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A true friend to the Jewish Community The Kaplan Book Group’s next meeting looks to be Extraordinary Page 3
Announcing the first local author event Page 4
MARY SUE GROSSMAN for the Jewish Funeral Home In 1970, a young man named Tracy McCurdy was working with the Baily & Dorrance Funeral Home, helping with Omaha’s Jewish funerals in addition to other duties. When
JFO welcomes Stacy Feldman as philanthropy coordinator Page 5
Chabad Bistro Night GABBY BLAIR Jewish Press Staff Writer Omaha Chabad will be offering a delicious Kosher Bistro Night on Monday, Jan. 17 from 5-7 p.m. On the menu: Matzo ball soup, pulled beef and chicken sandwiches, five different types of kugel - or a sam-
pling of each served as a kugel flightand dessert options. Socially distanced dine-in at Chabad House or car-side-to-go options will be available. Rabbi Eli Tenenbaum credits Howard Kutler with the idea for Bistro Night.
REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles
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“Howard wanted to begin an ongoing deli night and held one just before the start of the Covid pandemic. Obviously, once Covid hit, the idea was paused but we are again trying to start up a regular (hopefully monthly!) kosher dining option for our community. While deli-styled food is always a delicious option, we are working to expand offerings with See Chabad Bistro Night page 3
Baily & Dorrance made the decision to close, Tracy was approached by Harry Sidman, of blessed memory, who asked if he would consider taking over as funeral director for the Omaha’s Jewish Funeral Home. They quickly came to an See A true friend page 3
It’s time for a focus on YOU
MARY SUE GROSSMAN for Beth Israel Synagogue If you have not already done so, mark your calendar NOW for a great evening to focus on you at a special Beth Israel event, just for Omaha’s wonderful community of Jewish women. “Mind. Body. Soul – An evening of fun and wellness for women” will take place Saturday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Synagogue. Registration is required to participate. Originally planned pre-pandemic, the organizers are excited to now be able to provide an evening with a bit of pampering, friendship and healthy refreshments. Event organizers include Laura Dembitzer,
Anna Priluck, Shiran Dreyer, Helene Shrago, Melissa Shrago, Sharon Kirshenbaum, Karen Cohen, Patricia Kanwiesky, Stephanie Beneda and Andrea Shnayder, Melissa Shrago is thrilled to be leading one of the evening’s activities. A certified SHiNE Fitness instructor, she will lead a 30-minute fitness class for all attendees. “I am so happy that I can introduce the fun of the SHiNE program during this event. Participants will find this to be a fitness routine that is so much fun, one forgets one is working out” she enthusiastically shares. “The program’s goal is to let ‘you do you’ and to be the best you can be. See A focus on you page 2
2 | The Jewish Press | January 14, 2022
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Jewish Omahans spread joy on December 24
LINDA SALTZMAN Not even a pandemic could stand in the way of the fourth annual Operation Grateful Goodies! Omaha’s Jewish community delivered more than 288 boxes to 132 locations the afternoon of Dec. 24, 2021. Recipients unanimously appreciated the message of the deliveries; namely, that the community appreciates them, especially when first responders feel exhausted and overwhelmed entering the third year of the pandemic. More than 100 volunteers helped provide goodies, sort and assemble gift boxes, write more than 150 thank-you notes and deliver goodies. The gift boxes were delivered to people who work to save lives during the holidays, away from their families, and throughout the year. Recipients included hospital staff, firefighters, police officers, pharmacists, nursing home staff, emergency veterinary staff and air traffic controllers. Other places receiving gift boxes included Rainbow House, Ronald McDonald House, Offutt Air Force Base, Boys Town and the National Weather Service in Valley, NE. Since Dec. 25 fell on Shabbat, volunteers delivered gift boxes on Dec. 24. In 2022, deliveries will resume on Dec. 25.
A focus on you
Continued from page 1 It is empowering and is designed for each participant to let loose and do what is comfortable.” Melissa, who teaches classes at a friend’s studio, shared that during a recent class, a young woman commented after the day she had, she wasn’t sure she could get both her arms and feet to move at the same time. Melissa’s immediate response was to tell her to just move her feet. “The program is truly designed to keep a person moving with absolutely no judgment” she concludes. Another treat during the evening will be found at the wine bar Sivan Cohen, Omaha’s Community Shlicha, certified wine and spirit connoisseur, will be serving and talking about wine during the event. From Akko, Sivan has guided at various wineries in Israel and has worked with international alcohol, wine and beer brands at exhibitions, festivals, shows and other events. Her explanations of the selections will let attendees learn more about the wine offerings while also providing the opportunity to get to know Sivan better. Open to the women of Omaha Jewish community, 16 years or older, registration will include the wine bar, SHINE Dance fitness class, and a healthy dairy snack bar. Optional addons include a $15 mini facial by Stephanie Beneda, a certified aesthetician with Forever Natural Skin. The facial includes customized cleansing, mask, and jade stone therapy. Chair massages will also be available for $10. Event registration is $15 per person plus the fees for any “add on” activities. Those registering before Jan. 16 will receive a free t-shirt. Space is limited and registration closes Jan. 21. The registration link is tinyurl.com/bisrael women and will also be provided on Beth Israel’s weekly email. Registration and inquiries can also be made to execu tiveasst@orthodoxomaha.org or 402.556.6288. Attire is workout casual. Properly worn face masks are required.
TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Clockwise from top left: Eli and Emmett Oropeza deliver treats to firefighters in LaVista; Chase Maynard delivers goodies to VCA Midwest Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center; Sadie Beckman delivers boxes and homemade thank- you notes to police officers; the Kohen family visited a fire station among other stops on Dec. 24; and Joshua, Evan and Lea Shapiro deliver boxes to a Nebraska Medicine clinic.
Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press at jpress @jewishomaha.org; or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Readers can also submit announcements -- births, b’nai mitzvahs, engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at www.omahajewishpress. com/site/forms/. Deadlines are normally nine days prior to publication, on Wednesdays, 9 a.m. Please check the Jewish Press, for notices of early deadlines.
