January 19, 2018

thejewishpress AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

this week

JWRP Trip: A gift that keeps on giving pages 6 & 7

A

Jordana Glazer

L’dor V’dor: Traditions, teachings and wisdom from our community’s women

Beth El hosts USY Winter Shabbaton page 7

inside

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Enchanted Circles comes to Beth El

JANU ARY 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 | 3 SH EV AT 5 7 7 8 | V O L . 9 8 | NO . 1 4 | C A ND LELI G h tI NG | FRID AY , JANU ARY 1 9 , 5 : 0 7 P. M.

ANNEttE VAN DE KAMp-WRIGht “I had served on Temple Israel’s budget Editor of the Jewish Press committee with Mike Silverman and when fter many years of dedicated he was appointed CEO at the Jewish Federservice, Jordana Glazer recently ation of Omaha, he brought me on board to stepped away from her position help out with the budget. I started out part time because I was still as the Jewish working some hours at Federation the ADL, but that soon of Omaha Chief Financhanged.“ cial Officer. Jordana is Jordana’s background is married to Jim Glazer; in consulting, with a they have a son, David focus on financial reand a daughter, Emily. porting: From 2002 to 2011, “I love the process of Jordana could be found cleaning up, organizing at the Anti-Defamation and bringing new strucLeague office, where she ture to existing systems. was the project manager Finding better ways to responsible for a host of do things is something activities including that really excites me. budgeting, board develClockwise from left, The Central Services deopment, strategic planning and the monthly Jordana, David, Jim and Emily Glazer. partment is really the newsletter. In addition, she was the Assis- not-so-glamorous backbone of this organitant Treasurer on the Temple Israel Board. zation. The work never ends, but neither do “In March of 2011, when the JFO transi- the opportunities to improve.”

Working for a not-for-profit like the Jewish tioned to the new model, my role also See Jordana Glazer page 3 changed,” Jordana remembers.

Tied with love page 2

Viewpoint Synagogues Life cycles

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SpONSORED by thE bENJAMIN AND ANNA E. WIESMAN FAMILy ENDOWMENt FuND

GAbby bLAIR Staff Writer, Jewish Press This special multi-part series highlights generations of women in our community coming together as they celebrate Jewishly. Each brings her own spark, traditions and essence to her family, enriching the legacy that will pass forth to the younger generations. Each woman was asked a series of questions about how they came to be in Omaha, their involvement in the community and to reflect upon the hopes they have for their own children’s (and grandchildren’s) Jewish future. If you and your family would be interested in being part of this series, please contact Gabby Blair at the Jewish Press 402.334.6451 or gblair@jewish omaha.org.

The first feature in this series focuses on four generations of family;

Clockwise from left: Maya and Amy Isaacson, Lenore Ross, Andi Goldstein Lenore Ross, her daughter Andi Goldstein, Andi’s daughter Amy Isaacson, and Amy’s daughters Maya and twins Lily and Mimi.

In 1961 Lenore Ross and her family, including daughter Andi, moved

from the east coast to Los Angeles where Lenore lived up until last year.

“It was just about a year ago that I made the exciting, much-considered and majorly-supported move to See L’dor V’dor page 2

OzzIE NOGG Women in search of peace and calm in their everyday lives are invited to attend Enchanted Circles, offered by Beth El Synagogue and The Miriam Initiative on Monday evening Feb. 5, 12, 19 and 26. The program explores tools that create states of mindfulness, connection and deep inner peace within the noise and haste of modern life. Enchanted Circles run from 6:30 p.m to 8 p.m. in the synagogue chapel, and will be facilitated by its creator, Dr. Liora Lukas, a family physician and Palliative Care Specialist at Methodist Hospital.

Dr. Liora Lukas, creator and facilitator of Enchanted Circles

“I’m a physician by day and spiritual explorer the rest of the time,” Dr. Lukas explained. “In my medical practice I walk the line between life and death with many patients and their families, so I’m familiar with the spiritual hunger many people experience in our consumer-driven society.

“I am Jew-by-choice,” Dr. Lukas continued, “having found that Judaism gives one the clearest path toward intellectual, spiritual and emotional growth. Enchanted Circles helps participants reclaim what’s important to them: clarity, confidence, courage, calm. In these four meetings we connect the best of modern neurobiology with Jewish tradition and ancient spiritual wisdom that, together, make us more centered. Joining with others we’ll create a supportive, trusting environment. No previous experience is needed to benefit from this practice.”

Participants will use three tools.

Mindfulness: reducing the tyranny of our thoughts to create inner spaciousness; Inner Dialog: bringing peace to our ‘internal family’ — all the roles and voices that comprise our personality and ability to relate to the outside world; and Chant: using sacred text, melody and breath to align heart and mind. No “singing” is required.

“During this session, we’ll work with one of the daily morning prayers which includes the line, Elohai neshama shenatata be, tehora he,” Dr. Lukas said.

“The Hebrew words mean ‘My God, the soul You have given me is pure.’ But often we lose connection to the purity and beauty of our souls because of the See Enchanted Circles page 2

Tied with love

2 | The Jewish Press | January 19, 2018

community L’dor V’dor

“Your skin is the largest organ of the body.

It’s a part of your body that everyone sees, including you.

It’s not necessarily about vanity.

EmiLy CLEmEnt Activities Coordinator, Rose Blumkin Jewish Home This month, the residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home decided to give back to the community. They made fleece tie blankets, which were then donated to the Omaha chapter of Project Linus. Project Linus is a non-profit organization that gives blankets made by volunteers to children in need. Its mission statement is “to provide love, security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill or traumatized.” The residents enjoyed spending the afternoon tying blankets and learning about Project Linus.

They are happy to know that their blankets will be keeping some special children warm this winter.

Enchanted Circles

Continued from page 1 distractions of modern life. The awareness created during Enchanted Circles can be used at any time to return to a state of peace, and is especially helpful to create sacred space when we gather together in groups. I look forward to sharing these evenings with the women of Beth El.” Enchanted Circles is offered at no cost. Space is limited to 12 participants. Registration is required by Jan. 31 at the synagogue website: www.bethel-omaha.org. To learn more about Dr. Lukas, go to: https://shalomaha.com/enchanted-circles.

The Miriam Initiative is a new concept in women’s programming at Beth El -- a series of ongoing projects and programs created, developed and presented by Beth El women. The Initiative welcomes all women who want to participate at any level from leadership to fellowship. Call the synagogue 402.492.8550 for more information.

Coming in March

It’s about making people feel good about themselves.”

Resident Ethel Lerner with the blanket she helped make for Project Linus.

women’sguide

Continued from page 1 Lenore. Of this Andi can only say, “I never would have imagOmaha. Having visited Andi and my grandchildren through- ined that I would have ended up in middle America for the out the years, I have always been impressed with Omaha’s in- past 23 years and that my mother, daughter and granddaughvolved Jewish community and my family’s participation in it.” ters would all decide to make Omaha their home! What a Lenore, who has kept busy blessing!” settling in, really enjoys atWhen Amy arrived in tending community events, Omaha, she was a middle such as the Federation dinschooler. “When I moved ner, the Mega Challah here as an adolescent, Bake, and Temple Israel’s knowing no one, the Jewish Adult Education class on community embraced me Thursday mornings. The and my family with best part of being in warmth and love. I will alOmaha however, is being ways be grateful for the close to her family. “When feeling of acceptance durAmy, Andy and the girls ing that formative time in left California for Omaha my life,” reflects Amy. “Inand with Andi and my sonspired by my mother’s dedin-law Donald living here, I ication to community knew Omaha was going to involvement, I also became be my home. Words cannot very active in the commuexpress the joy I have about nity. I served four years being able to share Shabbat through high school on the Lily isaacson, left, Amy isaacson, Lenore Ross, maya isaacson, dinners with my children, OTYG board, in addition Andi Goldstein and mimi isaacson grandchildren and great to being on the regional grandchildren, all cooking together, attending services to- board for NFTY-Missouri Valley Region. I received the gether, and being involved in the community together; I am Omaha Jewish Teen Leadership award as a high school junior really enjoying the Omaha experience.” and worked as a counselor and unit head at Camp Rainbow.”

