ewish Press
SERVING NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA FOR NEARLY 80 YEARS VoL LXXEX
No. 47
Omaha, NE
Mother and daughters plan
Women's Event
by Pam Monsky, Federation Communfcafions Director Sheryn Joffe and her daughters, Andrea Siegal
and Suzanne Pocras, are taking the theme of I'dor v'dor or "from generation to generation," very seriously as they work together to plan the 2001 Women's Event. This event is the cornerstone for the Federation's Women's Division of the Annual Campaign. The theme will be central to the event, which will feature nationally-known radio personality Susan Stamberg of National Public Radio (NPR). "We would like to encourage all Omaha Jewish women to come to this event with your mother, daughter, granddaughter, or any of your women relatives," said Sheryn Joffe. "If you don't have any female relatives in town, remember that all Jewish women are sisters!" Suzanne and Andrea agreed with their mother and added, "We've never worked on a Federation event before. We are really excited to start off with the Women's Event and especially happy to work with our mom." The Event will differ from last year's luncheon in that we will serve a 'light' luncheon featuring baked goods prepared by community members. Their favorite family baking recipes will be compiled and published into a book that will" be available only to women who attend the event. Cost is also lower, $18, down from last year's $25.
The minimum gift requirement of $136 will remain the same. The event will be held on Oct. 25 at Beth El Synagogue. Baking for the event will take place on two days: Thursday, Aug.17, 9-11 a.m. and Wednesday, Sept. 20,9-11 am. All community members are invited to bake and can sign up by calling Sheryn Joffe at 397-3397.
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Bake-MItzvahl The Jewish Federation of Omaha Women's Campaign 'wants you to bake for the 2001 Women's Evestt! To celebrate the theme, L'dor t}9dor7 "from generation to generation," please bring your favorite family recipe and bake with your Jewish "sisters!" The goodies will then be served at the Women's Event oa October 25 at Beth El Synagogue. Ail recipes will foe collected and published in a book distributed exclusively at the Event. CHoose from two bakiag dates: Thursday, Aug. 17,9-11 sun. Wednesday, Sept. 2% 9-11 aan.
Andrea Siegel, left, Sheryn Joffe and Suzanne Pocras will chair the 2001 Women's Event.
istration begins for Birthright Israel Winter 2001 Journeys 7,500 Young Adults from North America will receive "Opportunity of a Lifetime"
To schedule your baking date, call Sheryn Joffe at 3S7-3397.
What Israel reportedly offered by Naomi Segal
JERUSALEM (JTA)-Details are beginning to emerge about the stances taken by the Israeli and Palestinian leaders at the failed Camp David summit. by Tina Urbanski According to a "very senior source" traveling on (New York, NY}—Birthright Israel announced through a $210 million partnership from a group of Minister Ehud Barak's plane to Israel from that registration for the Winter 2001 journeys to prominent philanthropists, local Jewish Washington, these positions were put forward: Israel has begun and will continue through Oct. 5 Federations, the people of Israel through their gov• Israel agreed to grant the Palestinians 88 perfor trips commencing in December and January. ernment, Keren Hayesod and The Jewish Agency cent of the West Bank; Any Jewish youth, 18-26, who has never been to for Israel. • Israel agreed to absorb several thousand Israel on an educational peer group program, is eliThe Jewish Federation of Omaha pledged more Palestinian refugees within the framework-of famigible to sign up for a variety of approved programs than $9000 per year for the next three years to the ly reunification; through over 40 different trip organizers. United Jewish Communities portion of the • Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat Interested participants should register online at: Birthright Israel program. The decision, taken at refused to back off his demand for the right of all www.birthrightisrael.com and select the type of the May Board of Directors meeting was part of the Palestinian refugees to return to the homes they educational program they would like to experience. annual budget presentation which allocated funds abandoned during the 1945 War of Independence. "Due to the overwhelming interest of last year's for local agencies and overseas needs. • The Palestinians rejected a proposal by inaugural Birthright Israel gift, we are increasing Trips include those sponsored by Hillel, the orga- President Clinton to put off a decision on the number of available slots to take young people nization which provides Jewish life on college cam- Jerusalem's Temple Mount and the Old City for to Israel-" said Allan Dubow, Chief Financial puses throughout the United States, The Orthodox several years. Officer of Birthright Israel. "This winter, we expect Union (OU), The Union of American Hebrew • Israel agreed to grant the Old City a special the Birthright Israel gift will be made available to Congregations (UAHC), United Conservative status under which it would remain under Israeli approximately 7,500 Jewish young adults from Jewish Synagogues (UCSJ), Iivnot L'Hibanot, and sovereignly while granting free access to holy sites North America, or roughly double the number we others. Each trip is designed to meet the needs of to all religions. took last winter." those specific groups, but all include visits to the •Israel agreed to grant the Palestinians The Birthright Israel gift covers round trip air- major historical and religious sites of Israel, includ- autonomous rule over the Temple Mount, but with fare plus 10-days of educational programming ing the Western Wall and Jerusalem, the Diaspora a request that a special section be reserved for designed for Jewish youth to explore Israel. Museum and Tel Aviv, the Galilee and either the Jewish prayers. Israel also proposed that the "I encourage Jews from all over North America to Negev or Eilat. Activities include Shabbat, hiking Palestinians have free access to the site via a road sign up for this incredible journey," said Marlene and climbing Masada, snorkeling in the Red Sea or or bridge. Post, Chairperson of Birthright Israel. a visit to the beach on the Mediterranean. •• Israel proposed that a Palestinian capital be "Birthright Israel is designed to be an expression Students eligible for Birthright Israel grants established adjacent to the municipal boundaries of of Jewish unity and aims to assure that new gener- include: any Jewish student enrolled in a college or Jerusalem and be under Palestinian municipal ations of Jewish youth will become committed to university in Nebraska or children of members of rule, but with Israeli law still in effect. their Jewish identity, their Jewish communities the Omaha or Lincoln Jewish Federations who are and Israel," she added. attending a college or university out of state. UPCOMING EVENTS: For information locally about Birthright Israel Initiated by philanthropists Charles R. Bronfman and Michael H. Steinhardt, Birthright Israel is the trips and eligibility, contact Pam Monsky at the Israeli Scouts perform at the JCC on Tuesday, most estensive philanthropic Jewish outreach pro- Jewish Federation of Omaha, 334-6431, or any of Aug. 8,7 p.m. gram ever to target Jewish young adults. the Omaha or Lincoln rabbis. Joint Tisha b'Av service, Beth Ef chapel, Birthright Israel's mission is to present lifelong For more information on Winter 2001 trips and to Wednesday, Aug. 9,8 p.m. Jewish values to Jewish'young adults worldwide learn more about the Birthright Israel gift, partici- Tisha 'Av video presentation at the JCC, through a first educational peer group trip to pants can call 1-888-99-ISRAEIt, or visit the web- Thursday, Aug. 10,4:30 p.m. IsraaL The Birthright Israel gift is made possible site at: www.ljirthrightlsraeLcom.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 4, 2000
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CALENDAR OFEVENTS I FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 L Visions Board Meeting, 9:30 a.m.
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MONDAY, AUGUST 7 YES Program, 9:30 a.m. TUESDAY, AUGUST 8 BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Israeli Scouts Performance, 7 p.m. Community Singles Cruise Night Meeting, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9 Joint Tisha b'Av service, 8 p.m., at Beth El & THURSDAY, AUGUST 10 s Walk-in Drop-in, 9:30 a.m. A
307 North 114th St. Phone 333-5100
Parashat Devarim I sometimes mourn the fact that so many people take vacations in July and August that too many miss the wonderful Sidrot in the Book of Devarim, Deuteronomy. Here the Torah rises to unusual eloquence in Moses' review of his leadership and his teaching about the way of life that Israel has accepted. And there is, specifically, the arresting chapter of Isaiah that gives this Sabbath its special title, Shabbat Hazon, the Vision of Isaiah. This Haftarah always precedes Tisha B'Ab, when we are reminded of the destruction of the two Temples. It is, as I say, arresting, because the language of Isaiah is so striking and commanding that the reader cannot resist its power. It is a Great Indictment. The faults of Judah are so glaring, in the prophet's words, that it is no wonder that the Lord has permitted great evils to come upon it. Here a major theme of the Book of Deuteronomy and the prophetic literature, the doctrine of reward and punish ment, has been expressed eloquently, and the reader cowers before the stark power of the tongue-lashing of the prophet. When one reads the prophetic literature in general, he sees how uncompromising the prophets were. Israel and Judah, unable to reach perfection or rise even half-way to moral excellence, suffered vituperative attacks by Amos, Isaiah (our Haftarah), Jeremiah (the last two Haftarot), and others. No matter that Israel and Judah had risen far above the immoralities of their neighbors. For the prophets that was not enough. Wickedness must be punished. There is, of course, a serious theological problem: what about the individual who is swept away in a national calamity? And the larger theological problem: Does all of this square with reality, with the facts of history, with the ways of the world? But we must recognize that both Biblical and rabbinic teaching caution us not to understand the prophetic position as a view of the world that is. We live in a world that is what it is. Wickedness does not necessarily bring punishment and ruin; virtue does not necessarily bring reward, certainly not material reward. The marvelous poetry of the prophets and their consistent ethical stance have made them, quite properly, teachers of morality for all time. The doctrine of reward and punishment, echoed, for example, in Yigdal, has become standard religious teaching. "Peace of mind," however, "peace of soul," and a deeply satisfying sense of inner integrity—these are indeed the rewards of virtue. Torah and mitzvot, we may put it, lead to character. Perhaps that is all there is. But if that is all there is, it is enough, enough to live for, enough to live by.
