January 15, 2016

Endowed by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

Got Mitzvot?

It’s a Mitzvah Fair

January 15, 2016 5 Shevat 5776 Vol. 96 | No. 18

This Week

Rabbi Artson: What you know and what you believe

by SHERRIE SAAG for Beth El Synagogue Beth El Synagogue warmly welcomes Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson to Omaha as its Scholar in Residence, Jan. 29-31. He will be speaking at several gatherings and the entire community is invited to join the congregation.

Kids Campaign Page 4

A week in the life of a shaliach Page 5 Religious school students participate in a previous Mitzvah Fair at Temple Israel

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, the Center for Jewish Life Omaha Jewish 3rd and 4th grade students will take part in a hands-on learning experience focusing on mitzvot on Sunday, Jan. 24 from 10:15–11:45 a.m. The Mitzvah Fair, hosted this year by Beth El Synagogue and open to all Jewish 3rd and 4th graders, replaces Sunday school for Beth El and Temple students. The Mitzvah Fair is an initiative of the School Directors Committee of the Center for Jewish Life. The committee, which meets throughout the year, includes school directors and lay representatives from Beth El, Beth Israel, the Child Development Center, Friedel Jewish Academy and Temple Israel.

Emerging voices: Getting along?

Page 12

The first Mitzvah Fair, held in 2014, featured a “science fair” format with students researching mitzvot, creating a display board and giving a presentation about their selection. This year’s Mitzvah Fair will focus on five different topics organized by staff and volunteers. The students will rotate round-robin style to each booth to learn about each mitzvah. This year’s mitzvot are: Tzitzit -- learning to tie the knots of tallit; Writing a Sefer Torah -- learning to write the letters in safrut style; Hachnasat Orchim -Welcoming Guests -- being a guest in “Abraham’s Tent”; Rosh Chodesh -- making a chart of the phases of the moon and determining how the moon looks on holidays; Continued on page 3

Melissa Shapiro is a Voice of Beth El

Inside Point of view Synagogues

Next Week The Women’s Issue See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

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by SHERRIE SAAG for Beth El Synagogue “Sometimes you will never know “the value of a moment until it “becomes a memory.”

-Dr. Seuss Memories are a powerful thing.

They help shape our thinking and inform our actions. A special memory from Melissa Shapiro’s childhood is the caravan of Torahs from the old Beth El synagogue to its current building on 144th Street.

“Today, I love seeing my children feel comfortable at Beth El. Watching my son, Joshua, accept a candy bar from Hazzan after assisting in some way on the Bimah during Shabbat services is so sweet,” Melissa

recalls.

“I have fond memories of going to services at Beth El, even memories that included getting scolded for being too chatty with my friends.

“My and Matt’s journey together began at Beth El and this has great meaning for me.

I hope our children have the opportunity to form such strong bonds with kids they meet through Beth El. Joshua is beginning his journey by attending Sunday school.”

Born in Sioux City, Melissa’s family spent some years in Atlanta before moving to Omaha when she was eight. Her memories, she says, of growing Back: Matt and Melissa, front: Lea, left, Evan and Credit: Ariel Fried Photography up in Omaha are “all Joshua Shapiro Melissa attended the University of great. The JCC was my home away from home: dance classes, camps, Kansas, where she met her husband, Matt Continued on page 3 BBYO and swimming.”

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson Currently holding the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean’s Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, California, Rabbi Artson also serves on the Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism. He provides religious oversight for Camp Ramah in California and is the author of seven books.

The Ann Goldstein Endowment Fund of Beth El Synagogue made the Scholar in Residence weekend possible through its generous support. Ann’s husband, Donald, an engaged member of the community, said Ann always enjoyed the many classes and speakers offered by Beth El. “Ann set up an endowment at Beth El to support adult education because she wanted to ensure the synagogue would always be able to provide interesting and quality programming, not only to Beth El members, but the entire Jewish community,” he said.

“This is going to be a memorable weekend of Jewish learning, and I encourage all of Jewish Omaha to join us with an open mind and spirit to all that Rabbi Artson has to share,” said Rabbi Abraham.

My House is a House of Prayer for ALL People, is the topic Rabbi Artson will speak on Friday following 6 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat and a congregational Shabbat dinner. Reservations for dinner are necessary and open to the entire community at www.bethelomaha.org. On Shabbat morning he delivers the D’var Torah, Almighty? No Way! A New Way to Love God. Kiddush lunch follows the morning services.

Continued on page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | January 15, 2016

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Our Shabbat Tables

by OLIVER B. POLLAK Food is sustenance and ceremonial. We bless the food we eat. We eat together in celebration during Shabbat and congregational simchas. The Atlantic and Tablet online published stories connecting Jews and Chinese food on Christmas. Omaha’s three oldest congregations had Chinese banquets on Christmas.

Beth El Synagogue instituted “Our Shabbat Tables” in 2012.

There are five to six Shabbat dinners a year held in five to eight homes. Caryn Scheer and Melissa Shapiro coordinate placing guests in the homes of other Beth El members. Chef Laura Bair prepares the main course, (typically chicken or brisket), soup, a vegetable, potato/rice/kugel, and a dessert.

Karen and I have now been to three homes we had not been to before, and we hosted a Shabbat table for 14 between the end of Hanukah and Christmas.

Because we do not eat red four-legged animals in our home we substituted four pounds of wonderful wild Coho salmon from Whole Foods, which Karen seasoned with gluten free Tamari (soy) sauce, lemon juice and brown sugar. Laura’s raisin and apple kugel could have won a county fair prize. The food is picked up from the synagogue between 9 a.m. and early afternoon. I was dispatched at 2 p.m. to Trader Joe’s to get flowers and orange juice.

The ‘Women of Valor’ in the kitchen are amazing. If a teacher gets something wrong, or a writer makes a mistake, there is always tomorrow and retraction. The chef de cuisine is responsible for feeding and satisfying guests. Karen has been doing this successfully for over 50 years, but still gets anxious. I polished stained knife blades and sliced Meyer lemons oh so thin.

Guests contribute: Joel Rich brought wine; Nancy Skid: Challah; Margo Riekes: fruit; Gabriella Blair: a green salad and Israeli salad; and Joanie Latchaw: nuts without walnuts as Karen is allergic to them. Everyone brought stories.

But it is not all about the food. It is about meeting members of the congregation, some lifelong, some new. The meal starts with candle lighting and benching, then we tuck in. It closes with prayers and song.

In between there is conversation. If you stayed quiet at the table you could pick up on between two and four simultaneous conversations about Israel, Torah, synagogues, restaurants, books, music, children, grandchildren and travel.

Sports played little role in the conversations.

Ages ranged from three to 75. Typical questions included, “Are you from here, what do you do?”

“Where did you go to school?”

The answers can be pleasantly surprising. Central High is a magnet as well as UNO, Kansas and Boston. There is an intergenerational excitement when young families are on the guest list, like Noah, Mo and Ezra, the children of Gabriella and Jason Blair.

We had Israeli, Italian, French and California white wines. As the barista, I made ‘Ollies,’ 4 oz. of strong coffee topped with 4 oz. of Nespresso foam; fresh ground decaf; and one cup of tea. For those who had a second cup of coffee, it was laced with half a shot of honey whiskey. The children were happy with cold orange juice followed by hot chocolate and foam.

We had good and welfare, highlighting the bright spots of the week, like we used to have at the home of Mary Fellman, of blessed memory.

These meals are educational and have social consequences. Earlier, we had Shabbat at the home of Dr. Douglas Ben, dentist, radiologist, photographer, and were invited to his wedding to Elisa, an artist from Costa Rica. Cheryl Lerner described her Food Bank volunteer work and a few days later I bicycled the Wabash Trace with her hospitalist husband Dr. Gary Lerner.

People who eat and pray together invigorate the synagogue, minyan, Shabbat services, and all the mitzvahs and communal activities in between. Our Shabbat Tables is a “mixer” of fascinating people, some old friends and new, with healthy appetites. It puts people in the right place at the right time.

Gabriella Blair closed benching with a beautiful rendition of MiPi El, more expressive than any I found on YouTube, which her husband characterized as “nothing short of angelic.”

Joanie Latchaw and Nancy Skid helped clean up. We ran two dishwasher loads. The crystal was hand washed on Sunday and put away on Monday.

