January 11, 2019

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Before the Holocaust

Sam KricSfeld Family history, especially for Jews, gets hairy the further back in time you go.

Poor documentation mars the dream of a perfect family tree tracing back to some form of royalty or fame. Nevertheless, documenting what you can of your family tree is a worthwhile endeavor – you may find some unexpected information.

Escorting the Groom

ScOtt littKy Executive Director, Institute for Holocaust Education from Tuesday, Jan. 22 through Thursday, Jan. 24 the Institute for Holocaust Education is pleased to announce the artistic residency of Dr. Barbara KirshenblattGimblett. Dr. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett is University Professor Emerita and Professor Emerita of Performance Studies at New York University and Chief Curator of the Core Exhibition at POLIN Museum of the

From Shirley’s kitchen Denver Chocolate Sheet Cake Page 7

inside Viewpoint Synagogues

What’s in a Name?

JANU ARY 1 1 , 2 0 1 9 | 5 SH EV AT 5 7 7 9 | V O L . 9 9 | NO . 1 3 | c a nd leli G H ti nG | FRID AY , JANU ARY 1 1 , 4 : 5 7 P. M.

Become a part of Tri-Faith Kids Page 3

Beth El’s Kamp KEF set for June 3-7 Page 6

SPOnSOred By tHe BenJamin and anna e. WieSman family endOWment fUnd

8 10

History of Polish Jews. Her books include Destination Culture: Tourism, Museums, and Heritage; Image before My Eyes: A Photographic History of Jewish Life in Poland, 1864–1939 (with Lucjan Dobroszycki); They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood in Poland Before the Holocaust (with Mayer Kirshenblatt), winner of two book awards, The Art of Being Jewish in Modern Times (with Jonathan See Before the Holocaust page 2

UNO students present research on Jewish and African-American History

Jeannette GaBriel Resident Scholar, Schwalb Center for Israel & Jewish Studies, Curator, Goldstein Center for Human Rights, UNO Students from the “Collecting Unfinished Stories: African-American & Jewish Collaboration and Conflict in Omaha” class at UNO presented their research at a public event on Dec. 13.

A few of the students’ presentations were, Goodbye North 24th: White Flight’s Implications on Jewish and African American Interaction by Ashton Linthicum; Calling It By Its Name: Shining a Light on the ‘Undercover’ Racism and Anti-Semitism in the

North by Kendall Panas; and Hope for the Future: The Role of Education in African American and Jewish Youth Interaction by Amanda Ryan. The students highlighted the complexities of interactions between the AfricanAmerican and Jewish communities, both in Omaha and nationally. They also grappled with the implications of divisions between the two communities in the current political moment.

The audience included a group of

adult education students who had taken a class on the same topic this fall at Beth El Synagogue along with many other community members.

The event was co-sponsored by the Schwalb Center, UNO Libraries, Service Learning Academy, Black Studies and the History Department at UNO. This class was the first phase of this ongoing project examining Jewish See UnO students page 2

Joseph Gabriel Kricsfeld I took it upon myself to be the historian for the Kricsfeld family – and I immediately hit a brick wall. While my mother’s side was well documented by my grandfather, Jakob Besser, and my father’s mother’s side by Ron Feldman, this left the actual patronymic of “Kricsfeld” unresearched. While my research will never be complete, I found the story of my great grandfather, Joseph Gabriel Kricsfeld (z”hl), very interesting.

Born Gavoil Kriegsfeld in Edinet, Romania (which is now a part of Moldova and was a part of the U.S.S.R.), he was the youngest of six children. He emigrated to the United States on September 26, 1922. From what I can gather, his father died in Romania, and there is no information which I can find about him. Joe came with his mother and two of his five sisters. The Ellis Island records report him as 14 years old, which would have made him born in 1908, but other sources point to his being born in 1910 or 1911. It is likely he lied about his age to the immigration service to ease his entry to the states.

Also, according to Ellis Island records, he fell ill upon immigration and was forced to stay at an infirmary. Around this time, somebody told him he’s never going to get a job with the name “Gavoil,” and that he should take the name of an average Joe. He took the advice literally and became Joseph Gabriel Kricsfeld.

Joe was not the first Kricsfeld to come to America. His sister Celia was already living in the United States with her husband, Louis Robinson. Louis sponsored Joe and his family, and they all came to live near him in Omaha, Nebraska. He quickly picked up English and entered Central High School. According to Central’s 1928 yearbook, he graduated as a member of the Debate Team, the German Club, and the Natural Science Club. His senior quote was a sign See What’s in a name? page 3

2 | The Jewish Press | January 11, 2019

community

before the Holocaust Continued from page 1 Karp), and Anne Frank Unbound: Media, Imagination, Memory (with Jeffrey Shandler), among others.

She was honored for lifetime achievement by the Foundation for Jewish Culture, received the Mlotek Prize for Yiddish and Yiddish Culture, honorary doctorates from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, University of Haifa, and Indiana University, and the 2015 Marshall Sklare Award for her contribution to the social scientific study of Jewry. She was decorated with the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for her contribution to POLIN Museum. She was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She serves on Advisory Boards for the Council of American Jewish Museums, Jewish Museum Vienna, Jewish Museum Berlin, and the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow. She also advises on museum and exhibition projects in Lithuania, Ukraine, and Israel.

Dr. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett’s Omaha residency is titled, Before the Holocaust: Memories of a Jewish Childhood, the art of Mayer Kirshenblatt. Mayer Kirshenblatt (1916–2009) was a self-taught artist living and working in Toronto.

Born in Apt (Opatów in Polish) in 1916, he arrived in Canada in 1934 at the age of 17, having completed the seven grades of Polish public school and cheder. After apprenticing to an electrician and cobbler in Poland and working in a sweatshop in Toronto, he painted houses and eventually opened his own wallpaper and paint store. He retired early, after a serious illness. While he was trying to occupy himself by refinishing furniture, collecting clocks, and sailing his boat, his family pleaded with him to paint life in the Old Country. Finally, in 1990, at the age of 73, he began

to paint everything he could remember about his hometown and his childhood, lest people know more about how Jews died than how they lived. He has created more than 270 paintings. Each painting tells a story and together they make a

dr. barbara Kirshenblatt-gimblett world. Mayer has exhibited his work in several solo as well as group exhibitions at The Jewish Museum (New York), at the Aird Gallery, Koffler Gallery, and Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, and in a traveling exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution. Shtetl, a video documentary about his work, premiered in 1995. They Called Me Mayer July received the 2008 Canadian Jewish Book Award (Samuel and Rose Cohen Memorial Award in Biography/Memoir), J.I. Segal Book Award, AAUP award for book design, and was a finalist in three categories for the National Jewish Book Award.

A number of the works of Mayer Kirshenblatt will be on exhibit in the Weber Fine Arts Building in the gallery at UNO beginning on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. Along with visiting and speaking in the classes of Dr. Mark Celinscak, Dr.

Patrick McNamara and the University of Nebraska Omaha and in Dr. Leonard Greenspoon’s class at Creighton University. In addition, during her residency, Dr. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett will be meeting with students of Dr. Amy Morris in the College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media at UNO. During her stay in Omaha, Dr. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett will take part in three evening events that are open to the public and being offered free of charge. On Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. in the theater at the Jewish Community Center, the film, Raise the Roof, will be screened. Rivaling the greatest wooden architecture in history, the synagogues of 18th-century Poland inspired artists Rick and Laura Brown of Handshouse Studio to embark on a 10-year pursuit—to reconstruct the elaborate roof and painted ceiling of the Gwoździec synagogue.

Leading over 300 students and professionals from 16 countries, the Browns grapple not just with the echoes of World War II when these buildings were destroyed by the Nazis, but also with warped timbers, tricky paints, and period hand tools. By the end of the project, they have done more than reconstruct a lost synagogue: they have recovered a lost world. The Gwoździec roof was unveiled in 2014 as the centerpiece of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. Dr. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett will introduce the film and answer questions at its conclusion.

On Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m., the program is titled, The Jewish Mélange. The evening offers a chance for the community to view the works of Mayer Kirshenblatt with Dr. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett and then walk through the exhibit, Faces of Israel, with local photographer Ophir Palmon. The evening will begin in the UNO Art see before the Holocaust page 3

Become a part of Tri-Faith Kids

T

Cassandra Weisenburger Director of Communications, Temple Israel ri-Faith Kids is a family-centered group that invites community members to gather once a month to share stories and a potluck meal. We engage in storytelling, current conversations, and community service to share rituals, practices, and traditions of the Abrahamic faiths. We learn about each other’s faith beliefs, prayer, and customs in a non-threatening, non-evangelical way. Our goal is to bring peace to the world (starting with our own community) through knowledge and friendship.

Our faith communities take turns hosting this family gathering.

The 2018/19 fall through spring meetings will take place primarily in the social hall at the American Muslim Institute. Get all the details online (trifaith.org/events/interplay-events) and mark your calendar for the next event: Cooking Traditional Dishes on sunday, Jan. 20.

Questions? For more information, please contact Natasha Kraft, natashakraft01@gmail.com.

UNO students

Continued from page 1 and African-American history. Now, oral histories examining points of collaboration and conflict between the two communities are being conducted in Omaha. All the oral histories collected from this project will be made publicly available through the UNO Criss Library website. Support for the project comes from the Schwalb Center and Black Studies at UNO. If community members are interested in being interviewed or have thoughts on the project, please contact Jeannette Gabriel at the Schwalb Center – jgabriel@unom aha.edu or 402.554.2800.

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The Jewish Press | January 11, 2019 | 3

What’s in a Name?

Continued from page 1 of things to come: “The power of thinking and learning is his.”

Upon graduating from Central, he was accepted into Creighton University. To my surprise, I discovered documents from Creighton as well. His knowledge of the English language soon became a mastery of it, as he spoke with no accent and proceeded to begin writing for the Creighton Sam kriCSfeld University literary journal, Shadows. His first published work was titled Silent Jim. In it, a man who kept quiet his whole life - despite intense hardship - is admitted into heaven. He is granted whatever he wants. “‘Well, if it is so,’ Jim said, ‘give me peace.’ The court and the angels were amazed; the prosecutor laughed,” Joe wrote bitingly.

In fact, much of his written work is biting. He wrote two poems, one titled You Liar!, in which he takes solace in the imaginary worlds someone is manufacturing for him. The refrain “You Liar!” stands as a juxtaposition to the upbeat verses where he enjoys the “topsy-turvy” worlds. The second poem, To One Who Wouldn’t Trust, begins with the lamentation, “Each man asks far too much of life, each dies unsated,” and appears to be a response to a woman who scorned him. “Even scars fade fast when Life turns gray,” he wrote.

A short biography Shadows included how Joe tells of his Romanian origins. “It is nothing sort of remarkable that he should have learned the English language as well as he has,” it praises. It says that Joe read the Omaha World Herald editorials “every day without a miss for the past three years.” But the bio also reinforced the dark stories and poems by saying Joe was “known as a recluse” and “has been accused of being radical in his ideas.” Joe’s response was that “he merely holds advanced ideas of government with some influence from the new Russian Sovietism.” This would come back to bite him later in life.

After college, he went to Denver, Colorado, to enter the mining business in search of gold. There he met my great-grandmother, Florence Goldstein. They married on May 9, 1936. She was his gold. The mining venture left a bitter taste in Joe’s mouth, as he was arrested on accusation of embezzling $2,000 from a Des Moines, Iowa, dentist who bought stock in the mining business. By 1937 he had returned to Omaha with his wife.

At this point, Joe had lived 15 years in the United States, and he decided to undergo the naturalization process to become a full American

Before the Holocaust

Continued from page 2 Gallery, Weber Fine Arts Building at 6505 University Dr. S. Finally, on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, Dr. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett will be presenting a public lecture at the UNO – Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center – 6001 Dodge Street, Suite 115 at 7 p.m. The title of the lecture is – Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews: An Agent for Transformation. The POLIN Museum is a modern cultural institution – a narrative museum that presents a 1000-year history of Polish Jews. It is also a place for meetings and conversations for all of those eager to learn more about the past and present Jewish culture, to confront the stereotypes, and to face the perils of today’s world such as xenophobia and nationalistic prejudice. By promoting openness, tolerance and truth, the POLIN Museum contributes to

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citizen. To my utter amazement, I found newspaper articles about his naturalization and how big an ordeal it was. The Nebraska State Journal ran a story on April 7, 1937, titled Omahan Has Naturalization Papers Held Up. The article reported that “he renounced allegiance to his native Rumania (sic)... before he could sign his final papers, however, objection to accepting him as an American citizen was filed.” Joe had been accused of being a member of the Communist Party! On April 8, The Lincoln Star reported that an attorney testified that “Kricsfeld had expressed communistic views to him in conversation and invited him to a communist meeting.” The same day, the Nebraska State Journal called him “a man without a country,” because he had already renounced his Romanian citizenship. I asked my grandfather, Barry Kricsfeld, about his father’s political beliefs. He strongly maintains that Joe was a progressive, “and would probably be considered a Democrat today.” Eventually, I found the paperwork documenting his naturalization, proving that these accusations were either untrue or simply dismissed.

Joe and Florence had a daughter, Karen, in 1938, and later a son, Barry, my grandfather, in 1946. According to the census, Joe worked as a fruit vendor – most likely at his brother-in-law Louis Robinson’s market. There is a period between 1940 and 1955 for which I cannot find any documentation indicating Joe’s job. But the Council Bluffs Nonpareil announced in its June 14, 1955 edition that Joe had leased the Ogden Hotel. Joe and Florence stayed in the hotel business for the rest of their lives, also running the Flomar and Delmar Hotels. My father, Alan Kricsfeld, recalls playing with (and breaking) the cash register in the Delmar.

Many who knew Joe described him as “depressed.” My grandmother Cheryl Diamond said, “The only thing that would ever make him happy were his grandkids.” Indeed, in family videos which I converted from Super8 film to digital, Joe always looked down until my father or his brothers would run up to him. He would then beam in joy.

Alan Kricsfeld says, “I was convinced that my grandparents were Archie and Edith Bunker.” Alan also notes that Joe always had a copy of the Jerusalem Post in Yiddish to read on his TV tray.

Joseph Gabriel Kricsfeld died in 1992 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. My middle name, Gabriel, is in honor of him. Though I never met him, I feel a strong connection to him. He and I both share a sort of cynicism, and his signature and handwriting look eerily like mine. By account of all he was a good man, and he is remembered fondly. Though there are gaps in his timeline, I really feel as though I got to know him through my research. And (hopefully) like me, the power of thinking and learning was his.

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the mutual understanding and respect amongst Poles and Jews.

Dr. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett’s visit to Omaha has been made possible by the support and generosity of the Institute for Holocaust Education, the following at the University of Nebraska Omaha: College of Communications, Fine Arts and Media Art & History, Fried Academy – Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy and The Schwalb Center For Israel and Jewish Studies. Support has also been provided by The Klutznick Fund for Jewish Civilization at Creighton University.

For more information on Dr. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett’s visit or the public programs, please contact Scott Littky, Executive Director of the Institute for Holocaust Education at 402.334.6575.

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Endowment funds can secure future for students

Note from JFO Foundation Executive Director Howard Epstein: Steve Rosen’s column shows the importance for all of us, including our scholarship recipients, to thank our donors for helping fund our programs and activities across the Federation and its agencies. Steve’s parents were Jerry and Sheila Rosen. Jerry was the first director of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, and Steve has been receiving correspondence from the Foundation about the scholarship endowment that his parents established at the Foundation. Steve is a nationally-syndicated columnist for Tribune news and writes a column about Kids & Money. In this Dec. 21 column, he wrote extensively about the endowment his parents established at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, and how meaningful he finds the thank you notes he receives from the scholarship recipients.

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Steve RoSen wo hand-written notes from complete strangers brought home to me the importance of endowment funds.

“I cannot express just how thankful I am for your generous support of students like me to get through college with less crippling debt,” one student wrote.

“Without scholarships from organizations like yours, my schooling would not have been an option... I will now be able to finish my last year... on a positive note.”

The other student also credited my parents’ generosity, which she said, allowed her to “focus greatly on my studies and other things that matter most.”

My parents created an endowment fund a number of years ago, with the strategic goal of providing scholarships to worthy students in the Jewish community in their hometown of Omaha. Even though my parents have passed away, their legacy and financial support live on.

I had received annual statements for the fund for many years, but it wasn’t until I read the thank-you notes from the two students a couple years ago that the impact of the fund really hit home.

