Voices

(Founded in 1920) The Jewish Press One more Abby Kutler President ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT why do I feel so guilty every time I walk into the and personal wellbeing. Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Jewish Press Editor The evening news has been so worrisome lately, kitchen, open my front door, swipe my debit card? “Jewish tradition emphasizes that the duty to “Throughout Jewish history, the rabbis took this injunction seriously. Jewish tradition strongly foRichard Busse it’s hard to find the motivation to write about it. heal is an obligation of each person,” Rabbi Nancy cused on the importance of providing food, shelter, Creative Director And when I say ‘evening news,’ I mean the 24-hour, Epstein wrote for the Jewish Journal. “It must be clothing and medical care to those in need, and to Susan Bernard non-stop barrage of stories about riots, extremist balanced with the duties to provide other essential use a community’s resources wisely to balance Advertising Executive threats, divisiveness and disease—with economic services, such as food, shelter and clothing. As op- their allocation and make sure the social safety net Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor turmoil thrown in for good measure. But here I sit: a roof over my head, a loving family comprised all these primary needs.” (JewishJournal.com, 2018) Gabby Blair Staff Writer Mary Bachteler Accounting and a steady job. Plenty of food in the pantry-so much, in fact, that I’m starting to get a little anxious about Passover cleaning. (Exactly how many pack The key line here seems to be “a duty to one’s self and others.” When others hurt, we hurt. When it feels like the entire world is like Job, we are obliged Jewish Press Board ets of noodles do we have to go through? Maybe it’s to step up. We can’t just watch the suffering, we Abby Kutler, President; Eric Dunning, time to ask my husband and kids to cease their vis- have to share it, own it. The guilt that creeps up Ex-Officio; Danni Christensen, David Finkelstein, Candice Friedman, Bracha Goldsweig, Margie Gutnik, Natasha its to the Asian Market—lest we again end up eating only noodles for weeks on end). every time I see a homeless person on the street? It’s a reminder that there is always more to do. We Kraft, Chuck Lucoff, Eric Shapiro, Andy Shefsky, Shoshy Susman and Amy Tipp. The mission of the Jewish Federa Seeing how many people are suffering (jobless, not knowing how to pay the rent, not enough will never reach a point where we can congratulate ourselves on a job well done. It will never be tion of Omaha is to build and sustain a money for basic needs) while not experiencing that enough. Frankly, that’s a bit of a depressing thought strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Is- suffering first-hand will handicap us if we let it. It’s and not what I was going for when I started typing rael and around the world. Agencies of oh-so easy to tell ourselves that ‘we’re just trying to this op-ed. I like optimistic messages—I gravitate the Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Life, Jewish make it through this pandemic, this political stress, as best we can.’ to solving problems, finding an effective answer. This time, that may not be so easy. Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page sto Why make it worse by worrying about others? We have enough on our plate. What I do believe is that we can still make this better by helping others. We can’t solve all our probries and announcements, can be found But that is not how things work. lems, and maybe the things we do compare to the online at: wwwjewishomaha. org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Need does not depend on whether we feel like proverbial drop in the bucket, but we still must do Editorials express the view of the reaching out, it doesn’t question whether our days them. Maybe the voice in our head that drives us on writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish are already tough enough, it doesn’t wonder where our limits lie. Need is constant; if you wonder if that posed to the Declaration of Independence, which begins with inalienable rights, Judaism begins with and reminds us ‘it’s never enough’ is there for a reason: it doesn’t want us to give up. We can write one Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves is true, just take a drive around Omaha and count the homeless. Call the shelters, the food pantries, check duties, indeed God’s commandments. Healing is considered ‘a duty one has to oneself and to others.’ more check. We can drop off one more bag of food. We can make one more phone call to a loved one. the right to edit signed letters and arti- the unemployment figures. Things are not going well, The Torah’s injunction to pursue justice is captured We can light one more candle and say one more cles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut and we all have to share that responsibility. in the imperative in Deuteronomy, ‘Justice, justice prayer. Because ‘one more’ is –if not the most satisof any product or establishment. So, where is the good news? Is there any? And thou shall pursue,’ and is tied to communal healing fying answer—still so much better than not at all.