Andi moved to Omaha with her former husband and Amy moved away after high school, eventually settling in the daughters, Amy and Allie, in 1994 from Los Angeles. “Believe San Francisco Bay area before returning to Omaha in the it or not, it took a move from L.A. to Omaha for me to really spring of 2016 with her husband, Andy Isaacson, and the couget in touch with my Judaism,” says Andi. “I had promised ple’s three young daughters. Thy have kept busy since their my family I would settle in and take time out from commu- relocation and are active with the Federation, Temple Israel nity work, but the opportunities here were too numerous and and Beth El Synagogue. “Our children are at the CDC and interesting, so I hit the ground running. Within my first participate in the many child-friendly programs at the JCC months here, I pitched an idea about an interfaith Thanks- and synagogues. I hope they grow up feeling like our Jewish giving service to Rabbi Azriel at Temple Israel and now, we Community is one big welcoming family- just as I have. Movhave just celebrated our 22nd year.” Over the years, Andi has ing back to Omaha has allowed us to be close to my mother been very involved in our community, and has served on the and Donald. As a bonus, my grandmother Lenore just moved Temple Israel Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, to Omaha to be nearer to us as well. After living apart for so The Jewish Senior Services Board, and with Jewish Family long, being together in Omaha is a real gift for all of us. We Services. “One of my most satisfying positions, however, was are blessed to able to be able to share laughs and life, Shabbat having the privilege of working at the Rose Blumkin Jewish and holiday dinners, events and programs like the Mega Home as the Admissions Coordinator and interacting with Challah Bake and tot Shabbat with the girls, who love spendresidents and families on a daily basis!” To Andi’s great joy, ing time with their Nana Andi, Poppy Donald and great her daughter Amy returned to Omaha with husband Andy grandma Lenny. It is really amazing to be present in each and their three adorable daughters, followed by her mother, other’s lives in this way.”

Dr. Kay Thatcher

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Susan Bernard

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The Jewish Press | January 19, 2018 | 3

T

Eye on israel

he holiday season is over and Eye On Israel is ready to settle back into its usual routine. Our next meeting will focus on Israel as a democratic and Jewish state. Or is it “Israel as a Jewish and democratic state”? Which word should come before the other?

Does it really matter at all? This debate, as we’ve seen through the latest attempts of legislation from last week’s meeting, is still very much alive and bubbling in the Israeli society.

As some of you might know, Israel does not yet have a constitution, in some ways due to the tension between state and religious values. It does, however, have a declaration of independence, which serves as an important

Jordana Glazer

Continued from page 1 Federation requires passion for the work you do. Jordana credits her inlaws, Phyllis and Dick Glazer, for inspiring her.

“They had such enormous love for this community,” she says. “They were unwavering in their support for this community and taught me so much about how incredibly important lay engagement is. Many of the donors in this community are my friends and were friends of my in-laws. I felt even more of a responsibility to be a steward of their generous contributions.”

“I had the honor of working with Jordana when she was a project manager at the ADL,” JFO CEO Alan Potash said.

“Her commitment to managing projects and dissecting the finances helped me greatly as I got started in my role as Regional Director for the ADL. When she became CFO, her knowledge and passion for explaining the budget process was invaluable. When I became CEO, her ability to walk me through the challenges and opportunities before us impressed me. Her support was always welcomed.”

Stacey Rockman worked with Jordana on many projects and committees.

“We both recognized the need for complete transparency with the budget and allocations process and the Federation’s finances,” she says. Her dedication to our Jewish community has always impressed me. She is extremely smart and is a loyal friend and will spend as much time as necessary to explain the numbers to anyone interested.”

JFO President Bruce Friedlander also mentions Jordana’s work ethic as one of her most valuable assets. He also says: “She has always been an advocate for safeguarding the money of our community. I am certain that she will continue to support the future of the Federation. I thank her for her years of service, and we are extremely grateful for her leadership.”

Jordana takes stewardship seriously.

That does not only mean keeping a close eye on the numbers and how to make them work; it involves passing that stewardship on to others. Since reporting on a budget is by definition always in motion, the ability to explain the numbers again and again is priceless in a good CFO. Thanks to Jordana, many agency directors have been able to learn their financials better, knowing

moral commitment and guidebook. It was declared there, and this is Ben Gurion’s most memorable line, that henceforth there shall be: “A yoni doron Jewish state in Community Shaliach Eretz-Israel, to be known as the state of Israel”. Many democratic values were mentioned in detail in this document, but it still left a gap regarding Israel’s judicial definition. This gap was finally closed in 1992 with the passing of the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty.

We will be talking about the reality that led up to the writing of this law and the different opinions that exist in the Israeli society regarding this definition.

Who is most affected if a minimarket is closed on Shabbat? What about public transportation and national institutions? Are people who demand these things to work on Shabbat being spoiled and unfair? Are these even religious issues or socialistic issues? All this and more, on our next Eye On Israel, Monday, Feb. 5 at noon.

Eye On Israel meets regularly on the first Monday of every month, at noon in the The Kripke Jewish Federation Library. Admission is free! Just bring yourself and some healthy curiosity.

Jordana is always there to help with forecasting and re-evaluating needs. As CFO, she has been a valuable teacher, always willing to share her vast knowledge, making sure the budget is defensible and realistic and watching over the numbers each month.

One of the colleagues she’s worked most closely with throughout the past seven years is Senior Director of Finance Richard Goedeken, who was the JFO controller for most of her tenure.

“Jordana can carry a conversation with anyone,” Richard says. “People enjoy talking to her, even after strong disagreements. Her ability to break down interpersonal barriers encourages trust and with that cooperation and synergy. In this, she has been instrumental in ‘moving the needle’ on difficult and contentious projects. It has made her an invaluable asset to this organization and the people she connects with.”

The recent Women’s Campaign Lunch, according to Jordana, was one of those moments when the true strength of this community and our Federation was obvious.

“Yes, it was a great event, we had a great speaker, but events like that are so much more than that,” she said. “People sometimes take for granted what the Jewish Federation of Omaha does. You watch a room full of people who know each other, have served on countless committees together, always actively striving to do things better and you can clearly see what we can achieve. We have a very robust body of lay leaders who work non-stop for the well-being of our community.

“Personally,” she said, “at that lunch, I ran into a friend who lives part of the year in Arizona and we set up lunch; my family and I had no Rosh Hashanah plans and someone invited us over. I sat next to and connected with Rebbetzin Dembitzer. Where else do you find that experience? JFO connects people.”

Moving on from her position as CFO does not mean walking away from the Jewish Federation of Omaha; there is much work to do, especially for a pas-

sionate contributor like Jordana. So, what’s next?

“In March of 2017, I began working on the Strategic Planning Project, which means handling the accounting and administrative side of our campus improvement. Currently, we’re working on creating our vision and vision statement.

Then we’ll move on to the Case for Support in preparation for some feasibility work. Helping to inform the community and integrate their insight and feedback is a vital part of this process, and our efforts are well underway.