At a time when there is much hand-wringing over the high cost of higher education, creating a scholarship fund — if you have the financial resources — is a concrete way to make a difference and make college or a trade school more affordable for a young student.

My parents were not wealthy, but they had a passion for helping students reach their dreams through education.

If you want to help students avoid excessive debt by providing scholarship money, there are a number of ways to do so. None of them require having vast financial resources, and donors get tax deductions. And if you don’t have the wiggle room in your budget right now, your fund can be established

upon your death, for example, from proceeds of your life insurance policy.

There are donor-advised funds that can be opened through companies such as Fidelity, Vanguard or Schwab. These generally require a minimum contribution of about $25,000.

You essentially donate cash, securities or other assets to the fund and decide later which charities to support.

You can also write a check to your alma mater to be used for scholarships. Community foundations are another outlet, especially for donors with more modest means.

Or do what my parents did, by focusing their giving on one cause. In their case, the endowment was created through the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. Their fund is now valued at about $30,000 and money is distributed annually with gifts of $1,000 here, $2,000 there.

Howard Epstein is executive director of the Omaha foundation. He said one of his biggest hurdles is convincing potential donors that endowment funds “are not just for rich people. ... These are affordable for someone who is middleclass and above.”

Epstein said part of his job is to “try to connect people with their passion. Often, I work with people who say they want to give back but don’t know what to do.”

Epstein advises potential donors to review whether to include a secondary purpose for distributing their funds in case the original plan is no longer applicable. In addition, know how your money will be invested, how much money will be distributed each year and how much will go toward management fees.

“People will be amazed at how even $1,000 can help” a student cover college bills, Epstein said.

Steve Rosen is an Omaha native and a basketball legend at the JCC. This column was reprinted with permission of Tribune Media.

Millie Altman recently celebrated her 106 birthday on Dec. 14.

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Cocktails and Noshing, a TuB’Shevat and Shabbat Shira celebration, will take place at the home of Julie and David Brockman on Saturday evening, Jan. 19, at 7:15 p.m. The gathering will feature appetizers, desserts, and drinks that are made with fruits often found at a TuB’shevat seder. Sarabande Strings will be on hand to provide music for the enjoyment of TI’s guests.

Your diet, nutrition and your health will be the topic of a Lunch and Learn Session following Shabbat services on Jan. 26. Marcia Wallen, MS, RD, LMNT, will address TI members sharing her expertise as a health educator. Marcia, who grew up at Tifereth Israel, served 20+ Marica Wallen years as the local coordinator of the Women, Infants, and Children Program before serving as a dietician for Hy-Vee. While working for Hy-Vee she provided nutrition and wellness information to clients who came to her for advice. Her presentation will follow a healthy lunch for those in attendance.

Happy Birthday

Changing your address?

Please give us the following information: Your name, old address and new address and when you want the address change to go into effect.

Call 402.334.6448 or email us at jpress@jewishomaha.org

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The Jewish Press | January 11, 2019 | 5

community the Friday Learning Series: Celebrating Shabbat mark kirChhOFF Community Engagement and Education The January Friday Learning Series sessions will take place on Jan. 11 and 25 at 11:15 a.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library. In these two sessions, Rabbi Shlomo Abramovich, Visiting Scholar at Beth Israel Synagogue, will present Shabbat, one of the main symbols of Jewish life.

“The Shabbat is a covenant between God and his people, and one of the Ten Commandments. Over the years, different traditions were developed of how to celebrate the Shabbat,” explained Rabbi Shlomo.

Judaism 101 (www.jewfaq. org/shabbat.htm) relates, “Shabbat is the most important ritual observance in Ju- rabbi Shlomo abramovich daism. It is the only ritual observance instituted in the Ten Commandments. It is also the most important special day, even more important than Yom Kippur. This is clear from the

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fact that more aliyot (opportunities for congregants to be called up to the Torah) are given on Shabbat than on any other day.”

Rabbi Shlomo has structured the class so that the first session will focus on the positive commandments of the Shabbat: why are we doing Havdalah and what is the meaning of the Kiddush? The second class will focus on the halachic restrictions of the Shabbat: why are we not permitted to drive a car on Shabbat? Why are Jews eating cholent at Shabbat lunch?

“No matter what your own Shabbat looks like and how you celebrate this holy day, you will definitely find something new

to learn in these classes,” Rabbi Shlomo guaranteed.

The Friday Learning Series is a joint program of Beth Israel Synagogue and the Community Engagement and Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. The series is open to the community free of charge thanks to the support of the Ann Goldstein Programming Endowment Fund. Reservations are not required. While you are encouraged to attend all the sessions, each one will have a wealth of information and you will benefit from attending one or all.

Contact Mark Kirchhoff at mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org or 402.334.6463 for questions.

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Lisa nasim, rn, Colin heskin, and alec mendez. Lisa has been a nursing staff superstar at rBJh for 25 years! Colin has officially been the rBJh Operations intern for 4 years, but unofficially is more like a jack-of-all-trades; staff and residents love him, and the word “no” is not in his vocabulary. alec has been a cook and baker at the home for just over three years, creating new, exciting menu items and elevating old favorites. his most recent hit with the community is his amazing “everything” Challah!

JBL welcomes Jeff Gordman

annette van de kamp-wright Editor, Jewish Press Jewish Business Leaders will host its next community event Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019 from 7:30 a.m.–8:30 a.m. at the Happy Hollow Club. Breakfast will be served and the featured speaker will be Jeff Gordman, former President and CEO of Gordmans Stores Inc. Jeff will share the Gordmans story as well as a few of the key lessons learned over his 18 year tenure as CEO.

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In addition, JBL is in part made possible through our generous Platinum sponsor, First National Bank and the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

For more information or to become a member, please visit http://www.jewishomaha.org/Post/sections/103/Files/JBL %202018-2019%20Brochure.pdf or contact Steve Levinger at 402.334.6433 or slevinger@jewishomaha.org or JBL President Alex Epstein at 402.505.7720 or aepstein@omnepart ners.com.

6 | The Jewish Press | January 11, 2019

community

k

Beth El’s Kamp KEF set for June 3 to June 7 OZZIE NOGG

There are so many things you can teach and have fun doing amp KEF, Beth El Synagogue’s week-long sum- at the same time.” mer getaway for kids in Pre-K. to Grade 5, will For Beth El campers who have aged out, KEF will add Kamp mark its fifth year this June 3 through June 7. KEF Plus, a two-day camping trip with an overnight. “We just “We’ve increased our number of day-campers can’t seem to say goodbye to our older kids,” Tsabari said, “and every year,” said Eadie Tsabari, Beth El Director we’re constantly trying to think of new Jewish summer camp of Congregational Learning.

“We can’t wait to see who will sign up in 2019 for the best week of the summer — a week that uses an informal approach to Jewish learning, with a focus on singing, arts and crafts, and making new friends. Everyone, kids and staff, has a blast.”

Along with Beth El clergy, professional staff and parent volunteers, Kamp KEF staff is made up of college students and High School/Middle School madrichim who act as ‘guides’ during the year in the Beth El kamp kEF campers and staff on a 2018 summer field trip to the henry Doorly Zoo. synagogue’s Hebrew and Sunday School. “All our KEF counselors are experienced Ramah experiences for them. Kef means fun, in Hebrew, and this is and Herzl campers who bring the special ruach — spirit — to by far my favorite week of the entire year. Beth El is all about the youngest Beth El summer campers,” Tsabari explained. giving kids a Jewish summer camp experience, and introduc“Just like at ‘big kid’ Jewish summer camp, each day at KEF in- ing our cutest, greatest, littlest children to camping is a real cludes Birkat Hamazon and spirited singing at lunchtime, plus privilege. The best way to instill Jewish values into our chiloutdoor fun during ‘waterfront’ time on the Slip ‘N Slide, clean dren is by doing. Summer camp is a place to build memories, up, flag lowering at the end of the day, and special Kabbalat make best friends and have a wonderful time. We invite Beth Shabbat events. This summer’s theme is Kamp KEF ROCKS.” El families and all Omaha Jewish families with young children Tsabari went on to discuss the rich history of contempo- to feel welcome, to come experience Kamp KEF and a week rary Jewish music. “From Leonard Cohen to Jean Simmons of Jewish fun this June 3 through June 7. So, circle those dates to Adam Levine, we’re going to explore it all when Kamp on the calendar and be sure to save a spot for your camper.”