Rabbi Artson Continued from page 1 Rabbi Artson will spend time on Sunday morning, Jan. 31, with both students and adults when he joins the BESTT students for a presentation, What Does God Dream About? and at 11 a.m., leads the Sunday Speaker Series adult education session, Renewing the Process of Creation, based on the Rabbi’s latest book of the same name published in October, 2015.

Babysitting is available at no charge during services both Friday night and Saturday morning. Reservations are required for babysitting services Friday evening during Rabbi Artson’s talk.

The book’s subtitle, a “Jewish integration of science and spirit”, suggests a blend of Jewish theology and science.

As a theologian, he explores Judaism and the sciences as dynamically interactive and mutually informative. “You no longer have to choose between what you know and what you believe,” could be a theological game-changer.

Rabbi Artson wrote in the book’s introduction, “This book is for those who want to locate their life in a single, encompassing story; one that includes everything from the first moment the universe began until yesterday, a narrative that embraces deepest personal meaning, a yearning to love and be loved, a quest for social justice and compassion.”

“Much of what you were told you should believe when you were younger forces you to choose between your spirit and your intellect, between science and religion, between morality and dogma: unchanging laws of nature vs. miracles that sound magical; a good God vs. the tragedies that strike all living creatures; a God who knows the future absolutely versus an open future that you help to shape through your choices.”

Rabbi Artson believes and teaches that we can break free from outdated religious dichotomies and affirm that our

religiosity, our spirit, our mind and our ethics all strengthen and refine each other.

In 2008, Artson ordained Rabbi Gershom Sizomu and traveled to Uganda to install him as the first African Rabbi in Sub Saharan Africa.

While there, he joined a Beit Din in converting 250 Africans from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Uganda. A Regional Chief bestowed upon him the African name Walusansa Salongo.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Rabbi Artson holds an A.B. Degree from Harvard College, cum laude. As an undergraduate, he was an intern for United States Senator Alan Cranston and following graduation he was a Legislative Assistant to the Speaker of the California Assembly.

He was ordained with honors by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1988 and wrote his first book, Love Peace and Pursue Peace: A Jewish Response to War and Nuclear Annihilation while in rabbinical school.

For 10 years, Artson served as the Rabbi of Congregation Eilat in Mission Viejo. During that period, his Introduction to Judaism course helped over 200 people convert to Judaism and 10 of his congregants entered the rabbinate.

Artson was also a member of the Senior Management of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, serving as the Executive Vice President of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.

His scholarly fields are Jewish philosophy and theology, particularly a process approach integrating contemporary scientific insights from cosmology, quantum physics, evolutionary theory and neuroscience to a dynamic view of God, Torah, Mitzvot and ethics.

He is a regular contributor to Huffington Post and has written over 250 articles for a wide variety of magazines.

January 15, 2016 | The Jewish Press | 3

Melissa Shapiro

Mitzvah Fair

Continued from page 1 Brachot Game -- spin the wheel, land on a bracha, and identify a food that would receive that blessing.

Mitzvah Fair Coordinator Ilana Weiss observed that young students are naturally inquisitive. She shared that it is a great age to get them thinking about what mitzvot are, the reasons behind them, how we observe them and why they are important. “The Mitzvah Fair is an exciting opportunity for children from across the community to come together and learn about mitzvot in a manner that is not only educational but fun.

My hope is that participants’ palates are whetted from the experience and that this will spur them to take a deeper look at the mitzvot which they already know, as well as discover new ones with which they are not familiar,” Ilana said. “In addition to learning

about mitzvot, children develop an important sense of community in the process.”

The Mitzvah Fair is one of three collaborative programs for Omaha’s Jewish elementary students. In September, 1st and 2nd grade students participated in the Synagogue Discovery Tour, visiting the three synagogues and meeting clergy members.

On March 2, 5th and 6th grade students will take part in the Omaha Jewish History Tour.

These programs are made possible with the generous financial support of the Herbert Goldsten Trust.

For more information and to RSVP, contact your school director or Mitzvah Fair Coordinator Ilana Weiss at 402.682.1166 or weiss.ilana@yahoo.com. The Mitzvah Fair is a joint project of Beth El Synagogue, Beth Israel Synagogue, Temple Israel, Friedel Jewish Academy, and the Center for Jewish Life.

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Continued from page 1 Shapiro. After their wedding at Beth El, they decided to settle in Omaha because, as Melissa tells it, “We knew it was the perfect place to raise a family and we had friends already living here.” Today, they are the proud parents of Joshua (8), Evan (5) and Lea (2). Melissa works part-time at Mint Design Group in Benson.

When they moved to Omaha in 2004, the Shapiros joined the JCC and Beth El Synagogue through the Gateway program.

Melissa says it was natural to join Beth El, since she grew up there, and had her Bat Mitzvah and her wedding there.

“The building and the people have helped me form my connection to Judaism.

A few of my lifelong best friends went to BESTT with me. Some were even in our wedding, and since reconnecting with them, we’ve even traveled together.”

Melissa and Matt enjoy adult offerings at Beth El too, in particular the “Our Shabbat Tables” program. Couples signup to share Shabbat meals with each other through the year. “I have really enjoyed Our Shabbat Tables, which is probably why I joined Caryn Scheer when she asked if I would co-chair it with her. It’s been a really neat way to get to know other members of the synagogue in a very comfortable setting,” Melissa said.

Melissa also recently planned a Beth El ladies yoga night with her mom, and she takes her kids to Tot Shabbat because “Our kids always love Shabbat with Miss Patty.

We also enjoy the outdoor Shabbats and PJ Havdalah events. The playground has been a really great addition to Beth El.” She also believes Beth El’s clergy are an incredible duo. “We have had some changes since Matt and I joined in 2004, and I feel like we hit the jackpot now. We also appre-

ciate how much the staff listens to congregants’ ideas. Many of the fun new programs, building improvements and school changes came about because the clergy and staff were willing to listen to ideas.”

Both Melissa and Matt have volunteered in the greater Omaha Jewish community.

When they first arrived from Kansas City, they were BBYO advisors. Melissa has served on the Board of Directors and the synagogue’s Marketing Committee and Young Adult Committee. She serves on the Parent Committee at the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center and Matt is on the Center for Jewish Life Board, a Federation agency.

It’s a priority for both of them to stay involved and connected to the Omaha Jewish community.

“We love living in Omaha in large part because we love watching our children bond with their incredible grandparents.

Also, I tell people who aren’t familiar with Omaha that we have the perks of a big city (great food, arts and entertainment, museums, amazing medical facilities, the zoo) without the negatives (traffic, high cost of living),” Melissa commented.

“But most importantly, it’s the people that live here. We have a warm, giving, inviting, generous community around us.

People who bring you meals when you have children or lose a loved one, people who treat our children as their own, people who have truly good natures.”

Beth El Synagogue continues to share their message and support the community conversation for synagogue life and involvement through the telling of congregants’ stories. Watch out for more in 2016.

To view the entire series, go to www.bethel-omaha.org.

4 | The Jewish Press | January 15, 2016

Fellman and Kooper scholarships available

by JAN ROOS The Bruce M. Fellman Charitable Foundation Trust has announced the availability of scholarships for the 2016-2017 academic year. The scholarships will be based on financial needs of students pursuing their post-secondary education. This is limited to undergraduate studies only and does not include any graduate programs.

Bruce, son of Tom and Darlynn Fellman, was a 1982 graduate of Westside High School. He was active in BBYO and served as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer of Chaim Weizmann AZA. He attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and was participating in the University of Pittsburgh’s Semester at Sea at the time of his death in 1984.

Trustees for the Foundation are Louri Sullivan, Terri Schrager, and Howard Kooper.

The Robert H. & Dorothy G. Kooper Charitable Foundation Trust has announced the availability of scholarships for the 2016-2017 academic year. It will be based on financial need for Jewish students with ties to the Omaha community who are pursuing their post-secondary education. This is limited to undergraduate studies only and does not include any graduate programs.

Robert Kooper had a long history of service to the Jewish community. He was elected B’nai B’rith president in 1929, headed Beth El Synagogue in 1941, was president of Highland Country Club in 1951 and was President of the Jewish Federation of Omaha 1958-1960.

He died in 1961.

Mrs. Kooper was a strong supporter and worked with the Jewish Federation and Beth El Sisterhood. She passed away in May, 1995.