Deaths ARIJSS GOODMAN Arliss Ann Goodman died on July 23 in Palo Alto, CA. She was 58. She was preceded in death by her parents, Eva and Morris Goodman, and brother, Jerome "Mickey" Goodman. Survivors include a brother, David Goodman; sister, Babette Blaug; nieces, Devra Poster, Carla Kestler, Suzanne Blaug, Amy Oates and Elisabeth Blaug; and a nephew, Douglas Goodman. Memorials to local Hospice organization or charity of your choice. BEN BLATT Services for Ben Blatt were held July 28 at Fisher Farm Cemetery. He died July 26 at the age of 85. Survivors include his wife, Rhoda; son and daughter-in-law, Mike and JoAnn Blatt; daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Ira Nathan, all of Omaha; son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Joan Davis of Denver; brother, Sam Blatt, and nephew, Lee Blatt, both of Colorado Springs; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Memorials to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. BEVERLY GILINSKY PORTNAY Beverly Portnay of Orlando, FL, formerly of Omaha, died July 6 at the age of 74. Gruyeside. services were held in Orlando. Survivors include her husband, Ben; daughter, Sandi Cole of Omaha; son, Bill Gilinsky of Now York; grandchildren, Melissa and Marvin Colo; and 'a'brother,'Robert Katleman, also of Omaha. CARLLAOMAN
Graveside services for Carl Lagman were held July 30 at Beth El Cemetery. He was 97. He was preceded in death by his wife, Fannie; brothers, Jake and Sol Lagman; and sisters, Massie Lorkis, Fanny Werber and Esther Lagman. Survivors include daughters, Rose Richman of Tuscon, AZ, and Nadina Sundown of Alpine, TX; grandchildren, Strider Sultan, Ivan Sultan, Ezekiel Sundown, Katrina Quarenghi and Jerry Riehman; and one great-grandchild. Mr. Lagman owned Carl's Hardware and Sporting Goods in downtown Omaha for many years, , Memorials to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. CORRECTION The following was inadvertantly omitted from the July 14 obituary: Perry Nader is also survived by his grandchildren, Morgan Ann Voss and Austin Voas of Talent, OR.
Thirteen years of Chabad of Nebraska: a time to celebrate by Devra Bram
Beth El and Temple Israel offer joint Tisha b'Av observance C L
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v v E All events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated. The £ Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of the events. To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Marlene Mertat 334-6437.
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A joint Tisha b'Av observance titled "The Western Wall: Ideal or Idol," will be held Wednesday evening, Aug. 9, at 8 p.m. The program, sponsored by Beth El Synagogue and Temple Israel, will be held in the Beth El chapel. Facilitated by Larry Raful, the evening will focus on the role played by the Wall from the time of the destruction of the Temple to the present day. Participants will have a chance to share personal feelings evoked by their visits to the Wall and also take a virtual trip to Israel via Kotel Kam and other Internet services. The joint service commemorating Tisha B'Av will include Mincha/Ma'ariv and the chanting of Eichah, The Book of Lamentations. The service will bo. conducted by Rabbi Paul Drazen, Rabbi Debbie Stiel, Cantor Emil Berkovits, Cantor Jennifer Blum and rabbinic intern Daniel Fellnum. The of 1 tire community is invited ;m<I oncoiiriigod to attend. Further information is l available from the Both I'll Synagogue office, 49'2-8.)fi().
Chabad of Nebraska will be celebrating its Bar Mitzvah, 13 years in the community, with a blacktie optional-Banquet Dinner on Aug. 18 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in the Old Market. The evening will recognize Chabad's achievements in our community and honor long standing supporters Maury and Joan Udes and Irving and Geri Epstein. It is a time to look back and to look forward to new challenges for the community. As Rabbi Mendel Katzman said, "We have accomplished much in the past thirteen years, but there are always more mitzvahs to be done. Our work is not done until we have reached out to every Jew." This event will include a kosher dinner and musical entertainment by Avraham Fried. Special volunteers coordinating this fundraiser are Barbara Gottlieb-Ware, Lenora Lancaster, Janet Kohll, Howard Shandell,. and Nancy Wolf. The event is $90 a person. Please contact Chabad House by Monday, Aug. .7 to reserve a space, MO1800.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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TEMPLE ISRAEL
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE
Mmnbnr of tho Union of American Hehrtw C<mKrci{nti<>nH
Member of llw Union at Orthodox Jtiwinh ConarpK&tioiMi of America
Member of United SynaKuguns of Conttnrvatlve JaduiNm 14606 California Omaha, NE GH154-1980 492-8550 WKB--www.bt*thel-omnha.org
7028 Casn Rtawt, Omaha, NE 68132-2651
1502 No. SiSnd Street, Omaha, NE 68104-6013 56O-62H8 Bethlrirael49iiovia.net
tctmpleiHraei-nc.org I-'UIDAV: -^li ihli ii -.1 •_11• i • ' • • t
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tion will. officiate at an alternative indoor service held at Temple. Outdoor Summer Service at Zorinsky Lake, 156th & "F" St., 6 p.m. The evening begins with a bringyour-own picnic supper, followed by a worship service led by Rabbi Aryeh Azriel. Bring any sporting equipment you might like to use, A sitter will be provided for young children. SATURDAY: Bagels and Bible, 9:30-10:15 a.m.; Shabbat morning service, 10:30 a.m*. SITTER SERVICE-Sitter service will be available for Friday evening services. Cost is $2 per family. Sorry, there are no facilities for infants. There is no sitter service for Saturday morning services during July and August. Adult Education: Thursday, Aug. 10: Adult B'nai Mitzvah Class, 7-8 p.m.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE 25th and Capchart, Omaha, NE 08113-5000 294-6051 Office hours; Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-4;80 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
CHABAD HOUSE Art AOiltaU- of lhi> Worldwide ('hiibiul-Lulwvik h Movement
1H06SO 120th St., Omaha, Ni: 68144-MHti P h o n e 330-1800 E-MAJL-chabad<0nol.cum WKBSiTK: www.chubad.tiontcrvoom/nmnha Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Kafczman. FRIDAY* Kabbalat Shabbat • • SATURDAY: Services, 9i80 a.m. StMDAYs Services, 8sS0 a.m* WEEKDAYS: Minyan, 7 turn. MONDAYS Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul, 11:45 a,m.-l p.m.
a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8:30 a,m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Eabbi Howard Kutner. FRIDAY: Evening Services, 7 p.m. The west minyan will be at the home of Donald and Maggie Gerber, 426 South 126 Street, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning Services, 8:45 a.m. Kiddush is sponsored by Sisterhood; Pirkei Avos class with Rabbi Kutner, 7t40 p.m.; Miticha, 8:10 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:22 p.m, SUNDAY: Services, 9 a.m, and 8:20 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. and 8:20 p.m. MONDAY: "Who Will Put Out the Fire?" A PreTisha B'av video presentation featuring Rabbi Paysach Krohn speaking on ainas chinom, senseless hatred, 6 p.m., in the JCC social hall. TUESDAY: Class with Rabbi Shlomo Levin, 7:30 p.m, WEDNESDAY, Erev Tisha B'av: Past Begins at 8:80 p.m.,* Mincha, 8:20 p.m.; Ma'ariv, 8:55 p.m., followed by reading of Megillas Eicha (Lamentations) and Kinnoa. Rabbi's Talmud Class and the Beth Israel Board meeting ar© cancelled due to Tisha B'av. THURSDAY, Tisha B'avf Morning services, 6:80 a.m«| early Mincha, 2 p,m. Beth Israel, in conjunction with the Omaha Center for Torah Learning and JELS College of Jewish Learning will present "Piercing the Mechitzah Shel Barsselr The Iron Curtains of Arrogance, Habit and False Security," a video presentation of Rabbi Tssvi Hersh Weinreb, 4:80 p.m.; in the JCC Social Hall. Mincha, 8 p.m.; fast ends, 9:18 p,m, SEED SEED returns to Beth iHmcl Synnf<XH;iu> for tho sixth year from Aug. 15-27, with a fastiva SEED Shabbos on Aug. 18-19. SEKD oflbrs the opportunity fox community m«mbor» to Umrn Torah, Talmud, Mishna and Siddur. Contact tho synagogue office for moro information on HEED loaming opportunities and ShabboB mods.
