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FEBRUARY 11, 2022 | 1 0 A DA R I 578 2 | VO L. 1 02 | NO. 1 7 | CANDLELIGHTING | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 5:35 P.M.
Join us for LOVE Bingo Rosh Chodesh Women’s Power Lunch Page 4
In Manhattan, 24 women artists celebrate 24 women rabbis who blazed a trail Page 8
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor he board members of L.O.V.E. invite the community to join us for an afternoon of fun, Sunday, March 6 and 20, from 1- 3 p.m. Technical support will be offered 30 min. prior to the ZOOM. Once registered, players will receive an email with the ZOOM link and BINGO card(s). Cards may be played virtually or printed, and will be used
T
on both game days. The League Offering Volunteers for the Elderly (L.O.V.E.) has served Residents of the Rose Blumkin Home since 1971. Its mission is to support the programming and services of the RBJH, making the best environment to enhance the quality of life for all Residents. Every year, we plan and sponsor events and activities for RBJH Residents on holidays and for birthdays. We provide See Virtual L.O.V.E. Bingo page 2
RBG’s library is being auctioned online Page 10
Omaha BBYO holds Beau Sweetheart Dance
REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles
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Members of MZ Yoshanah BBG at Omaha Council’s Beau Sweetheart Dance: Abby Kaufman, left, Lauren Dolson, Rachel Dowd, Eva Bloom, Abbey Milder, Adria Tipp.
JACOB GELTZER BBYO/Teen Program Director On Jan. 22, Omaha BBYO held an
age-old tradition of a Beau Sweetheart Dance. This tradition honors candidates chosen from Mother Chapter AZA and MZ Yoshanah BBG to be honorary members of the opposite group’s chapter for the year. This year’s Mother Chapter Sweetheart candidates were Ava Stoller, Adria Tipp, Lauren Dolson and Rachel Dowd. This year’s MZ Yoshanah Beau Candidates were Noah Atlas, Jordan Nogg, Ben Kaufman and honorary candidate Cooper Katskee. After all See BBYO Dance page 2
The Kaplan Book Group SHIRLY BANNER JFO Kripke Jewish Federation Library Specialist On Feb. 17 the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will gather for their monthly meeting. Group members have the choice of meeting either via Zoom or in person in the Benjamin & Anna E. Wiesman Reception Room in the Staenberg Jewish Community Center. They will be discussing The Face of a Naked Lady by Omahaborn author Michael Rips. While Rips has not lived in Omaha for quite some time, he still has maintained his connection to Omaha. After the death of Michael Rips’ father, Michael and his wife return to Omaha to help his mother move from the home of his childhood. While sorting through boxes he discovers a portfolio of paintings hidden away in the basement. Upon closer examination, he realizes that the paintings were done by his father and they are all of a single subject: a naked, Black woman. And so begins Michael's search to uncover who this lady was and why his father painted her. In Michael’s pursuit of discovering the identify of this naked Black
woman, he learns that his father is a person he knew, but never fully understood. As Michael reminisces about the lives
of his family going back three generations and the Omaha of his childhood, the mysterious identity and circumstances of the paintings are revealed. Rips approaches his pursuit of this mystery with both humor and philosophy as he See Kaplan Book Group page 2
2 | The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022
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Continued from page 1 welcome bags to new Residents, and we raise funds for major projects to enhance the lives and comfort of the Residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. In past years, generous donations from the community have enabled L.O.V.E. to purchase a portable induction cooktop system, a crash cart with defibrillator, and computers for the med carts — all of which make life at the Blumkin Home more enjoyable and more efficient for our community members who live there and for the staff who care for them. Some of the more recent things LOVE funds have provided include three resident transport vehicles, patio furniture, four blanket warmers, three large iPads and digital displays. We have also optimized communication, and arranged concerts. In addition, the Esther Wax sensory room is a beautiful and valuable addition that has served our Residents well. Monies raised by L.O.V.E. also underwrite social activities including sing-alongs, games, a quilting group, discussion sessions, tea time, movies, arts and crafts, and cultural events. “The phrase, ‘All you need is love,’ truly reflects the importance of our work with the RBJH,” according to past president, Dr. Jim Wax. Current co-Presidents of L.O.V.E. are Gretchen
Radler and Larry DeBruin. L.O.V.E. is a 501c3 Non-Profit. All donations go directly to programs, projects, activities and gifts to the Blumkin home and our Residents. Anyone can join by becoming a member! Registration is due by Feb. 18. The cost of bingo cards is $10 per card; two for $18 and four for $36. We also offer a combo-for-two: $72 gets you two bingo cards for each player, bingo markers and snacks (delivered within Omaha city limits). You can register and purchase cards by visiting https:// www.jewishomaha.org/about/community-prog ramsand-events/love/, or you can contact rbjhholidaylove@ gmail.com with additional questions. For additional information about L.O.V.E., please contact RBJH Volunteer Coordinator and L.O.V.E. Liaison Sabine Strong at 402.334.6519 or sstrong@rbjh.com.
BBYO Dance
The Kaplan Book Group Continued from page 1 reveals the ultimate truth about who his father was. For many who grew up in Omaha, Rips’ book is a stroll through the memory lane of Omaha’s past and present. For those who have transplanted themselves to Omaha or who are former Omaha residents, many of the places and names will be familiar. Undoubtedly those groups could provide added insight into Omaha's past and present. Please feel free to join us on Feb. 17 in person or via ZOOM. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion group meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. New members are always welcome. To view books discussed by the group over the past several years, go to www.jewishomaha.org, click on the “Community & Education” pulldown tab and navigate to “Kripke Jewish Federation Library,” then to “Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group.” 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.
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The 2022 Sweetheart, Rachel Dowd, and Beau, Ben Kaufman.
Continued from page 1 the candidates were presented, it was announced that this year’s Beau is Ben Kaufman and Sweetheart is Rachel Dowd. The theme for this year’s event was BBYcasinO Night. The evening consisted of classic casino games such as Texas Hold ‘Em, Roulette and Black Jack, as well as a traditional dance. Not only did teens promote and sell tickets to this event, but they also sold ads to share in their Ad Book to help raise money for the event. We appreciate all the parents and businesses that submitted an ad and supported this event. Be sure to support those businesses by checking out our Ad Book at www.tinyurl.com/adbook 2022. The teens were so excited to bring this tradition back and they can’t wait to do it again next year.
