Marcia & Steve PJtlor, 496-4«32 or caU Tom Fellnian or Howard Kooper, 392-1800.
Page 9
Page 10 Jewish Press, Omaha, NE August 14, 1998
by Erica Meyer Rauzin
Cindy and Alan Shulewitz announce the July 24 arrival of their daughter, Brooke Nicole. Brooke has a brother, Chad Harris, 2. Grandparents are Normand and Phyllis Hoffman and Anne Shulewitz, all of Omaha, and the late Norman Shulewitz.
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My children's school provides a supply list for each grade, enumerating the items I must locate, pay for and label before the kids can start school this fall. This is no easy task: our daughter's sixth grade supply list has more than 70 individual items on it. I can achieve this grand sum without counting the number of markers in each of the three packs on the list. However, I am counting the individual pens, pencils and two-pocket-folders, without clips. To survive Hebrew, math, English and science, she needs seven pocket folders, a dozen pens, nine pencils, two three-ring binders, five spiral notebooks, a compass, a protractor, graph paper, and a drawer full of glue sticks, markers, colored pencils, scissors and rulers. To organize all this, the school will grant her a 12 by 12 inch locker, and I will provide a backpack that soon will weigh more than the horse she rode at summer camp. At least it will be heavy at first. By Rosh Hashanah, she will have lost the pens, pencils, rulers, scissors, compass, protractor, all but the green markers, and the horse. At 11, she sheds small paraphernalia like rain. I have tried to explain to her that if she can keep track of all this stuff, she won't have to finish middle school. She'll be able to open her own office supply store and retire before her Bat Mitzvah. Then I can be the one demanding to be outfitted with yellow highlighters and student planners and "a pack of color pencils or fine markers." As opposed to crude ones, I suppose. Our son's second grade list is less daunting: 30 items, including 12 number two pencils and a box of tissues (something the school stops requesting by the sixth grade, since the kids have taken over management of their own noses by then). The second graders also need composition books, broad-tipped markers, crayons, and scissors with blunt tips. I'm with the school on that one: if we give the little critters pointed scissors, no one will be left standing by the end of the first week. Both sets of school supplies have to pass muster on two fronts. They have to satisfy the school's list, and they have to satisfy each child's individual perception of what is cool, and what is not. To the second grader, the notebook cover that looks like a basketball's hide is cool, but the green plastic pencil pouch is "dorky." To the sixth grader, anything with Warner Brothers' Tweety Bird on it is cool, and anything birdless is not. So far, we have a Tweety backpack, a Tweety note book, several Tweety pencils, and a Tweety pencil pouch, clearly a step up from the green plastic one. We had to settle for a box of generic Looney Toon markers, but we know a Tweety version is lurking out there somewhere (somewhere near that bank the Warner Brothers are chortling all the way to). I grouse about the supplies since they're costly, somewhat bothersome to accumulate, and staggeringly heavy for the kids to carry. I would like to see a little more coordination between the English list, the Hebrew list, and the math list (why three packs of markers, when one would surely do?). But, basically I'm willing to provide the teachers with whatever they need. After all, they are doing a critical job, one I surely could not do myself, even with 70 separate doodads, an extremely cool three-ring binder, and the help of a little yellow bird.
an exhibit by Kate Klingensmith at JCC Gallery
»-', Kate Klingensmith is a local artist who uses oil pastels to call up images of the light, space and landscapes of the West. According to Ms. Klingensmith, "I feel I've been preparing for these paintings all my life. The West had hold of my imagination long before I ever actually saw it. It was as if I could feel the color, and I experience that now, when I paint. Oil pastels make it possible to express my spirit and energy as reflected in the landscape of the West." Klingensmith has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Art and a Masters in Education from Montana State University. She has exhibited her works in the Marietta.College CraftsvNatitynal and,a traveling show.of.flie,. Smithsonian (SITES). • • , . ,. The paintings are for sale. Please call Gloriann Levy at 334-6403 for more information.
