January 19, 2024

A N AG E N C Y O F T H E J E W I S H F E D E R AT I O N O F O M A H A

The Jewish Press WWW.O M A H A J E W I S H P R E SS .CO M

INSIDE

|

WWW. J E W I S H O M A H A .O R G

SPONSORED BY THE BENJAMIN AND ANNA E. WIESMAN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND

JA N UA RY 1 9, 2 024 | 9 S H E VAT 578 4 | VO L. 1 05 | NO. 1 3 | CANDLELIGHTING | FRIDAY, JAN UARY 19, 5 : 0 5 P.M.

JOURNEY TO POLAND Part 1 Life & Legacy Notes: Nate Shapiro Page 5

Giving back to the community Page 6

HAZZAN MICHAEL KRAUSMAN ut of the depths of despair and despondency, the prophet Isaiah declared, “Kol Omer K’rah, V’omar, Mah Ek’ra: A voice says, ‘cry out’, and I say, ‘what shall I cry?’”

Had he consulted the Torah, Isaiah would have found that many centuries earlier Moses and the people of Israel had the perfect answer to the prophet’s query.

When confronting the overwhelming feelings associated with escaping slavery and Pharoah’s genocidal army, they naturally expressed themselves in song: Shirat Ha Yam, the Song of the Sea.

O Anne Frank and the Florida book-ban lawsuit Page 12

Throughout our history, the Jewish people have articulated the deepest yearnings of our souls through the medium of Jewish song. So, it is only fitting that on the Shabbat on which we read about the jubilant crossing of the Red Sea that we not only sing the Shirat Ha Yam but also pay homage to the huge impact that Jewish music continues to have on our lives.

I recently experienced this phenomenon on a deeply personal level. For a week, in the middle of November, Laurel and I, together with Steve and Joye Wees and a group of fifteen adults from the US, Canada and Israel, participated in See Journey to Poland page 3

Honoring first responders The Willesden READS Project

REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles

7 8 10 11

The Yellin family delivers goodie boxes to a fire station in Elkhorn for Operation Grateful Goodies.

LINDA SALTZMAN Operation Grateful Goodies Chairperson A record number of Jewish com-

munity members participated in the 6th Annual Operation Grateful Goodies last month. More than 75 families baked treats, dropped off goodies, donated funds, wrote cards and delivered thank-you gift boxes to people working to save lives on Dec. 25.

In total, more than 370 gift boxes were delivered to 113 locations throughout Omaha and surrounding suburbs. Among the recipients of the gift boxes were hospitals, police stations, fire stations and Eppley Airfield. Other locations included, but See Honoring responders page 2

Mona at the piano

PAM MONSKY, JCRC Assistant Director AND JANE NESBIT, IHE Education Coordinator The Jewish Community Relations Council ( JCRC), the Institute of Holocaust Education (IHE) and the Jewish Federation of Omaha (JFO) are joining forces to bring an impactful and inspiring program to Omaha area middle school stu-

dents and the community on March 28, 2024, at the Holland Performing Arts Center.

Currently, 1500 local middle school students from 15 area middle schools are registered for the project which includes a complete curriculum based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane. This true See Willesden READS page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | January 19, 2024

News

Honoring responders

LOC AL | N ATI O N A L | WO R L D

Willesden READS

Continued from page 1 story centers on Lisa Jura, a 14-year-old piano prodigy living in Vienna during the Nazi invasion. The book is written by Lisa’s daughter, Mona Golabek, herself an accomplished concert pianist. Participating students will receive their very own copy of the book and attend the live theatrical performance free of charge.

Set in Vienna in 1938 and in London during the Blitzkrieg, The Children of Willesden Lane tells the true story of Lisa Jura, a young Jewish musician who is dreaming about her concert debut at the storied Musikverein concert hall.

When new ordinances are issued under the Nazi regime, everything changes for Lisa, except her love of music and the pursuit of her dream.

Community members and the general public are invited to attend this heartstirring show on March 28 at 7 p.m. at the Holland Performing Arts Center.

Virtuoso Mona Golabek will perform some of the world’s most revered piano

compositions as she shares her mother’s riveting story of survival.

Tickets for the evening performance are $36 per adult. Adult ticket holders may bring up to 10 students ages 12-18 using the promo code JFO18 free of charge. Seating is limited. To reserve your tickets please scan the QR code below or visit www.ihene.org.

This program is generously funded by the Henry Davis Family Foundation, Fran & Rich Juro and the Lozier Foundation.

The Jewish Community Relations Council is dedicated to working in common cause to enhance cooperation with other

religious, racial, ethnic, and civic groups to foster a just, democratic and pluralistic society as well as promote the security of Israel and Jews everywhere. Guided by Jewish values, the JCRC is a nonpartisan agency that advocates, educates, collaborates, and mobilizes action on issues important to the Jewish Community and the greater community.

The mission of the Institute for Holocaust Education is to provide educational resources, workshops, survivor testimony, and integrated arts programming to students, educators, and the public. The IHE provides support to Holocaust survivors in our community.

The Play That Goes Wrong opens soon at Omaha Community Playhouse

The Play That Goes Wrong opens at the Omaha Community Playhouse on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. The show will run in the Hawks Mainstage Theatre through Sunday, Feb. 18, with performances Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Tony Award-winner The Play That Goes Wrong is the side-splitting farce that has taken the theatrical world by storm. Called “the funniest play Broad-

way has ever seen” (The Huffington Post), this tour de force is filled with mayhem, pratfalls and a set that has a life of its own. A masterpiece of malfunction, The Play That Goes Wrong is the can’t-miss theatrical experience of the season.

Tickets are on sale now, with prices varying by performance. Tickets may be purchased at the OCP Box Office, by phone at 402.553.0800 or online at OmahaPlayhouse.com.

The Omaha Community Playhouse is supported in part by the Nebraska Arts Council, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment and the Douglas County Board of Commissioners. Established in 1924, the Omaha Community Playhouse is the largest community theatre in the United States based on memberships sold and facility size, among other factors. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

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

Sandy Nogg and the crew pack up gift boxes for Operation Grateful Goodies on Dec. 24, 2023.

Continued from page 1 were not limited to, 24-hour pharmacies, the Omaha Correctional Center, the Nebraska Humane Society, rehab and long-term care facilities, and Boys Town.

With snow in the forecast for Dec. 25, the delivery crew remained undaunted. All deliveries were made on time.

The dedicated first responders appreciated the treats. A representative from the Henry Doorly Zoo said, “It was really appreciated by the staff taking care of the animals and other essential functions at the zoo before enjoying time with their family and friends. Thank you for considering us when thinking about employees who spend time away from their families during the holidays. It meant a lot to our employees.”

Operation Grateful Goodies is a program of Beth El Synagogue’s Miriam Initiative in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Omaha, Chabad of Nebraska, Beth Israel and Temple Israel. Through Operation Grateful Goodies, the Jewish community thanks those who work to heal and protect us, away from their families, on Dec. 25. If you would like to join the 2024 Operation Grateful Goodies planning team, contact Linda_Saltzman@hotmail.com.

SUMMER INTERN THE JEWISH PRESS IS LOOKING FOR A SUMMER INTERN. If you are currently a high schooler age 16 and up, or college student up to 24 years old, 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!

The Jewish Press

The Jewish Press | January 19, 2024 | 3

JOURNEY TO POLAND ing, many of whom were buried in the rubble below. After Continued from page 1 a life-changing journey across Poland. This annual trip, organ- reciting a tearful kaddish, we formed a circle and sang, Aceinu ized by Ramah Israel, is expertly crafted to show the arc of the Kol Beit Yisrael (our brothers and sisters or the House of Isalmost one thousand years history of the Polish Jewish com- rael.) Our day of exploring concluded with a visit to the magmunity from before the Shoah through the horrors of the nificent Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews from the Holocaust and up to current Middle Ages until today. times. Poland was the heart Tuesday morning began with and soul of Ashkenazi Jewish a journey to the restored Shtetl civilization for generations (small town) of Tykocin. It was with hundreds of synagogues fascinating to see how the ranging from huge to tiny, and Communists, who ruled countless centers of higher Poland following World War II, Jewish learning and culture – went to great effort and exall the best that society could pense to restore parts of the offer at the time. Before the Jewish community. Perhaps it Shoah there were 3 million was to show what horrible Jews in Poland; about 300,000 people the Nazis, their mortal survived, and many immedienemies, were. This small vilately fled; now only a few thoulage was completely restored sand remain. including shops, homes, and The tremendous impact of the stunning synagogue. This Dr. Zamenhoff grave this experience was in no small synagogue like so many others part enriched by the brilliant, creative and compassionate, ed- across Poland, lies dormant waiting for groups like ours to ucator who guided us through Poland, Betsalel Steinhart. Just come and infuse some of the life spirit that at one time reverlike Moses and the children of Israel whom we recall on Shab- berated therein. It was my great honor to lead a joyous mornbat Shira, we were encouraged to process the flood of emo- ing service including the psalms of praise known as Hallel in tions that we felt on this sojourn through the medium of celebration of the first day of the month of Kislev. Our hearts Jewish song by Betsalel. Betsalel provided a powerful playlist were filled as we sang the familiar melodies together, momenof soul-stirring melodies that he shared along the way. tarily reviving what was once a thriving community center.