The Jewish Press | January 14, 2022 | 3
The Kaplan Book Group’s next meeting looks to be Extraordinary
SHIRLY BANNER Kripke Jewish Federation Library, Library Specialist On Jan. 20 the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will gather for their monthly meeting. Group members have the choice of meeting either via Zoom or in person in the Benjamin & Anna E. Wiesman Reception Room in the Staenberg Jewish Community Center. They will be discussing The Museum of Extraordinary Things by author Alice Hoffman. The group has read other works by Alice Hoffman, most recently in 2019 (Fortunes Daughter) and 2017 (The Marriage of Opposites). The Museum of Extraordinary Things tells the story of two young people, Coralie Sardie and Eddie (Ezekiel) Cohen whose paths cross one fateful night while Eddie is taking one of his many solitary walks in the woods of Manhattan. Coralie emerges from yet another of her nightly swims in the Hudson River. As a result of this brief chance encounter their worlds are never the same again. Coralie’s father, Professor Sardie, runs a small Coney Island boardwalk attraction which is a showcase for “living wonders” such as the Wolfman, the Goat Boy, the Bee Woman, and Coralie as the Human Mermaid. Coralie was born with webbed fingers which helps add to her mermaid-like persona and mystique. As Sardie’s Museum of Extraordinary Things encounters hard times financially, Coralie’s father “sells” Coralie’s innocence to highly questionable voyeurs who watch her swim nude in her mermaid tank.
Eddie (Ezekiel) Cohen came to New York as a young immigrant from the Ukraine and grew up in the troubled streets of Manhattan’s garment district. Disillusioned with this impoverished life, Eddie abandons his Orthodox upbringing and eventually becomes an apprentice of the once renowned photographer Moses Levy. Upon Levy’s death, Eddie assumes the photography assignments that he once did alongside Levy. One fateful night Eddie is a witness documenting the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 with his heart-wrenching photos of both the fire and its victims. Shortly afterwards, Eddie is approached by a Samuel Weiss, a tailor and the father of Hannah, in hopes that Eddie will be able to discover her fate. Weiss tells him that Hannah is still missing, yet her body was never found in the aftermath of the fire. Having worked successfully as a “finder” when he was younger, Eddie decides to try to uncover what has happened to Hannah. Who was this seemingly quiet reserved girl and how could she just disappear without a trace? Please feel free to join us on Jan. 20 in person or via Zoom. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion group meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. New members are always welcome. To view books discussed by the group over the past several years, go to www.jewishomaha.org, click on the “Community & Education” pulldown tab and navigate to “Kripke Jewish Federation Library,” then to “Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group.” The group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & 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.
A true friend
Continued from page 1 agreement and the partnership was formed and sealed with a simple handshake. That was the beginning of over 50 years of service to Omaha’s Jewish community. This past year, Tracy made the decision to retire. He and his wife, Sharon, were honored at a dinner at Beth Israel Synagogue on Jan. 2, at which time they were recognized and presented with a plaque for their years of service. Tracy grew up on a dairy farm in Missouri and after a fire destroyed their home, his family left the area. Rather than leave, Tracy chose to remain and was on his own going forward. As a stand-out track star in high school, he earned a scholarship to Southwest Missouri State College and continued to compete throughout college. After college, he attended mortuary school in Dallas after which he moved to Kansas City working with Stine and McCure Funeral Home. After several years, he moved to Council Bluffs, eventually opening McCurdy Funeral Home in the mid 70s. Tracy, well known for his gregarious nature, has endless stories to share about the numerous friendships he formed with countless members of the community. Some of the personalities he talked about included Harry Sidman, who Tracy described as his “grandfather.” Tracy commented that he learned a great deal from Mr. Sidman and said he was a true gentleman. Tracy next said he had idolized the late Rabbi Isaac Nadoff and was honored to work with him. He chuckled and said he so admired a handsome beaver hat of Rabbi Nadoff ’s, he purchased a duplicate for himself and wore it proudly. Tracy also tells of a relationship he had with Sol Davis from Beth El Synagogue, and how he and Mr. and Mrs. Davis would always spend time together before funerals. He then shared a classic Rose Blumkin – Mrs. B - story when she gave him such a good deal on carpet, the carpet department manager attempted to argue but she insisted that was the price Tracy would pay and that was that. The stories go on and on. There is also another important story that needs to be shared but is not told by Tracy, rather told by Beth Israel Synagogue executive directors. (Beth Israel is the business manager for the Jewish Funeral Home.) Each director discovered that Tracy seemed to have an uncanny ability to sense when finances were tight for a family. In these situations, it was not uncommon for Tracy to offer to reduce his fee. Whenever possible, he wanted to lessen the burden of the family, stating “it isn’t about the money for me.” This simple and generous gesture was repeated many times over the years. “I consider Tracy to be a true mensch,” shares Rabbi Ari Dembitzer with Beth Israel. “He was someone from which we could learn. He was always willing and eager to help, going above and beyond, not wanting any honor, rather honoring others. His kindness showed it was not just a job and he was truly selfless. I consider Tracy to be a true friend.” Not to be forgotten is Tracy’s wife, Sharon, who was his office manager and in charge of collections. Tracy stresses he
could not have been a success without her. Sharon’s ability to recall details of funerals and her excellent filing system made any inquiries quickly answered. Ready at a moment’s notice to care for the deceased, theirs was truly a 24/7 profession. When they sold McCurdy Funeral Home in 2005, they were handling over 300 funerals per year. Tracy is a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Shriners, helping disabled children since 1957, the Kiwanis Club for over 35 years, Gideon’s, Past Commander of Ivanhoe No. #17, and Past High Priest of Star Chapter #47. Tracy and Sharon have served as board members and trustees for the Salem Methodist Church. They have a son, David, and a daughter, Cheryl Kramer, and two grandchildren, Cameron and Katie Kramer. “I can’t describe how much the Jewish community has meant to me,” commented Tracy. “I have had many wonderful relationships and it has been an honor to serve the community. I will truly miss the work.” He added that when thinking back on the many deceased for whom he has cared, his strongest memories are when he buried those who served as shomers for the funeral home. “Each shomer was given G-d’s blessing and I was honored to take them to their final resting place.” One of those shomers, Rick Eirenberg, wrote a short article about Tracy several years ago. Borrowing from Rick’s words is the perfect way to conclude this tribute. “Without him [Tracy], we could not operate the funeral home and he has often taken the extra step in accommodating the bereaved. We are fortunate to have a man with his nachama or heart. Tracy McCurdy deserves public recognition for the support he has given the community.” Thank you, Tracy, and thank you, Sharon, for being a part of Omaha’s Jewish community for over 50 years and best wishes for good health and happiness for years in the future.
Chabad Bistro Night Continued from page 1 themed menu ideas - for example, right now we are working on a Persian menu - to bring tastes of good and different Jewish foods to Omaha as options for eating out kosher here are limited.” “We have been blessed to have some amazing volunteer organizers including Shervin Ansari, Dennis DePorte and Jim Fried helping with this program and are always looking for more volunteers to help organize, plan and work the event. Sponsorship opportunities are also available”. While walk-ins are certainly welcome, don’t chance missing out on what is sure to be a delicious kosher meal by preordering at ochabad.com/bistro. Pre-orders will be accepted through noon on Jan. 14. All orders after this time are subject to a 10% surcharge. Walk-ins are welcome. All proceeds will go to Chabad’s Assistance and Pantry projects.