Art exhibit at Chabad House by Shani Katzman
There will be a special exhibit "Mysticism in Jewish Art" at Chabad House, 1866 So. 120th Street, on T u e s d a y , S e p t . 1, a t 7 p.m. The artist, Michoel Muchnik, will make a presentation at 8 p.m. Michoel Muchnik, among the foremost Jewish artists of our day, has gained prominence with his joyfully imaginative renderings in acrylics, watercolors, and lithographs. He has combined his delicate use of color and fine-line work into a storybook motif abounding with gentle wit and piety. . His newest original paintings on paper armate (bark paper) display an antique, biblical effect. With an emphasis on King Solomon's "Song of Songs," these images suggest a sense of lyric and Darchei Noam classes to start allegory. Muchnik exhibits his originals and lithographs Darchei Noam, a new class for those who wish to and lectures on Chassidic art throughout the delve more deeply into the ways and teachings of United States, Europe, and Israel. His pieces are Judaism, will start T h u r s d a y Sept. 10, a t on display in museums, galleries, and private col7:30 p.m. This course is geared for those who seek a lections. He was featured in shows, at the Goldman deeper connection to their Jewish heritage, and for Arts Gallery in Washington D.C., the Brooklyn_ those Derech Torah graduates wishing to build on Museum, and the Yeshiva University Museum in the introduction to Judaism in Derech Torah. It is New York City. • designed to explore the philosophical and theological His work is often featured in magazines and has underpinnings of Jewish rituals and holidays. been used as cover designs, for books,relating to Dr. Scott Bresler, on staff at the University of Jewish life and customs. UNICES selected his "Cup Nebraska-Lincoln and a Jewish educator for over of Blessings" lithograph for their greeting card , 20 years, is the coordinator. He has taught various series. He also illustrated eight children's books. '. courses to adults and youth in Atlanta, Kansas Born in Philadelphia in 1952, Muchnik received City and Omaha. his artistic training at the Rhode Island School of The course will be 12 sessions. Cost is $200 per Design. He later studied at the Rabbinical College person or $350 per couple. of America in Morristown, New Jersey. Muchnik For information or to register, call Michael Linn, lives in Brooklyn with his wife and children. Lifelong Jewish Learning Coordinator, a t 3340517.
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Beth El Synagogue offers fall classes for Talmud Torah High School by Scott B. Littky, BESTT Director
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Celebrating 100
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Classes for the fall semester of Beth El Synagogue Talmud Torah High School of Jewish Studies will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 26, in the West Court of Beth El. Again this year, the program will include dinner nights once a month. Students will gather on those nights at 6 p.m. in the West Court for dinner prepared by Lucy White. After dinner there will be guest speakers on the topic of "People who have made a difference." Our first speaker will be Gary W. George of Hospice House on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Following the dinner program, students will attend classes from 7:30-9:15 p.m. Classes begin at 7:30 p.m. also on evenings when there is no dinner program. •> Fall semester classes will focus on a number of different topics. Ninth and tenth graders will be in one of the following required classes. Masada: Fact or Fiction with Rabbi Ira Flax, which focuses on the events of Masada and analyze the controversies of the story. The other class is Countering Hebrew-Christianity with Glen Fineman. With materials prepared by the Federation of Jewish Men's Club, this class will begin to prepare students to react and counter Hebrew-Christianity. Required classes for the eleventh and twelfth graders will be Lights, Camera, Action. Reaction, with Susan Drazen. The class will look through Jewish lenses at the people, events, and places that created the Golden Years of Hollywood. Rabbi Paul Drazen will teach Judaism and Christianity Are Not the Same. Everyone knows that Judaism and Christianity are very similar . . . both are monotheistic and there is the "JudeoChristian" ethic. This class allows us to find out more. Elective classes are offered for the second hour of study. Daniel Christensen will teach Too Jewish? Expressive Art: Past, Present and Future. This course will combine Jewish art history and hands-on experience in both traditional and experimental style. How To Keep From Going Meshugana: Relations; Dealing-With' Your' Parents, and Stress Management, will also be taught by Glen Fineman. In this course, students will focus on how to handle modern teenage issues and dilemmas within the context of Jewish values and traditions. Students will learn how to build self-esteem among peer pressures, societal expectations and family norms. Students will also learn how to manage their stress in order to strengthen their emotional health. Finally, Rabbi Ira Flax will teach Understanding the Siddur. This class will
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Wearing his "99 and going strong" sweatshirt, Abe Rosenthal will celebrate his 100th birthday on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2-4 p.m., in the JCC older adult lounge, sponsored by his daughter, Willis Ann Ross, left, and her husband, Alvin.
Engagement
TIME TO ENROLL FOR FALL. Classes begin September 8th.
