February 7, 2020

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Young Jewish Omaha

Expert on Turkish politics speaks on Islam and authoritarianism at UNO Page 3

DANIELLE GORDMAN Program Director, Young Jewish Giving Young Jewish Giving began in 2016 with the mission to empower teens and college-aged students to make the world a better place by donating money to worthy causes engaged in meaningful work. With the 2017 addition of the Teen Foundation and Volunteer Council, the mission has expanded to providing teens an oppor-

Ethiopia: Baptism of the American Jews Page 4

Response to the Tree of Life Synagogue active shooter

The terrible story of Ilan Halimi Page 12

REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles

tunity to volunteer in the community and learn about its needs through a foundation lens.

Fast forward to this school year: In December 2019, Young Jewish Giving participated in the community-wide Hanukkah Extravaganza at the Children’s Museum. An army of teen volunteers assisted younger children and toddlers by passing on some of the lessons they have learned in the program.

Children assembled save/spend/share

8 9 10 11

The FBI Omaha Field Office invites cial Agent of the FBI in September the community to a presentation by 1996. He first reported to the Detroit Division in the KalaSpecial Agent in mazoo Resident Charge (SAC) Robert Agency, where he inJones on Wednesvestigated drug, vioday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 lent crime, white p.m. at Temple Iscollar crime, and rael. Jones is the terrorism cases. In head of the Pitts2002, Mr. Jones was burgh Field Office, promoted to Superwhich includes ten visory Special Agent Resident Agencies of the FBI’s Coun(RAs) across two terterrorism Divistates. Prior to this, sion. Mr. Jones was Director James B. promoted to Unit Comey, Jr. named Robert Allan Jones Chief in 2003. In Special Agent Robert Jones as Assistant Director 2004, Mr. Jones was for the FBI’s Weapons of Mass De- promoted to Supervisory Senior Resstruction Directorate. ident Agent in the Rochester ResiMr. Jones entered on duty as a Spe- dent Agency of the Buffalo Division, supervising all criminal and cyber investigative programs.

He was promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division, where he held responsibilities for the Intelligence and Counterintelligence program in 2008. In 2009, Mr. Jones reported to Kabul, Afghanistan, as the Legal Attache.

Upon his return to the United States in 2011, he was promoted to Section See Tree of Life Synagogue page 3

boxes. When they were done, the teens gave each child 100 pennies and encouraged them to talk with their parents about how many pennies should go into each part of the box.

Earlier in the fall at Beth El Synagogue, nine sixth and seventh graders learned about tzedakah and tikkun olam, repairing the world. The kids were tasked with making a personalized frame that would encourage them to See Young Jewish Omaha page 2

MOMentum Allyson’s story

ALLYSON BRADIN WILCZESKI Summer of 2019, the plans were confirmed to go to Israel on the Women’s MOMentum trip. I was so excited to go back to Israel. It had been over 20 years since I had traveled there. Then, I was a newly-married 20-something on a Federation trip with other peers from Omaha.

Now, as a 49-year old, married for 26 years, mother of two and business owner, it would be a very different experience. Soon, the excitement for the trip turned to stress. Ten

days away?!! Away, from my business, husband, kids?? In 26 years of marriage and 19 years of being a parent, I have never been away by myself for more than five days!

As soon as I met the other women on the trip, all of the anxiety faded away. We all were in the same situation. We all were responsible for our families and had work/volunteer responsibilities, and had never been away, by ourselves for this length of time. Some of us knew See MOMentum page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | February 7, 2020

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Young Jewish Omaha

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MOMentum

Continued from page 1 one another from the JCC or synagogue and others I met for the first time. We all wanted to participate in this experience for different reasons. I wanted to reconnect to myself, not as mom, wife, sister or business owner but as ME. I wanted to be self -reflective on a spiritual level as well as a personal one. It was a bonus to surround myself on my journey with local women with whom I began to have a personal connection.

When I arrived in Israel and met women from South Africa, Australia and other places around the globe, there was a sense of comradery, unity and community.

Over a 10 - day period, we spoke about women empowerment, Jewish values, how women can inspire community and change the world, all while experiencing our shared history in Israel. Slowly, the ME came back.

The ME, during the 10-day experience who chose to be led instead of being the leader.

The ME, who chose to live in the moment and not stress about what “might be.” The ME, who only focused on myself and not my husband, kids and work. The ME, that I was able

to return to when allowed the time to reflect and be still in thought.

I realize that the MOMentum Experience, not only helped me re-engage with my authentic self, but it reignited my Jewish identity. It reaffirmed a connection to Israel that is inexplicable to someone not Jewish.

My hope was that I could sustain this feeling coming back to the routine of life.

How do I keep this “authentic” self and feeling of inspiration ignited? I hope that I don’t just begin lighting candles on Shabbat and making challah.

Those things are nice but the relationship to me and to the women on my trip I hope to maintain and grow. I was inspired in Israel to not live passively but to be engaged in community — locally/globally. I might not know what project I want to explore, but when I discover what it is, it will feed my soul and effect positive change.

January 2020, I feel grateful and blessed to have been able to go on the MOMentum experience. I am still inspired by my community, my new friends and hope I can make a meaningful impact.

Continued from page 1 perform acts of loving kindness each day.

During first semester, the 12 students on the Teen Foundation board worked hard to create their focus for the year and produce the necessary application documents to send to local and national non-profit organizations. The Teen Foundation has $5000 to allocate. This year’s focus is to help people from various backgrounds improve their quality of life and rehabilitate from an injury, abuse, change in socio-economic status or other circumstances. They will re-convene in early February to review all applications and begin the decision making and allocation process. The final consensus meeting will be March 22. Grant checks will be distributed at the annual Giving Shuk (market) on Sunday, March 29 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. where more than one dozen non-profit organizations will set up booths for teens to learn about their mission and financial needs.

There will also be a motivational speaker sharing a keynote address. Previous speakers

have been philanthropists Todd Simon of Omaha Steaks, Dave Spence, local business owner and founder of the Dave Spence Cancer Foundation, and Rik Bonness, a former Husker All-American and Super Bowl champion-turned-attorney. All three shared their personal stories of why they became philanthropists and enraptured the teens with their personal success stories with tzedakah and beyond. This year’s speaker will be announced in February.

To open a YJG account, a $125 donation is required. The Jewish Federation of Omaha, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation and its partners will triple match that donation to create a $500 donor-advised fund.

YJGers are then able to allocate $50 a year to any organization(s) they wish. Half of their funds must go to a Jewish-related organization.

If you are interested in opening a YJG account, please contact Danielle Gordman at 402.334.6446 or email: dgordman@jewish omaha.org.

Join the four-woman acapella group, Quince, for a night of gorgeously apocalyptic melodies in remembrance of the Dust Bowl. On February 10, these four critically acclaimed sopranos will perform a series of folk ballads inspired

by Woody Guthrie as part of their “This a Changin’ World” tour. Quince has been described in Opera News as “the Anonymous 4 of new music” and the versatility of their voices is truly something to behold! $15 General Admission $10 for KANEKO Members and Students More info at thekaneko.org With gratitude to the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

The Jewish Press | February 7, 2020 | 3

Expert on Turkish politics speaks on Islam and authoritarianism at UNO DR. JEANNETTE GABRIEL Director, Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies, UNO Dr. Ahmet Kuru from San Diego State University will speak on his new book, Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment, on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Engagement Center on the UNO campus. The Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies and the Islamic Studies Program at University of Nebraska-Omaha are cohosting the event which will begin with a reception and book signing at Criss Library at 5:30 p.m. Dr. Dr. Ahmet Kuru Kuru will speak about the reasons why authoritarianism and underdevelopment are so pervasive in the Middle East from a historical and comparative perspective. We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Kuru to UNO in this moment of heightened international tensions. Kuru’s talk will shed light on Islamist politics in the region, authoritarianism in Turkey and Iran, and the violence committed by extremists in the Middle East.

