February 9, 2024 by Jewish Press

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The Willesden READS Project The next Kaplan Book Group is Close Page 2

Youth Challah Bake: A heartwarming winter gathering Page 5

PAM MONSKY, JCRC Assistant Director and JANE NESBIT, IHE Education Coordinator he Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), the Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) and the Jewish Federation of Omaha (JFO) are joining forces to bring an impactful and inspiring program to Omaha area middle school students and the greater community on March 28, 2024 at the Holland Performing Arts Center. Currently 1500 local middle school students from 15 area middle schools are registered for the project which includes a complete curriculum based on the book The Children of

Willesden Lane. This true story centers on Lisa Jura, a 14 year old piano prodigy living in Vienna during the Nazi invasion. The book is written by Lisa’s daughter, Mona Golabek, herself an accomplished concert pianist. Participating students will receive their very own copy of the book and attend the live theatrical performance free of charge. If you would like to check out a copy of The Children of Willesden Lane, please visit the Kripke-Veret Collection of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Set in Vienna in 1938 and in London during the Blitzkrieg, The Children of Willesden Lane tells the true story of Lisa Jura, a young Jewish musician See The Willesden READS Project page 2

Netanyahu says ‘total victory’ is the only option Page 12

Omahans March for Israel: Part 6

REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles

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AMY BERNSTEIN SHIVVERS JFO Foundation Executive Director Throughout the year, The Foundation will highlight a real-time community need with an achievable financial goal. When you participate in the Count on Me Community Club, you become a member of the Club and your contribution, combined with

others, can truly make a difference. Upon reaching the goal within the specified timeframe, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation will enhance the donation funds raised by 18%. Consider this our Jewish-style version of crowdfunding. The community needs addressed will be smaller in scope and scale compared to building projects, possibly representing a segment of a larger need but one that is attainable if we all contribute with $18 or more—or an amount you feel comfortable giving. We understand the significance of standing together and participating in tzedakah alongside our friends and family is an integral part of being Jewish. See Count on Me page 3

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Jewish Press Editor On Nov. 14, approximately 290,000 people participated in the March for Israel on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Among them were members of our Omaha Jewish

community as well as the wider Omaha community. The Jewish Press asked some of those in attendance to describe the experience. NANCY SCHLESSINGER Honestly, I was a bit hesitant at first about going to the march, just See March for Israel page 3

2 | The Jewish Press | February 9, 2024

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The Willesden READS Project

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The Next Kaplan Book Group is Close

SHIRLY BANNER JFO Library Specialist On Feb. 15 at 1 pm the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will gather for their monthly meeting. Group members have the choice of meeting either in person in the Benjamin & Anna Wiesman Reception Room in the Staenberg Jewish Community Center or via Zoom. This month they will be discussing As Close to Us as Breathing: A Novel by Elizabeth Poliner. New participants are always welcome. Poliner’s novel opens in 1948 in an area of Woodmont, Connecticut, shore line known as Bagel Beach. Sisters Ada, Vivie and Bec gather with their families every summer at their family-owned summer cottage. While the women and children enjoy the sun and water throughout the week, Ada’s husband Mort and Vivie’s husband Leo are back in Middletown running the family department store and only coming up for the weekend. Bec is the lone sister who is unmarried but is secretly seeing her boss Tyler, who is married and a gentile, on the sly. She knows that neither of them would be accepted by her close-knit Jewish family and their Jewish community. Molly, Ada’s 12-year-old daughter, is the novel’s narrator and begins with her relating the tragedy that would alter the family forever. “...my brother Davy was killed in an accident with a man who would have

given his own life rather than have it happen.” With such a bold opening, readers cannot help but want to know the details and are immediately hooked to read As Close to Us as Breathing. Poliner’s novel is not without other family conflicts and drama. In their youth, Ada stole Mort from her sister Vivie. Much time lapsed before Vivie talked to Ada and would have anything to do with her. After several years, Vivie meets and marries Leo. Mort feels guilty for jilting Vivie years before and hires Leo to work in the family store. Leo, who is a sickly person, spends much of his time at the store in the basement listening to his records. Bec was engaged when she was younger but after her fiancé graduated from college, he breaks off the engagement because he wants a wife who is educated. Bec finds a job as a ladies’ tailor and becomes quite sought after for her designs in Tyler McManus’s small shop. Bec and Tyler develop feelings for each other despite the differences of religion and his marital status. The biggest family drama is the acci-

dental death of Davy although the details are not revealed until near the end of Poliner’s book. Throughout the novel Molly reveals different events and aspects of the lives of the members of the family by going back and forth in time. At the end of the novel, an adult Molly comes to terms with much of what has happened to the family by leaning on what she has learned from her aunt Bec and the wisdom she has passed on to her. A divorcee who is now running the reimaged family store, Molly has inherited Bec’s house and discovered many of the secrets she never shared with the family. Please feel free to join us Feb. 15 in person or via Zoom. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. New participants are always welcome. The Group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For information about the group and to join in the discussion, contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org.

ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS

Trade scholarships available

An anonymous donor in our community has created two trade school and/or cosmetology school scholarship opportunities, up to $5,000 each, to go towards the 2023-24 academic year. Not every student who advances into higher education signs up for a four-year curriculum. Some high school graduates

Continued from page 1 who is dreaming about her concert debut at the storied Musikverein Concert Hall. When new ordinances are issued under the Nazi regime, everything changes for Lisa except her love of music and the pursuit of her dream. Community members and the general public are invited to attend this heart-stirring show on March 28 at 7 p.m. at the Holland Performing Arts Center. Virtuoso Mona Golabek will perform some of the world’s most revered piano compositions as she shares her mother’s riveting story of survival. Tickets for the evening performance are $36 per adult. Adult ticket holders may bring up to 10 students ages 12-18 using the promo code JFO18 free of charge. Seating is limited. To reserve your tickets please scan the QR code below or visit www.ihene.org. This program is generously funded by the Henry Davis Family Foundation, Fran and Rich Juro, and the Lozier Foundation. The Jewish Community Relations Council is dedicated to working in common cause to enhance cooperation with other religious, racial, ethnic, and civic groups to foster a just, democratic and pluralistic society as well as promote the security of Israel and Jews everywhere. Guided by Jewish values, the JCRC is a nonpartisan agency that advocates, educates, collaborates, and mobilizes action on issues important to the Jewish Community and the greater community. The mission of the Institute for Holocaust Education is to provide educational resources, workshops, survivor testimony, and integrated arts programming to students, educators, and the public. The IHE provides support to Holocaust survivors in our community.

seek job training that lasts a year or two and then places them in the workforce. Such opportunities include, but are not restricted to: Information Technology, Construction, Industrial, Transportation and Horticulture. It is not too late to apply for this upcoming school year! Qualified students who have unmet

needs regarding tuition for either a twoyear trade school program or a trade certificate program can contact the Jewish Press at avande kamp@jewishomaha.org or jpress@jewishomaha.org for more information.

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

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Youth Challah Bake: A heartwarming winter gathering

Anne & Alan Cohen

MUSHKA TENENBAUM Chabad of Nebraska On a crisp winter Sunday, Chabad, in collaboration with PJ Library, hosted an enchanting Youth Challah Bake that radiated warmth and joy. The atmosphere was akin to a cozy embrace, complemented by vibrant orange tablecloths that illuminated the room. As each child proudly donned a perfectly-sized apron and a charming chef ’s hat, their excitement and enthusiasm filled the air. This year’s event saw significant improvements, thanks to valuable feedback from previous participants. Children wasted no time and immediately began kneading their dough upon arrival, a delightful upgrade from the previous year’s setup. After their hard work, the young bakers were treated to a hot cocoa bar, complete with kosher marshmallows, candy canes, chocolate chips, wafers, and an array of syrups. This sweet touch not only enhanced their cocoa but also their overall experience.