POCRAS/ROSENBERG Joyce M. Pocras and David Rosenberg, both of Hastings, have announced their engagement. Mrs. Pocras is a graduate of the University of j Nebraska at Lincoln with J I1, * a bachelor's degree in ele?? h?i mentary education, and a or toll free 1-800-228-9553 ' 3 g r a d u a t e of the UNL ,.i College of Law. She taught in the Lincoln y J Public Schools for several I ; ( years, and practiced law *,in her own firm in •u 1 Lincoln for 22-yearai She ,/t < I currently is employed by '/ • Conway, Connolly and Pauley P.C. in Hastings. She also will continue to practice law in Lincoln. Mr. Rosenberg is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Q L I , Omaha's premiere rehabilitation facility is Technical College in Fort Logan, CO, with a degree expanding. Beautiful new facilities and a positive and in business administration, and a graduate of the exciting work environment. , University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He has been associated with City Iron and Metal Inc. for the past 50 years, of which he is now chairman of the ^Accounting Clerk ^Licensed Practical begin to analyze the complexity of the siddur. The board. He is a member of B'nai B'rith, past president of class will look at such issues as who we are speakNurses ing with, G-d or ourselves, when praying. Students Central NE Lodge 1815 B'nai B'rith, and former •ArCertified Nursing Assistants ^Maintenance Staff will also review themes and sources for Jewish secretary/treasurer of Mt. Sinai Jewish Cemetery in Hastings. • . ^Custodial Staff liturgy. ^Occupational A fall wedding is planned. As in past years, Beth El Synagogue Talmud Therapist ^Dietary Torah High School of Jewish Studies is open to all Aides/Cooks •^-Physical Therapist high school students in Omaha. Cost of the program is $60 per student or $75 for a family of two " A Food Services ft Registered Nurses students or more, for Beth El members. For nonManager members, fees are $75 per student or $95 for a •^Secretaries Receive The Jewish Press at School family of two students or more. For more informaAHuman Resources ^Social Worker tion or a registration form, please call me at 498The Jewish Press will mail a weekly copy of the Clerk 0904. , paper to you at college without charge so that you may keep in touch with local, national and international events. Make sure your name is on your •fr Outstanding Health Insurance mailbox to facilitate delivery. . Please fill out the form below and send to: ftPaid Vacation The Jewish Press 333 S. 132nd Street ^Flexible Schedules Omaha, NE 68154 Get off it. Exercise. •ArLife Insurance/ Pension Plan
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61 93o"I 3V1 ,BriEtnO ,8891*1 ilaiwat 8G8I ,t Page 12 Jewish Press, Omaha, NE August 14,1998
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Livingston Foundation funds c aid Hunger Relief Program
HardTravelirt', The AschRecordings, vol. 3, by Woody Guthrle ; :
CD Review
by Oliver B. Pollak
This 75-minute CD contains 27 In an interview, he said "We made tracks featuring Woody Guthrie, iip war songs against Hitlerism and during ihe war. Stalin's purges also food package. some not previously released. fascism homemade imported." seriously weakened the population. In addition, the package, which cost Moses "Moe" Asch, born in Guthrie performed with the Almanac Blatant discrimination forced some about $13, includes sugar, flour, rice, Warsaw, was the son of novelist Singers whose slogan was "A Singing to pursue careers in far-flung underde- tea, canned fish, holiday specialties Sholem Asch. He started Asch Army is a Winning Army." veloped regions of the Soviet Union. such as matzah, and holiday related Records in 1939, and in the early In 1942,- Guthrie met Marjorie Others emigrated. The weakest were literature. 1940's recorded Lead Belly, Burl Ives Greenblatt Mazia, a dancer in the The Joint Distribution Committee left behind. Today, because of a low and Josh White. Asch declaredbank- Martha Graham dance troupe and birth rate and emigration, there are receives its funding from the ruptcy in 1947 and then created the daughter of Russian immigrants. not as many younger Jewish people to UJA/Federation Annual Campaign, Folkways Records, catering to music Her mother, Aliza Waitzman take care of their elderly as exist in the along with the Jewish Agency for not considered commercially viable; Greenblatt, was a popular Socialist Israel. Currently, the Jewish Feder- including Pete Seeger. After running' general population. Yiddish poet. Woody and Marjorie The Hunger Relief program will ation of Omaha allocates 39% of its Folkways for 40 years, he donated had a child, Cathy Ann, born in 1943. provide food and food-related needs campaign dollars to overseas needs, his unique collection to the Smith- Marjorie helped get Woody*s autobifor the homebound, many of whom which includes the work of the JDC. sonian Institution in 1987. Moses ography novel, Bound for Glory, in According to Perelman, "The gen- defined folk songs as music that shape for publication. They married require help to prepare their food or in some cases to draw water from the erosity of the Livingston Foundation "expresses a HOME feeling of in 1945. well and carry it home. Winter Relief insures that Omaha's commitment to belonging and association." Guthrie's Southern Baptist and (oil, wood, coal) will provide a means the Soviet Hunger Relief Program will Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie Church of Christ inspiration groundfor heating water for soup, kasha o r not divert funds from any other was born in Okemah, OK, in 1912. ed him in the Old Testament which is pasta, the basic components of the needs." His family slipped from the middle revealed in a five-and-a-half-minute class because of his mother's illness song, The-Many and the Few," based and the Depression. He pioneered on Judas Maccabeus. The following country/western/folk music into the ballad lyrics include "111 read you my urban folk song revival. He aspired Talmud Torah book arid the prophets to be the singing voice of the work- dreams to you. Yes, you'll be fertile ing class. He influenced, among oth- and multiply if you keep the Torah ers, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen true. . .Thank God we're seeds of the and John Mellencamp. Jews." There are two categories of music Guthrie wrote songs for his chilon this CD with Jewish content. dren. As Cathy Ann was