KEF Rocks. Campers will have the opportunity to learn For registration details, please visit the Kamp KEF website: through art, music, cooking, sports, dance and movement. http://www.bethel-omaha.org/activities/youth/ kamp-kef/.

ADL-CRC calls for Hate Crimes investigation The Plain States Region of the ADL-CRC today called on local authorities in Wichita, Kansas to investigate the alleged kicking of a oneyear-old African-American child by a 31-year-old white man as a hate crime.

According to reports, Trace Riff, 31, allegedly kicked one-year-old Jhavii Fry in the back, while yelling racial slurs at the child’s mother in a Wichita grocery store this past Sunday. Riff was arrested for the unprovoked attack and bonded out of jail. Currently, Riff is facing only misdemeanor charges over the incident.

“We are appalled that the suspect has been charged with only a misdemeanor in this assault on a child,” ADL Plain States Regional Director Dr. Mary-Beth Muskin said. “We are offering our full support to

help authorities bring hate crimes charges against this suspect.”

The local chapter of the NAACP has referred to the incident as a hate crime and has called for it to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

According to the FBI’s most recent Hate Crime Statistics Act (HCSA) report, hate crimes in the U.S. jumped by 17 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year. There was an 18 percent increase in race-based crimes; 28 percent of crimes were committed against African-Americans.

“Hate has no place in Wichita,” Muskin said. “And we remain committed to working with our allies, including the NAACP, to stand up and speak out whenever we encounter such hateful acts.”

Elie is honorably discharged

Lieutenant Elie Weinberger returned to civilian life on Dec. 12. The process involved filling out some forms, returning equipment, and cutting up his hoger (army identification card). For Elie’s parents, the conclusion of his four years in the military can be summed up with one word: relief.

Many religious soldiers begin their return to civilian life with a return to TEDDY full-time Torah study, and this is what WEINBERGER Elie plans to do for the next year or so.

Now I know what you’re thinking: Isn’t it time for Elie, 24, to think about how he will earn his livelihood? You agree that Torah study is important, but you know that it’s a lifelong endeavor, and since Elie dedicated two-and-a-half years to full-time Torah study before his enlistment, you opine that the time has come for him to “get on with his life”--especially since Elie and Hadar are expecting their first child in April.

Here’s the thing: Elie (and Hadar, too) feels that it is crucial for him to dedicate at least a year to Torah study in order to decompress from army life. (Truth be told: Israeli society encourages such decompression, though it usually takes the form of lengthy treks to exotic places such as New Zealand, India, and South America.) Still, having grown up in America, having all my nieces and nephews in America, I know that by the age of 24, not only has every respectable Jewish person earned a first academic degree, but they are often well on their way to completing a second. The following personal letter to Elie that I wrote while I was on an extended stay in New York is thus very much on my mind these days: Dear Elie, I have now been here in America for six weeks and the differences between Jewish life in America and Jewish life in Israel have never been clearer to me. Jewish life in America is Jewish religious life--and it can be quite a good, fulfilling, and meaningful life. Jewish life in Israel is the life of the Jewish people in its totality. Perhaps nothing symbolizes that totality as the Israel Defense Forces. Only in Israel can the Jewish people defend itself militarily. Over the past year and a half in your combat course, you have learned exactly how to do this, how to defend Israel.

As our family’s one and only combat soldier, you alone among your siblings may be called upon to endanger your see honorably discharged page 7

Organizations

B’NaI B’RITh BREaDBREakERs

Professor amanda Gailey, a teacher at the University of Nebraska - Linclon and President of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence, will talk about Local, State and Federal Solutions to the Gun Violence Epidemic on Wednesday, Jan. 16, noon. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewish omaha.org.

The Jewish Press | January 11, 2019 | 7

From Shirley’s kitchen Denver Chocolate Sheet Cake From: Gail Raznick Originating from: Colorado Cache Cookbook

Prepared by: Gail Raznick I make this a lot! I first tried it because with the recipe, it said “good with peppermint ice cream!”

DEnvEr ChoColatE ShEEt CakE

Ingredients: 2 1/3 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1 tsp. baking soda 1 cup butter 1 1/4 cups water 4 tbsp. cocoa 1/2 cup buttermilk 2 eggs, beaten 1 tsp. vanilla extract Frosting: 1/2 cup butter 4 tbsp. cocoa 6 tbsp. buttermilk 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 pound powdered sugar 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans Directions: Cooking time: 30 minutes Temperature: 350 degrees Mix flour, sugar and soda in bowl. Bring butter,

Honorably discharged

Continued from page 6 life in military combat. I hope and pray that you are not tested, even though I know you probably will be. Of course the truth is, since you are in a secret unit, I will never know exactly when and how you are tested. I do know that you will perform admirably and honorably in any such test.

Until the army, you had not had the opportunity to mix with boys from different backgrounds other than your own. I congratulate you on the way you have become a full part of your unit, being deeply connected to all while remaining true to your faith convictions.

Every now and then a soldier does something that they should not have done and people start questioning whether the IDF is a moral army. I think of you and know that it would be inconceivable for you to violate the ethical code of the IDF. Your commitment to the Torah and to halachah is a beautiful guide for you, and in critical situations I am absolutely certain that you would do exactly what you are supposed to do--and much, much more.

Elie, the boys here your age [then, 22] are finishing college and thinking about their careers. In Israel we are in a different system.

We cannot, as Jews do in America, let the “goyim” of the country defend us. Jews in Israel, including committed religious Jews, defend their country. This opportunity of self-defense was denied Jews for many centuries. You are part of the return of Jews to

real estate water and cocoa to a boil in saucepan. Pour over dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Pour into greased 9x13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until it tests done.

To make frosting, heat butter, cocoa and buttermilk to boiling. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla, sugar and nuts. (Frosting will be runny but it hardens as it cools.)

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Elie and his commanding officer shortly after Elie cut his hoger. normal life, which includes the right to bear arms. It’s tricky to combine intense commitment to Judaism with being a combat soldier, but you have succeeded in doing this incredibly well.

I am super proud of you and super proud to be your father. Love, Abba Teddy Weinberger, Ph.D., made aliyah in 1997 with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Jane Ross, and their five children, Nathan, Rebecca, Ruthie, Ezra, and Elie, all of whom are veterans of the Israel Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@netvision.net.il.

omaha Community Playhouse to present The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime—winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Play—opens at the Omaha Community Playhouse on Jan. 18.

Based on the best-selling mystery novel by Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time tells the emotional story of Christopher, a 15-year-old boy with an autism spectrum condition, who sets out to solve the mysterious death of a neighbor’s dog. Directed by Kimberly Faith Hickman, the play’s visually-stunning design and innovative staging boldly conveys

the point of view of the young protagonist as he embarks on an incredible adventure and finds his perceptions of trust and reality turned upsidedown.

The Omaha Community Playhouse production will run from Jan. 18 through Feb. 10 in the Hawks Mainstage Theatre. Tickets are on sale now and start at $24. Tickets may be purchased at the Omaha Community Playhouse Box Office, located at 6915 Cass Street, by phone at 402.553.0800 or online at omahaPlayhouse.com.

8 | The Jewish Press | January 11, 2019

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h

That awful F-word

ANNETTE vAN DE KAmP-WRiGhT Editor, Jewish Press ere’s the story: Nicole Parsons, a junior at the University of Massachusetts, noticed a Happy Hanukkah sign on campus last month. Over it, someone had scrawled a swastika. It was the latest in a series of similar incidents, and Parsons decided she’d had enough of the university’s inaction. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she posted a sign in her dorm window, saying “F*** Nazis, you are not welcome here.”

In an interview with BuzzFeed, where the story was originally reported, Parsons said: “I thought maybe if I hang the sign up, maybe the person who drew the swastika will see it and see someone condemning their actions, even if the administration doesn’t do it.”

Not so fast, said her RA. Parsons received an email: “There are some in the community who have expressed that the sign should be taken down as it has created mixed emotions in the community on how to proceed, issues of inclusion, and the ability to be active members of their community. While Residence Education cannot force you or your roommate to take the sign down, I am asking that you or your roommate take the sign down so that all students can be part of an inclusive residential experience, as well as having a respectful environment to be part of here on campus.”

