The 2026 Annual Jewish Federation of Omaha Campaign Kickoff event will be held Sunday Oct. 5, and we’re thrilled to welcome Academy Award-winning actress and activist Marlee Matlin as our keynote speaker, along with a special musical performance by Hashayara, a vibrant ensemble of Israeli musicians from the Galilee.
The 2026 Campaign Cabinet Chairs are Sheri and Mike Abrahamson, Marissa and Brad Abrahamson, Jaime and Mike Mason, and Erin and Jacob Bearman. The Abrahamson family takes the lead, as additional lay leaders have taken on roles in the Campaign Cabinet. They are: Alex Epstein-Major Donors (men); Suzy Sheldon-Major Donors (women); Donald Gerber -Chazak/Chaverim); Pam Monsky
Honoring excellence and heart
MAGGIE CONTI
RBJH Director of Activities and Volunteer Services
RBJH was proudly represented at this year’s Nebraska Health Care Association Awards Ceremony in Kearney, Nebraska. The event celebrated dedication, compassion, and extraordinary achievements in long-term care, and two members of the RBJH family stood out in remarkable ways.
Lisa Nasim, RN, was honored with the AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing Scholarship, recognizing her commitment to education and her outstanding service in long-term care. This prestigious award earned Lisa a
trip to Washington, D.C., where she had the opportunity to meet with Nebraska’s congressional delegates, a testament to her leadership and impact in the field.
The most moving moment of the ceremony came when Resident George McHendry was named Nebraska Nursing Facility Association’s Resident of the Year. George, beloved for his dry wit and charming personality, brought the house to its feet with a standing ovation. Famous at RBJH for his running joke about needing a Starbucks, George was treated to his favorite coffee first thing on the way to the ceremony, a fitting start to his big day.
George’s motto, “If you don’t ask, you don’t receive,” reflects the optimism that led him to fulfill a lifelong dream this spring: traveling to Kansas City to see his cherished Colorado Rockies play one more time. This unforgettable trip was made possible by the Dreamweaver Foundation and the dedicated RBJH staff who See Honoring Excellence page 3
(Pomegranate); Corey and Carrie Epstein (Ben Gurion Society); Ally Freeman (Pearl Society); Candice and Dusty Friedman (Ambassador’s Circle); Bonnie Levinger, Jennifer Glazer and Eadie Tsabari (Campaign Kickoff); Erica Lucoff (Super Sunday); Jaime Mason (Hanukkah Extravaganza). Keynote speaker Marlee Matlin Matlin is known for her acting, and for her activism on behalf of deaf individuals in Hollywood and other industries. She has received both an Academy Award (the youngest to ever win ‘best actress’) and a Golden Globe, and has also been nominated for a British Academy Film Award and four Primetime Emmy Awards. And if you find yourself in Hollywood, you can find her star on the Walk of Fame, which she received in 2009.
Her first role was that of Sarah Norman in the romantic See Campaign 2026 page 2
The world of Estée Lauder
SHIRLY BANNER
JFO Library Specialist
On Sept. 18 at 1 p.m. the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will gather for their monthly meeting. This month the meeting is only in person in the Benjamin and Anna Wiesman Reception Room in the Staenberg Omaha Jewish Community Center. They will be discussing Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renée Rosen based on the life of Estée Lauder.
The woman, the myth, the legend is the “essence” of Renée Rosen’s
novel based on cosmetics authority Estée Lauder. The book follows the lives of Estée and fictional character Gloria “Downing” Dowaziac. Rosen begins her historical fiction novel with author Lee Israel contacting Gloria Downing about the exposé she is writing on Estée Lauder. She hopes Gloria will provide her with some dirt on Estée she can use. This gives Gloria and the reader a chance to reminisce about Gloria and Estée’s complicated relationship and friendship together.
Gloria’s family is well-to-do See Kaplan Book page 2
The Kris Lager Band: Meet
CAMPAIGN 2026
Continued from page 1 drama film Children of a Lesser God (1986), for which she won that Oscar and the Golden Globe. She is the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award, and one of four women to win the award for their screen debut. Other places you might have seen her include the police drama Reasonable Doubts, Seinfeld, Picket Fences, The Practice, The West Wing and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In addition, she’s also performed on Broadway. And yes, before you ask: she had a Bat Mitzvah:
leased in 2025.
“Some people might have thought being bat mitzvahed would be impossible for a deaf girl,” she said in a 2011 interview, “but it was an opportunity for which I was most grateful. Being bat mitzvahed is difficult enough for children whose primary language is English and Hebrew is learned in school every afternoon. Now imagine a child who is deaf—who learned English through extensive speech and hearing training—having to learn Hebrew phonetically as I had to. It was tough, it was a lot of work, but the rewards were immense.
As she told Jewish Women International’s Danielle Cantor: “I’ve always said to people who’ve asked, “Why do you do so much charity work?” because when I was young, my parents made it a point of sharing with me the idea of giving back, of helping out those less fortunate than yourself. I love the phrase “living a life generously” that the Jewish Federation uses; it really sums up the lesson I got from my parents.”
Seeing my mother’s and father’s faces as I stood on the bima, reading my Torah portion, was just amazing. At one point, they were crying tears of joy, and then I began to cry. When I noticed that my tears had stained the Torah, I was horrified. But the rabbi assured me that my tears were a mitzvah, for all the hard work and hours I had put toward becoming a member of the Jewish community. It was just a wonderful day for me!”
Outside of acting, Matlin is a prominent member of the National Association of the Deaf. She has published four works, and won recognitions for her advocacy. A documentary about her life and work, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, was re-
Writing Workshop
Making the event even more special is a performance by the Israeli group Hashayara. Formed by educators and artists from Dror Israel, HaShayara is more than a performance group. It is a moving force of healing and resilience. Across Israel, communities are beginning to return home after months, and in some cases more than a year, of displacement, trauma and loss. As they rebuild their lives and neighborhoods, many are also working to restore the emotional and social bonds that were broken by war and separation.
HaShayara, meaning “caravan” operates both in Israel and abroad, using music as a powerful educational and therapeutic tool to help communities reconnect with themselves, with one another and with their broader Jewish and/or Israeli identity. The ensemble works hand in hand with each community to create musical experiences that reflect their unique stories, programs that give voice to their struggles and open space for emotional expression.
The 2026 Annual Campaign theme is “Stronger Together.” Please join us October 5 for a celebration of Jewish Omaha, for great kosher desserts, for making pledges and meeting friends and enjoying amazing entertainment during our Campaign Kickoff! RSVP by September 21
‘Write With Us,’ our small and intimate writing workshop (no need to be nervous) continues in the Fall. Upcoming workshops are scheduled for Oct. 30, Nov. 13 and Dec. 11 from 5-7 p.m. in the Noshery at the Staenberg Omaha JCC. Register by contacting Jessi at jtaylor@jewishomaha.org or Annette at avandekamp@jewishomaha.org. There is no cost to attend, although donations are always welcome.
If you have wanted to write your family’s story, that great American novel, or you have always wanted to try your hand at poetry, join us! Maybe you are already an accomplished writer, but you would benefit from being in a room with other writers. Perhaps you have convinced yourself you can’t write at all, but would love to try. Everyone, from absolute beginner to professional, is welcome to attend. We will provide the kosher snacks and the writing prompts.
The world of Estée Lauder
Continued from page 1
members of society until Gloria’s father Gus is convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and bilking associates, friends, and future family members of much of their monies. Gloria assumes the name Gloria Downing desperately trying to distance herself from her father and the rest of her family who still defend Gus and believe the entire scandal is a mistake. Estée and Gloria first meet in Darlene’s Palace of Beauty where Estée is renting a small corner of the shop to sell her small line of beauty products, and Gloria has just had a hair makeover. Because of Gloria’s desperate need for a job to earn some money, she becomes the shampoo girl for Darlene.