Our journey began on Monday morning Nov. 13 with a visit With the festive songs of our service still echoing in our to the massive Warsaw Jewish cemetery. While most of us as- minds, we boarded the bus and headed to one of the many sociate cemeteries with sadness, we realized that the majority tragic sites that we encountered on our journey. Like far too of those who were buried in Warsaw were in some sense for- many Jewish communities of Poland and Eastern Europe, the tunate in that they lived a mostly normal life and passed away Jews of Tykocin were marched off into Lopuchowo Forest under typical circumstances. This sad irony was a fitting in- where they were made to stand around giant pits that were troduction to the Polish Jewish community. dug in the ground. One by one the Jews were slaughtered by The cemetery contains hundreds and hundreds of graves the Nazi Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing units)and dropped marked with a variety of monuments from simple stones to into those horrible mass graves. As we walked through that substantial mausoleums. Among those buried in the cemetery silent forest, we listened to a heartrending cover of The were renowned Rabbis such as Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, po- Sounds of Silence by Disturbed. The flood of emotions that litical leaders such as Adam Czerniaków Head of the Judenrat ensued from visiting this horrible location found voice in that (counsel) of the Warsaw ghetto, community activists such as beautiful rendition and still comes back when I listen to it to Marek Edelman the head of the Bund, a socialist labor organ- this day. ization that resisted the Nazis, actors such as Ester Rachel Our incredibly difficult day continued with an excursion to Kamińska the “Mama” of the Yiddish theatre, and even the in- the infamous Treblinka death camp where hundreds of thouventor of Esperanto, Dr. Layser Zamenhof. One of the most sands of Jewish people were brutally asphyxiated to death by striking spots in the Warsaw Cemetery is the Star of David- poison gas. It was extremely cold and rainy. Even though we adorned cover of a putrid sewer through which children were all wet and miserable, we realized that while we were would crawl to smuggle goods into the Warsaw Ghetto during going to be fortunate enough to walk out of Treblinka, no Jew who entered Treblinka during the time it was in operation the Nazi occupation.

For the rest of the day, we explored the remains of the War- ever hoped to walk out. As I chanted the soul-stirring memosaw ghetto. Markers on the sidewalk indicate the location of rial prayer, EL Male Rahamim, we gazed at the cold stone the ghetto walls, some of which are still standing. We saw the monuments and the vast memorial sculpture, all that is left Umshlag Platz, where the Jews of the ghetto were rounded up, of that despicable place. Our guide played two stirring songs loaded onto trains, and sent off to be murdered at a Nazi con- by Yehuda Polinker, Ha Tachana Ha Katna Treblinka (the Trecentration camp. We then went to pay our respects at the blinka Train Station) and Afar V’avak ( dust and ashes). Our monument at Mila 18, the site of the last stand of Mordechai bus ride back to the hotel was anything but joyful.

Editors note: This is part one in a series of four.

Anielewicz and the brave fighters of the Warsaw ghetto upris-

You’re invited: Will Consultation Day STACIE METZ JFO Foundation Program and Stewardship Administrator In celebration of our 10th year of Life & Legacy, we are delighted to announce our Will Consultation Day. Join us on Tuesday, Jan. 30, anytime from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Staenberg Omaha JCC campus. Attorneys will be available to meet with you individually, providing free legal guidance toward formalizing your after-lifetime gift.

Additionally, you will receive a complimentary copy of A Spectrum of Legacies – The Gifts You Leave Your Children and Community by Omaha's Mark Weber, a valuable resource for charitable giving.

Your Life & Legacy gift will leave a lasting impact, benefiting generations to come. As a Life & Legacy donor, you ensure the continuity of Jewish traditions and institutions that hold significance for you, both now and for future generations. Your decision to sign a Letter of Intent through our Life & Legacy initiative is a true investment in securing a vi-

brant Jewish future.

We are dedicated to transforming your philanthropic vision into reality. With the Life & Legacy program, you have the opportunity to create a lasting gift for the numerous local Jewish organizations that you hold dear. We can provide bequest language and collaborate with you and your professional advisor(s) to offer guidance on selecting the most suitable gifting vehicles for your estate plan.

As the Talmud wisely states, “I did not find the world desolate when I entered it, and as my ancestors planted for me before I was born, so do I plant for those who will come after me.” Your endowment gift will play a crucial role in ensuring that the Jewish traditions and institutions you cherish will endure for future generations. In essence, you are sowing seeds for those who will follow in your footsteps.

For further inquiries, please feel free to contact Stacie Metz at 402.334.6485 or smetz@jewishomaha.org. We eagerly anticipate your presence on Jan. 30th!

INFORMATION ANTISEMITIC/HATE INCIDENTS If you encounter an antisemitic or other hate incident, you are not alone. Your first call should be to the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) in Omaha at 402.334.6572, or email JCRCreporting@jewishomaha.org. If you perceive an imminent threat, call 911, and text Safety & Security Manager James Donahue at 402.213.1658.

ROOFING

SIDING

Home Appliance

GUTTERS

Heating & Cooling

402-391-4287

HIRO 88 WEST OMAHA

3655 N 129th St.

OLD MARKET

1308 Jackson St.

402.933.0091

402.933.5168

MILLARD

LINCOLN

17664 Welch Pl.

601 R St. #100

402.933.5168

402.261.9388

www.Hiro88.com S U S H I | J A PA N E S E | C H I N E S E

4 | The Jewish Press | January 19, 2024

Tritz Plumbing Inc. 402-894-0300 www.tritz.com repair • remodel

commercial • residential

family owned and operated since 1945

Empower Jewish Youth with Tzedek Teens: A Pathway to Philanthropy and Mitzvah Projects NAOMI FOX JFO Assistant Director of Engagement and Education Are you aware of a young individual eager to engage in philanthropy and mitzvah projects? Tzedek Teens enables Jewish youth aged 11-18 to contribute their time, money and energy to causes that resonate with them! Naomi Fox, the Tzedek Teens facilitator, has recently collaborated with sixth through twelfth-grade students at our community synagogues to gather their input and ideas on how they wish to participate in our shared responsibility of “Tikkun Olam” or Healing the World. They are enthusiastic about making a genuine impact on the community and have fantastic ideas to bring about positive change.

If this program seems somewhat familiar, you're on the right track. Tzedek Teens is the revamped version of the B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Program and Young Jewish Giving, which took a pause in 2020 and was reintroduced and reimagined this past summer and fall.

There are multiple ways to get involved in Tzedek Teens: by establishing a Tzedek Teen account and/or contributing through service projects. Teens can initiate their own Tzedek Teen account through the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation to give charitably throughout their high school years and beyond. With an initial deposit of $125, the fund will immediately be triple matched to $500. Throughout the spring, students can learn about different organizations and ways to research causes they would like to support. They can donate a percentage of their account to any nonprofit organization that aligns with their passions each spring.

Tzedek Teen accounts can be opened as a gift or contributed towards as a gift. For more information about this, please reach out to Stacie Metz or Naomi Fox. If you already

have a Donor-Advised Fund at The Foundation, you can simply call The Foundation to establish or contribute to a Tzedek Teen fund in honor of a young person.

Participants can also engage in hands-on Tzedek Projects, where they can dedicate time and effort to a community mitzvah experience. Based on the input teens shared with Naomi, projects are being scheduled throughout this winter and spring. Many students expressed an interest in helping animals; therefore, our first project is on Feb. 18 at the Nebraska Humane Society, making enrichment activities for the animals in the shelter.

We are also collecting donations of high-interest treats for animals, including canned chicken, canned hotdogs, chewy treats, peanut butter and hard chew toys. Donations can be dropped off at the Jewish Federation of Omaha front desk area from Feb. 9 to Feb. 18. For enrolled Tzedek Teens members, check your email for registration details. If your teen is not enrolled, we would love to have them join us - please reach out to Naomi.

Additional projects and programming are scheduled for April, May and throughout the summer months as well. Enrolling in the program is simple and can be done online - just scan the QR code to be linked directly to the Tzedek Teens webpage. Contact Naomi Fox at the Jewish Federation of Omaha: nfox@jewishomaha.org or 402.334.6426 with questions about financial assistance or to learn more about the program.