Earlier in the day on Thursday, Feb. 13, Dr. Kuru will be a special guest panelist at The Middle East Forum held at the Milo Bail Student Center from noon – 1 p.m.

This event is sponsored by the Middle East Project Fund, the Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies, and the Islamic Studies Program at UNO. Panelists will include Dr. Ramazan Kilinic and Dr. Michelle Black from Political Science, Dr. Curtis Hutt from Religious Studies, and Dr. James Clark from History. The panel discussion will be moderated by Dr. Jody Neathery-Castro, Chair of Political Science. The panel will be about the future of Islamist and fundamentalist politics in the Middle East. The panel will also examine the role of Turkey in relation to tensions between the United States and Iran. Lunch will be provided and the public is encouraged to attend.

For more information on these events, please contact Kendall Penas at 402.554.2788 or kpanas@unomaha.edu.

Anything Grants The cameras that captured the recent vandalism at the South Street Temple were funded by an Anything Grant in 2017. Carol and Michael Staenberg chose to establish the Staenberg Family Foundation in 2005 to mobilize resources needed to preserve and enhance Jewish life in St. Louis, Israel and around the world. They have expanded their support to Omaha where Michael was born and raised. The Staenbergs hope that their actions will inspire others to give back to the community by funding Anything Grants to benefit Jewish non-profit organizations or synagogues in Omaha, Lincoln and Council Bluffs.

We will once again be offering Anything Grants in 2020 funded by the Staenberg Family Foundation and friends of the Federation for Jewish organizations in Omaha, Lincoln and Council Bluffs. These special one-time matching grants

will range from $1,000 to $5,000, equal to 50 percent of the project budget. Organizations are responsible for raising the remaining 50 percent from other sources.

Project budgets should not exceed $10,000. All applicants must have a 501(c)3 tax status.

As the name indicates, these grants can be for anything on your wish-list. For instance, the hiring of a non-profit consultant, building a new website, purchasing technology or building beautification. The deadline is Feb. 28 and your project must be completed, matching funds raised and paperwork submitted by March 31, 2021 in order to receive your funds.

Grant applications are available at https://tinyurl.com/ For more information, please contact Louri Sullivan, Senior Director of Community Impact and Special Projects, at 402.334.6485 or lsullivan@jewishomaha.org.

Tree of Life Synagogue Continued from page 1 Chief in the Counterintelligence Division at FBI Headquarters.

On July 30, 2012, Director Robert S. Mueller III named Mr. Jones as Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Division. In 2014, Mr. Jones returned to FBIHQ as Deputy Assistant Director for Counterintelligence.

Born near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mr. Jones received a bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice from the Penn-

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sylvania State University in 1986 and a Master’s Degree in Social Science from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Public Affairs in 1996. Mr. Jones served as a U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer before joining the FBI. This presentation is sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League and is an Omaha Beit Midrash Special Presentation It is free and open to the public.

Eko Nova: Quince Inspired by the poetry, songs, and activism of Woody Guthrie, This A Changin’ World is a collection that conjures the wind, land, and stories of unplanned migration alongside songs about the American experience of loving and losing. Our evening includes arrangements of Guthrie’s music as well as newly composed works by members of Quince and some of our very favorite collaborators, including David Lang, Gilda Lyons, Laura Steenberge and Warren Enstrom.

Singing with the precision and flexibility of modern chamber musicians, Quince Ensemble is changing the paradigm of contemporary vocal music. Described as “the Anonymous 4 of new music” by Opera News, Quince continually pushes the boundaries of vocal ensemble literature. As dedicated advocates of new music, Quince regularly commissions new works, providing wider exposure for the music of living composers. They recently launched the Quince New Music Commissioning Fund, a fund to grow the repertoire for women and treble voices. Quince has released three studio albums, Realign the Time, Hushers, and Motherland, all available on iTunes, CD Baby, Spotify, and Amazon.

In 2016, Quince was featured on the KODY Festival Lublin, Poland, in collaboration with David Lang and Beth Morrison Projects. They have also appeared on the Outpost Concert Series, the Philip Glass: Music with Friends concert at the Issue Project Room in Brooklyn, Alia Musica, and the SONiC Festival in New York. During the 2018-19 season, they collaborated with International Contemporary Ensemble, Lincoln Center, Linfield University, Vespers Concert Series, Kamratōn Ensemble, Connecticut Summerfest,

and UC Berkeley, to name a few.

Comprised of vocalists Liz Pearse (soprano), Kayleigh Butcher (mezzo soprano), Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (soprano), and Carrie Henneman Shaw (soprano), Quince thrives on unique musical challenges and genre-bending contemporary repertoire.

Once comes to the Omaha Community Playhouse The Omaha Community Playhouse (OCP) production of Once will open Friday, Feb. 28. Winner of eight Tony Awards® and based on the Oscar®-winning film, Once is the achingly beautiful tale of unexpected love between Guy, an Irish musician, and Girl, a Czech immigrant.

The uplifting score—featuring the Academy Award®-winning single, Falling Slowly,—is performed entirely on stage, with the actors doubling as orchestra musicians. Equal parts touching and inspiring, Once reminds us of music’s unique ability to forge deep, unspoken connections in our lives.

Tickets are on sale now starting at $24 for adults and $18 for students, with ticket prices varying by performance. Tickets may be purchased at the OCP Box Office, located at 6915 Cass Street, by phone at 402.553.0800 or online at OmahaPlayhouse.com.

The show will run in the Hawks Mainstage Theatre at OCP from Feb. 28 through March 22. Performances will be held Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

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RICH JURO We were quite excited to sign up for a twoweek tour of Ethiopia. The land of the Queen of Sheba, Emperor Haile Selassie, and the Black Falasha Jews appealed to Fran and me on several levels. After two long flights, we arrived at the capital city, Addis Ababa, on February 2, 2007, and went directly to the Sheraton Hotel. The long u-shaped drive in front of the hotel was to give two surprises, one on arrival and one on the last day.

The incoming shock was an electronic message flashing across a large pole sign at the entrance: “225 Days to the Millennium.” We were both approaching age 65, but we didn’t think senioritis had caused us to miss the seven years since January 1st, 2000. Nor did we believe that just because it was Groundhog Day in Pennsylvania had we stuck our head in the earth for that long. So what the heck was going on? A local explained: “Most of the people belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and under its ecclesiastical lunar calendar New Year’s Day and the date of the millennium was actually Sept. 11, 2007.”

Go figure.

Another confusing variation was that their days are not on a 24-hour clock, but rather on two 12-hour cycles, and they start at 7 a.m. rather than midnight. When setting a watch, an appointment, or especially a flight schedule, you’d better know if the time was on the Ethiopian clock or on the rest-of-the-world time. Otherwise what you thought was a 7 p.m. flight might leave at noon or maybe at midnight (I could never really figure it out).

And so began a very strange journey.

Our small group did manage to make the next plane and flew east towards Somalia over a very arid area, landing in Harar. This old city was primarily inhabited by Arab Muslims. We visited a large outdoor market where you could buy camels, housewares, and any kind of clothing. Most of the garments were in huge piles, apparently sent by charitable organizations in the USA and Europe. Instead of the apparel being distributed to needy families, it was for sale, albeit at very low prices.