Estée sets up small areas in various beauty shops to sell her homemade beauty products, to demonstrate how to use them and to give away free samples to attract interest in her products. Ultimately, Estée hopes to land counter space in Saks Fifth Avenue’s cosmetics department. At times Estée goes to Florida trying to promote her beauty products. The first time, Gloria accompanies Estée to help care for her young son Leonard; later, Estée returns to Florida having divorced her husband Joe (who is still totally devoted to Estée) and takes up with several men who are wealthy and influential who she hopes offer opportunities to promote and expand her beauty product line.
Gloria, still hiding the truth about herself and her family, has moved from shampoo girl to a shop girl and eventually gets a promotion to assistant cosmetic buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue. As devoted as Gloria and Estée are to each other, the women often quarrel especially about how Estée treats and uses Joe even while she is involved with other men.
Estée presents herself to the world as descending from Aus-
trian royalty, having an Uncle John who is a skin care specialist and that her products are made from her secret formula. We discover that Gloria is not the only one hiding her identity to the world. When Gloria finds out the truth about Estée, they have a huge fight before they are supposed to board a plane to Dallas to meet with representatives of Neiman Marcus to expand the line. Estée’s logic for not admitting the truth about herself is that “Sometimes the truth is just too painful or doesn’t fit with where you’re heading. If we aren’t allowed a little escape from our pasts, how else are we supposed to get by?” Ironically, Estée had known for years about Gloria’s identity but never said anything; she was waiting for Gloria to confide in Estée about herself.
Gloria realizes “Everyone is guilty of a little embellishment, doing a little enhancing to what G-d had or hadn’t given us.” Maybe this is the essence of life as well as the beauty industry’s; everyone lies about something, we all are covering something up about ourselves. After all, who among us is perfect?
You are invited to join us on Sept. 18 at 1 p.m. in person when we will be participating in a Q&A discussion about Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl. We will be joined by Renée Rosen via Zoom this month for the Q&A discussion so you are encouraged to have already read the book. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1 pm. New members are always welcome.
The Group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement and Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For information about the group and to join in the discussion, contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org
The Jewish Calendar: Sanctifying Time
MUSHKA TENENBAUM
Chabad of Nebraska
Jewish life revolves around time. Our days and months are not simply numbers on a page—they are opportunities for connection with Hashem, moments filled with meaning and holiness. From the very beginning, the Jewish people were charged with sanctifying time itself.
In fact, the very first mitzvah given to the Jewish nation before Exodus from Egypt was the commandment to sanctify the new moon: “This month shall be for you the first of months” (Exodus 12:2). With this, Hashem entrusted the Jewish people with the responsibility of determining the calendar—declaring when each month begins, and by extension, when the holidays would be celebrated.
During the era of the First Beis Hamikdash, the arrival of the new moon was a sacred and communal event. When two kosher witnesses saw the first sliver of the new moon, they would travel to Jerusalem to testify before the Sanhedrin—the men of the Great Assembly. Once confirmed, the new month, Rosh Chodesh, was declared.
Without smartphones, group chats, or WhatsApp broadcasts, word had to spread differently. Fires were lit on mountaintops in a relay system, signaling to distant communities that the new month had begun. Later, when enemies tried to disrupt this system by lighting false fires, messengers were dispatched by foot and horseback. Because communication took time, Jews living outside the Land of Israel developed the custom of celebrating holidays for two days—a practice still observed today in the Diaspora.
When it became clear that the Beis Hamikdash and the Sanhedrin would not endure forever, Hillel the Great and his colleagues established a permanent calendar. By carefully cal-
culating the lunar and solar cycles, they created the system we still use today. The Jewish calendar combines the moon’s months with the sun’s seasons. Usually, there are 12 months, but in order to keep the holidays in their correct seasons—Pesach in the spring, Sukkot in the fall—a leap year with a 13th month is added seven times in every 19-year cycle.
Each new month begins with Rosh Chodesh, a minor holiday marked with special prayers and joy. Traditionally, Rosh Chodesh is associated with Jewish women, who were rewarded with this day of celebration for refusing to participate in the sin of the Golden Calf. It is a time for renewal, reflection, and blessing for the month ahead.
For 35 years, the Chabad Jewish Art Calendar has been a beautiful reminder of this holiness of time. Distributed across Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota, the calendar features local Shabbat times, holidays, and fascinating facts about each month. Families and businesses alike display it proudly in kitchens, offices, and classrooms—not only as a tool, but as a spiritual companion throughout the year.
This year’s calendar features the artwork of Yamit Presman, a fine quilling artist from Pittsburgh, PA. A devoted mother who still finds time for her craft, Yamit’s art explores themes of Jewish womanhood and Chassidic inspiration. Her creations have been featured on Chabad.org, Layers Platform, and Binah Magazine, and now they enrich our community’s calendar with an added dimension of beauty.
If you haven’t yet received your copy, be sure to join our mailing list or stop by Chabad to pick one up. Let this calendar guide you through the year—not just in marking dates, but in transforming every day and moment into an opportunity for growth, connection, and holiness.
Bodies of two hostages recovered from Gaza
GRACE GILSON
JTA
The body of Ilan Weiss, who was killed while defending Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, 2023, has been recovered by the IDF and Shin Bet security service.
“The body of Ilan Weiss, who was held hostage for 693 days in Gaza, has been recovered in a joint IDF and ISA military operation,” the IDF said in a post on X Friday. “Ilan was from Kibbutz Be’eri and left his home on the morning of Oct. 7 to join the kibbutz emergency response team.”
Weiss, 56, was murdered and kidnapped by Hamas during the massacre. His wife, Shiri, 54, and daughter Noga, 19, were also taken hostage by Hamas during the attacks and were released during a ceasfire in November 2023.
The IDF also recovered the remains of another hostage who could not yet be identified.
There are now 48 remaining hostages held in Gaza, of which 20 are presumed to be alive. Last week, President Donald Trump cast doubt on that figure, telling reporters that some Israeli hostages had died inside Gaza since the last ceasefire.
Israel has not responded to a Hamas offer for a ceasefire deal that would include the release of some of the living hostages. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have said they are no longer considering partial deals, even as the vast majority of Israelis support an end to the war in order to release the hostages and have staged multiple mass protests this month to press their case.
The recovery of the hostages’ remains comes as Israel instead widens fighting in Gaza City, which it says is one of Hamas’ last major redoubts. It also comes on the one-year anniversary of the murder of six hostages who were killed as Israeli troops neared the location in Rafah where they were being held, and as army leaders and advocates for the hostages warn that the Gaza City operation could risk the remaining hostages’ lives.
Half of US voters disapprove of Israel’s actions
PHILISSA CRAMER
JTA
A new poll found that half of U.S. voters — including 77% of Democrats — believe that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a genocide, in a finding that adds to mounting signals of deep public disapproval of Israel’s operations there.
The poll, conducted by Quinnipiac between Aug. 21 and 25, also found that 60% of Americans said the United States should not send more weapons for Israel to use against Hamas in Gaza.
The rate was higher — 75% — among Democrats, reflecting a position being adopted at a rapid clip by Democrats in Congress, including, this week, a leading moderate on the House Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith.
A month into the Gaza war in November 2023, Quinnipiac found that 39% of Americans opposed sending more aid to Israel for use against Hamas. The following month, 46% opposed sending more aid. Since then, the number has only risen.
The poll also asked a question the firm has surveyed on for more than two decades: “From what you know about the situation in the Middle East, do your sympathies lie more with the Israelis or more with the Palestinians?” The latest results found a statistical dead heat, the strongest showing for the Palestinians in the poll’s history.
“Support for the Palestinians grows while the appetite for funding Israel militarily dips sharply. And a harsh assessment of the way Israel is prosecuting the Gaza campaign invokes a word of infamy,” Tim Malloy, a Quinnipiac analyst, said in a statement summarizing the new poll’s results.
The poll found that 35% of respondents, largely Republicans, said they believed Israel was definitely not committing a genocide in Gaza, and 15% said they could not answer.
Honoring Excellence
Continued from page 1 brought his dream to life.