JCRC Kicks Off 2024 with Advocacy Bootcamp 101

SALES POSITION PART-TIME FLEXIBLE HOURS

The Jewish Press is looking for a part-time sales person, with the following responsibilities: • Digital sales • Digital content development • Website development and management Requirements: • Previous experience in a sales-related role is • a plus • Great customer service skills • Excellent written and verbal communication • skills Interested?

Send your application to Avandekamp@jewish omaha.org today. We cannot wait to meet you!

The Jewish Press

PAM MONSKY JCRC Assistant Director Before the 2024 Jewish Day Action on Feb. 29, the JCRC is presenting Community Conversations and workshops focusing on the how-tos of citizen advocacy, including why we should be engaged in advocacy at all. Sessions will take place in-person and will be recorded.

The 2024 legislative session of the Nebraska Unicameral is underway, and, after the most contentious session in our state’s history, many Nebraskans are watching very closely. In fact, some Nebraskans who were disappointed in the 2023 session of the biennial are taking matters into their own hands. But what can citizens do when lawmakers pass laws that many – and in some cases most – people are against?

Enter the ballot initiative, sometimes called ballot measures, popular initiatives, citizen initiatives, and citizen referendums.

Ballot initiatives begin with citizen-initiated petitions and collected signatures to propose statutes or constitutional amendments that would be added to the ballot in an upcoming election and voted on and decided by voters like you and me.

There are currently eight petitions in circulation for the 2024 election in Nebraska. They are: • Nebraska Cannabis Constitutional Amendment • Consumption or Excise Taxes Constitutional • Amendment • Grocery Items Exemption Constitutional Amendment • Nebraska Human Life Protection Initiative • Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection Initiative • Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Initiative • Paid Sick Leave Initiative • Protect the Right to Abortion Constitutional • Amendment In our first Community Conversation of the year, JCRC is launching Advocacy Bootcamp to explain and answer any

questions you may have about petitions and ballot initiatives, including how to become a petitioner. After this event, attendees should feel more comfortable with the ballot initiative process and have a deeper appreciation for how important direct democracy and initiatives are in enacting meaningful policy change, serving as a check on our one-house legislature in our unicameral system.

Petitioners for all of the above initiatives will be invited to attend the evening event, address questions and collect signatures.

The panel features former Nebraska State Senator from Lincoln, Adam Morfeld, founder and executive director of Civic Nebraska whose mission is to connect and empower Nebraskans to strengthen democracy, cultivate active members of society in our schools, neighborhoods and communities and protect voting rights.

Also joining the conversation is Meg Mikolajczyk, executive director of Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, which provides direct core support, capacity-building training and resources for nonprofits that provide direct services to or advocate for underrepresented communities.

Becky Gould, executive director of Nebraska Appleseed will also speak about her organization’s work on some of the current petitions, ballot initiatives and the other issues directly impacting Nebraskans in urban and rural communities across the state. Nebraska Appleseed strives to solve deeply rooted, interrelated systemic issues in a holistic approach: to fight against poverty, discrimination and reckless indifference in the areas of child welfare, economic justice, access to healthcare and immigrant communities.

Community Conversation – Advocacy Bootcamp 101 is on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. in the Goldstein Community Room. Reservations are required by contacting Pam Monsky, 402.334.6572, pmonsky@jewishomaha.org. Light refreshments will be available.

ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS The award-winning B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS speaker program currently meets Wednesdays via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Please watch our email for specific information concerning its thought-provoking, informative list of speakers. To be placed on the email list, contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com.

The Jewish Press | January 19, 2024 | 5

Life & Legacy Notes: Nate Shapiro

STACIE METZ JFO Foundation Program and Stewardship Administrator As a Jewish Communal Professional working in Omaha, I have had the honor of seeing how much of this community is built on legacy gifts. It’s incredible to see such a thriving community that would not exist without generous and forward-thinking folks building a financial foundation. In addition, I support organizations that have supported (and employed) me. I invite anyone to look into the life and legacy program as a way of ensuring a vibrant Jewish Omaha for generations to come.

Visit us at omahajewishpress.com

News LOCA L | N ATION AL | WORLD

Join Clean Speech Nebraska PAM MONSKY JCRC Assistant Director Clean Speech Nebraska, a communitywide, month-long campaign to clean up our conversations, one word at a time, is back for a second year! By encouraging mindfulness and personal awareness, we can create a more peaceful and respectful world, where our communities are united and connected.

Presented by the Jewish Community Relation Council (JCRC) Clean Speech Nebraska will return in February 2024 with thirty days of short videos featuring members of the Omaha Jewish community and a workbook focused on being mindful of how we speak to each other inspired by Jewish values.

Just as Jewish tradition offers guidelines for respectful, community-oriented speech, Clean Speech Nebraska encourages people of all faiths to cleanse their speech and be more mindful of the language they use. This year, the theme for Clean Speech Nebraska is Onat Devorim, which refers to hurtful words.

Participating organizations featured in

PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS ADVERTISE IN THE JEWISH PRESS Reach the Jewish communities in Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs and surrounding areas.

Contact Howard Kutler 402.334.6559 | hkutler@jewishomaha.org

The Jewish Press

Clean Speech Nebraska this year are: BBYO, Beth El Synagogue, Beth Israel Synagogue, B’nai Israel Synagogue, Friedel Jewish Academy, JCRC, Jewish Family Service, Jewish Federation of Omaha, Jewish Federation of

smoother, more pleasant interactions and relationships. It’s just no fun to live in a nasty, back-biting world filled with careless speech that causes us all discomfort and pain. This will help!

Omaha Foundation, Jewish Press, Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, Jule M. Newman Memorial Anti-Bigotry Fund, RESPECT, Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Staenberg Omaha JCC and Temple Israel.

There is no cost to participate. Between Feb. 1, 2024 and March 1, 2024, you’ll receive a daily lesson to watch or read. There are also weekly challenges to try out and inspiring memes, too. Workbooks for Clean Speech Nebraska year two will be inserted into the Jan. 26 issue of the Jewish Press and available at the Staenberg JCC. Why participate? Just about anyone who develops a greater awareness of the way they communicate with others will enjoy

Scan the QR code to sign up for Clean Speech Nebraska!

Clean Speech Nebraska 2024 is generally sponsored in part by the Jule M. Newman Memorial Anti-Bigotry Fund.

The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is dedicated to working in common cause to enhance cooperation with other religious, racial, ethnic, and civic groups to foster a just, democratic and pluralistic society as well as promote the security of Israel and Jews everywhere. Guided by Jewish values, the JCRC is a nonpartisan agency that advocates, educates, collaborates, and mobilizes action on issues important to the Jewish Community and the greater community.

wacky & Wild summer

S U M M ER 20 24 Registration Opens this February!

Registration will be online only & will open at 10 a.m.

FEBRUARY 1: J Members FEBRUARY 15: Non Members

Scan the QR code to view the 2024 Camp Brochure www.jccomaha.org

6 | The Jewish Press | January 19, 2024

News

Flavors from Israel

LOC AL | N AT I O N A L | WO R L D

Giving back to the community

MIKA MIZRAHI JFO Community Shlicha On Thursday, Jan. 25, we invite you to join us at Spirit World at 6:30 p.m. for ‘Flavors from Israel.’ Ticket price is $18 per person, and includes snacks, tastings and a demonstration, along with an interactive ex-

Shevat on the Jewish calendar, and it is the day that marks the beginning of a “new year” for trees. Commonly known as Tu Bishvat, this day marks the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.

planation freaturing Israel’s Milk & Honey Whiskeys. Alzuri, manager of Spirit World, and human encyclopedia in the field of wine and alcohol, will share his expertise and knowledge.

Together, we will celebrate the holiday of Tu Bishvat. Jan. 25, 2024, is also the 15th of

Participants must be at least 21 years old to attend, and we have limited seating, so don’t delay! To order tickets, please scan the QR code, or visit jewishomaha.org. For more information, you can contact me at mmizrahi@jewishomaha.org or visit my Facebook page @Omaha Shlicha.

Trade scholarships available for the 2023-24 academic year Steve Redler is holding the boxes that will be available around the J campus and RBJH entrances to put in the donations.

CHRISTINA CANIGLIA AND MAGGIE CONTI The Residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home are making essential hygiene kits for Jewish Family Services & Shelters, and they need help from the community! Some of the items on their wish list include new and unopened travel-sized personal hygiene prod-

ucts, such as toothpaste, tooth brushes, wash cloths, shampoo, lip balm, lotions, tissues and soap. You can drop your donations off at the Home or the JCC and JFO front desk by Jan. 22. We thank you for your help! For more information, please contact Assistant Activities Director Christina Caniglia at ccaniglia@ rbjh.com.