“There are many moving pieces when a project of this magnitude is underway, and this is a great opportunity for me.

We have to make both our dollars and our mission go further and it is very important to remember that they go hand in hand.”

In this role, she will work closely with Michael Staenberg, who is one of the driving forces behind the project: “I’m a big fan of Jordana!” he said. “I think her role is instrumental to the success of this project and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather work with. Because of her background, she knows this place really well and we have a very similar style of working. Both of us are detailoriented, and I am excited about dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s with her. We will focus on accountability, protecting the donors’ money, as well as the community’s perception of where that money goes. She is a true asset and I truly couldn’t do any of this without her.”

“It’s easy to focus on the improvements to the building, because it is visible,” Jordana added. “There’s a hole behind the building, trucks moving things back and forth — but it’s what you can’t see with the naked eye that matters as much, if not more. We, as a community, are so much more than bricks and mortar! When we speak of ‘building,’ we have to remember what we are really creating is a sustainable community for our children and grandchildren.”

It’s a monumental task, but as long as we have passionate leaders like Jordana, we are in good hands.

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intern The Jewish Press is looking for a summer intern.

If you are currently attending college, are between the ages of 18 and 24, and want to become more involved in our community, this is your chance.

If you are interested, please send your resume and cover letter to avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.

We can’t wait to meet you!

thejewishpress

4 | The Jewish Press | January 19, 2018

Stumbling Stone

t

by Julie Freestone and Rudi Raab, 249 pages, $14.94. Alvarado Press, 2015

real estate Coming in February

publishing date | 02.02.18

space reservation | 01.24.18

camera ready deadline | 01.26.18

he fictional characters in this novel reflect the real lives of its authors.

It is a study how two children born in the mid-1940s, offsprings of the Second World Oliver B. POllak War, come together despite their incongruous but intertwined pasts. It is a genre of burgeoning interest where the second generation deals with family memory and trauma. Unlike many self-published books, the narrative, grammar, editing, proofreading and typesetting are all of professional quality.

Disclosure -- I know Julie and Rudi. We have dined in each others’ homes and serve on committees together. Normally I would have passed on reviewing this book. But the story is compelling and very close to my own life story, which added a valuable dimension.

The fictional characters enter the lives of real people. The real lives enter the fictional characters’ lives, with name changes. It is a useful blur of genres, creative non-fiction rather than a novel.

In real life, the authors are partners living in Richmond, California. Julie was born in 1944.

Her parents were Jewish immigrants living in the Bronx. Her father worked in Germany in the late 1940s for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, relocating Jews.

Rudi’s family lived in Hamburg, Germany.

He was born in 1945, six days after the war ended. His father was a high ranking Nazi.

Rudi emigrated to America and became a Berkeley policeman. Julie, a free lance writer, moved to the Bay Area.

I don’t mean to make this story personal, but it is. As a second generation, just before the baby boomers, I have skin in the game, an obligation to remember and speak out.

Many of Karl’s postwar recollections regarding food shortages, turning worn adult clothing into children’s clothing, the silence of victims and perpetrators were familiar to me.

Rudi played in bombed-out rubble, I played in bombed-out London.

My life fits betwixt Julie’s and Rudi’s fami-

lies. It led me to consider again my grandfather’s service in the First World War and surviving Theresienstadt concentration camp, the tortuous refugee path my mother and father took from Germany and Austria to England, and my Uncle Eric, a British Army denazification officer.

Each reminiscence is compelling. Most intriguing is the reconstructed story of Rudi’s uncle, ‘Gerhard Schmidt’ in fiction, ‘Gerhard Raab’ in real life. An undisciplined free thinker, he protested the Hitler regime, refused to join the Hitler Youth, and fled without documents to Holland and Austria. After the Nazis took over Austria, he was deported to Germany and died in custody in 1941. It has the echo of the friends of my family, outspoken anti-fascist journalist Berthold Jacob Salomon who fled to Switzerland but died in 1944 in a German prison.

The title, Stumbling Stone, “Stolpersteine” in German, is awkwardly analogous to stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. These commemorative stones marking German sidewalks identify where Jews once lived. The Stumbling Stone was translated into German in 2017. The authors will soon be on a three-month German book tour, including at synagogues and churches.

This is a welcome creative non-fiction account combining contrasting heritages to produce a transformative narrative of Holocaust perpetrators and victims.

For more information, visit http://stumbling-stone.com.

Organizations

B’nai B’rith BreadBreakers

B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers meets weekly on Wednesdays at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home auditorium from noon to 1 p.m. For specific speaker information, please email Gary.Javitch@Gmail.com, Breadbreakers chairman. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

You are invited to our open house

Promote your business in this special issue with an ad and a short article. Contact our advertising executive to advertise in this very special edition.

Susan Bernard

402.334.6559 | sbernard@jewishomaha.org

Great Harvest Bread Company invites you to a special open house celebration at our newly remodeled bakery in Rockbrook Village, 10916 Elm St., on Jan. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop in and try one of our new grain bowls or sandwiches, such as our Roasted Pepper Chipotle Cheesesteak Sandwich.

Enjoy the fun, grab a free soda, coffee and cookie and enter your name in a drawing to win a huge basket of baked goods including a Taste of Great Harvest Certificate. This certificate offers six FREE Great Harvest items such as cookies, a lunch combo and loaves of bread! Plus, many other prizes including free sandwiches, breads, and more!

Great Harvest Bread Company was originally born out of a single (and amazingly delicious) whole grain bread recipe. Over time, we’ve

branched out to develop a dazzling array of products, keeping true to our roots. Still, we approach the creation of all our products with the same basic principles baked into that first loaf of bread.

We make our food the right way, with wholesome ingredients and from scratch, so you can feel good about eating our treats. At Great Harvest Bread Co., you get real food that tastes great.

After twenty-three years in business in Omaha, we are now very excited to have a brand new remodeled location and we are offering a NEW extended menu which will include new and exciting sandwiches, fresh made salads, grain bowls and fountain drinks.

Please join us at Great Harvest Bread Company on saturday, Jan. 20 in Rockbrook Village from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as we show off this new part of our business!

2018-19 Scholarship applications now available gabby blair Staff Writer, Jewish Press Financial assistance may be available for qualified applicants planning to attend the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center, Friedel Jewish Academy, JCC summer camp, Jewish residential summer camp, Israel programs, college, vocational and technical schools, and adult Jewish education classes.

are due March 1, 2018.

Questions? Please contact Diane Stamp at 402.334.6407 or dstamp@jewishomaha.org.

This month Lewis Art Gallery is celebrating 10 years at its “new” location on 8600 Cass Street.

Expanding from their previous location at 80th and Dodge, owners Julie and Joe Wynn designed and built the two-story building on Cass Street from the ground up to include a frame shop, room for their knitting store on the second level, and of course plenty of colorful walls to display artwork. They moved into their Cass location on Jan. 19, 2008.

A walk through Lewis Art Gallery will leave you inspired by the endless possibilities of art, custom framing and home décor that surround you as you explore the largest retail gallery from Chicago to Denver. Transform your space with a new table, artistic vase, or choose from our 400+ lamps in store. Freshen a room with a brightly colored painting or dress up your current artwork and family photographs with a new custom framing design. With over 800 frame mouldings in stock, we offer one-week framing service and competitive every day pricing that is sure to beat any of the chain retailers’ coupon “deals.”