IA poster of a photo of Israeli hostage Ilan Weiss, kidnapped on October 7, 2023 in the Gaza Strip, on a pole in a street in Avignon, France, on April 27, 2025. Credit: Nicolas Guyonnet /Hans Lucas/Hans Lucas via AFP
“Ilan, 56, was a family man and a devoted father to his daughters.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum wrote in a post on X. “There are no words to express the depth of this pain. The hostages have no time. We must bring them all home, now!”
His acceptance speech was a highlight with equal parts touching and hilarious, leaving the audience both laughing and in tears. George was treated like a rock star throughout the day. Although the travel was long and he didn’t return home until nearly 10 p.m., he was filled with joy and smiles and had to show off his plaque to all the staff. RBJH Executive Director Chris Ulven added, "The resident of the year award is the most revered award at the NHCA awards ceremony each year, with the recipient receiving a standing ovation both at introduction and completion of their speech. The residents are why we are all in this industry. People were still talking about George the next day! What an impression he made!"
A heartfelt thank you goes to the Kohll family for generously providing the handicapped-accessible van that made the journey possible, and to the RBJH staff who went above and beyond to support and share in this unforgettable experience.
Beth El Women launch Miriam Initiative with “Kocktails in the Kitchen”
STACIE METZ
Beth El Engagement Coordinator
Beth El is opening the season with a festive evening as the Miriam Initiative kicks off its 2025–26 programming. Kocktails in the Kitchen will be held on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m., offering an opportunity for women to gather, catch up, and enjoy the synagogue’s newly remodeled kitchen.
The event is co-chaired by Elly Gordman, Nancy Skid, Andie Gordman, and Allison Gordman, who share both a family bond and a passion for bringing women together.
gramming hiatus.”
More than just kocktails and mocktails, the evening is designed as a chance to share, laugh, and enjoy community. Chef Mike will prepare inventive small bites to pair with festive drinks, while attendees can experience the synagogue’s kitchen refresh, a project that symbolizes Beth El’s ongoing commitment to hospitality and gathering.
“Nancy, Allison, Andie and I are looking forward to hosting this Miriam Initiative event in the newly remodeled kitchen,” Elly shared. “The food will be creative and delicious. This will be an opportunity to visit and reconnect with other Beth El women after the summer pro-
The Miriam Initiative hosts programs throughout the year designed to strengthen bonds, inspire learning, and create spaces for women to celebrate Jewish life together. Kocktails in the Kitchen sets the tone for a year filled with engaging events and meaningful experiences.
Registration is open at www.bethel.omaha.org or by calling 402.492.8550.
Upcoming specials at Star Deli
Star Deli dishes up (among other delights) overstuffed corn beef, pastrami and smoked turkey sandwiches, matzah ball soup, salad platters, Dr. Brown’s Assorted Sodas, plus toothsome desserts and sometime-specials like Prime Rib, Chicken Pot Pie, Smoked Brisket and Chili with Corn Bread. We also sell delectable glatt Kosher meats by the pound. The Deli welcomes everyone in the Jewish community and the larger Omaha area community to join us for lunch. Here are the next dates & specials for the Star Deli:
For more information about Star Catering or to pre-order take-out from the Kosher Deli at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, please email Jennifer Addison at jaddison@rbjh. com.
IHE’s Third Thursday Lunch and Learn
MORGAN
GRONINGER
JCRC Program and Communications Manager
Two leaders from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) will lead IHE’s Third Thursday Lunch and Learn on Sept. 18 at 11:30 a.m. via Zoom.
Rachel Hirsh, Ph.D., is a dedicated educational leader and nonprofit executive with over a decade of experience in program administration, strategic planning, and relationship development. She has a deep commitment to advancing equity, inclusion, and professional growth within diverse communities. Rachel currently serves as Senior Associate Director of Outreach and Partnership at ADL (Anti-Defamation League), where she builds strategic relationships and creates meaningful opportunities for community and organizational partners.
for Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. He has been with ADL for three years and is based in Omaha.
Harmon has worked in the education and the non-profit world for more than twenty years. Before coming to ADL, he worked in Omaha Public Schools for more than a decade.
Rachel Hirsh Harmon Maples
Rachel holds a Ph.D. in Technology and Humanities from the Illinois Institute of Technology, with research focused on the #MeToo movement and the power of storytelling for social change.
Harmon Maples is ADL's Community Engagement Manager
He obtained a degree in history from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a K-12 English as a second language teaching certificate from The University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He is trained in mediation and conflict resolution and holds an international teaching certificate from Oxford Seminars.
The program will include a presentation on ADL’s history and current initiatives, followed by a discussion of key topics, including Jewish identity, Zionism, and antisemitism. They will also provide practical tools and scenarios, offering strategies and real-life exercises to help participants respond to antisemitism, stereotyping, and exclusion.
If you would like to join September’s Lunch and Learn Zoom session, please reach out to Scott Littky, IHE Executive Director, at slittky@ihene.org to receive the Zoom link.
Life & Legacy: Secure the future of Jewish Omaha
"We believe in the continuity and future of the Jewish people and Jewish life in Omaha. Like so many who came before us, we want to do our part to ensure the next generation has the resources and support to carry on our legacy and strengthen our community. Making a Life & Legacy pledge to Temple Israel was a meaningful way to be a part of the tradition of giving and sustaining those who will come after us." — Rosie Zweiback and Mace Hack
A strong and vibrant Jewish future starts with the commitments we make today. By pledging a Life & Legacy gift, you can help ensure that Jewish institutions and programs continue to serve and support generations to come—without affecting your finances during your lifetime.
The first step is simple: complete a Letter of Intent, which expresses your commitment to securing the future of Jewish Omaha, Council Bluffs or Lincoln. This letter can be updated anytime as your situation or priorities change, allowing you to adjust your plans as needed.
Join Rosie and Mace in making a lasting impact. Your afterlifetime gift will help sustain Jewish education, culture, social
services, and community programs for years to come.
To learn more or to complete your Letter of Intent, contact Amy Bernstein Shivvers at ashivvers@jewishomaha.org
The holidays are coming
Beth El
As we approach the High Holy Days, we do so carrying both the weight of memory and the urgency of the present. The trauma of October 7 — a date that has been seared into our collective consciousness—has forced us to confront anew the question of what it means to be a Jew in this moment of history. It was a day that revealed both the depths of human cruelty and the fierce necessity of Jewish survival.
And yet, the Yamim Nora’im are not only a season for reckoning; they are also a summons to renewal. We stand at the gates of the new year charged with a task both ancient and immediate: to take stock of our souls, to mend what is broken, and to envision what we must yet build. The shofar’s call is not an echo of despair but a demand for awakening—awakening to who we are, to what we are called to do, and to the God who still speaks through the tumult of history.
Hope has always been the counterpoint to Jewish suffering. Our tradition does not confuse hope with wishful thinking; it is the hard-earned conviction that redemption remains possible even in the shadow of destruction. It is the belief of the prophets who preached of a world remade, the defiance of exiles who planted vineyards on foreign soil, and the quiet resolve of parents who still teach their children the Shema in every generation. Hope is the spiritual oxygen of our people— and we cannot live without it.
Resilience is more than our survival; it is the deliberate choice to live Jewishly, openly, and without apology. We are heirs to a covenant that has endured Babylon, Rome, and Auschwitz — not because history has been kind to us, but be-
‘Passover
PHILISSA CRAMER
JTA
cause we have refused to let history have the final word. In the months since October 7, we have seen resilience made flesh: Jews who rush to help strangers, who fill synagogues with prayer and song, who give to Israel with unprecedented generosity, who speak truth in the public square even when it is costly.
Pride in our Jewish identity is not a reaction to antisemitism — it is the baseline of our spiritual life. It is knowing that to be a Jew is to be a living answer to the world’s amnesia, a bearer of a moral vision rooted in Sinai. We are the children of Abraham and Sarah, who left all they knew for the sake of a promise; of Moses and Miriam, who led a people from slavery into covenant; of Ruth and David, whose love and courage remade the story of Israel. To inherit this legacy is to shoulder a responsibility: to be am kadosh—a holy people—whose mission is to bring the light of Torah into a world too often shadowed by hatred and lies.