That email needs some unpacking. Once you get past the atrocious grammar, the obvious point is this: Parsons’ sign is problematic because it is not inclusive.

Inclusive of whom? Neo-Nazis and their sympathizers?

Those who feel scribbling swastikas is okay? The university backtracked later, admitted the email should not have been sent and claimed the real problem was the profanity in Parsons’ sign. It was not an inclusivity issue, it was that F-word.

Sure it was.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not eager to spell out what was on the sign. Although I can’t claim total innocence when it comes to using inappropriate language, I try to not put it in print in our paper when I can help it. Those asterisks will do. The sentiment behind Parsons’ sign, however, is a different matter. The question is: how is it that any student gets to the point where they feel putting

a sign like that in her dorm room window is her only recourse? Why did the university not respond quicker to the vandalism of the Hanukkah sign? Is the F-word more of an attention grabber than that swastika? And, for that matter, are both equal contenders for a free speech argument?

Here’s what the ACLU has to say: “The First Amendment to the Constitution protects speech no matter how offensive its content. Restrictions on speech by public colleges and universities amount to government censorship, in violation of the Constitution. Such

restrictions deprive students of their right to invite speech they wish to hear, debate speech with which they disagree, and protest speech they find bigoted or offensive.”

But it also adds: “To be clear, the First Amendment does not protect behavior on campus that crosses the line into targeted harassment or threats, or that creates a pervasively hostile environment for vulnerable students. But merely offensive or bigoted speech does not rise to that level, and determining when conduct crosses that line is a legal question that requires examination on a case-by-case basis.”

The swastika and similar vandalism certainly falls into that category. But does Parsons’ sign? Let’s assume there are actual neo-Nazis on campus who feel threatened by the handwritten sign in Parsons’ dorm window, can we consider them the “vulnerable party?”

I admit, I find that a hard case to make. The bigger problem here is how the university chooses to respond. Not in its immediate action, but in its long-term approach to what made Parsons’ mad enough to post the sign in the first place. Sit down with her, ask her directly how many times she’s seen evidence of hate around campus. Don’t communicate via a Facebook post alone, but talk with and listen to your students. You’ll find that one student’s public use of the F-word is not your biggest problem. I guarantee it.

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.

mitment from the recipients not to boycott Israel.

It does little good to say “those are misapplications of the law.” When laws are drafted quickly and sloppily, with much attention to the press release and little concern towards the possibility of overreach or misconstrual by the bureaucrats tasked with enforcing them, these are the results you can expect.

out Israel for especially favorable treatment. A Texas state contractor can decide to boycott anywhere from Myanmar to Venezuela to France — but not Israel. Why should Israel, alone of the nations, get the special solicitude of an American state?

It shouldn’t. Boycotts targeting Israel should be governed by the same statutory and constitutional standards as any other boycott — no better, no

Anti-BDS laws are a constitutional and PR mess.

DAviD SchRAuB BERKELEY, Calif. | JTA Ronald Reagan infamously described the “nine most terrifying words in the English language” as “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

Right now, pro-Israel activists are recoiling from the unanticipated consequences of state laws which only sought to “help” them fight BDS, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel.

The precise content of the laws vary from state to state, but in the main they prohibit state contractors from boycotting Israel during the duration of their contract. Typically, this requires the wouldbe contractor to sign a declaration disclaiming any such intent to boycott.

Twenty-six states have already passed legislation of this sort, and two — Kansas and Arizona — have seen theirs fail constitutional challenges. But the issue exploded back onto the national scene when a Palestinian-American Texas speech pathologist claimed she was terminated from her position at her local school district after she refused to sign a statement that she doesn’t boycott Israel.

The case has already become a public relations debacle for the pro-Israel community. It has all the appearances of an overbearing government thought-police pressing down on the little guy, holding paychecks hostage in order to demand ideological conformity on the merits of a country two continents away. What possible business is it of Texas what a random speech pathologist does or doesn’t think about Israel? Condemnation has been swift and brutal, and in many cases crossed partisan boundaries.

All of this was eminently predictable (indeed, the Anti-Defamation League did predict it — in internal documents at least). From the start, these state laws have been interpreted in manners that seem calculated to cause maximum embarrassment to those they purportedly “help”— trying to block an academic speaker at Arizona State, refusing to distribute hurricane relief aid in Texas without a com-

People protesting anti-BDS laws in New York, June 9, 2016.

Credit: Erik McGregor/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images At the very least, this latest fiasco should be a cautionary tale about relying on government to wage a fight that should be won and lost in the open marketplace of ideas.

But no doubt some will be less keen on giving up legislative options altogether. Is there a way to craft an anti-BDS law that is not, or at least less, prone to being applied (or misapplied) in nakedly censorial fashion?

Rule One: Don’t write the laws as israel-only one-offs.

While anti-BDS advocates often complain the movement “singles out” Israel for stricter scrutiny, it is fair to rejoin that many anti-BDS laws single

worse. South Carolina’s “anti-BDS” law provides a useful model: It does not mention Israel at all. It covers boycotts of any jurisdiction “with whom South Carolina can enjoy open trade,” and even then only when that boycott “is based on race, color, religion, gender, or national origin of the targeted person or entity.” Persons are just as limited in their ability to boycott French products as Israeli ones.

A law which singles out Israel appears to take sides in a fraught ideological controversy. It is easy to feel for the Texas pathologist who feels compelled See Anti-BDS laws page 9

Anti-BDS laws

Continued from page 8 to sign some sort of pro-Israel ideological declaration. It would be harder for her to muster the same sympathy if she objected to stating that she would refrain from discriminating on basis of “race, color, religion, or national origin.”

Rule Two: Anti-BDS laws also should restrict themselves to the contractor’s behavior on the job.

States do have a valid interest in regulating how their contractors do the job they were hired to do. They have much less legitimate investment on how such contractors behave on their own time. Yet most anti-BDS legislation requires a contractor to stipulate that they will not boycott Israel, not just in the course of fulfilling their state contract, but in any capacity for as long as the contract is in force. The Texas speech pathologist, for example, cannot refuse to buy an Israeli software program for her home office while working for the school district, even if that software has nothing to do with her work for the school.

It may be true, as law professor David Bernstein argues, that the Texas law only regulates the pathologist as a contractor, and not in her “personal life.” But such distinctions are easily blurred in the case of sole proprietorships and independent contractors, where personal and business purchasing decisions often meld together. And in such cases the potential for misinterpretation and chilled speech is especially high. Take a high school debate judge from a local college who receives a form demanding that he, the “contractor,” forgo boycotting Israel. It would be easy to see how he would perceive the demand to be aimed as his personal, off-the-job conduct.

More importantly, it’s easy to see how an overworked and uninformed school district administrator could believe that. If the goal is to avoid bureaucratic mishaps and chilled speech, it’s probably best to avoid regulating even the “business” decisions of sole proprietorships — at least when they are off the state’s clock (the author of the Texas law has signaled he wishes to amend the act so it no longer applies to sole proprietorships).

By contrast, states are perfectly legitimate in demanding that contractors behave in nondiscriminatory fashion in the course of fulfilling their contract. The state might not have any valid interest in how its speech pathologists stock their home offices, but it has a very strong interest in confirming that they won’t, for example, refuse to treat an Israeli exchange student or refrain from using a valuable educational program just because it was published by an Israeli company. Ditto the college student judging a high school debate: What he does on his own time is his business, but he certainly can’t claim a free expression right to refuse to judge a round that happens to have an Israeli competitor in it.

In sum, the ideal anti-BDS law is one that (a) applies not just to Israel, but generally to boycotts of countries with whom a state has open trade with, and (b) covers how contractors fulfill their contract with the state, but not their private, off-the-job conduct.

You might notice, however, that such a law starts to look like a pretty general non-discrimination commitment. It isn’t really an “anti-BDS law” at all. It’s just an anti-discrimination law.

That’s no accident. When government actors jump in to “help” fight BDS, specifically, they’re likely to do it with a typical bureaucratic mix of grandstanding and ineptitude, and the results are usually as terrifying as Reagan might have predicted. But when they sit down and try to solve a general problem — regulating state contractors as state contractors, not as private citizens, and refraining from punishing people for having the wrong ideology — they might be able to do some common good.

David Schraub is a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and senior research fellow at the California Constitution Center; he is also a doctoral candidate in the UC-Berkeley Department of Political Science.

