EWISH Vol. LXXXII
No. 5
Omaha, NE
28 Tlshrei, 5763
October 4,2002
SERVING NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA FOR 81 YEARS
"Proud to be a Centennial Patron" Honors Federation Campaign
Livingston Foundation Appoints Myron Kaplan as Executive Director
by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director.
by CAROL KATZMAN, Editor
Joanie Kaiman and Jerry Kohll are serving their second term as General r Campaign Co-chairs dur- > ing an exceptional ] Campaign year as the Jewish Federation of Omaha celebrates 100 years of service to the Jewish community. For 100 years, the Omaha Jewish community has been raising money for tzedakah, community programs and resources and the rescue of Jews in need all over the world. Jerry Kohll The community also just finished an unprecedented and highly successful Israel Terror Relief Campaign, raising more than $940,000 for Israeli terror victims. Nevertheless, the community continues to face tremendous challenges in meeting today's needs and securing our future. With a motivated Campaign Leadership Team firmly in place (see list below), Kaiman and Kohll are moving full-steam ahead to make sure the Omaha Jewish community is prepared for the next 100 years. And how will we accomplish that? Their answer is simple: "Raise enough money to support all our valuable Jewish agencies and programs." Thus was born the Centennial Patron Program for the 2003 Centennial Campaign. Starting Oct. 18, "Proud to Be A Centennial Patron" ads will run regularly in the Jewish Press with an alphabetical listing of those donors who increase their gift, whatever the amount, to the Annual Campaign. Those who increase their gift by $100 or more in honor of the Centennial will have their name highlighted. The
names of all Federation major gifts donors ($5,000 or more for women; $6,000 or more for men) will be listed in honor of their generous and continued contributions. Members of the Men's and Women's Senior Campaign divisions will also be listed in the ad for their steadfast support. Kaiman and Kohll remain highly focused on the task at hand. Their pride in the Federation's Joan Kaiman Centennial celebration and their commitment to support the daily business of the Jewish community outweighs any worries about the economy and its effect on the Campaign. "We've got 100 years of success behind us," remarked Kohll, "and there is no doubt in my mind that the Omaha Jewish community will be successful for the next 100 years." Kaiman, too, believes in the spirit of the community. "The JCC Maccabi Games brought out the best in all of us and, in my opinion, the Campaign is another example of our incredible community spirit." Members of the 2003 Campaign Leadership Team are: Pete Brodkey and Jerry Dann, Men's Campaign Co-chairmen; Joanie Jacobson and Patty Nogg, Women's Campaign Co-chairmen; Bruce Shaekman, Pacesetter Chairman; Michael Miller, Young Leadership Chairman; Elinor and Guy Matalon, Super Sunday Co-Chairmen; Joe and Maxine Kirshenbaum, Co-chairmen-elect; and Ruth Erman and Bobbi Leibowitz, Women's Campaign Co-chairmen-elect.
Endowments Fund Grandparents Day by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Foundation Public Relations Director — — • ~ — — ~ —
Phyllis and Chester Lustgarten's mothers both lived at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Ida Ontman, Phyllis's mother, and Pola Lustgarten, Chester's mother, lived in the Dr. Philip Sher Home for the Aged before moving to the Blumkin Home when it opened in 1982. Ida Ontman "enjoyed the L.O.V.E. (League Offering Volunteers to the Elderly auxiliary organization) activities" and was "befriended by a L.O.V.E. volunteer," said Phyllis Lustgarten, Ontman's daughter. Last year, Lustgarten established the Chester and Phyllis Lustgarten Endowment Fund to support either a suitable program honoring grandparents or any program or project sponsored by L.O.V.E. for the residents of the Blumkin Home. In 2000, Patty and Steve Nogg set up an endowment fund for the same purpose. The fund is named after Patty Nogg's parents, Betty A. Studna and Seymour T. Lee. Co-chairmen of L.O.V.E. from 1997-99, the Noggs initiated a Grandparents Day celebration at the Blumkin Home with "To Bubbe and Zayde with LOVE," an original production written by Joanie Jacobson. "There was a whole day of activities," recalled Patty Nogg, as there will be this Sunday, Oct. 6,12-4 p.m. Her great-grandmother, Rebecca Cohen, was a resident of the Dr. Sher Home. Steve Nogg's mother, Adalynn Nogg, lived at the Blumkin Home after she suffered a stroke. "She was happy there," Patty Nogg said, "and we were all so impressed by her care and the facility." Although setting up the endowment "stems from
my feelings towards my own grandparents," Nogg explained, the fund is named in honor of her parents. Patty's mother, Betty Cohen Lee Studna, was born and raised in Council Bluffs. Patty's father, Seymour Lee, was from Rochester, New York. The couple met in Iowa City where Betty was going to college and Seymour was stationed while serving in the military. After they married, they lived in Council Bluffs where Seymour Lee ran Iowa Clothes Shop, formerly owned by Harry Cohen, Betty's father. In later years, Seymour Lee lived in Chicago and then in Kansas City retailing men's clothing. Betty also worked at Iowa Clothes and was active in B'nai Israel Synagogue in Council Bluffs as well as in the Sisterhood there and Hadassah. "I remember she was the 'tree lady' (who took orders for trees to be planted by the Jewish National Fund in Israel)," Patty Nogg said. Betty did Red Cross and American Cancer Society volunteer work, too, Patty added. "My Dad worked (as a volunteer) for UJA (United Jewish Appeal) and his synagogues in Council Bluffs and later in Kansas City." Patty has a sister Judy Brantz who lives in Boulder, Colorado. The Lees also had a son, Richard (Pete) Lee, who died in 1996. Subsequently, Betty and Seymour Lee divorced. Betty continued working at Iowa Clothes Ml time. She married Harlan (Bud) Studna in the mid1970s. He moved from California to Omaha where the couple lived until she died in 1989 when she was 64. Seymour Lee later married Jean Passer. He died in 1987 at the age of 63. (Continued on page 15)
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Attorney Myron J. Kaplan has been named legal counsel and Executive Director of the Milton S. and Corinne N. Livingston Foundation. Kaplan takes over from his former , law partner at Marks Clare & Richards, .-'•-. •.. L.L.C., Yale i 'A. Richards, who has resigned the •if'Ciposition he Myron J. Kaplan has held for more than 28 years. Richards has semi-retired, and is now "of counsel" to the law firm. In announcing the appointment, Bob Kully, President of the Livingston Foundation, said, "We are fortunate in being able to select a new counsel and Executive Director from the same firm as before, which will greatly facilitate the transition from Yale Richards. Myron Kaplan has been very active in the Jewish community and intends to broaden his involvement. We are confident he has the knowledge and experience to help guide us in our future philanthropy." Kaplan earned a Bachelor of Science in Business degree with distinction from the University of Nebraska, and graduated cum laude from Creighton Law School. In the Jewish community, Kaplan has twice served as President of B'nai B'rith Henry Monsky Lodge and was a Trustee of the Lodge for 14 years. He served eight years on the BBYO Adult Advisory Board. Kaplan has also been a member of the board of Beth El Synagogue, where he served as Chairman of the Budget Committee. He has recently been appointed to the Jewish Federation Budget and Allocations Committee, and to the Nebraska Council of AIPAC (the American/Israel Public Affairs Committee). Kaplan has also served the City of Omaha as a member of the Police Policy Advisory Committee under Mayor Bernie Simon. In acknowledging the appfointment, Kaplan noted that he was "honored to have been selected to accede Yale Richards in this position. I have been associated with Yale for some 20 years, and hope can continue to provide the Foundation the same dedication, commitment and counsel that he has provided." The Livingston Foundation was founded in 1948 by Milton and Corinne Livingston. Since Milt Livingston's death in 1969, the Foundation has been a leading contributor to Jewish and nonJewish charitable, religious and educational institutions in Omaha, and has also provided financial support for a number of national programs and for Israel. The present Trustees of the Foundation also include: Murray H. Newman, Stanley J. Slosburg, Suzanne Richards Singer, Gerald A. Hoberrnan and Dr. Patricia Newman.
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INSIDE; Election Preview The
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Teen Age
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS FRIDAY; OCTOBER 4 Visions Board Meeting, 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 Korczak Kite Flying Program, 10 a.m. at area synagogues Kids' Snack and Leam, 11:30 a.m. at Beth El L.O.V.E. Grandparents Day Celebration, noon JFS Yachad Family Day, 2:30 p.m., Mahoney State Park Beth Israel Ground Breaking Ceremony, 4 p.m. tat 126th & Pacific St) Omaha Center for Tbrah Learning Reception and Installation with guest speaker, Rabbi Raphael Butler, 7 p.m. MONDAY, OCTOBER 7 YES Program, 10 a.m. Melton Mini School, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. ADL Tak for Alt Program, 4:30 p.m. Jewish Press Committee Meeting, 5 p.m.
S A V E
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8 Sisterhood Board Meeting, 10:30 a.m. at Beth Israel JELS Lunch 'n Learn, noon Sisterhood Luncheon, 12:30 p.m. at Beth Israel Federation Men's Campaign Kickoff, 4:30 p.m. BBYO Night, 6 p.m. JFS Becoming a Love and Logic Parent, 6 p.m. TWmud Class with Rabbi Kutner, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel
Al! events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated. The Jewish Press Is not responsible for the accuracy of events. To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Mariene Hert at 334-6437. FOB A COMPLETE LISTING, VISIT THE FEDERATION'S WEBSITE: wwvn.JewishOmaha.org (click on calendar)
(Editor's note: Since Rabbi Kripke announced his "retirement" from writing this column, the Jewish Press will reprint previously published columns; this one appeared on Oct. 4, 1991.) Parasha Bereishit As we begin the Torah readings all over againthat soaring, uplifting feeling we experience eveiy year—we remind ourselves there are many ways to read the Bible. One of them we seldom mention, seldom give attention to. It is the need to read between the lines and see what the biblical text is saying without saying it directly. I refer to its polemics, its argumentation against the common Semitic backdrop against which it has to be seen. We have read only three words when we realize that the Bible is taking on the whole world of ancient Semitic religion, with its multiplicity of gods and its puerile ideas about the universe. Bereishit bara Elohim—lh the beginning God created! Or, a different translation, When God began to create... Is this polemic argumentative? It is, indeed! For in the intellectual-religious milieu in which it appeared, the idea of a single God creating the universe was sensational. It is widely assumed that there are real affinities between the biblical account and the standard Mesopotamian ideas of earliest times of the world and of mankind. But it was standard in the ancient Semitic accounts to assume that many gods were involved at the beginning, and that they, too, were created. The Bible dismisses all of that without even referring to it. God was not created. He always was...And it was He, He alone who created the universe. I do not mean to enter into the theology of the biblical view. I mean only to point out how it contradicted the ideas that surrounded it. I offer one more of many that might be cited: the creation of mankind. In the Mesopotamian accounts, the gods have been involved in a great battle with a mighty sea monster. When they have defeated her, they use her bleeding hulk for the stuff with which to create mankind. It is possible that the biblical account makes an oblique reference to the sea monster, popular in Mid-Eastern folklore. But her flesh and blood are not used for mankind. Instead, God creates mankind of the earth itself. This is the stuff of mankind. Man is of the earth. The earth is his mother. From her womb he derives; to it he returns. Without a direct word at all, the Bible thus elbows aside the primitive and repulsive ideas of the ancient Near East. The Bible is the book of God and Man. Its level has risen to the highest ideas of the Godhead and of humanity whom God has put here.
MABEL RIPS Mabel Lustgarten Rips died Sept. 28 at the age of 95. Services were held Oct. 1 at Beth El Cemetery. She was preceded in death by her husband, Aaron Rips. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Manya and Alvin Nogg of Omaha; step-son, Sheldon Rips of Omaha; step-daughter, Davida Wintroub of Dallaz, TX; brother and sister-in-law, Art and Liz Lustgarten of St. Louis, MO; grandchildren, Randy Nogg of Omaha, Sharon and Lee Stearns of Bainbridge Island, WA; and two great-grandchildren. Memorials to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Alzheimer's Association, Beth El Synagogue. LEWIS WHITE Lewis White, a real estate pioneer in Kansas City, died Sept. 24 at the age of 82. Services were held Sept. 26 with burial in Mount Carmel Cemetery. He is survived by his wife, Shirley White of Prairie Village, KS; children, Linda White of New York City, former Omahans Sandra and Ed Fried of Overland Park, KS, Gerald M. White, also of Overland Park; and six grandchildren. Memorials to the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, or the Jewish Community Center of Kansas City, 5801 W. 115 St., Overland Park, KS 66211; or Beth Shalom Synagogue, 9400 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, MO 64114.