Marty & Kathy Cohen

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In a creative twist, kids had the opportunity to craft their unique ‘spice mix,’ adding a personal touch to their challahs, both for the day and for future Challah baking endeavors at home. The practice Shabbat party created a heartwarming scene, with children engaging in acts of charity (tzedakah), lighting Shabbat candles and participating in kiddush and challah rituals. The diverse selection of challahs available for tasting was a testament to their unwavering spirit and love for Judaism. The joy and excitement were so infectious that no one was in a hurry to leave. The Children’s Library and Cafe transformed into a haven of friendship, reading, and playful camaraderie. As we eagerly plan for the next exciting youth event at Chabad, we invite you to continue being an integral part of this incredible journey. We would love to hear from you, and how you would like to see more of this and other Jewish enrichment experiences for our children in Nebraska.

Marty Cohen | 402-690-1591

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March for Israel Continued from page 1 thinking about security, getting there all the way from Omaha for a two-hour event! I knew of other people attending, but it seemed much more realistic as they lived so much closer. But, I realized what was going on, I was in chats with my friends in JFNA and started to feel the hype shortly after it was announced, and we quickly put the trip together. Being there, surrounded by so many Jews, felt completely amazing, but also sad that we were in such large numbers for this reason. However, it was very comforting, and what was very cool is that in our hotel I heard conversations in the lobby where people were speaking fluent Hebrew, wearing kippot and t-shirts with Hebrew writing. It was like being in Israel but in DC! I loved it and felt the warmth around me for the short time I was there. The first 1 1/2 hours we spent listening to the high school and college students. It was impactful. Interspersed throughout that and the rest of the full rally, we listened and watched famous musical artists from Israel singing to and with the crowds. For me the musical part of the program was maybe the most special part. The warmth and feeling they sent out to us in the rally was something that if you weren’t there, you could not feel, and I could not explain enough. We were near a group of college students, and they were screaming over some of these musical artists. When we asked about who they were, two of them were compared to Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. As much feeling as I’m still taking away from the rally, I keep looking at my photos on my phone and re-

playing the videos I took of the music, as those little clips make me feel so good. I really want to let our community know and understand the impact it made to be surrounded by so many people just like us who have so much concern and love for Israel, who care about the release of the hostages, and who stand up to the continued rise in antisemitism. It was impressive to see other groups, non-Jews, in support of what we were doing there. One example was, after the rally, we were walking back to our hotel and saw a group of people holding signs saying, ‘Christians For Israel’. That was pretty cool! I believe this rally was necessary as it brought Jews (and non-Jews) all together at a time when there is so much division among our own people. It is terribly sad to see this in our own religion, but this brought people together in a beautiful way, and hopefully it will have an impact moving forward. We have to keep doing our part here in Omaha, as a community and continue what we are already doing. We should educate those who don’t seem to understand the history of Israel and be aware of what is happening around us and our surroundings. Lastly, I’m constantly watching and reading the news. It is exhausting and I know that is the same for everyone reading this article. It is important to sometimes step away, and take a mental break from this because the news is so heavy. If there is ever another time to experience at least 300K Jews rallying together for peace, if you are able, try not to miss it.

Count on Me Continued from page 1 FIRST COMMUNITY CLUB FUNDRAISING PROJECT JCRC JEWISH DAY OF ACTION 2024 Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 is JCRC Jewish Day of Action. This is a special day for members of the Jewish community to meet their senators in Lincoln and express their concerns or support for legislation that impacts our community and our allies. The JCRC will host a kosher breakfast near the State Capitol and will continue with meetings and tours throughout the day. The JCRC is offering training sessions so that everyone feels comfortable in their ability to convey their thoughts about issues facing legislators. Goal: $1,400 This includes breakfast, a leave-behind item for the senators

and their staff and staff travel costs. If you would like more information on Jewish Day of Action, please contact Sharon Brodkey, JCRC Executive Director, 402.334.6582, sbrodkey@jew ishomaha.org. Join the Count on Me Community Club by visiting https:// fundraise.givesmart.com/ vf/CountOnMeJFOF scanning the QR code or Text CountOnMeJFOF to 71777. Let’s unite in supporting the Jewish Community. Together, we can make a meaningful impact to JCRC (by Feb. 29)!

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

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Celebrating Hanukkah with joy and unity RABBI ELI TENENBAUM Chabad of Nebraska The Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, brought warmth, unity, and festive spirit to the heart of Nebraska as Chabad hosted a series of remarkable events throughout the week from Menorah lightings to delicious latkes. These activities truly embraced the essence of the holiday and celebrated our rich Jewish heritage. The celebration kicked off at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village with the lighting of a beautiful flower Menorah, a captivating spectacle that filled the night sky with radiant candlelight. Annette van de Kamp Wright, who decorated this wonderful Menorah, deserves a heartfelt thank you for creating such a memorable experience. One of the highlights that delighted attendees was the talented juggler who entertained the crowd, adding a touch of whimsy and excitement to the evening. The delicious refreshments, including the world-famous latke truck, satisfied everyone’s taste buds and added to the festive atmosphere. It was also a time of solidarity, as a candlelight vigil for Israel was held during the event, drawing over 100 participants. Special guests including Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson; a representative from Senator Ricketts’ office who brought a letter from the Senator; regional director of the FBI Eugene Kowel; and JFO CEO Bob Goldberg played a significant role in lighting the candles and emphasizing the importance of supporting Israel. Special thanks goes out to Hailey Kruger and Alex Ronen. Friday night marked a beautiful and heartwarming community Shabbat dinner with over 50 people gathered in the newly redesigned Chabad lower level. It was an evening filled with good company, meaningful conversation, and delicious food, as the community came together to celebrate Hanukkah. On Sunday evening, the Omaha Young Professionals (OYP) hosted a unique sand art Menorah-making event at Luli Creative House, hosted by Ariel Panowicz. The event, aptly titled “Menorah and Martinis,” featured delightful martinis as well as fresh latkes with an array of toppings, creating a perfect blend of creativity and culinary delights. Chabad continued its Hanukkah celebrations with a visit to Lincoln, where a magnificent Menorah lighting took place in

the Rotunda at the Capitol. Nebraska’s Governor Pillen, who participated in the event, delivered a moving speech emphasizing trust in G-d and unwavering support for Israel. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) also experienced the Hanukkah spirit as the latke truck rolled onto campus to celebrate with students. Special thanks to Hillel President Lilian Cohen for helping make this event possible. The festivities continued on Wednesday with a Menorah lighting at the ice rink, where students and faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) came together to kindle the Hanukkah lights; Chase Jablon and Josh Jolton of the UNMC Jewish Student Association helped facilitate the beautiful event, spreading warmth and joy across the campus. Wednesday evening was a special time as people from all around Omaha joined the citizens of Boys Town for a memorable event. Attendees enjoyed fresh donuts and latkes, grooved to great Hanukkah music, and watched as the Menorah was lit by three Jewish students. The evening concluded with the annual cartop Menorah parade, featuring 30 Menorah-topped cars escorted by the Omaha Police Department, making their way through town, spreading Hanukkah cheer to all who witnessed the spectacle. And let’s not forget the ever-popular latke truck, which made appearances at all these events, bringing smiles and the irresistible aroma of freshly cooked latkes. It popped up at the JCC Hanukkah Extravaganza, BBYO meetings, downtown, and in the Old Market as well as bringing Hanukkah joy to the residents and staff of the Heritage at Sterling Ridge and the RBJH, adding a dash of Hanukkah magic wherever it went. Special appreciation goes to Mr. Louis Rotella III of Rotella’s Italian bakery. Hanukkah with Chabad was a resounding success, bringing together the local Jewish community and the broader Nebraska community in a celebration of light, unity, and joy. These events not only lit the Menorah but also ignited the spirit of Hanukkah in the hearts of all who attended. We extend our gratitude to all the organizers, participants, and special guests who made these celebrations possible, and we pray that the light, pride and joy we experienced over Hanukkah permeates our lives throughout the year. Happy Hanukkah!