The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022 | 3
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Rosh Chodesh Women’s Power Lunch ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor On Wednesday, Feb. 2, the Katzman residence hosted a sizable group of women from our community for a Rosh Chodesh lunch. “We used to have these lunches regularly before the pandemic,” Shani Katzman said, “and we are ready to come together again on a monthly basis.” Rosh Chodesh means the “head of the new [moon],” and it is a day—or two—of celebration marking the start of a new lunar month. Jewish months, pegged to the cycle of the moon, have either 29 or 30 days. At the end of a 30-day month, the 30th day of the outgoing month and the first day of the new month are Rosh Chodesh. Following a 29-day month, only the first of the new month is Rosh Chodesh. Like all days on the Jewish calendar, Rosh Chodesh starts at nightfall of the preceding day. During Temple times, special animal sacrifices were brought in honor of the day, known as musaf (additional) offerings, and special celebratory trumpet blasts were added to the daily service. Today we no longer have a Temple in which to bring sacrifices, but we do commemorate the day in a number of ways. Rosh Chodesh is especially dear to women, and many women observe it by taking the day off from household tasks such as laundry and sewing. In recent years, there has been an explosion of beautiful Rosh Chodesh gatherings, where women come together to study Torah, recite Psalms and share inspiration. This time, those in attendance explored the following passage from Genesis: “G-d made the two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day and the lesser light to dominate the night and the stars,” as well as Rashi’s commentary: “They were created of
G-d and the moon, and the moon and sun’s respective roles in how the Jewish people mark the calendar and holidays. The Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh is known as Shabbat Mevarchim, and special prayers are recited in the synagogue asking that the new month bring us only happiness, goodness, health and all good things. On Rosh Chodesh, it is customary to wish people “chodesh tov,”
equal size, but that of the moon was diminished because she complained and said, “it is impossible for two kings to make use of one crown.” Topics that were explored included the reasoning behind diminishing the moon, the purpose of the discourse between
which means “a good month.” The next Rosh Chodesh Women’s Power Lunch is scheduled for Wednesday, March 2, at noon. For more information about the Chabad Rosh Chodesh Lunch, please visit www. ochabad.com/lunch or call 402.330.1800.
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Director of Development job opportunity
Although it may not seem that way, the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s donor development department has not been fully staffed since the summer of 2021. We will be posting a full-time position soon. Are you (or is someone you know) looking for a career change? Do you enjoy developing relationships? Omaha is built on a culture of giving. People who support the Jewish Federation of Omaha have done so year after year, and they do so with enthusiasm and passion. They do it because they know this is how they make a difference in others’ lives, gaining a benefit for themselves and for our families. Our Jewish community would not exist today without this history and culture of giving. We enjoy our extraordinary campus facilities and outreach social services that take care of all ages. Come and join us! We are looking for someone to lead in the following areas: • Donor development • Campaign events and programming
Those of us who already work at the Jewish Federation of Omaha understand how special this community is. Our next JFO professional will ensure we continue to provide resources
to carry on to the future. How would it feel if your next job was much more than a job? What if it were a passion, a calling? Join us, build a career and give back to our community while working with different pockets of our community. Engage with our community members and experience substance and meaning in your job! If you are interested in the Director of Development full time position at the Jewish Federation of Omaha, please contact Jenn Tompkins at jtompkins@jewishomaha. org or at 402.334.6435 to apply.
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Colleyville and Pittsburgh and the State of American Jewry On the morning of Nov. 18, 2014, two terrorists broke into synagogue services at Kehilat B’nei Torah in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem and TEDDY killed six people WEINBERGER ( five worshippers and a responding Druze Israeli police officer). In the aftermath, I don’t recall reading or hearing a single remark connecting synagogue attendance with bravery—not from people living in Jerusalem nor from anywhere else in Israel. The response by the American Jewish community to the Colleyville terrorist incident was jarringly different. The hostage-taking at Congregation Beth Israel (in which, thankfully all of the hostages escaped) struck fear in the hearts of congregants in synagogues located many hundreds of miles from Texas. The titles of two NY Times op-ed pieces speak to this fear: Will it happen to us? (a question that writer Sarah Wildman’s 13-year-old daughter asks her) and For Jews, Going to Services Is an Act of Courage (by Emory University Professor Deborah E. Lipstadt). I would like to focus on Lipstadt’s piece, as in it she refers to synagogue security abroad, much as I did in my own piece three years ago after the terrorist attack on Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue. Lipstadt writes about how, outside of the United States, for many decades now one has been able to locate synagogues by the police presence stationed in front of them. In my own piece, written after a trip to Turkey, I remarked upon the heavy security at Istanbul’s Neve Shalom Synagogue. I indicated that now, after the Pittsburgh attack, most American synagogues would similarly professionalize their security operations. I hadn’t realized, until I read
Lipstadt’s piece, just how quickly and how fully these new security arrangements would be implemented. Lipstadt writes that, due to security concerns, the main entrance to her Atlanta synagogue has been locked ever since the shootings in Pittsburgh, and that “you won’t find wide-open doors at any synagogue in Europe or North America.” What’s astonishing to me is to read all this from an American Holocaust studies scholar, whose work I greatly respect, without her then going on to draw some conclusions about the current state of American Jewry. Instead, Lipstadt mainly rehearses the classic rhetoric of the diaspora Jew; she writes: “We are shaken. We are not OK. But we will bounce back. We are resilient because we cannot afford not to be. That resiliency is part of the Jewish DNA. Without it, we would have disappeared centuries ago.” The following needs to be said clearly: America was supposed to be different for Jews. When government officials, whether mayors, or congressmen, or even the President tell Jews, in effect, “we will protect you,” that is not what America was supposed to be. In America, Jews were supposed to be part of the “we.” The idea that Jews are turning into a protected minority in America is deeply troubling and saddening. What should be done? I’m not exactly sure. Perhaps the antisemites have indeed won. Not in the sense that it will prevent Lipstadt and others from attending synagogue, but that now Amer-
ican synagogues look like all diaspora synagogues. In the presence of all this fear and all this security there is no use in bragging about how American Jews (unlike their European brethren who had to be “emancipated” in order to gain civil rights) can proudly proclaim that they had civil rights here from the getgo, adducing as proof George Washington’s famous 1790 Letter to the Hebrew Congregations of Newport (in which, significantly, Washington says: “It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights). Putting up a brave front is something that Jews worldwide are good at, that for two millennia we have learned to be exceptionally good at, but it’s also something that didn’t seem to be demanded of America Jews when I was growing up. It might very well be possible to improve things, but first it needs to be realized that speaking of bravery in connection with synagogue attendance constitutes something of a broken promise to American Jewry. When Americans realize this, Jews as well as non-Jews, there might be ways of moving forward. God Bless America. Teddy Weinberger, Ph.D., made aliyah with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Jane Ross, and their five children, Nathan, Rebecca, Ruthie, Ezra, and Elie, all of whom are veterans of the Israeli Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@ gmail.com.