UNVEILING A monument in memory of Joel M. Gross will be unveiled on Sunday, Oct. 13, 11:30 a.m. at the Beth Hamedrosh Hagadol-B'nai Abraham Cemetery (Fisher Farm). All relatives and friends are invited to attend.
Anti-Semitism Survey to be Lunchtime Topic by JEWISH PRESS News Service-
A recent survey on anti-Semitism in the U.S., and what the results mean for Omaha, will be the focus of an informal lunchtime seminar, on Tuesday, Oct. 8, noon, in the Kripke Federation Library. Bring your lunch, and join the informative discussion presented by Bob Wolfsori and Guy Matalon under JELS sponsorship. Please note that the Bagel Bin Cart will be closed next week.
NOTICE The community mikvah (ritual bath) will be closed temporarily for renovations, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 22, through approximately Friday, Nov. 22. For information about alternative mikvah locations, please call Marlene Hert at the Federation office, 334-6437. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Queen An Important Seminar for Girls of All Ages Mothers, daughters, nieces, granddaughters, friends...empower yourself with realistic insights to . \ navigating the tumultuous times of adolescence, young adulthood and parenthood. I.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9 Federation/Synagogue Presidents & Rabbis Meeting, 9:30 a.m. Man Jong Club, 11:30 a.m. ADL Tak for Alt Program, 4:30 p.m. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10 Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m. Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. Federation Men's Campaign Kickoff, 4:30 p.m. Hebrew Course, 7 p.m.
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October 4, 2002
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Survive Cliques, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence, will speak at Temple Israel on:
S A
Wednesday, November 6 6:30 p.m. Parents Book Club Discussion of "Queen Bees & Wannabes' i # i knowledgeable facilitators
Thursday, November 13 Girls of Ail Ages Workshop 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sponsored by Temple Israel Middle/High School Books available for purchase Book signing following
Friday, November 14 11:45 a.m. Catered luncheon & conversation with Ms. Wiseman j Hosted by the Women of Reform Judaism & '•-., the Jewish Federation Library; cost $12 Sitter service available, $2
Call Temple Israel, 556-6536, for more information or to make reservations for any of the above events. Ms. Wiseman has been a guest on Oprah, CNN and NPR and was recently featured in The New York Times Magazine and Newsweek cover stories discussing "innocent acts of violence" inherent in gossip, cliques, friendships and relationships affecting our youth and young adults, Watch the Jewish Press for more information!
and QAiannaf>e§*
October 4, 2002
NAGOG FRIDAY: Men's Club, 11:45 a.m. All male members of Temple Israel are invited to a weekly informal get together at Spirit World, 7517 Pacific St. Join us for some relaxation and great conversation! Tot Shabbat, 7 p.m., A short service of song and prayer, followed by cookies and juice. Toddlers through children in the primary grades are encourages to bring their families. Come enjoy songs and a story with Rabbi Azriel and Patty Nogg, in the chapel; Evening Service, 7:30 p.m., Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Rabbi Craig Marantz and Cantor Wendy Shermet will officiate. Kathy Bigsby Moore, executive director of VOICES for Children in Nebraska, will be the guest speaker. Sponsored by the Children's Defense Fund, the national observancy of Child Advocacy Sabbath gives people of all faiths an opportunity to learn about urgent needs of children. The Oneg is sponsored by the Social Justice Committee. SATURDAY: Bagels and Sacred Books, 9:30 a.m., in the Milder Center. Please join us as we continue our study of Traditional Prayers, Modern Commentaries: The Amidah. Morning service, 10:30 a.m., Evan Jacob Baack, son of Debbie and Dennis Baack, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah. ADULT EDUCATION Tuesday, Oct. 8: The Prophets: Thundering Voices of Passion, Fire and Grace, 7-8:30 p.m. Temple member John Dacey will lead this Jewish Journey Group as it examines Rabbi Abraham J. Heschel's The Prophets and the meaning of life, from the prophets' perspective, for Jews in the 21st century. Wednesday, Oct. 9: The Jews of Spain: History and Culture, 6:45-8:15 p.m. The class will meet this week only, at the JCC. Professor Guy Matalon will teach this course on the fascinating history of the Sephardim, the Jews of Spain. Thursday, Oct. 10: Adult Study with the Clergy, 10-11:30 a.m. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel will concentrate on the writings of Temple's scholars-in-residence. EARLY WORSHIP SERVICE Friday, Oct. 11, 5:30 p.m.
Services conducted by Rabbi Stanley M. Rosenbaum. Minyan, Monday & Thursday, 7:15 ajm. FRIDAY: Mincha-Ma'ariv, 8 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY, OCT. 6,10 a.m.: Pirkei Avot. MONDAY, OCT. 7, 7:30 p.m.: Torah study. THURSDAY, Oct. 10, 8 p.m.: Mindstretchers.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 3
Candlelsghting Friday, Oct. 4
Office hours: Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Howard Kutner. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6:45 p.m.; The West Minyan is at the home of Jack and Bette Kozlen. SATURDAY: Morning Services, 8:45 a.m.; Free babysitting begins at 10 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10:30 a.m., Kiddush is sponsored by Sisterhood.Mincha, 6:35 p.m.; Ma'ariv, 7:42 p.m. SUNDAY: Morning Services, 9 a.m.; Rabbi Kutner's class for 7-12 graders at 11 a.m. begins this week; Mincha, 6:35 p.m. GROUNDBREAKING SUNDAY, OCT. 6,4 p.m.: The community is invited to the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the new Beth Israel Synagogue building at 126 & Pacific. WEEKDAYS: Services, 7 a.m. and 6:35 p.m TUESDAY: Sisterhood Board Meeting, 11:30 a.m.; Sisterhood Luncheon, 12:30 p.m., featuring Donald Gerber; Talmud Class with Rabbi Kutner resumes, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Board of Commissioners Meeting, 7:30 p.m.
6:43 p.m.
Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m,5 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Services are conducted by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Emil Berkovits. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat & Arvit I'Shabbat, 6 pjn. SATURDAY: P'sukei D'Zimrah followed by Shabbat Shacharit, 9:30 a.m., Carolyn Ware, daughter of Barbara Gottlieb Ware, will become a Bat Mitzvah. Barbara is sponsoring the Kiddush in honor of Carolyn; TTS(4-7), 10 a.m.;"Humash class, 6:20 p.m.; Mincha-Ma'ariv and Havdalah, 6:50 p.m. in the chapel. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Kids Snack and Learn, 11:30 a.m. for preschoolers ages 3-4; Mincha-Ma'ariv, 5:30 p.m. A THOUGHT FOR SHABBAT Starting today, Rabbi Levin will send a weekly "Thought For Shabbat." This short e-mail "Thought" will go out every Friday, unless it's a Jewish holiday. Send your e-mail address to Exec@bethel-omalia.org to be added to the list.
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Friday and Saturday: Josh Pilley will become a Bar Mitzvah at Kabbalat Shabbat services, 7:30 p.m., and at Shabbat Morning services, 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Fly kites with Blumkin Home residents as'part of ADL's Korczak project, 10:30 a.m.
Services officiated by Rabbi Michael Weisser. FRIDAY: Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. MONDAY: Adult Hebrew Study Group, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY: 9 a.m., led by Alan Shulewitz. Services are held in the Herbert Goldsten chapel; all services are open to the community.
Joshua l i . Pilley, son of Dr. Mark D. Pilley and Sarah Elizabeth Bleicher, daughter of Joel and Karen Alexander, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Sandy Bleicher, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 12, at Saturday, Oct. 5, at Beyt Temple Israel. Shalom. A seventh grade honor An eighth grade student at student at Brownell Westside Middle School, he Talbot, she enjoys dance, enjoys Boy Scouts and comhorseback riding, volleypleted the requirenments ball and playing the harp for the Ner Tamid Jewish and piano. religious award. He is in Jazz Band, and received For her Mitzvah Project two bronze medals in the she has played harp for JCC Maccabi Games. various nursing homes and hospitals. For his Mitzvah Project Sarah has two sisters, Alison and Katie Eggers, he has spent time caring for and playing games and a brother, Aaron Bleicher. with the residents of the Blumkin Home. Grandparents are Jerome and Freda Bleicher, and Joshua has a sister, Arielle, and two brothers, Don and Dorothy Tawzer. Jacob and Aaron. Great-grandmother is Ardith Sweeney. Grandparents are Leon and Elanore Alexander and the late Ida and Jacob Bernstein.
Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Monday-Friday, services at 7 a.m. FRD3AY: Mincha-Ma'ariv, 6 p.m. . SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Morning Service, 8:30 a.m. MONDAY: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth (Women of Worth), 11:45 a.m.-l p.m. Lunch is served. TUESDAY: Crown of Creation (W. of W.), 9:30-11 a.m.; Parshas HaShavuah (weekly Torah portion), 7-8:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Jewish Mysticism (Adult Education), 7-8:30 pan., at the JCC. To register for any of the classes, please call Jennifer at 330-1800.
FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY: Evening Service, 7:30 p.m. Oneg will follow.
Leah Chapman, daughter of Doug and Debbie Chapman, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 12, at Beth El. An eighth grade honor student at Beveridge Magnet School, Leah enjoys swimming and jazz band. She was invited to participate in the Duke University Talent Identification Program. For her Mitzvah Project, she will make a donation to the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL). Leah has two sisters, Erica and Sarah. Grandparents are Jackie Chapman of Omaha, Howard Chapman of Saugatuck, MI, and Jim and Sandy Saulsbury of Spicer, MN.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
October 4, 2002
Some people look at a glass and say it's half full; others see it as half empty. So-depending on your perspective you might look at Omaha's Jewish community calendar for this Sunday, Oct. 6 and either say, "Wow—there's a lot going on here!" or you might complain that it's too crowded. We'd prefer to take first point of view—there are so many activities here that there aren't enough days in the week to spread them out. Rather than complaining that there's not enough to do in Omaha, here's a list of how you can spend this Sunday: 9 Area synagogues will participate in the annual Janucz Korczak kite-flying event during Sunday School, starting at 10 a.m. The day commemorates the Jewish educator, physician, and orphanage director from Warsaw, Poland. He died with 200 orphans from the Warsaw ghetto in 1942 at the hands of the Nazis. He believed that "the wind is a gift to children." • At Boon, L.O.V.E. (the League Offering Volunteer Services to the Elderly) sponsors its annual Grandparents Day at the Jewish Community Center. As Eileen Reiner, a committed volunteer who gives her tune weekly calling bingo, said, "This is a time when the community can pay
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NEW YORK (JTA)-There are 600,000 more American Jews than previously believed, because the U.S. Jewish population has been underestimated for years, according to a new study. A national survey by the Institute for Jewish & Community Research found 6.7 million Jews out of 288 million Americans, far higher than the closest, most recent estimate of 6.1 million American Jews. "Jews have been systematically undercounted for decades," said Gary Tobin, president of the San Franciscobased institute. But Tobin cast an even wider net than any other demographer has to date when it comes to measuring people who are "connected" Jewishly, capturing a total of 13.3 million people with a variety of Jewish ties and defying what he calls a mistaken notion of "a shrinking Jewish population." Jews "have deep roots in American society," Tobin said. "Jews are not disappearing, they're transforming." Tobin's study, which paints a far more optimistic portrait of American Jewry than earlier studies, comes on the eve of the long-awaited National Jewish Population Survey 2000-2001, which is widely expected to be seen as the benchmark in measuring the U.S. Jewish population. Tobin's study surveyed 250 households. The NJPS 2000 has a sampling of 4,500 households. The last edition of the NJPS shook American Jewry in 1990 with a finding that 52 percent of Jews who wed between 1985 and 1990 married nonJews. Though the NJPS's main finding was that U.S. Jewry numbered 5.5 million, the intermarriage figure became the study's hallmark, stirring intense communal introspection and tens of
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Jewish Population Undercounted? New Study Launches a New Debate
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FIRST STAGS
their respects to the elders among us-the people who led the community and kept it strong for our children and grandchildren." Afternoon events include lunch, games and entertainment. • At 2:30 p.m., Yachad, mentally and physically challenged Jewish young adults, will meet at Mahoney State Park for a Family Day with games and a magician, followed by dinner. Yachad, originally developed by Beth Israel Synagogue, is now supervised by Jewish Family Service. * Speaking of Beth Israel-the congregation will break ground at 4 p.m. for a new facility to be located at 126th and Pacific Streets. This is the first major construction undertaken by the synagogue since it added its educational wing in 1957! « And, wrapping up the day is the Omaha Center for Torah Learning installation of Rabbi Aryeh Blum at 7 p.m. at the JCC. Rabbi Raphael Butler is the featured speaker. As you can see-there's something for everyone and every age group. This is what we call gezunte tsoris-good troubles-lots of uplifting, hopeful, fun experiences~and you might even learn something! Join us as we see a glass half-full in Omaha—and the promise of more to come!