“Awarding a scholarship to a young Jewish person is a very appropriate way of honoring my parents” Howard Kooper noted. He and his wife Sharon fund the Kooper Charitable Foundation Trust. Tom Fellman also serves as trustee for the Foundation.

Applications for the Bruce M. Fellman Charitable Foundation Trust and the Robert H. & Dorothy G. Kooper Charitable Foundation Trust scholarships are available by contacting Mr. Kooper’s office in writing at 809 North 96 Street, Omaha, NE, 68114; or email to jroos@broadmoor.cc. The application packet must be received back in Mr. Kooper’s office no later than March 1, 2016.

Israel’s Love of Sabras

Journal entry from Israel TEDDY WEINBERGER All of my grandparents were first-generation Americans.

They were all born outside of the United States and immigrated to America when they were young and single, eventually becoming citizens. Interestingly enough, a point of pride for my parents is not so much that they are nativeborn, but precisely the fact that they ran so far with the torch handed to them by their parents. Whereas none of my grandparents had more than a high school education, both of my parents earned graduate degrees, my father at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College and then at Harvard Law School, and my mother at the City University of New York, where she earned a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature.

Israelis take great pride in being native born. Indeed, the culture uses a special word to denote a person who was born in Israel: tzabar. [Not coincidentally, the Hebrew name for the prickly-pear cactus fruit is sabra.] Immigrants to Israel get caught up in this enthusiasm and take great pleasure if and when they are able to have tzabar children -- it’s sort of like the next best thing to being born in this country yourself.

The privilege of birth in Israel is especially prominent in Israel’s agricultural communities -- kibbutzim and moshavim. There is even a sub-term, ben meshek [farm boy], for these tzabarim (who, by the way, are often given land grants to encourage the “next generation”). I recently saw a movie about the tragically short life of a young soldier who had grown up on a kibbutz. The movie made a special point of noting that although the young man arrived at the kibbutz with his family when he was only three years old, he was able to integrate well with his peer group. The implication was clear: this young man was exceptional; normally, by the time native-kibbutz children are three, there is already a fairly impermeable sense of insiders and outsiders.

How to explain this Israeli fixation on nativism? Perhaps it’s a reaction to centuries of anti-Semitism when Jews were always outsiders and strangers even if they were native to the country in which they lived. Israel is a country where nativeborn Jews can claim bragging rights without worrying about snide anti-Semitic comments. And there’s also this: Israel is a country where automatic citizenship is granted on the very first day of immigration to every person who is eligible for

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Abby Kutler and son Henry are filling a Pushka (Tzedakah can) for the Jewish Federation of Omaha Kids Campaign. Do you have yours? Pushkas are available through the Pennie Z. Davis Childhood Development Center, Friedel Jewish Academy, the JCC front door, all three synagogues and the Chabad House.

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the Law of Return. In this kind of system, with citizenship relatively easy to attain, it’s understandable that the trope of nativism has emerged as a way to claim higher status.

Around the time that we made aliyah in 1997, the song Kan [Here] was still very popular. Kan, a hit for the husband and wife singing duo Moshe and Orna Datz, had come in 3rd in the 1991 Eurovision contest. The first line in the song’s chorus is: “Here I was born, here my children were born.” My children are 4th generation Americans -- 5th if you take into account Sarah’s paternal grandmother Sylvia, who was born in Omaha. None of my children are a tzabar.

Whenever I hear Kan, I realize with a bit of a twinge that I may not be around to witness a member of my family sing the chorus’s opening line truthfully (it would only happen upon the birth of a second child to one of my grandchildren). On the other hand, Moshe and Orna Datz divorced in 2006 after 21 years of marriage. Nativism is a nice feather in one’s cap, but other values, as my American upbringing teaches me, are much more important.

Teddy Weinberger made aliyah in 1997 with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Ross, and their five children. Their oldest four, Nathan, Rebecca, Ruthie and Ezra are veterans of the Israel Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@netvision.net.il.

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A week in the life of a Shaliach Part 1

by MARK KIRCHHOFF and ELIAD ELIYAHU BEN SHUSHAN After two and half years, Omaha’s Community Shaliach Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan has been a powerful force. His work is non-stop, varied and very hectic, but Eliad’s unending energy and enthusiasm bring a zest to everything that he does and to everyone he meets.

We wanted to give the community a taste of a “week in the life” of Eliad. I must admit, it was somewhat exhausting keeping up with him as he moved from one activity to the next throughout the week. Eliad is involved with Israel education in the three synagogues, leads multiple weekly programs at the Blumkin Home, Friedel Jewish Academy, and the Child Development Center. He conducts Israeli programs for Israelis in Omaha and for the broader community as well -- Jews and non-Jews alike.

“My goal is very clear -- to bring Israel to the community and to strengthen the bond of love with Israel and Israelis,” said Eliad.

“When you consider the intensity of the news from Israel and the Middle East, I know I picked a challenging time to be a shaliach. However, Israel is an amazing place. It is full of history, beauty, and a spirit that I wish to share and teach about.

Sometimes it is so exciting that I need to sing and dance about it!”

In watching Eliad throughout a week, it is evident that he believes in the importance of working with people of all ages. “You never know what happens to a four-year-old when he sees Israeli children his age singing and dancing with him via Skype. You can never know what happens to a 100-year-old resident in the Blumkin Home who begins to learn Hebrew or hears an Israeli update,” Eliad shares with an engaging smile and a distinct twinkle in his eye. He says that he couldn’t do what he does without the help and advice of his Omaha friends and colleagues. He makes every effort to incorporate something that will appeal to any age group in all that he does.

Here’s a taste of Eliad’s weekly schedule.

Sunday Beth El Talmud Torah During the fall semester, Eliad started his week at Beth El Talmud Torah, teaching Hebrew with Israeli music. “I spent 25-30 minutes with each class and taught them varied Israeli songs. Eadie Tsabari then created a CD with the songs for each family to hear at home or in their car. Sometimes I taught them the songs with xylophones and sometime we invented together dances with hula hoops” shared Eliad. “For Beth El’s weekly assembly, Eadie and I read short sessions about the weekly Torah readings, and I also taught Israeli songs, with special hand motions, to the entire school.”

Eliad said the highlight of this educational

process was during Hanukkah, when an International Hanukkah Party happened -via Skype -- with families from Akko plus IDF soldiers, who were the guests of honor. “I am sure that the kids in Beth El will remember this experience forever - not only because they sang and danced Israeli songs like native Israelis but also because of the importance of communicating with IDF soldiers, watching them singing Hanukkah songs and lightning Hanukkah candles together with us here in Omaha.” He added that he is sure when the students see IDF soldiers on CNN or in the New York Times, they will also remember the Commander Tzvikkah who spoke to them after singing a Hanukkah song. “The feedback from the Beth El parents was supportive and positive. It is so important for me to see parents excited about the educational process their kids experience. I believe this is the best way to bring Israel. You can teach about the IDF, you can teach about Israelis, but celebrating together with them is a different educational activity that involves all the senses.”

Beth Israel Synagogue – Shavua Tov Israel and Conversational Hebrew After Eliad’s time at Beth El, it is on to Beth Israel Synagogue. Eliad leads a program called “Shavua Tov Israel.” “It all started when Rabbi Ari asked me to create a program for all the children in the synagogue to help them learn Torah in a fun way. “I believed that having a one hour TV show with the kids would be the best way to fulfill that goal,” reports Eliad. “We opened it to the entire community and asked parents and siblings to participate as well.”

Each show contains a short skit about the Torah reading featuring the “Beth Israel Biblical Theater” group. The group then learns special events in the Hebrew month, about places in Israel and finishes with a quiz, where the kids answer questions related to that day’s learning. Eliad commented that the fact that the kids come every week and celebrate together is an amazing way to engage the young children and their families with Torah and Israel.

At 2:30 p.m., after wrapping up Shavua Tov Israel, Eliad next leads a conversational Hebrew class for people with basic skills in Hebrew. Each week features a different topic and the group widens the vocabulary in that specific topic such as shopping in the mall or eating in the restaurant. The class curriculum is from “Tachles,” an initiative of the World Zionist Organization. Tachles means ”straight to the point”.