We never did find out how the vendors acquired these donated items. But one could buy two or three shirts, pants, shoes or whatever one desired for less than the equivalent of US $1.00. Having brought our clothes with us, we passed on these bargains, and went to visit the next attraction.

On the outskirts of the city sat a local vil-

lager, dressed in native attire and head covering. He was of medium age, medium height, and had a medium coffee complexion. The only remarkable thing about him was that he was surrounded by several full-grown hyenas.

Now hyenas may well be the most disliked of larger mammals: They are unattractive, with splotchy coats and an unsightly face; they hunt in packs to take down larger animals like antelope and baby elephants that most of us consider more endearing (pun intended); and they are primarily scavengers, ripping apart the carcasses and bones of dead animals with their powerful jaws, or running in packs at night to snatch freshly killed prey from leopards or cheetahs that have worked long and hard to bring down their dinner. Hyenas will even eat the droppings of other animals to get the nutrients. Sorry for that factoid, but I think it establishes why these critters are usually on the bottom of the animal popularity lists.

On the other hand, hyenas are very social animals, living in large family groups, nurturing and teaching their pups their lifestyle.

They are famous for their loud yelp or call, hence the term “laughing hyena”; but it is actually a way of warning their pack of danger.

Finally, like my family, the hyena females dominate the males, but in their case the feminine members of the species are actually larger than the males.

So how was this local character sitting safely amidst these wild, nasty creatures? He was feeding them, of course. Every sunset they would come to the same spot on the edge of the city, and their benefactor would give them meat. How did he afford to buy this food? Simple. He offered tourists like us the opportunity to feed them for a dollar. Now I have fed a variety of animals in my life, including fish, birds, and even had a giraffe eat out of my hand during a backstage tour of our local zoo, but I never had envisioned feeding a hyena. So I handed over the buck, he handed me a long wooden stick with some meat speared on it, I stuck it out toward the hyena and she quickly snatched the meat, fortunately leaving my fingers intact. I was scared momentarily, but I have the pictures to prove I did it.

After a long bumpy ride, we arrived at Gondar, the historical center of Ethiopian Jewry. That many Hebrews had left Palestine and settled in Ethiopia is indisputable, but when they came is debatable. Folklore states that the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon See Ethiopia page 5

Save the Date: Schwalb Center 10th Anniversary The Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2020 with a series of events that will highlight the accomplishments and significance of the Center. Please save the date of Wednesday, April 22 for

our first big event of the anniversary year.

The April event will be held in conjunction with the annual Ruth and Phil Sokolof Lecture on Israel and Jewish Studies.

The Jewish Press | February 7, 2020 | 5

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Ethiopia Continued from page 4 around 1000 B.C., left impregnated, and gave birth to the future King Menelik of Ethiopia. He, in turn, went back as a young man to visit Solomon, who was overjoyed to see his son. Menelik then returned to his own country followed by many of Solomon’s councilors. According to the local legend, they also brought the fabled Ark of the Covenant, and it has resided in various places in Ethiopia ever since. Other stories have the Jews coming at much later times, and continuing to practice their religion in the ancient traditions ever since. In any case, 40 or so years ago, the Ethiopian Jews were recognized as entitled to come to Israel under that nation’s Law of Return. Thousands of Falasha, as the people were then called, did emigrate to the Promised Land, also escaping the famine and impoverishment they had grown up with. There are only a few Falasha still left in Ethiopia, although many others call themselves Jews and try to relocate to Israel. Now in Gondar, the homeland of black Jews for two to three millennia, one finds many new carvings depicting Solomon, Sheba, and other Biblical characters, but little else.

From Gondar we drove for hours on rutted, bone-jarring roads to one or two other towns in the highlands of Ethiopia.

The inns were basic at best, the food unpalatable, but the sights quite interesting. So it was with great anticipation that we arrived at the town of Lalibela tired and dusty, but looking forward to bedding down at what we were told was a brand new three-star hotel. It was well after dark when we reached our destination, and we were surprised to find no lights on in the office. We were directed to walk up an unpaved, uneven, unlit hill. Eventually, stumbling upon our room, we discovered with dismay that the reputedly modern abode was only halffinished. There was one light bulb hanging by a loose cord, no dresser, no tables, no window coverings, and walls of unfinished cinder blocks. There was an attached bathroom, but to flush the toilet we had to fill the plastic trash basket with water from the sink and dump it in the tank. Hot water was non-existent. We were not expecting much in the way of accommodations, but our hopes had been raised, and now dashed. Oh well, we had never stayed in an uncompleted hotel before, so this would make a nice story.

A charming tale of Lalibela is how it was named for a 13th century prince. As a small boy he was viewed as a potential replacement for his uncle, the king, who dispatched soldiers to kill his young rival. The lad successfully hid among a swarm of bees, then left the palace grounds, re-emerging years later to become the monarch. He, and the new royal city he

founded, were both given the name Lalibela, or “lover of bees”, to commemorate his boyhood escapade.

Above: The Coffee Ritual and below: a high priest.

Lalibela is home to one of the most amazing medieval constructions in the world: nine large stone churches carved out of natural rock. The astounding thing is that the churches were cut and sculpted from the top down. From ground level, we lowered our eyes to look upon the roofs of these holy edifices. There were also rough steps cut into the side of the rock so we could carefully walk down to the entrance to each church. Another legend has it that all nine structures were carved in 24 hours, and the angels came down from the starry heavens to help the king accomplish this.

As in many holy places, we were asked to remove our shoes before entering. The floors were covered with old rugs that

were teeming with fleas. This is why you have a tour guide. He had instructed us: “Put an old pair of socks in a plastic zip bag.

At each doorway, take off your shoes and put on the socks.

Upon exiting, take off the socks and put them back in the plastic bags.” It worked! We traversed all these remarkable buildings, literally top to bottom, and took home no fleas to infest our “new” hotel or our suitcases.

We were in Lalibela for the biggest religious celebration of the year: the Timkat Festival, which is the Ethiopian Orthodox Church version of the Epiphany. Thousands of pilgrims descend on the town for three days of celebration. The next morning we joined the throngs walking down to the large observance site. Even though they may have lived in simple huts with dirt floors, the people were dressed in clean white clothing.

Fran and I, being Jewish, had noticed that there are several similarities between Judaism and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church: Services are held on Saturday; There are Stars of David painted on the ceilings of many of the Ethiopian churches; Pork is not eaten by the observant; and in the late Middle Ages there was even a Jewish warrior queen named Judit who ruled all or part of what was then called Abyssinia.

Perhaps these likenesses stem from Judaism pre-dating Christianity in Ethiopia, with the neighboring practices of the old Jews influencing the rituals of the new Orthodox faithful.

The presiding priests were garbed in long colorful robes.

One cradled a replica, or Tabot, of the fabled Ark of the Covenant, and deposited it carefully inside a tent of honor at the front. Of course, no one, including the priests themselves, was allowed to unwrap or see the holy relic.

After a couple of hours of marching and chanting, the crowd gathered around a large, shallow rectangular pool of water.

See Ethiopia page 6

ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS

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

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Ethiopia

Continued from page 5 There were two sets of temporary stands for people to stand on.

The low one was primarily for the locals, the higher structure mostly occupied by foreigners. The reason the natives were not on the taller construction was because you had to buy a more expensive ticket to stand there. Unfortunately, so many onlookers clambered onto the bigger stand that it collapsed with a loud crack quickly followed by a louder cacophony of screams from those falling. Luckily, it crumpled slowly, so no one was seriously injured. Of course, no government officials appeared to investigate, nor attorneys to initiate a lawsuit.