4i80 p,m,, in the JCC social hall. The biblical book of Lamentations is traditionally recited on Tisha b'Av, along with other poetic prayers of mourning and hope. This video features Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb providing a powerful psychological reading of some of tho lamentations that have inspired and moved generations of Jews. The video will be proceeded by a brief introduction to the historical background and modern observance of Tisha b'Av and paused for discussion and reaction. "I have heard Rabbi Weinreb speak numerous times and each,time I have been extremely impressed with his intellect, eloquence and erudition," said Rabbi Howard Kutner of Beth Israel Synagogue. "He is one of the leading Rabbis in America today," he added. Rabbi Weinreb is former Chief Psychologist at
SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m., led by Steve Riekes. Members of the community arc welcome. Services are held in the Herbert Goldstein Chapel, followed by Kiddush, A memorial service is hold on the laefc Shabbat of each month, in memory of residents who have died.
CONGREGATION B'NAI JESHURAN HOUTH HTKKKT TEMPI JS
Mwnbt1!1 of tbit Union oi* Ami'ric.'in Hobrtw (JoniEWi(uiliin<t
20(il N. 20th Hi., Lincoln, NK ftHr,O'2-i!V5)7
olIiUdLnd t)y Ctnilui MlUmttl V FRIDAY: Sabbath Eve uflrvice, 7-M p.m. SATURDAY: Tornh Study, 10 ».m. WEDNESDAY: AA Meeting, 7:30 p.m., ux the library.
3013 S. 11 »th St., P.O. g a s 2411 :»0, Omaha, KE 68IJH-B130 phono; 7SR-A233
by Rabbi Shlomo Levin, Director, Omaha Center for Torah Learning
vance, Piercing the Iron Wall, on Aug. 10,
Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.5 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Services are conducted by Rabbi Paul Brazen and Cantors Emil Berkovits and G. Michael Horwitz. FRIDAY: Services, 6 p.m. SATURDAY; Services, 9$80 a.m. Kiddush following services; Devar Torah given by Amy Reynolds; Sitter service, 10 a.*n,; Humash with Rashi study session, 8 p.m.; Minha-Ma'ariv and Havdalah services, 8:80 p.m. SUNDAY: Services, 9 a.m. "Read a Chapter a Day" group, 10:15 a*m, WEEKDAYS*. Services, 6;5§ aan, and 5:30 p.m. TISHA B'AV SERVICES WEDNESDAY, Aug. 9» 8 p.m.f Diseussion"The Western Wall: Ideal or Idol," followed by services in the Chapel, THURSDAY, Aug. 10} Shaharifc, 6:55 a.m.; Mincha, 1 pan*
BEYT SHALOM
College of Jewish Learning presents video for Tisha b'Av The fast of the ninth of the Hebrew month of Av, this year Thursday, Aug. 10, marks the destruction of the first and second Temples which stood in Jerusalem, and other calamities which befell the Jewish people on that day. The College of Jewish Learning of Jewish Educational and Library Services (JELS) will present a video to give extra insight into this obser-
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the Potomac Foundation for Mental Health, and currently serves as spiritual leader at Congregation Shomrei Emunah in Baltimore. "One of the objectives of the video is to make the seemingly esoteric texts palatable to a modern audience, making it relevant to their own fears, anxieties and sense of alienation, In exploring the topic if Rabbi Akiva's martyrdom, for instance, I individualize and humanize the tragedy by focusing on Rabbi Akiva as a husband, a father, a teacher and a friend," said Rabbi Weinreb about the video. "One of the most poignant lessons of Jeremiah is that the destruction of the Temple left lasting scars on our national psyche," he added, "Just as the Holocaust shattered our national sense of security and trust and made us all victims and survivors, BO too the destruction of the Temple and the advent of exile has had a deep impact on our collective unconscious." "Tisha b'Av is a time when it is traditional to read the book of Lamentations," remarked KtcviRiekes, chairman of the College of Jowij-K Learning. "Does this have significance and meaning for fche Jews of today? "Come and learn!"
FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAYS Learners Minyan, 10 aj«j. RELIGIOUS SCHOOL: Summer Vacation. Classes resume August 20. FRIDAY, Aug. 11: Tot Shabbat, 7p.m. SATURDAY, Aug. 12: Services at the Rose Blumkin Home Chapel, 9 ».m.
TIFERE ftfcemtar of
of 3210 Sheridan Services conducted by Rabbi SUuiley M. Mhiyim, IvtaKfay and Thursday, 7:15 aitt. vices, 8 p.m. Servi<*f«, 9:80 a.m.
B'NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE ghotoei 822-4705
CoonoU Bluffs, 3A 51S03-O766 E-ftJAILi aocjob@adl.c«m
FRIDAY: S(.'ivir.<s, 7:90 p.m. Topir will ))c« "What makes Jews different?" Oneg aiid Kiddish will follow services.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 4, 2000
Last call for 80th Anniversary issue As the staff of the Jewish Press begins assembling articles and photos for the New Year's issue, we issue our 'last call' to individuals and Jewish organizations. The theme celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Jewish Press and we're covering, obviously, 80 years of history in this community. That's a pretty broad area and leaves room for recollections of events and personalities in Council Bluffs, Lincoln and outstate Nebraska. We therefore welcome any submission from our readers! Photos and original documents will be returned in October after the publication of the New Year's issue on Sept. 29. We ask that any articles be typed, single-spaced, or submitted on a disk (saved in a text format). You can also send them via e-mail to our office at: jshpress@aol.com. Photos can be hand delivered or mailed to our office at: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154, or also sent via e-mail (send each photo separately as an attached file, saved as a jpeg or tiff). Because we want to include as many Jewish organizations and synagogues or personal recollections, we are extending our deadline to Friday, Aug. 25. Please don't hesitate to call the office with your questions, 3346449 or 334-6450.
"So, nu?" you're asking, "What have you gotten so far?" Many free-lance writers are hard at work researching such topics as: the planning and building of the JCC in the mid-1970s and the Rose Blumkin Home in the 1980s, as well as stories and headlines which have affected us all: World War II and the Holocaust, the birth of the State of Israel, the opening of the gates of the former Soviet Union, and more. Articles already received include personal interviews with men and women whose names have been associated with the Jewish Federation and Centers of Excellence on the campus on 132nd Street. Several synagogues have already submitted articles, too. We've had a lot of fun browsing through old issues of the Jewish Press, smiling at hairstyles and clothing, wiping tears away recalling those who are no longer with us. We hope that staff and volunteers with other Jewish organizations and agencies will quickly look through their files and submit, at the very least, a few photos taken throughout their history. There are only three weeks to the extended deadline; take a few moments and write down your thoughts about "the best of Jewish communities."
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What Jerusalem do we mean? by Harry Allen
This past week, we read parasha Pinchas in synagogues around the world. It is one of the most difficult parshiot in the Bible--at least it is to me. Here we have a Pinchas being rewarded with permanent priesthood for his slaughter of the Midianites-a high honor accorded to a person who engaged in what today would be termed genocide. The rabbis sought to modify this by writing that the Pinchas was honored for his zealous crusade to save the Israelites from immorality~but that the actual deed was not justified. One can utterly dislike the Prime Minister but one is not justified in assassinating him-to place the Pinchas in the 21st century, In our Beit Knesset this past Shabbat Rabbi Feder used the incident of Pinchas as contrast to two other kinds of Israelite leadership in the Bible-Jeremiah and Elyah. Pinchas W&B a zealot—utterly convinced of the lightness of his beliefs. He would brook no compromise, to him everything was black or white and what he considered evil had been eradicated—no matter what the cost. Jeremiah on the other hand counseled against the Jews revolting in Babylon-Israel had sinned and the Diaspora was the penalty. Elijah was another matter. He won a great victory at Mount Carmel, but found to his utter dismay that the enemy he fought was not permanently defeated so he retreated to the desert to pray and seek guidance-what Was the correct middle path. Elijah was no longer so certain of his views. Today, we Jews, whether in Israel in the eye of the storm or in the Diaspora as passionate observers, must also find ourselves confronted with the three types of responses to which the rabbi so eloquently referred.