“We don’t only learn the words and how to create a grammatically correct Hebrew sentence, but I also teach Israeli slang, and add a bit of tourism” said Eliad. “When we learn about shopping in the market, we go for a virtual tour in the Machne Yehuda market, Continued on page 6

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6 | The Jewish Press | January 15, 2016

A week in the life of a Shaliach

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Continued from page 5 and hear Israeli songs which are related to the weekly topic. I support the ongoing learning by sending the group videos we watched in the class so they will be able to review them in their free time.” Eliad’s goal is when the group travels to Israel, they will feel more comfortable communicating because of the knowledge they gained during the class.

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home - Hava Nagila Later on Sunday afternoons, Eliad arrives at the Blumkin Home and his family often accompanies him. “When it’s possible, I bring my family to visit. The residents really enjoy watching my kids and especially the new baby” reports Eliad. “That was especially so throughout Sara’s pregnancy, and they are happy and proud to see Ettiel now smiling at them.” Eliad travels to each lounge at the Home and sings traditional Jewish famous songs with the residents singing along. “The songs are ones I assume their parents and grandparents knew. It is a lot of fun to arrive to each lounge when they are watching TV and then engage them to sing and clap their hands.” Recently, Donald Gerber has joined Eliad, and together they make the Blumkin Home a musical place.

Monday On Monday mornings Eliad participates in the bi-weekly tefilah (services) at Friedel Jewish Academy. From his first experience, Eliad has been impressed how the students enjoy the prayers, sing the melodies so beautifully and pronounce the words from the siddur in a perfect way. “At the end of each service, I teach them a new melody for a verse from the prayers, accompanied with hand motions,” said Eliad. “This is a method I used in the Rambam School in Akko in Israel.”

At 11 a.m., Eliad goes to the Blumkin Home to teach a Hebrew 101 class. “There is a group of ten or more people who come every week and learn conversational Hebrew” shares Eliad. “It is so satisfying to now communicate with them in basic Hebrew. I will see them in the hall and say “Ma Shlomcha...” and hear “Tov Toda back.”

(Ma schlomcha means “How are you?” and Tov Toda means “Good, thank you...”) Eliad has also started a twinning program with the Blumkin Home and a nursing home in the Rosh Hanikrah Kibbutz in the Western Galilee. The group is also preparing for the International Intergenerational Tu B’Shevat Seder that will be held Jan. 20.

Each Monday afternoon, Eliad returns to the Blumkin Home for an Israel update session, which is open to the entire community.

He gives an update on current events in Israel, comparing information presented in the American media with how the information is shared in Israel. “In addition to politics and security, I also try to include culture and social topics and the weather” reports Eliad. “I remember how funny it was for the residents to hear when it is snowing in the Hermon Mountain in the north of Israel and how people actually drive some hours and pay money to see snow and slides. Certainly things that people from Omaha will never understand!”

Tuesday Eliad’s monthly Eye on Israel sessions continues to be the most popular event and are one of the most exciting programs for him to lead. Eye on Israel is held from noon-1 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month. “I believe that having this class in Omaha helps people understand the complexity of the life in Israel. There is an old joke that when two Jews are in one room you have five different opinions, and it is so true about the political life in Israel,” Eliad shares. “I literally start working on the next session of Eye on Israel as one session ends. I want to find the best speakers, the best stories and the best media resources that will express the life in Israel.”

He stresses that today it is very important to be educated about what happens in Israel while being a smart media consumer.

“Everyday life always gives material for these sessions. I also try to bring topics that are less known here, such as the session about the Israeli health care system. People don’t really see the impact of the Israeli medical system on the entire world, or hear about how the Israeli hospitals treat refugees from neighboring countries.”

Various Days To date, Eliad has shared his enthusiasm and love of Israel at two Rotary Clubs in Omaha, with additional clubs scheduled in the coming months. “Although the talk is only for 20-30 minutes, I try to bring the best summary of my life as an Israeli who lives in a mixed city like Akko. I include some important topics about the bias in the world media in reporting the news from Israel” said Eliad. He also talks about programs he is doing in the community and invites people to come and participate on a regular basis to learn about Israel.

Now, in thinking back on these varied activities, remember the amount of preparation time needed in planning each class, program and event. We sometimes wonder if Eliad ever sleeps!

In the next article you will learn how Eliad spends the second half of the week. We’ll include the preparation meetings for the Teen Trip to Israel; kid, teen and adult classes at Temple Israel, and programs with Partnership 2GETHER. We’ll include many other special programs at Friedel Jewish Academy, including the Friedel Alumni. Stay tuned!

The Community Shaliach program is offered through the Center for Jewish Life of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Funding partners include Beth El Synagogue, Beth Israel Synagogue, Friedel Jewish Academy, Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Temple Israel and the Henry and Dorothy Riekes DonorAdvised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. Funding is also provided from the Murray H. and Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation, the Phillip and Terri Schrager Supporting Foundation, the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation and the Morton Richards Fund, all funds of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

For additional information, please call 402.334.6463.

January 15, 2016 | The Jewish Press | 7

Shabbat Shira with Temple Israel

by SCOTT LITTKY Program Director, Temple Israel In the yearly cycle of reading the Torah, Shabbat Shira is the next “special” Shabbat of the year. The Torah reading from the Book of Exodus is Parsha Beshalach.

Shabbat Shira means “Shabbat of Song,” and is called this because in this week’s Parsha we read about Moses and Miriam leading the Israelites across the Sea of Reeds (The Red Sea) and out of Egypt. Upon crossing the Sea of Reeds, Miriam breaks out in a song known as Shirat HaYam (song of the sea). Visually, this song/poem is laid out very differently from the rest of the Torah so it is very obvious to the reader and to the congregation during Hagbah (the lifting of the Torah after it is read) that something special is happening. In many congregations, the Cantor will use Shabbat Shira to have a special musical program or to introduce new and different music to those attending services.

For the last 12 years, Cantor Wendy Shermet has used Shabbat Shira as an opportunity to pair Temple’s Kol Rina Choir with the Choir from St. Paul United Methodist Church under the direction of Jerry Brabec. In the January bulletin for St. Paul United Methodist Church, Brabec wrote: “Our annual “one of a kind” celebration of singers from Temple Israel, Omaha’s Reform Jewish congregation, and St. Paul’s Folk Gospel and Chancel Choirs is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 22 and Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. This tradition has taken a variety of formats over the 12 years of its happening, some including pulpit exchanges.

“Temple accompanist Julie Sandene will join the choirs at the piano in a variety of settings of Psalm 150: “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!” Friday evening’s 6 p.m. Shabbat will feature the singers in the beautiful surroundings of Temple Israel. On Sunday we welcome the Kol Rina and Cantor Wendy Shermet to the 11:05 a.m. worship hour in the beauty of our Sanctuary.”

Both services are open to the public and you are encouraged to attend. If you would like more information on Shabbat Shira or on any other Temple Israel programs, please contact Scott Littky, Program Director, at 402.556.6536.

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Speaker to be announced for Wednesday, Jan. 13, noon.

For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

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Flannel and Fleece Day at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home means the employees dressed extra cozy. In an attempt to boost morale during the cold dark days of winter, the Home’s next “fun day” will be luau themed. Expect some tropical surprises on Tuesday, February 23.

Jerry Lewis’ secret Holocaust film

Jewish Family Service needs

by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- The BBC has released a short documentary about an unreleased Holocaust film by Jewish comedian Jerry Lewis.

Lewis wrote and directed The Day the Clown Cried at the height of his Hollywood career in 1971. The BBC documentary released Tuesday includes behind-the-scenes footage of production, stills from the film and narration

by David Schneider, also a Jewish comedian.

Reportedly a drama with comedic elements, the film centers on a fictional clown named Helmut Doork who is imprisoned by the Nazis and forced to lead children into Jerry Lewis the gas chambers.

Credit: Starz “This is a very interesting film because very few people have seen anything from it,” Swedish film critic Jan Lumholdt told the BBC. “He’s a comedian and this is his most serious film ever. This gives it a very interesting energy and dynamic.”

Lewis reportedly was passionate about the project at first but has hidden all of its footage, saying recently that he is too embarrassed to show it.

“It was all bad, and it was bad because I lost the magic,” Lewis told Reuters in 2013. “You will never see it. No one will ever see it because I am embarrassed at the poor work.”

Jewish Family Service is in need of the following: canned peaches, pineapple, and fruit cocktail in fruit juice (no heavy syrup, please); honey; all fruit preserves (no artificial sweeteners, please) for our diabetic clients.

We are also looking for two twin mattresses, box springs and frames. Headboards are not necessary.