An anonymous donor in our community has created two trade school and/or cosmetology school scholarship opportunities, up to $5,000 each, to go towards the 2023-24 academic year.

Not every student who advances into higher education signs up for a four-year curriculum. Some high school graduates seek job training that lasts a year or two and then places them in the workforce. Such opportu-

nities include, but are not restricted to: Information Technology, Construction, Industrial, Transportation and Horticulture. It is not too late to apply for this upcoming school year!

Qualified students who have unmet needs regarding tuition for either a two-year trade school program or a trade certificate program can contact the Jewish Press at avan dekamp@jewishomaha.org or jpress@ jewishomaha.org for more information.

2024

Presenting Sponsor:

HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

PARENTS & SENIORS We will be publishing our annual High School Graduation Class pages on May 24, 2024.

To be included, fill out the form below with a photo and send it to us or you can email the information and photo to: jpress@jewishomaha.org by May 10, 2024.

Jan. 26– Feb. 18, 2024 Hawks Mainstage Theatre

6915 Cass St. | (402) 553-0800 | OmahaPlayhouse.com Specialty Bakery Sponsor:

Hawks Mainstage Sponsor:

Costume Care Sponsor:

Costume and Makeup Sponsor:

EMILY TONNIGES

Media Sponsor:

HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR INFORMATION __________________________________________________________________________ Name __________________________________________________________________________ Parent(s)’ Name(s) __________________________________________________________________________ Current High School __________________________________________________________________________ College you plan to attend Send by May 10, 2024 to: The Jewish Press | 333 So. 132 St. | Omaha, NE 68154

The Jewish Press

The Jewish Press | January 19, 2024 | 7

Above: Abby Kutler and Community Shlichah Mika Mizrahi at the KC Chief’s watch party for the JFO. Below: Beth El students enjoy the food at the Beth El Family Hannukah dinner.

Above: A bounty of bakers participated in the Operation Grateful Goodies baking day Dec. 17, 2023.

Left: Lillia and Ella Cherkasskiy hit the road to deliver treats for Operation Grateful Goodies.

Below left: Stewart, Nathan and Rachel Winograd collect treat boxes to deliver from Beth El for Operation Grateful Goodies on December 24, 2023.

Below: Sharon Nova delivers treat boxes to CHI Health Lakeside Hospital for Operation Grateful Goodies.

Above: Beth El students compete in the Magic Carpet Race as part of the Maccabeah Games.

Below: Colin Kelln gets wrapped up by his team as part of Beth El’s Maccabeah Games.

Above: Hebrew High students from Beth El bake Hanukkah cookies to send to college-aged members.

Below: Beth El Hebrew High students work with the Jewish Federation of Omaha to put together packages for Omaha’s college-aged friends.

SP O TLIGHT

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a photo of a recent Jewish Community event you would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.

Above and below: Over 30 families attended the PJ Library and FJA Super Science Sunday on Sunday, January 7. The program began with a thrilling science show from The Omaha Children’s Museum, called Molecular Mayhem. After the presentation, children participated in several hands-on experiments with Friedel teachers and volunteers from Temple Israel.

8 | The Jewish Press | January 19, 2024

Voices

The Jewish Press (Founded in 1920)

Margie Gutnik President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Howard Kutler Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Staff Writer Sam Kricsfeld Digital support Mary Bachteler Accounting Jewish Press Board Margie Gutnik, President; Abigail Kutler, Ex-Officio; Helen Epstein; Andrea Erlich; Seth Feldman; David Finkelstein; Ally Freeman; Mary Sue Grossman; Chuck Lucoff; Suzy Sheldon; Joseph Pinson and Larry Ring.

The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the JFO are: Institute for Holocaust Education, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Social Services, Nebraska Jewish Historical Society and the Jewish Press.

Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www.jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication.

E-mail editorial material and photos to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org.

Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.

Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events.

News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.”

The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf.

Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de Kamp-Wright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450.

Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422.

Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press Association Award winner 2008

National Newspaper Association

Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole.

How to be a witness ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor As is so often the case, when we are faced with trauma, one of our responses is to talk about it. We endlessly loop, with our friends and family: where we were when we heard what happened, how confused and hurt we are, details we learned about victims, as if by speaking it out loud we can actually believe it a little more. Many of the stories we read and post and retell and share about 10/7 are gruesome. It is the nature of a terrorist attack: there is nothing beautiful or uplifting. All the stories are bad. There is no rainbow at the end of the storm; the storm is ongoing.

Are we doing ourselves a disservice by focusing on these bloody accounts? Should we worry about how it impacts our mental wellbeing, and maybe step away from the news from time to time? How much do we tell the kids?

They are the same questions we’ve asked about Holocaust education. How much is too much? And so, we are tempted to look away. We’re not helping anyone by making ourselves sad, we tell ourselves.

Unfortunately, looking away is a luxury we can’t afford. First of all, the rest of the world is doing a fine job ignoring the truth. If we don’t pay attention, nobody will. We saw that within 24 hours after the attack: stories were and are manipulated and Israel was blamed—and by association, all Jews in the diaspora were declared guilty. Think I’m exaggerating? You know better.

Our obligation, in the past as well as in the present, is to bear witness. To do that and be that, we

have to keep our eyes open. We have to continue to pay attention to every single hostage who is still being held, every murdered Israeli, every hostage who has been killed and every one who was freed and wants to tell their story. We have to look at the

Judith Weinstein, left, and Gadi Haggai, right, two Israeli-Americans who were killed by Hamas. Credit: Hostages and Missing Families Forum

images of the burned buildings and yes, the images of the victims taken at the Nova festival. We have to watch as IDF soldiers are killed in Gaza, and when additional rockets fall in the north. We have to stand guard when others distort the truth and blame anything and everything on Israel. And we have to speak up.

It’s hard, and it’s exhausting. At the same time, we have a type of clarity we maybe didn’t have in the past. Even if the world at large doesn’t acknowledge it, as Jews we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that we cannot give up or give in. In a way, our identity has been tested and proven solid. Jewish and proud, this is who we are, and we can be unapologetic about that. The refusal to apologize for living, for the mere act of existing, is tremendously important. It’s ultimately what’s at stake, and I am reminded of that each time I see the image of the Mogen David landing in a trashcan, each watermelon sign, each clueless protester waving a flag that doesn’t belong to them. All these protests are a big distraction from what is actually happening. These are people who are attempting to change the narrative.

I don’t propose we ignore the protests, anything but. However, it’s tempting to move on from the pogrom that happened on October 7. As more and more stories come out, we can feel as if we’ve heard it all, and we shouldn’t dwell on the atrocities. We want to look at what is happening in front of us, today, not on what happened over three months ago. And that would be a mistake.

I think we all know the answer to the question of ‘how much is too much.’ As long as Jews are being killed, as long as we are under attack from both those with actual rockets and guns, and those with a keyboard, we will stand up and be a witness. We will not forget what happened October 7. We will not give in to exhaustion and go back into hiding.

Those days are over.

What Jews are feeling now is an inheritance of values — and trauma RABBI DR. TIRZAH FIRESTONE This story was originally published on My Jewish Learning | JTA As we enter 2024, many of us are feeling a sense of uncertainty, even wariness, in our bones.

The events that exploded onto the world stage during the last months of 2023 — the brutal attacks on Israeli Jews by Hamas on Oct. 7, followed by Israel’s incursion into Gaza and the ensuing rise of antisemitic incidents around the world — have set off waves of shock, grief and apprehension for Jewish people everywhere. As a rabbi and psychotherapist, I have received many anxious calls and notes.

“I barely identify as Jewish,” one business executive confessed to me over the phone. “Yet I’m unbelievably triggered. Can you help me understand why?”

“For the first time in my life I feel unsafe,” a Jewish student wrote to me. “I suddenly know what my ancestors felt when they had to hide their true identity.”

“I feel ‘re-traumatized’ by all the violence and the resurgence of antisemitism, even though I’ve never directly experienced either one in my lifetime,” a client reported.

Emotions are, by definition, non-rational. But for many of us, our strong reactions to the recent events in and around Israel have felt disproportionate, confusing and sometimes uncanny. One way to understand this is to see them as having roots in earlier times. In this sense, the attacks on innocent Jews on Oct. 7 reverberate with a kind of biological memory of traumas that we ourselves may never have experienced, but whose residues nevertheless live within us.

Sound like a bubbe mayseh (grandmother’s tale)?

Or a teaching from an obscure kabbalistic text? In fact, the notion that trauma residues can be transmitted intergenerationally is based on clinical studies in a relatively new field called behavioral epigenetics. These multi-decade studies demonstrate that younger generations can be deeply imprinted by the extreme life experiences that their ancestors endured, years before they themselves arrived on the scene.