As this new year begins, I pray that we will respond to the wounds of this past year not with retreat but with rededication. That we will strengthen our bonds with one another, deepen our commitment to Jewish learning and living, and speak with moral clarity in a time of confusion. That we will find the courage to build—not only for ourselves but for the generations yet to come.
May we be inscribed and sealed for a year of life, of peace, and of purpose. And may the memory of Oct. 7 move us—not into bitterness, but into the fierce and faithful work of making the world more just, more compassionate, and more whole.
Shanah Tovah U’Metukah — May it be a good and sweet year for us all.
Coke’ could become obsolete
A uniquely American Passover tradition could become a thing of the past, after President Donald Trump announced that he had successfully pressed Coca-Cola to change the formulation of its signature drink in the United States.
“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform, a few weeks ago. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”
Such a change would obviate Coca-Cola’s special runs for Passover — and the fervent searches that some kosher-keeping Jews undertake to secure the scarce “yellow-cap” bottles of Coke that result.
For the last four decades, Coke in the United States has been made with corn syrup, a sweetener that is reviled by many health advocates, including those who are part of the proTrump “MAHA” movement. But corn is not considered kosher for Passover according to Ashkenazi tradition, which is practiced by the vast majority of kosher-keeping American Jews. So every year, the company has produced a kosher-forPassover run of Coke made with cane sugar lest kosher-keeping Jews have to forgo the soda for the eight-day holiday.
The kosher-for-Passover bottles, which are prominently labeled as such but also come with distinctive yellow caps, become a hot commodity in some communities each spring. Not only kosher-keeping Jews but also those with a taste for the corn syrup-free sodas manufactured abroad hunt down the
yellow-cap bottles in regions where they are distributed, typically those with large Orthodox Jewish populations.
In recent years, with the rise of TikTok, the appeal of yellowcap Coke has gone viral. Last year, influencers urged their followers to stock up on the kosher-for-Passover Cokes and traded tips about where to find the scarce bottles.
If Coca-Cola begins using the same corn syrup-free formulation all year long, special runs will no longer be needed for Passover.
The company did not immediately confirm the change that Trump announced but posted an oblique statement on its website. “We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand,” it said. “More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.”
The company also replied to some social media posts about Trump’s announcement to rebut the idea that cane-sugar Coke tastes better or is healthier.
While the anti-corn syrup push could ease conditions for kosher-keeping Jews, some of the MAHA movement’s other ambitions could introduce complications.
Changes to milk testing earlier this year briefly ignited concerns about whether the FDA’s practices would still fall in line with a key determination of Jewish law, while an effort to end the use of synthetic food dyes could result in the wider use of dyes that are not kosher.
Under pressure from the Trump administration, many U.S. ice cream producers announced that they would phase out synthetic food dyes by 2028.
RABBI STEVEN ABRAHAM
FRIEDEL
Jewish Academy kindergarteners learned about being scientists. They added raisins to Sprite to see what would happen.
TEMPLE ISRAEL
The money raised during Temple Israel’s Cantors’ Concert will go towards the Cantor Wendy Shermet Fund, which helps benefit the music programming at Temple Israel.
Cantors from left to right:
Cantor Emerita Wendy Shermet
Cantor Rebecca Moses
Cantor Joanna Alexander
Cantor Kenny Feibush
Cantor Leigh Korn
SP O TLIGHT
PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS
SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a photo of a recent Jewish Community event you would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org
RBJH
RBJH Residents and staff brought the Husker spirit-and the snacks!
RBJH Residents enjoyed learning about the Raptor Program at Fontenelle Forest, which featured fascinating information about birds of prey, including owls, falcons, and hawks.
GENEROUSLY
Friedel
BETH EL
Beth El’s Youth Program kicked off the year with a “Foam and Ice Cream party.”
Popular shopping destination: Emmy Howell’s booth at the Gene Leahy Mall!
Geraldine Brooks
GRACE GILSON
JTA
The Library of Congress has awarded Geraldine Brooks, a Jewish author whose best-selling novels are often inspired by Jewish history, its prestigious 2025 Prize for American Fiction.
Brooks, a former foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her novel March, which reimagines Little Women from the father’s perspective, in 2006.
Her bestselling novels also often focus on aspects of Jewish history, including “People of the Book,” which chronicles the preservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, and “The Secret Chord,” which explores the life of King David.
Brooks married Anthony Horowitz, a Jewish author and journalist, in 1984 and converted to Judaism. At the Library of Congress National Book Festival on Sept. 6., she will discuss her latest book, Memorial Days, a
Brooks’ award comes as the Library of Congress is embroiled in uncertainty amid the Trump administration’s efforts to wield ostensibly nonpartisan government institutions to advance its ideological agenda. Earlier this year, the library drew controversy after some sections of the online version of the U.S. Constitution were briefly deleted due to an unspecified “coding error.” And in May,
President Donald Trump fired the library’s top administrator, Carla Hayden, over her alleged “pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the library for children,” cutting short her 10-year term.
Hayden’s acting replacement, Robert Randolph Newlen, championed Brooks in a statement.
“One of the reasons we invited Geraldine Brooks to become the next Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction winner is how she makes readers feel,” Newlen said.
memoir about the sudden death of her husband in 2019.
“I am honored by this wonderful prize from America’s greatest library,” Brooks said in a statement. “As a writer inspired by history, it is moving to be connected by the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction to the institution created by John Adams for the very first Congress, saved by Thomas Jefferson after the conflagration of 1812, and carried into the present by visionary librarians who value inclusion, free expression and truth.”
Last year’s winner of the American fiction award was James McBride, who also has infused his Jewish background into his books, including his most recent novel The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.
Previous Jewish winners include E.L. Doctorow, Philip Roth and the prize’s first honoree, “Marjorie Morningstar” author Herman Wouk.
Community Security Training
LYNN BATTEN
JFO Content Coordinator/Gallery Manager
In light of the tragic events that recently took place at a house of worship in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Community Security Initiative will be holding free, Counteracting Active Threat Training (CATT), open to the entire community.
making improvements where necessary, increasing security awareness for community members, building relationships and bridging the gap between the Jewish community and
Counteracting Active Threat Training (CATT) provides participants with a better understanding of active threats and potential response options. Participants will learn concise protection strategies for unexpected acts of violence. The course subscribes to the national model of “Run, Hide, Fight” while also discussing additional measures such as situational awareness and first aid. This training is free and open to the public.
The next training will be held on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. All training will take place at the Staenberg Omaha JCC. Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP online or by emailing James Donahue at jdonahue@jew ishomaha.org
Training is provided by the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Community Security Initiative. Launched in 2022, the goals of the initiative include analyzing the physical security of the Omaha Jewish community and
other businesses / organizations, and building relationships with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to help with intelligence sharing and threat reporting.
COUNTERACTING ACTIVE THREAT TRAINING (CATT)
Sunday, Sept. 14, 1 p.m. at Staenberg Omaha JCC in the Wiesman Family Reception Room. The training is free, open to the Community. RSVP online at https://fund raise.givesmart.com/form/9qWLLg?vid= 1lb2rx or by email jdonahue@jewishom aha.org
JEWISH PRESS NOTICES
The Jewish Press will be closed on Tuesday, Sept. 23 for Rosh Hashanah. The deadline for the Sept. 26 issue is Monday, Sept. 15, noon; for the Oct. 3 issue it is Friday, Sept. 19, 9 a.m., Questions? Call 402.334.6448.
We are looking for your handwritten family recipes. Please contact Jane or Annette if you are willing to share: jrips@jewishomaha.org avandekamp@jewishomaha.org
Pulitzer Prize winning author Geraldine Brooks is awarded the 2025 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. Credit: Library of Congress
Voices
The Jewish Press
(Founded in 1920)
David Finkelstein
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Will Fischer
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David Finkelstein, President; Margie Gutnik, Ex-Officio; Joseph Abrahams, Marla Cohen, Helen Epstein, Andrea Erlich, Ally Freeman, Dana Gonzales, Mary Sue Grossman, Hailey Krueger, Chuck Lucoff, Sara Rips, Melissa Shrago, Stewart Winograd and Bob Yaffe.