The gallery’s second floor is the home to its sister company, Personal Threads Boutique, where you will find a huge array of in-stock yarns, patterns and supplies for needlepoint, knitting and crochet. Sign up for one of Personal Threads’ classes, whether you are just learning or are a lifelong knitter, we hope to become your personal yarn store.

As Lewis Art Gallery enjoys its 47th year of business, making it Omaha’s most established gallery, Personal Threads Boutique enjoys its 25th year. This successful business remains family owned and operated today by its second generation—Julie Wynn manages Lewis Art Gallery, while her husband Joe Wynn manages Personal Threads Boutique.

Ranked in Omaha Magazine as the 2018 Best of Omaha for Best Retail Art Gallery and Best Custom Picture Framing, as well as being listed in the 101 Things to Love About Omaha for the past several years, we invite you to visit us Monday – Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Scholarship and grant applications can be found on the Jewish Federation of Omaha webpage at: http:// www.jewish omaha. org/education/scholar ships-and-grants/.

Applications and all required documentation

Milestone month for lewis art gallery

The Jewish Press | January 19, 2018 | 5

community Beth El offers Hebrew Reading in Your Pajamas, Six String Shabbat and Minyan in the Round Ozzie NOgg Put these Beth El events on your calendar and start the New Year with additional Jewish content and practice.

• Thursday, Jan. 18. There’s still time to join Hebrew Reading in Your Pajamas, led by Hazzan Michael Krausman. The program, which began on Thursday, Jan. 18, teaches students the language of the Torah, the prayer book and many of Judaism’s cherished texts.

“This is an online collaborative Hebrew reading class in which you participate in the comfort of your own home,” Hazzan Krausman said. “Participants will interact with me and with each other, using an online program that allows for video, voice and screen sharing. Join our online class and you’ll be able to read the Haggadah in the original Hebrew by Passover. No prior knowledge is required.”

To sign up or for more information, please contact Hazzan Krausman at: Hazzankraus man@bethel-omaha.org.

• Friday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. Six String Shabbat: A lively and lovely way to welcome Shabbat together. Friday evening Kabbalat

Shabbat and Ma’ariv services in the Chapel will be accompanied by Andy Isaacson, Adam Kutler, Eadie Tsabari and Jake Spivack.

This team of talented and energetic guitarists promise to create an uplifting vibe that everyone will find meaningful. Traditional melodies will be woven together with contemporary settings to create an unforgettable tapestry of song and prayer. The entire family, from toddlers to teens to older adults, will enjoy and be moved by this service.

• Saturday, Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. Minyan in the Round: This lively, fast paced, interactive approach to the traditional Shabbat Morning service moves out of the Beth El sanctuary into a circular setting in the social hall, in order to explore alternative routes in our journey to connect with Our Creator. Join us for a different twist on Shabbat morning that will inspire and provide a meaningful experience for all who attend “These are three fantastic ways to make a fresh approach to your Jewish Heritage for the new Year,” Hazzan Krausman said.

“Please join us.”

Family-owned for 47 years and counting!

Come see our extensive selection of art, lamps, decorative accessories and gifts.

One week custom picture framing service

Celebrating 10 years at our “new” location 8600 Cass Street | 402-391-7733 | lewisartgallery.com Open: Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-6 p.m | Sat 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

6 | The Jewish Press | January 19, 2018

community

i

JWRP Trip: A gift that keeps on giving

Jennie GaTes Beckman Director of Community Engagement & Education t’s been several weeks since the 12 women on these pages experienced a whirlwind trip to Israel Nov. 26-Dec. 6 to represent Omaha on Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project’s MOMentum trip, but each one is still processing their incredible journey and talking through “what’s next”. Over 400 women from three different countries participated in this trip; this was the second group sent by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. e itinerary included a “too quick” 24 hours in the partnership region before the official JWRP program began – named by most participants as the highlight of their time in Israel. Keep an eye out for more details on this group as their year of learning continues throughout 2018.

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8 | The Jewish Press | January 19, 2018

Beth El hosts USY Winter Shabbaton

AMY DWORiN Beth El Synagogue Youth Engagement Director On Jan. 26, Jewish teens from across the Midwest will gather at Beth El Synagogue for USY’s Winter Shabbaton. It has been several years since Omaha hosted a USY convention, and the convention co-chairs, Lauren Kirk and Emily Kutler, are very excited to be bringing so many of their friends to

the convention, teens will have the chance to learn about Jews from around the world and explore their cultures through food, dance and music. They will examine global issues from a Jewish perspective and make connections between modern immigration and the stories of their ancestors. “I just came back from the Passport to Israel trip,” Lauren Kirk said, “and Emily went to Israel and Poland last summer with USY. We

Last fall, at Bilu USY/Kadima Bubble Soccer Kick Off event. Top row: Julia Weill, left, Brittney Clignett, Melanie Schwarz, Michael Raffel, Sophia Mavropoulos, Jake Lucoff, Julian Witkowski, Phoenix Mavropoulos, Chaeli Spivack, Ethan Spivack, Spencer Gordman, Zach Krausman. Bottom row: Jack Cohen, Gabby Witkowski, Lillian Cohen, Emily Kutler, Lauren Kirk, Hannah Stein, Josh Stein, Tristan Newman, Rae Cherry, Amanda Simon, Grant Jabenis, Peyton Kelln, Ari Finkelstein.

their city. Emily cannot contain her enthusiasm for USY. “We’re so excited to be hosting Emtza Region for this convention, because it’s such a big deal for the Omaha community,” she said. “It’s been a while since BILU — Beth El’s USY Chapter — has hosted a convention, and we can’t wait for the great weekend we have planned.”

The Beth El community has been instrumental in helping put on this event. Convention-goers will stay with congregants and community members through a program called Home Hospitality. Additionally, many congregants have helped prepare food and baked desserts that will be served over the weekend.

The theme for this convention is Around the World with Emtza. Emtza — the Hebrew word for ‘middle’ — is the name of the USY region that encompasses Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and parts of Canada. At

both love to travel and learned so much about ourselves and the world through experiencing different cultures. That is why we thought that Around the World with Emtza would make such a great convention theme.”

USY is the youth programming wing of the Conservative Judaism. There are five regional conventions each year and each is an opportunity for our Omaha teens to meet and connect with Jews across the country. Emily Kutler loves USY “... because it gives me so many opportunities to learn about my Judaism and to meet so many incredible people. This convention is a chance for us to show off our wonderful city and the amazing Jewish community in Omaha.”

If you are interested in learning more about the convention or want to help or host, please contact Amy Dworin: adw orin@bethel-omaha.org.

KC Kosher Co-op for Passover

We are still several weeks away from Passover, but it’s time to place your orders for kosher food from KC Kosher Coop! As many of Omaha’s Jewish community members know, it has become increasingly difficult to find many kosher products in town; however, KC Kosher Co-op, a company based in Kansas City specializing in providing kosher food at low costs, is once again offering a full line of kosher products delivered to Omaha at significantly discounted prices.

How does the Co-op work? Any community member can go onto the Co-op website at www.kckoshercoop.com to sign up for an account and easily browse, order, and pay for products online. All items are sold in bulk which keeps prices low, but if you don’t think you need an entire case of blintzes (or anything else for that matter) registrants can also choose cases to split with other members. The Co-op carries hundreds of fresh meat/poultry, dairy, dry goods, fish, candy, etc. Once the orders are made, the staff at KC Kosher Co-op processes the order and arranges a delivery to the city. When the order arrives, an unloading crew takes all of the boxes off the truck and makes sure everyone gets what they ordered. Co-op members have a one-hour window to pick up their order specially packaged and marked for them. People who split cases of products can then exchange items and/or money as needed.

