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Remembering Bert Lewis

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Rediscovering Federation Presidents: Sam Beber (1943 to 1945) Page 5

When Jewish moms say “Yes” to Momentum Page 7

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor Well, Kinder, I wish us all well. May we work hard on whatever project brings us the most satisfaction, help our brothers and sister make the future bright and generally behave like good Jews. Like responsible people. Bert Lewis, 1988 Bert Wine Lewis passed away on Dec. 23, 2025. A private funeral was held on Dec. 24 at the Mount Sinai Cemetery on Crown Point. Her family is planning a celebration of their beloved mother’s long and wonderful life in the new year. Details will be forthcoming. Bert was preceded in death by her husband, Leonard Lewis. Bert and Leonard were married for 64 years (their wedding date was May 13, 1945). Born in 1925 to Mary and Jake Wine, Bert saw a century of Omaha Jewish life, and described it in numerous columns. Her file at the NJHS is filled with her words, and they are worth reading over and over. Her columns evoke a vibrant personality who paid attention to her surroundings-and usually had something witty to say. She had an amazing sense of humor. While her mother came from Austria, and her father from Russia, Bert was 100% Omahan. At the Jewish Press, we knew Bert for her tireless writing, which she had done for this paper since 1979. But, she was involved in many other projects and organizations over the years. She volunteered for the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, as well as Beth El

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LYNN BATTEN JFO Content Coordinator/Gallery Manager Guided by the core values of Judaism, the Jewish Federation of Omaha and its agencies respond to critical issues on a daily basis, including the everyday challenges faced by members of our community. Jewish Family Service ( JFS), one agency of the JFO, is on the front lines assisting

Returning Home: Part I ITAY JFO Community Shaliach In December of 2025, Itay, our community shaliach, accompanied Jay Katelman and synagogue leaders on the Jewish Omaha teen trip to Israel. You read about Jay’s impressions in our January 23 edition. This is part I of Itay’s story.

Synagogue and the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Back in 1979, she joined the board of what was then named the Bureau for the Aging, and served as its president for two years. She was a member of Hadassah, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Beth El Sisterhood and of course belonged to the Jewish Community Center, where she was named Volunteer of the Year in 1980. She was involved with the Jewish Community Relations Committee/Anti-Defamation See Bert Lewis Page 2

Donations from David and Carol Alloy help fight food insecurity

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our community with these needs. Their services work to restore hope and meaning when life’s struggles seem insurmountable. They support clients with dignity, privacy, and compassion. Counseling and mental health care, assistance to families and caregivers, senior services, and referrals to other community resources are some of the many services they offer. While the day-to-day work of JFS is carried out by professional staff, it is the ongoing support of the community through the JFO Annual Campaign that keeps everything moving.

Whether through donations of goods, time, or money, the participation of the community is what keeps these essential services viable. Such is the case with David and See David and Carol Alloy page 3

The excitement and anticipation for this trip began long before the trip itself. During the preparations, I kept thinking about how I could make this journey more meaningful—beyond visiting sites and taking photos. I wanted each of the teens to have a place to pause within the intensity of the experience, a place to write down feelings, emotions, thoughts, and small moments — those that sometimes get lost along the way. That’s how the idea of travel journals was born: personal notebooks where each participant could process what they were going through, and later keep on a shelf at home as a living memory of this trip and this chapter of their lives. Alongside the excitement, many questions kept running through my mind. What would this trip look like? How would it feel to be in these places as a tourist? And how would it feel to return, for the first time, to places where I fought on Oct. 7? So let me tell you. We arrived on the first day, landing at 11 p.m. at Ben Gurion Airport—which, fun fact, is actually in Lod and not Tel Aviv, even though everyone still calls it “Tel Aviv’s airport.” Like any proper arrival in Israel, the first thing we did was grab an iced coffee at Aroma. It’s important to clarify—Israeli iced coffee isn’t coffee with ice; it’s more like a slushy. Honestly, the best thing ever, and for me, the official taste of being back home. From there, we drove to our hotel in Jerusalem, went straight to sleep, and prepared for a new day. In the morning, we headed to the archaeological site at Beit Guvrin, where See Returning Home page 2