4 | The Jewish Press | January 1, 2022
Announcing the first local author event
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ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor The Jewish Federation of Omaha and the Jewish Press are excited to announce new programming for 2022 in the form of local author events. Every other month, we will host a local writer who will introduce their work to the community, starting with Brett Atlas on Tuesday, Feb. 1 from 10-11 a.m. Brett will discuss his book Three Things Matter Most, which was published last year. Having said that, we are, of course, still in the pandemic. That means, as excited as we may be (and we did visualize a room filled with live audience), we have to once again make arrangements that keep everyone safe and comfortable. The event itself will be accessible via Zoom, but we will also record it so we can place it on our website soon after, where it will be accessible to anyone who wants to watch and listen. If you have questions for the author, you can submit them to the email address at the bottom of this article. It’s been a rough few years and we can’t wait to sit down with Brett to discuss how to process some of it. His book is particularly beneficial for anyone who might have questions about where life is taking us. Covering topics like how to say ‘no,’ risking rejection or something called ‘the wireless leash,’ Brett’s book is part psychology, part philosophy, part the voice of an older brother who tells you things you sort of already knew but were unwilling to acknowledge. He talks with the voice of experience and is willing to be vulnerable in doing so. Brett is not speaking from a pedestal; he is in the trenches with the reader
and that makes this book remarkably comforting to read. “This book began as a collection of Post-it notes, journal entries and emails,” he writes in the introduction. “I wanted to develop a repository of generational wisdom for my kids to have. I like solving puzzles and I have always wanted to figure out life, because that is the biggest puzzle of all. When my father died, I asked myself what was left of what he taught me. I look at my kids now and I want them to benefit from what I learned. Also, I wanted to write it to see if I could do it—and I hope it inspires people to think.”” Three major things, time, relationships and money, are what provide the book with its structure; as Brett discussed how we spend each of those assets, he delves deep into what makes them important. “I think their respective levels of importance are not what most people think they are,” he said. “I also believe the overlaps, how we choose to incorporate all three, are key to happiness. The true measure of wealth is in the quality of our relationships,” he wrote, but then goes on to say that it all begins with “the relationship we have with ourselves.” The underlying message? We all have work to do, and we need to look inward as well as outside ourselves while doing it. “Writing this was important to me, because until you understand who you are, you can’t have meaningful relationships,” he said. “However, as we live, who we are is constantly changing, so this is not an easy thing. Sometimes we know ourselves today, but we may not know ourselves in the future.” Read more in Brett Atlas’ Three Things Matter Most, linking time, relationships and money, available from AddicusBooks and on Amazon. This event is free to all, but we’d love to know ahead of time how many attendants to expect on Zoom. For more information and to receive the Zoom link, please contact Jennie GatesBeckman at jbeckman@jewishomaha.org.
Jewish groups rally for victims of Bronx fire beverages and snacks. (Masbia is collecting donations here.) ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL SAR Academy, the Jewish day school in Riverdale, anNew York Jewish Week via JTA New York’s Jewish community is rallying for victims and nounced it is is raising funds to help the victims. The Riverdale Jewish Center is also accepting monetary donafirst responders after the city’s deadliest fire in 30 years. tions, and drop-off boxes will Nineteen people, including be available at the synagogue nine children, were killed in on 3700 Independence Ave. the blaze in the Bronx, which UJA-Federation of New York raged through a 19-story tweeted, “Our hearts ache for high rise on East 181st Street, the victims of this horrific which was home to a large tragedy and their loved ones. African immigrant commuWe’re in touch with governnity. Firefighters found vicment officials and our parttims on nearly every floor. ner agencies in the Bronx to In the hours after the fire, assist in any way possible.” the Masbia network of The Jewish Community Rekosher food pantries set up a relief tent near the scene of A volunteer, left, distributes hot soup at a distribution tent set lations Council of NY issued a the tragedy, serving food to up by the Masbia kosher pantry network near the scene of a statement, saying it is in “acdeadly fire in the Bronx, Jan. 10, 2022. The fire, which claimed tive discussion about how to survivors and responders. 19 lives, is the city's deadliest in 30 years. Credit: Masbia best help the victims with this Masbia also teamed up with Boro Park Shomrim, the Jewish neighborhood patrol in trauma,” and noting that many of the victims were Muslims. Brooklyn, to purchase and distribute emergency supplies,
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News
IN THE NEWS The Old Avoca Schoolhouse in Avoca, Nebraska will be streaming a French Fiddle Tunes Workshop for folks who play violin/ fiddle, viola, cello, bass, mandolin, soprano recorder, and alto recorder. The workshops will be on Tuesday, Jan. 25, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (CT) and Friday, Jan. 28, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (CT). During these workshops we will play and discuss tunes from the Greenblatt & Seay publication, French Fiddle Tunes for Two. Different tunes will be played at each session. A treble clef version of the sheet music for the tunes being played will be displayed on Zoom’s screen during the workshop. The cost for each workshop is $10. The cost of each optional book is $15 (includes shipping if ordered with workshop registration). For more information, and to register: https://www.greenblattandseay.com/wor kshops_french.shtml.
ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS The award-winning B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS speaker program currently meets Wednesdays via zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Please watch the Press for specific information concerning its thoughtprovoking, informative list of speakers. To be placed on the email list, contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com.
TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Readers can also submit announcements - births, b’nai mitzvahs, engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- www.omahajewishpress. com /site/forms/. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements.