This means, for example, that Jews whose greatgrandparents survived the violence of the Russian

pogroms, or whose grandparents hid from the Nazis with little food or light, or whose parents witnessed the bloody Farhud in Iraq in 1941, may carry within them a kind of cellular byproduct of their ancestors’ adverse life experiences. These molecular vestiges hold fast to genetic scaffolding. Though the DNA itself remains unchanged, how those genes express themselves can indeed be affected. Such epigenetic changes may make us more vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder, more sensitive to stresses in the environment, and can at times leave us with a predisposition to anxiety or depression.

Because I am more poet than scientist, the following vivid description by journalist Dan Hurley brought epigenetics to life for me. It also struck me as exceedingly Jewish: “Like silt deposited on the cogs of a finely tuned Credit: Getty Images machine after the seawater of a tsunami recedes, our experiences, and those of our forebears, are never gone, even if they have been forgotten.”

For me, the phenomenon of intergenerational trauma is a reflection of the Hebrew phrase “mi dor l’dor,” which describes the Jewish tradition flowing “from generation to generation.” You may have heard these words sung in synagogue, or discussed in the context of Jewish tradition. Perhaps you’ve been to a bar or bat mitzvah at which a young Jewish person is celebrated as they are officially called to the Torah for the first time.

One of the most emotional moments of the way this ritual is observed in my congregation is when the Torah scroll is taken out of the ark and lovingly passed down from the most senior relative to the next generation (typically aunts and uncles) to the parents, and perhaps to the older siblings of the bar/bat mitzvah. Finally, the Torah arrives into the arms of the young initiate, the newest link in an an-

cient chain of heritage. At that moment, the celebrant makes a silent commitment to uphold the ancestral values that have been passed down for thousands of years: uprightness and justice, lifelong learning, loyalty to family, and the fierce determination to protect and repair the world we have been given.

This ritual reenactment of mi dor l’dor is often the moment when tears are shed. One can feel the power of ancient heritage in the room. One can sense those who have passed but are with us still in spirit. And one can recognize that however con-

nected or disconnected we are from the Jewish path, somehow we each play a part in this timehonored tradition that so many of our ancestors wrestled to preserve — and all too often, gave their lives for.

The legacies that come down to us are a rich and complex mixture of noble values and the painful trauma residues of our fraught history. All of these reverberate within our very cells. In our generation, both science and the still-unfathomed events of these past months teach us once again just how deep our connection is to our ancestors, and how their lives continue to echo within us, from generation to generation, mi dor l’dor.

Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone is an author, Jungian psychotherapist and leader in the Jewish Renewal movement.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

The Jewish Press | January 19, 2024 | 9

Help Palestine? Protect the Gaza people?

ESTI SHEINBERG Do you still remember October 7, 2023? If you do, you really care about the difference between Good and Evil, as well as about True Innocence. There are not many like you. The “many” are satisfied watching TV, hearing the radio, browsing the newspapers main headlines, scrolling through Facebook, X, Instagram, and flickering through slogans, pictures and photographs. Mainly photographs.

Did a massacre of innocents really happen? Did a sadistic, slow maiming and killing of women, after group-raping them really occur? Were men blinded and their arms cut off in front of their children? Was the belly of a pregnant woman opened with knives and her fetus decapitated? Was the singed body of a baby found in a lit oven? Were elderly men and women, children, and babies grabbed from their homes and taken as hostages into dark tunnels, left with no care, medications, with just one piece of bread a day? - Ah, yes, now that you mention it, we seem to recall something vaguely… somewhere… Israel?... yeah… But it happened a long time ago, I think, last year, isn’t it? Three months equal eons in our culture, flooded by the minute with hourly news and social media. Help me remember… what happened there?

Ah, Palestine! Yes! We all see pictures of the destruction of Gaza every day. Those malevolent Israelis, Jews – to be specific.

THEY should be stopped! Stop killing the innocents of Gaza!

So, here’s a reminder: exactly three months ago, on Oct. 7, 2023, exactly at 6:29 a.m., thousands of heavily armed Hamas murderers broke through the border fence between Gaza and Israel. Driving motorbikes, cars and pickup trucks, they invaded small, mostly still sleeping Jewish communities: they entered houses, killing elderly, young people, parents, children, babies, destroying and burning everything they found: buildings, gardens, people, pets. They murdered peaceful grandparents, parents, children and babies. They were about to enjoy the last day of Sukkoth: the Holiday in which hospitality is celebrated. These victims lived their lives believing in coexistence; they helped their neighbors, the people of Gaza, in unprecedented ways: medical treatment, work certificates, common projects. These very families were butchered by the very people who benefited from their good will and help. The information the invaders had about places and houses was collected while engaging in “common projects”: a Jewish-Arab art exhibition, a joint project of supplying water to Gaza, a service of driving Gaza citizens to hospitals in Israel, Gazan children to be cured from cancer, Gazan women to be cured of burns, caused by their families as punishments for disobedience.

And then, of course, there was the NOVA music festival.

Thousands of young people joyfully dancing in universal love.

The Hamas heroes of Gaza raped, butchered, maimed and tortured with insane sadistic joy and laughter, proudly recording their deeds on their cameras. That day we counted 1400 Israeli victims.

But that, of course, happened three months ago. That’s a long time. For how long can the vindictive anger of these Israeli Jews go on? After all, in these three months we haven’t seen Israeli victims. Instead, we see hundreds — nay, thousands — of Palestinian victims. These pictures show facts, don’t they?

Human memory is short, and modern human memory is even shorter, and the memory of modern young-humans is extremely short, clouded and distracted by every visual stimulant. People, EVIL people, specialize in the flaws of short

memories, and take full advantage of a world plagued with ADHD. They use colorful, attractive distractions.

I visited Israel over Christmas and the New Year. I saw a nation in mourning over thousands of Israelis, soldiers and civilians, who were murdered, killed in battle, maimed, wounded and raped in a myriad of hellish ways, fighting for their lives in hospitals, and — heartbreakingly — the 136 Israeli hostages who are still captive in Gaza. I also saw this very same nation standing erect, proud and strong and determined to continue living. Israelis revere life. Israelis cannot comprehend the amount of hatred and the death worship of the other side. I have seen and participated in memorials for the dead. I met friends who cannot stop talking about the hostages still in

Family members of Americans who were taken hostage by Hamas during the terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, including, Yael Alexander, left, Orna Neutra, Adi Alexander and Liz Naftali.

Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Gaza. I have seen families of hostages who speak about their dear ones and pray to see them back. Hundreds of Israelis gather in town squares, singing psalms and peace songs and praying for their return. No one is crying. Not one of the injured exposes their wounds. Wounded soldiers and citizens in hospitals — blinded, with no legs and no arms, pose for cameras smiling, stating they are strong and that they will recover and continue life. After the first week, no more photographs of destroyed, burned cars and houses, and their inhabitants burned alive in them were shown in public. Respect for the dead, honoring their human dignity.

But, just like the Roman crowd gathered in arenas 2000 years ago, the World wants to see blood. This disgusting bloodthirsty human urge is copiously satisfied by Gaza journalists and photographers. Pictures of ruins, bleeding citizens (wounded children are particularly photogenic) and mass funerals with “Allah hu Akbar” shouts are spread all over the TV news, newspapers and — more than anything — social media.

Naturally, every decent person, suffering from convenient amnesia, must yell: “Free Palestine!”. By the way, Gaza is not “Palestine” nor was there anything to free there: Gaza strip is an independent entity with clear borders, and its citizens are ruled by their own elected party of Hamas.

Israel is not the perpetrator. Israel must defend its citizens from being massacred, and the Hamas leaders repeatedly state that “Oct. 7th will happen again and again”. Still, this war is not only because of that event. Israel also reacts to 17 years of constant bombs, rockets and shooting from Gaza to cities of Israel.

Innocent baby Mohammed, born in 2005 to Gaza civilians, is the same 19 years old Mohammed that destroyed Jewish lives in 2023, bragging over the phone that he took from his victim

to his proud mama and papa in Gaza, while thousands of other Gaza innocent civilians celebrated, dancing in the streets, distributing sweets, spitting on and hitting the Israeli hostages (including bodies!) that were paraded in its streets.