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Florida Gov. DeSantis won’t condemn Nazi rally in Orlando the governor’s spokesperson Christina SHIRA HANAU Pushaw asked in a tweet that she later JTA Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has refused to deleted whether the rallies might have simcondemn a Nazi rally that took place in Or- ply been in disguise. lando over the weekend, claiming that those “Do we even know they’re Nazis? I trust asking him to condemn the Nazi rally are trying to “smear” him. A video of the Orlando rally that spread on social media Monday showed protesters standing on a highway overpass in front of banners of swastikas. The Orlando Sentinel reported that the group shouted antisemitic slurs, and an array of bipartisan Florida politicians, including Republican Sen. Rick Scott and Democratic House Rep. Val Demings, condemned the gathering. But DeSantis claimed those asking him to condemn the Nazis tried to “use this as some type of political issue,” according to CNN. “We’re not Ron DeSantis attends an event at the Freedom Tower in Miami where he named Barbara Lagoa to the Florida playing their game,” he added. Among those calling on DeSantis Supreme Court, Jan. 9, 2019. Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty to condemn the Nazi rally was the Images Florida law enforcement to investigate and Anti-Defamation League’s Florida office. “We expect any public official, especially a am awaiting their conclusions,” she said in a voice for @GovRonDeSantis, to address the tweet that she later deleted, CNN reported. The Orlando rally was one of several antifears of the Jewish community thoughtfully – not with this troubling and careless ap- semitic incidents to unfold over the weekend proach,” the branch said in a tweet Monday. across North America, just a few weeks after Nikki Fried, Florida’s Jewish agriculture the hostage attack on a synagogue in Colcommissioner running for governor as a De- leyville, Texas. A Jewish school and a synamocrat, said she was “horrified but not sur- gogue in Chicago were vandalized and prised” at DeSantis’ lack of condemnation. swastikas were painted on a train station in Washington, D.C. A rally in Ottawa against She recently compared DeSantis to Hitler. The ADL tweet, and other calls for DeSan- COVID-19 vaccine mandates also featured tis to speak out against the rally, came after swastikas.
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Remembering Miriam Naor, chief Supreme Court justice
Naor studied law at Hebrew University, SHIRA HANAU then began working for the State Prosecution JTA Miriam Naor, who served on the Israeli of Israel until 1979. In 1980, she was apSupreme Court for 14 years and became the pointed as a judge on the Jerusalem Magissecond woman to helm the trate Court and in 1989, she court as chief justice, died became a judge on Sunday at 74. Jerusalem’s District Court. Naor was chief justice of From 2001 to 2002, Naor the court from 2014 to 2017, served as an acting justice during a period when the on Israel’s Supreme Court court made several signifibefore becoming a justice in cant rulings around reli2003. She became president gious pluralism in Israel. of the court in January 2015, In her retirement, Naor becoming the second had been serving as the woman to hold the position head of a special commisof chief justice after Dorit sion set up to investigate Beinisch. the May 2021 stampede at The court issued a number Meron, a pilgrimage site, of significant rulings related that left 45 men and chilto issues of religion and Supreme Court President Miriam state during the years in dren dead. Naor was born in Naor in 2017 Credit: Yonatan Sin- which Naor presided over Jerusalem in 1947 to par- del/Flash90 the judicial body. ents from two ends of the Zionist ideological One of the most important came in 2016, spectrum. Her father had served in the Ha- when the court ruled that Israel must recoggana, the Zionist paramilitary organization nize conversions to Judaism performed in Isthat would become the Israel Defense Organ- rael outside of the rabbinate, which controls ization, and her mother in the Etzel, an off- all religious matters in Israel, for the purposes shoot paramilitary organization formed by of citizenship under the Law of Return, which revisionist Zionists, the predecessors of the grants automatic Israeli citizenship to all Jews right-wing Likud party. who want to move to Israel.
8 | The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022
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In Manhattan, 24 women artists celebrate 24 women rabbis who blazed a trail
Three artworks on display at the new Holy Sparks exhibit. From left: Rabbi Julie by Emily Bowen Cohen Courtesy; Opening Doors: The World Moves Forward Every Day Because Someone Is Willing to Take the Risk by Joan Roth Credit: Joan Roth; The Jew Who Was There by Marilee Tolwin Courtesy.
EMILY JAEGER New York Jewish Week via JTA The glass ceiling of rabbinical ordination was broken at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnatti in 1972 when Rabbi Sally J. Priesand became America’s first female rabbi. Fifty years later, HUC’s New York City branch is celebrating the milestone with an exhibit at its Dr. Bernard Heller Museum. The exhibition, called Holy Sparks, pairs 24 female rabbis — all “firsts” of some kind — with 24 female Jewish artists
asked to portray their stories. A collaboration between HUC and The Braid ( formerly Jewish Women’s Theatre), a Santa Monica, Calif.-based Jewish theater company, Holy Sparks reflects upon the radical and essential shifts in Judaism over the past five decades through the inclusion and rising profile of female rabbis. The artworks — which span a variety of mediums and aesthetics, including photography and mixed-media collage — work as the jeweled tiles of a larger mosaic, portraying the women’s often-difficult journey to the rabbinate, along with
their tireless work to build a better Judaism. Some of the included artists had long, close friendships with their rabbis; others referenced transcripts and videos provided by The Braid. The artists only had to follow one rule: keep their pieces within the dimensions of 24”x 30” for easy transport. With its next stop at the Skirball Museum in Cincinnati, Holy Sparks is intended as a traveling exhibit, to share the story of these inspirational women internationally. For Jean Bloch Rosensaft, director of Heller Museum — located See Celebrating 24 women rabbis who blazed a trail page 9
The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022 | 9
Celebrating 24 women rabbis who blazed a trail
Continued from page 8 at HUC’s campus in Greenwich Village — the exhibition represents the culmination of a three-year project. The museum was initially approached by the leaders of The Braid to transform The Story Archive of Women Rabbis, a filmed collection of 200 interviews, into works of original art by contemporary women artists. Rosensaft and her curatorial team had the difficult task of winnowing down the profiles to a manageable number; they then arranged the 24 “pairings” of artists and subjects. Artists were intentionally chosen with diverse aesthetics, including Debra Band, who is known for intricate paper cuttings, and Judy Sirota Rosenthal, who is known for mixed media installations. The result, according to Rosensaft, is one of “unity without uniformity.” “Holy Sparks shares our deep sense of appreciation and gratitude to women in the rabbinate, for the journey they have taken and struggles [they] confronted,” she told The New York Jewish Week. Photographer Joan Roth captures Priesand with a subdued photograph that is overlaid with a famous quote from the rabbi: “The world moves forward every day because someone is willing to take the risk.” In the photo, Priesand simply stands on the bimah, the raised stage at the front of a synagogue, as a trickle of rainbow light plays on the wall next to her. The picture exudes a quiet power: She is right where she belongs. The exhibit then progresses chronologically by ordination year. Featured rabbis include Rabbi Kinneret Shiryon (ordained in 1981), the first woman to serve as a community rabbi in Israel, and Rabbi Denise L. Eger (1988), the first gay person to serve as president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. “The order is intended to manifest how each generation and decade of women rabbis have built on the previous decade,” Rosensaft said. What’s striking about the pieces in Holy Sparks is how well they work together, despite the wide range of materials and styles. They all grapple with the intersections of Judaism and feminism, and many highlight art forms that were, for centuries, considered simply “women’s work,” such as embroidery and weaving. Each individual piece reflects on crucial elements of a rabbi’s essence: her being, her words, her tradition, her actions, her devotion to her community. The process could be difficult at times. Painter Marilee Tolwin, for example, struggled to encompass the essence of Rabbi Rachel Adler — one of the first ethicists to interpret Jewish texts through a feminist lens — on a mere 24” x 30” canvas. Her piece evokes both Agnes Martin’s modernist grid paintings and micrography, a Jewish form of calligraphy where quotations written in tiny Hebrew letters are used to create designs. Tolwin copied Adler’s entire landmark feminist essay,
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The Jew Who Wasn’t There, in miniature and overlaid it with the structure of a Talmud page. “I stood back and saw which sentence had fallen in the center: ‘From which women are anatomically excluded,’” Tolwin said. “It was bashert [destiny], the essence of Rabbi Adler’s life work.” For Emily Bowen Cohen, the Jewish and Native American cartoonist behind the mini-comic An American Indian Guide to the Day of Atonement, working on a single canvas for her painting, Rabbi Julie — about Julie S. Schwartz, the first woman rabbi to serve on active duty as a chaplain in the U.S. military — meant departing from her medium entirely. “Working on this portrait challenged me to communicate a whole story on just one page,” she said. Her solution: twist an entire book of comic panels behind the portrait of the rabbi. Schwartz had to juggle the regimented image of a naval chaplain with her radical role as first woman rabbi serving on active duty. Inspired by the aesthetic
of naval advertisements from the 1940s, “Rabbi Julie” evokes a Jewish Rosie the Riveter, optimistic and bursting out from the traditional framework patterned behind her. As with many ventures touting diversity of representation, there are notable omissions. There are no pieces dedicated to Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, the first blind woman rabbi; Rabbi Sandra Lawson, one of the first openly queer, Black rabbis and the inaugural director of Racial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Reconstructionist movement, or Rabbi Emily Aviva Kapor, the first trans woman rabbi. With any luck and wisdom, we won’t have to wait until the 100th anniversary of women’s ordination to celebrate these trailblazers. As Rosensaft writes about the 24 women rabbis chosen for the exhibit, “May these builders of a vital Jewish future go from strength to strength.” Holy Sparks: Celebrating 50 Years of Women in the Rabbinate is on view at the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum, 1 West 4th St., New York, from Feb. 1 through May 22.