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JFO welcomes Stacy Feldman as philanthropy coordinator
in the Heart of New Jersey, where she spent SAM KRICSFELD three years as its director of community impact. JFO Philanthropy Assistant The Jewish Federation of Omaha is proud to “I oversaw planning, allocations and enintroduce Stacy Feldman as its new philan- gagement for the organization,” Feldman said. thropy coordinator. Feldman, “My team was small, but we originally from New Jersey, reaccomplished so much — escently moved to Omaha and is pecially during the pandemic.” looking forward to meeting and Feldman considers her engaging with the community. biggest achievement at the As philanthropy coordinaJewish Federation in the Heart tor, Feldman says that her curof New Jersey to be redefining rent priorities are leading the its allocations process. “This was an intricate women’s Momentum trip and process that utilized so many working with lay leaders on the Spring Women’s Philanof the skills I had honed thropy event. through my professional life, inStacy Feldman “I’m excited about both of cluding strategic thinking, enthem because of my belief and passion for gagement, persuasion and analysis,” she said. community, and I love programs and events,” Feldman also worked to develop a three-year she said. “Momentum in particular holds a strategic plan for PJ Library, evolving the basic special place for me. I went on the trip in 2016. PJ Library subscription and monthly event It was my first time in Israel. It bottles up, in program and bringing in partners and ambasjust a week, the best of Israel with an explo- sadors to further engage the community. ration of Jewish self, completely unencumThe majority of Feldman’s career has been bered. It gives women the chance to explore in brand strategy, research and marketing for who they are both as a woman, as well as a print and digital media companies. She spent spouse, mom, daughter, granddaughter, friend, the most time at Meredith Corporation, based professional, etc., through a Jewish lens.” in Des Moines, Iowa, and learned to appreciFeldman comes from Morganville, N.J., ate the Midwest through her time spent there. roughly 45 miles outside of New York City. Her When her husband took a job in Omaha, most recent work was at the Jewish Federation Feldman was excited to move to the Mid-
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west, even though it would be a big change for her and her family. The biggest difference is the increased difficulty of finding kosher food in Omaha compared to New Jersey, where there are kosher butchers, delis, grocery aisles and restaurants. Despite this, she appreciates Omaha being family-centric and slower paced. Feldman and her husband have two children and love being active and outdoors. She enjoys skiing, cooking, reading, singing, dancing, running and spending time with her family, no matter where they are. She also loves being part of a community. “When you belong to a community, you are supported, and you thrive,” she said. “If you’re having a bad day (or week, or month, or year), you’re surrounded by folks who will help pick you up, help you out, or just be there for you. If you’re having a great day (or week, or month, or year), you’re surrounded by people who will help you celebrate in your happiness and joy.” From a Jewish perspective, Feldman loves Torah, Jewish holidays and the culture of community and inclusiveness. To her, “being Jewish is about being a good person and always trying to be the best person you can be.” The JFO is glad to have Stacy Feldman as a dedicated and experienced philanthropy coordinator. Feel free to reach out to her at sfeldman@jewishomaha.org and say hello!
6 | The Jewish Press | January 14, 2022
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Orthodox activists push for stronger response to sexual abuse
SHIRA HANAU JTA On Friday morning, most of the people bustling through Beit Shemesh, a town in central Israel with a large haredi Orthodox population, were getting ready for Shabbat. Shoshanna Keats-Jaskoll had a different mission. Keats-Jaskoll was handing out flyers with messages of support for victims of sexual abuse, in a public display of solidarity at the end of a wrenching week in many Orthodox communities. Chaim Walder, a celebrated haredi Orthodox children’s book author in Israel, died by suicide after being accused by numerous children and young women of sexual abuse. The Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel visited Walder’s family. Then, one of Walder’s alleged victims, Shifra Horovitz, also died by suicide, her friends saying she had been distraught by the response to his death. For Keats-Jaskoll, a cofounder of the Israeli advocacy organization Chochmat Nashim, which fights extremism and sexism in the Orthodox community, and for many other Orthodox women, the litany called for a coordinated, public response. So she, who is Orthodox but not haredi, and a network of haredi activists and volunteers printed 350,000 flyers and passed them out in haredi areas before Shabbat. Most of the reactions she got were from mothers thanking her for sharing her message, she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. But one man told her he didn’t know anyone who had been hurt and questioned why she was giving out the flyers — keeping up the conversation for far longer than she expected. The flyers that Keats-Jaskoll and others handed out spoke
directly to that crisis of faith, and to the religious values of those whose confidence in their leaders might be teetering. They offered information about the rabbinic court that heard testimony against Walder, quoted rabbinic sources about the seriousness of sexual abuse and answered questions about why allegations first reported in secular media should be trusted in religious communities. Since the allegations against Walder first appeared in November, the case has taken an unusual trajectory in the Orthodox world. After Eichler’s, a Jewish bookstore in Brooklyn, announced that it would stop selling Walder’s books in response to the Haaretz investigation, many other repudiations of Walder followed, in a flood that advocates for survivors of sexual abuse said seemed to represent a watershed moment for the community. But after Walder’s suicide, it became immediately clear that any shift extended only so far. In a number of haredi schools, teachers reportedly spoke to students about Walder’s suicide as an example of the dangerous effects of “lashon hara,” or speaking negatively about another person, and parents were counseled not to discuss the issue in detail with their children. Yet social media has given rise to a different kind of reaction: photos of Walder’s books in the trash and poignant accounts of difficult conversations between parents and children about abuse and what constitutes inappropriate touching. “There’s a dissonance between how people are responding in their homes and the way the institutions are responding,” Keats-Jaskoll said. This article was edited for length. To read the full story, please visit our website at www.omahajewishpress.com.
After US pushback, Israel is reviewing ties with China
JORDYN HAIME JTA Israel has pledged to keep the Biden administration in the loop on major deals with China and would reconsider those deals if the United States raises opposition, Haaretz Chinese President Xi Jinping on a video call with President Joe Biden, reported on Jan. 4. Both the Biden ad- Nov. 16, 2021. Credit: Huang Jingministration and the wen/Xinhua via Getty Images Trump administration have raised concerns about growing ties between Israel and China as the latter’s relationships with the United States and European countries have soured. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan raised the matter in his meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid during a visit to Israel in December and at an earlier meeting in Washington, the Haaretz report said. The United States has not yet made clear demands to Israel on the matter, but Israeli officials have begun discussing the country’s policy toward China, according to the report. China and Israel have become closer over the past several years, particularly over tech and innovation. The report cited unnamed sources as saying Israel was taking a “business as usual” approach with China, as it remains caught between two powerful states in the midst of an ongoing trade war. Yet Israel has continued to align itself diplomatically with China — in November, Israeli President Isaac Herzog made an unprecedented call to Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. And in October, Israel refrained from signing a United Nations joint statement raising concern about China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims, the Turkic minority facing persecution in China’s northwest.
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Above: Huge shout out to Linda Lachin Saltzman and the entire Grateful Goodies team for packing up care packages to thank first responders, healthcare workers and many more on Christmas Eve.
Above and below: Community Shlicha Sivan Cohen held Israeli Shabbat dinner at Beth Israel; she also arranged a mini-community event for YJO members with cocktails and Shakshuka.
The Jewish Press | January 14, 2022 | 7
Above: Community members came out to thank Alan Potash and wish him well in his future endeavors. In addition to several speeches, there was a video that showed messages to Alan. Alan’s last day was Dec. 31. Below left: Alan and his wife Amy Nachman; right: Alan with Barb Kirkpatrick and Marty Ricks.