Reminder: Miriam Initiative The women of the Miriam Initiative will gather for an evening of love and honor, “Remembering Bracha,” on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. at Beth El Synagogue. The event is chaired by motherdaughter team Pam Friedlander and Andee Scioli and will honor Bracha Levinson, who was brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 at her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.

The Miriam Initiative

“We will honor Bracha by serving a few of her signature desserts and sending recipe cards home with participants,” said Pam. “Together, we will also write notes of support and comfort to Bracha’s family.” For more information and to RSVP, please visit www.bethel-omaha.org. Questions can be directed to Robby Erlich, Engagement Coordinator at rerlich@bethel-omaha.org or at 402.492.8550.

World Class Wines from Israel DWIGHT BECKER Winemaking in Israel dates to the dawn of civilization. Renowned for its superior quality, wine from Israel was exported throughout the ancient world. Initially grapes were grown on terraces, and wine was made with low-lying limestone wine presses, then aged in amphorae vessels in cool caves. Sadly, the art and practice of winemaking was abandoned after the Muslim conquer of Levant more than 1300 years ago. Today, more than 2000 years later, Israel has once again reclaimed its status as a serious wine producing region, proudly crafting award-winning wines from classic and Mediterranean grape varieties, as well as the revived ancient varieties native to the land of Israel. There are two viticultural regions that stand out for quality. The Galilee, located in the northern part of the country, extends to the Lebanese border incorporating the Golan Heights. The high altitude, cool breezes, marked by day and night temperature changes, and rich, well-drained soils make the area ideal for

the cultivation of a large variety of grapes. The Judean Hills is one of the newest and most interesting quality wine regions in the world. Wines from the Judean Hills show an elegance, spiciness, and minerality, which seems to be unique to the region. This region is at the epicenter of much innovation and the source of many wines that are receiving notable international recognition at the highest level. We recently tasted some of the wines from the Recanati Premium Wine Selections and WOW! The winery has vineyards in the Upper Galilee, the Golan Heights, and the Judean Hills. There is focus on unique Mediterranean varieties such as Marselan and Carignan and ancient varieties with biblical roots like Bittuni and Marawi, while simultaneously nurturing classic international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The wines from Recanati are Kosher for Passover and year-round. Look for them to come to your favorite wine outlet sometime in February.

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Life and Legacy Spotlight STACIE METZ JFO Foundation Program and Stewardship Administrator

SHANE AND DAVID KOTOK Ever since we met in Iowa City at Agudas Achim Congregation on Rosh Hashanah 1966, we have had a special connection to synagogues. We both grew up in small Midwestern towns and shared similar Jewish backgrounds. As our 55 years of marriage took us from Iowa City to Little Rock, Arkansas, to Kearney, Nebraska, and on to Lincoln and finally to Omaha, we always were part of a Jewish community. In 1980, we moved to what was “the bagel” neighborhood of Omaha with our three young children. For the first time in our adult lives, we were in a city that had a JCC, a kosher butcher, a Jewish day school, a Jewish nursing home, a Jewish newspaper and several synagogues. Beth El became our home. Our children grew up at Beth El. We celebrated our son’s Bar Mitzvah and our daughter’s Bat Mitzvah at the old shul, and our youngest son’s Bar Mitzvah at the “new Beth El.” Our parents retired in their 70s and 80s to Omaha to be near our family. They became part of the Beth El family, enjoying Shabbat and Holiday services. When our parents died, we found the most comforting grief-support group by attending Beth El’s daily minyans. So, when the Life and Legacy program was created, it was natural for us to specify Beth El in our estate plan.

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There’s still time to sign up for Clean Speech Nebraska PAM MONSKY JCRC Assistant Director You can still sign up to receive short daily emails from Clean Speech Nebraska! This communitywide, month-long campaign to clean up our conversations, one word at a time, is back for a second year! Presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council ( JCRC), Clean Speech Nebraska is back right now with thirty days of short videos and a workbook focused on being mindful of how we speak to each other inspired by Jewish values. Just as Jewish tradition offers guidelines for respectful, community-oriented speech, Clean Speech Nebraska encourages people of all faiths to cleanse their speech and be more mindful of the language they use. This year, the theme for Clean Speech Nebraska is Onat Devorim, which refers to hurtful words. Every day features a different community member delivering an impactful message of how our words affect our daily lives. There is no cost to participate. Between Feb. 1, 2024 and March 1, 2024, you’ll receive a 2-3 minute daily lesson to watch or read. There are also weekly challenges to try out, and inspiring

PASSOVER A $52 GREETINGS B $65 This year you can send your greetings through these very special ads that will run in our annual Passover issue. Each ad can be personalized with your name, the names of your children or your grandchildren. Just fill out the form below and send or bring it to the Jewish Press office. But hurry; these ads will only be accepted through February 27, 2024.

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memes too. Workbooks for Clean Speech Nebraska year two are available at the Staenberg JCC or by visiting Cleanspeechneb raska.org. Scan the QR code to sign up for Clean Speech Nebraska! Clean Speech Nebraska 2024 is sponsored in part by the Jule M. Newman Memorial Anti-Bigotry Fund. The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is dedicated to working in common cause to enhance cooperation with other religious, racial, ethnic, and civic groups to foster a just, democratic and pluralistic society as well as promote the security of Israel and Jews everywhere. Guided by Jewish values, the JCRC is a nonpartisan agency that advocates, educates, collaborates, and mobilizes action on issues important to the Jewish Community and the greater community.

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Disney’s The Lion King returns to the Orpheum Omaha’s most eagerly awaited return will cities in 24 countries on every continent exonce again leap onto the Orpheum Theater cept Antarctica, The Lion King’s worldwide stage Feb. 29 - March 24. Tickets start at $36 and are available by visiting ticketomaha.com, calling 402.345.0606 or visiting the Ticket Omaha Box Office inside the Holland Center. Celebrating 25 years on Broadway, Disney’s The Lion King continues as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its premiere in 1997, 28 global productions have been seen by over 112 million people. Produced by Disney Theatrical Group, under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart and Credit: Matthew Murphy Thomas Schumacher, The Lion King has made gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway theatrical history with three productions show or other entertainment title in box ofworldwide running 20 or more years and two fice history. others running 25 or more years. The Lion King won six 1998 Tony Awards® Performed over its lifetime in nine different along with more than 70 major arts awards languages, productions of The Lion King can including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle currently be seen on Broadway London’s West Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy® for End; Paris, Hamburg, Tokyo, Madrid, Sao Best Musical Show Album and the 1999 LauPaulo and on tour across North America and rence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography the U.K. and Ireland. Having played over 100 and Best Costume Design. SPONSORED CONTENT

The show’s director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor continues to play an integral part in the show’s ongoing success. The first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical, Taymor supervises new productions of the show around the world. The Broadway score features Elton John’s and Tim Rice’s songs from the Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Taymor and Hans Zimmer and music from Rhythm of the Pride Lands, an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mancina and Zimmer. The resulting sound is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, including the Academy Award®-winning song Can You Feel the Love Tonight. Disney’s The Lion King is part of O-pa’s 23/24 Broadway Series sponsored by CHI Health.