As our prime minister struggles with the issues of peace or war at Camp David, will we be the zealots either on the left or the right who are utterly convinced we are correct and use whatever means we can to insure that "our side" prevails? Are we followers of Jeremiah who counsels extreme moderation? Or are we like Elijah? Not completely sure of where we stand—but searching our hearts and minds for the correct answer. As we think of Jerusalem, and we recite "If I forget thee O Jerusalem," what Jerusalem do we mean? Do we say "If I forget thee Abu Dis or Shuafaf? The Prime Minister has been laboring mightily to negotiate a middle road. Is he right? What I do know is that he is in a better place than I am to judge. As we move into a totally new era in the life of Israel and the Jewish people, all of us must be very careful not to demonize those with whom we disagree. Whether Ehud Barak returns to Israel with an agreement or without an agreement, we face very difficult times. Internally, passions will be very high over compromises over Jerusalem. As to the Palestinians, we can expect a violent reaction almost either way. The greater concerns will arise over the declaration of a Palestinian state on Sept. 13. Should that occur without an agreement, Israel will, no doubt, annex parts of the West Bank and may even reclaim those ares that have already been transferred to the Palestinians. We might be on the brink of bitter confrontations. We hope that these can be limited to those of our enemies and not between those of us who are Jews. We so desperately need the soul searching of Elijah in the desert rather than the zealotry of Pinchas or the acceptance of Jeremiah.
THE JEWISH PRESS (Founded in 1920)
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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. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is Thursday, noon, eight days prior to publication. Bl, e n J e ™ s : h \ : P r e s s ( U S P S 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $28 per calendar year IIH • $32 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Telepho uma. Telephone: 402-334-6448; FAX: 402-334-5422; E-mail: <jshpress@aol.<:om>
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News Analysis
U.S. Congress warns Palestinians by Sharon Samber
WASHINGTON (JTA) - If Yasser Arafat unilaterally declares a Palestinian state, the U.S. Congress will have something to say about it. Lawmakers introduced legislation last week that would block all U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority if Arafat follows up on his promise to declare statehood on Sept. 13. The congressional move came just one day after the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians collapsed after 15 days of negotiations at Camp David. The trilateral agreement that came out of the summit stipulated that both parties should refrain from unilateral acts. In addition to blocking the annual aid of $100 million that goes to the Palestinians, the bill, the Middle East Peace Process Support Act, would preclude the use of any funds to extend American recognition of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state, including money for diplomatic personnel or to establish an embassy. It also calls on the United States to oppose admission or recognition of any such state to the United Nations. The bipartisan legislation is intended as "a warning" to Arafat, said Rep. Jerrold Nadler CDNY), who co-sponsored the bill in the House of Representatives with Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY). Similar legislation was expected to be introduced in the Senate. Currently, Palestinians receive approximately $100 million in U.S. aid annually through programs administered by non-governmental organizations monitored by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Two pro-Israel groups, the AIPAC and the Israel Policy Forum, lauded the congressional action. JEWISH PRESS COMMITTEE Fred Tichauer, Vice-Chairman; Joanie Jaeobson, Secretary; Howard Silber, Treasurer; Elyce Azriol; Jill Belinont; Jean Duitch; Penny Endelman; Kip Gorthmur, Gary Kudynv, Howard K. Marcus; Linda Saltzman; Steve Simon; Auiue Zetzman; George Schapiro (Honorary Committee Member). Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Vtv.ua Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish Community a.s a wholo. The Jewish Vrom reserves the ritfht to edit letters and articles for apace and content. The fJewinh Press ia not responsible for the Kashruth of any product or establishment.
August 4, 2000
Behind the Headlines
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 5
Setting the record straight by Prof. Gerald M, Steinberg
Many media reports on the Camp David negotia- access to Jewish Jerusalem. tions and the question of Jerusalem contain fundaArticle VIII of the Israel-Jordan Armistice mental inaccuracies on the recent history of Agreement, signed on April 3, 1949, called for the Jerusalem. Media reports on East Jerusalem noted establishment of a Special Committee, "composed that this area was captured by Israel from Jordan of two representatives of each Party, for the purduring the 1967 war, without reference to the sta- pose of formulating agreed plans" including "free tus of this city between 1948 and 1967. access to the Holy Places and cultural institutions For example, according to the New York Times, and use of the cemetery on the Mount of Olives," ("Camp David Talks at Crucial Point," July 24, As a result, Israeli press reports noted, "There is a 2000), "the Israelis pushed the Jordanians out of good chance that roads to the Holy Places will be East Jerusalem in 1967." These continuing impact opened so that Jews may be able to go to the Wailing of the 1948-1967 period is central to understanding Wall this Passover. The problem of access to the Holy the nature of the Israeli debate and policy, and Places has been left to the local military authorities explains the public opinion polls showing the likely to arrange, and there seems to be enough goodwill on rejection of agreements that re-divide this city or both sides to make this possible." are based on shared sovereignty. The following This did not take place, and these clauses of the short summary is designed to set the record Armistice Agreement were never honored. straight. Promises continued to be made, and Glubb Pasha The 1948 War and the Capture (the British commander of the Arab Legion) of the Jewish Quarter pledged that "Jerusalem's Arab and Jewish populaJewish Jerusalem was a primary target of the tions would be two separate cities 'with free trade attack following the departure of the British forces and exchange between each other.' The Arabs and the Israeli Declaration of Independence on would be perfectly willing to allow the Jews to have access to their shrines, notably the Wailing Wall, May 15 1948. Between the fighting that began following the now inside the Arab-held Old City." U.N. Partition Resolution on November 27 i947, Although there were numerous discussions of Arab forces had blocked the access road from Tel this issue, and Israeli complaints, the Jordanians Aviv to Jerusalem, and numerous Israeli efforts to refused to honor the agreement, and th« U.N. did end this blockade failed, with significant casualties. not pass any resolutions apuinst this treatment of As a result, there were few reinforeomonfrs. and Jewish religious institutions. In 1954, tlu» head of the British delegationtothe on May 28, the Arab Legion completed the capture of the Jewish Quartet* of the Old City, which was World Congress asked General Vagn Bennike, U.N. the site of numerous ancient synagogues and the Chief of Staff, to convey a request to permit a small Western Wall of the Temple, destroyed by the group composed primarily of American and British Romans in the year 70 C.E. (These were and citizens'"to cross into the Old Cityfcooffer prayers at the Western (Wailing) Wall." remain the holiest sites in the Jewish religion,) The Legion's commander, Abdallah el-Tal, Similar requests were addressed to American offirecalled that "the operations of calculated destruc- cials. In response to one such request, Assistant tion were set in motion. Only four days after our U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Byroade cited the entry into Jerusalem the Jewish Quarter had "unfortunate tension" between Israel and Jordan, a become a graveyard." (Abdallah el-Tal, Disaster of "practical arrangement cannot be worked out." Palmtine, Cairo 1959) In I960, Mnj.-Gen, E. L. U. Buma, CuMof Stafit. The Jews that survived surrendered and were of the U.N. Truce Supervision 'Organization, was forced to leave their homes. also asked to raise the issue of Article ¥111 violations.and free access to the Western Wall in the The systematic desecration Old City of Jerusalem with the Jordanians and of the Jewish holy places After the Jewish Quarter was captured, the their British mentors. The United Nations was of destruction, desecration and systematic looting of no assistance in this issue, and ignored the disJewish sites continued. Fifty-seven ancient syna- crimination and violations'of the Armistice gogues, libraries and centers of religious study were Agreement. ransacked and 12 were totally and deliberately Although debates on the now defunct internationdestroyed. Those that remained standing were alization of'Jerusalem continued, there was no defaced, used for housing of both, people and animals, mention of the inaccessibility of Jewish holy sites. Appeals were made to the United Nations and in The Vatican also ignored requests to intervene in the international community to declare the Old order to allow Jews to visit their religious sites. City to be an 'open city' and stop this destruction, In presentations before U.N. bodies, Abba Eban but there was no response. This condition contin- pointed out that although the Christian and ued until Jordan lost control of Jerusalem in June Moslem Holy Places were freely accessible to 1967. (Terence Prittie, Whose Jerusalem? Frederick Moslem and Christian worshippers, "the Wailing Muller Limited London 1981; Peter Schneider and Wall, the most hallowed sanctuary of Judaism and Geoffrey Wigoder, Jerusalem Perspectives 1976.) the most ancient shrine in the entire city is barred In addition, thousands of tombstones from the to all access by worshippers despite solemn agreeancient cemetery on the Mount of Olives were used ments and undertakings." as paving stones for roads and as construction In the Knesset, Israeli political leaders decried material in Jordanian army camps. the