The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the JFO are: Institute for Holocaust Education, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Social Services, Nebraska Jewish Historical Society and the Jewish Press Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www.jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, 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.
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The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.
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The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf.
Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de Kamp-Wright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450.
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Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org
The PR War
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor
In a recent JTA article, Grace Gilson quoted President Trump talking about Israel:
“They may be winning the war,” he said, “but they’re not winning the world of public relations, you know, and it is hurting them.”
In this case, he is not wrong; it is also not exactly news. The anti-Israel crowd has long been more successful when it comes to PR. Gilson continued:
“Recent reports of a hunger crisis, the killings of journalists and plans to widen operations in Gaza have also drawn increasing criticism of Israel from lawmakers and the public alike. Among Democratic voters, support for Israel’s actions in Gaza has fallen to just 8% while approval among Republicans remains at 71%, according to a recent Gallup poll.”
While it may feel as if the world has suddenly turned on its axis, and things since October 7 have certainly worsened, the building blocks for this have been in place for a long time. October 7, and Israel’s audacity in defending itself, was the spark that lit the current fire.
And we can talk about the definition of genocide, and we can discuss how we can love Israel and disapprove of Bibi and his government at the same time. How we can love being Jewish, and how that means we care for humanity and don’t wish for any Gazan children to suffer. But then we are confronted with stories about other Jews, famous Jews, who openly state because of Israel’s actions, they are embarrassed to be Jewish. And then I do wonder, how on earth did we get here?
Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole.
The key to the type of dangerous PR, I think, is that somehow “Israel” has become synonymous with the Gaza war. Hear me out: yes, it is a big, all-consuming thing. But we should also remind ourselves that there is much, much more to the land then that.
The Israeli people have not fundamentally changed since October 7. They are traumatized, hurt, tired, but they are the same people. They are Jews, Druze, Christians and Muslims; they are agnostics and socialists and haredim and immigrants from all over. They are kindergarten teachers and nurses, college students and horticulturists, and builders and researchers and supermarket cashiers.
The Negev is still crazy hot in the middle of July and the Kotel is still waiting for our prayers. There is still mud for sale at the Dead Sea, there is still
haggling to be done in the shuk, the blue paint in Tzfat has not yet peeled off. Someone is selling Jerusalem bagels with packets of Zatar, someone is growing orchards and bottling wine, someone is making sure the mosques’ calls to prayer sound exactly on time. Someone is making Injera, someone is visiting the site where Jesus was supposedly crucified. Someone is walking their dog, and taking the kids to school. Someone is painting, someone is playing the violin, and someone is dancing. Somewhere in Nahariya, a medical team is performing surgery. Somewhere a journalist is wondering where her next story will come from.
We have to remember that Israel is a real country, since the majority of the major news media want us to forget. In their minds and in their words, Israel is Gaza, Israel is war-torn, defined by blood and hunger. Zionism means destruction. It’s the scorched-earth strategy, but as a narrative. And yes, they are winning, but they haven’t won yet.
Zionism is not one-dimensional. It never was. It holds everything from the people we love, the memories we treasure, every bite, every smell, every shabbat lunch we’ve enjoyed. It’s the endless accumulation of the small moments that we string together. It cannot be summarized in a single headline; I think deep down we all know that. We can despise the war and what it has done, and we can love the people, we can love the land. We can worry and we can celebrate; we can be heartbroken and we can feel happiness and pride. All those things can simultaneously be true. To be a Zionist means embracing that complexity.
How being a public school student strengthened my Jewish identity
RENATA FIRESTONE
This article was produced as part of the New York Jewish Week’s Teen Journalism Fellowship, a program that works with Jewish teens around New York City to report on issues that affect their lives. | JTA
From kindergarten through eighth grade, I walked 10 minutes down Columbus Avenue every day to 100th street and through the glass doors of my Jewish day school, where we would begin each day with prayer. By the time Schechter Manhattan, an Upper West Side school associated with the Conservative movement, shuttered its doors last year, I was already a sophomore at a public high school in Battery Park.
At Schechter, I was culturally enveloped by Jewishness. Each day we studied modern Hebrew and we learned about topics like the Hebrew Bible and Jewish history. Schechter gave me a strong and valuable bedrock of Jewish thought, practice, history, and culture. My friends who are attending Jewish high schools have a deeper familiarity with Jewish practice and theology, and will have greater literacy in our shared culture.
And yet, while I miss the security afforded by that environment, I’ve come to realize that I’m better off not learning in a Jewish-only setting.
At my heterogeneous public school, where I’ll begin my senior year on Thursday, I am able to learn from and engage with a population that is diverse and varied in experiences and opinions. Compared to my old school — which was, for the most part, upper middle class Ashkenazi Jews — my current school is 70% East and South Asian, 18% white, 12% Black, Latino, American Indian and mixed. (Yes, I go to Stuyvesant.)
Interactions with my non-Jewish classmates, as well as with Jewish classmates who come from different communities, force me to examine my beliefs more than being in Jewish school would have. Thinking through my values in order to discuss them with my peers prompts me to appreciate Judaism more than I would’ve if I had continued to attend Jewish day school.
For example, when I was at a Jewish school, it wasn’t up to me whether I would learn the Mishna, or Jewish oral law — I was simply handed a tract
and told to analyze it. As a young student, this was infuriating to me. I was of the opinion — shared by several of my classmates — that translating biblical Hebrew, or even speaking modern Hebrew, was a useless skill and therefore a waste of time. I longed to learn a more common language, like Spanish or French.
But even more than wanting more practical lessons, I wanted out of the Jewish day school bubble. I was eager to join a community where people’s personal experiences varied by miles, not inches.
Today, I consider myself lucky that I have peers who come from a variety of backgrounds and are able to push back on my personal views. I compare notes on Yom Kippur with Muslim classmates fasting for Ramadan; my Protestant and Eastern Orthodox friends bring me candy canes in December. Although I’ve had the occasional outlandish claim said to me — such as the debunked claim that the IDF is stealing organs from Palestinians for illegal transplants — and I’ve seen my fair share of idiotic Instagram stories, the interactions I’ve had with my peers regarding the Middle East have led me to thoughtfully examine and discuss the epistemology of my own beliefs.
lines to their jokes. It saddens me that I don’t have the knowledge necessary to engage with Judaism in that way, and I know that my choice of secular schooling has accentuated that feeling of displacement.
Shortly after Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza began in October 2023, some classmates started posting slogans on their Instagram stories along the lines of “Zionism is racism.” I took a step back and thought about it for myself. I came out the other side with my mind unchanged — I still don’t think Zionism is racist, but instead a valid political movement based in Jewish and Middle Eastern history, cultural identity and religious practice. But I now have a clearer sense of why I think this, as well as a strengthened conviction.
Despite my satisfaction with the multicultural community I’ve found in public high school, I do miss the religious and cultural immersion that is only possible in Jewish schools. When family members who grew up in very religious settings joke with each other, I never fully grasp the obscure Jewish laws they’re referring to, or the Yiddish punch-
But I also understand that the onus is on me to continue my Jewish education. One day, I hope to continue learning Hebrew or study Jewish law. For now, however, I’m mostly in a secular world. While that means it’s harder to find time for my Jewishness, I also recognize that my religious identity endures, but in a different way: juxtaposed against all the contrasts at my school, I can now clearly see how important my Jewish identity is to me. When I see my Jewish friends there’s a familiarity; I love that there’s a shared culture among us that doesn’t have to be translated. I wouldn’t be as cognizant of the importance of Jewish community if I was in one all the time.