We were standing in the big mass of people about 20 feet back from the pool. It was crowded, but there was no shoving or jostling. Next to me was a middle-aged, short Ethiopian who had brought his three-year-old son. Surprisingly, he hadn’t brought any food for the lad. And the poor child was spending most of the time on the ground sitting amidst everybody’s feet. He was not complaining, but was obviously both hungry and unhappy. Fran had a couple of packages of beef sticks and a banana. She gave them to the father who was pleased to pass them to his son. Being a grandfather, I knew I also had to do something. I lifted the boy onto my shoulders so he could have a good view of the proceedings. When I got tired, I would put him down, and then raise him a few minutes later. I became a hero to the boy, his father, and the surrounding folks.

The high priest, dressed in a sateen white robe and an ornate hat, was droning on and on in the ancient sacred language. We had been there three hours and it was getting hot.

Between the temperature, the crowd, the foreign tongue, and the weight of the boy, I was getting weary of the whole event.

Maybe even the clergy was too, as a couple of the assistant ministers whispered something to the orator. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the sermon ended. The junior clerics quickly picked up some plastic buckets and plunged them in the pool. The next thing we knew we were being soaked as they hurled the holy water on us. Everyone was thrilled, but not because of the cooling effect. I discovered that we had just been baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

With the festivities successfully concluded, we were eager to fly north to Axum, the ancient city where the Ark of the Covenant is allegedly secured in an old building. Access is only granted to the priest-guardian of the site. But Axum is also home to a very tall stone stele that rivals Cleopatra’s Needle, plus another structure that was supposedly a palace of the Queen of Sheba.

Our American tour escort flew to Axum that afternoon so there would be enough seats on the next flight for the eight guests and our local guide. The next morning we arrived early at the small airfield, got our boarding passes, and checked our luggage. The Ethiopian Airlines plane arrived from Gondar

several hours late, but this was not unusual (whether one was on Ethiopian or worldwide time). Some of the passengers disembarked, and we walked out on the tarmac to board. Then the announcement came: “All departing passengers should return to the waiting area inside.”

After a while the station agent informed us that three of our group – Fran, an older single lady, and one of the other husbands – had invalid tickets and would not be allowed on the aircraft. Our local guide would not get involved. He had been in a student demonstration three years ago, was arrested, and spent the next 30 days in solitary confinement. Not fun anywhere, especially not in an Ethiopian prison.

Fran had learned long ago during our trip in Haiti not to just accept any statements from a bureaucrat. She stepped forward and boldly proclaimed: “This action is not fair! I am not going to be separated from my husband. Our tour leader was already in Axum. We had valid boarding passes. We didn’t have time to go to Axum tomorrow. Ethiopia needed to treat tourists fairly if it wanted to attract more.”

The station agent, unused to having his authority questioned, especially by a woman, was momentarily nonplussed.

Then he spotted an Ethiopian soldier lounging across the room and frantically waved him over. The military man approached, carrying his AK-47 across his chest. I knew that

much of the Ethiopian Army had been trained to fight the AlQueda terrorists in Somalia. I hoped Fran knew it too, but if she did, it didn’t inhibit her. She just continued her tirade against the soldier. He listened for about 30 seconds, but luckily he didn’t understand English (or at least pretended not to).

I don’t think he was intimidated, but he just walked away, leaving the unhappy station agent to handle Fran.

But he wouldn’t change his mind. Apparently several passengers on the plane had chosen to stay on rather than disembark. The pilot wouldn’t make them leave and the agent wouldn’t overrule him. Eventually, our group chose to stay as a unit and fly directly back to Addis Ababa. The station agent said he would take our luggage off the plane. He didn’t.

The next day our tour escort met us in Addis. He was waiting for us in the Axum terminal when he saw our bags coming off the plane without us. He figured out what had happened, confirmed it by phone, and brought our bags with him. The tour escort and I visited the home office of Ethiopian Airlines to complain. They listened and offered an apology.

The following day was the last one of our journey. Fran and I did some last-minute shopping and were walking up the long driveway to the Sheraton. I was a few steps in front of her on the narrow sidewalk. Suddenly I heard her cry out. A young man had run out of the surroundings, tried to grab her gold necklace, and violently pushed her down. He quickly ran off empty-handed. Fran was shaken up physically and emotionally. This was the only time in all our travels that force had ever been used against her.

A lady passing by pointed to Fran’s necklace as if to say it was the wrong thing to wear. In fact, Fran would not have worn it, but the hotel staff had said the front drive was safe.

The security people told us later this was an isolated incident and they had found the perpetrator. I’m sure the punishment he received made him regret his attack on Fran. And so we ended our trip to Ethiopia with a second shock on the Sheraton driveway.

Three months later we received a check from Ethiopian Airlines for the value of our cancelled flight to Axum. Thoughts of our two surprises, the hyena man, and the churches and festival at Lalibela are vividly etched in our memories. We distinctly recall the remarkable similarities between Judaism and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Our rabbi is a worldly and ecumenical man, but I have not told him about our baptism.

For more travel memoirs of the Juros, see their blog: franandrichstravels.com.

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Middle East peace plan has 99 problems, but Israeli engineers say a tunnel ain’t one

to be built underwater. The Brenner Base Tunnel, a 34-mile JOSEFIN DOLSTEN railway tunnel currently under construction, will run between JTA President Donald Trump’s long-awaited peace plan has been Austria and Italy beneath the Alps. met with plenty of skepticism since its release on Tuesday.

Rozen, who runs an engineering firm in the Israeli city of Could Trump actually be the one to settle a decades old con- Kfar Yona and worked on tunnels for the new train line beflict where so many other Ameritween Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, said can presidents have failed, with a that one challenge is the different plan that was devised without types of soil. The ground in Gaza consulting the Palestinians? is made up of soft soil, while the But some critics zeroed in on a West Bank is rockier. A tunnel much more specific aspect of the boring machine, or TBM, which plan: the proposed high-speed can drill through a range of materailway connecting the West Bank rials, can be used to overcome and Gaza, the two geographically such challenges, he said. distinct territories of a potential You’re going from soft soil into future Palestinian state. Based on rock, but the machinery, the TBM, a map provided by the White can be adapted accordingly,” House, the tunnel would have to A car driving in a tunnel near the West Bank village of Rozen said. “There will be of al-Walajah, May 30, 2019. Credit: Thomas Coex/AFP via course technical problems like have to traverse 20 to 30 miles.

The tunnel idea was widely Getty Images ventilation and lighting, but all of mocked on Twitter as a “crazy” idea. But some were wrong on it can be solved by those dealing in this field.” the facts — the tunnel would not be the longest in the world, Rozen said it’s hard to offer an exact estimate on the tunnel’s as was claimed. (It should also be noted that news of a tunnel cost, which depends on various factors, including the number from Gaza could have sounded bad to Israelis — their army of lanes it would have. But Rozen guessed it would cost “sevhas for years been on a mission to destroy tunnels from Gaza eral tens of millions and more.” Building such a tunnel would that terrorists use to infiltrate the country.) take several years, but could be shortened if it was bored from Turns out, building a 30-mile tunnel might be the least of both sides at the same time. the peace plan’s challenges, at least according to Arnon Rozen, Ron Benari, a geotechnical engineer who has a firm in the an Israeli engineer who has specialized in tunnel building for moshav Kfar Bin Nun, echoed Rozen’s sentiments, saying a 50 years. tunnel like the one outlined in the plan is feasible.