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.

The Jewish Press | January 11, 2019 | 9

Amos Oz’s fiction is forever, while reality left his politics behind

ThAne ROSenBAum Beyond advocating for Palestinian justice, Oz blamed IsJTA rael’s government for not making Palestinian statehood a ree young nation of Israel has witnessed in recent years a ality. For a time, many Israelis, especially those who identified dwindling of its founding generation — from the passing of with the le-wing, social democratic Labor and Meretz parstatesmen like Shimon Peres to the death last week of novelist ties, joined Oz in promoting an idealized view of Palestinian and political activist Amos Oz. Oz was 79; Israel is but 70. Oz intentions and a self-flagellating opinion of Israeli policy. was old enough to witness Israel’s fight for independence, and But now, so many years aer the failed Oslo Accords, with now his death turns the page on yet another chapter of its im- multiple wars in Gaza and Lebanon, ISIS and Hezbollah in probable resurrection — with an old language that became Syria, a nuclear Iran, and intifadas of the suicide-bombing, new again.

Oz had a lot to do with that.

He imbued Hebrew with a literary style and gave it a novelistic voice, finding new ways to maneuver the aleph and bet so that a once purely liturgical language suddenly possessed a richly lyrical descriptive power. e author of 40 books, including 14 novels, and hundreds of articles and essays, many of which delved into the messy politics of the Middle East, Oz was Israel’s first great man of letters, an old-school public intellectual in a brand new nation with many jobs to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin speaks at a memorial service for novelist Amos Oz in Tel Aviv, Credit: Mark Neiman fill — from the brawny to the Dec. 31, 2018. brainy. ose patriarchs and matriarchs made the saying mortar-throwing, car-ramming, knife-stabbing and incendi“next year in Jerusalem” both a reality and redundancy. With ary kite-flying variety, Israelis have largely abandoned the aslittle natural background, they willed themselves to become pirations of Peace Now. e vision for Israel that Oz helped equal parts poets, farmers and soldiers. pioneer had suddenly become anachronistic, a byproduct of Oz was a living embodiment of those multiple duties. Aer a bygone, hope-filled era. his mother’s suicide, which occurred the year before his bar e hardened reality of Palestinian rejectionism, violence mitzvah, he came of age on a kibbutz and fought in two of Is- and incitement le many Israelis cynical and contemptuous rael’s wars. He then published acclaimed novels such as My of Oz’s misspent idealism. Sephardic, Russian and Orthodox Michael and Black Box, as well as the literary memoir A Tale Israelis formed their own political movements that mowed of Love and Darkness, that captured the finer points of domes- over the humanistic kibbutzniks and Peace Now advocates tic Israeli life, the yearnings and sexual passions, and the mad- like a political bulldozer. ness of a people who reinvented themselves so soon aer In response, some of Oz’s later books dealt with issues of nearly being annihilated en masse. betrayal, fanaticism and zealotry — as if he was taking on his Long before Netflix’s Fauda, or the inexplicably sabra-ac- critics, Palestinians and even himself. But no one would have cented Wonder Woman, Oz, through the 45 languages in expected what Oz told a German interviewer in the summer which his novels were translated, introduced the world to Is- of 2014 when asked about Israel’s military conduct during the raelis in all of their rambunctious, high-strung, pattering Gaza War, and the killing of Palestinian civilians standing essence — the kibbutz kibitzers, the brave sabra boys, the shoulder to shoulder with Hamas terrorists: Mizrahi misfits, the lost European intellectuals trying to “What would you do if your neighbor across the street sits scrape out a life of the mind in a barren desert. Without the down on the balcony, puts his little boy on his lap, and starts wizardry of Amos Oz, many around the world would have shooting machine-gun fire into your nursery? What would had no knowledge of Israeli society, no feel for its people, no you do if your neighbor across the street digs a tunnel from sense that they were more real than Jews from, well, Oz. his nursery to your nursery in order to blow up your home And Israelis would not have known how they appeared in or in order to kidnap your family?” the imagination of one of their own. e founder of Peace Now, who never gave up on the e Start-up Nation had to start somewhere, and Oz was dream, gazed at Gaza not with the romanticism of a novelist not only there at the beginning, he also captured the mood, but through the eyes of a protective father. And to the surprise rhythms and sorrow of its people for nearly every decade of of many, despite the civilian dead, he acknowledged Israel’s Israel’s existence. true moral dilemma and the tragic dimensions of this theater But there was more. Israelis related to Oz not only as a sto- of war. An insistence on peace — that it must come “Now”! ryteller, but also as unofficial statesman. He was one of the — is not a sustainable political strategy when peacemakers founders of Peace Now. Indeed, he was among the first, al- are nowhere to be found and martyrs are aplenty. most immediately aer the euphoria of the Six-Day War, to ane Rosenbaum, a novelist, essayist and law professor, attribute a doomsday prophesy to the capturing of Arab land. is the author of e Golems of Gotham, Second Hand In his writings and public statements, Oz spoke of a moral Smoke, Elijah Visible, e Stranger Within Sarah Stein corruption that could only be corrected by a two-state solu- and, most recently, How Sweet It Is!) tion. No longer was he a mere fiction writer; he had become e views and opinions expressed in this article are those the conscience of a nation and a pesky activist in its political of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA culture. or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

10 | The Jewish Press | January 11, 2019

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Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123 402.294.6244 email: oafbjsll@icloud.com

rose BlumkiN Jewish home

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154

Temple israel

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive Omaha, NE 68144-1206 402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com

TifereTh israel

Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org

B’Nai israel syNagogue

Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker Ron Lugasy, Community Shlicha. Our service leader is Larry Blass, and as always, an Oneg to follow service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

For information on our historic synagogue, contact any of our board members: Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Howard Kutler, Carole Lainof, Wayne Lainof, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf, or email nancywolf16620@gmail.com.

BeTh el syNagogue

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. friday: Tot Shabbat Pre-Neg, 5:30 p.m.; Tot Shabbat with special guest Caryn Scheer, 6 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. saTurday: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Shabbat’s Cool (Grades 3-7), 10 a.m.; Mincha following Shabbat morning services. weekday serViCes: Sundays, 9:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. suNday: BESTT Classes, 9:30 a.m.-noon; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Yiddish Class, 11 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman.

Tuesday: Mahjong, 1 p.m. wedNesday: Miriam Initiative: A Day to Knit, noon at Hope Lodge; Chesed Committee visits Sterling Ridge, 2 p.m.; BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m.; Miriam Initiative: A Nite to Knit, 6 p.m.; The History of American Anti-Semitism, 6 p.m. with Jeanette Gabriel; BESTT Hebrew High, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday: Breakfast and Brachot: Service, 7 a.m. and Breakfast, 7:30 a.m.

Six String Shabbat, friday, Jan. 18, 6 p.m.

Become a Soulful Parent, sundays, Jan. 27, feb. 24 and march 31 at 10 a.m. Join us for an exploration of parenting challenges against the backdrop of Jewish ideas and texts.

BeTh israel syNagogue

Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. friday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha, 4:58 p.m.; Candle Lighting, 4:58 p.m. saTurday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Beth Israel Teen Shabbat, noon; Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion, 3:55 p.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 4:40 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:02 p.m. suNday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Heaven and Afterlife in Judaism, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Shlomo. moNday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Jewish History — Your History, noon with Rabbi Shlomo.

Tuesday: Shacharit, 7 a.m. wedNesday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

Thursday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Connecting with Our Faith, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari.

ChaBad house

Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. friday: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing. saTurday: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. weekdays: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing. moNday: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani. wedNesday: Mystical Thinking, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman.

Thursday: Talmud Class, noon with Rabbi Katzman; All programs are open to the entire community. For more information call 402.330.1800 or visit www.ochabad.com.

CoNgregaTioN B’Nai JeshuruN

Services conducted by Rabbi Teri Appleby. friday: Candlelighting, 5:02 p.m.; Erev Shabbat Service: Debbie Friedman’s Musical Influence, 6:30 p.m.; Oneg, 7:30 p.m. saTurday: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Scholars-in-Residence: Prof. Margaret Gurewitz-Smith and Dr. Zachary B. Smith, 10:45 a.m. on Christianity and Anti-Semitism: Theological Roots; Havdalah (72 minutes), 6:33 p.m. suNday: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m.; LJCS Board Meeting, 1:30 p.m.; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. All equipment furnished.