Don’t pretend you didn’t know about it. The hostages’ photographs were published all over the world. Some of you, yes, you, engaged in the shameless enterprise of tearing off these pictures. We will not forget that. It seems that anything, any behavior, demonstration, hatred, everything is acceptable in order to ignore Jewish victims. All the enlightened, humanistarian, progressive groups – academics, feminists, LGBTQ groups — all those who enjoy full freedom in Israel, those who would be immediately executed in Moslem countries — all joined forces against Israel. Please keep in mind: to this very day, in Gaza, tormented, agonized, and some dying slowly a terrible death, are kept 136 Israeli hostages. No one, except for Israelis, cares. The Red Cross does not visit them. They “don’t know how to get to the hostages.” Poor Red Cross.

Whilie the Gaza “innocent” mob ran after the cars that brought the hostages into Gaza, spat on them, hit them, tortured them, not even one innocent citizen was seen or heard asking to stop the senseless abuse. When some hostages were returned to Israel — hundreds of innocent Gaza children climbed on the Red Cross vans, hitting the windows and shouting “Allah hu Akbar!” No one told these cuties to calm down: their sadistic joy was way too high.

Northern Gaza citizens were warned by Israel, in an unheard-of humanitarian operation, to move to the South, trying to save citizens’ lives. Hamas leaders using their people – and hostages - as human shields moved to the South, too. Underground, in the tunnels. The world requires that Gaza innocent civilians be protected. They are now homeless refugees, and Israel is being forced to stop the bombing of enemy targets “for humanitarian reasons”.

But - - - just a moment: actually, why is Israel supposed to care about Gaza refugees? Why doesn’t Egypt, the immediate Arab neighbor of Gaza refugee Arabs, or any other Arab countries, open their gates to these poor civilians of Gaza? Aren’t they their kin, their brothers? Do you want humanitarian help to these people? Put pressure on Egypt, that sealed its border with Gaza, to open its gates to their brethren, the Arab refugees.

Demand from other Arab countries to accept the poor, hungry and sick refugees. Address the USA, European countries, all the world — to embrace these innocent people who need a shelter.

Ah, they won’t? Why not? Didn’t Germany open its gates to Syrian refugees? Didn’t Britain accept refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan? Isn’t France a haven for Palestinians?

What a huge hypocritical, pathetic show of “humanitarian concern”! All these countries that demands Israel to stop defending itself, know very well why they wouldn’t embrace Gaza refugees. It is because Gazans are not innocent. Because every Gaza child was educated, from cradle, to hate and kill as many Jews as he (or she) can. Because children who were cured from horrible diseases in Israeli hospitals are returned to their families, will celebrate their becoming, when grown, Shaheeds: killing Jews. No wonder the world insists on helping them.

Esti Sheinberg is an Israeli, naturalized USA citizen. She lives in Lincoln NE and is retired after teaching Music History, Literature and Semiotics in higher education in Israel, Scotland, and the USA. She has published several books and articles.

Too progressive for the Zionists and too Zionist for the progressives STEVEN ZEITCHIK JTA The projectile landed when the kids were playing in the courtyard.

Well, most of the kids. The 9-year-old was watching from the porch of the ramshackle Jerusalem home, tentative but curious. Suddenly he saw them stop playing.

His older brother fell first. A second later his younger sister dropped. And then his mother was on the ground.

The boy ran down the porch steps. The brother and sister were nearly motionless, blood leeching out. But his mother was alive. He could see her writhing, grabbing her leg, and he could see the giant metallic fragments protruding from it.

“Ezra, ezra,” the boy screamed in Hebrew, “help, help.” But this was a back-alley in a poor neighborhood. No one was rushing to help.

The time was June 1948. The conflict in which the shell was lobbed — from just outside the courtyard — was the first Israeli Arab War. And the boy was my father.

His brother and sister were dead before the paramedics could arrive. But his mother was alive. Sort of. Just two months later, she would die in a Jerusalem hospital from all that lodged shrapnel — on the day before Tisha B’Av, the national Jewish day of mourning. All tragedies come at strange times, but this was the strangest. Every Jew in Jerusalem that sum-

mer was experiencing the ecstasy of a new state, the fulfillment of a 2,000-year-old dream. My father was experiencing becoming an orphan.

And my grandfather, off at his milk-delivery job when the attack happened, was experiencing overwhelming uncertainty, widowhood, single-fatherhood. As a teenager two decades earlier he had fled to Mandatory Palestine to escape pogromfilled White Russia, hoping to avoid the antisemitic violence befalling everyone around him. Now here he was, just one more victim of it. The setting changes. The pain, he might say (if he could ever bring himself to talk about it), stays the same.

Three other siblings survived the attack — my father’s 4year-old sister and 12-year-old brother, both wounded while playing in the courtyard, along with a baby sleeping inside.

All of them had their existence turned upside down — shaken and deposited at the side of life’s road by an event whose causes they barely understood and whose consequences they couldn’t begin to grip. But the 9-year-old suffered in the unique way 9-year-olds suffer, old enough to register but too young to fathom. He didn’t know he’d never be the same. He just wondered if he could ever again be anything.

We were sitting in his Brooklyn apartment recently watching the news — I and my father, now 84 and long a naturalized middle-class American, the accent and most visible traces of his Israeli roots scrubbed away. He had arrived in this country

with what remained of his family two years after the attack and tried to put it behind him. Like trying to put the backseat of the car behind you.

“Thousands of wounded, alive but carrying with them the bullet holes and the shrapnel wounds and the memory of what they endured,” President Biden was saying from the TV about the Oct 7 attacks. I stole a sidelong glance at my father; I didn’t need to see the tears welling up in his eyes to know they were there.

When my father goes online to see young Israelis watching their parents die in front of them — or to hear of the trauma the recently released 9-year-old Irish-Israeli hostage Emily Hand has been experiencing — he isn’t just absorbing the general pain of human suffering. He is watching a YouTube video of his own past.

And so, in a sense, am I. As someone who was told this story from the earliest age – who still tearfully recalls my father taking me, as a 9-year-old boy myself, to the courtyard in Jerusalem where everything happened so he could describe it in whispered tones — I’ve eternally been under the toxic spell of that June 1948 day. Angry thoughts would sometimes follow me, and I would stew with retributive feelings. These were faceless devils come to steal our lives. And they deserved a devil’s fate in return.

Read more at www.omahajewishpress.com.

Synagogues

10 | The Jewish Press | January 19, 2024

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 712.322.4705 www.cblhs.org

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Street Omaha, NE 68154-1980 402.492.8550 bethel-omaha.org

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154 402.556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

CHABAD HOUSE

An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646 402.330.1800 OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

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

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

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org

B’NAI ISRAEL Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speakers, Gary Nachman and Tom Friedman. Our service leader is Larry Blass.

Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

For information about our historic synagogue, please visit our website at www.cblhs.org or contact any of our other board members: Renee Corcoran, Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Ann Moshman, MaryBeth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber.

Handicap Accessible.

BETH EL Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

IN-PERSON AND ZOOM MINYAN SCHEDULE: Mornings on Sundays, 9:30 a.m.; Mondays and Thursdays, 7 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Our Shabbat Tables Food Pick-Up, 3-5 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K-12), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 6:05 p.m. Zoom Only.

SUNDAY: BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; Baklava Baking, 10 a.m. with Gary Nachman; Israel Parent Meeting, 11 a.m.

MONDAY: Women’s Book Group, 2 p.m.

TUESDAY: Pirkei Avot, 10:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham.

WEDNESDAY: Tai Chi, noon with Beth Staenberg; BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m.

FRIDAY-Jan. 26: Nebraska AIDS Project Lunch, 11:30 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY-Jan. 27: Shabbat Morning Service, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K-12), 10 a.m.; Broadway Shabbat’s Cool (Grades 3-7), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 6:10 p.m. Zoom Only.

Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.

BETH ISRAEL FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 5:07 p.m.

SATURDAY:Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Kids Kiddush Club, 11:15 a.m.; Soulful Torah: Unpacking the Or HaChayim’s Teachings, 4:10 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 5:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:11 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Men’s Spin & Torah Class, 11 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m.

MONDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Monday Mind Builders, 4 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m.

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m.

THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7

a.m.; Character Development Class, 9:30 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:10 p.m.; Parsha Class, 5:40 p.m.

FRIDAY-Jan. 26: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 5:15 p.m.

SATURDAY-Jan. 27: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Kids Kiddush Club, 11:15 a.m.; Soulful Torah: Unpacking the Or HaChayim’s Teachings, 4:15 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/ Kids Activity, 5:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:19 p.m.

Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.

CHABAD HOUSE All services are in-person. All classes are being offered in-person and via Zoom (ochabad.com/academy). For more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.com or call the office at 402.330.1800.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 4:30 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochabad.com/ Lechayim; Candlelighting, 5:06 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:09 p.m.

SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps: Shacharit, 99:30 a.m., Video Presentation, 9:30 a.m. and Breakfast, 9:45 a.m.; Torah and Tea, 10:30-11:15 a.m.

MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha, 9:30 a.m.; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 7 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 34), noon; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 6 p.m. with Prof.

David Cohen; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) Class, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY-Jan. 26: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 4:30 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ocha bad.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 5:14 p.m.

SATURDAY-Jan. 27: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed

by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:17 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch.

All services offered in-person with live-stream or teleconferencing options.

FRIDAY: Offices Closed; Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:10 p.m.; Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30 p.m. at SST. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Bo; Havdalah, 6:13 p.m. Potluck Dinner and Family Game Night, 6 p.m.

at SST. Please bring a dish to share.

SUNDAY: LJCS Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Men’s Bike/Coffee Group, 10:30 a.m. in the Conference Room at Rock 'n Joe (5025 Lindbergh St.). For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw 801@gmail.com; Pickleball, 3-5 p.m. Anyone interested in playing or learning how to play can text Miriam at 402.470.2393. If there are enough interested people; we will play in the Social Hall at TI. MONDAY: Offices Closed.

TUESDAY: Offices Closed; Ladies' Lunch, 1 p.m. at Gray Whale, 6100 O St. For more information email Barbara Barron at oohhmmm.barb@gmail.com.

WEDNESDAY: Offices Closed; LJCS Hebrew School, 4:30-6 p.m.; Richard Kohn Improv Practice, 7-9 p.m. at SST. THURSDAY: Offices Closed.

FRIDAY-Jan. 26: Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:18 p.m.; Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30 p.m. at SST. SATURDAY-Jan. 27: International Holocaust Remembrance Day; Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Beshalach; Havdalah, 6:21 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

FRIDAYS: Virtual Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month at Capehart Chapel. Contact TSgt Jason Rife at OAFBJSLL@icloud.com for more information.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s service is currently closed to visitors.

TEMPLE ISRAEL

In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Benjamin Sharff, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander FRIDAY: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. In-Person; Tot Shabbat, 5:45 p.m. In-Person; Classic Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SUNDAY: Grades PreK-7, 9:30 a.m.; Coffee and Conversation with Board Members, 10 a.m.; Book Club, 10:30 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m. In-Person; Grades 36, 4:30 p.m.; Grades 8-12 (Split by Grade), 6 p.m.

THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Class, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel via Zoom.

FRIDAY-Jan. 26: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. InPerson; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SATURDAY-Jan. 27: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service and B’not Mitzvah of Brianna and Evelyn Alexander, 10:30 a.m.

In-Person & Zoom.

Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.

Antisemitism in the United States post-Oct. 7 BEN SALES JTA Antisemitism in the United States has “skyrocketed” in the three months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 invasion of Israel, according to data tallied by the Anti-Defamation League.

There were 3,283 antisemitic incidents in the United States between Oct. 7 and Jan. 7, according to the ADL’s report — including 60 physical assaults. It also counted 553 incidents of vandalism and 1,353 incidents of harassment.

The total number of incidents during the past three months is more than four times the number during the same period last year. The figure is higher than the total recorded over the course of any full calendar year aside from 2022. By comparison, the ADL counted 2,717 antisemitic incidents during the entirety of 2021. In the whole of 2014, the year of Israel’s last ground invasion of Gaza, the ADL recorded just 912 antisemitic incidents.

The main driver of antisemitism over the past three months, according to the group, is the IsraelHamas war that began with the Oct. 7 invasion: The ADL said two-thirds of the incidents “included verbal, written, or contextual references to Israel or

Zionism.” Forty percent of the incidents tallied in Wednesday’s report — a total of 1,317 — were proPalestinian rallies that included “expressions of support for terrorism against the state of Israel and/or anti-Zionism.”

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has repeatedly stressed, both before and after Oct. 7, that the group views anti-Zionism as tantamount to antisemitism.

Surveys have shown that majorities of American Jews feel attached to Israel and say that opposition to its right to exist is antisemitic. Greenblatt said in a statement that “In this difficult moment, antisemitism is spreading and mutating in alarming ways.”

The ADL’s equation of anti-Zionism and antisemitism has put the organization at odds with groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, which are anti- or non-Zionist and which have focused their criticism on Israel since Oct. 7. Greenblatt has referred to those organizations as “hate groups.” The ADL’s stances have also reportedly led to dissent and resignations, as Jewish Currents reported that four staffers quit in protest of the group’s policies following Oct. 7.

Hundreds more of the incidents involved fake bomb threats mailed or called into synagogues or

other Jewish institutions aiming to prompt a law enforcement response, and has continued at a large scale since. During one December weekend, hundreds of synagogues across the country received false bomb threats.

The report also said that since Oct. 7, there have been 505 antisemitic incidents at college campuses — an arena that has been a major focus of antisemitism watchdogs as well as elected officials during the Israel-Gaza war. Another 246 incidents occurred at K-12 schools, the report said. A string of universities and school districts have been subject to federal civil rights investigations over their handling of antisemitism post-Oct 7.

In the most severe incident since Oct. 7, a Jewish man died after being struck on the head at dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian rallies in southern California. At Columbia University, an Israeli student was allegedly assaulted during a dispute over hanging posters with pictures of hostages held by Hamas. A man was arrested for an alleged hate crime assault of an Israeli in Times Square.

The ADL’s surveys compile data from law enforcement, media reports and incidents reported directly to the organization.

Life cycles IN MEMORIAM ALAN H. BINIAMOW Alan H. Biniamow passed away on Jan. 11, 2024. in Omaha.

Services were held Jan. 17, 2024, at Fisher Farms Cemetery and werer officiated by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer.

He was preceded in death by parents, Rita and Ralph Biniamow; and daughter, Cari Schaefer.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy Rampey-Biniamow; Children: Kevin Biniamow (Debra), Leslie Knobbe (Roger), September Wanzenried (Brian), Thomas Jones (Heidi); and sister,Elaine Shapiro (Stephen).

Alan graduated from UNO and was an ASE Master Mechanic.

He owned and operated Master-Tune Repair Shops.

Memorials may be made to Beth Israel Synagogue, 12604 Pacific St, Omaha, NE 68154.

Rabbi Geiger’s Weekly Torah Expedition PARASHA BESHALACH David is feeling extremely stressed.

He had just sat through an hour of NYC traffic (thank G-d we live in Omaha, right?), and he is running late for his meeting. To make matters worse, after circling the block several times, he still cannot find any parking. In desperation, he looks up and says, “G-d, if you give me a parking RABBI spot right now, I will give $1,000 to MORDECHAI charity”. Just as David finishes his GEIGER prayer, the red Camry in the spot Beth Israel right in front of the office pulls out.

Phew! David looks up and says, “Never mind G-d, I’m good.”

This is a cute joke, but I think it gives perspective to an idea in Parshat Beshalach.

The Parsha describes the mana, the miraculous food the Jewish nation ate while traveling from Egypt to Israel.

Strangely, the mana is described as “bread that rained from the sky”(Exodus 16-4). But what’s even stranger is that it is referred to as a test (ibid)! What about raining bread as a test? If G-d delivered breakfast from the sky to me every morning, I don’t think I would have any issues with my faith. I would know exactly where my food came from.

In truth though, I might be more similar to David than I would like to admit. How often do I feel thankful for the gift of sight? For my home? My beautiful family? Raining bread sounds miralculous, but how quickly I have learned to take for granted the daily miracles of my life. This was the test of the mana. Would the Jewish people still thank G-d, and stay connected to Him, when things were so easy.

This Parsha is a reminder to me; take time to be grateful for the daily miracles.

SUBMIT OBITUARIES TO THE JEWISH PRESS: Email the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; mail to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; or online at online at www.omahajewishpress.com/site/forms/.

How is this publication thinking about the future?

By becoming part of the past.

This publication is available from ProQuest Information and Learning in one or more of the following ways: • Online, via the ProQuest® information service • Microform • CD-ROM • Via database licensing

Electronic Databases

Microform & Print

Chadwyck-Healey

For more information, call

1-800-521-0600, ext. 2888 (US) or 01-734-761-4700 (International) www.il.proquest.com From

Yud Shevat SHANI KATZMAN This week’s Shabbat coincides with the 10th of Shevat, the date Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, assumed the leadership of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. In 1950, he followed in the footsteps of his fatherin-law, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory. In the decades that followed, the Rebbe revolutionized, inspired and guided the post-Holocaust transformation of the Jewish people that continues to this day.

This day, relevant to every Jew in Rabbi Menachem our generation, is a time for reflecMendel Schneerson tion, learning, prayer, positive resolutions and acts of loving-kindness. The day’s observances typically include communal gatherings and prayer, as well as visits to the Ohel, the Rebbes’ resting place in Queens, New York.