millions of dollars being spent on programs to strengthen Jewish identity. Final tallies of the latest NJPS have been closely guarded by officials of the United Jewish Communities federation umbrella in New York, which is overseeing the survey.
two years late. Mayer counted 5.5 million U.S. Jews, either by religion, by Jewish parentage or by upbringing. That figure matched the 1990 NJPS, and used much of the same methodology. One key shift in Mayer's findings from the 1990 ie a few Many of these people who have a NJPS, howresearchers piece of Jewish heritage" aren't ever, was involved in seiecting that piece and "see no that intermarriage the latest , . , •» -, •, T 7 seemed to be
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reason why Judaism, should be central to them or their children," increasing
data, some he Said of which is being released early next month, more recent counts have put the Jewish population far closer to the 1990 NJPS than Tobin's calculations. In 2000, UJC researchers Jim Schwartz and Jeffrey Scheckner relied on local communal counts- lists provided by the nation's 200 federations in the largest Jewish centers, along with figures by communal "experts" such as rabbis in less populated Jewish areas, to arrive at an estimate of 6.1 million U.S. Jews. That figure of 6,141,325 appeared in the 2001 edition of the American Jewish Year Book. Schwartz has been the lead researcher on the UJC's NJPS survey, which, with a sample size of 4,500 is expected to be the most comprehensive survey of American Jews to date. In 2001, sociologist Egon Mayer, director of the Center for Jewish Studies at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, led a team. that included several researchers who had worked on the 1990 NJPS in producing a study meant as a companion to the 2000 NJPS, which is due to appear nearly
JEWISH PRESS
and Jewish identification shrinking. Mayer found that 33 percent of Jews -those raised as Jews or who identified as Jews-are married to non-Jews, compared to 28 percent in 1990. And according to that 2001 CUNY survey, nearly 1.4 million adult Jews— those with Jewish parents or who were raised Jews-said they belonged to a non-Jewish religious group. Meanwhile, only 51 percent of the 5.5 million Jews CUNY counted said their religion was Judaism, down from 58 percent in 1990. But Tobin insisted previous studies have been wrong in several ways. First, these studies undercounted Jews because many Jews deny their identity in phone surveys, out of fears of anti-Semitism, he said. To test that theory, Tobin said his study used similar screening questions about Jewish identity to those used in the NJPS in 1990 and 2000 with "known" Jews, and found that 13 percent-which he extrapolates to 850,000 people-said there was no Jew in the household. Second, this latest study, which surveyed 10,204 randomly selected U.S. households to get to the 250 homes
(Founded in 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. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, noon, eight days prior to publication. The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $28 per calendar year U.S.; $32 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402-334-6448; FAX: 402334-5422; e-mail editorial material, photos and address changes to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .T1F or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. -, Periodical postage-paid at Omaha, "NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198.
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with a Jewish connection, used a line of questioning about people's backgrounds that made them "feel much more comfortable" before delving into Jewish issues, he said. What Tobin found is that 2.5 million Americans are a subgroup "socially or psychologically connected" with Judaism, though they are not Jews themselves. This group includes people who are practice Judaism "as a secondaiy religion," or aspects of Judaism in addition to their primary religion; who were raised Jews or have a Jewish parent but now practice another religion; call Judaism their ethnicity or culture but practice another religion; or have a Jewish partner or spouse. Looking even further afield, Tobin said 4.1 million more Americans have at least one ancestor~"a grandparent or beyond"~who is Jewish. But Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University, said both Tobin's study and the upcoming NJPS will show that, in fact, the numbers of "strictly halachic" Jews are declining. If nothing else, that raises troubling questions about the future of American Jewish political influence, Sarna said. While Sarna said Tobin's rosier portrait is not based on "utter nonsense," since "vast numbers" of Americans today are indeed tied in some way to Jews, that does not say much about the future of American Jewry. But 20 million American also have ties to French Huegenots, a culture that died out, he added. "Many of these people who have a piece of Jewish heritage" aren't selecting that piece and "see no reason why Judaism should be central to them or their children," he said. JEWISH PRESS COMMITTEE
Joanie Jacobson, Vice-Chairman; Penny Endclman, Secretary; Steve Simon, Treasurer; Elyce Azriel; Jill Belmont; Jean Duitch; Kip Gordinan; Bobbi Leibowitz; Howard K. Marcus; Scott Meyerson; Linda Saltzuian; Joey Shyken; Melanie Weiuslciii; Ainee Zetzman; George Schapiro (Honorary Committee Member). 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 signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for .the Kashrut of any product or establishment.
October 4, 2002
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 5
The Israel Not Seen
:3 ii by GARY HILL, Chairman, Annual Campaign Lincoln Jewish Welfare Federation «-»—-==—
Since October 2000 when the current crises officially began in Israel, an average of 663 pre-meditated acts of violence have occurred every month. Those 13,200+ events have killed more than 520 Israelis and seriously wounded more than 4,000. Nearly 70% of those killed have been civilians, not involved in or near any military action. This and the news of a hurting economy are what we see and read about in both the "normal" media and in (much of) the Jewish media. This is what we think of when people talk of Israel today. But this is not the Israel I know. Four times since October 2000, I have had the great privilege to return to Israel for both business and pleasure—though I must be honest and say that it is always a.pleasure. Let me tell you of the Israel I see, the real Israel during this "current crisis." Take for example my trip in early July--I was there for only four days. During those four days, 851 immigrants arrived—people who came from real desperation to a place of hope. Like 9/11 in the U.S., the media uses October 2000 as the defining moment in talking of life in Israel. But what captures the headlines is not the true story, rather it is the unusual, the obscene, the easy sound bite and graphic. Harder to see, unless you go to Israel yourself, are the 58,000 individuals who have arrived there since then from all over the world-not to visit, but to make it their home. Not those who are looking for a comfortable place to shelter their income in times of a world economic downturn, but people who generally have no economic or social or political base to take with them. They are Jews who are escaping in order to live and to insure a future for their children. In 2001,1,367 came from Argentina-and in the first five months of this year, more than 2,000 more have joined them. I lack the numbers for June and July, so I can only tell you that January through May of 2002 have seen 6,841 people from the countries of the former Soviet Union move to Israel. And, just when you think a nation hasriditself of all its Jews, some more are found. The first four months of this year 1,420 Ethiopians arrived in Israel. When in Israel, I still take buses, go to restaurants and the Old City, shop in markets and, like the real Israelis, live each day in a fairly normal manner. Sure, I'm a bit more aware of who is around me and I don't spend a lot of time in crowded "in" places-but then I don't go to "in" places back here either. The real Israel is not a nation of daily calamities,
but one of daily miracles. The other day I saw on CNN pictures of a few hundred people demonstrating in Gaza in support of Iraq. I have seen many shots of demonstrations supported by the Palestinian Authority or their allies—enough so one would think they must have the popular support of the people. I contrast that with the demonstrations in April and May when about one million Jews took to the streets in Washington, D.C., Paris, Chicago, Budapest—all over the world-one million~or one of every 13 Jews alive today marched to say they support Israel. That comes close to being called a miracle since three of us in the same room can't seem to agree on anything. With help from the Federation, 220,000 Israeli kids have been in "safe" camps this year and 150,000 elderly immigrants with special needs are taken care of each day in Israel-that may be a medium-sized miracle rather than a small one. I was a frog as part of a daily small miracle. Given a paper frog (others got different animals), I joined my team of Ethiopian Olim, Sabras, and a few American volunteers to help transform an empty lot into a park filled with environmental sculptures. What's a miracle about that? First, one of our supervisors was a woman I met at the Teda Clinic about 18 years ago in the Gondar region of Ethiopia. She neither spoke English nor Hebrew and was at the clinic to try to save her newborn child and find a few skills to survive. Second was Avi, who was breaking rocks with a sledge hammer, a young man whose mother was afraid he would end up in a life of drugs or crime until she saw him working in the park, as a volunteer, and heard from the staff that he was going back to school and was a "good kid." At the expanding hospital in Beersheba, where 60% of the births are Bedouin babies, one-quarter of the staff have come to Israel within the last 10 years-and all have been trained and/or re-certified to practice medicine under the strict requirements in Israel. My friend and neighbor in Lincoln, Anatoly Zlotnik, before heading to college, was spending a month as a volunteer for the Mogen David Adorn (ambulance service) in Israel when I was last there. He and his colleagues (many also volunteers from around the world as well as from Israel) handle more than 400,000 calls a year. Only 1% of those are terrorist related, but these well-trained people
respond anywhere in the country within_an average of two minutes. So many Israeli citizens have taken advanced first aid courses that when an ambulance arrives, if the situation has many casualties, citizens are allowed to take supplies and help provide first aid. Daily miracles happen because we (you and I and all who have the great honor to work with and contribute to the Federation) make them happen. When I see the news of Israel, I look past the sensational that others want me to see and instead see the sensational that really is-who is it that we helped go to Israel to drain the swamps and build a modern, active and enthusiastic nation?
We bring the doctor and the sick old man; We bring the judge and the prostitute; We bring the baby and the great grandmother; We bring the professor and the illiterate; We bring the former bureaucrat and the former drug addict; We bring all who need to leave where they are, and because of that, we get to see daily miracles. Maybe the most miraculous miracle of all is the fact that in the face of such long-standing animosities, Israel is a democracy. Citizenship, membership in the parliament and access to public services is for all Israelis, including Muslims, Christians and Jews. If that is miraculous, think about this-even today, 73% of Israelis are in favor of a free Palestinian State alongside Israel if the terror is stopped. If the Palestinian leadership chooses a peaceful, non-violent confrontation—like Martin Luther King in the United States and Gandhi in India -there will be a Palestinian state. Courageous leaders like Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Jordan's King Hussein recognized Israel's right to exist in security and peace and provided the atmosphere where both Israel and they made concessions—and a lasting peace was achieved. Anew miracle? The fact is that if the Palestinians stop the terrorism, they could join with Israel in achieving peace for both sides. Of course, you and I can help make one more miracle--we can fill the hotels and museums and holy sites and tourist attractions in Israel with peoplewith ourselves.
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liwiitg wMt Loss A grief support group for anyone who has lost a loved one within the past three years. Facilitated by Shane Kbtok, M.S., C.S.W and Steve Stiel,LC.S.W This five-session group will meet from 10:15-11:45 Sunday mornings October 13, 20, 27 November 3 & 10 To register or for more information call: Shane Kotok at Jewish Senior Services, 33^-6549 Steve Stiel at Jewish Family Service, 330-2024
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Jewish Press, Omaha. NE
October 4, 2002 _ „ ._ J !_-.
Y.E.S. Members will meet Monday at the JCC. Play bingo at 10 a.m. with Eileen Reiner or exercise with Stacey Paskert at 10:30 a.m. Bring articles to share for "YES Talk" at 11 a.m. Following lunch at noon, Duane Iwen, a docent from the Lauritzen Gardens will speak about the "Omaha Botanical Gardens: Past, Present and Future." For transportation to the JCC call 3304272. Call Maggie Conti at 3346521 for all reservations. Deadlines for reservations are due one week prior to the event: Wildlife Safari and lunch at Mahoney State Park on Oct. 17; Bluffs Run Casino on Oct. 24; African Dancing with Charles Ahavissi on Oct. 21; and join us for the "To Life Party" on Oct. 28. YIDDISH GROUP Lomir Redn Yiddish: Let Us Speak Yiddish Conversation Group will meet on Thursday, 1-3 p.m. at the JCC. Call Anne Skolkin for information at 343-1638. i
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WALK-IN, DROP-IN For those members going on the day trip to the Omaha Botanical Gardens please meet at the JCC on Thursday, 9:45 a.m. For transportation call Maggie Conti at 334-6521. JEWISH WOMEN INTERNATIONAL JWI will host its annual Mah Jongg Tournament fundraiser on Sunday, Oct. 13, at the JCC. Registration starts at noon, with the tournament beginning at 12:30 p.m. Prizes will be awarded and refreshments served. JWI hosted its annual Rainbow House shower last week with good attendance, featuring speaker Lois Wine who asked, "Do You Remember?" To reserve a place, send $15 by Oct. 9 to: Rosalie Greenspan, 8108 Howard, Omaha, NE 68114 or Esther Wax, 118 So. 88 St., Omaha, NE 68114. For more information call Greenspan, 391-1954 or Wax, 393-4442.
VISIONS Autumn Foliage Cruise on the River City Star is Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1-3 p.m. Cost is $16 per person includes both the cruise and a special box lunch. Relax with Visions at Freedom Park Landing for a Fall Cruise on the Missouri. Send reservations to: Sandy and Fred Bromley, 13419 Marinda St., Omaha, NE 68144 . Make check payable to Jewish Senior Services.