Editorial

The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, I didn’t realize I was Jewish until adulthood. Family recipes 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: helped me discover my hidden Sephardic history. rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters ORGE CASTELLANO This post originally appeared on The Nosher. those dishes. With its characteristic aroma of bay leaf, caramelized onions and raisins, the dish is balls of fried dough with a sweet or salty filling — mine are usually made with raw cane sugar syrup, to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: Imagine for a second a group of Jews making a slightly different version of challah for Shabbat, cooked with turmeric to provide its signature yellow color. As a kid, it was often mixed with a fried cloves and nutmeg. There was always cake — plantain cake with cinnamon and smoked cheese, or 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Ed- matzah for Passover and doughnuts for Hanukkah. egg, with parsley sprinkled on top. traditional bizcochuelo, a sponge cake that was itor at: org. avandekamp@jewishomaha. A group of people whose ancestors were forced to In my search for Sephardic recipes, I became ever-present in my school lunchbox. Similar to pan Letters should be no longer than convert to Catholicism against their will, yet con- aware that this dish is very similar to pilaf with saf- d’Espana, which Sephardim took with them to the 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions tinued to practice Jewish customs underground, even at the risk of being ostracized and tortured for fron, a Mediterranean spice my ancestors did not have access to since it didn’t grow Diaspora, my mother put her own spin on this soft, and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” doing so. Meet the Silent Jews. Sometimes referred to as Crypto-Jews, anusim in their new home. Another delicious dish that also The Editor may edit letters for content (Hebrew for coerced ones), or conversos, Silent appears in the kitchens of and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing Jews are descendants of Spanish Jews expelled Sephardic Jews from Turkey, Greece view. Information shall be verified be- from Spain and Portugal in 1492. Most left me- and Morocco is estofado de berenfore printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part dieval Iberian territories for the Ottoman Empire or North Africa. Others fled persecution and settled jenas (eggplant stew). Made by sauteing eggplants in olive oil with of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates in new frontiers in the New World, where many found refuge. garlic, onion and cumin, this quick stew is served with smoked cheese running for office, but others may write I come from one of those persecuted families or feta and an abundance of on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be con- who came to South America around 1532 and dis- cilantro. My family pairs it with fined to commending an institution for creetly practiced Jewish rituals, living in fear of homemade bread or corn arepas, a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the being hunted down by the Inquisition. I only found out that my family was actually Jewish as a an example of incorporating local ingredients. Bunuelos are small balls of fried dough with a sweet or salty filling. Credit: The Nosher “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the teenager, that all our colorful, fragrant, crunchy dishes were deeply rooted in Judaic culinary tradi On the most stressful days of the past year, comfort food became a necessity. A hearty dish of light cake, using cornmeal instead of ground almonds, substituting orange blossom water with a professional staff supervised. For infor- tions from 16th-century Spain. That the ingredi- huevos con tomate (eggs with tomato) afforded me few drops of rum, and swapping grated orange peel mation, contact Annette van de KampWright, Jewish Press Editor, ents and aromas of my mom’s kitchen resembled a sense of tranquility and a break from the chaos for the peel of a lemon. 402.334.6450. dishes from the Sephardic gastronomy repertoire. and uncertainty that surrounded me. This dish, Reconnecting with my roots through food during Postal When the pandemic struck, the combination of which closely resembles shakshuka, was cooked at these difficult times has helped me to cope with The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday lockdown, curiosity and melancholy led me to knead, mix and eat plates from my mom’s Jewish my house with ají dulce — the Caribbean’s colorful semi-spicy pepper — chili flakes and smoked pastress, anxiety and loneliness. There’s still so much to cook, eat and share. I’ll continue paying homage for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 for- inheritance passed on through several generations prika. It’s so piquant and fragrant, I usually pair it to each and every one of the dishes that my family eign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: of women in our family. The kitchen was the right with plain white rice or bread. However, my mother preserved with such dedication and courage. This 402.334.5422. place to honor their sacrifices, bravery and perse- served it as a second course to complement her is the only way I can celebrate — and always carry Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. verance to maintain tradition, despite centuries of fear and persecution. traditional pescado mermao, a hake fish stew cooked over a slow fire in an iron skillet with a mixwith me — their everlasting legacy. To read more about Orge’s family history, check 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org. My lockdown days soon began to be filled with ingredients such as eggplants, spinach, leeks and ture of garlic, peas and eggplant smothered in a sauce of chilis and tomatoes. The last touch inout this essay on our sister site, Alma: heyalma.com/my-family-were-hidden-jewsturnips, which mingled with the scents of cinna- cluded a bunch of fresh cilantro leaves and a hint for-over-500-years-not-anymore/. mon, anise, cardamom and nutmeg, coming to- of sour lime juice. It filled our entire house with a The views and opinions expressed in this article are American Jewish Nebraska Press National Newspaper gether with dried fruits and legumes. thick, citrusy aroma. those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the Press Association Award Winner Association Award winner 2008 Association Arroz con garbanzos (chickpea rice) was one of And the desserts! There were bunuelos, small views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