Wear comfortable clothing. For questions, call or text Miriam Wallick at miriam57@aol.com.

Tuesday: The Ladies’ Lunch, noon at Imperial Palace, 701 N. 27th St. Let Deborah Swearingen (402.475.7528) know if you plan to attend and if you need a ride. wedNesday: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. at TI. South Street Temple is partnering with “We Can Do This” to provide weekend meals to the children of the F Street Community Center. Join us as we provide lunch on the third Sunday of every month. Food/monetary donations, meal preparation and assistance with setting up, serving, and clean-up are needed!

We will serve our next meal on Jan. 20 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, contact Aimee Hyten at aimee.hyten@ gmail.com or Lupe Malcom at lupemalcom65@gmail.com.

Jewish Book Club, sunday, Jan. 20, 1:30 p.m. at Gere Library and will discuss works by Amos Oz. Tu B’Shevat Seder and Dinner, sunday, Jan. 20, 6 p.m. at SST. Please RSVP by noon on Thursday, Jan. 17.

It's not too soon to be thinking about summer camp! All Federation families are eligible for Camp Incentive Grants of $300 per camper to pay the initial camp registration deposit.

Application packets are available in the Temple office and on the Temple website.

offuTT air forCe Base

friday: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.

rose BlumkiN Jewish home

saTurday: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Marty Shukert.

Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

Temple israel

friday: Shabbat Evening Service, 6 p.m. saTurday: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Service, 10:30 a.m. Torah Reader: Andy Isaacson and Haftarah Reader: Jeff Schweid; OTYG Kindergarten Games: All Grown Up, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Come enjoy a day in kindergarten again!

We will attend morning services followed by playing games and doing arts and crafts throughout the decades while exploring how the games challenge or enforce different social norms and political beliefs. Put on your favorite pair of pajamas and prepare to relive your childhood! Open to 9th-12th graders. RSVP to Jacob Kahn, jkahn@templeisraeloma ha.com. suNday: Beginning Prayer-Book Hebrew for Adults, 910 a.m. with Carmela Kramer. Registration is $140 for 14 sessions. Register today by contacting Temple Israel, rsVp@ templeisraelomaha.com or 402.556.6536. Class dates: Jan. 13, 27; feb. 3, 10, 24; march 3, 10, 24, 31; april 7, 14, 28; and may 5; Religious School Grades PreK-6, 10 a.m.; Temple Tots Sundays, 10:30 a.m.; Temple Israel Book Club Meeting, 10:30 a.m.; Caring Committee Meeting, 10:30 a.m.

Tuesday: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. wedNesday: Religious School Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; Tu

B’Shevat Seder, 6-8 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6:30 p.m.; Family School, 6:30 p.m.; What (We Say) We Believe: Understand the Prayer Book, 6:30 p.m. with Cantor Wendy Shermet.

Thursday: The History of the Jewish People: Reconquista and Inquisition, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Brian Stoller; Rosh Chodesh Event: Film Streams, 6:30 p.m. hosted by Susie Norton.

Shabbat Shira, friday, Jan. 18, 6 p.m. Join us on for Shabbat Shira, which takes its name from “The Song at the Sea” (Shirat HaYam), from Chapter 15 in the book of Exodus.

The language is poetic; it is one of the places in the Torah that is instantly recognizable due to its use of a column layout. This is said to reflect both the waves of the sea and the bricks that the Israelites labored with as slaves in Egypt. Also during this service, we will honor all of our Life & Legacy participants. Through training, support, and incentives, Life & Legacy motivates Jewish organizations to integrate legacy giving into their philanthropic culture assuring Jewish tomorrows. Services will be followed by a special oneg.

Chocolate Shabbat, friday, Jan. 25, Dinner, 5:15 p.m., Services, 6 p.m. Join us at Temple Israel for a multi-generational family service featuring our kids’ choir, Kol Chokolad!

Everyone is invited! Chocolate Shabbat starts with a community dinner, continues with Friday evening Shabbat service, followed by a delicious chocolate oneg. There is no cost for the dinner, but we do need your reservation so we know how much macaroni and cheese to make. RSVP to Temple Israel, 402.556.6536, by Wednesday, Jan. 23.

Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office

TifereTh israel

hours: monday-friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. friday: No Services; Candlelighting, 5:01 p.m. saTurday: Shabbat Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a light Kiddush luncheon; Got Shabbat, 11 a.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 6:02 p.m. suNday: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m.; LJCS Board Meeting, 1:30 p.m.; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. All equipment furnished.

Wear comfortable clothing. For questions, call or text Miriam Wallick at miriam57@aol.com.

Tuesday: The Ladies’ Lunch, noon at Imperial Palace, 701 N. 27th St. Let Deborah Swearingen (402.475.7528) know if you plan to attend and if you need a ride. wedNesday: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m.

Jewish Book Club, sunday, Jan. 20, 1:30 p.m. at Gere Library and will discuss works by Amos Oz. Tifereth Israel invites you to join us for Cocktails and Noshing in celebration of Tu B’Shevat and Shabbat Shira, saturday evening, Jan. 19, 7:15 p.m.-10 p.m. at the Brockman Home, 1055 Cromwell Drive with special music by Sarabande Strings. RSVP to corenancy@gmail.com or 402.770.4167 by Jan. 11.

It's not too soon to be thinking about summer camp! All Federation families are eligible for Camp Incentive Grants of $300 per camper to pay the initial camp registration deposit.

Application packets are availible in the Tifereth Israel foyer.

Tifereth Israel office will be closed on monday, Jan. 21 for MLK Day.

Netanyahu calls for chance to debate his accusers on live TV

JERUSALEM | JTA indict me,” he said. “Maybe if I proposed a new disengageIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a ment or divided Jerusalem or abandoned our security they would leave me alone, but I will never do chance to take on his accusers on live that.” television.

Netanyahu scoffed at the idea that he Speaking Monday night, the prime bribed Yediot Acharonot publisher Arnon minister said that during investigations Mozes to get good coverage, saying into the corruption cases against him he “Me? The person most hated by the “demanded a face-to-face confrontation media? It’s absurd.” with states’ witnesses.” He said he was Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is denied several times. expected to make a decision by February “Today I repeat that demand, and as on whether or not to indict Netanyahu in far as I am concerned it should be on live three corruption cases. The police have television,” Netanyahu said. recommended that the prime minister be His statement was carried live on Israel’s major news programs and charged in each case. streamed on his Facebook page, but no Netanyahu has said he would not step Benjamin Netanyahu reporters were invited. down if called to a pre-indictment hearNetanyahu also said that police have ignored potential ing in order to defend himself against the charges. witnesses that could have testified on his behalf.

Israel is holding national elections on April 9, and Ne“There is nonstop pressure on the attorney general to tanyahu is predicted to win another term.

The Jewish Press | January 11, 2019 | 11

worldnews

Belgian ban on kosher slaughter: what comes next?

Cnaan Liphshiz reversed the ban in 2014.

JTA Meanwhile, Denmark’s parliament is preparing to vote on Antwerp’s Jewish community was still recovering from its a resolution calling to ban non-medical circumcision of boys.

Holocaust-era devastation when Wim van den Brande’s e resolution began as a petition started by a small group of grandfather opened one of Europe’s largest kosher slaughter- anti-circumcision activists but gathered tens of thousands of houses. Since its establishment in 1966, the Kosher Poultry signatures in the kingdom, whose government has one of factory grew together with the local Jewish community, which Western Europe’s most restrictive policies on immigration numbered only a few thousand people aer Nazis and their from the Middle East. collaborators murdered most of the Jews in Flanders.

In this context, the law passed in Belgium “is clearly only By the end of last year, van den Brande’s factory was pro- the beginning,” said Ari Mandel, an Antwerp Jew who in 2011 cessing 80,000 chickens a month — a testament to how the opened Kosher4U, an online store that specializes in shipping region’s Jewish population has more than quadrupled to kosher products to remote European Jewish communities, 20,000 since 1945.

But all that ended last month, when a law banning methods used in ritual slaughter went into effect, forcing van den Brande, who is not Jewish, to fire his 10 employees and close up shop, in the hope of moving his factory to Hungary. For van den Brande, 42, and hundreds of meat industry professionals, it means “an attack on traditions and on an entire industry,” he told JTA. It has less immediate implications for Antwerp’s Jews — who can simply switch to importing customsfree kosher meat from elsewhere within the European Union trading bloc. Yet many of them view the law Belgium has banned a certain form of ritual slaughter practiced by Jews and Muslims.