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10 | The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022
RBG’s library is being auctioned online
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2022 HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS AND PARENTS We will be publishing our annual High School Graduation Class pages on May 27, 2022. To be included, send us an email with the student’s name, parents names, high school they are attending, the college they will be attending and photo to: jpress@jewishomaha.org by May 1, 2022.
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died in 2013. Bidding for the lot is at $1,600. SHIRA HANAU The book Lincoln and the Jews, by Jonathan JTA Items from the late Supreme Court Justice Sarna and Benjamin Shapell, is included in a Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s library are being sold separate lot with books related to Abraham at online auction this week and include a Lincoln. range of books — including a collection of Among the Jewish women writers whose more than 30 books about Jewish subjects. books Ginsburg owned were Susan Sontag, The auction, which is being conducted by Gloria Steinem and Annie Leibovitz. Bonham’s and ends Thursday, includes everything from her law school textbooks to copies of celebrity memoirs and books by her fellow Supreme Court justices. One lot in the auction includes a list of 15 titles related to Jewish history and the Jewish experience from Ginsburg’s library. Among them are Rabin: Our Life, His Legacy, a book written and inscribed by Leah Rabin about her husband, Yitzchak Rabin, the Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg participates in a disIsraeli prime minister who cussion at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, was assassinated in 1995. D.C., Feb. 10, 2020. Credit: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images Others in the lot include It Takes a Dream: The Steinem’s 2015 book My Life on the Road with Story of Hadassah, by Marlin Levin, and Jewish an inscription to Ginsburg, “To dearest Ruth Legal Writings by Women, by Micah Halpern — who paved the road for us all — with a lifeand Chana Safrai. Bidding for the lot is at time of gratitude — Gloria,” has already gotten $1,100 as of Wednesday morning. a bid for $18,000. Another lot labeled Jewish history and law Other books up for bidding include an inincludes Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court: scribed copies of Tony Morrison’s Beloved, from Brandeis to Kagan, by David Dalin; Leon Joan Didion’s My Year of Magical Thinking, and Wieseltier’s Kaddish; and Great Jewish Women, a book by Antonin Scalia, Ginsburg’s close by Robert and Elinor Slater. This lot also in- friend on the court despite their ideological cludes a book about Jewish law gifted to Gins- differences. Also available are some of the burg by one of the authors, Menachem Elon, honorary degrees Ginsburg received from vara former Israeli Supreme Court justice who ious colleges and universities.
As a former Miss Nebraska Continents and now happily married to her husband Michael, a Navy Veteran, Haile understands the principles, values, and magic of The Cornhusker State. From our hardworking farmers to our world-class Nebraska Huskers, Haile is dedicated to moving Nebraska forward while preserving our homegrown values. Haile is committed to championing small businesses, focusing on family values, lowering property taxes, and partnering with parents to give every child the path to educational success that best suits them.
District 12 Website: www.hailekucera.com | Email: hailekuceraforne@gmail.com Facebook: Haile Kucera for Legislature Paid for by Haile Kucera for Nebraska
The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022 | 11
News
Beth El Synagogue to reinvigorate It is Never too Late (iN2L) debuts at the Blumkin Home our young adults LOCA L | NAT IO NAL | WORLD
Come join your 21–41-year-old friends at Stories Coffee House, 11432 Davenport Street, on Tuesday evening Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. It will be a great opportunity to say hi to old friends, make new ones, and to brainstorm what the 2022-2023 year could look like. Robby Erlich, Engagement Coordinator, and Sarah Frey, Beth El board member, are planning this parlor-style meeting. For Sarah, a main reason why she and her family moved back to Omaha was the community. “I am excited to plan with Robby and make this meeting a reality. This brainstorming meeting is an opportunity to engage our peers by offering programming and involvement in Jewish Omaha, which I missed while living away for so long.” Sarah is hoping for a fantastic turnout and that we can offer great things to our future leaders in the months to come. RSVP at www.bethel-omaha.org for a free drink! We hope to see you soon!