I recognize the paradox: If I had stayed in the Jewish school system I’m certain I wouldn’t have gained the appreciation for Hebrew or my Jewish heritage that I now have. Maybe I would have ended up reaching the same conclusions about my identity if I’d chosen a Jewish high school, but I needed to arrive at that place myself, within the context of the diversity around me.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NYJW or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
High school students studying together. Credit: Getty Images
Credit: Shlomitmessica, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
On Shabbat morning, I began to see our complex world anew
When I walked into the small, ramshackle gymnasium that is our humble synagogue on Shabbat morning this past week, pictures of the 14 children from the congregation who would be starting first grade on Monday decorated the walls. It must have been one of their parents who thought to surround the photos with quotes from my favorite Mishnah, Avot 4:1.
One drawing of “Who is wise? The one who learns from everyone.”
One drawing of “Who is mighty? The one who subdues their evil inclination.”
One drawing of “Who is rich? The one who rejoices in what they have.”
One drawing of “Who is honored? The one who honors their fellow human beings.”
These are beautiful blessings for children, for all of us, including our decision-makers. It was uplifting to see.
The decorations show that what is really special about our synagogue in a corner of southeast Jerusalem is what happens when the community gathers. Every attempt to decorate the space for a bar or bat mitzvah or any other occasion is an exercise in creativity and connection.
During my year of mourning since our son Hersh was killed in captivity in Gaza, I accepted the custom to not lead prayer services as the shaliach tzibbur on Shabbat or holidays. I’m not a particularly good shaliach tzibbur anyway, but I am generally willing. When Aharon the gabbai (who organizes the services) approached me as I was absorbing the photos and teachings on the wall and asked me if I would lead the opening part of the service, the Psukei D’zimra, I was thrown momentarily. I hadn’t performed any formal task at my synagogue since the cursed morning of Oct. 7, 2023, when I was in the role that Aharon is in today, gabbai. Was I now ready to take this step out of formal mourning? “OK,” I said, and I got up and started. “Rabbi Yishmael says on 13 principles the Torah is interpreted…”
The photos of these children about to begin their educational journeys, the teachings on the wall, and my small personal step in the transition out of the community of mourners (is there ever really a way out from this group?) and back into the broader community led me to see my morning in synagogue in a sharpened light. Perhaps those few hours in my wonderful synagogue was a microcosm of the realities, the emotional complexities, of our world today.
As every week for far too many weeks, when Torah reading began, cards with the name, photo and brief biography of each hostage were circulated. It’s so important that we know the hostages as real people, individuals with dreams and families and passions. This week, I got Eitan Horn’s card. I already knew that Eitan was visiting his brother Iair on Kibbutz Nir Oz and that he’s a Hapoel Beer Sheva fan and an informal ed-
ucator who served as an emissary in Peru and is a beloved uncle and brother and son, but all the hostages’ personal stories must be continuously read and reinforced.
The Torah portion, Parashat Shoftim, contains so many lessons on national ethics and moral governance, perhaps most famously, the phrase “Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof” (justice, justice shall you pursue). Of the thousands of explanations to explain the repetitive “Tzedek Tzedek,” the one I find most compelling and relevant for us today is that one Tzedek implores us to have just goals and one Tzedek is there to ensure that the path to achieve those just goals must also be rooted in justice.
Later in the Torah reading, friends of ours, a couple much younger than us, came up to the bimah to name their newborn daughter, a baby born into this complicated reality that must get better — a baby whose father, a doctor, performed hundreds of days of reserve duty in this ongoing war. How fitting, therefore, that they named her Roni Tzion. Roni means “sing” or “rejoice,” but it’s in the feminine command form, as if to instruct this innocent baby that she must find it in her to rejoice. Tzion is a biblical reference (first appearing in Samuel 2) to Jerusalem and subsequently used in Jewish liturgy and poetry to convey our national longing (Zionism). It’s as if, as a community, we are manifesting our national longing for something better, a reason to rejoice, in this adorable baby.
were seated in front of the room. In a uniquely Israeli ceremony, the grownups serenaded these children with songs about the beauty of the Aleph-Bet and the treasure trove that is education. The children ate cookies in the shape of Hebrew letters, dipped in honey. How sweet is education, Jewish education in the land of Israel. How promising is the potential of what these children will be empowered to do with this treas-
ure trove. And how Israeli, that in their “What I wish for” notes, so many of these kids wrote, “That all our hostages will come home soon.”
Between the sixth and seventh aliyot of Torah reading, for the 97th straight week, our community stood together to recite a prayer for the safe return of our beloved hostages, followed by the soulful song that has become the anthem for the hostages. “Our brothers and sisters, the whole house of Israel, who are given over to trouble or captivity, whether they abide on the sea or on the dry land: May the All-present have mercy upon them, and bring them forth from trouble to relief, from darkness to light, and from subjugation to redemption, now speedily and at a near time. Now let us say, Amen.”
We moved on to the Haftarah. A young man began the blessings in a beautiful but uncommon tune, the traditional Italian (but not Roman, as Rome has its own melody) version. I couldn’t help but to look around the room and notice, in addition to the native Israeli Sabra majority, immigrants hailing from Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere. Kibbutz Galuyot (the ingathering of the exiles) is alive and thriving — Jews from all over the world in one synagogue, united to strengthen Israel and giving all we have to make it better.
As the prayers concluded, the 14 children starting first grade
Attracting Jewish day school leaders
JASON ALBIN
This article was produced as part of the New York Jewish Week’s Teen Journalism Fellowship, a program that works with Jewish teens around New York City to report on issues that affect their lives. | JTA
There may be no institution more important today for the future of the North American Jewish community than day schools.
They’re not merely Jewish educational institutions. These schools are vibrant centers of Jewish life, culture, and identity that often serve as centers of community, and their influence is felt far beyond students and their families. Years after students graduate, many go on to become the leaders of our community’s institutions — from nonprofit organizations large and small to synagogues, JCCs, federations, summer camps, and more. Jewish day schools are the beating heart of the North American Jewish community.
At the helm of every successful Jewish day school is strong, visionary leadership. As the Jewish community faces evolving challenges and opportunities, including declining enrollment in Jewish institutions, rising antisemitism, and growing diversity within Jewish families, effective leadership in day schools is more important than ever.
Yet Jewish day schools in North America are facing an unprecedented shortage of leaders.
The school leadership pipeline problem isn’t limited to Jewish institutions. Schools nationwide are reporting difficulties recruiting qualified principals, and a 2023 survey found that 60% of heads of independent schools anticipate leaving their roles within the next decade. In the Jewish community, 50% of day school heads reported to surveyors that they were expecting to retire or leave their positions within five years.
Being a leader of a Jewish day school is a highly specialized position. It requires someone who is educationally qualified, deeply connected to Jewish values and identity, and capable
of stewarding an institution that often relies on charitable giving to make its budget.
This leadership pipeline problem poses a serious challenge: Without a strong bench of trained, visionary leaders, our schools risk instability, decreased morale and diminished quality of education. That will have a serious impact on the students to whom we will look for community leadership a generation from now.
framework and inspiration for students to embrace their Jewish identity with pride, writes the director of
Credit: Maskot/Getty Images
To help address this challenge, we at the Jewish School Leadership Enterprise (JSLE) are seeking to recalibrate the Jewish community’s lens on who should lead our schools and why. We’re working on identifying and encouraging inspiring, passionate individuals who want to make a meaningful impact on the next generation to join and lead our schools.
We as a community must broaden our definition of what
With 48 hostages still held in captivity in Gaza, our Shabbat morning work would be incomplete without the 3-minute walk to a main intersection, the Oranim Junction, to join the weekly Shabbat-observant (no microphones, no cameras) vigil for the hostages. Hundreds of people from southeast Jerusalem’s diverse community — men with kippot, men with uncovered heads, women in skirts, women in pants, elderly in wheelchairs, babies in strollers — joined together beseeching the Creator of the Universe, yet again, to hasten the return of our loved ones.