fact, that "this abomination had not shocked the After the 1967 war, Israelis who visited the ceme- world, which was so steeped in materialism that tery on Mount of Olives and aaw the desecrated there would soon be no room left for the very congraves and smashed gravestones noted "that cept of holiness." Jordanian soldiers and local residents had helped On occasion, Jews were caught and detained whoa themselves to the atones to use ua building materi- they attempted to cross the cease-fire lino that dividals." Graves were broken into pieces or used an ed the city, in order to pray at tlu1 Western Wall. flagstones, steps, or building materials; graves Every year, on Tislm b'Av, the High Holidays, were found open with the bones scattered. and during the three pilgrimage holidays, Lli<> Parts of the cemetery were converted into park- Israeli press, as well as political and roligious lead ing lots, a filling station, and an asphalt road was era, recalled the fact that Article 8 of the AniUKl.icc built to cut through it. The Intercontinental Hotel Agreement was systematically violated, and urged the Israeli government "to show more activity in was built at the top of the cemetery. this matter," Sadar Khalil, appointed by the Jordanian governPeriodically, public groups renewed the appeal to ment as the official caretaker of the cemetery, built his home on the grounds using the stones robbed the U.N., the U.S., and the "great powers" to interfrom graves to build it. In 1967, the press pub- vene and force Jordan to honor (he commitments of lished extensive photos in which Jewish grave- Article 8, and end its refusal to allow religious stones were found in Jordanian army camps, such JmvH access to the Wailing Wall, "the caoal holy as El Azariya, as woll us in Palestinian walkways, relic recognized by the Jewish rolif.ioii " steps, and pavement. 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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE August 4, 2000
Children and the Holocaust
In the News
by Oliver Pollak
Tech High School will hoat a 1936 Class Reunion on Aug. 11, and a luncheon on Aug. 12 at the Charter House at Regency Best Western Hotel. For information, call 571-3486. Audrey Boguchwal, daughter of Dr. Lawrence and Freda Boguchwal of Poundridge, NY, won first-plac<; honors in the health division of tho annual Manhattanville Science Competition at Manhattanvillc College in Purchase, NY. She also won the office of naval research award. Boguchwal researched the possibility of finding and using a blood substitute for treatment of victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. She is spending the summer as an intern at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. Her Bausch and Lomb science medal matches the one her father won while a senior at Central High School in Omaha. She is the granddaughter of Dorothy Weiner of Portchester, NY, and the late Louis Weiner, and Eve and Morris Boguchwal of Omaha. Aaron Passer, son of Jeffrey and Sandra Passer, won first place in the American History Essay Contest, sponsored by the Omaha Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. The assigned topic was "An Obituary for George Washington: 1732-1799." He also placed first at the state level and went on to win the North Central Division contest, which included 4,680 entries. His essay was one of nine entries submitted to the National Daughters of the American Revolution Continental Gongress held in Washington, D,C, Aaron will be a sixth grader at Brownell Talbot and is a member of Temple Israel.
Hide, A Child's View of the Holocaust by Naomi Samson (University of Nebraska Press) From a World Apart, A Little Girl in a Concentration Camp by Francine Christophe (University of Nebraska Press) $15 Dora Bruder by Patrick Modiano (University of California Press)
Paul Cohen, left, new president of the Rotary Club of Omaha, accepted the gavel from outgoing president Rev. Lloyd Gnirk. Chartered in 1911, the Rotary Club of Omaha is the 37th club of thousands worldwide. Cohen is administrator of the Omaha/Douglas County Public Building Commission. Jennifer Lee, daughter of Sheryl and David Lee, played violin for the Ralston Community Theater presentation of The Music Man last month. This is the second summer she has played in the orchestra for a Ralston musical production. NCCJ, the National Conference of Community and Justice, and Alegent Health announced the Walk as One annual event on Sunday, Sept, 10, starting at Heartland of America Park. The walk celebrates diversity and raises funds for area NCCJ youth programs. More than 800 walkers participated last year. For more information about sponsorship or to register for the event, contact Patty Sherman at NCCJ, 391-4460.
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The subject of children and the Holocaust is fraught with controversy as the recent embarrassment of Benjamin Wilkomirski's Fragments (1996) demonstrates. We are sometimes trusting and gullible reading victims not knowing what was fiction, autobiographical and truth. I reviewed Fragments in this newspaper and I described it as "blurred and tinged with incredulity," though I had no evidence that it was a fabrication. Pour years later it is regarded as a fraud, to the chagrin of its respected publisher, Shocken. Relying on the memory of children or adults is at least one step removed from tangible documentary evidence. An adult retelling a childhood memory from several decades earlier has the potential to add confusion, telescoping, personalizing, conflating, corrupting, falsifying, and introducing various vagaries of memory. The importance of children in the Shoah was recognized by the AntiDefamation League which, in 1991, sponsored the first conference on the Hidden Child; what we need is a truth-telling test to distinguish valid accounts from the spurious. Thus, it is with some trepidation that I bring these three books to your attention. An important element attesting to the validity is that publishers and editors are now alerted to the possibility of fraudulent accounts masquerading as truth, and these three books come from academic university publishing houses. Naomi Samson's Hide starts with life in Goray, Poland, which was brutally disrupted in 1942, when, at the age of nine, Naomi went on the run with her family to avoid the. German Nazis and the Polish collaborators. She ran from place to place, hiding in barns and attics, scrambling for food and watching others fall by the waysideNaomi lives in Baltimore. From a World Apart, translated from French, is about one family among France's 326,000 Jews, 75,000
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of whom did not survive. Francine composed this book in six weeks during 1967. The story starts in 1939 when Francine is six years old. Her father is called up to serve in the French army against the Germans. Francine and her mother go to several camps including Drancy and Bergen-Belsen. She reports hallucinatory nightmarish scenes of stinking carriages covered in excrement, and the camps; this is "another world." The translation is clear and matter of fact, punctuated by poignant moralisms, such as, "Mother, do those who persecute little children like this kiss their own children at bedtime with a loving smile?" Francine lives in Rocquencourt, France. Dora Gruber is the best study and the worst ending of these three accounts. The subject of the book, a young girl named Dora, does not survive. Patrick Modiano is a French Jewish writer who has already written over 15 novels. Dora Bruder is a factual investigation of an advertisement appearing in the New Year's Eve 1941 edition of Paris Sotr— "Missing, a young girl, age 15," For 10 years, starting in 1978 when Modiano was struck by Serge Klarsfeld's Memorial of the Deportation of French Jews, he collected fragments from Dora's past. Modiano checks addresses, French school and police records, and German concentration camp records. He traces this hidden child, who runs away from a Catholic boarding school, as well as the troubles of her mother and father, down to the bitter end, annihilation in September, 1942, at Auschwitz. Modiano's tireless research reminded him of his own unpleasant relationship with his father. All three books contain several family photographs. These books should be in the Dorothy and Myer Kripke Jewish Federation Library.
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August 4, 2000
Ophir Palmon has photography exhibit in JCC Gallery
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 7
Organisations Y.E.S. Members will meet Monday in the auditorium of the JCC. Exercise starts at 10:15 am. in the auditorium; or try your hick at bingo with Eileen Remer, also at 10sl5 a.nu. Bring articles to share for the "YES Talk" discussion group at 11 a.in.. Following lunch at noon, Janet Herman and Darlene Golbitz will speak on the Eden Project at the Rose Blumkin Home. For transportation, call 330-4272. Make reservations with Maggie Conti at 3346521 for the Hot Dog Lunch and Game Day on Aug. 17; WinnaVegas Casino on Aug. 24; and Platte River State Park and Safari Park on Aug. 81. Deadline for reservations with payment is due one week prior to departure.
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WALK-IN, DROP-IN There will be no meeting Thursday due to Tisha b'Av.
Hoily Lijn)s, an (.'xi'mse in abstract, and other works, has opened in the Gallery of the Jewish Community Center. A photography exhibition by Omaha artist Ophir Palmon, the show displays a collection of abstract images that present a new look at the human body. These images explore the perception of geometric shapes, and were created using a technique developed by Palmon. The Body Line images lead the viewer in a challenge of visual exploration, according to the photographer. The show will run through Sept. 30. For more information, call Steve Bauer at the JCC at 3846401, or Palmon at Artistic Visions, 597-842.
MIS Society opens website People with mutiple'sclerosis can log onto the Internet each month for a new informative program. The MS Society will host a program with a different topic on the third Thursday of each month. The next program is on Aug. 17, 7s8O-0 p.m, (central time) featuring Dr. Andrew Goodman, Professor of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. He will apeak on "When MS progresses." The website is located at: www.iirass.org, under the "Education Topics" located on the website's front page. Free audio software can be downloaded from the site and a written transcript will appear on the site after the program.