being raised First there is the folk patriotic music as a Jew, he wrote and recorded supporting the war against Hitler, "Hanukkah Dance," a pleasant song such as "Miss Pavlichenko," whose sung with an Oklahoma accent. Joe Kirshenbaum, left, Jan Perelman and Bob Kully visited the apart- lyrics include "300 Nazis felled by . This CD, sponsored by Smithsonian ment of an elderly resident of Minsk last January and discovered how your gun," "So Long, it's Been Good Folkways and the Center for Folklife crucial the needs are of the Jewish population of the Former Soviet to Know You," "Sally, Don't You & Cultural Studies, is a tribute to the Union. The result of their investigation led to the funding of the Grieve," and "When the Yanks Go expertise of the Smithsonian Hunger Relief Program by the Livingston Foundation. Marching In" are given Guthrie's Institution and Woody Guthrie's interpretation. The 32-page accom- impact on American music and his panying pamphlet contains the understanding of oppression and lyrics to "Talking Hitler's Head Off." poverty. .;••'-•••••'••'
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(Continued from page 1)
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August 14,1898 Jewish Press, Omaha, NE Page 13
'To Bubbe and Zayde with LOVE'. 7. " " ' "
" All their shots white they're tots
1-800-862-1889 Nebraska Health and, Human Services System
An added outdoor attraction to the celebration "To Bubbe and Zayde. with LOVE..." a fun-filled family affair, will be a Classic Car Show in the parking lot at the JCC. Ilene Klein and Vicki Sanford have arranged for a line-up of many different autos, dating from the 1930's to the 1960's. The owners, members of the Early Ford V-8 Club, will be on hand to chat and answer questions. The celebration is Sunday, Aug. 30, from 1-4 p.m. r
When food takes control by Courtney Rabb, Murray H. and Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation Jewish Press student intern
"When I was young, I was always super skinny. It was impossible to buy clothes to fit me, and I hated my body. As I got older and began to develop a figure, my self image was also reshaped. What came with this was my parents' constant warning that I was getting fat. At 85 pounds, I now know that this was not true. But in the mind of a young teenager, all I saw was fat. — "It was during these years that I launched war on my body. I experimented with every fad diet and pventually began the process of starving myself. Meals became less frequent and finally nonexistent, when I did eat (usually not more than once a day), ortions were minute and nutritionally unbalanced, [y focus was not on whether or not I was gaining jreight, but on how much weight I was losing. I weighed myself continually to make sure the scale as going down. After years of abusing my body and ly health, I finally was forced to seek medical advice when I began fainting and losing weight at a rate faster than even I was comfortable with. "The years which followed forced me to deal with the issues of the past, and I began the long difficult process of physical and emotional healing. I now no longer starve myself or routinely skip meals. My self image however, will forever be affected by this early teenage conditioning. In my eyes, I will remain over| eight no matter what the scale reads." This anonymous telephone interview was given jt y a long time sufferer of Anorexia Nervosa. This is | ist one eating disorder which plagues many in our c immunity. | There are three main categories of eating disorders. Anorexia, Bulimia, and Compulsive Overeating. People who suffer from these disorders may have one or several of these problems. Anbrexia is complete or near complete starvation and restriction of food, fat grams, and calories. It is sometimes accompanied by excessive exercise. Bulimia is a condition where there is an abnormally large intake of food followed by self-induced vomiting. This is the most common type of eating disorder. Compulsive overeating is when there is an abnormally large, uncontrollable intake of food. Sufferers pften use food to fill their unmet needs for affection. Although different from Anorexia and Bulimia, this disorder is equally as serious.
The victims of Anorexia and/or Bulimia often get a sense of power and control from their eating disorder, whereas compulsive overeaters feel a lack of power. Who suffers from these diseases? They are no longer just "teenage girls diseases." These diseases effect both boys and girls from the ages of 11 to 60. No one is immune from getting them. "People develop an eating disorder when they are feeling very bad about their body, and they think that they are undeserving of happiness and deserve punishment," stated Orly Gilat. "Those with an eating disorder often begin to isolate themselves from society and often become depressed," Gilat went on to say. This may be a clue to those close to these people. Other clues can be swelling in the face and cheeks, insomnia, tearing of the esophagus, dry skin and hair, brittle hair and nails, low blood sugar, loss in blood density, erosion of tooth enamel, impaired circulation, fast or irregular heart beat, dehydration, temperature sensitivity, depression and sometimes even death. -" •-••••* It is very important for family and friends to be available for those in need of help. "They play a very critical role because this type " of support enables those suffering to learn how to communicate with t h e "outside world," begin to trust other people, and share some of the burden of the eating disorder which is very hard to carry by yourself," Gilat explained. However, even if and when these people get help, they will always suffer from their disorder. They may manage it, b u t t h e fact t h a t they somehow feel inadequate, will h a u n t them forever. This article is a cry for help to the community. I t is so important for everyone to be aware of these disorders. Watch out for symptoms in your family members and friends, so that they can be helped^ It is impossible for some to imagine what it would be like to suffer from one of these diseases. What is it like to constantly worry about our self image, to weigh ourselves every hour, or to think we are so ugly that we do not deserve to be alive? Health professionals ask teens, parents and the community to be there for friends and families so that these diseases do not continue to make food, and life itself, the enemy.