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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.
Above, left and below: ADL-CRC’s Ruby Platt Allyship Initiative presented Unravelling Racism, a 4-day series of events inviting attendees to join together in the work of challenging our perceptions about the meaning of racism, exploring our Black/Jewish shared history in North Omaha, and digging into the overall concepts of white privilege and white supremacy.
8 | The Jewish Press | January 14, 2022
Voices
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Margie Gutnik President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Susan Bernard Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Staff Writer Mary Bachteler Accounting Jewish Press Board Margie Gutnik, President; Abigail Kutler, Ex-Officio; Danni Christensen; David Finkelstein; Bracha Goldsweig; Mary Sue Grossman; Les Kay; Natasha Kraft; Chuck Lucoff; Joseph Pinson; Andy Shefsky and Amy Tipp. 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 Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Life, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: wwwjewishomaha.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. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines 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. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” 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 KampWright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. 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.
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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.
Bad News
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor When I open my various apps on Monday morning, the news is either bad (death, war, famine), irritating (Washington D.C.), or both (also Washington D.C.). Only once you scroll way, way down, do you arrive at any ‘feel-good’ stories, and they mostly involve things like pandas playing in the snow and dogs being rescued. It’s not all the fault of the news outlets. Human beings, it seems, gravitate towards bad news. Last night, while my husband and I compared notes (he shared the death of Bob Saget, I talked about the apartment fire in the Bronx) our daughter commented: “Maybe keeping up with the news isn’t always that good for your mental health?” She has a point. Coincidentally, a friend posed a similar question a few days earlier when she questioned why, as human beings, we always seems to focus on the worst news possible. How much trauma can we take, and have we arrived at a point in history where we simply take it for granted that bad things are happening, all the time, everywhere? I’ll be honest: I used to feel a little judgmental every time someone mentioned avoiding the news. You have to stay informed, I’d think, how could you not? Knowing everything all the time, I felt, was both a responsibility and a need; I hate the feeling of having missed something. And yet, the older I get, the more I think we’ve lost the balance. And, of course, there is a certain level of sensationalism involved.
A few days ago, my mom sent pictures of the floods that are happening in her hometown. Just outside Rotterdam, I vaguely recognize the boulevard where I walked with my grandfather long ago.
It’s hard to tell since it’s under several feet of dirty water. But I know this place; as a child, I spent practically every weekend here. The Chinese restaurant, the one that spells its own name wrong on the marquee, is just to the right. We used to have big, rowdy family dinners there. I wonder if they’re okay. Still, no one I know still lives there anymore and it’s far away. Should I feel sad? Should we pretend to own every bit of bad news that’s out there? Then my mother starts talking about the memories that come to the surface. The big, devastating flood of 1953, when those who lived near the har-
bor evacuated before the water crested. Back then, my grandparents lived closer to downtown and opened their house to evacuees; my mother remembers how she had to share a single bed with her sister because they ran out of space. The house was filled with family members who had lost everythingagain. She remembers not sleeping; listening for the church bells, which were used to warn of impending doom. As she is talking, I hear in her voice how vivid those memories are. What was it like, to grow up and watch this massive flood wash away any progress that had been made in the eight years since the end of the war? I imagine that for the adults, it was a similar ‘when will this end?’ feeling as what people experienced after the fires in Boulder, the recent tornadoes. And I realize: bad news, whether it is far away or close by, affects real people. And even if that person isn’t me, I should pay attention and take it seriously, because that’s what empathy looks like. While we can probably skip the headlines about dead celebrities, we certainly can take a moment to witness what happens to others and ask ourselves how we can help. Maybe we send money, maybe we simply listen. Would we not want them to do the same if it were us?
Licorice Pizza captures the moment when pop culture finally started to see Jewish women as beautiful STEPHEN SILVER JTA This year, everyone seemed to have an opinion about how the entertainment industry views Jewish women. The comedian Sarah Silverman and others openly inveighed against what she deemed “Jewface,” or the trend of casting non-Jewish actresses as (Ashkenazi) Jewish women; a plotline on this year’s Curb Your Enthusiasm season mocked a similar idea by having Larry David cast a Latina actress as a Jewish character on a show about his childhood. Whether you agree with Silverman or not, it’s hard to hear a term like “Jewface” and not think about the way Jewish characters have historically looked onscreen. For much of the 20th century, show business and popular culture considered stereotypical “Jewish” traits: curly hair, olive skin, a prominent nose; either “exotic,” comic or worse, inspiring countless Jewish women to undergo rhinoplasty. It wasn’t until Barbra Streisand flaunted her “Jewish” looks beginning in the late 1960s — as Bette Midler would a few years later — that the culture began to shift. Streisand, writes her biographer Neal Gabler, “had somehow managed to change the entire definition of beauty.” Now, at the end of 2021, along comes a film set in the 1970s with a female Jewish protagonist who is not only played by a Jewish actress, but is also portrayed as a sex symbol. The film is Licorice Pizza, the latest from acclaimed writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson, and it opened wide in theaters on Christmas after several weeks of limited release. And the character is Alana Kane, played by singer Alana Haim of the band Haim, making her screen debut. In the film, Alana is an aimless, guileless San Fernando Valley twentysomething who gains maturity and an entrepreneurial spirit after befriending Gary Valentine, an overconfident child actor (Cooper Hoffman, son of Philip Seymour Hoffman) who enlists her in various business schemes and convinces her to make a go at acting. The two of them enter a teasy, flirty codependency. Gary, not even
16, makes his attraction to Alana known early and being considered sexy, Anderson seems to innately often, especially when the two open a waterbed understand the period-specific sexual, cultural and business together and he instructs her to “act sexy” spiritual dynamics that would lead to someone like when selling the kitschy relics over the phone. Alana being celebrated for her looks. But it’s not just Gary. Seemingly everyone in the For much of the film, Alana is unsure whether or movie, from lecherous older industry veterans to up- how to leverage her sex appeal, as she also tries to start young politicos, is obsessed with Alana, not in figure out what she wants to do with her life. An atspite of her obviously Jewish appearance, but because tempt to respect the wishes of her traditional famof it. Anderson plays up Haim’s physical parallels to the Jewish beauties of the era: a casting director (Harriet Sansom Harris) gushes over her “Jewish nose,” which she notes is a very in-demand look, while reallife producer Jon Peters (played by Bradley Cooper as a manic, sex-crazed lunatic), gets very handsy with Alana after pointedly bragging that Streisand is his girlfriend. Licorice Pizza is in line with ideas espoused in Henry Bial’s 2005 book Acting Jewish: Negotiating Ethnicity on the American Stage and Screen, particularly its chapter on the ’70s, which Bial described as the period when “Jews became sexy.” Streisand, at the time of her Broadway Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman in Licorice Pizza. Credit: Paul debut in the early ’60s, was described in Thomas Anderson/Metro-Goldwin-Mayer Pictures Inc. reviews as a “homely frump” and “a sloe-eyed crea- ily (the other Haims, including their real parents, ture with folding ankles.” But by the ’70s, bolstered play the Kane clan) by dating a nice, successful, ageby her immense charisma and no-apologies atti- appropriate Jewish guy ends in disaster at a Shabtude toward her own stardom, she was one of pop- bat dinner when he refuses to say hamotzi. ular culture’s greatest sex symbols, even appearing The scene also touches on the debate over “relion the cover of Playboy in 1977, the year after star- gious” vs. “cultural” Judaism that has been raging in ring in and producing her own A Star is Born re- American Jewish circles since at least the time pemake. Her physical appearance didn’t change in riod when the film is set. While acknowledging he the intervening time; only the public’s reactions to was “raised in the Jewish tradition,” Lance cites it did. “Vietnam” as the reason why he now identifies as an Anderson himself was born in 1970, so the atheist and can’t bring himself to recite a blessing. teenaged adventures in the film aren’t his memories In response, Alana gets him to admit he’s circumspecifically, they’re mostly those of his friend Gary cised before declaring, “Then you’re a f–king Jew!” Goetzman, a former child actor who lived through The moral of the scene might be the movie’s many of the episodes depicted in the movie. And biggest lesson to impart about Judaism: It’s not just Anderson himself is not Jewish, though his long- a belief system. It’s an innate part of you, affecting time partner Maya Rudolph, who has a small part everything from your hair to your nose to your genin the film, is. Yet perhaps by virtue of being born itals. It can make you be perceived as ugly in one into a world in which Jewish women were suddenly decade, and a bombshell in the next.