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BAUM/TEPP Dr. Michael and Sara (Moses) Baum of Columbia, MD, announce the marriage of their daughter Sonia, to Alan Tipp, son of Dr. Steven and Marilyn Tipp of Omaha. Rabbi Marc Panoff of Congregation Temple Isaiah officiated at the Sept. 1 ceremony in Baltimore, MD. David Tipp, brother of the groom, served as Best Man. Amy Raffel, the groom's sister, was a bridesmaid and Andrew Raffel, the groom's brother-inlaw, was a groomsman. Other groomsmen included Aaron and Corey Baum, brothers of the bride. The groom's niece, Julia Raffel, was a flower girl. The groom is the Senior Product Designer at Big Bang Products in Baltimore. The bride will graduate in December with a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy from Towson University. After a honeymoon in Jamaica, the couple will make their home in Baltimore.
OMAHA CENTER FOR TORAH LEARNING Rabbi Aryeh Blum will give a Parasha Shiur on Shabbat afternoon, Oct. 5, 5:30 p.m. at the OCTL house, 1313 No. 58 St. Rabbi Raphael Butler is the featured speaker at the installation of Rabbi Blum on Sunday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m. in the Gallery of the JCC. Gemorra class continues with Rabbi Blum, Monday, Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. and learn at the Beis Midrash, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m., both at the OCTL House. Join us for a discussion of the weekly parasha at Lunch 'n Learn, Wednesday, Oct. 10, noon at the Kripke Jewish Federation Library. For more information about OCTL programs or to reserve time for one-on-one learning, call Rabbi Blum, at 320-8055. B'NAI B'RITH BREADBREAKERS NCJW presents their heralded "Benchmark" program to save "Roe v. Wade," the landmark legal case decided by the United States Supreme Court, which made abortions legal through a woman's second trimester of pregnancy. Susie Norton and Wendy Greenberg will speak about Benchmark at Breadbreakers on Wednesday, Oct. 9, noon at the Park Inn Regency. Lunch is $9; beverage service only, $2. The program is open to the community.
Practicing for the tournament are: Frieda Krizelman, left, and Rosalie Greenspan. BETH ISRAEL SISTERHOOD The Board of Directors of Beth Israel Sisterhood will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 10:30 a.m. at the synagogue. The board meeting will be followed by Sisterhood's monthly luncheon at 12:30 p.m., featuring Donald Gerber, who will speak about the country's oldest shul, the Touro Synagogue in Newport, R.I. For reservations, call Bernice Cohen,
Dawn and Bill Havens of San Diego, CA, announce the Aug. 2 birth of their son, Marcus Barry (Matah Barak), named for his late grandmother, Maureen Havens, and his grandfather, Barry Snyder. Grandparents are Fran and Barry Snyder of Omaha and Frank and Carole Havens of Solona Beach, CA. Great-grandparents are Sarah Silver of Omaha and Betty McLaughlin of Escondido, CA.
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O.T./Y.E.S. members are not amazed at the program our "House Mother" Maggie Conti comes up with, especially when it comes to personal safety. Our guest speaker for a recent luncheon was Beth Heimann, a graduate of Northwest Missouri State university with a degree in recreational therapy. She has been involved in learning self-defense since 1996. Heimann asserts, regardless of your age or physical disability, a few smart moves can protect you from a dangerous situation. With the assistance of Sandy Regnier, a pretty hefty guy portraying an antagonist, Heimann displayed various counter moves which can be utilized to forestall an attacker. We are grateful to the management at Remington Heights who were kind in providing our residents there a special room in which we listened to the holiday services piped in from Temple Israel. At the Early Bird, we discussed the new state sales tax on purchases and services, effective Oct. 1. We paused in reverent respect in memory of: Linda H. Kahn, Philip Stein, Libby Dolgoff Fremer, Joan Sandra Bernstein and Millard Rosenberg. Shalom.
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October 4, 2002 Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
OCTL installation Kicks Offseason of Learning
Bruce W. Frank D.D.S. 2505 South 174th Plaza Omaha, NE 68130
by JOAN K. MARCUS-
The former head of the Orthodox Union, Rabbi Raphael Butler, will be in Omaha to install ' Rabbi Aryeh Blum as the director of the Omaha Center for Torah Learning. Though Rabbi Blum has already inititated a number of programs, OCTL's President, Allan Gonsher, felt an inauguration of the "official season of learning" was in order. The event for Rabbi Blum, . and his wife Shari, is set for this Sunday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center. Rabbi Butler's speech will be followed by a reception. There is no charge for the event which is open to everyone in the community. Gonsher says OCTL's goals include bringing Torah education to R e c e n t O C T L programs have included, top areas not already being Phot°> t h e ongoing Lunch 'n Learn group with served challenging ^ a k k i Blum, seated left, and Annette and Cantor people' to find their ^->eo F e tt m a n > standing: Lourdes Ocanto, Lynne Judaism and providing Saltzman, Gary Katz, Milt Marcus, Harris more qualified Jewish Finkelstein, Kathy Werner, Harry and Sophie educators to Omaha. Schulman. Below: Jewish singles gather with Among the many pro- R a b b i Blum, second row, middle, and his wife, grams and classes of Shari, front row, second from left, in the OCTL OCTL Rabbi Blum is sukkah> designed and built by Joey Shyken, very .'proud of the back row> ri8ht "Chavrusa" discussions--one-on-one Evening of Mystery", Saturday, Nov. learning—that he says can take place 9, 7 p.m. Cost for the Shabbat dinner "anywhere that's convenient: your is $15 for adults and $7 for children home, your office" or OCTL's new Beis under age 12 (there is no charge for Medresh, at 1313 No. 58 St. The Beis children under age three). Call 320Medresh also houses the Monday 8055 for reservations. "An Evening of Mystery" will feature night Gemorra class and Tuesday an elegant dinner, silent auction and night chavrusa learning with parta theatrical performace by members ners at 7:30 p.m., as well as a Shabbat of the Mystery Dinner Theatre Group, afternoon Parsha shiur on the weekly according to its Chairman, Nancy Torah portion. In addition, Shari Blum hosts Monday morning Wolf. The kosher dinner, catered by "Mommie and Me" for parents and Nancy Mattly, will be held at Culinary Services, 7597 Main St. in Ralston. toddlers. Upcoming events include a communi- The cost is $36 per person and reserty Shabbat dinner at the OCTL house vations can be made by calling Wolf at on Friday, Oct 11, 7:45 pan. and "An 330-6736.
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The Lincoln Community Playhouse will hold its annual costume sale on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 4:30-8 p.m. at 2500 So. 56 St. in Lincoln. And, on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 7-8, 7-10 p.m., the playhouse will hold auditions for Over the River and Through the Woods. Six parts are available and the play runs Nov. 15Dec. 1. Call the LCP for an appointment, 489-7529.
Opera Omaha opens its 44th Season with a tribute to Richard Rodgers' America. The gala evening on Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m. will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Orpheum Theatre and the 100th birthday of Richard Rodgers. For tickets, call 1402-34-OPERA.
Michael Feinstein comes to Omaha for a performance with the Omaha Symphony The Designer Showhouse, sponsored tonight and by the Omaha Symphony and tomorrow, chaired by Sherry Taxman, opens Oct. 4-5, 8 and Oct. 5 and runs through Oct. 27. p.m. Located at 10001 Pacific, the house Sunday, Oct. known as the Renstroms, has been 6, 2 p.m. at completly redecorated by area design- the Orpheum ers. Proceeds from the month-long on the heels showhouse benefit the the of a new Symphony's Education Outreach pro- r e c o r d i n g ! grams. Tickets are available . from with the Israel Philhar-monicOrchestra. area HyVee stores for $10 or- from For tickets, call 342-3560 or go online: www.omahasymphony.org. committee members. • •• • ; . . . . '
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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Johanns Runs Again
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Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns insists that Nebraska has been saved from some of the "financial meltdown" affecting other states. At an address to a recent gathering of the B'nai Mention this ad B'rith Breadbreakers, Johanns, the Republican and receive 10% Discount gubernatorial candidate for a second term, added that 47 states dealt with the same sort of financial issues. However, all chose to believe that the economic conditions were a reflection of Sept. 11. Johanns, however, didn't think that the recession would end when the holiday season started. He thought we were seeing a "restructuring" of our i' i'economy and prepared for a special session of the '•(. vV-.V^ unicameral. rV, "We acted swiftly and aggressively to deal with Mike Cohn the issues as they were presented to us by the la-.*.* * V T !VV.-*'-" New Car Sales Nebraska forecasting board," he insisted. He came into the regular session in January with more pes- Ken Weiner, left, chats with Gov. Johanns at a 808 North 102nd Street simism from the forecasting board and related that recent Breadbreakers. Westroads the legislature did some things to the budget that nity for debate. Since gambling's already in Council Omaha, NE 68114 Porsche 402/397-8200 were in not in accordance with his philosophy. Bluffs, people think we should look at it for Lincoln 800/634-3768 "However, in the end, at the last day of the ses- Nebraska. He claims the petition drive to put gamVolkswagen cell: 402/30&-6133 sion, they had solved some of the problems," he bling on the ballot was started by bar owners and Mazda * Audi vww.stanolsenauto.com admitted. their attorneys. It was sold to the public as being Revenues at the first part of the year were a by- property tax relief. However, the amendment is now product of the previous year, according to Johanns. covering six, seven, eight different topics. Omaha's Original "Since 1973" Every state saw people earning less. "Corporate "How would you like to have a business enterprise Protects income tax went tanked all across the country- in our state where, according to the constitution, we • Furniture including Nebraska," he added. couldn't tax you? We couldn't access a state tax to • Interior Overtime hours disappeared from individual finance a state purpose like education teacher Reduces returns and large areas of Nebraska experienced salaries and health care. Here is a very large enter'Heat layoffs. People began to buy less and that effected prise, video slots in every bar in Nebraska, and, by •Fading Home & Office Tintsmi its language, we can't tax it!" the sales tax revenue. •Glare Johanns said, "I must admit I was very worried Fifty percent of the revenue goes to the operators, 339-7768 Adds Free Estimates about how the Unicameral would react during the lawyers and accounts before any money comes out •Comfort Lifetime Window Tinting Guarantee special session. However, they came in with a very for tax relief, according to Johanns. "Ladies and •Privacy www. windowtintingco.com 'workman like' attitude. They did things a little bit gentlemen, if you want casinos, this isn't going to 8806 L Street differently but they adopted about 85% of what I get you there! Believe me, this is a dog! In my perput out there." sonal opinion, it couldn't be worse. I strongly sugDuring the special session, state aid to schools gest that this isn't the way to go!" Be discovered at was protected. Special education was not even Johanns thinks there will be a "casino initiative" touched and public safety was kept off of the table. before the legislature next January. It is getting "Every part of the state has nursing homes and very close to the required 30 votes and, although he assisted living facilities and we didn't cut any of is not a fan of expanded gambling, he will see that their budgets. About 50 to 60 per cent of the nurs- the initiative is more reasonable than the other one ing home population is on Medicaid because people being proposed. are living longer than their assets and income can "I don't like expanded gambling because I think it sustain them," he noted, " nd they need us." takes money from the wrong people," he added. "We "I've dreamt of Funds to people with developmental disabilities can debate that another day, but I think you're becoming a model my who live in the community and in the Beatrice State probably going to have an opportunity to address entire life, and Nancy Bounds Studio made this issue. Developmental Center were also not cut. it easy. The modeling "Here's my read on Nebraska voters-there's a "These are the neediest of the neediest and we're opportunities and not going to cut their facilities," Johanns insisted. piece of them who are trying to be open-minded and tuition assistance "The same with our veterans' homes because we're they want something sensible and reasonable," offered at NBS set the having a tough enough time finding nurses without Johanns continued. "Slot machines in every bar industry standard. I where virtually all of the money goes to the operacutting funding to these places." know that what I'm Johanns said that proposed changes to Medicaid tor and can't be taxed as an enterprise in. our state learning at the school, both on and off the and higher education were adopted. The Medicaid will be turned down by most reasonable people!" Nancy Bounds runway, is the best budget will still grow about five percent. When Johanns was asked why he imposes his per11915 Pierce Plaza preparation for my "Historically, the Medieaid budget has been grow- sonal religious and moral viewpoints on the citizens future, modeling or ing at a rate of about 13 percent per annum for the of Nebraska, he responded, "I hope that every time Phone: 697-9292 not." past 25 years. If your expenses in your business you have an opportunity to elect a governor, you Fax: 697-9272 Kristen Stoesz, Model grew at that rate, you'd soon be out of business. have the opportunity to vote for somebody who has Again, these are people who need our help the most the courage to stand up for what they believe. That and our Medicaid budget is going to double about doesn't mean I'm going to try to convert people. I Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation have admired the leaders who have stood up for every five-and-a-half-years. 