Judge Miller-Lerman named to Nebraska Supreme Court (Continued from page 1) Miller-Lerman has published articles in a variety of law publications, including the Creighton Law Review, American Bar Association Journal, the National Law Journal Annals of Internal Medicine, to name a few. She is a member of the American Bar Association, as well as the Omaha Bar, the. Nebraska Bar, and the Bar of the City of New York. She has also erved on the Nebraska Indigent Defense Task 'orce and the Securities Industry Association [Compliance and Legal Division. Judge Urbom appointed her to chair the Civil cedure and Practice Committee of the Federal District of Nebraska, and Judge Lay appointed ief to the Program Committee of the Judicial. [Conference for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
She was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the College of St. Mary in 1993. In addition, she is a current member of the board of directors of Tuesday Musical, but with her recent appointment, had to resign from the boards of Landmarks, Preservation, Inc., the Children's Museum, ArtOmaha, and the Nebraska Civil Liberties Union. ••'''. In hearing of her appointment, former Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Krivosha said,. "Her appointment is wonderfull Because of her demonstrated ability as both a lawyer and a member of the Court of Appeals, it is clear that she will be an outstanding member ofthe Supreme Court. "Justice Miller-Lerman has often been a pioneer and I'm sure she will once again demonstrate her outstanding ability in that role," he added.
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Mrs. B' dies at 104 Blumkins' first child, Frances, was born in Fort Dodge and Mrs. Blumkin found the people to be "wonderful, wonderful people," who fixed her up with kitchen utensils and taught her how to cook. Mrs. Blumkin never forgot the friendliness of Fort Dodge. Years later when a customer at the Nebraska Furniture Mart casually remarked that he was from the town, she immediately gave him a $500 check for the Fort Dodge Community Chest. Still, Mrs. Blumkin did not feel fulfilled in Fort Dodge, and in 1919 the family left for Omaha to be around more Jews. Mrs. Blumkin had also experienced trouble learning English and welcomed the opportunity to be around more Yiddish- and Russianspeaking people. The language barrier was an embarrassment to Mrs. Blumkin for years. She recalled once being told by a non-Jewish neighbor that his father was dying. ""That's nice,' I told him," she said. "Later when I found out about his father, I was so ashamed." Following the move to Omaha, son Louis arid daughters Sylvia and Cynthia were born, and after they started school, Mrs. Blumkin started to learn English from them. "The kids would come home and say, 'Mama, you love this country so much and you always say how lucky you are to be here, so why don't you learn the language?' Finally I said, 'Okay, teach me.' So they did. And I learned." In Omaha, Isadore Blumkin went into the second-hand clothing business. The family made do nicely on the $10 a week that he made at the store, and Mrs. Blumkin scrimped and saved, forgoing such pleasures as "motion pictures and bottles of pop." Every extra penny went to pay for the passage of her relatives still in Russia. In 1922, Mrs. Blumkin paid for the passage to the U.S. for her parents, one brother, four sisters and a cousin. In 1930, the Depression threatened to destroy the family's modest success. "My husband came home and said, 'We're all going to starve to death,'" said Mrs. Blumkin. But while stock and bills piled up, Mrs. Blumkin saved the day for the family by exercising her famous sales acumen. "I shopped all the big shots for their prices to see how much competition I could give them," she said. "Then I printed 10,000 circulars offering to dress any man from head to toe for five dollars." The next day, the Blumkins took in $800 and the clothing business began to prosper again. Meanwhile, though, Mrs. Blumkin decided she wanted something bigger. In 1937, she borrowed $500 from her brother, went to Chicago, and ordered $12,000 worth of furniture, which she had shipped to a 30' by 100' room at 1312 Farnam Street. When she did not sell enough of the order quickly enough to pay all her suppliers at the end of the month, she ran a newspaper ad and sold practically everything in her own home to meet her debts. Thus, the Nebraska Furniture Mart had been successfully launched. Not that there were not obstacles to consolidating the success of the new enterprise. In efforts to protect old customers, brand-name manufacturers refused to do business with Mrs. Blumkin. She circumvented the problem by finding « Chicago dealer who agreed to let her have three thousand dollars worth of merchandise on credit. She marked her