“This is something which from an engineering point of view, “It’s hard for me to believe that if tomorrow there would be it can be done — no problem,” Rozen told the Jewish Tele- an agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians and graphic Agency on Wednesday. they will accept all the Trump idea and Netanyahu, then it will He noted that tunnels of similar length already exist. The fall down because somebody will say that’s a good idea, but Channel Tunnel, opened in 1994, runs 31 miles between Eng- its impossible to make this tunnel,” he said. land and France, with the additional complication that it had

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Tu B’Shevat Yesterday — Today — Tomorrow Growing Community, Not Just Plants Sponsored Content: #008 in the Series

Dear Friends of the Environment, Last year for Tu B’Shevat we at Benson Plant Rescue were happy to welcome members of the Omaha Jewish Community in a joint celebration of the feast coordinated by Ron Lugasy of the Jewish Community Center.

My Israeli wife Judy gave a presentation on the seven Biblical foods celebrated on Tu B’Shevat (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates) and Rabbi M. Mendel Katzman of Chabad-Lubavitch of Nebraska pointed out that it is not enough for us just to wish for environmental improvement at a global level.

Rather, each one of us must work at a local level to improve the world immediately around us.

My wife spoke about celebration of Tu B’Shevat in Biblical times and noted it served both a religious and a practical purpose. It was a spring festival celebrating the diversity of foods in Israel. It was also the New Year for Trees—the dividing line between last year’s offering of agricultural support to the priests and this year’s offerings. A New Year to tithe.

But Rabbi Katzman reflected on how Tu B’Shevat should infuse the present. He said the spirit of the feast demands our attention to the immediate world around us. A spiritually attuned person will recognize that every creature is essentially bound up with every other creature, and that we all share a collective destiny.

As Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook (1865-1935), chief rabbi of pre-state Israel, put it: “…all living things collectively confer upon you the fullness of your experience. Not the least speck of existence is superfluous; everything is needed, and everything serves its purpose. ‘You’ are present within everything that is beneath you, and your being is bound up with all that transcends you.”

Let us thus remember this feast is not just an ancient memorial but is a modern day call to environmental action, especially at the local level where we can have the most impact.

Tu B’Shevat Celebration: Sunday, 4-6 Ron Lugasy’s Youth Group is returning to the Benson Plant Rescue this Sunday, 2/9/20, from 4:00-5:00. If you’d like to celebrate this New Year for Trees by helping transplant some trees, feel free to stop in — 7224 Maple.

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8 | The Jewish Press | February 7, 2020

Above: Family Shabbat at the CDC included music by Adam Kutler, Andy Isaacson and Alejandro Wolf. Below: Adam and Abby Kutler’s son Henry enjoyed a quick hug before the celebration started.

Above: Reunion by the western wall with the Abramowitz family while on the teen trip: the Abramowitz family, Yaakov Jeidel, Ron Lugasy, Zoe Berman and Lior Nicholson who is spending a gap year in Israel.

SP O TLIGHT

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

Above: Andrew Miller, right, gets together with the staff of RBJH’s Star Catering to taste appetizers for the March 15 Jewish Press Centennial.

Below: Jennie Gates Beckman and Sara Kohen teaching some young community members about challah.

Above: The Institute for Holocaust Education delivered a teacher training session in the Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Engagement Venue.

Left: Omaha Shlicha Ron Lugasy’s cooking class—Wendy Raffel, left, Kelly Kirk and Allyson Wilczeski. Above: Joan Marshall and Donna Lane

Below: The snow didn’t stop our Challah Tots friends and PJ Library Omaha from braiding yummy challah and doing a fun measurement activity at Friedel Jewish Academy.

Voices

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

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The Jewish Press | February 7, 2020 | 9

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.

About those pork chops ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor, Jewish Press Another day, another act of anti-Semitism: a woman in upstate New York “went to Congregation Anshe Emeth in Greenport on Jan. 19 and threw a package of pork chops on its front steps, CBS 6 Albany reported. She returned to the synagogue at 3 a.m. to photograph her actions, police said.” (JTA) Because if you throw pork at a shul, you should Instagram it for sure. Otherwise it’s like it never happened.

While the act was bizarre, it’s nothing new; in 2016, a synagogue in Ulman was attacked with red paint and tear gas, after which unidentified men left a pig’s head with a swastika carved in its forehead on the floor. Gross.

Acording to the website everydayantisemiti sm.com, in 2017, Alan Steckman, the President of the Adas Israel Synagogue in Mason City, Iowa received a voicemail that said: “We gonna spray your sh—y synagogue in pig’s blood. Watch the f—— out.”

It’s only getting worse: January 27 of this year, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a bag emblazoned with a Star of David containing soap and anti-Semitic literature was left outside an exhibition about the Holocaust at the city museum of Norrköping, about 90 miles southwest of Stockholm, Sweden.

Although, is it worse? Soap, angry voicemails, pork, it’s just more of the same, really. It’s a specific type of bullying, meant to make us feel unsafe, but also meant to tire us out. Anti-Semitism is on the rise, yeah, yeah, whatever. What else is new? We’re getting used to it; it is the new normal. In fact, it’s getting so common, I’m asking myself if there is any point to me writing this op-ed. And that is a question I would not have asked myself five years ago.

Here we are, one month into 2020 and I already feel like sticking my head in the sand, looking the other way, pretending nothing is going on. Surely, the voice in my head says, there is a lighter story you can

find online somewhere, something fun and easy to wrap the plastic before she threw it? Did she plan write about? Why don’t you go look? Aren’t you tired this out carefully, or did she just happen to walk by of repeating the same story over and over? and realized she had pork in her purse anyway, “I hate when anti-Semitism takes over all Jewish might as well throw it? What did she think would discourse,” Donniel Hartman wrote for Times of Is- happen? And why didn’t she just go home and eat rael in early January them, which is usually what non-Jews do with pork “I hate to talk about anti-Semitism,” he contin- chops? ued, “because I want to talk about what Judaism can learn from and contribute to the modern world, and not merely how we can survive it.

“But. “While I hate talking about anti-Semitism, I hate anti-Semitism even more. I hate what it does to Jews. I hate the fear that it instills. I hate the pain and suffering that it causes. I hate the attention that it demands.

And as we are experiencing with increased frequency, it Credit: Stu Spivack via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic does demand attention, license even from those of us who hate to talk about it.”

I’m kind of hoping that, as she is indicted, someHe’s right; of course he’s right, we must talk about one takes the time to really talk to her. Ask her it. We know full well what happens when we don’t. what was going through her mind, because, while The question remains: what do we hope to accom- there is a big difference between physical assault plish? Who do we talk to? If we’re just commiser- and throwing a packet of meat at a building, I still ating, we are more or less preaching to the choir. think we can learn something from whatever moDo we hope to talk and talk until anti-Semitism tivated her. Not in a “we’ll stop doing whatever set disappears? Because I think we all know by now— you off ” -kind of way, but as a means to better unthat will not happen. All we can do is remain vigi- derstand. lant and yes, speak up when we see and hear ideas An uncle of mine once told me, when I was about that are unacceptable.

16 years old, that I needed to stop asking ‘why.’ He In the meantime, I am still puzzled by that lived through the Holocaust, he said, and even he woman with her pork chops. Did she specifically could never find an answer. But I can’t stop. Maybe go to the grocery store to buy said pork chops? Was by stubbornly asking ‘Why,’ we don’t give up on adit one of those Styrofoam packets and did she un- dressing the issue of anti-Semitism.

The death of an 8-year-old brought Jews and Arabs together NICOLAS NISSIM TOUBOUL JERUSALEM | JTA On Friday, in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, 8-year-old Qais Abd Abu Ramileh drowned in a pit filled by last week’s torrential rains. Reading the news after Shabbat, I was saddened to hear about Qais’ death.