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VISIONS R e m i n d e r : Picnic Mixer—Visions and 39 Forever, on Sunday, Aug. 6, from 12s80-4 p.nt.» at Chttlco Hills Recreation Area. Ride the trolley and tour Omaha's Historical Old Market and Downtown on Wednesday, Sept, 6, at 6s80 p.m. We will depart and meet at the Omaha History Center and Coffee Lounge, 512 S. 18th St. After the tour, come back to the center for dessert and refreshments; a pianist will play Big Band musical favorites. Cost of $16 per person includes trolley ride with stop-on guide, dessert with coffee, tea or pop, live musical entertainment and tax and gratuity. Send reservation form to Marilyn Pried, 2H21 S, 76th Ava, Omaha, NB 68124. Make check payable to Jewish Senior Services. Space is limited, BWAI B'RITH BR1ABBREAKERS Howard Shrier, general manager at KPTM Fox 42, will speak at B'nai B'rith Breadbreakf.rs on Wednesday, according to Gary Javitch. Shrier will diacusB the transition to digitui tjxpandtsd tuVwavow. Breadbreakers meets every Wednesday at noon at McGwire's Irish Pub, 100th and Paciflc. Tho program, is open to the community; cost is $0,
Births Chris and Jenina Stewart of Omaha announce the July 18 birth of their son, Aiden Christopher. Grandparents are Jerry Sadoftky, Connie and Tony Jones, Sue and Darreli Furrow, and Tom Stewart, all of Omaha. Great-grandparenta are Sehna Sadoftky of Omaha,'Joseph and Bonnie Daram of Lincoln, Bonnie Kolb of Valley, and Don and Hetty Rutherford of Council Bluffs. Sydney and Andrew Lewis of Atlanta. GA, announce the May 15 birth of their son, Abraham Rubin.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 4, 2000
Paintings iSiusfrate new calendar SANTA BARBARA, CA--Striking paintings of Jewish celebrations, holy days and rituals by Joan Landis illustrate the remarkable new 16-month calendar produced by Pomegranate Communications, Inc., of Rohnert Park, C A The calendar covers a 16-month period, starting with September, 2000, Elul 5760-Tishri 5761, and concluding with December, 2001, Kislev-Tevet 5762. Jewish Celebrations will be available by August 1 in Barnes and Noble, Border's and Amazon.com. On October 6, Westmont College's Reynold's Gallery will give Joan a one woman exhibition of all her Jewish series paintings. Westmont College (a Christian Institute) is located about 10 miles from Santa Barbara in Montecito, CA.
July 2001, Tammuz-Av 5761; Wedding.
Read It and Eat
Great Adventures in Food by Ellen Haas (St. Martin's Press, $25) review by Lois Friedman
What do you have when the former Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, who updated and improved the nutritional standards and tastes of the school lunch program for the first time in 50 years, became a key force in nutritional labels and is a passionate advocate for family and healthy eating writes a book? A terrific cookbook, idea and resource book, a guide to think creatively and use your imagination emphasizing the importance of celebrating food at the grocery, the kitchen and as part of family meals tradition. All this plus everything is Organized (with a capital O). Not only is a book full of information at your fingertips but the recipes contributed by 20 of America's Top (with a capital T) chefs are listed under their names in the index. The additional 80 recipes were created with Bonnie Moore, a former sous-chef at The Inn at Little Washington. The sidebars throughout the book (and listed in the index) offer helpful information, quick ideas, useful tips on nutrition, healthy time savers, tips and trivia, safekeeping and family fun. Part 1, Fresh Choices at the Market, is filled with guides to seasonal fruits and veggies, rice, pasta, grains, herbs and spices. Where-to-Watch-out and What-to-Look-For while stocking your pantry on grocery shopping trips offer an array of helpful suggestions and usable nutrition information. And let your love and caring shine through making mealtime family time and family time fun time. In case you need a buddy in the kitchen, the helpful style of writing, including the introduction to each recipe, is like having a staff of 20 great chefs, the USDA and mom all at your side.
August 2001, Av-Elul 5761; Bar/Bat Mitzvah. PLEASE... TELL OUR ADVERTISERS YOU SAW IT IN THE JEWISH PRESS
Which brings u s to P a r t 2, t h e recipes. Breakfasts, soup-salads, dinners and dessertsfrom apples to ziti. Well-written recipes include preparation and baking times, easy-to-follow numerical instructions. Safekeeping advice and twists are added features for additional help. The last chapter on family fun begins, "Sitting down at the table to share a meal is a celebration of the oldest rite of humanity." So, this book is all about Food and Family (with a capital F) and cooking and health and celebrating and preserving traditions and creating new ones and is as soothing as My Mother's Chicken Soup. MY MOTHER'S CHICKEN SOUP Making chicken soup is a ritual in our family that has been passed down for generations. Every' time I take out the big soup pot and begin, I think of all the love that my mother and grandmother brought to the kitchen. The secret, my mother says, is to cook the chicken until it falls off the bone and to make sure that you use lots of celery leaves to give it a fresh taste. For the best flavor don't forget the dill and parsley at the end. Makes about 2 quarts. Preparation time: 10 minutes; Cooking time: 2l/2 hours 1 raw chicken, 3 to 4 pounds 2 carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces 2 onions, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces 3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces 2 parsnips, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces Freshly ground black pepper, to taste Salt to taste 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley Place the chicken, carrots, onions, celery, parsnips and pepper in a stockpot large enough to hold everything easily. Season lightly with salt. Caver with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat Lower the heat and shim off any foam or fat that rises to the surface. Simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender, at least 2 hours. Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool for a few minutes. Remove the meat from the bones, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, and return to the pot Discard the bones. Add the dill and parsley, and simmer 30 minutes more. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. For safekeeping: Cool the soup. Refrigerate up to S days or freeze for longer storage. Per serving; about 191 calories, 27 calories from fat, 26 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total fat, 3 grams fiber, 181 milligrams sodium.
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the Jewish World Jews in GOP out to prove they're not a contradiction by Lisa Hostein
PHILADELPHIA (JTA)~Clifford May, Director of• Communications for the Republican National Committee, jokes that there is a common bond between being Jewish and being Republican: Both are hard to explain to the outside world. The hundreds of Jewish delegates and supporters gathered for this week's convention are well aware they represent a minority in the political fabric of American Jewry. But despite their minority status, they are passionate advocates of a party they believe best serves the interests of their families, their community and their country. "If you don't have a prejudice," against the Republican Party and "you're listening and looking, you'll find a strong awareness of Jewish concerns within the party," says Cheryl Halpern, national chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, which hosted a series of conventionrelated events this week. Fully three separate Jewish-sponsored events on Sunday preceded the convention's Monday night opening, though at least one of those events—si community celebration co-sponsored by the United Jewish Communities and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee—featured arguably as many non- Jews and Democrats active in the Jewish community as there were Jewish Republicans. While most Republican Jews foater no Illusions that the 2000 presidential race between Texas Gov. George W, Bush and Vice-president Al Gore will deviate from that tradition, many express optimism that shifts in the Jewish and political landscape bode well for a future link between Jews and the Republican Party. And some suggest that that link already has appeared in state and local races, where Jews have thrown their support in recent years behind, for example, Republican mayoral candidates in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. They also believe that Bush, with his slogan of "compassionate conservatism," can speak to American Jews in ways that tine old, harsher mes~ sage of the Republican Party often didn't. "The word Republican still tends to scare the hell out of American Jews," said Murray Friedman, a historian and the mid-Atlantic regional director of the American Jewish Committee, which also hosted several events on the sidelines of the'convention. The word conservatism, in contrast, rolls a little easier off the tongue, Friedman said, speaking at a pre-convention forum sponsored by the AJCommittee on "The Republican Party and the Jewish Community." Summarizing a case he made in a recent article in Commentary magazine, "Are Jews Moving to the Right?" Friedman said the idea of "compassionate conservatism" can be very attractive to Jews. Still, Freidman said, Jews are largely put off by the Christian right, and the issues such as abortion and school prayer, on which they seek to influence the Republican Party. To the degree that evangelical loaders Put; Robertson and Jerry Falwoll are seen as "part of the arsenal of Republican ideas and supporters," Friedman said, "Jews will have difficulty making a final move to the right." Indeed, many Jewish delegates at the convention sought to distance themselves from some of the social issues espoused by the party platform. Several said they did not believe that Bush was seeking to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme. Court decision that legalized abortion and they took him at his word that the abortion issue would not be a litmus test for any potential appointee to the U.S. Supreme Court. Acknowledging that Bush is unlikely to garner more than a quarter of the Jewish vote, if that, some say that the Jewish voic«s in the Republican Party, and the Jewish money, in the end is motv important than Jewish votes.