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MAGGIE CONTI RBJH Director of Activities and Volunteer Services This engagement system is eye-catching, with over 4,000 applications to facilitate social interactions. iN2L is easy to operate; with a touch of the screen, you can tap on a singalong, game shows, trivia, and travel worldwide. My favorite is the video of children laughing, so contagious that everyone watching giggles. On behalf of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, I want to thank the Milton S. & Corinne N. Livingston Foundation Fund, a Donor-Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation for the generous support of iN2L. We believe the key to having the best experience is living a full life with joy, purpose, and meaningful connections. iN2L does all that and more, and I only wish we had purchased it earlier, especially during the darkest days of the pandemic. The RBJH activities staff is thrilled with iN2L and wonders how they engaged Residents before this technology because research goes into each application. For example, if you want to take a tour of Israel, there are videos to watch, trivia, facts, history, and great slide shows at a touch of a screen. We can even hook up the system to the Digital Channel Inserter system and stream all content on our in-house television station. We recently played bingo that went to every TV in the building, and since many Residents
were in quarantine, this was a creative way of engaging players. Here are a few personal success stories and testaments of the success of iN2L: “The iN2L engages residents and staff to have fun together by exploring different av-
enues of content, and with a variety of content, it’s possible to find personalized interests of our Residents.” Christina Caniglia, Assistant Activities Director “The iN2L is amazing. It provides hundreds of activity options that are geared toward senior citizens. So far, our Residents have really enjoyed it.” Jill Ohlmann, Activities Coordinator “The iN2L has been incredible for both the Residents and the activities staff. We are all so impressed with the variety of content the iN2L offers; there truly is something for everyone. The Residents have already had so much fun with it. Every day we can do something different, and there is still so much we haven’t even discovered yet. The iN2L already has so many great activities installed, so I can spend less time in my office researching and preparing activities and more time engaging with the residents. That might be the best part about it.” Faith Gatewood, Activities Coordinator “I like the travel section because I can watch videos and learn about every country in the world.” Ron, RBJH Resident “Yesterday, we used the maps to look up everyone’s address from their childhood homes. We could see how all of the houses look today. It was fun to see where everyone grew up, and looking at the house I grew up in brought back so many memories.” Steve, RBJH Resident “This is great!” Wilma, RBJH Resident “There are so many categories to choose from!” Betty, RBJH Resident
12 | The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022
News LOC AL | N AT I O N A L | WO R L D
Deborah Lipstadt to get confirmation hearing an able leader to combat the RON KAMPEAS global threat of antisemitism,” WASHINGTON | JTA Deborah Lipstadt, whose the organizations said in a letconfirmation as State Departter sent that was initiated by ment antisemitism monitor has the Jewish Federations of North been delayed because of her America, an umbrella group. past sharp criticisms of RepubThe letter was addressed to licans, has secured a confirmaSen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., tion hearing date for next week. the chairman of the Foreign The Emory University HoloRelations Committee, and Sen. caust historian will get her James Risch, R-Idaho, its senhearing on Feb. 8, a spokesman ior Republican. But the real for the Senate Foreign Rela- Deborah Lipstadt, renowned target was Risch, who had tions Committee said Feb. 1 in Holocaust historian and au- been holding up Lipstadt’s an email to the Jewish Tele- thor of the forthcoming book confirmation. Jewish groups Antisemitism Here and Now. have multiple times called on graphic Agency. Republican Sen. James Risch, Credit: Osnat Perelshtein the Senate to press forward the minority leader on the committee, had with Lipstadt’s confirmation hearings. put a stop on advancing President Joe Biden’s The letter also said: “It is undeniable that a risnomination of Lipstadt because of her past ing tide of antisemitic speech and physical atsharp criticisms of Republicans. tacks have targeted the Jewish community Jewish groups had mounted an offense, across the world, creating the dangerous prehowever, arguing that filling the role was conditions to attacks on Jewish individuals and more important than ever in the wake of an institutions abroad and at home.” attack last month on a synagogue in ColOnce the committee approves Lipstadt’s leyville, Texas. The most recent appeal was nomination, it goes to the full Senate, where from close to 100 Jewish federations and Jew- Democrats, who are in the majority, are likely ish community relations councils nationwide. to confirm her. The antisemitism monitor is “This latest, horrific attack makes clear that responsible for reporting on antisemitism the Senate must expeditiously confirm this po- overseas and pressing governments to adopt sition so that America’s diplomatic corps has measures to mitigate antisemitism.
** Education Director ** Beth El Synagogue is looking for an engaging Education Director to teach and inspire our congregation’s youth from “Cradle to College.” We are seeking an individual with in-depth knowledge of Judaism and ruach for teaching its traditions and values. The ideal candidate will possess the ability to relate to, and communicate with, students of all ages while creatively addressing the challenges facing both educators and students in a hectic, digital world.
Honoring a Jewish businesswoman
thy neighbour as thyself,” from Leviticus, in CNAAN LIPHSHIZ English and Hebrew. JTA No portraits of Licoricia are known to have Winchester, a city near London that preceded it as the capital of England, plans to survived, so Rank-Broadley drew inspiration unveil a statue honoring a Jewish woman for her facial features from his own daughter who ran a successful business and raised and grandson, who are Jewish, he told the four children there until her murder in 1277. Chronicle. Asser was Licoricia’s son from her second The bronze, life-size statue of Licoricia of Winchester was designed by renowned marriage to a wealthy Jewish divorcee called British artist Ian Rank-Broadley, The Jewish David of Oxford; at one point, a decade after Chronicle of London reported. A money lender, Licoricia’s clients included King Henry III and Queen Eleanor. Living in times of virulent antisemitism — her death preceded the 1290 total of expulsion of Jews from An initial model for the statue of Licoricia of Winchester scheduled to England by only 13 be unveiled in that city in the United Kingdom in February 2022. Credit: The Licoricia of Winchester Appeal/Facebook years — she had been jailed repeatedly before being murdered her death, he was imprisoned in Winchester in a mysterious attack in Winchester. She Castle while the king of England again sought to tax Jews. She also had three chilwas also widowed twice. Licoricia’s links to Winchester date back to dren with her first husband, Abraham of 1234. Her statue is scheduled to be erected Kent, before he died in 1244. Following his death, Licoricia was held Feb. 10 on what is now known as Jewry Street, where she lived and died. The statue prisoner in the Tower of London until a share depicts her holding the hand of her youngest of her husband’s estate was paid to the crown. It went to finance the rebuilding of son, Asser, who is holding a dreidel. “The broader message is that we all benefit Westminster Abbey, according to refrom letting women take an equal part in our searchers who have studied the family. Licoricia and her maid, who was not Jewsociety. It also holds up the fact that as she was Jewish she was persecuted in those times,” ish, were found dead with stab wounds to their corpses. Their murder was never solved. Rank-Broadley told the Jewish Chronicle. The statue features the inscription: “Love
REAL ESTATE
Among the list of required qualifications are: • Undergraduate degree • Knowledge of, and desire to teach, • principles of Conservative Judaism • Demonstrated experience working with/ • inspiring youth • Strong interpersonal skills • Expertise with the latest technology & • apps Please email Lisa Marcus lglieb@yahoo.com, Linda Saltzman Linda_Saltzman@hotmail.com or visit www.bethel-omaha.org for the complete job listing.
Publishing date | 02.26.21 Space reservation | 02.16.21
Rooted in tradition. Embracing change.
Contact our advertising executive to promote your business in this very special edition. SUSAN BERNARD | 402.334.6559 | sbernard@jewishomaha.org
The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022 | 13
I’m a Chassidic Woman, Here’s My Story LEIGH HERSHKOVICH IOFFE I am a Chassidic woman. I am a mother and wife. Yes, I wear a wig. Yes, I immerse myself in a mikvah. Yes, I dress modestly, even in the summer. When people look at me, they tend to project a specific identity onto me based on my religious lifestyle. My life is a balancing act as a suicide-prevention trainer, a mentor and educator. I don’t see the two halves of myself as contradictory. I don’t prescribe to the belief that a Chassidic life is devoid of color. On the contrary: My Chassidic lifestyle is the canvas onto which I can develop an endless array of creativity.