Donation Drive for Nebraska Humane Society

NAOMI FOX JFO Assistant Director of Engagement and Education Tzedek Teens is heading to the Nebraska Humane Society on Feb. 18 to support the animals! We are also collecting donations for the animals at the main entrance to the Jewish Federation. The items most needed by NHS at this time are: • Peanut butter • Chewy dog treats • Canned chicken or hotdogs • Hard chew toys like Kongs or strong bones If teens would like to register to join us at the Nebraska Humane Society, registration is open, but there are limited spaces remaining! Please sign up using the QR code.

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Above: Happiness is a warm puppy! RBJH Residents adore Appa, the Home’s mascot.

Top, left, above and below: Friedel students enjoyed their Tu B’Shvat seder in the Goldstein Community Venue.

Above, below and bottom: The Foundation celebrated its successful conclusion of an entire year of 40th anniversary celebrations. Mazal tov!

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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.

Left: Friedel Jewish Academy students enjoy the basketball court! Below and below left: Some moments from the Boss of the Toss staff tournament. And mazal tov to Mark Kirchhoff for winning ﬁrst place!

8 | The Jewish Press | February 9, 2024

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Margie Gutnik President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Howard Kutler Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Staff Writer Sam Kricsfeld Digital support Mary Bachteler Accounting Jewish Press Board Margie Gutnik, President; Abigail Kutler, Ex-Officio; Helen Epstein; Andrea Erlich; Seth Feldman; David Finkelstein; Ally Freeman; Mary Sue Grossman; Chuck Lucoff; Suzy Sheldon; Joseph Pinson and Larry Ring. The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the JFO are: Institute for Holocaust Education, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Social Services, Nebraska Jewish Historical Society and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www.jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de Kamp-Wright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

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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.

Sagiv’s story

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor Since Oct. 7, there has been fallout among Jews throughout the diaspora. Antisemitic texts, social media posts, fake news stories and friends lost; the silent treatment and the arguments, the misunderstandings and the protests. We all have a story or two about the effects on our lives, our psyche, and sometimes our jobs. Sagiv Jehezkel is a 28-year-old professional soccer player. He’s ranked 83rd in the world, a member of Israel’s national team, and up until very recently played for Turkish club Antalyaspor. Sagiv was born in Rishon LeZion, is married to Elian, with whom he has a little boy. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except, of course, the pesky fact that he’s an Israeli working in Turkey during a particularly fraught time. On Jan. 14, he scored a goal, the camera caught a closeup of Sagil’s wrist bandage, and that was the end of his career with Antalyaspor. That bandage read “100 days, 7-10,” commemorating the hostages. There was a miniature Mogen David next to it. Immediately after the match, he was arrested for "the crime of publicly inciting public hatred and hostility due to his ugly action supporting the massacre committed by Israel in Gaza." Detained overnight, condemned by the Turkish minister of Justice and the Turkish Football Federation, his contract canceled, charged by the court, Sagiv and his family flew back to Israel the very next day. Were he to go back to Turkey, he would be prosecuted. The Turkish Football Federation also referred

him to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board But there is something we can do in the meanfor potential breaches of Article 42 of the Football time. For Sagiv, and all the others who have found Disciplinary Instruction, citing "ideological propa- their lives disrupted for simply being Israeli and/or ganda," for which an eight-match ban could be im- Jewish, we can light extra candles this Shabbat. We posed and applied worldwide. Remember when antisemitism was more subtle, when we had to read between the lines and people hid their hatred? It seems nowadays, it’s all out in the open. What’s more, reactions like these are so over the top, it’s hard to keep up. One tiny show of support for the hostages, in his home country, the place he grew up, and it leads to suspension, arrest, condemnation, having to flee? Sagiv and his family didn’t just go home because they were uncomfortable. They fled because they had to. Some less reliable news outlets have reported that he didn’t go of his own free will, but that Turkish authorities deported him. Either way, he’s back home. We are not weird for thinking Israel is a much safer place than Turkey. Sagiv’s story made the news (if you read soccer news, that is) because he’s somewhat of a celebrity. How many more stories are there we never hear? Sagiv Jehezkel points to a message on his wrist that references How many people out there are paying the Israel-Hamas war. Credit: Screenshot from YouTube/DW News in a million different ways for what Hamas did, and can do more mitzvot, give more tzedaka, spread continues to do? Historians will be writing about love and positivity—no matter what. I think I’ve this for years to come, our collective trauma will written that before on this page. Repetitive? Maybe. grow and be passed down, no doubt. I meant what I said.

I’m an Moroccan Israeli artist. Is the Holocaust my story to tell? SHAI AZOULAY JTA Every artist embarks on a path of self-discovery. Any time I find inspiration to create and to paint, I find myself on a journey of trying to comprehend what aspects of life define and characterize my identity. When I paint, I grapple with the question of “Who Am I?” Roughly a year ago, I was approached with the opportunity to participate in a new cultural program at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem. The residency program enabled me to, for the first time in many years, spend time at Yad Vashem, connect with the stories of Holocaust survivors and victims, gain inspiration from the massive collections housed on the Mount of Remembrance and meet dedicated scholars and experts in Holocaust remembrance and education. At first, my journey of introspection led me to question how I connect to the Holocaust. Is it bigger than me? Is it my story? As a sabra, born in Israel to Moroccan parents of Sephardic descent, I felt disconnected from the Holocaust and apprehensive about taking on this daunting task. I also began to wonder how my aesthetic and artistic expression could adequately portray the Holocaust and our collective responsibility to never forget it. The deeper I waded into the stories and exhibits at Yad Vashem, they more I realized that the Holocaust affected me not only as a Jew and a human being, but as an Israeli. The Holocaust is a significant part of our collective Jewish history, regardless of our ethnicity. While Hitler’s tyranny did not reach Morocco, the suffering and pain of the Jewish nation both past and present affected all areas of the world. Many Israelis grow up hearing firsthand accounts of the atrocities of the Holocaust from their parents and grandparents. In my childhood home, Holocaust culture wasn’t in our food, in our clothes, or in our conversations, but it was palpable on a national level. There was a visceral feeling that the Holocaust is a tragedy forever etched inside every Jew and every Israeli for the simple reason that we are a united people committed to unwavering faith and fortitude in times of terror and destruction. Simply put, I’m the Jew who suffered in Egypt at