The upcoming Passover order deadline is Thursday, Feb. 8 with a delivery at approximately 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14 at the Jewish Community Center. Visit www.kcko shercoop.com to sign-up and even receive reminders for order deadlines and pickup times. Please contact KC Kosher Co-op at admin@kckoshercoop.com with any questions about products and availability, or contact Jordana Kurtzman at j.kurtzman@cox.net if you need assistance navigating the website or using the split products page.

The Birth of a Nation: Parshat Bo

The Pesach offering, for which the holiday is named, is supposed to be shared with one’s neighbors, not friends or family. The reason for this is to create unity. True unity is between people who don’t share RABBi ARi opinions but still come together for DEMBiTZER a higher purpose. This is a nation. Beth Israel Synagogue Shabbat Shalom.

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Celebrating Our History PASSOVER 2018

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The Jewish Press | January 19, 2018 | 9

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(Founded in 1920) Eric Dunning President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Susan Bernard Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Staff Writer Thierry Ndjike Accounting Jewish Press Board Eric Dunning, President; Andy Ruback, Past-President; Sandy Friedman, Treasurer; Alex Grossman; Jill Idelman; Andy Isaacson, Mike Kaufman; David Kotok; Debbie Kricsfeld; Abby Kutler; Pam Monsky; Eric Shapiro and Barry Zoob.

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Time’s up for all of us

ANNETTE vAN DE KAmP Editor, Jewish Press t’s always disappointing to read stories about members of the tribe who reach great heights, only to fall back to earth. That loud ‘thump’ you heard about two weeks ago was Missouri Governor Eric Greiten, admitting to an extra-marital affair and being accused of attempting to blackmail the woman he was having that affair with. Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner subsequently announced there would be an official investigation.

Or maybe it was the announcement of an investigation by Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy in the Bronx; the school has launched an investigation after a former assistant principal was accused of sexually abusing a student in the 1970s.

Or perhaps the noise came from actor James Franco, who had no fewer than five women accuse him of sexually inappropriate behavior in a Los Angeles Times article.

There is little question that victims of sexual predators are coming forward faster and in greater numbers. There are several ways we can respond to all these stories.

We can continue to do what we’ve always done. We secretly think there might be merit to the accuser’s tale, or at least there’s some fire causing all that smoke. At the same time nothing changes; the accused doesn’t lose his job or reputation, the victim disappears back into obscurity when that smoke clears. And publicly, society says: she probably had a role in this too. Let’s face it; how often has a woman accused a famous and influential man, only to be told she’s making it up? How many times have we heard: it’s so long ago, why didn’t you come forward right away? Was it as big a deal as you’re making it out to be?

But ever since film producer Harvey Weinstein’s fall from we felt at the time. Those memories have the tendency to grace, media in general has been more willing to publish hang out in a dark corner of our mind, ready to jump out at these accounts. The vast majority of accusers are women; the most inopportune moments. And who wants to talk, in the general sense is that they finally feel it’s okay to tell detail, about the time you were grabbed here or there? It their story because the media and the public are more willing means talking about sex—something we’re not comfortable to listen. With listening sometimes comes belief, which is a with anyway. tremendously important distincThe biggest gain from this retion. And we can continue down newed discourse, if we allow it, can that road, provide victims everybe that victims everywhere can get where a platform and take past the shame. Because telling these stories seriously. someone about the time you were When famous people tell their treated as a sexual object is incredstory, it becomes easier for the ibly hard. It’s painful in a deeply perrest of us to echo: “Me Too.” sonal way. It means reliving times And that’s important, because when you had no control and feelin the public discourse, the onus ing victimized all over. And I think is still on the victims to tell their sometimes it’s a relief to not talk story, to provide proof, to hold about it, to pretend it’s not there the accused accountable. and move on.

It’s time we fight back against Someone told me recently that silence impulse. It’s time for that, as a society, we’re overrevictims to speak out and it’s time acting a little bit. As a woman for society to listen and believe. who has experienced multiple Open the floodgates, stand up and uncomfortable encounters over Credit: wikimedia commons say: “Me too.” the years, I say: let us. It’s I’m not optimistic the assaults themselves will stop hapabout time we overreact. Victims have kept silent for far too many years. We’ve kept silent about the times we were pening. But making it easier for victims to report, discuss, grabbed, manhandled, propositioned by people who were in share and process without automatic shame, now that a position of power, when we were too young to stand up would be a great jump forward. And maybe future editors to them. So what if it took us 30 years or longer to finally will have an easier time writing these kinds of editorials speak out? Time does not erase any of the shame and fear than I am having right now.

NY Times article shows how not to write about neo-Nazis ANDREW SiLoW-CARRoLL NEW YORK | JTA Did The New York Times just normalize an American neo-Nazi?

That’s the charge being flung at The Newspaper of Record over its Saturday profile of Tony Hovater, 29, a “polite,” “low key” Ohio man who is a “committed foot soldier” who helped start one of the white nationalist groups that marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August. The article, titled In America’s Heartland, the Nazi Sympathizer Next Door, depicts Hovater cooking pasta for his sympathetic wife and pushing a shopping cart through his local grocery, and asserts that “his Midwestern manners would please anyone’s mother.”

A lot of readers were outraged, saying the article

by Richard Fausset humanized a racist who deserves only scorn and made a “man who believes the races should be separated seem likable.” The Washington Post’s Karen Attiah complained that The Times “thought it was okay to give prominent space to Nazi ideology.”

The criticism moved Marc Lacey, the newspaper’s national editor, to write an editor’s note.

“We regret the degree to which the piece offended so many readers,” he wrote.

But Lacey also defended the intention of the piece.

“The point of the story,” he wrote, “was not to normalize anything but to describe the degree to which hate and extremism have become far more normal in American life than many of us want to think.”

And that is how I read the piece -- the first time.

To me it was an attempt to understand the tiki torch-carrying thugs who marched in Charlottesville and a useful reminder that not every racist or Nazi sympathizer shaves his head, wears jackboots or waves the Confederate battle flag.

Fausset, the writer, insists as much in the article itself. Here’s what journalists call the “nut graf ” -or English teachers might call the thesis statement: He is the Nazi sympathizer next door, polite and low-key at a time the old boundaries of accepted political activity can seem alarmingly in flux. Most Americans would be disgusted and baffled by his casually approving remarks about Hitler, disdain for democracy and belief that the races are better off separate. But his tattoos are innocuous pop-culture references: a slice of cherry pie adorns one arm, a

homage to the TV show Twin Peaks. He says he prefers to spread the gospel of white nationalism with satire. He is a big Seinfeld fan.

I applaud Fausset’s attempt to understand how noxious beliefs have infiltrated suburbia, and how the politics of white resentment have breathed new life into the repugnant philosophies of Nazism and institutionalized racism. I get the irony when Fausset describes Hovater’s “Midwestern manners,” and I think he provides an important service when he warns how the “alt-right” movement is hoping to

Credit: JTA Illustration: Lior Zaltzman

make white supremacism and anti-Semitism “less than shocking for the ‘normies,’ or normal people.”

That’s a lesson that needs to be heard, especially in the White House, where the president once spoke about the “very fine people” on the side of those nicely dressed young men seeking the separation of the races.

But how you read the article will depend on your interpretation of the word “But” that begins the third sentence in the excerpt above. I initially read it as “don’t be fooled by his homey tattoos and ‘Seinfeld’ references -- this guy is a thug.” But I now see how many read it as “he may sound repugnant, but he is actually a nice guy with some upsetting ideas.”