From when he was reported missing until early Saturday morning, Israeli police officers, firefighters, municipal workers, local Jews and Palestinians worked together to find the boy or recover his body.

After local Palestinians broke through the fence of another pit Qais was rumored to have fallen into, “the [Israeli] police shot flares to assist the searchers as the Palestinians shouted encouragement to them.”

While there were early rumors that the boy may have been kidnapped by settlers, as Haaretz reported, “this unusual cooperative effort significantly eased the tension in the city.”

This, however, was not how the story was told initially to international readers.

Israel detractors around the world, from Palestinian Authority official Hanan Ashrawi to British politician George Galloway to U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, were already pushing the unfounded claim that Qais was kidnapped and executed by Jewish settlers.

I was disgusted by the shameless exploitation of this tragedy. But I was incensed as well that ignorant observers are only capable of seeing life in Jerusalem through the lens of conflict.

Far from being a story of Jew vs. Arab, this was a story of hundreds of Jews and Arabs working through the night to search for a lost son of this city. Despite the fact that it was Shabbat, Jewish first responders from as far away as the religious communities of the West Bank’s Gush Etzion area came to aid the search.

The socioeconomic reality in Jerusalem is far from being perfect. Underinvestment in public in-

frastructure in eastern Jerusalem might explain why Qais drowned in a pit in the middle of the city.

But framing this case as a result of “The Conflict” is inexact, misleading and harmful.

Over the past two years, Israel has opened five community police centers in Arab neighborhoods,

But in the last year and a half, Israel has been implementing a 2 billion shekel (about $578 million) investment program for these Arab neighborhoods, with around half the sum dedicated to public education. In a public school (and all the more in a school such as Il-Irtikaa, which emphasizes language learning), students like Qais were taught Hebrew — the language of his Jewish neighbors — from third grade.

I am personally familiar with this community; my organization runs a Hebrew class for Il-Irtikaa’s parent community. I believe the courses we provide give the necessary tools for integration into the Israeli-led Jerusalem economy, fostering shared interests between both populations. But beyond that, Hebrew learning is a Qais Abd Abu Ramileh, 8, was found dead in Jerusalem, seen on the unique prism through which to right, on Jan. 25, 2020. Credit: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images meet the culture of the city’s maincluding one in Beit Hanina, to have better law en- jority group. forcement through trust building and by working The death of any 8-year-old is an absolute with community leaders. In this case, as in other tragedy, any parent’s worst nightmare. Instead of neighborhoods, we’ve started to see the fruits of using it to further inflame the region and pit Jews these efforts and a change in the relations between against Arabs, the story should be used to highlight the Arab communities and Israeli security forces. the need for more Jewish-Arab cooperation and Qais was a student at the Il-Irtikaa desperately needed infrastructural improvements (“improve”/“upgrade”) public school. Public educa- and further investment in our neighborhoods. Only tion in eastern Jerusalem has historically been lack- when we acknowledge that our strength comes ing, driving families to seek out private schools or from working together will Jerusalem’s residents institutions in which kids are taught the Palestin- build a truly united city. ian Authority curriculum. Beyond incitement Nicolas Nissim Touboul is projects manager against Israel in its textbooks and end of high- at the Institute for Zionist Strategies. He lives in school examination, the P.A. curriculum doesn’t Jerusalem. offer modern vocational training and correlates The views and opinions expressed in this article are with higher dropout rates. It also makes it a long those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the and expensive journey for students to later attend views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media. higher education in Jerusalem.

Synagogues

10 | The Jewish Press | February 7, 2020

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 712.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

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

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

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

CHABAD HOUSE

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

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN

South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154

TEMPLE ISRAEL

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

TIFERETH ISRAEL

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

B’NAI ISRAEL Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on Friday, Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker Ken Freed.

Our service leader is Larry Blass, and as always, an Oneg wil follow the service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

For information on our historic synagogue, please contact Howard Kutler at hkutler@hotmail.com or any of our other board members: Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Carole and Wayne Lainof, MaryBeth Muskin and Sissy Silber.

Handicap Accessible.

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

FRIDAY: Short Story Discussion Group, 10 a.m.; Bagel Bin with Ken Munzesheimer, 10:30 a.m.; Pre-Neg, 5:30 p.m.; Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat led by USY & Kadima, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Shira, 10 a.m.; Jr. Congregation (Grades 3-7), 10 a.m.; Kiddush following services.

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

SUNDAY: Hamentashen Bake, 9 a.m.-noon; BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; Torah Tots at Beth El: PJ Library and Friedel Tu Bishvat, 10 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Yiddish Class, 11 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman; Kadima Program, noon.

MONDAY: Meals that Heal, 4:30 p.m. — McDonald House.

TUESDAY: Jewish Values Class, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham; Mahjong, 1 p.m.; Chesed Committee Visits Remington Heights, 2:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; USY Lounge Night, 5:15 p.m.; Hebrew High and Dinner (Grades 8-12), 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Brachot and Breakfast, 7 a.m.; Shanghai, 1 p.m.

No Jr. Congregation, Saturday, Feb. 15 and No BESTT Classes, Sunday, Feb. 16.

Chesed Committee Visits The Heritage at Sterling Ridge, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Join members of the Chesed Committee as we visit with residents of Sterling Ridge on the third Tuesday of the month.

Hamentashen Bake, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 4-7 p.m.

RSVP to www.bethel-omaha.org.

BETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer FRIDAY: Laws of Shabbos, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 7:40 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Lights of Teshuva, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Moshe; Mincha/Candle Lighting, 5:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Open Beit Midrash — All welcome to learn the Torah and Dance, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Torah Tot Shabbat, 10:50 a.m.; Simcha Kiddush, 11:15 a.m.; Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion, 4:30 p.m.; Teenled Youth Group, 5:10 p.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 5:15 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:33 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 am.; Works of Maimonides, 9:45 am.; JYE BI Jr., 10:15 am.; Mincha/Daf Yomi/Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m. at RBJH. MONDAY: Laws of Shabbos, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 7:40 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Lights of Teshuva, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Moshe; Tasty Torah, noon at Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Daf Yomi/Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m. at RBJH. TUESDAY: Laws of Shabbos, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 7:40 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Lights of Teshuva, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Moshe; Mincha/Daf Yomi/Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m. at RBJH; Tasty Torah, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Men’s Pick-up Basketball, 8 p.m. at the JCC. WEDNESDAY: Laws of Shabbos, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 7:40 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Lights of Teshuva, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Moshe; Mincha/Daf Yomi/Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m. at RBJH; Board of Commissioners Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Laws of Shabbos, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 7:40 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Lights of Teshuva, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Moshe; Character Development, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Mincha/Daf Yomi/Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m. at RBJH.

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

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.

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

SUNDAY: Service, 8:30 a.m.; Sunday Secrets, 9:15 p.m. following Minyan.

MONDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani; Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: Mystical Thinking, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Introduction to Reading Hebrew, 10:30 a.m.

THURSDAY: Intermediate Hebrew Reading and Prayer, 11 a.m.; Talmud Class, noon with Rabbi Katzman.

All programs are open to the community. For more information call 402.330.1800 or visit www.Ochabad.com.

B’NAI JESHURUN Services conducted by Rabbi Teri Appleby.

FRIDAY: First Friday Shabbat Service with Inclusion Activity, 6:30 p.m.; Oneg, 7:30 p.m. hosted by Aimee Hyten; Candlelighting, 5:33 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Shira, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:45 a.m. on Parashat Beshalach; Havdalah (72 minutes), 7:04 p.m.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m.; Adult Hebrew Class, 11:30 a.m.; Tu b’Shevat Seder and Dinner, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY: Intro to Judaism, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Faith Coalition of Lancaster County Meeting, noon; LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. at TI. Next Pop-up Shabbat is Friday, Feb. 14 at 6:30 p.m.