(Continued from page 1) prices low, quickly sold the stock, and was soon back for more. She also managed in one way or another to get brandname merchandise. On one occasion, for instance, she got hold of a big supply of carpeting by having one of her men tell a Chicago merchant that he needed to carpet a new apartment building in Sioux City. "I know I wasn't wellliked by some of my competitors," Mrs. Blumkin once remarked. "One Mary Fellman, left, co-founder and director of the Nebraska Jewis! time a competitor said to Historical Society, offered congratulations to 'Mrs. B' on her lOOti me, "You're nothing but a birthday, which the NJHS helped her celebrate. Louise Abramson bootlegger.' *You betcha,' then president of NJHS, and Frances Batt, one of Mrs. Biumkin's foi I told him. 'I'm the best children, assisted with the birthday celebration. bootlegger in town."" country, but America will always be successful Slowly the business grew. In 1945, Mrs. Blumkin because the people here are very happy." Mrs moved her store into a larger building at 2204 Blumkin was fond of telling people that her success Farnam Street. She began to travel throughout the story could "happen only in America." country, looking for retailers who might be sympaIn 1970, Mrs. Blumkin opened her west Oma thetic to a 4'10" immigrant woman. store at 700 S. 72nd Street. In accordance wi In the style of marketing that became her trade- Jewish tradition, she took bread and salt into th mark, she bought goods at five percent above new building. wholesale and sold them at 10 percent above what "If you have bread and salt in the house, youT she had paid. It was a system that brought her into never starve to death," she explained. frequent conflict with fair trade laws, but she won The present Furniture Mart contains 250,00i over the judges by showing them invoices which square feet of selling space on two floors, includini proved she could show a profit at below list prices. an electronics department expanded in 1987 "Why should I charge higher prices?" she protest- 40,000 square feet, and is located near an 11-acri warehouse. The parking lot can accommodate ovi ed to one judge. "I'm making a fortune as it is!" The judge dismissed the case against her, and 1,500 cars and is frequently jammed on weekends. came to the Furniture Mart the next day to buy The Nebraska Furniture Mart is often describei carpeting for his own home. as the largest furniture retailer under one rooi One day in 1950, Mrs. Blumkin found a way to with the other top furniture retailers in the couni turn circumstances which threatened to destroy operating an average of 50 retail stores each. Sale; her into even huger success. The beginning of the have increased from $67.5 million in 1979 and $7 Korean War had dried up the retail furniture busi- million in 1980 to approximately $132 million ness. She feared she would not be able to pay off a 1986. Today, it covers more than 75 acres. 90-day, $50,000 loan that a banker had offered her, Tribute was paid to the Nebraska Furniture Mar so refused to take him up on his invitation. Then by the president of the nation's largest furnitu Mrs. Blumkin came up with the idea of going to the retailer, Levitz Furniture Co. of Miami, Fla. City Auditorium and "making a sale" there. In "We recognize the Nebraska Furniture Mart to bf three days she grossed $250,000. The sale solved a tremendous operation. There's nothing like it ii her financial problems and won her thousands of America. I would have doubted that any furniture new customers. retailer could dominate the market in one city thi "We never lost a discount since then," she said. way the Nebraska Furniture Mart does. But thi Later in 1950, Isadore Blumkin died. Having pre- figures have made a believer out of me." viously traded his clothing business for a jewelry Levitz said he thought the Furniture Mart owe store, he was never in the furniture business with part of its success to its location on a three-sta his wife. border, but Mrs. Blumkin disagreed. It was in the 1950s that Mrs. Blumkin, who "We could be successful anywhere," she said. " always expressed great love for her adopted coun- takes honesty, selection and know-how to be sui try, realized her long-cherished dream of becoming cessful, and we know what our customers want.' a citizen. In 1962, the "new American" wrote a Mrs. Blumkin ran the business as a family affa blistering letter to Nikita Kruschev which was with her son, Louie, and his sons, Ronald and Irvi printed in the Omaha World-Herald. son-in-law, Norman Batt, and his son, Robert; an Mrs. Blumkin told the premier of her native land: son-in-law, the late Jerry Cohn, all involved in th "Americans will do everything they can to save operation of the business. In addition to being chai their wonderful country. We have Democrats and man of the board, Mrs. Blumkin concentrated hi Republicans, but when you come to a time like, this efforts in the day-to-day management of the stor they are very devoted to their country and united. ' (Continued on page 15) Some day, the Russians are going to lose their
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'Mrs. B'dies at 104 (Continued from page 14) in the carpeting department, where she was assisted by her grandson, Steven Blumkin. On a battery-powered three-wheel cart named "The Rose B" she joked that she sped around the floor "like a Russian Cossack." In 1983, saying that they wanted to avoid any chance of a family feud after Mrs. Blumkin's death, the Blumkin family sold most of its stock in the Nebraska Furniture Mart to Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., a diversified Omaha-based investment company headed by Warren Buffet. - • Closing the deal with a handshake, Mr. Buffet and Mrs. Blumkin expressed mutual admiration for each other. "He's one in a million," said Mrs. Blumkin of Buffet. "I'm proud to be associated with a person of his brains." Said Buffet of his new partner, "I would rather have her word than that of all the Big 8 auditors. If she ran a popcorn stand, I'd want to be in business with