Some of the blame for that interpretation falls on Fausset. Too often he relays one of Hovator’s “uglier” ideas without explaining why they are vile, as when Hovator is shown “defending his assertion that Jews run the worlds of finance and the media, and ‘appear to be working more in line with their own interests than everybody else’s.’”

Fausset doesn’t comment on these assertions -presumably because the reporter feels that readers will need no reminder how awful they are. But maybe that presumption no longer holds -- maybe

we need a sentence or outside source saying something like this: “Those kinds of conspiracy theories are at the heart of Western anti-Semitism, and formed the basis for the ideology, revered by Hovater, that justified the systematic slaughter of 6 million people.”

It’s not clear if Fausset directly challenged Hovater with the history of anti-Semitism or genocide or Jim Crow. But he does say that he asked why Hovater “moved so far right.” The term “far right” in this context unfortunately puts genocide and racism on a continuum with other right-wing ideas, as if they are just slightly more extreme than lower taxes and fewer regulations. That’s where readers rightly sense the “normalization” of the fascist fringe.

Again, Fausset repeatedly shows Hovater at his worst, whether he is paraphrasing a Nazi slogan or sharing a social media post that imagines the Aryan paradise Germany would have become had it won the war. But the articles’ best intentions come crashing down with this: [Hovater] declared the widely accepted estimate that six million Jews died in the Holocaust “overblown.” He said that while the Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler wanted to exterminate groups like Slavs and homosexuals, Hitler “was a lot more kind of chill on those subjects.”

“Widely accepted estimate”? How about the “the historians’ consensus” or “the overwhelming evidence”?

And if Hovater is going to assert something as preposterous as the notion that Hitler was “chill” about genocide and ethnic cleansing, Fausset should immediately have quoted an actual historian saying how central to his policies were the elimination of Jews and other “undersirables.”

I’ve often argued that the strength and weakness of The Times is that it often acts as if it is having an “insider” conversation with the kinds of readers who form its core, or idealized, audience: liberals, the affluent, the highly educated and, yes, Jews. It leads to highly critical Israel coverage, for example, because this is the way “family” talks with one another.

In this case, it led editors to assume that readers would read a portrait of a neo-Nazi “normie” as a cautionary tale about the mainstreaming of hate. But it forgot about a wider audience that still needs a reminder that some ideas are not merely “ugly” but vile, abhorrent and fundamentally un-American.

10 | The Jewish Press | January 19, 2018

synagogues 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

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

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

teMple isRael

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

tiFeReth isRael

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

b’nai isRael synagogue

Please join us for our upcoming events: Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker Council Bluffs resident and Holocaust Survivor, Kitty Williams. Our service leader is Larry Blass, and as always, an oneg to follow service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

For information on our historic synagogue, please contact any of our board members: Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf.

beth el synagogue

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

FRiday: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.; Dinner with Abigail Pogrebin, author of My Jewish Year, following services. satuRday: Shabbat Services with guest speaker author of My Jewish Year, 9:30 a.m.; Shabbat’s Cool, Grades K-7, 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Beth El; MiniMinyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha-Ma’ariv, 5:15 p.m.

WeeKday seRViCes: Sundays, 9:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. sunday: BESTT Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Torah Tots, 10:30 a.m.; Minor Prophets, the Rabbi’s Take-Amos with Rabbi Abraham, 11 a.m.; School Committee Meeting, 11 a.m.; USY/Kadima Purim Prep, noon. tuesday: The Ethical Life class with Rabbi Abraham, noon at Whole Foods.

Wednesday: BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m.; Minor Prophets class with Leonard Greenspoon, 6 p.m.; Hebrew High, 6:30 p.m.; The Ethical Life class with Rabbi Abraham, 7 p.m.

USY Winter Shabbaton, Friday, Jan. 26-sunday, Jan. 28.

Beth El serves lunch at Nebraska AIDS Coalition, Friday, Jan. 26, 11:30 a.m.

Tot Shabbat with Miss Patty and Preneg, Friday, Jan. 26, 5:30 p.m. and Kabblat Shabbat led by USY, 6 p.m.

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

beth isRael synagogue

Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer.

FRiday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Candle Lighting and Mincha, 5:07 p.m.; Congregational Shabbat Dinner welcoming students from Sharei Prozdur, 6 p.m. satuRday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:40 a.m.; Insights into the Weekly Torah, 4:05 p.m.; Mincha/ Seudah Shlishit, 4:50 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:11 p.m. sunday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; From Mechitza to the Marriage Canopy—Gender Roles in Judaism with Rabbi Ari, 10 a.m.

Monday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Talmudic Tales with Rabbi Shlomo, noon. tuesday-Wednesday: Shacharit, 7 a.m. thuRsday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Women’s Class, 9:30 a.m.

Chabad house

Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman.

FRiday: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing. satuRday: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.

WeeKdays: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing.

Monday: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani.

Wednesday: Mystical Thinking, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman. thuRsday: Talmud Class, noon with Rabbi Katzman.

All programs are open to the entire community.

CongRegation b’nai JeshuRun

Services conducted by Rabbi Teri Appleby.

FRiday: Candlelighting, 5:11 p.m.; Shabbat Evening Service, 6:30 p.m.; Oneg, 7:30 p.m. satuRday: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study on Parashat Bo, 10:30 a.m.; Game Night and Potluck Dinner, 6 p.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 6:42 p.m.; Meet and Greet, 7:30 p.m. at Rabbi Appleby’s home. sunday: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS

Gesher, 10 a.m.; Purim Spiel Rehearsal, 1 p.m.; Jewish Book Club, 1:30 p.m. at Gere Library, 2400 S. 56th St. and will discuss Between Gods by Alison PIck. Please contact Laura French with questions; SST is partnering with "We Can Do This" to provide weekend meals to the children of the F Street Community Center. We provide lunch on the third Sunday of every month. Food/monetary donations, meal preparation and assistance with setting up, serving, and clean-up are needed! We will serve our next meal at 2:30 p.m. For more information, email Sarah Beringer at sarah.m.beringer@ gmail.com.; Adult Ed: Shabbat Prayer, 3 p.m.; Meet and Greet, 7:30 p.m. at Rabbi Appleby’s home. tuesday: Intro to Judaism, Session #7, 7 p.m. led by Rabbi Appleby.

Wednesday: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. thuRsday: Meet and Greet, 2 p.m. at the Temple.

Tu B’Shevat Seder and Dinner, tuesday, Jan. 30, 6 p.m. Please RSVP by noon on Friday, Jan. 26.

Our Chesed branch (Caring Committee) is looking for volunteers to provide transportation for Temple members and friends who aren’t able to drive themselves to doctor’s appointments and other commitments. Volunteers are also being sought to help caregivers in our Temple community when they need a little time to get things done for themselves. Contact Chesed Branch Head Vicki Edwards at vgrandma1947@gmail.com if you would like to help with this important mitzvah.

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

Wednesday: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; T’filah for School, 4:30 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6 p.m.; Family School, 6 p.m.; Guiding Principles for the Synagogue Community: Mishpat: Be Fair and Compassionate, 6:30 p.m. taught by Cantor Wendy Shermet. thuRsday: Jewish Heroes, Heroines, and Personalities: Paul: The Jewish Apostle, 10 a.m. by Rabbi Brian Stoller.

The Symposium will be taught by Temple Israel clergy, with guest sessions led by our Tri-Faith clergy partners and other teachers in the Omaha Jewish community; OTYG Lounge Night, 5 p.m. Snacks will be provide. RSVP Required; Kol Rina Rehearsal, 7 p.m.