SST is partnering with "We Can Do This" to provide weekend meals to the children of the F St. Community Center. Join us as we provide lunch on the third Sunday of every month. Food/monetary donations, meal preparation and assistance with setting up, serving, and cleanup are needed! If you would like to donate funds to this program and help continue this mitzvah, please contact Leslie Delserone at treasurer@southstreettemple.org or call Peter Mullin at 402.435.8004. We will serve our next meal on Feb. 16 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, contact Aimee Hyten at aimee.hyten@gmail.com.

2020 Federation Camp Grants: All Federation families are eligible for Camp Incentive Grants of $300 per camper to pay the initial camp registration deposit. Additional camp scholarships beyond the incentive grants are available based on need and require submission of a scholarship application.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Shira Service: A Walk Through Musical Traditions, 6 p.m. with Cantor Alexander. Join us as we take a walk through the ages of Jewish music, highlighting the classic to the contemporary. The choir will be singing at this musical service.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Youth Learning Programs for Grades PreK6, 10 a.m.; Book Club: “Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry”

by Rachel Joyce, 10:30 a.m.; Kids’ Choir Rehearsal, noon.

WEDNESDAY: More Than a Joke: A Tri-Faith Symposium: Caution: May Be Habit Forming Ritual in Judaism, Christianity & Islam, noon at Countryside Community Church; Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; Community Dinner, 6 p.m.

Menu: sloppy joes, tater tots, roasted veggies, enhanced salad bar, dessert. RSVP to Temple Israel, 402.556.6536.; Grades 7-12, 6-8 p.m.; Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue”: Social Justice as a Pathway to Jewish Meaning, 6:30 p.m. with Rabbi Berezin; Omaha Jewish Community Beit Midrash Special Presentation: Response to the Tree of Life Synagogue Active Shooter with FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Jones, 7:30 p.m. at Temple Israel.

THURSDAY: Israel Forum, 10 a.m.

Artist-in-Residence Weekend with Jacob “Spike” Kraus, Feb. 21-23.

Taste of Tri-Faith, Sunday, Feb. 23, 4 p.m. at AMI.

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

FRIDAY: No Shabbat Service; Candlelighting, 5:33 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Service, 10 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 11 a.m. followed by a snack; Havdalah (72 minutes), 6:35 p.m.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m.; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. at TI. It’s not too soon to be thinking about summer camp!

All Federation families are eligible for Camp Incentive Grants of $300 per camper to pay the initial camp registration deposit. Application packets are availible in the Tifereth Israel foyer. Please submit all applications no later than Monday, March 16.

Farbrengen — A Meeting of Souls, Sunday, Feb.23, 3:30-5:30 p.m. with Rabbi Mendel and Shani Katzman at Tifereth Israel. This event is best for congregants ages 21 and older. Please RSVP to ncoren@tiferethisr aellincoln.org no later than Sunday Feb. 16.

SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Larry DeBruin.

China’s embassy in Israel apologizes for comparing coronavirus to the Holocaust As of Sunday, about 14,000 people in China had MARCY OSTER contracted the virus and some 300 have died.

JERUSALEM |JTA A Chinese diplomat invoked the Holocaust in Cases of the virus have been found in 24 counurging Israel to not close its doors to Chinese peo- tries. It has not yet been discovered in Israel.

Israel began prohibiting ple seeking refuge from the entry of flights from the deadly coronavirus.

China and the entry of “This is reminiscent of Chinese nationals or World War II, the Holoother travelers who have caust, the darkest days visited China within the of human history. Millast two weeks. Israelis lions of Jews were murwho arrive from China dered and many were must isolate themselves banned from entering in their homes for two countries. Some counweeks. tries opened their gates, On Feb. 2, Prime one of them was China,” Dai Yuming said Sun- A Chinese woman arrives at Shaare Zedek Medical Minister Benjamin Neday during a news con- Center in Jerusalem, over suspicions she may be in- tanyahu convened govfected with the deadly coronavirus on Jan. 27, ernment officials to ference at the Chinese 2020. Credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90 discuss preparations Embassy in Tel Aviv.

“Even in dark times in history, we did not close against coronavirus.

“Our foremost goal is to postpone the arrival of our gates to the Jewish people and we hope that the virus to Israel. I say ‘postpone’ because its arIsrael won’t close its gates to the Chinese.”

The Chinese embassy later apologized for the rival is unavoidable. We will then identify, treat, remarks, the Jerusalem Post reported, clarifying isolate and deal with those infected,” Netanyahu that “there was no intention whatsoever to com- said after the meeting.

Netanyahu instructed the Biological Institute pare the dark days of the Holocaust with the current situation and the efforts taken by the Israeli and Health Ministry to work on producing a coronavirus vaccine. government to protect its citizens.”

Life cycles IN MEMORIAM WILLIAM (BILL) COHEN William (Bill) Cohen passed away on Jan. 30. Services were held for friends & family on Feb. 2 at Fisher Farm Cemetery, 8600 S. 42nd St., Bellevue, NE. He was preceded in death by his parents, Michael and Anne Cohen, first wife, Ileane and second wife, Doris Kwiatek He is survived by daughter and son-in-law, Sheri and Paul Heyman of Houston; daughters, Joni Cohen of Omaha and Terri Kwiatek of San Francisco; son, Ron Kwiatek of Royal Oak; brother, Gerald Cohen, and many wonderful cousins and friends.

He was born in Omaha, a graduate of Central High School, member of Sigma Alpha Mu at UNL, Veteran of WWII in the Pacific, past president of City Glass Co. and Beth Israel Synagogue.

He was an avid golfer.

Memorials may be made to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home or Honor Flight Network.

HYMIE GENDLER Hymie Gendler passed away on Jan. 16 at age 94. Private services were held on Jan. 20. Interment was at Fisher Farm Cemetery.

He is preceded by his parents, Rev. Arthur and Esther Gendler; brothers, Charles, Irving and Norman; sisters, Jean Gendler and Margie Alperson; and his former wife, Bev Gendler.

He is survived by son, Larry; grandsons, Max and Nate; brother, Sam; sister, Sally Wintroub; former daughter-in-law, Tami Field; numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews; special friend, Gerry Zerse; and the family of Christin and Troy Honeyman, who added immense joy to his life.

Hy and his brothers all served in the military during World War II, and four of them served overseas. After serving in the Navy on the U.S.S. Goodrich, Hy and three of his older brothers returned to Omaha and purchased an appliance store from Sidles, on the corner of then 61st and Military Ave. Several years later, in April of 1954, they moved their store, Best Appliance, to its longtime primary location at the former Benson Theater, where they became one of the first retailers in the Omaha area to sell color televisions. Eventually, Hy and his brother, Chuck, became the sole owners, opening additional locations at Westroads and in South Omaha.

They also ran a record store inside Kilpatrick's department store at The Center shopping mall. After selling the record store and Best Appliance, the brothers formed Best Distributing, a wholesale business selling televisions and air conditioners. Hy also sold liver, eventually under his own brand, before finally retiring from Skylark Meats in his late eighties (after failing two previous attempts to do so).

He had unconditional love for his family, friends, and neighbors, and enjoyed being generous with anyone who would let him. Special thanks to Dr. Nelson for his kind care during Hy's

later years, and Dr. Silverberg, who kept him healthy and smiling for years longer than ever imagined.