the hand of Pharaoh, I’m the Jew who persevered some 600 portraits of Holocaust victims. I found myduring the destruction of both Temples, I am the self in search of something or more accurately someJew who survived the ghetto and the nightmare of one: someone I might connect to through their Auschwitz. I am a part of a powerful collective faces, their eyes. I looked to see myself, or maybe glued together in overcoming adversity and never someone who looked familiar, even though I knew I giving up. That notion has been especially on my mind during the four terrible months since Hamas killed 1,200 people in its attack on southern Israel. The trauma that we are living through has hit all parts of Israeli society, and to an extent has connected us all to the memory of the Holocaust. In the days following the harrowing events of Oct. 7, I felt numb and incapable of creating any form of art. That numbness and incapacitation is still creeping inside of me. And yet, after my greatly meaningful visit at Yad Vashem, only days after the massacre, and Artist Shai Azoulay stands in front of his painting Bigger in the dark shadow of these difficult months, Than Me, part of an exhibit at the Museum of Holocaust Art a myriad of emotions came together for me, at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Credit: Yad Vashem expressed in my current exhibition displayed in the had no familial connection to the victims. Museum of Holocaust Art at Yad Vashem. While inside the hall, I envisioned this gravitaIn this exhibit, my works portray this debilitating tional force pushing me up, as though I was drawn feeling, this abyss, a wrestling match with faith, but into a vortex that pulled me into the air, in order to also a sense of purpose and meaning in portraying see the faces of those who were murdered. Like Yad this struggle and our desire to soldier on. That to Vashem itself, it enabled me to connect with the me is also the lesson of the Holocaust. history of the past by way of bearing witness to the My residency gave me a jolt of newfound purpose stories, identities and belongings of those who were to paint and brought me back to life. And within a lost during the Holocaust. My flight, hand in hand short period of time I found that the artworks in with my wife, is similar to that felt by many visitors this exhibition poured out of me, and that the works at the museum. were finished rather quickly. I’ve titled my exhibit My encounter with Yad Vashem uncovered a Bigger Than Me in that I still find the task of portray- deeper level within myself. The beauty in that is ing the concept of Holocaust memory greatly un- that I am unsure where it will lead me. I am grateful nerving and intimidating. I chose to express this to Yad Vashem for giving me this gift: a new layer feeling metaphorically in two paintings in the ex- of my Jewish, Israeli and artistic identity. As an hibit, Bigger Than Me and Simchat Torah, both of artist always continuing his journey of self-discovwhich depict shoes that are enormously big ery, and looking for newfound sparks of inspiration, Most importantly, I portrayed myself in several to me, this is the greatest gift I could ever receive. of the artworks to emphasize the personal and Shai Azoulay is an artist living in the outemotional journey I took in understanding how I skirts of Jerusalem. His exhibit “Bigger Than fit into the story of Holocaust remembrance. Me” is housed in the Museum of Holocaust Art I was immensely inspired by some of the most at Yad Vashem, World Holocaust Remembrance iconic spaces in Yad Vashem, in particular the Hall Center in Jerusalem. of Names. In the painting “Above the Shtetl” I chose The views and opinions expressed in this article are to depict the intimate encounter I had with the faces those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the displayed in the cone-shaped installation featuring views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

The Jewish Press | February 9, 2024 | 9

My ‘transgressive’ Holocaust novel is still stirring debate, 20 years later

SONIA PILCER JTA Recently, I opened my email and found a link to an article in a scholarly publication, The Journal of Jewish Identities, published by Johns Hopkins. Puzzled, I clicked and discovered the following: “‘I was a prisoner. Jew. Whore’: Inherited Sexualized Trauma in Sonia Pilcer’s The Holocaust Kid by Alex M. Anderson and Lucas F. W. Wilson.” I read the headline and gasped. The Holocaust Kid is a novel of interconnected stories I published in 2001. In it, I explored the psychological and existential perspective of being the daughter of Holocaust survivors, but not reverentially. (Hence the title.) Sure, it is semi-autobiographical. And yes, I was scarred by my history. But had I really “inherited sexualized trauma”? I began writing The Holocaust Kid in the early 1980s. It was written in an edgy style, used in my first novel Teen Angel, that a New York Times reviewer described as “tough and sweet, rude, loud and hilariously filthy.” I worked on much of the book in Israel, wanting to live in a country of survivors. But I hadn’t realized how uncomfortable the subject was, almost taboo, until I gave a reading in Jerusalem to a room filled with young writers and journalists. After I finished, there was hostile silence. One listener finally asked, “Why write this? And why are you reading it here?” I answered, “Because I’m a writer.” I had stories I wanted to tell, and believed that my take on the Big H, as my protagonist Zosha calls the Holocaust, needed to be heard. But the question should have alerted me to the difficulties my manuscript would face. I didn’t know, nor did my agent Carl Brandt, who had sold my two previous novels, that it would take 20 years, over 40 rejections, countless rewrites and several more agents to sell this book. It was treated as nasty and unseemly — and I, an untouchable — by editors, many of whom were Jewish. Perhaps the editors were offended by the language. Or was I making fun of the Holocaust, as some editors suggested? I suppose I am interested in the transgressive, but I had no intention of being disrespectful. A good joke, I thought, is the best way to deliver a devastating blow. I learned that from the survivors. In lieu of living family, my parents belonged to a large network of Polish Jews. All were survivors. The women played canasta and men, poker. As they tossed their bright plastic chips and picked up cards, blue numbers flashed on the insides of their arms. Their stories were profoundly and terrifyingly cynical about human nature. Yet often funny, and extremely dark. “You remember Yola? She was the not bad-looking one with crooked teeth, who went with the German. He gave her crabs.” Laughter. “If Bolek hadn’t shared his piece of bread, I wouldn’t be here. Lucky me, I was dealt three queens!” I was born in a German DP camp, but I was raised on the streets of Brooklyn and Washington Heights, where I attended tough public schools. I rebelled against my Jewish/Holocaust background and joined a girls street gang. It is a complex matter to write about the Holocaust and its inheritors. I realize the subject was inviolable. And I admit that my take on survivors and their children is troubling, but that’s what I meant to do: to give it a raw, provocative slant, growing out of my experiences. The book was finally sold by Gareth Esersky to a small, courageous press, Persea Books, and editor Karen Braziller. The pub date was September 2001, right before the tragedy of

9/11. The book was mostly ignored, but I did get an email from the husband of a well known therapist and filmmaker who is a Second Generation descendant of survivors, or “2G.” (In 1987, I believe I introduced the term “2G,” in a short-lived New York magazine called Seven Days.) He wrote that The Holocaust Kid was a travesty, that I insulted the memory of the dead and should seek psychological help. The almost universal rejection by the Jewish literary community was painful. But I carried on, kept writing and published other books. Twenty-one years later, I was contacted by Lucas Wilson, who was writing his doctoral dissertation about Second Generation writers. His subjects included Art Spiegelman, Helen Epstein, several others and me. I had watched on Zoom as he defended his thesis. End of story, I thought.

Credit: Persea Books; JTA illustration by Mollie Suss

A year or so later, I received the email with a link to an article by him and another graduate student, Alex Anderson. The scholars focused on the most controversial story in the collection, Shoah Casanova. This story involves a sexual encounter between Zosha and Uly Oppenheim, a Jewish Holocaust professor, who like Zosha, is 2G. As they begin their lovemaking, he takes off his tie and begins to snake it around her. “He was the master. Ubermensch. Superman. So powerful,”” she thinks. “It was 1942. I was a prisoner. Jew. Whore. … If I made him love me, he’d take me through the war. I would survive.” As he is about to climax, he says, “I’ve got something for you, my little refugee. This comes all the way from Oswiecim.” Oswiecim is the Polish word for Auschwitz. The scholars wrote, “The protagonist, Zosha Palovsky, engages in Nazi-Jewess erotic fantasy and role play as a way of addressing, albeit obliquely, her inherited sexualized trauma… [I]t gives voice and, as it were, body to what she imagines her mother to have gone through.” They continue: “Inherited sexualized trauma can thus be defined as the second generation’s adopted psychic and affective wounds that stem from what they imagine to be their parents’ experiences of sexualized violence during the Holocaust.” Whoa! When I wrote Shoah Casanova, I wasn’t thinking about my mother’s trauma, nor my own. I was trying to describe my character’s attraction/repulsion to Uly, and to their master/slave game. This is one more variation on the theme of how the Holocaust plays out in both of their lives. So it was weird to have the language of trauma applied to my story and, by implication, to me. While he was writing his dissertation, Wilson and his mentor, Alan Berger, questioned me more than once about the identity of Uly Oppenheim, the kinky Holocaust professor, but