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JTA News briefs * Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak survived a no-confidence vote in the Knesset. Legislators voted 60-50 with eight abstentions, which fell short of the 61 votes needed in the 120-member Knesset to topple the government. Some Knesset members did not attend the session. • The new Israeli President, elected this week by the Knesset in an upset vote over former Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres, is Moshe Katsav. Katsav replaces Ezer Weizmann, who resigned in disgrace after it was disclosed he had used the office to make financial gains. Born in Iran in 1945, Katsav came to Israel with his parents in 1951. The eldest of eight children, he grew up in the new immigrant tent camp (and later development town) of Kiryat Malachi. He graduated from the Ben-Shemen Agricultural School and Beer Tuvia. Following Israeli military service, he received a degree in economics and history from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Kafcsav served as president of Young B'nai B'rith in Kiryat Malachi and wrote for the Yediot Achronot newspaper. First elected Mayor of Kiryat Malachi in 1969 as a 24-year-old student, he was Israel's youngest mayor, He served as mayor of Kiryat Malachi also from 1074-81. In 1977-81, he was a member of the Knesset Committee on Interior Affairs and the Environment, and the Committee on Education and Culture, Katsav later served as deputy minister of housing and construction (1981-84), minister of labor and social affairs (1984-88) and minister of transportation (1988-92). Katsav served as minister of tourism and deputy prime minister from June 1906-JuIy 1999. He also served as minister in charge of Israeli Arab nffVurH. He was re-elected to the 16th Knesset in May, 1909, and has been a member of Knesset since 1977. H© is married and has five children. (Editor's note; Katsav visited Omaha several years ago for an opening of an exhibit at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, The exhibit showcased, finds at the Bethaaida vxcavatiotus.) • The United States lashed out at Hezbollah after the fundamentalist group threatened to destroy the U.S. embassy in Israel and kill its diplomats if the mission was moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. w We find these types of threats to bo outrageous. Certainly it demonstrates Hezbollah's continuing support for terrorism," said State Department spokesman Philip Reeker. "Such violent threats deserve the condemnation of the entire international community." • Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Sept. 13 date for declaring a Palestinian state still stands. He made the comment in Jerusalem, where he met Monday with the director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Eitan Ben-Tsur, to sign an agreement extending the length of time foreign observers stay in Hebron. • Israel's air force is considering privatizing its flight school to save money. The Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported that the air force commander in anticipating smaller defense budgets if thorn i.s a peace accord. • A Conservative synagogue in Pittsburgh is suing one of its members for failing to fulfill a $26,000 pledge made six years ago. The Troe of Life synagogue sued 70-year-old Vincent Nathan DiGiambattista who said he was uiiiiblo U> pay the pledge because he was helping a bankrupt friend for paying only $900, accord inf. to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. • U.S. tourism to lsnn>] is expected to increase by 25 pem>nt in I'.Onn, uccbrdinj; to an Israeli lonriHin official. Kimie i, 15,000 taumits traveled So the Jewish Klaf.f from Ib* United Sl,;il<\<s in \UV<).
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August 4, 2000
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the same labor camp in Poland. K&rpati was still Tell your children of it, full of bravado and threatened to kill any German And let your children tell their children, who touched him. My father, begged him to control And their children another generation. his temper, fearing that the Germans would punish Joel 1:3 Sunshine, written and directed by Istvan Szabo, all of them for Karpati's actions. His warnings did is a film about five generations of a Jewish family no good. My father remembers they were at a small bridge in Hungary. It spans the time from the mid 1800s to the early 1960s, mostly focusing on the 20th cen- spanning a shallow stream when a German guard, walking along the line of the working men, casually tury part of that period. Watching Sunshine, I often had the eerie sensa- nudged Karpati with his gun stock. "Schnell! tion that I was looking at old home movies made by Schnell!" (Paster, faster.) Karpati whirled around, twisted the rifle out of a distant relative. I was born in Budapest after WWII and my family and I left Hungary shortly the soldier's hands, broke it over his knee, -grabbed after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, when I was the astonished man and threw him over the bridge into the stream below. My father and the rest of eight years old. Ivan Sors, the narrative voice of Sunshine and, at the approximately 100 Jews in the work detail the end of the movie, the only survivor of the five immediately began chanting the Shema, "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the generations, is a man born about 20 years before I Lord is One," the traditional was. Ivan, who survived the labor camps as a prayer of devout Jews when teenager, had been forced to watch his father die a certain death is at hand. horrific death there. Miraculously, nothing hapIvan and I have much in common, pened. Perhaps, despite Nazi prothough—thank God—not that. Of paganda about the physical inferiority of course, my family didn't Jews, the officer in charge at the scene was show up in any of the impressed with Karpati's skill and strength; possifootage, but I still recognized bly he was awed at having an Olympic champion in many places, people, stories his unit. and situations. There was the fleeting image of Ivan's grandparIn the movie, after he wins the gold medal in ents, as toddlers being toilet trained on small 1936, Adam is offered the option, by an official with chamber pots (bill in Hungarian) in the living room the U.S. fencing team, of leaving Hungary and comof their home-exactly the same technique my par- ing to America. Both my parents were offered that ents used with me, And I felt a surge of delight same option, but only after the war, after they were when I saw the brief scene in the breathtakingly liberated, my mother from Ravensbruck, my father beautiful Dohany Templo in Budapest where Ivan's from a labor camp in Poland. grandparents were married, and where, when I They refused. For the same reasons that Adam was a little child, I went many a Friday night and gives in the movie-family, and love of their homeSaturday morning to listen to my father lead the land. Shabbos services as cantor. After Adam is killed in the camps, his son, Ivan, Even when the lives of the characters in the returns to Budapest-to find that almost all of his movie, and my family's circumstances, were differ- relatives have been killed, that the sole survivor, ent, I noticed sad parallels. his grandmother, is now forced to share the family In the movie, Adam's father changed his family home with strangers. My mother, too, returned to name, Sonnenschein, meaning sunshine, to the find strangers occupying her apartment and more Hungarian Sors, meaning fate or destiny, in learned that her fiance and her only brother were order to move up in his profession. dead. My father found Russian soldiers stabling My grandfather and father were never tempted to their horses in his house, and discovered that he change their names to something less Jewish. My had lost both his parents, his only brother, three grandfather was a peddler and my father a cantor. sisters, two nephews, and his wife and their three A more Hungarian name would not have advanced children. either of their careers. Nor, as it turned out, would The final resonance between the movie and my it have changed their fate, as is evidenced by what life relates to the Hungarian Revolution in happened to the Sors family. November of 1956. In the movie, Ivan finally steps There were scenes in the movie that were out of his blind allegiance to the corrupt painfully familiar. No, unlike Adam, Ivan's father, Communist government and sides with the I was never threatened and humiliated at the point Revolutionaries, a stance that lands him in prison of a sword by one of my classmates, But, even as a after the Revolution is brutally put down. small child I was never allowed to forget that, as a I was only seven years old when the Revolution Jew, I was not welcome in Hungary. broke out. My brother and our friends staged mock I recall that just months before our family emi- battles with toy guns and make-believe Molotov grated, a man walked into our second grade class- cocktails in the courtyard of our apartment buildroom and, pointing to my twin brother and me, said ing. Our fiercest fights though were when we chose with a sneer, "Who are those two little monkeys sides. Who would play the Russian Army and who with the beanies?" He was a minor Communist offi- the Hungarian students, and other freedom fightcial and this was his disdainful name for our ers? No one wanted to be the Ruszkiez. yarmulkes. My parents didn't choose sides. They finally withAs I listened to Ivan recount how his uncle, along drew from the deadly game that they had been with countless others, was shot on the bank of the forced to play all their lives, the game known as, Danube in Budapest, his body left to float in the "Can Jews survive in Hungary?" They exchanged river, I remembered my uncle Peri, my father's only their furnished apartment for an exit visa. And we brother, suffering the same fate. began new lives. When I. watched Adam beaten, tortured and When I walked out of the movie theater after it killed in a forced labor camp for maintaining that ended, it was late at night. I walked the well-lit he was an Olympic champion, rather than a Jew, I streets of my small mid-western city and felt safe. remembered the stories my father told of another But, I could not help but be aware that there are Olympic champion, Karpdti Kfiroly, who won a gold many people in this country, and all over the world, medal in wrestling at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. who feel as unwelcome, as threatened, in their How Karpati, (who, like Adam's father, changed his homelands as my family did in Hungary. Jewish sounding name, Klein, to the more When I got home, I couldn't sleep for a long time. Hungarian, Karpati) once saved my father from, at I reflected how, for most of my life, I've not had to the very least, a severe beating, and possibly death, endure the hatred of others toward me, for simply when he single-handedly routed an anti-Semitic being born Jewish. I felt lucky and grateful not to mob intent on attacking Jews walking home from have been forced to live through wrenching choices the synagogue. and tragedies, like the charactera in Sunshine-and Years later, my father and K&rpati wound up in my parents and grandparents.