Credit: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images both as a declaration that they are not wanted in Belgium, and as the opening shot of further such as in Sweden and Norway. hostile action.

Mandel also noted that Antwerp’s Orthodox communities “On the ground, it makes little difference. We still have have some of the world’s strictest kashrut standards, making meat,” said Nechemiah Schuldiner, a leader of the Shomre their rabbis and congregants distrust foreign labels.

Hadas Orthodox Jewish community of Antwerp. “e probRitual slaughter of animals is allowed in France, Germany, lem is the message it sends. It tells Jews: We don’t want you the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Russia, where the vast mahere.” jority of Europe’s Jews live.

Schuldiner fears the law, which he considers a ban, is a “preFive European Union member states — Sweden, Denmark, lude to a ban on importing kosher meat,” and a move herald- Finland, Lithuania and Slovenia — have blanket bans on riting “new restrictions, be in on milah or other elements of ual slaughter. So too do three other non-EU countries in Jewish life.”

Western Europe: Norway, Switzerland and Iceland. e new law requires all animals be stunned before they are In Belgium, it is currently illegal only in Flanders, or the slaughtered. Jewish and Muslim religious laws require ani- Flemish Region, which is one of three states that make up the mals be conscious at the time of their slaughter. Jewish leaders federal kingdom. Another region, Wallonia, will impose a ban also fear the same political forces — animal and child welfare in September. Austria and Estonia also enforce strict superactivists, in league with anti-immigration groups — will move vision of the custom that some Jews there say makes it nearly to ban ritual circumcision, performed by Jews and Muslims. impossible. No country in Europe currently forbids nonmedMichael Freilich, editor in chief of the Antwerp-based Joods ical circumcision of boys.

Actueel Jewish magazine, disagrees that the law is a sign BelIf Europe is seeing a domino effect where Jewish customs gian Jews were unwanted. e Flemish authorities, he said, are collateral damage, then communities should consider have paid “a great deal of attention to the Jewish community adapting some of those customs to weather the storm, sugand its needs.” But, he added, the methods for ritual slaughter gested Michael Freilich, the Jewish paper’s editor. are “too unpopular” in Flanders for the government to ignore. “ere is halacha, and Jews are beholden to it,” he told JTA, e law in Flanders was born of a 2014 public debate about referring to rabbinic law. But some kosher practices also stem the slaughter of animals by Muslims in unregulated slaugh- from “customs and rabbinical politics” and can be adapted or terhouses. In Western Europe recently, animal welfare and reformed. child welfare activists have found unlikely allies in individuals Notably, some Orthodox rabbis permit post-cut stunning and politicians critical of the impact of mass immigration to – a technique in which animals’ necks are cut almost at the Europe by Muslims. Jewish customs, similar to Muslim ones same time as they are knocked unconscious. Another potenbut ignored or tolerated for decades, have become collateral tial concession may come from modern stunning methods, damage of this alliance. including carbon dioxide, that do not injure the animal in In the Netherlands, a fringe animal welfare party in 2011 ways prohibited by Jewish law. submitted a bill proposing a ban on all slaughter performed “Honestly, I’ve not been able to get rabbis to give me very without stunning. It passed in the lower house, largely thanks compelling explanations as to why some of these solutions to the support of the anti-Islam Party for Freedom. e Dutch aren’t halakhically acceptable,” said Freilich, who is Orthodox senate reversed the ban in 2012. and who opposes government restrictions on ritual slaughter.

In 2013, Poland’s parliament passed a similar ban amid As more and more European governments restrict kosher growing discontent in the predominantly-Catholic nation slaughter, Freilich said “the need to adapt Jewish customs to over the arrival of millions of Muslims into the European the new reality will grow, and I think we’ll see movement.”

Union, of which Poland is a member. e Polish High Court

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12 | The Jewish Press | January 11, 2019

community

d

The 2018-2019 concatenation Karen and Oliver POllaK of richmond, California ear family, friends, readers and listeners, mishpocha and chavers, this is our annual end of year concatenation of joy, disappointment and hope.

I want to start by welcoming a new member to our family: Alexa, who provides music, news, weather, and she admits when she does not know the answer.

You may know her cousin Siri.

The Merriam-Webster word of the year is “Justice.” Apparently, the Mueller investigation caused the word to appear remarkably more often in the press. The Oxford English Dictionary gave the onus of honor to “toxic.” My choice would have been “dystopia.”

The food, wine and travel we have enjoyed evokes a sense of guilt for our privilege amidst homelessness, violence, deprivation and natural and manmade disasters around us, locally and universally.

This disparity of security and comfort was brought home as Karen and I close the year as we have done for over half a century, scampering and scattering to complete our charitable donations. We do not know how the bogus and reprehensible 2018 Tax reform affects us. Non-profits have predicted a $13 to 20-billion-dollar decline in revenue. We have decided to go ahead and give as if it were 2017 regardless of tax benefit deduction consequence. Be good, do good.

Our health is what you can expect for septuagenarians.

Pills, teeth, bones, skin, and visits to an increasing number of health care providers, doctors and physician assistants. No one is growing younger. Every day is the first day of the rest of your life. Maintaining a balanced life extends to portfolios, diet, staying upright, and no tripping no falling. Kindergarten admonitions are as useful as ever. Be careful with knives, scissors, sharp objects, stand up straight, watch the stairs and use the hand rail.

Reading, writing, and word games give us joy and distrac-

Oliver and Karen Pollak tion. Karen plays “Words with [several] Friends,” but is still addicted to Candy Crush which she has introduced to the grandchildren.

We went to a destination wedding in Puerto Morales, Mexico, our annual Passover trek to Wyoming, and a cousin tour of Germany (Cologne, Eslohe, Meschede, Velmede, Hanover and Dortmund), the Czech Republic (Prague and Theresienstadt), and Vienna. We did a 4500-mile US 80 road trip to Omaha, complete with an October snowstorm in South and North Dakota enroute to Winnipeg. On the way back we visited the Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site in North Dakota, Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot, and California Trail Interpretive Center in Elko, Nevada. We also drove from Richmond to Southern California six times.

We binged on Canadian, Australian and New Zealand programs on Netflix and Amazon Prime. They are engaging and more lighthearted, though serious, but less violent stories. Escapism is performed between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. We invariably

awake to disturbing stories on National Public Radio to which Karen splutters expletives and tells me to turn the radio off.

We are thoroughly enjoying our three-generation family in Berkeley and San Francisco. We treat all visitors to a 20minute walk along the Bay Trail to the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, where a ferry to San Francisco will resume operation on Jan. 10, and a drive to the Napa and Sonoma wineries, eateries and historic sites.

Hopefully, the damage inflicted by the fool on the hill in the white house is short term and his deeds reversible. My Grandfather in Hannover, Germany, in the 1930s, wanted to stay in his beloved fatherland and thought that Hitler would be voted out of office in the next election by decent and reasonable Germans; there was no next election. The American history of democracy is longer and more resilient.

Thanks to indulgent editors I published about 70 articles, mostly in the on line San Diego Jewish World, and one book, Welcome to Omaha (Arcadia Publishing) in 2018. Karen has proofread almost all of it. We are in the final stage of mounting an exhibit at the Richmond Museum of History, Pioneers to the Present: Jews of Richmond & Contra Costa County, which opens on Jan. 13.

So many unenumerated people have enriched our lives. But mortality is a sad fact of life. We said goodbye to Paul Drazen our Omaha rabbi of many years, and Eugene Barone, our family doctor for over 30 years.

This genre of communication, commonly called the Christmas letter, is inserted in Christmas cards. Carding is in decline. Ecumenical diversity and the internet mollify the tyranny of distance. We would be pleased to entertain your thoughts any time of the year.

Remember Y2K. Oh my gosh, such preparation... apprehension. We do not want to stop the clock, we want time to be well and graciously spent. Please accept our best wishes for health and happiness in Y2K+19.

women’s guide publishing date | 02.15.19 space reservation | 02.06.19

Contact our advertising executive to advertise in this very special edition.

Susan Bernard | 402.334.6559 | sbernard@jewishomaha.org