I refused to reveal it. Why? Because I made him up, just as I made up his book about female survivors forced to work in brothels, titled Our Bodies, Not Our Souls. To me, this is the pleasure of creativity — making things up. I cannot deny that the book contains episodes from my life. But I take refuge in what Carl Brandt told me when I was starting out: “There’s no way for anyone to know what actually happened and what’s fictionalized.” And I recall Philip Roth’s remark: “I say to my imagination: ‘This is what really happened. Can you top this?’” After I sent a few friends the Wilson/Anderson article, they asked with concern, “How do you feel about this?” If I am honest, at first, I felt thrilled to have my work read at all, after so long, and analyzed by scholars. Then I began to wonder: How much truth is in their thesis? I remember a story my mother once told me. She worked at a munitions factory in a forced labor camp. Once she returned after curfew. A soldier caught her. He forced her to take off her dress and clean the street with it. Then he laughed and walked away. For the rest of her life, my mother remained frightened of men in uniforms. I once saw her grovel before the mailman, but I do not think this was not sexualized trauma. The desire for domination is hardly limited to the Jewish/Nazi dynamic. Many women and men run fetishistic scenarios in their minds. You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy humiliation, at least in your fantasies. Besides, they’re just playing. And dead serious. Yet there is something deeply embedded in our culture’s collective unconscious that feeds on the notion of Holocaust “sexualized trauma.” It’s in the ether. Consider the films The Night Porter, The Pawnbroker, Sophie’s Choice and Schindler’s List. All of them feature scenes of terrified, naked women. Twenty years after my book came out, and 80 years after the Holocaust, writers and filmmakers are finding new ways to tell the story. Some are breaking taboos about whose stories should be told, some are using humor and others have focused on the children and grandchildren of survivors and victims. A recent film, The Zone of Interest, written and directed by Jonathan Glazer, captures the horror from the point of view of Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss and his family, who live in an idyllic house. It shares a wall with Auschwitz. We see their lush gardens, parties with children jumping in a swimming pool. But in the background, there’s the insistent sounds of gunfire and screaming. And no one notices. “We’ve become desensitized,” Glazer has said. “It’s impossible to show what happened inside those walls. “And in my opinion, one shouldn’t try.” Instead his interest was in creating “ambient evil.” The effect is powerfully haunting. Although I did not agree with the scholars’ thesis, they gave me a reason to go back to a novel I began many years ago. My hardest one to write. The most difficult to sell. My most personal book. The Holocaust Kid lives on. Sonia Pilcer is the author of six novels, most recently, The Last Hotel. Currently she is rewriting the theatrical version of The Holocaust Kid, which had a staged reading at Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox, Massachusetts. http://soniapilcer.com. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

Old songs have new meanings after Oct. 7 RONNIE PERELIS JTA After a week of witnessing the pain and resilience of Israelis in war time I went to Jerusalem’s Yellow Submarine music club. I was driven by a prayerful hope to find some solace during the war, along with communion, with fellow heartbroken folks for whom words were failing. The last time I went to Yellow Submarine was almost a decade ago. It was also wartime. I was visiting Israel for the summer with my family when conflict broke out with Gaza. Rockets flew, fear reigned and the heartache of war weighed heavily. That was the night I first heard the Israeli singer-songwriter Daniela Spector, an artist I never heard before whose lyrics and haunting voice are now part of my inner soundtrack. From the very beginning of this war, music has been a lifeline for me and many others. I listen to Israeli radio — usually on Fridays to fill my house in suburban New Jersey with the spirit of a country where everyone shifts into some form of sabbath mode every Friday. But since the start of the war, I have been especially connected to Galatz, Israeli army radio, with its constant stream of news and talk shows and its sister music channel Galgalatz. Silly pop songs take on deep meaning when requested by someone from the front lines, or by their girlfriend or boyfriend back home, or their kid who loves to sing that song with them. Or how about the daily radio show Habaita — Come Home — which plays the favorite songs of the kidnapped? Some of the songs have become ubiquitous because

of their use in videos showing the reunion of soldiers and their families, a bright spot in a country with so much darkness. I returned to Israel this month as an organizer of the Jewish Studies Scholars Faculty Solidarity Mission. I hadn’t heard of the artist performing when I went back to the club, hoping for another night of surprises and of words and music that could take me somewhere deep. It was Sivan Talmor’s first performance since Oct. 7, and she spoke to my heart, sharing the cliché that is a cliché because it’s true: old songs have new meanings now. Throughout the show she was funny, she overshared and was vulnerable. She told us about her husband who was away on reserve duty, how she took her two kids and moved in with a friend whose husband is also fighting. One night, they took their guitars and went out to a park and began playing with friends. A crowd gathered and they sang some more. They sang the nostalgic songs of their youth — one of which she played with her trio at the Yellow Submarine. Maragalit Tzanani’s 1986 hit Naari Shuva Eli — My Boy, Return to Me! — is about a girl waiting for her boyfriend to return. She waits at the bus stop all night long only to reach daybreak without him. Despite it all, the girl sings to her God, beseeching Him to watch over her boy. “Please, God, take care of him,” she sings. This classic song of love and heartache sounds different now. I imagined that each time Talmor repeated the refrain about “his curls being coated with the dust of the road,” she was thinking of her husband, one day coming back from the war, his curls dirty, his body broken and ready for comfort.

The crowd sang along with every word. Talmor invited us into her own therapy session on stage. She requested a shot of arak from the stage and shared another story: A female reservist wrote to her saying that her song I Am Not Afraid was keeping her strong on her way to the front. At one moment towards the end of the evening, Talmor prayed. I was happily surprised to see this artist who seems to belong to the tribe of free-spirited Israeli secularists, a tribe with deep roots in this miraculous, heartbreaking country, address her audience in prayer. She prayed for the return of the hostages, for the safety of the soldiers, including her husband serving on the front lines, and she prayed for peace in Gaza. Someone in the audience called out that her son was fighting also, and then another mentioned a loved one. The Israel that I found throughout my travels and intense conversations was an Israel that is awakened, ready to help, to solve problems, to be there for each other. And to create their way through pain, loss and confusion. After a year of tearing their society apart, Israelis are finding strength and vitality in coming together, in being there for each other and creating something new. This trip to Israel was different. I saw more pain, and more togetherness, than ever before. And through it all, I was reminded that music is a story we tell ourselves when we have no words. Israel’s wars have always had songs that become closely associated with them. Read more at www.omahajewishpress.com.

Synagogues

10 | The Jewish Press | February 9, 2024

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

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

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

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

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

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

CHABAD HOUSE

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

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

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154

TEMPLE ISRAEL

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

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

B’NAI ISRAEL Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speakers, Jane Rips, the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society Executive Director and Jennifer Garza, the Director of Archives and Collections for NJHS. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel! For information about our historic synagogue, please visit our website at www.cblhs.org or contact any of our other board members: Renee Corcoran, Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Ann Moshman, Mary-Beth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.

BETH EL Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. IN-PERSON AND ZOOM MINYAN SCHEDULE: Mornings on Sundays, 9:30 a.m.; Mondays and Thursdays, 7 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K-12), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 6:25 p.m. Zoom Only. SUNDAY: World Wide Wrap, 9:30 a.m.; BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; Hebrew Reading for Adults, 10:30 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman; Torah Tots (Ages 3-PreK), 10:45 a.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah, 11:15 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman. TUESDAY: Pirkei Avot, 10:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham. WEDNESDAY: Tai Chi, noon with Beth Staenberg; BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m.; BESTT Joyful Adar (Grades PreK-7), 6 p.m. FRIDAY-Feb 16: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.; On A Wing & A Prayer Dinner, 7 p.m. SATURDAY-Feb. 17: Shabbat Morning Service, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K-12), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 6:35 p.m. Zoom Only. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.

BETH ISRAEL FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Candlelighting, 5:33 p.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Kids Kiddush Club, 11:15 a.m.; Soulful Torah: Unpacking the Or HaChayim’s Teachings, 4:30 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:20 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 5:50 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:35 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Kinyan HaMasechta, 9:40 a.m.; Men’s Spin & Torah Class, 11 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m. MONDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Monday Mind Builders, 4 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m.