For donation pick up or drop off, please contact Assistance Coordinator Sandy Nogg at snogg@jfs omaha.org or call 402.334.6493. Donations may also be dropped off at the Jewish Community Center’s front desk.

New Druze town in Israel

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israel has approved a plan to build a new Druze town in the North. The initiative of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was approved by the National Planning and Building Council, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, and will be located near Tiberias.

It will be the first Druze town built in Israel since the State's founding in 1948. There are 18 recognized Druze towns: 14 in the Galilee and four in the Golan. The towns are built on the slopes of hills and suffer from planning limitations due to their locations near nature reserves. The new town is set to be built near an urban area on land that is suitable for development and close to centers of employment.

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8 | The Jewish Press | January 15, 2016

Point of view

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Speak no evil

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor There are many reasons we have laws against Loshan Hora. Of course, we all regularly break the rules and find not talking about others a challenge. And when we find out someone else speaks badly about us, it hurts.

But there are cases when gossip becomes something else, something more, as in the case of Communications Professor James Tracy, formerly employed by Florida Atlantic University. For some reason I won’t even try to explain, he decided that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. He promoted that belief, as well as several others, on his personal blog—and he didn’t stop there.

Noah Pozner was one of the 20 children who were killed on Dec. 14, 2012. His parents, Veronique and Lenny Pozner, were among those we watched with grief and empathy during the aftermath of that horror. Not so Professor Tracy.

He, instead, sent them a certified letter demanding proof that Noah had lived, and really was their son; he also asked for evidence Veronique and Lenny owned the rights to photographs of Noah. The Pozners responded in an op-ed in the Florida Sun Sentinel, writing: “The heartache of burying a child is a sorrow we would not wish upon anyone. Yet to our horror, we have found that there are some in this society who lack empathy for the suffering of others. Among them are the conspiracy theorists that deny our tragedy was real. They seek us out and accuse us of being government agents who are faking our grief and lying about our loss.”

In 2015, Leonard Pozner started the HONR network, with the mission “To bring awareness to Hoaxer activity and to criminally and/or civilly prosecute to those who wittingly and publicly defame, harass, and emotionally abuse the victims of high profile tragedies and/or their family members.”

The page at www.honr.com further states: “Action must be taken to restore peace and tranquility to those personally affected by the despicable cruelty cast upon them by individuals acting under the 'truth movement'. Due to the sheer number of abusive individuals harassing and defaming victims' families, many do not have the personal financial resources required to legally prosecute their abusers. For this reason, we have created this website to appeal to compassionate and empathetic members of socie-

ty, who want to contribute in assisting those dealing with such tremendous adversity. As a society, the right to free speech is important to all of us, but there is a fine line between freedom of speech and freedom to abuse and defame others. The 'truthers' are regularly crossing that line, and must not be allowed to impart this sort of hatred unimpeded.”

It’s hard to imagine what motivates Tracy’s behavior. It is possible there is an underlying pathology. Or a serious need for attention on Tracy’s part, because the crazier one’s theories are, the faster one will find like-minded individuals online. It is also possible that this is antiquated antiSemitism, reinvented to match the 21st century news cycle It is no accident that Tracy regularly associates with

Holocaust-deniers. Even less surprising are the allegations made by Veterans Today editor Gordon Duff, who “quoted Michael Harris, a former Arizona Republican candidate for governor, who attributed the shooting to ‘Israeli death squads.’ Duff speculated the attacks were an act of revenge for the perceived cooling of Israel-United States relations under President Obama.”

Michael Harris has publicly associated with Neo-Nazis; and known Holocaust denier James Fetzer said during a debate on Press TV that the Sandy Hook massacre was an operation conducted by Israeli agents intended to strike fear in the hearts of Americans.

Anti-Semitism, in all its different shapes and forms, never goes away. What is constant is the irrational fear and hate, and the perpetuating of myths that feeds it. Modern-day conspiracy theorists like Tracy and Harris are not that different from 19th century Cossacks or 15th century Inquisitors when they start to believe their own lies. Unfortunately, every time we call them out, we give them ammunition to continue; each time we declare them as ‘being on the fringe,’ we forget that what begins on the fringe does not always stay there. Too many people are too eager to find an enemy and a scapegoat, and conspiracy theorists have both the platform and the means to grow their audience.

When we hear about “truthers,” it is never only about single events like 9/11, or the Boston Marathon bombing, or Sandy Hook. There is always an element of anti-Semitism, or an accusation of Mossad involvement, and if you listen to them long enough, sooner or later you’ll hear that the Jews are at the root of everything that is wrong in society.

All of a sudden, it makes more sense that Tracy would single out a Jewish family for prolonged harassment. And I ask myself: is it still Loshan Hora if I call him and his friends dangerous lunatics?

Improving religious relations

by LEONARD GREENSPOON On Dec. 10, the Vatican, just concluding a 50-year jubilee of its Second Ecumenical Council (Vatican II), issued a statement, the upshot of which was seized upon by the media as: “Catholics should not try to convert Jews.”

Although we tend to view the Vatican as a single unit, it is in fact a large bureaucracy with dozens of departments, agencies, and commissions. The document issued on Dec. 10 is titled The Gifts and the Calling of God Are Irrevocable and is the result of intense effort by the Pontifical Commission on Religious Relations with the Jews, the one department in Vatican bureaucracy most relevant to defining and improving relations between Catholics and Jews.

This document does not intend to promulgate a “doctrinal teaching of the Church,” but instead offers a “reflection [on] current theological questions.” In other words, it is a nudge in what I would call the right direction.

That said, the document is not exactly even a suggestion against all Catholic efforts to convert Jews. Rather, it limits itself to institutional mission efforts; that is, those with the official blessing (if you will) of the Church.

In what sense then is even this somewhat limited statement a change? Here we need to take the long view provided by historical analysis. For the first 19 1/2 centuries of its existence, almost all theologians of Christianity preached or taught that the new covenant ushered in by Jesus as Christ replaced or superseded the old covenant God made with Israel. Although Jews and others who lived, and died, before Jesus came could be forgiven, those from Jesus’s time on could not expect salvation unless they acknowledged the saving grace uniquely offered by Jesus.

The Vatican II document, Nostra Aetate, now just over 50

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years old, changed a lot of the elements of “supersessionist” or “replacement” theology. Jews, as a whole and as individuals, were no longer deemed or doomed as Christ-killers, and the path toward the belief in dual-covenant theology -which upholds the validity of both the old and the new covenants -- was laid out.

In this significant sense, this new document can be seen as extending and enlarging the theological and practical roadway the architects of Vatican II initiated. Interestingly enough, many Protestant denominations, while of course asserting their independence from Rome, have nonetheless followed its initiative in acknowledging the validity of the old covenant.

Whence the biblical support for these views? For those who have studied any part of the Bible (and here I speak of the Jewish Bible and the New Testament), it will come as no surprise that interpretations of key passages can lead to very different, even contradictory, conclusions. Here, for example, is John 14:6: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father [that is, God] except through me.’” This seems like a pretty definitive statement. But let’s compare this to another New Testament passage, just a few verses earlier (John 14:2) and also transmitted as a saying of Jesus: “My Father’s [that is, God’s] house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”

One way or many rooms? Salvation through Jesus alone or through Jesus for Christians and through other means for non-Christians? And in God’s eyes, at least as determined by Christian theology, are all non-Christians in the same category? While not attempting to deal with all of these complex issues, this Pontifical Commission did point to Paul’s influ-

ential Letter to the Romans, specifically 11:29: “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” God’s covenant with Abraham, and through him all of Israel, is characterized as “everlasting” in Genesis 17:7. As understood by the Commission, nothing in later history, not even the arrival of Jesus, could cause God to abrogate or revoke this covenant.

Not all Catholics, to say nothing of Protestants, agree with this interpretation or the actions recommended on the basis of this interpretation. In fact, the document has already given rise to some very hostile reactions among what I would term conservative Christian circles.

As interesting as it is to observe these intra-Christian actions and reactions, does it really matter to us Jews? Yes - and no. At the existential and theological depths of our being, Jews don’t need, or appreciate, others defining our relationship with God or the efficacy of our beliefs and practices. We have more than enough “experts” in our own religion to do that -- in this sense, we constitute one big family, with all of the assets and deficits that entails.

