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BBYO blast: November

IDAN ZACCAI BBYO Director n early November, Omaha BBYO had the honor of hosting BBYO International N’siah: Mercedes Benzaquen. Attendees enjoyed a delightful dinner with conversation about BBYO, college life, Israel, and upcoming convention. On Nov. 7, it was off to Missouri for a Star Wars-themed Regional Convention, which included Friday night Shabbat services as well as plenty of community building. On Saturday there were various breakout programs and a visit to Sky Zone, followed by Havdalah. Our Omaha council stood out as the most respectful, thoughtful, and engaged group. We cherished old friendships, and forged new ones. We played with big hearts and plenty of talent in the AZA tournament. At the start of our first match, we lost a key player due

Recent additions to the Kripke-Veret Collection Page 12

to a severe calf cramp, and we had no subs. We were able to continue when Makayla Lucoff made Herstory as the first-ever BBG to play in the tournament. That’s how we secured our first win! Although we gave it everything, we did not win the second game, but we never let morale dip. Through workshops, fun and shared missions, we came back stronger. The fun of late-night laughs, brotherhood, sisterhood, and powerful Shabbat bonds culminated in a weekend filled with Jewish Omaha pride. The following Sunday, Nov. 16, we came together for Mama’s Pizza Night. Mama’s prepared dinner; we learned why Jews make latkes and connected our traditions to the stories and values that have been passed down through the generations. Tuesday, Nov. 18, our Pickleball program brought out a different kind of energy. Each See BBYO page 2

Upstanders

REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life Cycles

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Lo Ta’amod: When It Mattered SETH SCHUCHMAN NJHS Advisory Board Member STORIES OF MORAL COURAGE IN THE FACE OF ANTISEMITISM SERIES INTRODUCTION Antisemitism has never been abstract. In every generation, it has appeared in laws, institutions, and in the silence that allows it to take hold. Jewish history, however, also includes moments when people, both Jews and allies, recognized what was at stake and chose to act. Not because the outcome was certain, but because remaining silent was not acceptable.

Zach Stein wins 39th Annual Zorinsky Bible Quiz Page 2

The every other Tuesday night poker club Pages 5

SPONSORED BY THE BENJAMIN AND ANNA E. WIESMAN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND

The following statements were made in response to the Dec. 14 attack

at Bondi Beach, Australia, where 15 Jews were brutally murdered while celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. Omaha Mayor John W. Ewing Jr. (via Facebook) To our Jewish brothers and sisters, Omaha has your back. Violence and hate cannot be the story of our time. What happened in Australia is horrible, and we must work hard together to root out this cancer. At a press conference the Jewish

Federation of Omaha held today, my Deputy Chief of Staff for External Affairs, Keith Station, shared an important message, echoed by others, including Rabbi Katzman and Sharon Brodkey: We need action. We need to stand up. Please know that the Omaha Police Department and Mayor's Hotline are resources. Report suspicious activity. Tell us how to help you feel safer. See Upstanders page 2

From our work preserving Jewish history, we learn that resilience is not found in survival alone. It is reflected in the choices people made when standing up carried real risk. This series, Lo Ta’amod: When It Mattered, takes its name from the biblical injunction not to stand idly by. It highlights moments of moral courage that helped shape Jewish life. These stories are not offered as simple inspiration, nor as accounts of easy victories, but as reminders of what responsibility has looked like in practice. Victor Gollancz and the Cost of Speaking Early History rarely produces uncomplicated figures. The individuals who matter most are often shaped by their time, their convictions, and the risks they were willing to accept when others chose caution. Victor Gollancz was one such figure. For many years, part of my work has involved leading a publishing company. That background is what first led me to Victor Gollancz’s work. He was not a politician or a religious leader. He was a Jewish publisher who believed that remaining silent in the face of documented antisemitism carried its own moral weight. By the mid 1930s, Nazi policies in Germany had already stripped Jews of civil rights, livelihoods, and legal protections. Jewish professionals were dismissed from public service and barred from their trades. Laws isolated Jews from public life and See Lo Ta’amod page 3