Credit: Yitzchok Schmukler
I have always straddled two worlds. Raised in a traditional Jewish home in San Francisco, my Israeli parents did their best to imbue our home with a strong connection to Judaism. Ours was no ordinary Orthodox household: My mom began her journey back to religion when I was two-and-half; my dad, when I was 15. Our home was one of Yosef Karduner and Shabbat observance, Fleetwood Mac and Sundays at the movies. But my parents instilled a love for Judaism in me and my siblings, long before we were observant. Through lived experience, they deepened our sense of emunah, faith in G-d, and taught us to develop a strong connection to G-d and Torah. Today, my entire family is observant, and each brings their unique flavor to their approach. People are often surprised when I tell them that I had a strong Jewish upbringing in San Francisco. Our community was spearheaded by Rabbi Yosef Langer, the Chabad-Lubavitch emissary who showed us what it meant to live with the Torah. He and his family live their lives imbued with Chassidic ideals and taught us how to as well. Though my sister and I attended public school, our social life was at the Chabad House. We loved hanging out there on Shabbat with the 150 other guests who had made their way to the Langers’ table and walking to the beach on Shabbat afternoon with the Langer daughters. I admired how kind and welcoming they were to every person they met. Here, a Jew was a Jew. It didn’t matter if your hair was green or if you had never in your life said the Shema prayer. They taught me how to see past labels and connect with a person’s essence. Jewish holidays were always a special occasion in San Francisco. The Langers’ events drew crowds in the hundreds, yet they always felt personal, like each guest had been handpicked to attend. During the High Holidays, our community relocated from the Langers’ modest Chabad House to the Fairmont Hotel to accommodate the large number of people in attendance. While the Langers’ Shabbat table averaged at 150 guests every week, the Rosh Hashanah meals were triple, sometimes more. One of the community traditions on Rosh Hashanah was the “Shofar Walk,” when in the afternoons, a large crowd of people, with Rabbi Langer at the lead, took to the streets of downtown for public shofar-blowings. Rabbi Langer blew on street corners, outside of stores, in front of the Embarcadero and at parks, trying to reach as many Jews as possible. The “Shofar Walk” always attracted an audience. I was proud to be part of a community that extended its love and warmth to every Jew. And every year at Hanukkah time, the Langers hosted an epic public menorah lighting in Union Square, right in the heart of San Francisco.
If there was ever a time that I felt proud to be Jewish, this was it. The menorah lightings were a grand San Francisco tradition that attracted Jews and non-Jews alike. On the Sunday of every Chanukah, Chabad took over Union Square, with live music, mivtzoim and sufganiyot (doughnuts) as far as the eye could see. It seemed like the entire Bay Area Jewish community participated in this event—it was the one time of the year that I didn’t feel like a minority! Before the menorah lighting would begin, a group of us would move through the crowd, distributing candles to thousands of onlookers. Rabbi Langer would follow with a torch and pass a flame around until the entire square was alive with light. It is the kind of scene that left you speechless. The menorah was so tall that Rabbi Langer had to ride a cherry picker to reach the wicks. After the blessings were said, the crowd, led by the rabbi, sang together, Higher and Higher and Oseh Shalom. And then came the dancing! The spirit and energy of Hanukkah and Judaism was truly alive here. The tools that my parents and the Langers gifted me were principles that the Rebbe instilled in all of his leaders. He was not just a leader of a generation; he taught us all to recognize our potential to be leaders in our own right. And though I didn’t know it at the time, these tools were going to change my life. Straddling both worlds wasn’t always easy. (In fact, it’s still not easy!) I felt like an outsider a lot of the time. Academically, I struggled to keep up in my Orthodox high school’s Hebrew classes and used a dictionary when reading Rashi’s commentary until the 12th grade. I felt stifled, and even decided at one point that I wasn’t smart enough to learn this stuff, and that Chassidic teachings were “too lofty” for me. At the same time, I excelled in my English, history and psychology courses. Sometimes, it felt like I wasn’t meant to be both, like I had to pick just one. I always believed that I could bridge the gap between the two worlds I loved, but I didn’t know how I would do it. Was there room for both Leigh, the Orthodox Jewish woman, and Leigh, the writer and psychologist? I was driven by a love for Judaism and also by a love of the works of Leo Tolstoy and Roberto Bolano. When I began writing my first novel, I was met with excitement and a bit of disbelief as well. Finding the balance between my worlds meant writing books that were interesting enough for the secular community and appropriate for the Orthodox community. It was all about fusing both worlds together by including Jewish wisdom. The same values and beliefs inform the role I play as a suicide-prevention trainer and mental-health educator. I bring my knowledge as a Jewish woman to mental health, using it to empower and bolster the people I work with. There is a misconception that Judaism and mental health care must function separately from one another, or that to have one means you don’t need the other, but I disagree. If anything, the role I play as a Chassidic woman has helped me develop a deeper understanding of people’s spiritual needs and how that can play a role in helping them stay safe. I have often grappled with my mission in this world. I have struggled and sometimes still do. But here is what I know to be true: Living a Chassidic life is one that calls on us to utilize our own talents to bring more light into this world. The Rebbe entrusted all of us to be emissaries in our own lives, leading, educating, expanding, adding light to every area of our world. That is what I do in my day-to-day life as a wife and mother, as a writer, as a woman. It is a balancing act, and I feel blessed to be juggling it. Leigh Ioffe is a published author, suicide prevention educator, and public speaker. She lives in Philadelphia, PA, with her husband and daughter.