In another sense, however, this is big news -- especially for Jews. It is not easy to make common cause with people who do not accept our religion and our culture on equal footing (in this world and in the world to come) with theirs. And it is difficult to establish and maintain bonds of goodwill with those still harboring the belief that we are not yet where they are. To the extent that the words and sentiments expressed in this document are carried out through activities that acknowledge us -- Jews and Christians alike, as equal partners in carrying out God’s plans, our society and our world will be strengthened in its resolve and its capacity to live “in the image of God.”

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January 15, 2016 | The Jewish Press | 9

Duma reaction shows gap in Israeli and Palestinian responses to terror

by AVITAL LEIBOVICH demnations on their own social media profiles. the official Palestinian Authority television station JERUSALEM (JTA) -- I won’t soon forget the morning of The silence from the Palestinian Authority regarding acts explained that all of Israel will become “the state of July 31, when I awoke to the horrific news that a firebomb of terror has, in contrast, been deafening.

Palestine.” On Nov. 16, the same station broadcast a funeral had been hurled at a Palestinian house in the West Bank vilOn Aug. 3, three days after the Duma attack, Palestinians of two Palestinians, where one of the eulogists said: “Strike lage of Duma while the family living there was asleep inside. hurled a firebomb at an Israeli vehicle in Beit Hanina and the Jews, count them and kill them to the last one, and don’t Three people were burned to death, including a baby boy. injured an Israeli woman. On Aug. 14, Palestinians from the leave even one.” There are numerous other examples that “Nekama,” the Hebrew word meaning “revenge,” was spray- village of Awartta set fire to a gas station near the Israeli set- occur on a daily basis. painted on a house nearby. tlement of Eli. When the perpetrators were arrested, they Palestinians also have other ways of glorifying their terIsraelis were shocked at the news. This was esperorists, naming city squares after them and “honorcially so for Jewish-Israelis. It seemed incomprehensiing” murderers of innocent people with official cerble that Jews could be behind this hideous act. If antitificates.

Arab Jewish extremists did such a thing, I thought, Over the past four months, 24 Jews have been murthey must be following a Bible very different from the dered in the course of more than 50 Palestinian terror one that most Jews respect. attacks, including stabbings, car rammings, and the A few young extremists suspected of the crime are hurling of rocks and firebombs. The goal is clearly to being held in administrative detention and interrokill as many Jews as possible, and hence the large gated. Whether or not there is enough evidence to number of identifiable Jews who have been targeted: convict them, the damage to the State of Israel’s pubreligious people, soldiers and policemen. Where is lic image will be huge. The media and human rights the condemnation from the Palestinian leadership? organizations, never reluctant to portray Israel in a In a recent poll of Palestinians conducted by the negative light, will most likely omit the fact that the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 67 views of these radicals are likely held by less than one percent support the use of knives in the current conpercent of the Israeli population. frontations with Israel and, in the absence of peace The vast majority of Israelis have condemned this negotiations, 60 percent support a return to an armed violence. On the day of the murder, President Reuven intifada.

Rivlin castigated the attack on his Facebook page in To be clear, terror attacks committed by Israelis are Palestinians in the Qalandiya refugee camp surrounding a car used in an both Arabic and Hebrew. Prime Minister Benjamin done by an extremely small, non-representative Credit: Flash 90 attempted attack on Israeli soldiers, Dec. 16, 2015.

Netanyahu called it a “terror attack.” The Knesset held fringe and are condemned by everyone else. In cona special meeting on Aug. 4 where the atrocity was con- claimed they were acting in revenge for the Duma attack. trast, terror is approved, even applauded, by mainstream demned by members of all the political parties, from the far There wasn’t a single condemnation of either act of violence Palestinian society. left to the far right. from the Palestinian side.

And that is what makes all the difference.

Moreover, across the country, Israelis shared their sense of Moreover, Palestinian Media Watch reported the two Avital Leibovich is director of the American Jewish outrage at the murders, disassociating themselves from the most popular Palestinian television stations continue to Committee’s Jerusalem office. extremists who had perpetrated it. Many published con- incite against Jews. On Dec. 4, the host of Children’s Talk on

The anti-Israel trend you’ve never heard of

by DAVID BERNSTEIN BDS supporters abound, both on and off campus.

Nor will intersectionality remain primarily a campus pheNEW YORK (JTA) -- If you want to understand why the While anti-Israelism has long found a sympathetic ear nomenon for long. Yudof worries that “future leaders of boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, or BDS, has among segments of the far left, it has not, until recently, America will be viscerally anti-Israel because of the distortgained so much ground in the past two years, look no fur- enjoyed much popularity among ethnic minorities. Moreover, ed discourse on today’s campuses.” He points out that “what ther than intersectionality, the study of related systems of until recently, BDS supporters probably weren’t organized happens on campus never stays on campus.” oppression. enough to do the necessary outreach to and stewardship of Indeed, the growing acceptance of intersectionality Intersectionality holds that various forms of oppression -- fellow marginalized groups. Now, evidently, they are. arguably poses the most significant community relations racism, sexism, classism, ableism, and homophobia -- conWhile he never uses the term intersectionality, Mark challenge of our time. Ultimately, how popular -- and threatstitute an intersecting system of oppression. In this world- Yudof, president emeritus of the University of California ening -- intersectionality becomes depends on the degree to view, a transcendent white, male, heterosexual power which the far left, constituting about 10 percent of sociestructure keeps down marginalized groups. Uniting ty, is successful in inculcating its black-and-white worldoppressed groups, the theory goes, strengthens them view, simplistic perspectives and resentment toward against the dominant power structure. those perceived as powerful with the mainstream left.

As you might have guessed, the BDS movement has But we can influence the direction of this discussion. successfully injected the anti-Israel cause into these Publicly attacking intersectionality and its adherents is intersecting forms of oppression and itself into the not likely to do much damage. To the contrary, calling interlocking communities of people who hold by them. out Israel’s detractors can paradoxically have the effect So it’s increasingly likely that if a group sees itself as of popularizing their views and bringing them further oppressed, it will see Israel as part of the dominant into the mainstream. power structure doing the oppressing and Palestinians Rather, the Jewish community and especially, the Jewish as fellow victims. That oppressed group will be suscepcommunity relations movement, must do more to estabtible to joining forces with the BDS movement. lish our own intersectionality with groups on the mainAt Columbia University, Students for Justice in stream left, which is not nearly as prone to radical curPalestine managed to form an alliance with No Red rents. Strengthening ties to these more moderate groups Tape, a student group fighting sexual violence. What will erect a firewall between the far left and mainstream does opposing sexual violence have to do with Israel left on Israel, making it far less likely that the latter will Muslim students at an anti-Israel protest at the University of California, and the Palestinians? ever take the bait from the BDS movement.

Irvine in 2006. Credit: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images “The way that No Red Tape conceives of sexual vioTo do this, we need to understand the various issues lence is a form of oppression that is related... to other forms system and chair of the recently established Academic and causes of the groups that make up this segment of the of oppression,” said one group member.

Engagement Network, which aims to fight anti-Israel senti- population, and make common cause whenever possible.

“Sexual violence is a deeper political issue, and it cannot ment on campus, ominously describes efforts to “connect Promoting Israel alone is not going to cut it because the varbe divorced or separated from other oppressed identities,” the dots” and “co-opt the language of human rights.” The ious groups will have no reason or incentive to join forces said another No Red Tape member.

BDS movement is “moving to integrate itself with nearly with us. Just as BDS supporters embrace the agendas of the Intersectionality with the anti-Israel cause, unfortunately, every progressive campus cause,” Yudof said. groups they seek to persuade, we must work on issues our has not been limited to groups working against sexual vioIn other words, intersectionality with anti-Israel forces is key partners deem important. lence at Columbia. The anti-Israel website Mondoweiss not just some faddish academic theory bandied about by We may not be able to discredit intersectionality with recently declared that “since Mike Brown was shot by police radical academics and sociology majors. BDS supporters are Israel across the board, but we can limit its reach. in Ferguson... solidarity between the Black Lives Matter and building alliances, and using those relationships as an David Bernstein is president and CEO of the Jewish Palestine movements has become an increasingly central opportunity to sell their cause. Much more than a theoreti- Council for Public Affairs, the representative voice of the tenet of both struggles.” cal framework, intersectionality is a comprehensive commu- Jewish community relations movement. Follow him on Other examples of groups and causes intersecting with nity relations strategy.