August 4,2000
Are Jewish teens immoral today?
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 11
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Dear Readers; People constantly contact me to ask about the er, would argue that it was right. The same is true relevance of Judaism to modern life. This week, I for slavery in America 235years ago. received a letter from a teacher that addresses this Are my students morally defective? Absolutely not. question in such a compelling and disturbing way They care deeply about right and wrong, and they'd that I decided to add little comment to allow room be rightly insulted by any who would suggest otherfor his words..,. wise. The problem is, the world out there is not giving Dear Gii: them - indeed, it probably cannot give them - the / teach the ninth grade course on Jewish Ethics tools they need to make meaningful moral distinctions. They are well-versed on what is legal and and Values at my synagogue. We live in interesting times, ethically speaking. what is scientifically possible and what is fashionJust look at the newspaper. On any given clay, there able, but standards of morality seem to be falling are stories about cloning, abortion, debates over the through the cracks. Those, standards can only come right to die, atrocities in Rwanda and Kosovo, from the home, and their religious heritage. I'm hanky-panky in the White House, etc. The world is talking about teaching our children that there are getting more and more complicated. How do we ethical dimensions to everyday life that law and decide what's right and what'.s wrong? How do we custom can 't address. help our children hero/tie moral individuals;! When my class discussion moved from (juextians These tire not idle (jucstions. My Sunday School of laIO to questions of personal accountability and students and I have been talking about stories that integrity, the students began in see both of the cases have been in the news recently. above in a different light. I reminded them that colOne concerned a Virginia man who turned him lege applications ask about things like community self into the authorities for a crime he had commit service and the like because they want ti> know ted li) years ago. It seems that he had discovered sinncthing of an applicant's rhtiructcr. (Sail in that time. After discussing the matter with Didn't the bystander's refusal to intervene say his wife, he decided he couldn't, in good conscience, something about his character? Then. 1 quoted from provide spiritual council to others, including his the. Talmud, where it says that a permit who can own children, knowing that he was living a- lie him- prevent another from sinning but does not, shares self. in the sins of that person. Which society would they rather Hue in, t asked, I asked my class whether this man did. the right thing in turning himself in. More, than half said no. one in which decisions about whether to help people The man would have, done hatter devoting himself in distress are judged on what is or isn't legal, or to good works, they said; nothing would be accom- one in which people are simply expected to help? plished, hy owning up to what he did. Indeed, the This time the answer was unanimous. A prosecutor in charge, of the case has said he in wrestling with the very same issues. The parents of Dear <•J: the young woman the man murdered, howcuer, .seeYour students, indeed all of ua, are lucky you are no ambiguity in the mutter. thoir teacher, DOOR Judaism have anything to offur Another case concerned a. teenager, a student at a modern person living in a modern world? Your Berkeley, who idly stood by and watched as a friend classes and teachings answer that question with u abused and murdered a 7-year-old girl. (The details loud and resounding, "Yos!w So are Jewish teens immoral today? are actually much more grizzly than I make it sound.) I'd like to offer fchiB quoHtion lo my rouders. The parents of the dead child ham demanded What say you readers? E-mail in your cotumenta that the student he expelled from the university. to Deax'GiK&aoLcom and pleuao let mo know how University officials said that reprehensible as the old you are. I hope to follow up with a column conyoung man's inaction might have been, he broke no taining your comments (anonymously of course.) Thank you! laws and thus there are no grounds for expulsion. I asked my class what they thought. Again, half Oil Mann is the author ofi How to Get More said the boy should not be removed from the school. He should have intervened, they said, but he did Out of Being Jewish Even If: A. You are not not break the law. He earned his place at the uni- sure you believe in God, B. You think going versity by his good grades, they said, and he should to synagogue is a waste of time, C You think keeping kosher is stupid, D. You hated thus be permitted to stay. The class discussions were much more complicat- Hebrew School, or SL All of the above! ffitt work on this book, on America Online ed than these summaries suggest, of course. What troubled me about the students responses to and thin column are all done pro-bono. You both cases, but particularly the second one, is the are invited: to his area of AOL (Keyword: lack of any sense of moral obligation, any sense that Judaism Today,) for a free download of the there might be standards that transcend what is first two chapters of Ma book and other Q & A with <jri7. He welcomes your e-mail comment* legal. According to German law at the time, what the and question!)> about thin column or any subject. Write io DearGil@aol.com Nazis did was perfectly legal. No one today, howev
UNOmaha contingent returns from digs in Israel Faculty and students from t;he University of site, complete with 'medical tools. Dr, Arav and hiss colleagues and hundreds uf volNebraska at Omaha recently returned from the site of two iircheolon'icul digs in Israel with news of unteers have uncovered the older city's layers beneath the more well-known Ri;tb:-midu sxcavanew discoveries. Both digs arc associated with the liothsaida tion. The team has been excavating the Iron a^e Excavations Project, housed at UNO. For the past city's jjate complex (1.0th century IUJ.JS.), establish10 years, UNO has led an international consortium nitf it an the largest and oldest city in the region. At the C.avc of Lottem, located south of of universities in ext'siviitinu the undent, city of Jerusalem and named Cor the correspondence disBethsaida in the <Galilee in northern Israel. (Editor's m>(e; The Jowixh Press will publish an covered in 1S)H.1 and UMiO. udditionfll artifacts huve article front Omuhun Scott I-ireslcr. <i participant in bom found, Kiich UH textiles, papyrus, pottery mid roiiiK. No writing h;<:; yet been detected on the the Hummer trip, in a future issue,) Kami Aruv, t'unu (in1 Office of hiicrnut.iuiuii rt<rvnt\y found [cipyri, hut rewnrch is hcinc (\tnw Studios and i'n>:;niin:'. ;d UNO. bi'lir-vcs in> It:i-i <m tdl1 I ho disroM i n>sf wlifch i\r>- b i ' i n j ^ l o n ' d :»l l.lufound H» ••HUMI-UI ln'.ihli clinic ;ii Ihc HWhsuida project, !-; h h o n i l u r y in (Jinosur, l-,r:if)
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
August 4,2000
Club 56ers enjoy a dayat the park by Jen Gates
This past Sunday, nine fifth and sixth graders gathered at Memorial Park for the first Club 56 event of the year. The group played 'people bingo' as they waited for everyone to arrive, then sat down to a picnic lunch once they all met. After lunch, they participated in a series of group and partner competitions which made up the Club 56 Crazy Olympic Games. Events such as an eggon-spoon race, three-legged race, and water balloon toss led to much fun for all. One of the most interesting events was the clothing race. IWo teams lined up as one member of each team put on an oversized button-up shirt and overalls, ran 20 yds. to a marker, then back to their team to give the clothes to the next member. The first teamtoget through all members was the winner. In between games, 56ers had water fights and
drank lemonadetocool off. After ail events were completed, a ceremony was held to hand out 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-place ribbons. WMle the group waited for parents to arrive, they played Freeze, an impromptu acting game. Club 58 is the youngest of the three youth groups at Temple Israel. Emphasis of the programming is for fifth and sixth graders to socialize with their Jewish friends outside of the classroom. Planning several programs throughout the year are Nikki Flatowicz and myself, Club 58 Advisors. For more information on Club 56, call me at 7789742, or Nikki at 778-9481. For additional information on the other Temple youth groups, call Stephanie Grossmaa, Youth Advisor Kildd Ftaiowiez sits with Anne Rips, Director, at 556-4596, or the Temple Office at §56- Rachel Brodskj, klndsey Wolpa and Amy Schweid to talk about the next Club 56 program, 6536. to be held Sept. 17 in the Temple Youth Lounge
Clockwise, from top left: David A n d e r s o n , David H i r s h m a n , Lindsay Wolpa runs to the Jen Gates, Anne Rips, David Clark, Robert Friedman, Nikki finish line in the clothing Flatowicz, Amy Schweid, Rachel Brodsky and Lindsey Wolpa. race. Not pictured: Justin Slutsky.
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Pudding Ceps
13 oz.
$188
1
2-lb. pkg.
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SUNBERRY FARMS Grape Spread
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4—3.5 oz. cups
$167
1
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