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Tessa Veksler To Speak At Annual Campaign Kick-Off Jay Katelman Joins P2G Management Team Page 4

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ELLIE NOVAK JFO Senior Director of Development he Jewish Federation of Omaha will welcome Tessa Veksler as the f e a t u r e d speaker for its 2027 Annual Campaign Community KickOff Event on Monday, Oct. 12. Veksler, a public speaker, content creator and Jewish advocate, has become an international voice for Jewish pride, college campus leadership, and the fight against antisemitism. A 2024 graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, she served as student body president during a period of intense pressure on Jewish students following the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. Ms. Veksler’s experience at UCSB drew national attention and is featured in the documentary October 8, which examines the rise of antisemitism on American

Omaha Press Club Honors Lee Polikov On Thursday, July 30, Omaha native Lee Polikov was honored as the 187th Face on the Barroom Floor. The evening began with a reception, followed by dinner and the customary “roast.”

T The Untested Cookbook Page 5

campuses and in public life after October 7. Since graduating, Veksler has continued to travel the country speaking about resilience, advocacy and the responsibility of Jewish communities to support the next generation of leaders. Born in the San Francisco Bay Area to See Campaign page 2

Time to “Book” Your Stay at the Golden Hotel Page 12

The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home: A Legacy We Proudly Carry Forward, Part 2 LYNN BATTEN JFO Content Coordinator/Gallery Manager

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As we prepare to open the new addition to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, we will be running a series of articles reflecting on our community’s history of senior care. To help us fully understand the significance of where we are today, this series will look back at the journey that brought us here and the previous generations who

made this moment possible. Special thanks to the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society archives and Jewish Press archives for providing source materials for this article. Part one of this series can be found in the Aug. 7 edition of the Jewish Press. Part 2: 1950 - 2000 After its opening in 1948, demand for the Dr. Philip Sher

Home for the Aged continued. By the 1950’s the national popularity of nursing home facilities was surging, thanks in part to new government grants. Residents of the Dr. Sher Home were now being housed in the medical quarters - an area meant exclusively for treatment of the sick. In 1956, the Sher Home announced a See RBJH page 3

Lee Polikov

Lee Polikov has been a key player in Sarpy County for more than five decades, serving the past 27 years as Sarpy County attorney. Prior to becoming Sarpy County Attorney, Polikov was recruited by Sarpy County Sheriff Pat Thomas to become his chief deputy in 1973 and held this post for 26 years. Roasters for the event included two past Faces on the Barroom Floor and an OPC Hall of Fame member. Bob Batt, retired executive vice president, Nebraska Furniture Mart (Face No. 124, 2010), served as Emcee. Other roasters were Jeff Davis, retired sheriff, Sarpy County; Jay Lerner, president and founder, The Lerner Company; Rose Ann Shannon, retired news director, KETV (member of the OPC Hall of Fame); Martie Cordaro, president, Omaha Storm Chasers (Face No. 179, 2024); and Gil Cohen, executive vice president of sales and marketing, Omaha Magazine. Polikov, who is retiring at the end of this year, has been a driving force in helping Sarpy County become the state’s fastest growing county. In his 53 years at Sarpy County, the county has more than tripled its population going from 70,000 in 1973 to more than 212,000 today. In 2011, the Omaha Storm Chasers opened Werner Park in Sarpy County, thanks in large part to the work of Polikov who was one of the key negotiators in See Lee Polikov page 2