Twitter @DavidLBernstein.

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Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 |712.322.4705 email: BnaiIsraelCouncilBluffs@gmail.com Join us for our Monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker, Gary Nachman, who will speak about his winery, Rainwood Vineyards, the first licensed winery in Douglas County. Oneg to follow service.

Please join us! Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

Larry Blass will officiate the Speaker Series Service.

For information on our historic synagogue, or to arrange a visit, please contact any of our board members: Mark Eveloff, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf. Tribute cards for any occasion are available. Contact Sissy at 311 Oak Ridge Ct., Bellevue, NE 68005 or 402.292.8062.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

FRIDAY: USY Winter Shabbaton in Minneapolis, MN; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: USY Winter Shabbaton in Minneapolis, MN; Shabbat Services, 9:30 a.m. Bar Mitzvah of Danny Denenberg, son of Tippi and Steve Denenberg; MiniMinyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5 p.m.

WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.

SUNDAY: USY Winter Shabbaton in Minneapolis, MN; No BESTT Classes; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, 11 a.m.; Men’s Club Jew ‘n Brews, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY: Who Wrote the Bible? Lunch and Learn, noon with Rabbi Abraham.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m.; Who Wrote the Bible? Minyan and More, 6:15 p.m. with Rabbi Abraham; Hebrew High, 6:45 p.m.

THURSDAY: Shanghai, 1 p.m.

Lunch at Nebraska AIDS Coalition, Friday, Jan. 22, 11:30 a.m.

Family Shabbat (led by grades 4 & 5) and Tot Shabbat, Friday, Jan. 22, 6 p.m. followed by dinner.

Sunday Scholar Series, Sunday, Jan. 24, 11 a.m., featuring Dr. Moshe Gershovich on Love for France and Passion for Judaism: Adolphe Crémieux and the Alliance Israelite Universelle. Free and open to the community.

All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.orthodoxomaha.org Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv & Kabbalat Shabbat, 5:02 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Torah Parade and Shabbat Classes, 9:45 a.m.; 15 mins after Kiddush -- Mishna L’Neshamah and Teen Class; Insights into Weekly Torah Portion, 4:15 p.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 4:45 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:07 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Medrash, 9:45 a.m.; Shavua Tov with Yaldei Beit Yisrael, 1 p.m.; Caffe Ivrit, 2:30 p.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Synaogue Office Closed THURSDAY: Women’s Class, 9:30 a.m.; Scholar’s Club for 6th Grade, 3:30 p.m.; Avot U-Banim, 7 p.m.; Talmud Learning, 8 p.m.

Bat Mitzvah Isabella Cooper, daughter of Julie and Jeff Cooper, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Jan. 23, at Temple Israel.

Isabella is a seventh-grade student at Kiewit Middle School.

Her interests include theater and chorus.

For her mitzvah project, Isabella volunteered at the Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance.

She has a sister, Julianna, and a brother, Paul.

Grandparents are Sarita and David Cooper, and Elfreide Blakeney.

Star Wars Trilogy, Saturday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel.

CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office.

WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak.

THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@unmc.edu.

All programs are open to the entire community.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis.

FRIDAY: Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Breakfast, 7 a.m. Reservations Needed; Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Vicki Edwards.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Bo; Game Night/Potluck, 6 p.m. All ages welcome! Questions? Contact Stephanie Dohner.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel.

MONDAY: Temple Office Closed -- MLK, Jr. Day TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at Hacienda Real, 3130 Pine Lake Road. Questions? Contact Stephanie Dohner.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

ADULT EDUCATION TUESDAY: Intro to Judaism, Session #8, 6:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Lewis Community Shabbat Shirah Celebration, Sunday, Jan. 24, 3 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

President’s Office Hours, Sunday Mornings, 10 a.m.–noon at SST. If you have any Temple business you would like to bring before the Board of Trustees, potential programs, or new ideas, please let us know! Call for an appointment at the Temple or just to chat any time at 402.513.7697. Or if you prefer, just email David Weisser at president@southstreettemple.org.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road | Offutt AFB, NE 68123 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Chef ’s Demo, 1:30 p.m. with Chabad.

SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Jim Polack and David Herzog.

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Leo Ray, son of Shayna and Matthew Ray, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah; Family Game Night, Havdalah and Potluck Dinner, 5-8 p.m. We will be providing Mac & Cheese, Kosher Hot Dogs, and grilled chicken salad bar for dinner. Please bring a dessert to share! We will also be playing bingo during the evening. Please RSVP to Temple Israel, 402.556.6536.

SUNDAY: No Religious School TUESDAY: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.; A Women’s Night Out with Door Décor!, 7 p.m. This Women’s Only

Candlelighting Friday, January 15, 5:02 p.m.

Night Out will include making your own front door sign with Sarah Linn from Door Decor. We will share good conversation and a glass of wine as Sarah guides us through making our very own piece of artwork. The cost is $20 and please contact the Temple Office, 402.556.6536 to RSVP. WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; Chapel for School Service, 4:30 p.m. with Rabbi Azriel; Grades 7-12, 6 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; All the News that is Fit for the Jews, 6:30 p.m. with Scott Littky.

THURSDAY: All the News that is Fit for the Jews, 10 a.m. with Scott Littky; Kol Rina Rehearsal, 7 p.m.

Shabbat Shira, Friday, Jan. 22, 6 p.m. Don’t miss this wonderful Shabbat Shira musical experience! Temple Israel’s Kol Rina and the St. Paul United Methodist Church choir are combining voices under the direction of Cantor Shermet and Jerry Brabec. Come enjoy these settings of Psalm 150.

On Sunday, Jan. 24, the choirs will be performing again at St. Paul United Methodist Church at 11 a.m.

Poker Tournament, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 6 p.m. Cost is $50 and includes dinner and tournament. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Program Director Scott Littky, 402.556.6536.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

FRIDAY: Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Breakfast, 7 a.m. at Embassy Suites Hotel, 1040 “P” Street. The Keynote Speaker: Dr. Marilyn Moore, President, Bryan College of Health Sciences. Reservations Needed; Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush lunch to celebrate the birthdays of Dahlia, Gilad, and Ilyana Hamicksburg who are turning 16 sponsored by the Hamicksburg family; Havdalah Havurah Group, 6 p.m. at Brenda Ingraham’s home in the Bishop Square Community.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel.

TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at Hacienda Real, 3130 Pine Lake Road. Please contact Stephanie Dohner with any questions.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

Pancakes and Pajamas PJ Library Event, Sunday, Jan. 31 at 5:30 p.m. Children ages 1-12 are invited. PJ’s and Pancakes will feature story time and eating breakfast for dinner!

There is no charge for this program, however, families are encouraged to donate a new pair of pajamas which can be given to a child in need. Please inform Nava in the office if you are able to join this program with members of your family. RSVP by Jan. 24. Don't forget to wear your pajamas!

Middle East Forum

by KASEY DAVIS The Schwalb Center would like to invite you to join us for the first Middle East Forum for the Spring 2016 semester! Our panel of experts will be addressing topics and questions related to the Middle East on Thursday, Jan. 21 from noon-1 p.m. at the Community Engagement Center.

The topics for discussion are: • Will the war against ISIS (Daesh) enter its final stage in 2016?

• How will the recent crisis between Iran and Saudi Arabia influence the Middle East?

• How have developments in the Middle East shaped the American presidential campaign and what role will the region play in 2016?

Bring your questions to this fascinating dialogue and gain an informed perspective on the Middle East.

For any questions about this and other Schwalb Center Events, please contact Kasey Davis by email kaseydavis@ unomaha.edu or at 402.554.2788.

Hope to see you there!

Visit us on facebook: ps://www.facebook.com/ShalomahaPress

Pulverent e

January 15, 2016 | The Jewish Press | 11

At 92, Shimon Peres is very much alive -and busy as ever

by YARDENA SCHWARTZ TEL AVIV (JTA) -- Last month, rumors flooded the Internet that former Israeli President Shimon Peres was dead. True to form, the man who tirelessly trumpets his country’s high-tech sector took to Facebook to clear the air.

“I wish to thank the citizens of Israel for the support, concern and interest, and wish to clarify that the rumors are false,” wrote Peres, a Nobel Prize winner. “I’m continuing with my daily schedule as usual to do whatever I can to assist The State of Israel and its citizens.”