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m.; Kinyan HaMasechta following Mincha/Ma’ariv. WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m. THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Character Development Class, 9:30 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m.; Parsha Class, 6 p.m.; Kinyan HaMasechta following Mincha/Ma’ariv. FRIDAY-Feb 16: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Candlelighting/Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 5:42 p.m. SATURDAY-Feb. 17: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Kids Kiddush Club, 11:15 a.m.; Soulful Torah: Unpacking the Or HaChayim’s Teachings, 4:40 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:30 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 6 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:43 p.m. Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.

CHABAD HOUSE All services are in-person. All classes are being offered in-person and via Zoom (ochabad.com/academy). For more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.com or call the office at 402.330.1800. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochabad.com/Lecha yim; Candlelighting, 5:32 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:33 p.m. SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps: Shacharit, 99:30 a.m., Video Presentation, 9:30 a.m. and Breakfast, 9:45 a.m.; Torah and Tea, 10:30-11:15 a.m. MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha, 9:30 a.m.; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen. TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 7 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen. WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen. THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 34), noon; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) Class, 7 p.m. FRIDAY-Feb 16: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochabad. com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 5:41 p.m. SATURDAY-Feb. 17: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:42 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. All services offered in-person with live-stream or teleconferencing options.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:35 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30 p.m. and Community Shabbat Dinner, 7 p.m. at SST. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Mishpatim; Havdalah, 6:37 p.m. SUNDAY: LJCS Classes, 9:30 a.m.-noon at SST; Men’s Bike/Coffee Group, 10:30 a.m. in the Conference Room at Rock 'n Joe (5025 Lindbergh St.). For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail.com; Pickleball, 3-5 p.m. Anyone interested in playing or learning how to play can text Miriam at 402.470.2393. If there are enough interested people; we will play in the Social Hall at TI. MONDAY: Offices Closed TUESDAY: Offices Closed WEDNESDAY: Offices Closed; LJCS Hebrew School, 4:30-6 p.m. THURSDAY: Offices Closed FRIDAY-Feb 16: Offices Closed; Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:44 p.m.; Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30 p.m. at SST. SATURDAY-Feb. 17: Offices Closed; Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Terumah; Potluck Dinner and Family Game Night, 6 p.m. at SST. Adults and kids of all ages are welcome. Please bring a dish to share; Havdalah, 6:45 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

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

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL

In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Benjamin Sharff, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander FRIDAY: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. In-Person; Tot Shabbat, 5:45 p.m. In-Person; Classic Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom. SUNDAY: Grades PreK-7, 9:30 a.m. In-Person; Book Club, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom. WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m. In-Person; Grades 36, 4:30 p.m.; Grades 8-12 Split by Grade, 6 p.m. InPerson. FRIDAY-Feb 16: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. InPerson; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom. SATURDAY-Feb. 17: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. InPerson & Zoom. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.

Meet Abbey Levy, rising Jewish Hockey star REYNA GOBEL JTA One of Abigail Levy’s most powerful Jewish memories comes from a family Passover celebration when she was a child. In keeping with the tradition of searching for the afikomen, someone hid a broken piece of matzah and set her and the other children loose to find it. “It got a little heated,” she recalled. “I ended up with a giant welt on my forehead.” Levy’s competitive spirit then foreshadowed her career today, including her willingness to take lumps in pursuit of a win: She’s a professional ice hockey player, a goaltender in the brand-new Professional Women’s Hockey League, which took the ice for the first time on Jan. 1. Levy is the backup goalie for PWHL New York, one of six teams in the new league, which like the others is named for the city where it plays. It’s an outcome that Levy, 23, could not have imagined while growing up in Congers, New York, about an hour north of the city in Rockland County. “I never knew girls played hockey,” she said during a practice this week.

Her journey to the sport began as a spectator, find a family within this group in order to play my watching her brother play. But by the time she was best, and I know that everyone else around me has 10, Levy wanted in on the action. She asked her fa- to do the same thing. Because all these girls are living away from home.” ther Justin if she could join a Levy has carried the importeam, and he said yes without tance of family — real and chohesitation. sen — with her ever since. Levy first played on boys’ She spent her first two years of teams in the New York City college playing for Minnesota area. When she was 12, she met State University, then transher best friend, Emma Kee, at ferred to Boston College. There, hockey camp, and the pair she was just a few hours away made the trek to Minnesota to from Jewish holiday celebraattend Shattuck-St. Mary’s tions with her family, including School, a boarding school her four siblings. The experience known for its hockey program. remains the strongest element Levy said her dad would visit on weekends, bringing his New Abbey Levy during a PWHL New York of her Jewish identity. York Jewish humor with him. game against Montreal, Jan. 16, 2024. “My parents definitely tried to “My dad is the biggest jokester Credit: David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire teach me around the holidays,” on the planet,” she said. Still, being away from home she said. “But I think as a kid I was a little brat sometimes. I definitely just stuck with hockey and didn’t come easy to Levy. “When I was away from home in Minnesota for that was probably always on my mind. And now prep school, I realized life is not all about hockey, growing up, I’ll probably have to go back and look it’s about who’s around you, too,” she said. “I had to more into the religion.”

Life cycles

The Jewish Press | February 9, 2024 | 11

Pulverente MONUMENT CO. Over 60 Years Experience With Jewish Lettering and Memorials

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Rabbi Geiger’s Weekly Torah Expedition PARASHA TRUMAH James Clear relates an amusing story about his friend Martin. Martin’s nails have been ragged for as long as he can remember. But he has only himself to blame, for he is the one who bites them into their terrible condition. One day, Martin decided he would try getting a manicure. He figured the money he invested into his nails would deter him RABBI from biting them. Fast forward a bit, MORDECHAI and his investment has paid off; Martin GEIGER has not chewed on his nails for months. Beth Israel However, Martin had not counted on the compliments he would receive on his nails. Those around him began to notice the change, and Martin was proud of it. And so, even after he had broken his habit, he continued getting manicures. His beautiful nails had become part of his identity. Similarly, when interviewed, Arnold Schwarzenegger would talk about not having to think about going to the gym. If his mind wandered while walking, he would inevitably find himself there. He attributed this to his belief that he was the best bodybuilder in the world. And so his subconscious would lead him where he belonged.

This week, Parsha talks about the building of the Mishkan (the portable Temple of G-d). Fascinatingly, G-d tells us, “Build me a temple, and I will dwell amongst [you]” (Exodus 25-8). He would dwell in us, not in the Temple. The purpose of the Temple was to serve as a macrocosm of every one of us. It served as a reminder of what rests within each one of us. The presence, connection, and love of G-d. Every one of us contains such a close and powerful connection to G-d. But do we allow ourselves to believe that? Is that what guides our subconscious decisions?

IN MEMORIAM MARVIN ALAN KIRKE Marvin Alan Kirke passed away on Jan. 29, 2024 in Omaha. Services were held Jan. 30, 2024, at Beth Israel Cemetery and were officiated by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 57 years, Hedy; parents, Nathan and Helen Kirke; brothers, Raymond and Larry Kirke, and son-in-law Mark Weaver. He is survived by daughter, Felicia Weaver; son, Jason Kirke; sister-in-law, Pam Nathan; grandchildren: Jake Weaver, Madison Tibke (Colin); great-grandson, Wyatt; special friend and caretaker, Kendra Trotter; good friends, Chris Buhrman and Chris Buhe. Memorials may be made to Beth Israel Synagogue or Methodist Hospital Foundation.