her." Upon learning of her death, Buffet recalled the day he shook hands with Mrs. Blumkin in the $55 million deal, "We are partners. And in most ways, she's the senior partner. "She's forgotten more that 111 ever know." What he didn't tell her until after the deal was closed, was that his birthday was that day, and added, "I'd rather wrestle grizzly bears than compete with her in business!" Following the transfer of stock, the Blumkin family remained as operators of the store, with Buffet's involvement limited to long-range planning and financial operations. Famous as a philanthropist as well as a merchandising dynamo, Mrs. Blumkin always responded generously to the needs of Omaha Jewry and the community at large. In 1981, she donated one million dollars -- the single largest philanthropic gift ever made to the Jewish Federation of Omaha — to help the Jewish community build a new home for the elderly adjacent to the Jewish Community Center. In gratitude to Mrs. Blumkin, the community named the home after her. In 1987, Mrs. Blumkin gave the Home an additional $500,000 for an addition, increasing its. capacity to 119 beds; it has since received the highest rating by state agencies. "'Mrs. B' just visited us last week," said Lenora Lancaster, Jewish Senior Services (JSS) Executive Assistant. "The staff always got hugs and kisses from her." In a statement released to' the media, Barbara Gottlieb, Executive Director of JSS said, "We are terribly saddened by the loss of this great lady. She
August 14,1998 Jewish Press, Omaha, NE Page 15 will be missed by the entire community. Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. "It is truly the end of an era." The Blumkin Home was only the largest of Mrs. At groundbreaking ceremonies for the nursing Blumkin's gifts. There were also such frequent home, Mrs. Blumkin spoke into a microphone in thoughtfulnesses as her decision in 1972 to buy out the crowded theater, "I'm not such a good speaker. the entire inventory of the Hadassah Bargain Box ' I will never forget when I arrived in Seattle, and send it to flood victims in South Dakota. In Washington 63 years ago from Russia. I didn't eat 1981, Mrs. Blumkin offered to donate a parcel of for six days when I was on the ship. property adjacent to Lake Candlewood to the city "HIAS, (the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), and develop land as a park for $25,000, but the city did not take her up on her offer. made a meal that I will never, ever forget. "And I thought to myself then that I would do In 1981, Mrs. Blumkin also spent $205,000 to buy something nice back for the Jewish people who the old Astro Theater from Creighton University were so nice to me. and thus save it from the wreckers. "I used to go to "I was one of the lucky ones. I raised a beautiful the movies in that theater," she said. "It is a thing family. I was able to give this present and I feel of beauty. I want it should stay. I want to make it very high class. It should be the talk of the country. happy about it." Mrs. Blumkin also prepared these remarks about They'll come from all over to look, to see how an old her gift: "I respect elderly people. I treated my building could be restored to look beautiful." mother like a queen and God repaid me. "When she heard that the Astro was for sale, she "I want elderly people to be treated right. So I . sent Frances down there and told her to pay whatwanfcto show my love to the elderly people, espe- ever she had to pay and save that building," cially those who have no one else to care for them. recalled Susie Buffet, chairman of the fundraising "If I'll be able to live longer, I'll try to do my best campaign for the Omaha Theater Company for , to help them all I can. When you get older, you Young People. can't take anything with you. 'Mrs. B' later gave the theater to the Emmy "All my life, every time I thought about a vaca- Gifford Theater Company, along with a check for tion, I thought Fd better give the money to someone one million dollars. That start to the fund-raising campaign transformed the nearly derelict building who needs it and not spend it foolishly. "God blessed me with wonderful children who let into the 'The Rose,' the Rose Blumkin Performing me do whatever I want, and whatever I do they Arts Center, which opened Nov. 18, 1995. agree with me. In recognition of her many contributions and gen"God has blessed me, allowing me good health erosity, Mrs. Blumkin was the recipient of many awards and honors during her career. : and the ability to continue my work. In 1959, she was presented the Sertoma Club's "Let people think before they annual "Service to Mankind" award. On that occasion she was cited for her "humility, straight-fordie to do the best they can for wardness and deep love for her country, community others while they are still alive.** and fellow citizens whom she unassumingly serves with generous gifts of time, means,, and leader"A new home for the elderly will be like adding ship." In 1978, a citation from the Downtown Rotary life to their years. "They deserve a haimesche (friendly) place to live Club of Omaha as "Free Enterprise Person of the in comfort and dignity, and having the home at the Year" recognized Mrs. Blumkin for her "untiring JCC will be like reuniting the Jewish family - all (Continued on page 16) ' generations will be coming home." In December, 1987, Mrs. Blumkin and her • potato latkes • borscht family donated another > matzo ball,soup • bagels with, lox $500,000 for the capital " • Herring •Whlteflsh Reservations • Caviar • Smoked Salmon expansion fund of the