Having fought for Israel before the state even existed, leading its military through its formative years and founding two of the nation’s first kibbutzim, Peres, now 92, is the last man standing from the generation that built Israel. Appointed director general of the Defense Ministry in 1953 at the age of 29, Peres’ political career has spanned Shimon Peres in Tel Aviv, Nov. 30, 2015. seven decades, ending just over a year ago with the conclusion of his sevenyear stint as president.

Yet when Peres announced he was still alive, he meant very much alive -- and very much still in action. On a typical day, he is up at 4:30 a.m. to read and “do sport” (he walks on the treadmill). By 8:30 a.m. he is at his office, and he often works until 11 p.m.

Speaking to JTA from the Peres Center for Peace, the nonprofit he founded in 1996 to promote coexistence, Peres discussed why he’s busier than ever -- and why he still hasn’t given up on peace.

JTA: It’s been over a year since you left politics. How do you fill your days now?

Peres: The Peres Center for Peace is working for peace and innovation all over the world. The center is already 20 years old and it has a brilliant record. One of our programs is called Saving Children. I found out that there were 2,000 Palestinian children wounded during the intifada. We decided to bring all of them to Jerusalem and all of them were cured. Once that was done, other parents of Palestinian children came to us and said, ‘My child wasn’t wounded in the war, but he has a problem with his heart or his brain.

Please help us.’ So our record now is 11,000 children cured in hospitals in Jerusalem on our account.

Two months ago marked 20 years since the murder of Yitzhak Rabin. If you could speak to him now, what do you think he would say about the state of Israel today?

We would continue to do what we did. We started making peace. We started with Jordan, made peace with Jordan. We made peace with the Egyptians, and we started with the Palestinians. It wasn’t completed, but we must continue to do the same thing. I think that our security, well-being and our Jewish character demands peace. If we will not achieve peace, we will always be engaged in war and terror. And I think it’s possible. I think we can achieve peace.

In spite of the terror attacks, we shouldn’t lower our efforts to make peace. You cannot answer a knife with a knife. I

don’t think we can live if we continue just trying to destroy each other. Many Arabs understand this, too, and we see it now. For many years the Arab attitude was reflected in the Khartoum Resolution, naming three laws: not to recognize Israel, not to negotiate with Israel and not to make peace with Israel. That’s over. Now there are Arab peace projects.

There’s a Saudi project, there’s an Arab League project.

They’re talking about peace and that’s a major change.

Maybe their plans are not exactly what we are seeking, but it’s a big difference from being an organized refusal to making peace with Israel, to an attempt to see how to bridge the divide.

Does Israel have a partner for peace?

We do have a partner. But we have to decide -- do we want a partner for peace or a partner for war? I’m speaking about Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas].

He talks about peace, he talks Credit: Tomer Neuberg/Flash 90 against terror. He doesn’t talk the Zionist language, but I don’t expect him to.

He has in his police force 15,000 people and they in fact are fighting against terror.

Do you think Israel hasn’t done enough to take advantage of this partner for peace?

I’m not going to look at who to blame. I’m not interested in this. I’m more interested in seeing who to moralize for peace. I know peace is hard to achieve. I speak from experience. People come to me and say, ‘You’re right, we need to make peace. You’re right, we need to pay a price.’ But, they say, ‘Why are you paying so much? Why are you so naive to trust them so much?’

There are two things in life that if you really want to achieve, you have to close your eyes a bit, and that is peace and love. With eyes wide open, I’m not sure anybody would fall in love, and I’m not sure anybody would make peace. But when you compare what is better, living in peace and living in love, even if it’s not perfect, is by far the right choice.

What do you think the rise in attacks by Arab-Israelis says about Israel today?

They have equal rights. There is no apartheid in Israel. But they feel discriminated against because the standard of living for Israelis is higher than the standard of living for Arabs. What we have to do is promote their standard of living. I think we can do it and we should do it, and that’s what we are doing at our center.

Israel was once a clear bipartisan issue in the United States, but there is some evidence today that Republicans are more likely to support Israel when its interests diverge from America’s. What could be done to change that?

I think we have to stick to the bipartisan support. We shouldn’t take sides in internal American issues. We have to appreciate that the U.S. friendship with Israel is bipartisan, so we cannot show an involvement in American politics, just as Americans are careful not to show involvement in Israeli politics.

To Submit obituaries to the Jewish Press: Email to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; fax to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154, or online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click

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emerging voices

12 | The Jewish Press | January 15, 2016

Getting along?

Israel and Turkey reopened diplomatic relations in mid-December. At least in terms of positive events, this is one of the biggest things to occur in the Middle East this past year.

Admittedly, this claim may at first seem somewhat difficult to justify -- though it is always welcome news when something good happens to Israel in the international relations sphere, simply reopening embassies hardly appears to be that big of a deal.

However, what makes this event important is that it represents an about-face in the policies of President Erdogan of Turkey. Erdogan had deliberately worsened formerly-warm Israeli-Turkish relations through a series of hostile (though mostly rhetorical) actions, which he culminated by recalling Turkey’s ambassador to Israel after an incident during the 2010 conflict in the Gaza Strip. From Erdogan’s perspective, this was not necessarily illogical at the time; he had apparently decided that opposing Israel was a good strategy to win support, probably because it was in keeping with the highly Islamic fundamentalist stance he had already adopted. But what is worth considering now is that the embassies were reopened largely as a result of Erdogan expressing a surprisingly pro-Israel attitude. Granted, this may well be because of the utter failure of any of Israel’s enemies to prove themselves viable allies for Turkey, the rise of ISIS, or simply a desire for natural gas (that Turkey can no longer easily obtain from Russia), but no matter the root cause -- or whether Erdogan intends to maintain good relations -- it still has implications for Israel’s current reality in the Middle East as a whole.

The primary result of restored Israeli-Turkish ties

must be a stronger front in the fight against the terrorists of the Islamic State. Both Israel and Turkey are undeniably under threat from ISIS -Israel unfortunately solely because it is Israel, and Turkey because it borders territories either under the conCONNOR MULLIN trol of or at risk of falling to ISIS. Indeed, Turkey’s claim to have stopped a planned ISIS-backed terrorist attack on New Year’s Day demonstrates the risk to them. Ensuring that the two nations enjoy at least cordial relations, therefore, serves as an excellent step forward in the ongoing conflict. However, it is

more important because Israel and Turkey are, objectively, two of the only stable nations in the Middle East right now, alongside Jordan and Egypt: Lebanon and Syria are collapsing further, and recently Saudi Arabia and Iran have begun largescale saber-rattling against each other. These realities make it even more important for Israel, and Turkey to do everything possible to attain some degree of security, and thus even more important for Israel and Turkey to maintain at least cordial relations. Neither state can afford to act in a hostile or petty manner against the other, and Erdogan seems to have recognized this.

It may be worthwhile to consider whether there

could be negative repercussions from improved Israeli-Turkish relations. An intriguing analysis on Tablet Magazine’s website, published on Dec. 17, argued that this would end up bringing Israel into conflict with Russia. As ties strengthen between Israel and Turkey, they will form a coalition of sorts not only against ISIS but also in opposition to the Russian-backed Assad government in Syria, thus (alongside ongoing tensions between Turkey and Russia) meaning Israel will end up being threatened by Russia. These may well be valid concerns - certainly, the last thing Israel needs is to add Russia to their list of enemies -- but it is important to note that much of the anti-Turkey posturing Putin has lately been doing is just that. Russia is highly dependent on Turkey in a number of economic spheres, construction being a noteworthy example: Russia actually made exceptions for Turkish contractors, such as those building the venues for the next World Cup, when it recently levied new sanctions on Turkey. Furthermore, Russia has been actively making overtures towards Israel -- Putin has done his best to impress Prime Minister Netanyahu when the latter has made state visits. This is probably because Russia recognizes Israel as a stable state in an unstable region, and one that would serve as a friend rather than an enemy, though it is also possible that Russia primarily wants to give the United States a diplomatic black eye by wooing Israel. Nonetheless, the end result is that it seems likely that Israel’s relations with Russia will be largely unaffected by newly reformed ties to Turkey.

Though largely overlooked because of other events in the region, Israel and Turkey’s reopening of embassies could prove to be one of the more important occurrences in the Middle East in the last year. It will be intriguing, as 2016 progresses, to see what the ramifications of this end up being.

Connor Mullin is a History major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a member of South Street Temple.

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