NICHOLAS CASTILLO Trump’s own words was one. Seeing upward of 50 men in There is a large constituency in this country under the delusion This story originally appeared on Alma. The author is a mem- Party City-level military garb, some with Confederate flags, that they are some kind of supermajority incapable of losing a ber of Alma’s college writing fellows, a diverse cohort of Jewish marching down the sidewalk outside my building was cer- national election. And while it may be tempting to intellectually students from around the world. Learn more here. tainly another. But I didn’t take things quite seriously until or emotionally opt out of American belonging, to do so would Not only was I in D.C. on Jan. 6, I was across the street from walking back to our building, when I saw a group of about 10 play into the hands of these fanatics hell bent on transforming a hotel filled, nearly entirely from what I could tell, with protesters. One asked another for directions to the Capitol. the definition of Americanness into one along racial, religious Trump supporters who had come to our nation’s capital for “We’re going to storm it,” he proclaimed, as if that wasn’t and ideological lines. They have weaponized the national title, this week’s rally turned riot. treason. perverting it to the point where mobs can carry an American Three days earlier I had moved to a new apartment in flag in one hand, a Confederate flag in the other, storm a Washington. I unpacked my clothes, electronics, posters federal building and continue to think of themselves as paand my finishing touches: Judaica (what else?). A menorah triots. I was enraged not only at Trump but at his supporton the windowsill, a small flag of Israel above my bed, a ers, who buy into a selfish, twisted notion of national larger Ashkenazi flag on my wall and finally a gorgeous belonging. mezuzah on my door frame. My roommate, also Jewish, It was in part the anger at those who assume themselves took no issue with my choices in decorations. It all pro- to be the majority that led to my conclusion that there will claimed, not unintentionally, “Here lives a Jew.” be “no more running.” While this view is certainly informed Over the days leading up to riot at the Capitol, I watched by years of extremist mobilization in this country — Chara steady trickle of Trump supporters come into the city. lottesville, Pittsburgh, D.C. — it is really the outcrop of a Cars around my neighborhood were covered in flags, larger Jewish history. We have been driven from nearly bumper stickers and icons declaring the visitors’ loyalties. every country we have ever resided in. The once multipolar Already addicted to people watching, I saw folks in MAGA Jewish world is now bipolar, mainly existing in the U.S. and hats coming and going from the hotel across the street from Israel. But aliyah, moving to Israel, has never really been on my building. Their windows were covered in Trump flags. the table for anyone in my family. For us, the Atlantic and I live near the National Mall, and when I visited the Viet- Pacific coasts are the shores of no return. We have not nam War Memorial on Tuesday, I found myself surrounded by maskless men and women in MAGA hats with Trump Rioting at the Capitol in Washington, Jan 6, 2021. Platt/Getty Images Credit: Spencer found unparalleled freedom in this often bizarre experiment only to abandon it in its hour of need. flags in hand. A rally of some sort had just let out, and a few That declaration was disquieting enough, but what really As disgusted as so many of us felt going to sleep on the night hundred protesters remained scattered across the mall. made me nervous was seeing a sheathed knife on his belt — of Jan. 6, it must be remembered that in the long term, a lot of Coming from New York and living in D.C., I understand that the kind of knife that’s probably not good for much other than good happened on that day. It was the day the Democrats took I’m not often exposed to realities that exist outside of liberal stabbing people. That brought home for me that something the Senate for the first time in a decade. It was the day that cosmopolitan areas, but the experience was nevertheless much worse than a protest was happening. My roommate and Georgia — a state that generations of Black and Jewish people dizzying. I had never been surrounded by people decked out I rushed inside, where NPR already was reporting that the have been taught to fear — sent Jon Ossoff and Raphael in what basically are far-right political uniforms. As I told my Capitol building was under siege. Warnock to the Senate. It was the day that finally brought grandfather later over the phone, that short trip brought out Fury followed. That turned to nervousness, especially when some kind of cosmic punishment to the Republican Party for my inner “Mexican Jew,” and I felt the need to leave the area I realized that many of those storming the halls of democracy its years of facilitating Trumpism. Better still, it may be the as soon as possible. (That, plus it was cold.) were likely staying across the street from me. I received a day that the GOP finally recognized the monster they had Walking back from my trip to the mall, I thought about my handful of frantic phone calls from my mother commanding been feeding the past four years. Judaica at home. Living on the first floor, I realized that my me not to sit near the windows facing the hotel for the rest of Good things can happen in the next few years. I woke up on Ashkenazi and Israeli flags would be plainly visible through the evening. I dropped the blinds, blocking any Judaica from Thursday realizing that we can get this country back on track, the windows. I wondered about the reactions of my new view. There was no room left in my mind for quandaries on and to ignore or deny that would be to forget the hard work that neighbors across the street. Far-right politics is riddled with philo-Semitism. I was no longer interested in publicly pro- went into making a Democratic majority in the Senate possible. philo-Semitism and anti-Semitism. Despite the fact that I had- claiming a “Jew lives here.” Viewing the fascist and neo-Nazi The day that right-wing militants stormed the U.S. Capitol n’t seen threats of anything intentionally intimidating, I still imagery sported by some rioters that has surfaced since the left me bewildered and angry, even frightened. But it also left wondered about any possible risks. attack on the Capitol, I think it was a wise decision. me defiant and optimistic. The last four years, through their Nevertheless, I didn’t let it occupy my mind too much. It was As the news came in, my roommate joked that now would ups and downs, have not convinced me that there is no Jewish certainly troubling to overhear conversations about how be an opportune time to fill out a Canadian asylum applica- future in America. They have likewise not convinced me that “China definitely sent the virus on purpose,” but I had no idea tion. It wasn’t more than a typical left-wing musing, but it there is no future for democracy in America. I won’t let them that mass lawlessness would soon follow. I assumed the protest elicited in me a strange knee-jerk reaction not befitting a take that away from us. would fizzle for a weekend, as previous demonstrations had. throwaway comment. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of On the day that the Capitol building was overrun, there “No,” I said, “no more running.” the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its were certainly a few signs that real trouble was brewing. It was a deeply Jewish response and one I felt thoroughly. parent company, 70 Faces Media.

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