The Jewish Press | January 14, 2022 | 9
The true ‘Tragedy’ of Joel Coen’s Macbeth is the breakup of a great Jewish filmmaking duo
AMELIA MERRILL JTA There is a Jewish interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve that situates the two back-to-back. Instead of God creating woman from the stolen rib of Adam, the two walk away and split — crack — into separate beings. This is where we now find the Coen brothers, the Jewish filmmaking duo who have captivated audiences with their wacky, zany, beautiful, grandiose work for over thirty years: once a single unit, each indistinguishable from the other to the eyes of the average moviegoer, now improbably split — crack — into separate beings. Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, which is seeing a theatrical release on Christmas in advance of an Apple TV+ screening premiere Jan. 14, 2022, is the first truly solo Coen film — that is, the first to be helmed by only one brother in either of their careers. (Though Joel was given sole directing credit on some of their early films, this was due to a Directors Guild rule, and did not reflect their actual collaboration; his brother Ethan has previously written plays solo, as well.) In addition to adapting and directing “Macbeth” himself, Joel also co-edited the film under the pseudonym “Reginald Jaynes” — perhaps a newly ascendant brother to “Roderick Jaynes,” the fictional alter-ego the brothers used for decades when they would edit their films together. The Torah is full of stories of brothers who betray each other, but Joel and Ethan’s breakup, according to their collaborators, isn’t as grim as Cain killing Abel or as dramatic as Jacob buying Esau’s birthright. In an interview with LA Magazine earlier this year, the duo’s longtime composer Carter Burwell claimed that the brothers simply don’t want to work on the same projects anymore. Ethan, feeling burned out on filmmaking, is now turning his attention back to theater. Maybe Joel feels some kinship with his latest protagonist: like Macbeth, he pushes forward with his ambitions against the odds of his own legacy, if not prophecy. A newly individuated director, known for his idiosyncratic approach to storytelling, looking to make a statement on his own: you’d hardly expect adapting one of history’s most frequently staged dramas to be Joel Coen’s next logical move. And in fact, in its close fidelity to the Shakespeare play’s text, Macbeth is a tonal departure from every other Coen Brothers entry. Even when the duo is adapting another’s source material, as in No Country For Old Men and True Grit, their films tend to emphasize their creators’ singular (and, until now, single) voice — a voice of relentless Americana, quirky dark humor and occasional off-kilter nods to Jewishness. These signifiers — which in the past have included explicit Jewish philosophical musings about the nature of suffering in A Serious Man, as well as gags about Jewish rituals and beliefs in The Big Lebowski and Hail, Caesar! — have now been replaced by the Bard’s all-too-familiar iambic pentameter. The dense, macabre language is layered over an all-consuming atmospheric dread, as Denzel Washington’s gullible Scottish general and his scheming, seemingly ruthless wife (Coen’s actual wife Frances McDormand) execute their misbegotten plot to seize the throne by murdering those who occupy its line of succession. Thus, a quirky, distinctly Jewish American sensibility (one that once allowed for a Vietnam War veteran to scream about being “Shomer f**king Shabbos” onscreen) has been exchanged for a classical one that echoes European cinematic traditions. This is true not only regarding the source material, but also in the visual allusions to the works of Scandinavian auteurs Ingmar Bergman and Carl Dreyer — both lapsed Christians whose works frequently invoked an absence of God.
At face value, there is no overt Jewishness coursing through Macbeth — neither Shakespeare’s original, nor Coen’s version, with the exception of the three witches’ curious spell recipe that calls for one “liver of blaspheming Jew” alongside “gall of goat and slips of yew.” (This brief moment is not, of course, Shakespeare’s most famous foray into depictions or discussions of antisemitism.) Yet the material is oddly appropriate for a storyteller known for spinning yarns about men who get caught up in their own doomed schemes.