As I headed to Shabbat lunch, I found myself digesting the intersection of the personal and the communal, the balance between finding joy and not slowing down on the critical work to save our hostages. I find myself hoping that the small step I took in leading Psukei D’zimra may lead to another small step for me, for my family, for our country, for Am Yisrael. Most of all, I think of our young people and of baby Roni Tzion, and I pray that soon we all find a reason, and a way, to manifest a level of sweetness and joy as we embrace the return of our 48. Jon Polin is the father of Hersh, z”l, Leebie and Orly Goldberg-Polin.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
makes for a qualified leader and encourage talented, missiondriven people to step forward. These leaders may come from among current school staff and educators, but they may also come from school boards and elsewhere in the professional Jewish landscape.
We must think more creatively as a community about how we cultivate the Jewish educational leaders of tomorrow and attract them to this vital field. We need not only competent administrators but also leaders who are courageous, empathetic and forward-thinking.
We invite boards, educators, and professionals from across the Jewish world to answer this call: Consider how you might nominate a future leader, support the leaders of tomorrow or become a leader yourself. Encourage talented individuals to step forward. Explore the opportunities offered by the Jewish School Leadership Enterprise to prepare for this sacred work.
In a Jewish community threatened by assimilation and disengagement from Jewish life, day school leaders provide the framework and inspiration for students to embrace their Jewish identity with pride. A strong head of school understands how to cultivate a love of Torah, mitzvot, and community that will endure well beyond graduation. This ensures continuity of Jewish tradition and fosters future generations who are knowledgeable, engaged, and committed.
Investing in and supporting visionary, resilient and compassionate leaders is not just critical for educational institutions; it is an investment in our collective Jewish future. Together, we must ensure that our schools and our people continue to thrive for generations to come.
Jason Albin is the director of the Jewish School Leadership Enterprise.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
In a Jewish community threatened by assimilation and disengagement from Jewish life, day school leaders provide the
JSLE.
Mourners left notes at a gathering at Hersh Goldberg-Polin's family synagogue in Jerusalem. Many of the messages used the Hebrew word for "sorry." Credit: Deborah Danan
Synagogues
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766
712.322.4705 www.cblhs.org
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE
Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Street Omaha, NE 68154-1980
402.492.8550 bethel-omaha.org
BETH ISRAEL
SYNAGOGUE
Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154
402.556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org
CHABAD HOUSE
An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646
402.330.1800 OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com
LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY:
B’NAI JESHURUN
South Street Temple
Union for Reform Judaism
2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797
402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org
OFFUTT AIR
FORCE BASE
Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123
402.294.6244 email: oafbjsll@icloud.com
TEMPLE ISRAEL
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive Omaha, NE 68144-1206
402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com
LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY:
TIFERETH ISRAEL
Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org
Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!
For information about our historic synagogue, please visit our website at www.cblhs.org or contact any of our other board members: Renee Corcoran, Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Ann Moshman, MaryBeth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.
Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.
IN-PERSON AND ZOOM MINYAN SCHEDULE:
Mornings on Sundays, 9:30 a.m.; Mondays and Thursdays, 7 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m.
FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.
SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El and Live Stream; Jr Congregation (Grades K7), 10 a.m.; Selichot & Chocolate Reception, 8:15 p.m.
FRIDAY-Sept. 19: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.
SATURDAY-Sept 20: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El and Live Stream; Jr Congregation (Grades K-7), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 8 p.m. Zoom Only. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.
This article is reprinted from the Jewish Press of 9-10-1925.
The Ladies Auxiliary of the Jewish Community Center will hold a public meeting for women of Omaha next Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 15, at the Jewish Community Center rooms in the Arthur building. All women’s organizations will be represented and every lady in the community is invited.
At a meeting of officers or the various women’s organizations held Wednesday afternoon, the Ladies Auxiliary of the Jewish Community Center was organized with Mrs. Reuben Kulakofsky elected president and Mrs. William R. Blumenthal elected secretary. Other officers will be elected at the meeting next Tuesday afternoon.
The Ladies Auxiliary of the Jewish Community Center will have charge of the campaign to raise funds to equip the hew Jewish Community Center building. The amount necessary to equip the build-
Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.
Join classes via Zoom. Go to ochabad.com/academy. For more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.com or call the office at 402.330.1800.
FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Lechayim, 5:30 p.m., go to ochabad.com/lechayim to join; Candlelighting, 7:20 p.m.
SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:17 p.m.
SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps, 9 a.m.; Sunday Pod: Rosh Hashanah Edition, 9:30 a.m., RSVP by texting 'Sunday Pod' to 402.215.5240.
MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha, 9:30 a.m. with Shani Katzman; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 6 p.m. with David Cohen; Translating Words of Prayer, 7 p.m. with David Cohen.
TUESDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Aramaic Grammar, 10 a.m. with David Cohen; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 6 p.m. with David Cohen; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 7 p.m. with David Cohen
WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya) 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 11:30 a.m. with David Cohen; Comedy Night with Elon Gold, 7 p.m. at Funny Bone Comedy Club’s new location, book tickets at ochabad.com/comedy
THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 11 a.m. with David Cohen; Talmud Study, noon-1 p.m.; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 6 p.m. with David Cohen; Code of Jewish Law Class, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY-Sept. 19: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Lechayim, 5:30 p.m., go to ochabad.com/lechayim to join; Candlelighting, 7:08 p.m.
SATURDAY-Sept 20: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:05 p.m.
LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL
Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. All services offered in-person with live-stream or teleconferencing options.
FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:30-7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Alex at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:22 p.m.
SATURDAY: Shabbat Service , 9:30-11 a.m. led by Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Ki Tavo; Havdalah, 8:19 p.m.
SUNDAY: LJCS Classes, 9:30 a.m. at TI; Men’s Bike/Coffee Group, 10:30 a.m. at The Mill Coffee & Bistro, 2021 Transformation Dr #1350, Lincoln. For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail.com; Lincoln Jewish Community Fall Apple Picking, 1:30-4 p.m. at the Bleicher home, 908 S 214th St in Eagle.
WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group, 12:15 p.m. at Horisun Hospice, 8055 O St #300, Lincoln. We meet in the conference room. Bring your own lunch and beverage. For more information, contact Albert Weiss at albertw801@gmail.com; LJCS Hebrew School, 4:30-6 p.m. at TI
FRIDAY-Sept. 19: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:30-
ing is $40,000 and this amount will be raised from the women of Omaha.
The money raised will be used for the general equipment of the building. Among the principal equipment is gymnasium equipment, kitchen, auditorium, movie, office, carpets, and many other articles.
“We ask every lady in the city to attend this meting Tuesday afternoon,” said Mrs. Reuben Kulakofsky, newly elected president of the auxiliary.
The principal speakers at the meeting Wednesday were Harry H. Lapidus, Joe L. Wolf and William L. Holzman.
“We have always depended upon the women to do their duty and now we depend upon them to furnish the interior of the Center, while we build the exterior, “said William L. Holzman.
“The equipment for the Jewish Community Center building will cost $35,000 and I know that the
7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Alex at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:10 p.m.
SATURDAY-Sept 20: Shabbat Service , 9:30-11 a.m. led by Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study noon on Parashat Nitzavim; Potluck Dinner and Family Game Night, 6 p.m at SST. Please bring a dish to. share for Potluck. Games are available to play, but feel free to bring one of your favorites; Havdalah, 8:07 p.m.
FRIDAYS: Virtual Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month at Capehart Chapel. Contact TSgt Jason Rife at OAFBJSLL@icloud.com for more information.
In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Benjamin Sharff, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander.
Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.
MEMORIAL SERVICES
Sunday, Sept. 14
Beth El Cemetery, 84th & L Sts., 11 a.m. Mount Carmel Cemetery in Lincoln, 11 a.m. Wyuka Cemetery, 3600 “O” St, Lincoln, noon Sunday, Sept. 21
Golden Hill Cemetery, 5025 N. 42nd St., 11 a.m.
Beth Israel/Crown Point, 78th & Crown Point, noon BHH/Fisher Farms, 8900 S. 42nd St., 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28
Temple Israel Cemetery, 6412 N. 42nd St., 1 p.m. Oak Hills/Bikhor Cholim, Council Bluffs, 11 a.m.
UPDATED OBITUARY CHANGES
As of July 1, 2025, Obituaries in the Jewish Press are free of charge.