The dramatic and far-reaching influence of the Rebbe is simply astounding. There is hardly a Jew in the world who has not been impacted in some way by the Rebbe. The Rebbe’s teachings and vision have permeated every corner of the world, profoundly touching the lives of countless individuals across diverse communities. His messages weren’t confined to the Jewish community alone; they reached people of all backgrounds, promoting universal values of morality, unity, and empowerment. His insights into the human condition resonated deeply with a wide audience, bringing about a wave of positive change and inspiration.

The Rebbe’s influence can be seen today in the establishment of Chabad centers worldwide, each serving as a beacon of Jewish learning and community. Each Chabad a safe welcoming home regardless of one’s level of observance or background. These Chabad Centers are a testament to his vision of an inclusive, globally-connected Jewish community, dedicated to learning, charity, and spiritual growth.

Celebrating the Rebbe’s legacy through Kiddush and farbrengen is not just a commemoration, but a continuation of his mission. It’s a dramatic testament to how his teachings have transcended geographical and cultural boundaries, creating a global network of individuals united in their quest for moral and spiritual elevation. This celebration is a powerful affirmation of the Rebbe’s lasting impact on the world, inspiring us to carry forward his message of hope, unity, and human dignity. For more infoprmation about the Rebbe and how to celebrate Yud Shevat, visit ochabad.com/yudshevat.

The Jewish Press | January 19, 2024 | 11

PEOPLE WHO READ NEWSPAPERS ARE

Pulverent e MONUMENT CO.

Family Owned and Operated

STUDENTS WITH BETTER GRADES

Over 60 Years Experience With Jewish Lettering and Memorials

It all starts with Newspapers.

402-341-2452

1439 So. 13th

NEBRASKA STATEWIDE CLASSIFIEDS ANNOUNCEMENT CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in over 150 newspapers. Reach thousands of readers for $225/25 word ad. Contact the Jewish Press or call 1-800-369-2850.

HELLO NEBRASKA! Introducing www.nepublicnotices.com, a new public notice website presented as a public service by all Nebraska newspapers. Free access, fully searchable – because democracy depends upon open government and your right to know.

AFFORDABLE PRESS Release service. Send your message to 155 newspapers across Nebraska for one low price! Call 1-800369-2850 or www.nebpress.com for more details.

FOR SALE USE THE patented FleaBeacon® to control fleas in the home without toxic chemicals or costly exterminators. Results overnight. Distributed by K&K Vet Supply (479-361-1516).

FOR SALE - INTERNET FREE HIGH speed internet for those that qualify. Government program for recipients of select programs incl. Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, WIC, Veterans Pension, Survivor Benefits, Lifeline, Tribal. 15 GB internet service. Bonus offer: Android tablet FREE with one-time $20 copay. Free shipping & handling. Call Maxsip Telecom today! 1-855-646-1256.

FOR SALE - SENIORS PORTABLE OXYGEN Concentrator? May be covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 855-385-3580.

GUN SHOW GUN SHOW: January 19-21, 2024, Mid American Center, Council Bluffs, IA Fri 3-8pm, Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 9am-3pm. $8 (under 14 FREE). More info: 563-608-4401 www.marvkrauspromotions.net.

HELP WANTED PRESS POSITION open: Rocket Printing in Armour, SD, is looking for an individual to run their newspaper press and additional technologies. Experience a plus, will train the right individual.

Benefits include insurance incentive and retirement. Send letter and resume to Rocket Printing, PO Box 369, Armour, SD 57313.

HOME SERVICES DOES YOUR basement or crawl space need some attention? Call Thrasher Foundation Repair! A permanent solution for waterproofing, failing foundations, sinking concrete and nasty crawl spaces. FREE Inspection & Same Day Estimate. $250 off ANY project with code GET250. Call 1-844-958-3431.

THE BATHROOM of your dreams in as little as 1 day. Limited Time Offer - $1000 off or No Payments and No Interest for 18 months for customers who qualify. BCI Bath & Shower. Many options available. Quality materials & professional installation. Senior & Military Discounts Available. Call Today! 1-855-451-2244.

12 | The Jewish Press | January 19, 2024

News LOC AL | N AT I O N A L | WO R L D

Anne Frank and the Florida book-ban lawsuit ANDREW LAPIN JTA A Florida school district is heading to court in a closely watched legal challenge to its decision to remove more than 1,600 books, including Anne Frank’s original diary.

Schindler’s List and a young-adult novel about a teenage girl in Auschwitz are also among the slew of books that have been pulled from shelves and are now being held for “further review” in Escambia County, in Florida’s Panhandle. The district shared the list publicly in December, saying that its removals comply with state law.

Now, Escambia County is due in court Wednesday for a hearing about a lawsuit challenging the removals. The suit brought by publishing giant Penguin Random House, literary speech activist group PEN America, local parents and several bestselling authors argues that the district’s book bans discriminate against people of color and LGBTQ people.

Such books have been the target of a national, conservative push to remove material that some argue is offensive. The push has been strongest in Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has championed the effort and enshrined it in state law.

In a sign of how seriously the state is taking the lawsuit, Florida’s own attorney general is advocating on the district’s behalf.

As has frequently been the case, Jewish books have been caught up in the dragnet in Escambia County.

In addition to Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl, Escambia has also removed other books about the Holocaust, including Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography, by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón; Schindler’s List, the novel about Oskar Schindler by Australian author Thomas Keneally that was adapted into Steven Spielberg’s movie; and The Librarian of Auschwitz: The Graphic Novel by Antonio Iturbe and Salva Rubio, based on the true story of Holocaust survivor Dita Kraus, who hid books from the Nazis in the camps.

A representative for Escambia County schools declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. But a chart on the district’s website noted that the books it has stored for review are “based on community standards and/or by a committee.”

The Florida Freedom to Read Project, a statewide free-expression activist group, shared a copy of what it said was the district’s book appropriateness checklist with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. It requires school media centers to “check sex, romance & nudity,” “check violence & scariness” and search sites such as Google Books for “terms related to sexual Anne Frank content” for each title.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons “All classroom copies must be removed from student access until the title has been reviewed according to community standards,” the district noted. The district also suggests specialists look up the book on BookLooks, a book-review site with ties to Moms For Liberty, the conservative activist group that has driven much of the book-ban momentum.

Florida law requires schools to pull and review books if a resident alleges they contain “sexual” content, but enforcement methods differ by district, which activists say is a result of unclear guidance from the state.

“Once all books with any depiction or description of sexual conduct or age assigned as “adult” by the publisher were pulled from the shelves and put into storage, the media centers were allowed to open back up,” Stephana Farrell of Florida

Freedom to Read Project told JTA. The case in Escambia County is one of several currently unfolding against local and state book-ban laws — and is not the only one to involve Jewish books. Recently a federal judge in Iowa, blocking parts of that state’s own book-ban law, suggested it was keeping Elie Wiesel’s Holocaust memoir “Night” out of schools. But the Escambia case has attracted outsized attention, as it puts Florida’s strict book laws, and the stance of DeSantis, who is running for president, in the legal hot seat.

Spurred by a teacher challenging 100 books she said were sexually explicit or otherwise inappropriate for children, the Escambia case has led to the firing of the district superintendent and the resignation of the library services coordinator; photos of district bookshelves covered with black paper have become a potent symbol of the school book wars.

The inclusion of The Diary of a Young Girl is especially notable. A recent graphic adaptation of Frank’s diary has been removed from several schools in Florida and elsewhere, because some parents and legislators have objected to its illustration of sexual passages from her book. But Escambia County marks the first instance in which Frank’s original diary is known to have been removed from schools since the “parents’ rights” movement driving the book purge gained steam in 2021.

Several leading proponents of the movement have publicly stated their support for the original Anne Frank diary’s inclusion in classrooms, and school districts that pulled the new adaptation have defended their decision by noting the original remains available.

Other books about Judaism and the Holocaust that have been temporarily or permanently removed from schools include Art Spiegelman’s Maus, Bernard Malamud’s The Fixer and Elisabeth Kushner’s The Purim Superhero, a children’s book about an LGBTQ Jewish family, which was also pulled from a Florida Panhandle district.

Complimentary

Will Consultation Day Receive a copy of

“A Spectrum of Legacies – The Gifts You Leave Your Children and Community”.

This valuable resource for charitable giving is

by Omaha author and consultant, Mark Weber.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM STAENBERG OMAHA JCC

NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY | Check-in at front desk In celebration of our 10th year of Life & Legacy, we are thrilled to announce a Will Consultation Day. Attorneys will be available to meet with you individually, offering free legal guidance towards formalizing your after-lifetime gift.

For further inquiries, contact: Stacie Metz at 402.334.6485 or smetz@jewishomaha.org