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'Mrs.. B'dies at 104 (continued from page 15) and dedicated commitment to the free enterprise system on which America has been built; for her exemplary professional conduct and good business practices; and for her sensitivity in dealing with her employees and sharing benefits with them; for her devotion to the principles of more jobs, good wages and a prospering nation." In 1982, Israel Bonds made Mrs. Blumkin their guest of honor at a banquet attended by 300 'Mrs. B' boosters. Jeanette NadofT compared Mrs. Blumkin to the "industrious bee...Mrs. B's life is one of creativity and industriousness," she said. "When provoked, she stings with firm words. Most of the time, she is busy producing honey, spreading and adding sweetness to countless lives, and the life of our community. She is the queen bee surpassing all expectations of her accomplishments." Also in 1982, Mrs. Blumkin became the first recipient of the Nebraska Service Association's award to outstanding minority and women-owned businesses in the state. In 1984, honorary degrees were awarded to Mrs. Blumkin by New York University and Creighton University. She was also featured in an extensive article in the Wall Street Journal. NBC's Today show featured Mrs. Blumkin in a 1986 segment. In 1987, the Omaha Press Club honored Mrs. Blumkin by adding her charicature to the walls of the club along with other famous dignitaries. It was a great tribute to Mrs. Blumkin in 1979 when she was asked, along with 349 other prominent American Jews including George Burns, Arthur Miller and Artur Rubenstein, to record her feelings about a wide variety of topics for the William E. Weiner Oral History Library of the American Jewish Committee. A sampling of Mrs. Blumkin's views: —on religion: "Well, nobody can be as religious as in a small town in Russia. You lose the touch here, doing business on Saturday. You live the way the Romans do." j -on Jewish pride: "I'm very proud to be a Jew. I
always care for my Jews. When they hurt and kill Jews, it hurts me." —on her health: "If you live a happy life with your family, that gives you a lot of good health. Even if you're poor, you come home and see smiling faces from your kids and that alone makes you feel good." --on her refusal to retire: "Working helps you keep all your marbles, and that's important. As long as you still have them, you're your own person. "People shouldn't retire as long as they're able to work. They have too much time to think about their aches and pains. They die fast that way." -on women in business: "Of course, there's plenty of dumb women, but when it comes to business, I could beat any man or any college graduate. For business or anything else, I use my own common sense." —on her motivations: "I went into the furniture business because it's a happiness business. When people buy furniture, it's a happy time. They're just married, or they've got a new baby. Or they're older people who are redoing their house and they're all excited about it. "I also always wanted my kids to have what I didn't have, and I wanted to show poor people there is a future in life. I don't get a thrill out of money." "Everything she did represented the community," said J a n Perelman, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. "We will always be grateful to her. ""Mrs. B' taught us what mitzvah and tzedakah really mean. She and her family have made sure that this Jewish community will go forward. "We will miss her terribly," she added, "but her spirit goes on in her many charitable endeavors." Rose Blumkin was preceded in death by her husband, Isadore. She is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Louis and Frances Blumkin; daughter, Sylvia 'Babe' Colin; daughters and sons-in-law, Frances and Norman Batt, and Cynthia and Charles Schneider; brother, Mayer Gorelick, Los Angeles; sister, Anne Rosenblatt; sister and brother-in-law, Ruth and Morris Lasher; grandchildren, Ron and Chris Blumkin; Irvin and Susie Blumkin; Steve
Rose Blumkin opened the Women in Business exhibit for the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society. . and Cindy Blumkin; Claudia Boehm; Barry Cohn; Howard and Annie Cohn, Sausalito, CA; Larry Batt; Bob'Batt; Ellie Batt, New York City; Jerry and Cindy Schneider; Margy Schneider and Greg Searson; Bruce Schneider and Jeanne Reichstadt; and 21 great-grandchildren.'., In his eulogy of Mrs. Blumkin, Rabbi Paul Drazen of Beth El Synagogue, said, "Business woman, Mama, Gramma...Rose Blumkin was a teacher...In her school...she taught that all people should be treated equally...she taught about dealing honestly with customers...(and) she taught the value of a good name." Larry Batt related several stories about his grandmother. Recalling his grandmother's attitude toward anything out of the ordinary, Batt said, "To her, it was 'fancy-shmancy.'" That attitude was reflected in the traditional Jewish funeral. Rabbi Drazen, Rabbi Aryeh Azriel of Temple Israel and Rabbi Howard Kutner of Beth Israel, in addition to Mr. Batt, were the only ones who spoke, and Cantor Emil Berkovits chanted the "El Molerachamim". Memorials to the Rose Blumldn Jewish Home or the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center.
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