Memorials may be made to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, the Marilyn Gendler Memorial Scholarship Foundation, the NavyMarine Corps Relief Society, or the organization of your choice.

MILLARD R. SELDIN Millard Roy Seldin of Paradise Valley, AZ, and Omaha passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Jan. 24 at age 93. A Celebration of Millard ’s life was held Jan. 28 at Congregation Beth Israel Temple, Scottsdale, AZ. He was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Beverly.

He is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, Scott and Beth of Paradise Valley, AZ, and Derry and Wendy of St. Louis, MO; daughter and son-in-law, Traci and David Moser of Paradise Valley, AZ; six grandchildren: Ariana, Ben, Marina, Grayson, Aaron, and Grant; cousin, Joan Frentz Santa Rosa, CA; and nieces, nephews, and devoted family and friends.

He was born in Council Bluffs, IA, on Aug. 8, 1926. He served two-years in the US Navy during WWII, trained as a radio gunner, and was in flight school when the war ended.

In 1947, he began a homebuilding career with his father, Ben Seldin, forming Seldin and Seldin, before graduating from the University of Iowa. Millard was the founding member of the Omaha real estate business, which included many entities merged into the Seldin Development and Management Company. He cofounded Hawkeye Bank in Iowa. In 1990, he also co-founded Southwest Value Partners in Scottsdale, AZ, while maintaining real estate and business interests in Omaha. Millard worked closely with his son Scott until recently at Seldin Real Estate, the operating company for the family office of Kent Circle Partners.

He served on the Council Bluffs Planning Board, was President of Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation, active in the Omaha Home Builders Association, National Home Builders Association, and Urban Land Institute.

Millard had a deep affection for racehorses and continued to be active in horse breeding and the racing industry. He became a minority partner in the Phoenix Suns NBA and Phoenix Mercury WNBA professional basketball teams. He was a consummate student, philanthropist, and medical advocate who was always helping others. In 2013, Millard made a donation to Barrows Neurological Foundation in honor of his wife, Beverly. The gift was used to form the Beverly and Millard Seldin Family Disc and Spinal Regeneration Lab. He is most celebrated for the love and devotion he showed in caring for his family and friends.

Memorials may be made to Barrows Neurological Foundation in Phoenix, AZ, Jewish Federation of Omaha or Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farms in Georgetown, KY.

German town will replace ‘stumbling stones’ TOBY AXELROD BERLIN | JTA The German town of Plettenberg will get new “stumbling stone” Holocaust memorials after a telecommunications subcontractor accidentally disposed of them.

The memorials, small bronze plaques set into the sidewalk on Alte Markt 3, were dedicated to a Jewish family – Helene and Alex Heilbronn and their three young children, Egon, Jenni and Hannelore – who were deported from Plettenberg in 1942 and murdered by the Nazis.

Workers on behalf of Deutsche Telekom AG removed the five blocks along with the surrounding cobblestones last

spring during street work for an urban renewal project, then took them to a town dump, according to recent news reports.

Plettenberg Mayor Ulrich Schulte said at a Holocaust remembrance ceremony last week that he found the incident “very annoying.”

City building director Sebastian Jülich said he had advised contractors numerous times to take care that the memorials be carefully stowed during reconstruction. In other cases, this instruction had not been heeded, he told local news media.

The Stolpersteine, or “stumbling stones,” project by Colognebased artist Gunter Demnig launched in 2003 and has extended across 26 European Union member countries.

The Jewish Press | February 7, 2020 | 11

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12 | The Jewish Press | February 7, 2020

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

The terrible story of Ilan Halimi “On this tape, his voice weak and hesitant, Ilan states his identity. He says: ‘I’m Ilan, Ilan Halimi. I’m the son of Halimi Didier and Halimi Ruth. I’m a Jew and I’m being held hostage.’

BOOK REVIEW 24 DAYS | RUTH HALIMI AND ÉMILIE FRÈCHE ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor, Jewish Press The 2009 book 24 Days by Ruth Halimi and Émilie Frèche has been translated into English, with a foreword by Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. Central theme is the kidnapping and murder of Ilan Halimi, told from the perspective of his mother, Ruth.

As Ruth Halimi describes her experience day-by-day, we come to feel her desperation, her growing frustration with the French police and her cold fear that begins when one Friday night, her son leaves the house for the last time. It ends when his body is found, bloody and burned beyond recognition, by the side of the road 24 days later.

Ilan Halimi, a French Jew of Moroccan ancestry, was kidnapped on January 21, 2006 by a group calling themselves the Gang of Barbarians. He was held and tortured for three weeks and eventually died from his injuries.

“Ruth’s story is important not just as another sad chapter in Jewish or French history,” Greenblatt writes in his foreword, “it is also significant as a reminder of what can happen anywhere or to anyone when hatred is left unchecked.”

Ilan’s kidnappers contact his family members on many occasions during the 24 days and from their erratic words, it quickly becomes clear Ilan was kidnapped for one reason: the criminals targeted him because he was Jewish, and because they think all Jews are rich. It’s a conclusion Ilan’s mother draws fairly early in the ordeal, but it is not something the authorities necessarily pick up on. Not when it turns out the kidnappers have targeted Jewish men before, not when they contact a random rabbi in Paris to ask the Jewish community to pay the ransom, not even when, on day nine of the kidnapping, a tape arrives:

Above: Plaque of the Jardin Ilan-Halimi, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris and right: lan Halimi garden in the Jerusalem Forest.

“Yet again, how could they not make the connection with journalists who are being held prisoner by religious fanatics?” Ruth asks. “How do they not think of Daniel Pearl, forced, like Ilan, to face the camera and repeat that he was Jewish? Does it even cross the detectives’ minds? Do they finally realize that I’ve been right all along? Do they acknowledge the kidnapper’s anti-Semitic motives? No. They draw no conclusions from this tape.”

Although a mere 140 pages, this is not an easy book to read.

Ruth Halimi does not embellish, does not exaggerate; this is, after all, not a work of fiction. It is a memoir that describes, in vivid detail, what happens when people act on anti-Semitic tropes and when authorities do not take the threat of anti-Semitism seriously. It does not have a happy ending. There is no relief, no lighter moments, because the entire time Ruth

Passover A Greetings

addresses the reader directly—and she wants the reader to pay attention.

“This book addresses how someone who identified as Jewish, but in all other respects should have blended in, was nonetheless targeted for being Jewish,” ADL-CRC Executive Director Gary Nachman said. “It could have been any one of us, and Ruth Halimi does not want us to forget.”

It is impossible to read this book and not think of Sarah Halimi, who was murdered at her residence in Paris on 4 April 2017.

The Paris Court of Appeal, while officially acknowledging the anti-Semitic nature of the murder, also concluded that her killer, Kobili Traoré was “criminally irresponsible” because "he was too high" to understand what he was doing. Sarah Halimi (only very distantly related to Ilan Halimi) would not be the last.

“Since Ilan’s death,” Jonathan Greenblatt wrote, “there have been numerous other violent anti-Semitic incidents in France and across Europe. In recent years, we have seen an alarming rise of anti-Semitism and white supremacy here in the U.S., with extremists increasingly asserting themselves in public life and violating our sacred spaces—think of recent episodes in Charleston, Charlottesville, Pittsburgh, Poway. I don’t believe we can afford to diminish these spasms of violence as unconnected outliers.”

We can include Lincoln’s South Street Temple and Temple Israel’s cemetery in those sacred spaces that were violated.

For more information, please contact Gary Nachman at gnachman@adl.org or check with the Jewish Federation of Omaha Library for Ruth Halimi’s book.

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