1. Pii*a6on Titfe: JevHsh Press. 2. Publication No. 275620. 3 . Ring Date: 9-1M2,4. Issue Frequence what they believe in. Consequently, sometimes I've "Medicaid was designed to provide for the neediV*eMy, since 1920.5. No. of Issues Published Amualy: 52.6. Annual Subscription Rate: $28 US, $32 fcirdg\- ?• Complete Maiing AJdress of Known Office of PuMcatcn: 333 South 132ndSt., Omaha, NE 68154never really agreed with some of them! est people in the state and offer a program for chil2198, « 2 - 3 3 4 « 4 8 ; Contact Person: Tim KeBsai, 4O2-33W467. 8. Complete Maiing Mdress of Headquarters or General Business Office of PuMsher 333 South 132nd St, Omaha, NE 68154-2198.9. dren," Johanns said. "It is not universal health cov"Bob Kerrey is a good example," he noted. "We've FuH Names and Cernplete Maine Addresses of Publisher, Editor and Managng Edfton PuMsher-Jeivish Federation of Omaha, 333 South 132nd a , Omaha, NE 68154-2198; Editor-Carol Katzman, 333 Soulh erage" and shouldn't be used by people earning 40- been good friends for over 20 years and yet we've 132nd a , Omaha, NE 68154-2198; Creative Dta±r-flchaid Busse, 333 South 132nd S., Omaha, NE 60 thousand dollars a year. had tremendous disagreements. However, I've 68154-2198.1Q. Oarer. Jewish Federation of Omaha, 333 South 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198.11. Krcwn Bondhokfers, Mortgjgs and Other Security Holders Owning or HoBngl percent or More of Total With regard to higher always admired Bob for .toiountof Bonds, Mortgages or Oner Securfe: None. 12. Fa ccnrteticnfynoripifflcf^rfetjons authorfeed to mail at special rates. The purpose, fimcfcn and nonprofit status of Ms organization and the exempt education, Johanns standing up for what he for federal income tax purpose; t t e Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. Publication Title: Jewish Press. 14, Issue Dale for Circulation Data Below: Sept. 6,2002.15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: A e r a s says he didn't want to believes in. I will No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months-a. Total No. Copies (Net Press Run]; 3800. t>. Paid cut funds to higher edualways articulate my and/or requested Crcufafar (1) Faid/Ftequested CutsbjCounty Mail Subscriptens ( t o t * A t e f e e r t Hoof are/ s e n a r y copiesf 1296. (2) Paid inCounty Subscriptions (Include advertiser's piwlandexhaitff cation, in fact, he'd like view as your governor apes) 2241. (3| Sales through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vtendors, Counter Sales and Other NorHJSPS Par) Dstnbuinn-17. (4) Other Classes Maied Through tha USPSO. c. Total Paid and/or Requested to give more. However, because I owe that to Circulation (Sum ol 15b. (11, 0, (3) and W-3554 d. Fire Distribution by Mai (Sampfes, Complimentiiyancl Otter Free). (1) OutSKteCounty as Stated on Form-3541. (2) InCounty as Stated on Form 3511. (3) Other "when all the dust setyou," he asserted. Classes Maied Throutfi the USPS-25. e. Free Distribution Outside the Mail (Qmeis or Otter MaMsf-105. f. tled," he explained, "the Total Free Distotution /SuncflSd and]5e}-130. g.Total Distribution (Sum oflScarxt J5JI-3684. h. Copes "You can decide y o u Not Dsttbuted-116. i. Total (Sum ol I5gandlf3SQQ j . Percent Paid and/or Requested Drculaiion (15c. budget for higher edudon't agree with, me and dvdedtylSg times /0OJ-96.47W. No. Copies o( Sin^e Issua Pubfsfied NearesttoFifeig Dat&a. Total No. C ^ | W F t e s s R u n | : 3 8 C O . b . F ^ and/or r e r ^ ^ Q r c u t a ^ cation and the universisupport someone else. Subsoils (/riot*AAertsert/Wandesr^^ ty system still Some of you may disatfef4srysproc/anrfes*3risecqpe$l2193. (3) Sates throu^i Dealere arid Camera, Steel Vendors, Counter increased," even though Sales and Other Non-USPS Paid DsMxit)on-«. (4) Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS-O. c. Total Paid agree with some of my and/or Requested Circulaton (Sum of15b. in (2),flla t f (4-3355. d. Free Distribution by Mail. [Samples, it was just 1.5% this viewpoints but you may ComplfnaibiyandOlterFree). (1) OutsideCounty as Stated on Form 3541. (2)lrvCountyasStatedonForm 3541. (3) Other Classes Mailed Through Ifw USPS-50, e. Free DslrbutionOutsrfe the Mail (Earners cr Offer year; it was up 4.5% the agree that* on balance, ME»T$M25, f. Total Free Distribution (Sum ofl5d.and J5eH75. g. Total Ostjibutan ISmcll5cml /5r> -3531. h. Copies Not U&ta^im.\.Ta&^i/15tMtt3W.l?<x^?M^amiietei prior year. I've been a good goverCirculaton (15c. dwied by 15g limes JCO/-95 32SS. 16. Staternent of Cwnershp wil be runted in the Ocl 4, 2002, issue of this pubicatjon. 17. Sgiature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Busiiess Manage or Owner. nor and you're still Johanns said whether Edilor Carol Katzman 9-1JO2. going to support me. or not you are for false or msteadmg hfomation on this form or vta emits material or informationrequestedon the form may bo expanded gambling, it Steve Riekes, right, challenges Gov. Johanns on a "That's the beauty of sublettocriminal sanctions tjnduding tries and mjnsonmcrtl and/or cM sanctions [ncbding miiapte damans andcnilpemriesl is certainly an opportu- campaign issue. democracy!"
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October 4, 2002 Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
to Benefit Hadassah Medical Organization by NANCY WOLF
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"I wish for you~and it is a wish for all of us~that strength of body may be added to strength of mind and spirit, so that you may be able to grasp every opportunity, and miss none, to make your gifts available for the Jewish cause." These are the words of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah She returned from a visit to Palestine in 1912, and reported to the 12 members of the Daughter of Zion study group at Temple Emanu-El tales of misery, disease and poverty prevalent in the Jewish homeland. This group would later become Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, and in early 1913, they sent two nurses to Jerusalem. Thus began the tradition of healing that Hadassah continues today. The Omaha Chapter of Hadassah is planning a donor luncheon for the support of the Hadassah Medical Organization on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 11:45 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center. The program., "You Can't Fool Mother Nature, But You Can Help Her," will offer information on ways to improve our fitness and beauty. The Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) comprises a vast complex, which includes two major hospitals, five academic medical schools, 100 outpatient clinics, an array of daycare medical services, and much needed emergency treatment. On an annual basis, the HMO staff of nearly 4000 provides medical treatment to 600,000 patients from Israel and elsewhere. Still a private hospital, the founder's philosophy of equal care for all, regardless of race, color or creed, continues today. Not only are Jews, Arabs and Christians treated with equally high standards of medical care and compassion, Hadassah has conducted training programs for selected physicians in order to encourage progress in Palestinian hospitals. The dedication that Hadassah has for healing is as fervent today as it has been for the past 90 years. The need for funding is as great today as it's ever been as well. The dreams and hopes of Hadassah's medical personnel reach far into the future, but the daily needs of each patient are now. Save the date and plan to attend. The program will benefit you; your gift will benefit thousands.
Jewish Film Festival Premieres Acclaimed Movies by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director-
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Omaha's first annual Jewish Film Festival premieres four highly acclaimed films shown locally on the big screen for the first time. This exclusive screening is part of the Centennial celebration of the Jewish Federation. The Jewish Film Festival runs Saturdays, 8 pm, Nov. 2-23 at the Theater at the Jewish Community Center. The four award-winning films are Trembling Before G-d, Sehmelvis, Promises, and Train of Life. The Jewish Film Festival is sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Omaha, the Kripke Library and Jewish Educational and Library Services and funded in part by The Avy L. and Roberta L. Miller Foundation by Lindsey Miller-Lerman and the UNOmaha Department of Religion & Film. Jewish Film Festival Chairman Harry Berman remarked, "This is an extraordinary opportunity for Omaha to see exceptional films with Jewish content. Normally, you would have to travel to New York or San Francisco, even the Sundance Film Festival, to see these movies. This Film Festival brings a new level of sophistication to the Omaha arts scene." Other Film Festival committee members are: George Aufseesar, Julie Ginsberg, Jeff Ferber, Cheryl Lerner, Guy Matalon, Susan Rothholz and Rosie Zweiback. Jewish Omaha Film Festival Schedule: Nov. 2: Trembling Before G-d: (Documentary, Directed by Sandi DuBowski, Israel, United States, 2000, color, 94 min.); Nov. 9: Sehmelvis: Searching for the King's Jewish Roots: (Written and directed by Max Wallace, Produced by Ari Cohen, 2002, Canada, 76 min.); Nov. 16: Promises: (Documentary, Directed by Justine Shapiro, B.Z. Goldberg and Carlos Bolado, United States, 2001, color, 106 min. English, Hebrew, Arabic, w/English subtitles); Nov. 23: Train of Life: (Drama, Directed by Radu Mihaileanu France, 1998, color, 103 min. French w/Eng. Subtitles, MPAA: Rated R for some sexuality and nudity). A Kid's Matinee has been added to the Film Festival lineup. On Sunday, Nov. 17, 1:30-3:30 p.m., lads ages 3-10 can see four short films and participate in film-related activities between movies. Jewish Film Festival tickets are $5 each for single films or a Combo Pack to all four films is $15. Advance tickets are available by calling: 334-6402.
Luncheon to Feature Raful on Rise of Nazis in 1930s by DIANE AXLER BAUM
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Looking back on Germany in the 1930s, ticipants visited a conwe wonder why judges and lawyers failed centration camp and to prevent the slow, steady erosion of the the new German rights of Jews and other minorities that Museum, They also culminated in the Holocaust. Moreover, went to the room where given terrorism and other threats to the the delegates to the well-being of the U.S. today, we must Wannssee Conference learn from the past as we consider the agreed upon "the final role the legal community should be taksolution." Being in that ing in our own society. room "was very difficult for me," Raful noted. These issues will provide the basis of a presentation over lunch by Prof. Larry One of few Americans Raful, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 11:45 a.m., from other than New at the JCC. His talk is titled, "The Role of York who took part in Lawyers and Judges in the Rise of the Berlin conference, National Socialism in Germany in the Raful expressed grati1930s." tude to Pat Borchers, Larry Raful Dean of the Creighton "We'd like to think lawyers and judges are stalwart at protecting civil liberties and uphold- University School of Law, for making the funds ing justice," Raful said in a recent interview. "How, available so he could attend. He hopes to share the then," he asked, "can we account for the slow but knowledge he gained through speaking engagesteady erosion of rights of Jews and other minori- ments and classroom teaching. Raful, who served as ties that was done legally by the German dean of the Creighton Law School for 10 years before Parliament?" How can we account for the reaction joining the faculty, counts legal ethics one of his on the part of judges and lawyers to "these repres- particular areas of expertise. This coming spring, sive measures, which slowly-little by little-robbed he is scheduled to teach a legal history course that Jews and other minorities of their rights?" will include the Shoah. The luncheon talk is taking place under the ausBackground for Raful's presentation was an interpices of the College of Jewish Learning of Jewish national conference he attended this past summer in Berlin, Germany. This was a "very scholarly con- Educational and Library Services (JELS). Co-sponference," bringing together Shoah specialists from sors are the Henry Monsky Lodge of B'nai B'rith major universities in the U.S., Israel and Europe and the ADL-CRC. Cost is $10. Reservations are and from the Holocaust Museum in Washington, required. D.C. Co-sponsors were the Touro Law School in For more information, or to make a reservation, New York and the Free University of Berlin. please contact Kathy Hirshman in the JELS office: In addition to hearing speakers, conference par- 334-6445 or khirshman@jewishomaha.org.