I am running for Governor because we need to think big, be persistent, and have a clear vision for the safety and advancement in our future. We need to be bold, driven and have the confidence to move Nebraska forward, bring in people and jobs to secure economic development, and promote “The Good Life” for generations to come. Now is the time to push Nebraska forward to a stronger, post-covid economy, demonstrating our faith, resilience, creativity, unity, and power as a State People should use their circumstances as motivation to seek opportunity rather than allow their circumstances to define who they are. My career experience include: Elementary and middle school substitute teacher; Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, Security/ Custody Corporal, Emergency Response Training Specialist and Crisis Negotiator; Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, Exercise Training Officer to State Agencies and Statewide First Responders; Nebraska Department of Education, School Safety Director for 244 school districts, public and private schools; Nesbitt & Associates-School Security Services, training colleges, universities, public and private schools in safety, emergency preparedness, outside assaults, and active shooters; University of Nebraska Omaha, School of Criminal Justice and Criminology CRIM 451 Violence-Schools. Trained by former Shin Bet and Mossad at the University of Israel, Tel ‘Aviv, I bring a unique skill set to the State in my run for Governor. Advanced certification in Homeland Security being one. Additional degrees and certifications include: Emergency Preparedness Response Specialist-Law Enforcement Training Research Associates, Campbell, CA; Professional Development Series Advanced Emergency Manager, Incident Command Systems and National Incident Management Systems, Continuity of Operations, Continuity of Government, Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Programs, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Crisis/Hostage Negotiator-Nebraska Department of Correctional Services; Bachelor’s Degree in Education-University of Nebraska-Kearney, Associates of Arts in Social Science, York Christian College and DiplomaYork High School. I was the Governor’s appointee to the Nebraska Infrastructure Protection Committee, and the US Attorney’s, Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council. Additionally, I served in the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals and the Nebraska Suicide Prevention Coalition. Lela McNinch Running for Governor
www.lelamcninchforgovernor.com lelamcninch@lelamcninnchforgovernor.com Paid for by Lela McNinch for Governor
14 | The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022
ABC suspends The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg over Holocaust comments that ignited a firestorm PHILISSA CRAMER JTA ABC has suspended Whoopi Goldberg from her role as a cohost of a morning TV talk show for two weeks amid criticism of Goldberg’s characterization of the Holocaust. Goldberg will take two weeks off from the show, ABC News President Kim Godwin announced in a statement Feb. 1, hours after a leading Jewish organization that had been among Goldberg’s critics said it had welcomed her apology for saying the Holocaust “isn’t about race.” “Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments,” Godwin wrote. “While Whoopi has apologized, I’ve ask her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments. The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with
our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities.” Goldberg’s initial comments came during a segment of The View about a Tennessee school board’s decision to remove Maus, the classic Art Spiegelman graphic memoir, from its eighth-grade curriculum. During that discussion, Goldberg described the Holocaust as reflecting not the toxic consequences of racism, but “man’s inhumanity to man.” This characterization drew criticism from many, including the Anti-Defamation League, which said Goldberg had mischaracterized the hatred that led to the Nazi slaughter of six million Jews in Europe. Goldberg issued an apology on Monday night, saying, “I should have said it was about both” race and inhumanity and adding, “I stand corrected.” But she also reiterated her view that the Holocaust was not about race as she understands it.
After appearing with Goldberg on The View Feb. 1, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted that he appreciated her apology. “Deeply appreciate @WhoopiGoldberg inviting me on to @TheView today to have an important discussion on the importance of educating about the Holocaust,” Greenblatt wrote. “Whoopi has been a long-time ally of the Jewish community and @ADL and her apology is very much welcome.”
Whoopi Goldberg spoke with Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt on The View, Feb. 1, 2022. Credit: Screenshot
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Lou Ann Linehan Proud to represent Elkhorn and Waterloo! LOU ANN’S RECORD: + Delivering Tax Relief + Investing in Education + Making Government More Transparent & Accountable
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Several hours after that tweet, Godwin issued the suspension, writing that the decisions like the one she made were “never easy, but necessary.” Goldberg’s suspension elicited criticism from Jews across the political spectrum. “It distracts from real danger — like Nazis on our streets, swastikas all over the place, and the normalization of antisemitic conspiracies by people like Tucker Carlson who face zero consequence,” tweeted Amy Spitalnick, executive director of Integrity First for America, which sued the organizers of the deadly 2017 white -supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia. (She was referring to a special that Carlson, the Fox News host whom the ADL has called to have fired over his embrace of a white supremacist conspiracy theory, is airing this week condemning George Soros, the Jewish philanthropist who is a leading target of antisemitism.) Joel Pollak, a prominent conservative pundit, tweeted a similar sentiment. “There is actual, dangerous antisemitism in the world, and while Whoopi Goldberg would never extend me the same benefit of the doubt, this whole ordeal is a mockery of what facing up to antisemitism means,” he wrote. “It’s virtue signaling of the worst kind because it obscures the problem.” Meanwhile, even those who had vociferously criticized Goldberg’s comments said a suspension was not a satisfying response. “No one asked for #Whoopi to take a leave. We asked for education. We asked for facts,” tweeted Logan Levkoff. “This is not helpful AT ALL.”
The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022 | 15
Above: Many Friedel students designed their perfect aircraft for the Nebraska Division of Aeronautics’s art competition. There’s no word yet on the winners, but there were some very cool entries!
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.
The Omicron struggle is real, yet we have seen an awesome side to RBJH staff who are supporting one another in various ways to keep our Residents safe and well cared for. Above: Erika Lucoff Admission Coordinator helps deliver breakfast trays every morning, below: Nurse Toni Baxter and bottom: CNA Melissa Bartling reflect the strength and resilience of our nursing staff.
PJ Elementary had a GREAT time Sunday sledding and ice skating at Mahoney State Park! Clockwise from above: Sarah and Ben Lopez; Maeve and Ian Yellin; Henry and Abigail Kutler; Rebecca Aron with daughter Ella Downey; Jenny Cohen, Rabbi Yoni Dreyer, and their respective children sledding; Connor and Tamar Yellin.
16 | The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022
Voices The Jewish Press (Founded in 1920) Margie Gutnik President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Susan Bernard Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Staff Writer Mary Bachteler Accounting Jewish Press Board Margie Gutnik, President; Abigail Kutler, Ex-Officio; Danni Christensen; David Finkelstein; Bracha Goldsweig; Mary Sue Grossman; Les Kay; Natasha Kraft; Chuck Lucoff; Joseph Pinson; Andy Shefsky and Amy Tipp. 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 Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Life, Jewish Social Services, 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 KampWright, 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.
Bring on the sequins-we’re having a party ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor On Sunday, May 1, from 4-7 p.m., we’re having a party. I know we’re still in a pandemic and most days it seems counterintuitive to plan for anything. However, when we postponed our Centennial Gala in March of 2020, we intended for that to take place maybe a few months later, definitely not delay it an entire year, let alone two. Yet here we are, and we’ve been moving our plans around endlessly—it is time to just do it. We’ll do it safely, we will be masked and there will be absolutely NO hugging, but we’re partying nonetheless. We know there is risk in all this and that we might, once again, have to pivot at the last minute. So be it—if that happens, we’ll deal with it. If anything, these past years have proven we are nothing if not resilient. And who can predict the future anyway? We invite you to join us outside, as JCC Executive Director Mark Martin has generously agreed to let us occupy the outdoor pool deck at the JCC Goldstein Aquatic Center (the actual pool won’t be open yet, so don’t bring your swimsuit). The food will be kosher and packaged in individual portions, Covidsafe; we will have drinks and music and masks and it will be nothing like we imagined it two years ago. And that is going to be okay. Although personally, I am still a little sad about the food we had planned (it would have been epic), this is by no means the end of the world. What is important is that, with all the adjustments and different approaches and rules and masks and vaccines, we continue to create opportunities to come together. And that is
what we are doing: we’re offering a chance to come and celebrate—so what if we stand 6 feet apart and wear masks? We can talk a little louder. We can wave a little bigger. Here’s what we can still do: we can dress up. While this party is going to be toned down compared to our original plans, I am finally going to wear that fancy dress that’s been hanging in my closet. I hope you, too, will dress up— no dressing down just because it is pool-side, we encourage you to forego the shorts and t-shirts. Dress fancy. We’re talking glitter, sequins, feathers,velvet and silk. Possibly a tuxedo or two (Sam? How about it?). Dress like you have something to celebrate! Trust me, it will automatically lift your mood. When we initially set out to mark our 100th anniversary, we focused on the fact that it is a bit of a miracle our paper is still here. Two years later, that is more true than ever. Of course, the main reason we continue to exist is you, our community. And that is what we are really celebrating: the fact that, when weird and painful and bizarre things happen in the world, this community is one of the best places to be in. And for this community, there is no
amount of sequins too big. This community steps up and mobilizes. How many meals have been delivered to how many ad-
dresses by how many different volunteers? How many phone calls have been made, how many ZOOM meetings have we had? I think the question “what do we do now,” is front and center in this community. And as soon as the question is asked, people answer by doing all kinds of things. So, that’s what we’re celebrating. A few practical notes: if you bought a ticket for the 2020 Centennial, we have your name on the list (but you can email me at avandekamp@jewish omaha.org to double check). If you didn’t, we will soon have a registration portal up and running on the website—stay tuned. For now, please mark your calendars and set aside your fanciest outfit. We cannot wait to see you there!