JCC’s Amanda Welsh selected for Fellowship

Several months ago, JCC Executive Director Mark Martin nominated Amanda Welsh, JCC Youth Director, for the second cohort for the Martin Pear Israel Fellowship. Today, the Staenberg Omaha JCC is proud to announce that JCC Association of North America has selected Amanda Welsh for The Martin Pear Israel Fellowship’s second cohort. The Pear Fellowship is designed to develop and retain JCC talent by welcoming early-tenure professionals within the movement into an 18-month educational journey that includes in-person gatherings, web-based learning, and a rigorous, immersive Israel experience. “In all honesty,” Mark said, “I had some reservations about filling out the paperwork. Amanda was deserving, but my experience in the process was that larger metro areas, or the coastal states, seem to have an advantage over ‘flyover’ country, like Nebraska. The application is lengthy with essays, testimonials, and interviews involved. This week I was ecstatic to learn Amanda was one of 11 finalists to be awarded in all North America, comprising 170 JCC’s. Please join me in congratulating Amanda on this great achievement!” The events of October 7 and the ensuing war have intensified the desire of North America’s Jewish communities to connect with Israel and its people and Pear Fellows will be well-positioned to spearhead these efforts. Members of last year’s inaugural cohort of Pear Fellows, whose fellowship will overlap with the new cohort for six months, have stepped up to meet the current challenge and their leadership is having a tremendous impact in their local communities and the movement’s more than 170 JCCs. The fellowship honors Martin Pear, z”l, longtime CEO at Valley of the Sun JCC in Scottsdale, Ariz., and one of the field’s most beloved leaders, who believed strongly that all Jewish professionals should anchor their practice in a deep commitment to Israel. Part of JCC Talent and the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Jewish Education, the fellowship is open to full-time employees of any faith and from any area of a JCC who are early in their tenure in the movement. The final cohort each year comprises professionals who look to thrive, both individually and collectively, within the rigorous program. This experience will empower and equip them to explore their own relationship to Judaism and bring Israel, in all its facets, to the work at their JCC.

TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Readers can also submit announcements -- births, b’nai mitzvahs, engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at www.omahajew ishpress.com/site/forms/. Deadlines are normally nine days prior to publication, on Wednesdays, 9 a.m. Please check the Jewish Press, for notices of early deadlines.

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“Martin Pear, z”l, was a pioneer. He was steadfastly committed to the idea that building Jewish community anywhere requires connections with Jewish communities everywhere and that Israel holds a unique importance to this conception,” says Doron Krakow, president and CEO of JCC Association of North America. “We are honored to be launching the second cohort of this fellowship established in his honor amidst one of the greatest crises to face Israel and the Jewish world in our lifetimes. This remarkable group of professionals will help to markedly enhance Israel engagement in their JCCs and become powerful assets in our field’s growing commitment to being the preeminent engine for greater Jewish community on the continent.” The cornerstone of the fellowship is a nine-day intensive seminar in Israel, anchored by monthly education sessions leading up to and following the Israel experience. As a final component of their participation, Pear Fellows implement a project that brings Israel to their JCC in a new and purposeful way. Their project implementation overlaps by six months with the next cohort, so they can execute and report on their projects, evaluate the entire experience, and interact with the newest cohort of Pear Fellows. JCC Association is devoted to developing the talent of the JCC workforce and continuing to attract the best and brightest to its work. The movement is the largest employer on North America’s Jewish communal landscape. Amanda Welsh is the youth and camp director at the Staenberg Omaha JCC in Nebraska, where she manages numerous youth programs, including out-of-school care, summer day camp, and enrichment classes. She has served in multiple roles in school-aged childcare throughout her career, and she is proud to oversee the only American Camping Associationaccredited camp in Omaha. In all her programming endeavors, she brings her passion for summer camp to the youth in her community. Welsh earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and child, youth, and family studies from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Born and raised in the Midwest, she loves spending time outside with her family, reading thrilling books, and letting her competitive side come out in board games and bowling. Please join us in congratulating Amanda on this well-deserved honor and opportunity!

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12 | The Jewish Press | February 9, 2024

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

Netanyahu says ‘total victory’ is the only option RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON | JTA Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would achieve a “total victory” in its war against Hamas as Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he is “hopeful” that the sides are nearing an extended truce. Blinken’s comments came while Hamas said it was considering Israel’s latest proposal for a temporary ceasefire, which would include an exchange of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian security prisoners. Hamas has called for a total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of all of the estimated 6,000 Palestinian security prisoners. But on Tuesday Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, gave a defiant speech in which he vowed that Israeli forces would not leave the territory and that not all prisoners would go free. “We will not withdraw the IDF from the Gaza Strip and we will not release thousands of terrorists,” he said. “None of this will happen. What will happen? Total victory.” Blinken met with the Qatari foreign minister on Tuesday to discuss the proposed deal. In a speech the previous day, Blinken did not address the details of the reported deal under consideration, brokered in recent days by CIA chief William Burns, but said he was optimistic about its prospects. “The proposal that is on the table and that is shared among all of the critical actors – of course Israel, but also with Qatar and Egypt playing a critical role in mediating and working between Israel and Hamas – I believe the proposal is a strong one and a compelling one that, again, offers some hope that we can get back to this process,” Blinken said at a press conference with Jen Stollen, the secretary general of the NATO alliance. “What I can tell you is this: I think the work that’s been done, including just this weekend, is important and is hopeful in terms of seeing that process resume,” Blinken said. Reports

have said the deal would suspend fighting for up to two months and would see an exchange of the remaining 136 hostages held by Hamas, some of them dead, for Palestinian prisoners. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was quoted Jan. 30 by the New York Times as saying Hamas is considering the deal that emerged this weekend after Burns met with Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials in Europe. Qatar, which funds Hamas and houses its leadership in exile, and Egypt, which borders the Gaza Strip, are key interlocutors between the combatants.

Israeli tanks secure the area while Palestinians fleeing from the fighting parts of Khan Yunis to Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Jan. 30, 2024. Credit: Persea Books; Atia Mohammed/ Flash90

President Joe Biden until now has not backed down from supporting Israel’s war aim of removing Hamas entirely from the Gaza Strip. But he is under increasing pressure to get Israel to scale the war back as it threatens to expand across the Middle East. Lawmakers from both parties in Congress want increased oversight of the air strikes Biden has ordered against Houthi militants in Yemen, who are launching missiles at commercial vessels in the Red Sea, ostensibly to get Israel to stand down in Gaza.

That scrutiny is likely to increase as Biden considers how to strike back against an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq that sent a drone over the weekend into Jordan, killing three U.S. troops on a base. Israel is also under pressure to roll back its counterstrikes. On Jan. 26, the International Court of Justice gave Israel 30 days to report on measures to mitigate civilian deaths. South Africa had taken Israel to court on charges of genocide. Those pressures underscore the urgency Biden and his top aides are attaching to the negotiation process. The State Department statement summing up Tuesday’s meeting with the Qatari foreign minister underscored the differences between the Biden administration and Israel. The statement effusively praised Qatar, a nation Netanyahu recently derided. It also promoted the establishment of a Palestinian state, an outcome Netanyahu rejects. Blinken “expressed gratitude for Qatar’s indispensable mediation efforts, especially since October 7,” the day Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, launching the war, killing more than 1,200 people and abducting more than 250 hostages. “Secretary Blinken underscored the U.S. commitment to a more peaceful, integrated, and prosperous Middle East region with security for Israel and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.” Netanyahu has said repeatedly that he will not countenance a Palestinian state. His top adviser, Ron Dermer, is on his way to Washington on Wednesday to discuss scenarios for the “day after” the war, Axios reported. Blinken also wants to get assistance into Gaza at an accelerated rate, as world health officials say the territory is on the brink of starvation. More than 26,000 people have been killed since Israel launched counterstrikes following Oct. 7, including thousands of children, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. Israel does not dispute the figures, and says about a third of the dead are combatants.