Writer-director Joel Coen and his wife, actress Frances McDormand, on the set of The Tragedy of Macbeth, Coen’s first film without his brother Ethan. Credit: Apple TV+
As seen through Coen’s eyes, the ramping paranoia that seizes the title characters also echoes the watchful, calculating eye of our traditions. The inclination to celebrate success is nullified by the need to look over your shoulder, out the window, above your head, to always be on the lookout for who or what may spurn you. In this way, the creeping tension of Coen’s Macbeth is quintessentially Jewish, capturing the apprehensive need for validation at every turn and the Torah, of course, has its share of power-mad kings consumed by fears that those around them may grow too powerful. The witches’ warnings, which alternatively edge Macbeth down his dark path and predict his own demise, become a substitute for our sages’ superstitions. What is to be made of the most influential Jewish filmmakers of a generation parting ways, if brothers can ever truly do so? Some have posited that Joel Coen’s shift to a bleaker, more deliberate story with Macbeth represents a new journey, one that he was unable to undertake with his brother sharing the helm. Perhaps Ethan was responsible for more of the duo’s characteristic stylized zaniness, while Joel’s sensibility tilted more to traditional dramas. Perhaps they really are a modern match for Esau and Jacob, respectively, with Joel now channeling his desire for the birthright of theater by laying claim to one of the most famous tragedies of the English language. (This metaphor sours when you remember that Joel is actually the older brother.) But evaluating Macbeth only by what it may have been with Ethan Coen onboard serves no artistic or critical purpose; it neglects the film in front of us. A more fruitful conversation, instead, is what mark Joel Coen will leave as a solo filmmaker whose vast library of influences has always included his own work. With no reports of a feud between the brothers, it’s unlikely that Coen will eschew future references to Ethan’s work, even if only the sharpest, most Coen-obsessed minds in the audience can distinguish whose hand was responsible for what. Will Coen’s singularity be the honor that he, like Jacob, loves beyond all other possessions? Or will his grasp for creative control liken him to Shakespeare’s tragic hero, dampening his achievements with the stain of what could have been? 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.
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Synagogues
10 | The Jewish Press | January 14, 2022
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 712.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com
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
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME
323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154 rbjh.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
B’NAI ISRAEL Join us In-Person on Friday, Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m. for evening services with a guest speaker. The service will be led by the members of the congregation. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel! For information on our historic synagogue, please contact Howard Kutler at hkutler@hotmail.com or any of our other board members: Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Mary-Beth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.
BETH EL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON 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 Shira, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream followed by a plant-based lunch; Havdalah, 5:55 p.m. Zoom only. SUNDAY: Siddur 101 with Hazzan Krausman, 9:30 a.m.; No BESTT — MLK Wknd; Torah Study, 10 a.m. TUESDAY: Mussar, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham at Beth El & Zoom; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Virtual Tai Chi, 3:15 p.m.; BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m.; Community Beit Midrash, 7 p.m. via In-person at the JCC or on Zoom. THURSDAY: Revisting the Classics, 7 p.m. with Hazzan Krausman. FRIDAY-Jan. 21: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El. SATURDAY-Jan. 22: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El; Game Time Shabbat, noon at Beth El; Havdalah, 6:05 p.m. Zoom only. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.
BETH ISRAEL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. Classes, Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah on Zoom, WhatsApp or Facebook Live. On site services held outside in pergola, weather permitting. Physical distancing and masks required. FRIDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 5:01 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Torah Class/Kids Class, 10:30 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush, 11:30 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 4:20 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha, 5 p.m.; Shalosh Seudos/ Laws of Shabbos, 5:20 p.m.; Ma’ariv/ Havdalah, 6:05 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 4:30 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m.; Tu B’Shevat Seder, 6 p.m. MONDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 4:30 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m. TUESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Kids
Class, 3:45 p.m.; Daf Yomi, 4:30 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Wednesday School, 4:15 p.m.; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m.; Board of Directors Meeting, 6:30 p.m. THURSDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Character Development, 9:30 am. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 4:30 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m. FRIDAY-Jan 21: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 5:09 p.m. SATURDAY-Jan 22: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Torah Class/Kids Class, 10:30 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush, 11:30 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 4:20 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha, 5 p.m.; Shalosh Seudos/Laws of Shabbos, 5:20 p.m.; Ma’ariv/ Havdalah, 6:13 p.m. Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.
CHABAD HOUSE All services are in-person. All classes are being offered in-person/Zoom hybrid (Ochabad.com/classroom). 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.; Inspirational Lechayim, 4:30 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochabad.com/Le chayim; Candlelighting, 5 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:04 p.m. SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps, 9 a.m. MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha Class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani Katzman; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Omaha Kosher Bistro Night, 5-7 p.m. at Chabad. (see article on pages 1 & 3.) TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Virtual Pirkei Avot Women’s Class, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Introduction to Hebrew Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen. THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Advanced Hebrew Class, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 18 — No advance experience necessary), noon with Rabbi Katzman. FRIDAY-Jan. 21: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 4:30 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochab ad.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 5:09 p.m. SATURDAY-Jan. 22: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:12 p.m.
LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. Note: Some of our services, but not all, are now being offered in person. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Shira Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex, Nathaniel and Steve Kaup,
6:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:04 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Shira Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Beshalach, noon; LJCS Havdalah Service and Kippah Workshop, 6 p.m. at SST; Havdalah, 6:08 p.m. SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes; Men's Jewish Bike Group of Lincoln meets Sundays at 10 a.m. rain or shine to ride to one of The Mill locations from Hanson Ct. (except we drive if its too wet, cold, cloudy, windy, hot or humid) followed by coffee and spirited discussions. If interested please email Al Weiss at albertw 801@gmail.com to find out where to meet each week; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. at Peterson Park. Everyone is welcome; just wear comfortable clothes and tennis or gym shoes. If you need a paddle, contact Miriam Wallick by email at Miriam57 @aol.com or by text at 402.470.2393 before Sunday. MONDAY: MLK Day — Synagogue Offices Closed. TUESDAY: Tea & Coffee with Pals, 1:30 p.m. via Zoom; Jewish Ethical Teachings Class, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Alex. FRIDAY-Jan. 21: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex, Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:12 p.m. SATURDAY-Jan. 22: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Yitro, noon; Havdalah, 6:16 p.m.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE
FRIDAY: 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.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s service is currently closed to visitors.
TEMPLE ISRAEL
In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Brian Stoller, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin and Cantor Joanna Alexander. DAILY VIRTUAL MINYAN: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. via Zoom. Temple Israel is temporarily moving to an online only model effective through Jan. 20. FRIDAY: Shabbat Shira, 6 p.m. via Zoom only. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom only. TUESDAY: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Community Beit Midrash: Antisemitism: Historically and Today, 7 p.m. via In-person at the JCC or on Zoom. THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Class, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel via Zoom. WEDNESDAY: Youth Learning Programs: Grades 36, 4-6 p.m. via Zoom; T’filah, 4:45 p.m. via Zoom; Grades 7-12, 6:30-8 p.m. via Zoom; Community Beit Midrash: Religious Observances & Daily Life, 7 p.m. via In-person at the JCC or on Zoom. THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Class, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel. via Zoom only. FRIDAY-Jan. 21: Classic Shabbat: The Experience of Female Clergy, 6 p.m. via Zoom or In-Person. SATURDAY-Jan. 22: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or In-Person; Bat Mitzvah of Ashley Sherman, daughter of Anna and Eric Sherman; Shabbat Service, 10:30 a.m. via Zoom or In-Person Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.