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October 4, 2002
THE PROMISING LAND
in Rural New EngIancSs Communities Grow from Efforts of Few Individuals by ANDREW MUCHIN
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(Editor's note: this is the second in a monthly series party that included 25 young Jewish families. "Almost all of them were transplants, most of them of Jewish communities around the country and the were in mixed marriages, many of them had struggle and challenges they face.) LYNDONVILLE, VT, (JTA)-Judi Wisch found escaped Boston and New York," David Strassler almost everything she wanted-natural beauty, a says. "They were very much interested in their relaxed pace and an interesting job at the Judaism." Interlocken International Summer Camp-when The Strasslers also invited "the older groupfromthe she moved to rural New Hampshire in 1990. synagogue," many of whom had lived in the area for 50 All that was missing was the Jewish life she had years and were shocked to see so many young local Jews. grown accustomed to after five years in "After that Hanukkah party the elders of the synPhiladelphia and eight years in Israel. agogue said, What can we do for you?' " David "I kind of looked around for the alternative Jewish Strassler recalls. community," she recalls. "It didn't exist." Etz Chaim now funds some of the school's activiSo Wisch tried to create her own, forming a chavu- ties. Beth works part-time as Jewish community rah that met to play music. "It ended up being a director,, serving as co-principal and a teacher at Shabbat and holiday potluck for 12 years," she says. the school, coordinating Bar and Bat Mitzvah trainWisch trained the group's children for their Bar and ing and editing a newsletter. Bat Mitzvahs and led the services, held outdoors. She The collaboration has been good for Etz Chaim, too. subsequently founded a Jewish family educational The High Holiday services have gradually grown from program in Peterborough, NH, and now directs a 25 people to 100-125 people, says David Strassler, who Jewish supplementary school in Northampton, MA, her new home. Wisch isn't the only one creating Jewish community in the pristine landscape beyond Boston. Soon after arriving in New Hampshire, she discovered her kindred spirits at a Sukkot retreat sponsored by the Conference for i, ,, Judaism in Rural New England. "I joined the board right away," she says. "When you live out in the woods and you feel very Jewish and there was no Jewish community, this gave me a way to affiliate." Wisch served a stint as executive director of the 19-year-old conference, a catalyst and resource for Jewish learning and community-building in the one region of the 8 United States where small-town Judaism is growing. Ronit Ziv-Kreger, left, of Lincoln, MA, receives pointers When CJRNE started, "there weren't the on Hebrew calligraphy from Tiferet Haberman Browns 30 rabbis, there weren't half the of Cambridge, MA. Both were participating i n a workgogues, there weren't half the Jewish c o m - s h o p a t t h e r e c e n t gathering of t h e Conference on munities there are today," Wisch says. "It's J u d a i s m i n Rural New England. Photo by Andrew Muchin/JTA kind of a maturing area." Since Plymouth Rock's heyday, New England has runs a family service for Rosh Hashanah and Yom attracted individualists who nevertheless organize Kippur that attracts about 60 people. themselves religiously. That's the template for the "If I had lived in Boston, New York or Long Island, region's recent upsurge in Jewish life. I would never had found this passion," he says. "I "In the '60s, Jewish flower children, Jewish New would have sat back and probably been a High Yorkers, came up to Vermont in search of land, God, Holiday Jew." sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll," says Hinda Miller of Rabbis, too, are blazing new educational trails in Burlington, VT. rural New England. Rabbi Tobi Weissman moved to The co-inventor of the Jogbra, a women's athletic Montpelier, Vermont's capital, in 1993. She served garment, Miller now is producing Echoes, Chants on the CJRNE board of directors and taught and led and Lullabies, a. documentary on the inner lives of services at local Congregation Beth Jacob. Vermont Jews. Looking to provide intensive study of Jewish texts for Wisch takes Miller's point one step further. adults, she founded the Yearning for Learning Center "People who had moved up here and now have chil- for Jewish Studies Inc., two years ago. The center's first dren are being pulled back to Judaism," she says. "It five-day program, held at Beth Jacob, attracted people happens in places where there are no synagogues. from Maine, New Hampshire and Montreal. People come together and start little schools." Weissman hopes to expand the center's programIt happens even in towns that already have a syn- ming outside of Montpelier, where it's housed at Beth agogue. Beth and David Strassler moved to Jacob. Meanwhile, she's helping to arrange visits by Arundel, Maine, 20 years ago so that Beth could Rabbi Sholom Brodt, head of the Jerusalem-based Rural Community Beit Midrash Project. teach at the University of New Hampshire. Brodt, a former Montreal resident, is as likely to The couple attended volunteer-led High Holiday services at Congregation Etz Chaim in nearby quote the neo-Hasidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach as Biddeford for several years. When their son Joseph the more traditional Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. was born in 1984, he accompanied his parents to shul Over the past two years, he has taught in 16 com"It became very obvious to us that he was the only munities in the eastern and western United States, child at the service," recalls David Strassler, a physi- he says. In sessions of three to five days, he covers cian. "We started to wonder, is this going to be OK?" Talmud, Hasidism, Torah, meditation and prayer. The Strasslers checked the Reform and The Beit Midrash Project grew out of Brodt's Conservative congregations in Portland, Maine, a teaching at CJRNE's summer conferences. At this 45-minute drive away. But they didn't want to shlep year's conference, Brodt was one of a group of rabthat far, and resolved to provide Jewish services for bis and educators who taught two dozen classes on children in Biddeford. subjects as diverse as Qigong healing, Hebrew cal"We decided to have a Sunday school once a ligraphy, canoeing, Jewish-Muslim dialogue, Torah month. We had five or six families we knew who chanting and parent-child Torah study. were interested," David Strassler says. "We coordiJust as important for the 225 participants was a nated it, revolving it around the Jewish holidays. At sense of Jewish belonging often absent in communithe same time, another woman wanted to get a ties just this side of Eckvelt -Yiddish for a remote Hebrew school going. It met for an hour and a half, location. When the Strasslers attended their first once a week." CJRNE summer conference 15 years ago, David The schools merged to form York County •Strassler recalls, "We met these people who were Corrimunity. Hebrew School.'David Strassler began doing" what we wanted to do. to teach "Hebrew, in addition to teaching about "Every year we're going, we're picking people's Jewish holidays. brains, we're getting more out of it," he says. ''Now 1 • ••:-S decad"e •lagG'-tlie'Stl'a'ssflefs'-ho1 stM""a Hanukltah when we go, people pick our brains?' ••'•-•••<
October 4, 2002
Come Summer, Hasicllm Head to Bethlehem --New Hampshire by ANDREW MUCHIN — — —————— BETHLEHEM, NH (JTA)--Every July and August, the little town of Bethlehem becomes the Hasidic capital of New Hampshire, if not of all rural New England. Hundreds of Satmars and other Chasidim, or fervently Orthodox Jews, drive north from New York to enjoy the cool mountain air and tree-lined vistas for which the tourist town is known. "There could be 200 to 300 extra Jews" in town on any late summer day, says Margie "Moocho" Salomon, a weaver of tallitot and member of the year-round Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation. "Our congregation blossoms, too." Many of the Chasidim stop at the first building inside city limits, the Arlington Hotel. Behind a roadside sign that declares "Glatt Kosher" in Hebrew stands the scuffed, three-story, 130-yearold white wooden hotel with a wrap-around porch. Inside, the carpet is worn, the furniture shabby, the wallpaper faded. But host Moishe Mendelovicii, who at age 53 still likes to entertain guests by standing on his head, is friendly and talkative in several languages. The food is prepared fresh by the Strulovitzes, a Satmar family that has owned the Arlington for 30 years.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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For Rural Jewish Teens, Conference is Place to Meet Some of Their Own LYNDONVILLE, VT. (JTA)-Th<> I I tion at all. They get no adolescent dining table at the sum- •, 1 exposure at home to difmer gathering of the Conference on i \ ferent kinds of prayer, Judaism in Rural New England is- ( ! which they get to do here. the goofy, high-energy spot you might I They do Torah study expect. i together. The conference As the boys gobble their Sunday ] t \ pands their underlunch, the girls concentrate on gigj --i.inding of what Judaism gling. Nobody shows the effects of n I can be beyond traditional lack of sleep. practice and exposes them ' I«J traditional practice. "Our neighbors in the dorm got mad ' Vnd it's tasteful to themat us because we were making noisf -bccause it's not in the at 2:30 a.m.," admits Ari Rubenstein Sunday school setting, of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. because they're doing it in Yawning adults might feel better ifm -1, ,, ., , " ,, , j gather at the * v^^* „ ,, . O 1 . Teens they knew the seven kids ages 112-14 _ „ . recent T» , a peer group of their T , . , j , . , ,. ..Conference on Judaism in Rural , . , .,, T had been involved in arare weekend XT _., , » „ , _ , , , . , choice, because i t s ,. ,, . New England. For most of the kids, , . ' , , ., , e T ., , of Jewish bonding and learning. ... ° ., ... T . , designed to be rich and . T,T . , . getting together with Jewish peers , ,T . ,„ A11 ,. All live m small Jewish commum- f . , . , . sweet and Jewish. ,. .,, j, .n ., T • T. i -J is a unique and special experience. „ , . .,.._, ties with lew if any „ , , , . , , . 5 , . ,-rnnA Each spring, CJRNE J other Jewish kids K s , , , Photo by J Andy J MuchinIJTA at school. holds a teen retreat at a "I've never had a Jewish kid in my class in my summer camp. The event emphasizes creative life," says Jake Makler of Hillsdale, N.Y. "Where I Jewish experiences and just plain fun for the live it's zero." approximately 35 participants. Ellie Rowe Cole of Lyman, Maine, says the con"We hike out into the woods. We carry a little ference is "cool because you get to meet a bunch of Torah and have a service in a pine forest," says Judi people"-that is, more than one Jewish teen. Wisch, the former executive director of CJRNE. The The CJRNE conference offers the teens a social facility also provides a ropes course and facilities for and educational program that includes Midrash, or Jewish crafts. interpretive stories based on the Torah, making decAt a recent retreat, some of the kids asked for a orative Torah pointers and discussing the documen- Saturday night dance rather than the planned taltary film Trembling Before G-d about gays and les- ent show. Wisch says other kids thought a dance bians in the Orthodox community was inappropriate. The level of Jewish learning varies among the "There was a little conflict, but we turned it teens, according to Shoshana Narva, one of the col- around and had a discussion," Wisch recalls. "In trylege students who leads the teen program. But she ing to support the idea of having a dance, what they agrees with fellow counselor Sarah Blumental that said really struck me. They said: 'In my school, I'm "everyone's really positive about Judaism." the short one, I'm the fat one. Here I'm accepted. I Martina Zobel of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., coordi- can't dance at a dance at school. There's too much nator of children's and youth programming at the- pressure, too much judgment. Here I feel accepted'" And that's the other reason to hold a teen retreat. cbnference, says she and the other staff expose the "For them to come together and talk about being teens "to a broader scope of Judaism than they experience in their communities. Whatever congre- the only Jew in their class, it's very helpful and supgation they meet in is small, if there's a congrega- portive," Wisch says.
r
Staff, including Moishe Mendelovicii, right, gather in front of t h e Arlington Hotel in Bethlehem, NH, a vacation destination for New York Hasidim. The little boy is p a r t of t h e You are the Strulovitz family, owners of t h e hotel. Photo most powerful by Andy Muchin/JTA influence in your The story goes that Mrs. Strulovitz, the family child's dally life. matriarch, came to Bethlehem after asking the Kids who learn from their parents OP care-givers about the risks of Satmar rebbe how she could cure her asthma. His drugs are; • 36% less likely to smoke advice: Go to "Hampshire." marijuana than kids who don't She could have flown to England, Mendelovicii • 5O% less likely to use inhalants says, but instead got on a bus headed for the • S6% less likely to use cocaine • 65% less likely to use LSD Granite State. For more information call: She disembarked in Bethlehem and found her 1way to the Arlington, which was kosher then, too. She slept for three days and felt much better. She and her husband, the late Rabbi Solomon Strulovitz, bought the place. The Satmars have iS been coming ever since. Other Chasidim and some modern Orthodox Jews stay in local boarding houses with kosher kitchens, Salomon adds. She says the non-Jewish townsfolk "kind of roll their eyes and wonder why the Chasids wear black coats on a 90-degree day. But the locals know the Chasids are a central part of the economy." The city Jews have little interaction with the local country Jews, though some visiting Chasids tour Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation, a newly refurbished, 19th-century, white wooden building with a tall peaked roof and gabled windows. The 100-family congregation is not affiliated with any movement and depends on lay leaders or rabbis from neighboring towns to lead services. Shabbat attendance varies from 15 people in January to 40 or 50 when a charismatic rabbi is leading a service in summer, Salomon says. Cantor Amy Mitz of nearby Sugar Hill, NH, runs the Hebrew school and leads worship on the High Holidays, when attendance can reach 150. The congregation used to lend a Torah scroll to the Chasidim. One of the borrowed Torahs turned out to be damaged, Salomon recalls; so a Chasidic Torah scribe who was vacationing in Bethlehem repaired the marred letters at no charge and returned the scroll as good as new.