Shabbat Shira Service with Kol Rina and St. Paul United Methodist Choir, Friday, Jan. 26, 6 p.m. and sunday, Jan. 28, 10:30 a.m. Kol Rina and the St. Paul United Methodist Church choir will sing with each other during parsha B’shalach Shira, the “Sabbath of Song.” Temple Israel will host St. Paul and their minister on Jan. 26, services, and St. Paul will host Temple Israel and Rabbi Stoller on Jan. 28.

Jewish Heroes, Heroines, and Personalities: Paul: The Jewish Apostle, by Rev. Dr. Eric Elnes, Senior Minister, Countryside Community Church, thursday, Feb. 1, 10 a.m.

Annual Super Bowl Party, sunday, Feb. 4, 4:30 p.m.

Come watch Super Bowl LII with us on our projection screens! We will provide all-you-can-eat appetizers and nonalcoholic drinks. BYOB. There will be activities for kids and sitter service provided. The suggested donation for the evening is $7 per person or $15 per family. Please RSVP to Temple Israel, 402.556.6536 or RsVp@templeisraelomaha.com,

by Friday, Feb. 2.

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

Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

FRiday: Services, 6:30 p.m. satuRday: Shabbat Morning service, 10 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 11 a.m.; Services will be followed by a light Kiddush Lunch. sunday: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m.; Jewish Book Club, 1:30 p.m. at Gere Library, 2400 S. 56th St. and will discuss Between Gods by Alison PIck. Please contact Laura French with questions; TI Board Meeting, 3 p.m.; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. All equipment furnished. Wear comfortable clothing. For questions, call or text Miriam Wallick at miriam57@aol.com.

Monday: Second Half of the DVD Course Beginnings of Judaism, 7:30-9 p.m.

Wednesday: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. thuRsday: Hebrew classes for adults, 6:30-7:30 p.m., with Esti Sheinberg. Each meeting will include listening, speaking and a little reading.

Havdallah gathering in honor of Shabbat Shira and Tu B'shevat, Jan. 27, 6:30 p.m. at the Coren home. Please RSVP to the office by Jan. 24. This evening will feature the musical talents of Louis Raymond-Kolker and special treats expressing our love of trees and the environment.

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

Application packets are availible in the Tifereth Israel foyer.

oFFutt aiR FoRCe base

Rose bluMKin JeWish hoMe

satuRday: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Stan Edelstein.

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

teMple isRael

FRiday: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. satuRday: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Service, 10:30 a.m.; BINGO! Night, 5 p.m. We will begin with Havdalah, followed by kosher hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and salad bar. Bring a dessert to share. Afterwards we will enjoy an evening of Bingo with prizes! Cost: $5 per individual, $15 per family. RSVP required. sunday: Grades PreK-6, 10 a.m.; Love and Logic Parent Training Class, 10 a.m. taught by Karen Gustafson, MS, NCC, LIMHP, Executive Director of JFS and a licensed independent mental health practitioner. The class also continues on Jan. 28 and Feb. 4. Registration required; Temple Tots, 10:30 a.m.; Temple Book Club, 10:30 a.m. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larsen will be discussed; OTYG Board Meeting, noon; Schmooze and Snack with JYG, 2 p.m. Enjoy a day in from the cold with JYG for some movies, snacks, chit chat at Temple Israel. RSVP required.

Ask Rabbi Katzman dear Rabbi, What is glatt Kosher as opposed to plain kosher? isn’t just Kosher good enough? no Frills Kosher

Dear No Frills, Did you know that the word “Kosher” literally means “fit for use”? Hence, Rabbi Mendel Kosher food is everything KatzMan included in G-d’s recom- Chabad of Nebraska mended diet for Jews, considered fit and proper for us to eat.

In order for poultry or beef to be “fit for use”, it must be “shechted” or ritually slaughtered. The knife used is called a “chalif ”, literally “transformer”. The “chalif ”, slaughter- knife, transforms the animal from being “unfit for use” by Jewish law, to being “fit for use”.

Can one take a dead bison, for example and

tiFeReth isRael

slaughter it with a “chalif ” to transform it from “unfit” to “fit for use”? Of course not! Why? Because it was already dead! Can one slaughter an animal who is very ill and about to die? No. Because it is in a terminal state.

This is why after the ritual slaughtering process, the “bodek” (examiner) examines the animal to make sure that it was in perfect health.

That the animal just slaughtered wasn’t about to die. One health benchmark is the lungs. If the lungs are smooth — without lesions, it is a strong indication that the animal is in good shape. If there is a problem with the lungs it is unkosher by all standards.

“Glatt” in yiddish means smooth. In “Glatt Kosher” only perfectly smooth lungs are acceptable. In non- Glatt meat, the lungs are examined and determined to be healthy, but not perfectly smooth. Glatt represents a more stringent examination with regard to acceptance or rejection of an animal as kosher, based on the smoothness of lung.

The Jewish Press | January 19, 2018 | 11

lifecycles In memorIam

Harry Leon LewIS

Former Omahan Harry Leon Lewis passed away on Jan. 4 at age of 87.

Services were held in Phoenix, AZ. He is survived by his wife Barbara; sons, Steven, Craig and Robert Lewis; eight grandchildren; and ten great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Temple Chai, 4645 East Marilyn Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032; Alzheimers Association; or Parkinsons Foundation.

marILyn ann katz

Marilyn Ann Katz of Bryant, AR, passed away Jan. 7 at age 82. A Remembrance gathering was held Saturday, Jan. 13.

She was preceded in death by her parents; daughter, Susan Bissell; brother, Martin Nearenberg; and sister, Lucille Nearenberg.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Allen and Dianne Katz of Charleston, SC; daughter and son-in-law, Julie and Tim Ferrell of Benton, AR, and daughter, Michelle Katz of Phoenix, AZ; sister, Sandra Jones of Kansas; brother, Sidney Nearenberg of New York; son-in-law, Will Bissell of Omaha; 18 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews, and other loved ones.

She was born Sept. 9, 1935, in Brooklyn, NY, to the late Margaret and Milton Nearenberg.

Memorials may be made Alzheimer's Association in Marilyn's name to P.O. Box 96011 Washington, D.C. 20090-6011. Condolence cards for the family may be sent to 504 Edison Benton, AR 72015.

Israeli ‘dreamer’ threatened with deportation after wrong turn into Mexico

JTA nEws sTAff An Israeli citizen living in California under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA status was jailed for nearly a week and threatened with deportation aer making a wrong turn at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Orr Yakobi, 22, is a senior at the University of California, San Diego. He was brought to the U.S. by his parents at the age of 7 and is a so-called “dreamer,” named aer the DREAM Act that instituted the DACA program. Under DACA, Yakobi is prohibited from travelling outside of the country.

Yakobi and a friend le an outlet mall in San Ysidro on Jan. 7 and made a wrong turn, accidentally getting on a ramp that led them straight to Mexico without the ability to turn around, NBC San Diego reported.

Yakobi was detained at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and placed in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He spent several days at Otay Mesa Detention Center where he faced deportation.

A math and computer science major, he is two classes from graduating and is working as a freelance programmer, according to NBC San Diego.

President Donald Trump cancelled the program in September. Yakobi’s DACA status expires in March, though he may be able to renew it for two more years following a recent court decision temporarily reinstating the program.

An online petition calling for Yakobi’s release had garnered more than 8,000 signatures. Several state and local lawmakers also had written letters on his behalf.

Yakobi was unconditionally released on Friday, with no change to his DACA status.