For questions, please email avandekamp@ jewishomaha.org. Obituaries in the Jewish Press are included in our print edition as well as our website at www.omahajewishpress.com
women of Omaha will do their share in raising this money to equip this wonderful building,” said Joe L. Wolf, secretary of the Jewish Community Center.
“We are about to complete the Jewish Community Center building,” said Harry H. Lapidus, president. “The building equipment campaign will be left to the women of Omaha. Every Jewish woman in the city should do her share in helping equip the new Jewish Community Center building.”
Organizations represented at the meeting Wednesday were: Jewish Women’s Welfare Organization, the Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah, Junior Hadassah, B’nai B’rith Auxiliary, Daughters of Israel Aid Society, Chesel Shel Emeth, Temple Israel Sisterhood, Deborah Society, Y.W.H.A., Ladies Orphan Society, Golden Hill Society, and Women’s Progressive Club.
B’NAI ISRAEL
BETH EL
BETH ISRAEL
CHABAD HOUSE
The Goldstein Lecture on Human Rights
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT
Jewish Press Editor
On Sept. 25, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., the 2025 Goldstein Lecture on Human Rights will take place in the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center, room 201. The lecture is sponsored by UNO Religious Studies, the Goldstein Center for Human Rights, and the Goldstein Family Community Chair in Human Rights.
This year’s lecture, titled Human Rights and the Politics of Reparation, is presented by Dr. Elazar Barkan, who authored the book The Guilt of Nations.
He is the Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. On addition, he is the Director of SIPA's Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy Concentration, and Director of Columbia's Institute for the Study of Human Rights.
Professor Barkan is also founding Director of the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation (IHJR) in The Hague. Professor Barkan served on ISHR’s board of directors before becoming ISHR’s co-director in 2007 and director in 2008. Previously, Professor Barkan served as chair of the History Department and the Cultural Studies Department at the Claremont Graduate University, where he was the founding director of the Humanities Center. Professor Barkan is a historian by training and received his PhD from Brandeis University in Comparative European History and BA from Tel Aviv University.
In the decade following the end of the Cold War, states around the world made commitments to policies that took a moral stance. It was an “Age of Human Rights,” notwithstanding the genocides and wars in the former Yugoslavia (primarily Bosnia) and Rwanda. In response to pressure from civil society, governments sought to amend and redress past atrocities and war crimes, and to compensate victims and their descendants. This process unfolded primarily in Europe, with different approaches toward Indigenous peoples and minimal engagement in postcolonial contexts. The concept of reparations, in a plurality of meanings, became increasingly widespread, even as rights, democracy, and freedom have come under pressure since 2005. This talk will examine the politics of reparation, its interaction with ideas and policies related to human rights, and will offer tentative conclusions about what to expect in the coming years.
Dr. Barkan’s research interests focus on human rights and on the role of history in contemporary society and politics and the response to gross historical crimes and injustices. His human rights work seeks to achieve conflict resolution and
reconciliation by bringing scholars from two or more sides of a conflict together and employing historical methodology to create shared narratives across political divides and to turn historical dialogue into a fundamental tool of political reconciliation. A recent pertinent article: “Historians and Historical Reconciliation,” (AHR Forum) American Historical Review,
(October 2009). Professor Barkan's other current research interests include refugee repatriation, comparative analysis of historical commissions, shared sacred sites, and the question of human rights impact, specifically with regard to redress and transitional justice.
For more information, please call 402.554.2628 or visit cas.unomaha.edu/goldsteinlecture25.
The Goldstein Center for Human Rights is a faculty-governed, nonpartisan, nonsectarian organization that promotes understanding and education on human rights issues, locally, nationally, and globally.
The Goldstein Center strives to be a nationally-recognized hub for scholarship on human rights, with a particular focus on religion and human rights, while supporting curriculum and pedagogical development at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and promoting community engagement and knowledge about human rights issues for a public audience, both in Omaha and worldwide.
Jerusalem’s deadliest attack in nearly two years
JTA
Six people were shot to death and at least six others gravely injured in a shooting on a Jerusalem bus stop on Monday morning, Sept. 8, in the kind of terror attack that has become rare in recent years.
Hamas issued a statement celebrating the attack, which ended when the two men carrying it out were killed. An offduty security officer and a civilian with a gun license reportedly killed the gunmen, Palestinians from the West Bank.
The attack prompted immediate recrimination among politicians as well as military raids on West Bank villages near Ramallah. Israel has a policy of demolishing the homes of
those who commit terror attacks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, speaking at the scene of the attack, each lay blame with the Supreme Court, which ruled on Sunday September 7 that security prisoners in Israeli prisons must be given more food. Netanyahu canceled a planned court date in his corruption trial to respond to the shooting.
The shooting was the deadliest attack in the city since seven people were killed at a synagogue in a nearby neighborhood in January 2023, before the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
The latest attack comes as President Donald Trump is pressing for an end the war in Gaza.
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Dr. Elazar Barkan
PHILISSA CRAMER
The Kris Lager Band: Meet Dan Stein
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT
Jewish Press Editor
Get ready, Omaha! The Conduit Live returns bigger and better than ever with three uniquely different and unforgettable nights of music, art, and entertainment this year — Sept. 20, Nov. 8, and Dec. 6 — now hosted at the Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater, located inside the Jewish Community Center.
One of the performers is Dan Stein, a husband, a father of two, a musician, a retired firefighter/paramedic, and a private school educator who always strives to be a genuinely awesome human. Beyond music, he is passionate about spending time with his family and friends, and playing pickleball with the JCC crew.
At a young age, Dan dove deep into southern rock and jam bands like Phish, Widespread Panic, and the Allman Brothers, “and that's when the idea of playing music really clicked for me,” he said. “I've always appreciated the simplicity of "three chords and the truth," but it was the movement within the jam band scene that truly captivated me. The way a song can begin in one key, traverse through major and minor sounds, and end sonically somewhere entirely new is something I absolutely love as both a musician and a listener.”
A significant turning point in his musical journey was discovering Ben Harper and John Butler, both renowned Weissenborn guitar players. Weissenborns gained fame through 20th-century Hawaiian players, and their sound led him down a path to explore various slide instruments, including pedal steel, lap steel, and dobro, eventually leading him to his own Weissenborn.
“Twenty years later,” he said, “I often play lap slide with bands like Baziel Mills and the Kris Lager Band. More recently, I've embarked on a new chapter in my musical journey: introducing my two young sons to music. My wife might say I have too many instruments, and she's probably right, but I adore
watching my boys pick up a guitar or sit at the piano and simply experiment with sounds. Seeing music through a child's eyes is truly awesome.”
Performing in the newly renovated Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater is an incredible privilege, he said:
“It is such a remarkable space! I still get goosebumps every time I walk through those doors. The acoustics, the lighting, and the overall atmosphere make it a truly special place that deserves to be shared with the broader Arts community of the JCC. This aligns perfectly with what draws my family and me to the JCC—it's a shared space for community, a true "third space. We are thrilled to bring the Conduit experience to more people and are grateful for the JCC's partnership in this endeavor.”
Attendees will be exposed to new experiences and a variety of entertainment that caters to diverse tastes. Conduit is a mix of all forms of live entertainment, big band music, comedian, mentalist, live painter, hopefully a JCC dance troop (still in the works).
“An evening of smiles and laughs,” he added. “We do have another motive to raise funds and awareness through the Conduit experience. Our future vision also includes introducing music to children through summer camps and subsidized music lessons, because every child deserves the opportunity to learn music. Kris Lager, myself, and every musician we play with are passionate about making music education accessible.
We believe the JCC is the ideal partner to help us realize this vision. I feel incredibly privileged to introduce my own sons to music every day, and I want every child who walks through the JCC doors to have that same experience! Music is a lifelong friend, a partnership, and a journey, and if the Kris Lager's Conduit Series can be the starting line for future generations, I'd consider that a significant win.”
To reserve your tickets and for more information, please visit www.jccomaha.org and go to the special events page.