Israel is always ahead of the rest SHIRA HANAU JTA A fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine increases antibodies fivefold in patients who receive the shots, preliminary findings from an Israeli study show. Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced the news at the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv on Tuesday, alongside Dr. Gili RegevYochay, a lead researcher on the study. The results have not been peer reviewed. “We know that a week after administration of a fourth dose, we see a five-fold increase in the number of antibodies in the vaccinated person,” Bennett said, according to Haaretz.“ This most likely means a significant increase against infection and …hospitalization and [severe] symptoms.” Israel began administering fourth doses of the
coronavirus vaccine this week as a second booster shot to adults ages 60 and up, as well as medical workers who have gone at least four months since their first booster shot. Nearly 100,000 people already received or were scheduled to receive a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine as of Jan. 5, The Times of Israel reported. The World Health Organization, Dr. Anthony Fauci and others have expressed concern about the aggressive booster program. Professor Galia Rahav, the head of Sheba’s infectious diseases center, spoke to an Israeli news channel to address the criticism on Jan. 5. “We’re always ahead of the rest. That’s been the case the whole way. We learned a lot about the
third shot before the rest. And we saw its amazing effect — reducing illness in the most impressive
Credit: Miriam Aster/Flash90
way,” Rahav told Channel 12, according to The Times of Israel.
Life cycles IN MEMORIAM SARAH E. SCHONDELMEYER Sarah E. Schondelmeyer passed away on Jan. 6, 2022 in Missouri Valley, IA after some long battles with multiple illnesses. Services were held on Jan. 10. 2022 at Temple Israel Cemetery and officiated by Cantor Joanna Alexander. She was preceded in death by her mother, Gayle Elizabeth Masserant. She is survived by daughters, Chaya Schondelmeyer and Abigayle Schondelmeyer; grandson, Benjamin Fritsch; father, John Schondelmeyer; step-father, James Masserant; sisters, Kate Schondelmeyer and Michelle Isaacson; brother, Scott Schondelmeyer; and many nieces and nephews. Sarah graduated from Bellevue West High School and she earned her bachelors degree from Creighton University. She loved animals, she frequently cared for orphaned kittens and puppies as well as many other animals in need while they waited to find their furever homes! Sarah loved her children dearly, they meant the world to her, she was very well loved and will be very missed in this world. A college fund is being set up for Chaya Schondelmeyer. Memorials may be made to Griefs Journey, the Nebraska Humane society or another organization of your choice.
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RBJH needs your napkins! RBJH Activities is looking for a variety of decorative paper napkins for an art project. Sometimes after a celebration there’s a few napkins left and saved; that is perfect for what we need! Donations can be delivered to the front door of Rose Blumkin Jewish Home or to Christina Caniglia in Activities. Thank you kindly.
The Jewish Press | January 14, 2022 | 11
During this event, a scent consultant will guide you through selecting two or three scents that will blend perfectly together to create a unique custom-scented candle. Wine and appetizers will be served. Since the space available is limited, we can not accommodate drop-ins, so please let us know you are coming. RSVPs can be sent to https://app.mobilecause.com/form/QPQ wEA?vid=p3zgs. Masks are required for all attendees. For more information, email Sivan at scohen@jewish omaha.org.
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12 | The Jewish Press | January 14, 2022
News LOC AL | N AT I O N A L | WO R L D
Sandra Jaffe dies at 83
SHIRA HANAU JTA Sandra Jaffe, a Jewish woman who, along with her husband, ran one of the most vaunted jazz clubs in New Orleans for decades and integrated the club before segregation ended, died last month at 83. Jaffe and her husband, Allan, were considered pioneers and protectors of jazz in the city that gave birth to the genre, despite having landed in the city from Philadelphia as the music style was being threatened by newer forms like rock and roll. Their club, Preservation Hall, played host to vaunted jazz musicians. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the club’s tour- Sandra Jaffe outside Preservation Hall, the revered New Orleans jazz club she co-founded with ing band, has recorded with her husband Allan. Credit: Danny Clinch major artists included Pete Seeger, Tom Waits and Louis Arm- couple was entranced by the music and decided to stay a few more days to hear the group play again. strong. “On the way back to Philadelphia, they stopped in New Or“There is no question that Preservation Hall saved New Orleans jazz,” George Wein, an influential jazz promoter who leans and, like others before and after, found themselves swept away in the beauty, romance, excitement, mystery, freedom, died earlier this year, told Vanity Fair in 2011 of the club. Jaffe was born Sandra Smolen in Philadelphia in 1938 to history, unsettled business and charm of the city,” the Jaffes’ Jewish parents who immigrated to the United States from sons wrote in an obituary posted to the Preservation Hall Ukraine. She graduated from Harcum College and married website. When they visited the gallery a few days later, the owner, Allan Jaffe in 1960. On their way back from their honeymoon in Mexico, the couple stopped in New Orleans, where they Larry Borenstein, told the couple he was moving the gallery wandered into an art gallery to hear a group playing jazz. The next door and offered them the space for $400 per month. De-
spite having no experience running a club — and despite Sandra’s parents’ expectation that the couple would return to Philadelphia — they decided to rent the space and opened Preservation Hall in 1961. “We didn’t come to New Orleans to start a business, or have Preservation Hall, or save the music,” Sandra told Vanity Fair in 2011. “We just came to hear it.” After getting the club off the ground together, the Jaffes had their first son, Russell, in 1969, after which Sandra stopped working. She wouldn’t return to working at the club until 1987, when Allan died of melanoma at 51. Their second son, Ben, came back to work at the club after graduating from college in 1993. According to the obituary posted to the Preservation Hall website, the club was the first integrated hall in New Orleans, in defiance of the Jim Crow laws still in effect before the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Speaking to the Crescent Jewish Times, a local Jewish newspaper in New Orleans, about his involvement in a local Jazz Fest Shabbat in 2015, Ben Jaffe said his mother saw music as a way of bringing together communities, and his parents, both hailing from observant Jewish communities, valued the continuation of Jewish traditions. “In very many ways it’s a continuation of my parents’ vision of unifying communities through music,” he said. Ben recalled his bar mitzvah at one of the local synagogues as “one of the most diverse bar mitzvahs ever attended for services in New Orleans” due to all the jazz musicians in attendance. “We spent a lot of our time at churches playing for different functions,” Ben Jaffe told the Baltimore Jewish Times in 2013. “I think in New Orleans, it was just a natural extension of [my parents’] Jewishness [by them] becoming involved in the African-American community.”