It’s unbelievable,” Jacob Sapochnick, Yakobi’s attorney, told local news outlets. “I think it was a combination of everything, the political pressure, the logical argument, just trying to get him to finish his school.”

President Barack Obama had launched DACA in 2011 aer multiple attempts failed in Congress to pass an immigration bill that would settle the status of 11 million undocumented immigrants. e program protected those who arrived as children from deportation and granted them limited legal status.

The Post banned in Lebanon over Spielberg’s Israel ties

JERUSALEM | JTA Lebanese movie theaters have been banned from screening the newspaper drama e Post due to director Steven Spielberg’s ties to Israel.

Lebanon’s censorship board made the decision based on a “boycott Israel” list, which Spielberg appears on since he shot some scenes from the 1993 film Schindler’s List in Jerusalem, the Hollywood Reporter reported Sunday, citing a source involved with the movie’s international rollout. e decision, made hours before the first screening was scheduled to start in Beirut, Steven Spielberg could still be overturned by Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/ the country’s Minister of InteGetty Images for Turner rior and Municipalities, according to the Hollywood Reporter. e film about the Washington Post’s pursuit and publishing of the Pentagon Papers opened Jan. 11 in Israel.

In the last three years, at least five films directed or produced by Spielberg were screened in Lebanon, including e BFG, and Bridge of Spies.

Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment had not been officially told by the Lebanese distributor that the film is being banned, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

In June, Lebanon’s interior ministry banned the film Wonder Woman from its theaters because the movie’s lead actress Gal Gadot is Israeli and served in the Israel Defense Forces.

Lebanon technically is officially at war with Israel and bans Israeli products. Lebanese citizens are not allowed to travel or have contact with Israeli citizens.

Racist, anti-semitic fliers spread ahead of MLK Day

JTA nEws sTAff Racist and anti-Semitic fliers published by the Ku Klux Klan were delivered in a Virginia neighborhood. e fliers were placed in plastic baggies and held down with a piece of candy on the doorsteps of homes in Leesburg, Virginia over the weekend. One of the fliers reads “Join the United States Army and Fight for Israel.” e caricature shows an American soldier standing in front of a balding, bulbous nosed man in plaid shorts holding an Israeli flag. It also accuses Jews of controlling the media and provides a list of “high ranking Jews who control the media.”

Another flier reads “On Martin Luther King Day you are honoring a Communist alcoholic pervert.” e flier is addressed to Loyal White Knights and provides a web address for a KKK website.

Police told local media that there is no indication any of the households who received the fliers were specifically targeted. Last Halloween, Leesburg residents received bags filled with candy and messages warning of “white extinction.” ose messages villainized African-Americans, Jews and liberals, and included the insignia for the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

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12 | The Jewish Press | January 19, 2018

community

American Jews in the Time of Trump launches In Moderation series

i

MarK KirchhOff where he also served as Graduate In- She received her Ph.D. in Religious Community Engagement and Education structor and Research Assistant. Prior to Ethics from the University of Virginia n the fast-paced world in which joining UNL, he was an Assistant Pro- and her M.Div. and B.A. degrees from we live, we often have little time to fessor of Justice Studies at James Madi- the University of Chicago. In addition to discuss and reflect on topics that son University. Dr. Kohen’s publications religion and human rights, her areas of are of particular interest and relevance to us. As soon as we begin focusing on one, it seems that another comes along. The In Moderation series, sponsored through the Phillip & Ethel Klutznik Chair at Creighton University, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Omaha, will offer three evenings of topics particularly relevant to the Jewish community in a manari Kohen, Ph.D. Laura alexander, Ph.D. robert evnen ner that allows for the productive exchange of points of view and the include two books and a number of ar- research and teaching include comparopportunity for each person to examine ticles. He is also active in social media. ative religious ethics, religion and immihis or her beliefs. The series will begin Robert Evnen, Esq. joined the Woods gration, and religious thinking about on Tuesday, Jan. 23 from 7-9 p.m. in the & Aitken law firm in Lincoln, Nebraska, just war and national sovereignty. She Kripke Jewish Federation Library with as a practicing attorney in 1987. He has given multiple presentations in these American Jews in the Time of Trump. earned his B.A. from Michigan State areas, participated in a working group Two additional presentations will be University and his J.D. from the Univer- on religion and refugee issues, and coheld on Feb. 27 and March 26. sity of Southern California Gould chaired the Interreligious Reflections on The first evening features two presen- School of Law. Robert actively partici- Immigration seminar at the American ters, Ari Kohen, Ph.D., presenting a lib- pates in bar association activities related Academy of Religion annual meeting. eral perspective and Robert Evnen, to employment law. He served as Chair The In Moderation series is open to the Esq., presenting a conservative prospec- of the Nebraska State Bar Section on public free of charge. Reservations are tive. The first recipient of the Goldstein Labor Relations and Employment Law. not required, but to assist with our planFamily Community Chair in Human He was a member of the board of Ne- ning we request that you let us know that Rights at UNO, Laura Alexander, Ph.D., braska Continuing Legal Education, you are coming by phoning Mark at will be the moderator for the evening. where he chaired and contributed to 402.334.6463 or emailing mkirchhoff@ Dr. Kohen has been the Schlesinger several labor law seminars. jewishomaha.org. Participants are enAssociate Professor of Political Science Dr. Alexander is an Assistant Profes- couraged to bring their best active listenat the University of Nebraska-Lincoln sor of Religious Studies, with a specialty ing skills, ready to enjoy an evening of (UNL) since August of 2007. He earned in Religion and Human Rights, at the intellectual stimulation and reflection.

B.A.s in International Relations and Po- University of Nebraska, Omaha (UNO). Time will be allocated for questions. litical Theory from Michigan State University. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in Political Science from Duke University

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Move over, Gal — a new female Jewish superhero is coming

Marcy Oster JTA A new leading woman is about to get her own superhero film. e character is much darker than Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman but also happens to be played by a badass Jewish actress.

Scarlett Johansson has already appeared in multiple Marvel feature films as Black Widow, also known as Natasha Romanoff. On Jan. 11, it was widely reported that Marvel Studios had hired a female screenwriter, Jac Schaeffer to pen Black Widow, the character’s first solo feature film. Johansson will reprise her role as the mysterious Russian assassin in the movie.

While the hiring of a writer doesn’t mean a film is guaranteed, it shows that the studio is finally moving forward with the project, which has been talked about for years.

Black Widow first appeared in Iron Man 2 and since then has appeared in both Avengers films, as well as Captain America: e Winter Soldier and “Captain America: Civil War. We’ll get to see her again later this year in Avengers: Infinity War, which is rumored to be the last time that the current Avengers crew will be seen together.

In the Marvel universe, the Romanoff character was trained as a young girl by the KGB, and her prowess as an expert assassin earned her the Black Widow moniker. She later defected from Russia to become a member of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, a secret American espionage and counter-terrorism agency. e Black Widow oen seems emotionless, probably because she was sterilized by the KGB. Still, although she is ruthless, she is incredibly loyal. She is serious, yet has a sarcastic sense of humor. In a sense, she is the anti-Wonder Woman.

Black Widow won’t be the next female superhero film — Brie Larson is set to star in Captain Marvel, which is slated to be released in 2019.

While Gadot was relatively unheard of before her breakout role, Johansson is already about as big a movie star as there is. e actress (who recently learned about her Jewish ancestry on Finding Your Roots) has appeared in everything from indie romantic comedies to sci-fi action blockbusters and is one of the highest-grossing actresses of all time.

Nevertheless, it will be fun to see another Jewish star fighting evil on the big screen.