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Mm.d let them make Me a sanctuary? that Imay dwell among them." Exodus 25:8
You are cordially invited to the Ground Breaking Ceremony of the New Beth Israel Synagogue Building at 12606 Pacific Street
on Sunday, October 69 2002 at 4:00 o9clock in the afternoon
Pagei2
Jewish Press, Omaha, ME
October 4, 2002
Teens (and Acfyits) Can Still Register to Vote by BENJAMIN DELMAN, Jewish Press Student Intern
The leaves are changing color; there is a slight County Election Commissioner's office, 225 N. non compos mentis (mentally incompetent). Voters can register in Douglas County, at the chill in the air; the year is divisible by two, that can 115th St, Monday -Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Voters do not even need to show up to vote. They Election Commission Office, any Omaha Public only mean one thing: it's election time. Elections always take place the first Tuesday can ask for absentee ballots. Absentee ballots can Library, Elkhorn Public Library, the County after the first Monday of November. This year, be requested by mail or fax and returned by mail. Treasurer's offices, or when they get their driver's license. It is also possible to register by mail. Election Day is Nov. 5. Until then, there is much This type of ballot must be requested by Oct. 30, On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the polls will be open at Except for Omaha, one can go to the City Clerk's to do. Candidates will be canvassing through their respective districts trying to woo votes. The precincts across the state from 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. Prior office. To vote in an election, one must have been television and radio airwaves will be filled with to the election, all registered voters will be mailed registered 10 days prior to that election. There are also times when a person must re-regads, both positive and negative. There will be cards which tell them the location of their polling thousands of flyers, letters, and postcards detail- place. Assigning people to precincts helps to limit ister. If you have had a change in name or address, you must re-register. A new registration is also ing each candidates' views and qualifications. All crowding on Election Day. Before someone can vote, they have to be regis- required if you wish to switch your political party. A of this would be in vain of course, if there weren't tered. In the state of Nebraska, a person must be declaration of political party on the registration voters. On Election Day, those who vote get a sticker say- 18 or older on the first Tuesday after the first form delineates in which primary the person wishing, "I voted today." What if you saw someone walk- Monday of November of the year in which the elec- es to vote. For more information on voting, go to the Douglas ing around with that sticker on his shirt tomorrow? tion is being held. This year for example, a person County Election Commissioner's web site at: Does this mean that he is still sporting last year's must be 18 by Nov. 5. The other qualifications for voting in Nebraska are www.444vote.net. Or the office can be reached by sticker as a weird fashion statement? No, it means that you must live in the state, have not been con- phone at 444-4178. Other Nebraska counties can they voted early. Starting Sept. 30, in Douglas County, it became victed of a felony (unless you've had your civil rights also be found online at: www.nol.org/nebraspossible for voters to vote in person at the Douglas restored) and that officially you have not been found kamap.html.
-$26,000 College Scholarships Available: Kiewit Distinguished Scholar Aware! by JEWISH PRESS News Service— Application materials are available now for the Peter Kiewit Foundation Distinguished Scholar Awards. These a"wards are valued at $6,500 per year and are renewable for up to four consecutive years for a maximum total value of $26,000. The Foundation will present 50 of these awards in Feb. 2003. The application deadline for the 2003 Distinguished Scholar Award program is Nov. 1, 2002. Independent judges will review the applications and select the recipients, who will be notified in February and publicly announced shortly thereafter. Interested students should request application information from their high school guidance office. Applicants must be: current high school seniors on schedule to graduate from a Nebraska high school
by May or June of 2003; ranked in the top 10% of their high school class as of the end of their junior year (and maintain that ranking through the first semester of their senior year in order to receive the award); able to present standard college entrance test scores (ACT or SAT); and Nebraska residents. This program is designed to reward excellent students from cross Nebraska and encourage them to continue their education in-state. Recipients are allowed to use the scholarship to attend any of the following publicly supported schools: UNK, UNL, UNMC, UNO, Chadron State, Peru State or Wayne State. School counselors may call the Peter Kiewit Foundation in Omaha at 344-7890 for clarification or to request additional copies of application materials.
Volunteers Needed at the Rose Theater-Teeris Welcome by JEWISH PRESS News Service ^^^^-^^^~^ Volunteers are needed at The Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center in the following areas for the 2002-2003 Season: ÂŁ7s7iers--During school performances from 9:15-10 a.m. and 12:15-1 p.m. and during all Nutcracker performances Dec 5-8; Costume Rental-October only-various hours during afternoon and evening; Concession Workers,
and Light Board Operators. Students that need to complete community service hours for graduation are encouraged to apply. The Rose is located at 2001 Farnam St. For more information on volunteering, call (402) 345-4849 or email at BoxofKce@otCDiail.org.
Exceedi At Creighton, you can expect challenges, opportunities, personal attention and success. Expect to receive an excellent education through rigorous academics and motivation in a values-centered environment. Expect to push beyond your limits and exceed your expectations in all areas of your life-in mind, body and spirit. Creighton offers students: a Over 50 undergraduate majors in the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business Administration, and School of Nursing H Graduate School and professional programs in Medical, Dental, Law, Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions (Physical and Occupational Therapy) m Extensive Study Abroad opportunities ' B Internships-for-Credit m Leadership Program in the College of Business Administration m Direct Entry for freshmen into the School of Nursing U.S. News and World Report has ranked Creighton the Midwest's #1 Regional University for the fifth year in a row!
CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY
October 4, 2002
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 13
Rachel, left, and her Szarvas friends: Joy, Adina, Lindsay and Dee.
BBYO is back in action this fall as the teens kicked off the season with a youthled Havdallah service for members of all Omaha youth groups in the JCC Carl Frohm Pavilion. More than 30 teens attended the program, led by Samantha Friedman, Trevor Gerson, and JJ. Friedman. Gary Katz, advisor for AZA #1 said, "It was a beautiful service. The kids did a great job!"
Some 70 BBYO members splashed and socialized in the JCC outdoor pool at the Kickoff Pool Party and BBQ at the end of August. For more information about BBYO, contact Rachel Blum at 334-6404.
Being a Bird
hyArlefie Viny
I envy the birds Free, lightheartecl, in flight Soar on a whim; Take off as they please Singing songs of happiness and hope But no I am not a bird, nor butterfly, or beetle I am a Jew, in a concentration camp Numbered, locked up, starved Placed Here to die , I cannot escape or do as \ please . If only I were a bird/ Then I could be free ' Arlelleis a high school senior In 0evefan r / f > l k t f O h \ Hfeft^
Most teenagers my ase go to summer camps or on teen trips, whether in Wisconsin or Israel, and some kids conquer long hours of summer jobs. My summer experience was, literally, a world away. Numerous times I've been asked, "In one word, how would you describe your summer?" I could give them a million words to describe the two-week international summer camp fellowship in Szarvas, Hungary. The prosram is run by the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, in association with the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). This diverse program enables kids, ages 10-14, from all over Eastern Europe, from diverse Jewish backgrounds and customs to fulfill a richer and fuller sense of Jewish life, enhanced by our American group of 29 teens. The campers were from countries like Hungary, Lithuania, Ukraine, Israel, Estonia, Russia, Turkey, Latvia, Austria and India. Our American group was composed of teens with strong Jewish backgrounds (from Reconstructionist to Orthodox) from the New York and New Jersey, Massachusetts and Minnesota, New Orleans and Cleveland, and one from Omaha, NE. I remember sitting on the steps one night talking to one of my new friends from Lithuania, Vita Levina, a 15-year-old girl. She spoke great English, so it wasn't too difficult communicating with her. She and I exchanged personal stories about our families, school, religious life, and told each other what it was like to live in Omaha, Nebraska, as opposed to a small town in Lithuania. Setting our differences apart, I realized that we have a lot in common. We conversed about teenage essentials-the Internet, television, e-mail and music. She nodded her head, saying she had access to all of those "American luxuries." We also talked about September 11th, andJnow it affected her so far away. She wasn't the only one. Other Eastern European kids said that although they didn't have any tangible connection with the United States, each of them felt like he or she had been just hit in the stomach--and the whole world was terribly saddened by the events. I learned a lot while I was in Hungary this summer. I learned about the way kids my age live in other countries compared to
the way of life in America. I learned that I take a lot of things for granted in the United States. I didn't realize until this summer how lucky I am to have the freedom of being Jewish in America, and I have taken it for granted that I can be so open with my Judaism. Taking days off from school for Jewish holidays or to attend a Shabbaton is never questioned at my high school. Not answering the phone until after Shabbat is something my non-Jewish friends accept-and understand. In countries like Lithuania and Estonia, Jews have to be careful about what they say and where they go. In Turkey, my friends were told not to wear their kipot
Rachel (right) and Vita. outside,- in Ukraine, they were warned not , to walk to synagogue without adults accompanying them. In Austria, they worry about right-wing politicians gaining power—something their grandparents experienced first-hand in the 1930s. That's one reason why these kids come to this camp—to experience a more enhanced Jewish lifestyle, free from the constraints of their country's history and one they might not be abie to have at home without looking over their shoulders. • • As one of my new Szarvas friends, Vita, said, "The world of Szarvas is not in love with America, but rather what America represents: freedom.". Rachel is a senior at Westside, member of MZ Yoshanah, co-president of NCSY, and a member of Beth Israel.
or jgates@jewis^orriahavdrg to siubrnit your work.;v it off in the Jewish 'Press • office lP\r\ I::*' p:P- PPPW
Page 14
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
October 4, 2002
NCJW and B'nai B'rith Host Candidates Forum
flHHHHHJ
by SALLY Z1PURSKY
NCJW Public Relations Vice-president National Council of Jewish Women, Omaha Section (NCJW) and B'Nai B'rith Men are co-sponsoring a Candidates' Forum on Sunday, Oct. 13, 10:15 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center. Lee Terry, and Jim Simon, candidates for Congress from the Second District will be featured at the event. This event is open to the entire community. Please contact Pam Friedlander at 334-8773 for reservations. Lee Terry, the Republican candidate, is seeking re-election to his third term representing the Second District in Congress. Terry, 40, is a native Omahan. He graduated from Northwest High School in 1980, received a degree in Political Science from UNL in 1984 and earned his J.D. from the Creighton University School of Law in 1984. Terry served as an Omaha City Council Member from 1991-98. In 1998, he was elected to his first term in Congress. Lee Terry and his wife, Robyn, have three sons: Nolan, Ryan and Jack. Jim Simon, the Democratic candidate, is Terry's challenger, and also a native of Omaha. Simon, a successful businessman, began his career in his family's business, Omaha Steaks. A marketing idea, derived during his time at Omaha Steaks, led to an executive position at AOL as Vice-president of New Business Development. Simon has also owned an operated his own business, DMS, which was eventually sold to AOL. He and his wife Kim, have three daughters: Gabby, Maddie and Charlotte.
"Advocacy and education are integral pieces of the NCJW mission," stated Pam Friedlander, Co-Vice President of Public Affairs/Education for the Omaha Section. "This event continues a tradition within our Section of bringing the issues and candidates' stands on those issues to our membership and the community as a whole." Other pre-election activities NCJW is involved in this year include the bi-annual . Candidates' Questionnaire presented by NCJW and the League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha to be published in the Jewish Press, Nov. 1, "Special Election Issue." Additionally, NCJW will be cosponsoring another candidates' forum featuring metro Omaha area candidates for contested races in the Nebraska Legislature and University of Nebraska Board of Regents. That event will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7-9 p.m. at the Westside Community Center. Other sponsors for that event are the League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha, and Nebraskans for Research. The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a volunteer organization, inspired by Jewish values, that works through a program of research, education, advocacy and community service to improve the quality of life for women, children and families and strives to ensure individual rights and freedoms for all. For more information, please contact Kim Noddle, President, or Deb Marburg, Membership Vice-president for membership opportunities.
Former Omahan Stanford Lipsey, publisher of The Buffalo News and a key community leader in Western New York, has been named the 2002 recipient of the Endowment Development Award. Presented annually, the award is the highest honor given by the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies, recognizing outstanding contributions in both the Jewish and general communities. The award will be given Wednesday, Oct. 9 at the Hyatt Hotel in Buffalo, NY. The proceeds of the dinner will benefit the Foundation's Community Endowment Fund. A former trustee of the Foundation, Lipsey has been a major benefactor for nearly 20 years. He has established philanthropic funds and charitable trusts to benefit a wide variety of causes in Buffalo and in Omaha, where he was born and raised. Lipsey has had a long and distinguished career in journalism. As owner of the Sun Newspapers in Omaha (which he later sold to Warren Buffett), Lipsey won a Pulitzer Prize for public service journalism. He is also a past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Press. When Buffett purchased The Buffalo News, Lipsey moved there in 1982, undertaking many civic projects and being recognized for his efforts by two New York governors, Mario Cuomo and George Pataki. Can you pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time? If you can't, you may lack crossbrain coordination. Prof. Robert Abramson of the Julliard School in New York, will be in Omaha, Oct. 10-12, sponsored by UNOmalia's The Moving Company. For more information, call 554-3239.
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Page 15
When people mention Jack & Mary's, they're talking
(Continued from page 1) ———— "Both my parents had an incredible relationship with my children," Patty Nogg said. "Because they were so young when my parents died, the kids remember my parents through stories and pictures." Establishing the endowment fund in their names is "one more way to keep them alive for my children." Steve and Patty Nogg's daughter, Annie, paid tribute to her grandparents with a poem she wrote in 1994 when she was in high school.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
dinaire at the Blumkin Home," added Wine. The success of the Home's o ceramic program for residents is due to the effort of Lorrie Bernstein, according to Wine. Not only are the residents able to express their creativity by working on ceramics, but the Home is able to raise income from the sale -of residents' finished ceramics work. RESTAURANT "Lorrie spent 30 volunteer hours Lunch and Steaks « Seafood each week on the ceramics program Dinner Chicken Old Mill Shopping Center 108th & Dodge 496-2090 plus an additional two hours each at our songfest and bingo programs," if Wine mentioned. Bernstein was also Saw active with the National Council of Si Jewish Women as well as Jewish V Family Service, the American Lung "Bes^ Mexican Food" mm Association, and Planned Parenthood fundraisers. IP Bernstein -was nominated by the Blumkin Home to be the United Way 3S ' MSs of the Midlands' 1997 Outstanding Nachos * Ouacamole ' Tacos * Fajitas Volunteer. She was also honored by Burritos * Shrimp * Enchiladas the Jewish Federation of Omaha as Combination Dinners Carnitas * Tostadas the Blumkin Home's 1995 Volunteer Tamales * Arroz Con Polio • Machaca of the Year. MEXICAN BEER Sheldon Bernstein is the former Something's missing from my eyes, Corona • XX • Bohemia • Teeate • Carta Blanca Executive Director of the Foundation Open for Lunch and Dinner 11 a.m.-9 pan. Those three smiling faces. OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK of the Jewish Federation which Something's missing from my body, 4917 S o u t h 24th St. • 731-8969 administers the funds. the warm, gentle embrace from them. Starting at 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 6, Something's missing from my ears, children who attend Beyt Shalom the meaningful words "I love you." Religious School at the Jewish Nothing's missing from my heart, Preferred Diners Club for the memories of them will stay Community Center (JCC) will fly kites with the Blumkin Home resithere forever. Phyllis Lustgarten set up her dents in honor of Dr. Janusz Korczak, Good towards ONE (1) endowment fund "to help the Blumkin the Jewish educator, physician, and Complimentary Entree (Max $10 Value) EAST: 3535 Center St. 346-9226 Good for your next visit, Lunch or Dinner, Home and L.O.V.E. I would prefer to orphanage director from Warsaw, WEST: 2859 S. 168 St. 778-9322 dine-in or take-out, every day see the money go to the Blumkin Poland, explained Beth Seldin Dotan, CONDITIONS: Not valid with other promotions, discounts or offers. Certificate expires one year from issue Home and L.O.V.E. rather than the director of the Institute for Holocaust date. Only one certificate may be redemmed per party or take-out order, even if separate checks are issued. government through income tax," she Education (which is part of the Plains May be applied to only lowest priced appetizer and/or entree. May NOT be applied towards desserts, beverages or gratuities. Maximum credit allowed per appetizer is $5; maximum credit allowed per entree is $10. explained. "It's also a good way to States Regional Office of the AntiFor awards with multiple appetizers arid/or entrees, unused credit from one appetizer/entree may NOT be honor your spouse and your parents," Defamation League). Dr. Korczak died applied to any other appetizer/entree. Certificates may only be redeemed in their entirety. Unused appetizer with 200 orphans from the Warsaw she pointed out. and/or entree portions of an award certificate will be considered forfeited at the time of redemption. Certificates may be redeemed by either the PDC member, or given to afriend or family member. If award cerLustgarten has lived in Tulsa, ghetto in 1942 at the hands of the tificate is lost, a replacement can only be issued to the appropriate valid PDC member upon presentation of Oklahoma, since 1946, but she was Nazis. He believed that "the wind is a a valid PDC card. Certificates have NO CASH VALUE and cannot be refunded or redeemed for cash. raised in Omaha and so was her hus- gift to children." band Chester, who died in 1988. At noon, lunch will be served in the Married in 1945 in Omaha when JCC auditorium for a nominal charge. Chester was in the U. S. Air Force, he A magician and a clown, face painting, later worked for S. Riekes and Sons and the Dancing Grannies will proand was transferred to Tulsa. "We vide entertainment. The entire comraised three children," Phyllis said. munity is welcome to attend, said Although the Lustgartens' son died, Wine, who can be reached at 334-6530 OTwrjOTR^^ their two daughters live in Oklahoma. to take reservations. Chester and Phyllis "did a lot of "We hope to enlarge upon this idea Come dine with us in a things," she recalled. "We ran a filling each year," Wine said. quiet elegant atmosphere. station and then started a printing Eileen Remer, who is the current coshop," C and P Printing and president of L.O.V.E. with her husStationery, which the couple started band, Miles, acknowledged the donors "Big portions of wood fired, friendly food thats in their garage. "I did all the handset of the endowment funds who help a little spicy, somewhat saucy and full of robust flavors/ type. We kept enlarging it." defray the expense of Grandparents Eventually, after Chester died, Phyllis Day. "On behalf of the L.O.V.E. organSunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-lO p.m. Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-ll p.m. sold the shop. "It's still in business," ization," she said, "and the residents 646 North 114th Street • 498-0804 she noted. of the Blumkin Home, we want to Nowadays, she plays bridge and thank the donors who are making this travels. She's been around the world event possible." Marty Ricks, current Executive including Europe, Estonia, South America, the Panama Canal, and Director of the Jewish Federation Foundation, noted that "the three Antarctica, she said. She also visits relatives in endowment funds represent examples of Omahans whose lives were Omaha occasionally. Thanks to the Noggs, Phyllis enhanced by wonderful memories of Lustgarten, and Lorrie and Sheldon either having parents or grandparBernstein, who set up an endowment ents living at the Blumkin Home or JAPANESE fund in 1995 to support a grandpar- its predecessor facility, the Dr. Sher STEAKHOUSE ents day celebration at the Blumkin Home, or having fulfilling experiences 14505 West Center Road Home, L.O.V.E. volunteers are plan- as a volunteer and adding happiness ning a full day of activities on to the daily lives of the residents." Galleria Collection Sunday, Oct. 6,12-4 p.m. "Just as Annie Nogg's memories of Lorrie Bernstein was instrumental her grandparents will last forever, in working with Blumkin Home resi- endowment funds such as those set up dents on ceramics projects and at for L.O.V.E. will also last forever, sing-a-longs. She also co-chaired a because only the income is spent to highly successful fund raising event support events such as Grandparents several years ago featuring Shecky Day. As the years go by, every event Greene, said Lois Wine, director of scheduled for Grandparents Day on volunteer services at the Blumkin this campus will be a reminder of the narrles associated with the respective Home. . . • • Bernstein "was a volunteer-extraor- endowment funds." • " . ' .
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
October 4, 2002
Temple Israel Scholar to Present Jewish-Muslim "Lessons from the Past" *•» by CLAUDIA SHERMAN, Temple Israel Communications Coordinator.
Dr. Scheindlin's longest stay in Spain was for "Islam, in its great peri- r own kind of Jewish life," he noted, od of success and power, \ "likewise one that partakes of two three months in the spring of 2001 when he lived in was tolerant of religious worlds, two complementary sys- Madrid and taught a course at the Universidad minorities like Christians tems. And it was creative in that it Complutense where he was a research fellow in the and Jews, and the Jews produced great Jewish thinkers and Department of Hebrew and Aramaic. He has led tours sponsored by the Jewish Museum in New York thrived under (Islam's) writers." dominion," said Dr. On Saturday morning, Oct. 19, 9 and has traveled to Spain "on my own many times." Raymond P. Scheindlin, a.m., Dr. Scheindlin will reflect on He and his wife, Janice Meyerson, an opera singer, professor of medieval "The Bible and the Quran" at Bagels took a Spanish course in Salamanca one summer Hebrew literature at the and Sacred Books preceding and lived with a Spanish family for a month. Jewish Theological S'm'jbat services. The books are "Ill do my best to tell the group about the Jewish "jmilar and different," he indicated. aspect of Spain-what they can expect to see and expeSeminary. He will be in , Iboy both purport to be God's word, rience from a Jewish point of view," he confirmed. Omaha from Oct. 18-20 as Concluding his weekend as scholar-in-residence, qp en to a particular people chosen a scholar-in-residence at Temple Israel to present i t'i be bearers of that word by a mes- which is sponsored by Temple's Hermene Zweiback "Lessons from the Past: senger (Muhammad) who is also the Center for Lifelong Jewish Learning, Dr. Scheindlin Jews and Moslems in the 1 o.ider of the community (like will talk about "Maimonides: Jewish Leader in an Golden Age of Spain." Wn-es). The Quran alludes to many Arab Land" at a Sunday, Oct. 20, 10 a.m. bagel biblical stories and laws and speaks brunch. "It was a good life for the w J quite a lot about the Jews- both "In some ways, Maimonides is the greatest indiJewish upper classes whoAL~ b r o n z e were rich, well educated, m o n u m e n t of Moses g o o d axid b a d » vidual product of the Judeo-Arabic symbiosis," Dr. and free of persecution," Maimonides stands in Cordoba. H e added t h a t t h e Bible a n d t h e Scheindlin suggested. Besides being a great rabbi Dr. Scheindlin continued. Photo by A. Garrido. Q u r a n are different"m"in that the and Jewish leader, Maimonides was also "a repre"They knew how to enjoy the material things in life Quran doesn't have any extended histories like sentative of Islamic humanism-the synthesis of while at the same time remaining loyal to Jewish Genesis or Samuel or Chronicles—it's mostly prophe- Arabic and Hellenistic science and philosophy that traditions and values. Their life was a mix, unusual cies." The day of reckoning theme is "stressed far flourished under medieval Islam," according to Dr. in the Middle Ages, of the Jewish and the cosmopol- more forcefully in the Quran than in the Bible. God's Scheindlin. itan, of the secular and the religious." "Jews and Arabs are not the same people as they control of the universe is also stressed more-someDr. Scheindlin will elaborate on the good life Jews times the Quran seems to come close to denying were 1000 years ago," he emphasized. "Then, Islam enjoyed under Islamic rule in the Middle Ages when human freedom of choice, but it always pulls back and the Arabs were the most advanced civilization in the West, and the Jews were accepted as a tolerhe addresses "Wine, Women and Death: Hebrew from the extremes of determinism." Poetry from the Golden Age" as a guest speaker at A frequent traveler to Spain, Dr. Scheindlin will ated minority. Since then, the Arabs and Islam have Temple Israel's Adult Study with the Clergy on share those experiences when he meets with mem- been overtaken by the Europeans who now surpass Friday, Oct. 18,10 a.m. bers of the community interested in the Journey to them in wealth, power, scientific achievement, and At Shabbat worship services, Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. Jewish Spain that Temple is sponsoring in technology." that evening, Dr. Scheindlin, who conducts research February 2003. "Travel Lore to Entertain...Before However, Dr. Scheindlin remarked, "if anything on the encounter of Hebrew and Arabic cultures in You Go to Spain" will be Dr. Scheindlin's subject at positive is to be learned from the past, it may be Spain especially as embodied in the poetry of the a reception and havdalah Saturday evening, Oct. that Islam.is capable of enlightened toleration of two traditions, will deliver the sermon, "The Jews 19, 5 p.m., at the home of Suzanne Singer, 11223 non-Muslims despite what might appear from the Under Islam." Life then "reminds me a lot of our Woolworth Plaza (Brbokhollow Condominiums). present-day Islamic extremist movements." '<;••>
ADL's institute for Holocaust Hosts Subject of Documentary by JEWISH PRESS News Service — Tak for Alt: Survival of a Human Spirit, a documentary film in English about Holocaust survivor Judy Meisel will be shown to the community on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 6:30 p.m., at the Jewish Community Center Theater. A discussion with Meisel will follow the film. On Monday, Oct. 7, 4:30 p.m., a Seminar for Educators will take
place, also at the JCC. A discussion will follow the screening of the film with Judy Meisel, the film's producer Laura Bialis, and curriculum writers Dr. Kathleen McSharry and Beth Seldin Dotan (Director of the ADL's Institute for holocaust Studies). For more information or reservations, please contact the ADL/CRC at 333-1303.
Dr. Kathleen McSharry
Laura Bialis
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