A Nazi statue in Uruguay turned me into a hypocrite SAM KRICSFELD Jewish Press Staff Writer JTA recently reported that a Jewish businessman offered to buy a 6-foot-tall, 800-pound, bronze eagle/swastika crest from a former Nazi warship sunk by the British in 1939. The man, Daniel Sielecki, lives in Uruguay (where the ship was sunk) and said that once he had it, he’d “blow it into a thousand pieces,” pulverize the remnants, and ensure that nothing would be left of it. The eagle has been troublesome to all involved with it. The JTA article said that the eagle was on display in Montevideo, Uruguay, until Germany criticized the fact that Nazi paraphernalia was being exhibited. Apparently, Yad Vashem, the world’s foremost Holocaust museum and memorial, rejected it, and in 2019, a court ruled that the Uruguayan government had to auction — yes, to the highest bidder — the nearly half-ton eagle/swastika crest. The proceeds would go to the rich investors that funded the team that recovered it from the warship. That’s when Sielecki — a head of a yacht club — offered to buy the eagle and blow it to smithereens. Later, Germany decided it would be okay if the eagle was displayed in an educational context, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center wanted it in a Uruguayan museum. The entirely justified fear was that some neo-Nazi white supremacist would outbid everyone at the auction. That auction hasn’t happened, but the offers to buy the eagle have supposedly been in the millions of dollars. But does the world really need the eagle in a museum? On one hand, from a historical aspect, it could be worth preserving and displaying as an artifact of Holocaust and World War II history. On the other hand, I hope Sielecki gets a hold of it. Blow it up — I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. I am a strong and vocal supporter of preserving and displaying history. Keeping pieces of the past, even painful ones, reminds us of what we as humans have done right, done wrong, and made each other feel. I am very frustrated about this stupid bird statue because if I say it should be destroyed, that would kind of make me a hypocrite. I have kept things as stupid as a rubber Pillsbury Doughboy doll and my parents’ 25-year-old mixtapes of
R.E.M. hits with the justification that they are a leave Europe in ruins, and scar generations of peosmall reminder of a good, or at least harmless, way ple. humans have made an impact. A big Nazi eagle is Do I generally condone the destruction of historundoubtedly more important than a collection of ical monuments, even ones that extol tyrants? No, warped tapes of ‘90s alternative music, and the but I simply don’t think this one matters. I think emotions it elicits, no matter how negative, are cer- there would be significantly more benefit by blowtainly reflective of a pivotal part of history and the ing it up than exhibiting it in a museum. Destroying impact of human depravity. So, who am I to say the it would make a statement to the fascists, neoeagle should explode, but the Doughboy should be Nazis and white supremacists who still believe in preserved? My rationale is that the Doughboy isn’t a massive, irrelevant exaltation of Hitler. I know that Yad Vashem and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum have things like big Nazi flags or other paraphernalia. Those museums, however, do not glorify the Nazis. They make known the unspeakable evils committed against millions of people, and they honor the victims and survivors of the atrocities. I know that some of the Nazis’ biggest evils — namely, concentration camps — are preserved, but they remind people that humans can be extremely evil; understanding the past A security guard looks at the bronze eagle recovered from the stern of can help us prevent a very dark the German Graf Spee battleship, on display in Montevideo, Uruguay, Feb. 13, 2006. Credit: Miguel Rojo/AFP via Getty Images future. I know, I know, I know, and I believe those items and places are contextu- the destruction of the Jews. It could provide catharally and undeniably important to the story of the sis to people who suffered Nazi brutality firsthand. Holocaust, World War II, and history in general. But Just watch the video of the U.S. Army blowing up this eagle is different. the massive swastika on top of the Zeppelinfield The eagle statue is completely and totally irrele- Grandstand in 1945 and tell me you don’t feel a bit vant. It does not teach anyone anything new about better after. the Nazis. It was underwater for almost 80 years From a historian's perspective, am I a hypocrite before being exhumed from its watery grave and for thinking the giant Nazi eagle should be deimmediately causing issues for all involved with it. stroyed but a Pillsbury Doughboy doll preserved? It symbolizes evil and malignant power. It is 800 Definitely. But from a human perspective? From pounds of Nazi pride and excess (I mean, who puts the perspective of someone whose family was ira half-ton statue on a warship?). It served as a 6- reparably scarred by the Holocaust, who will never foot-tall, bronze middle finger to the rest of the know the stories of family members murdered at world. It acted as a reminder that the Nazis were the hands of the Nazis? I think I’m justified. powerful enough — evil enough — to kill millions, Blow it up. Blow it to hell.
The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022 | 17
We’re trying this again!
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Synagogues
18 | The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022
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
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 rbjh.com
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 Join us In-Person on Friday, Feb. 11, 7 p.m. for evening services with a guest speaker. The service will be led by the members of the congregation. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel For information on COVID-related closures and about 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, Mary-Beth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.
BETH EL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON 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. at Beth El & Live Stream. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El; Havdalah, 6:30 p.m. Zoom only. SUNDAY: Siddur 101 with Hazzan Krausman, 9:30 a.m.; BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m TUESDAY: Mussar, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham at Beth El & Zoom; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m.; A View from the Neighbors, 6 p.m. with Dr. Rami Arav; Community Beit Midrash, 7 p.m. via In-person at the JCC or on Zoom. THURSDAY: Revisting the Classics, 7 p.m. with Hazzan Krausman. FRIDAY-Feb. 18: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream. SATURDAY-Feb. 19: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; No Jr. Congregation — Presidents Weekend; Brisket Tasting following Shabbat Services, noon (approximately); Havdalah, 6:35 p.m. Zoom only. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.
BETH ISRAEL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. Classes, Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah on Zoom, WhatsApp or Facebook Live. On site services held outside in pergola, weather permitting. Physical distancing and masks required. FRIDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 5:35 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Torah Class/Kids Class, 10:30 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush, 11:30 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 4:50 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha, 5:30 p.m.; Shalosh Seudos/ Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 6 p.m.; Ma’ariv/Havdalah, 6:37 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 5:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:50 p.m. MONDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 5:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:50 p.m. TUESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Kids
Class, 3:45 p.m.; Daf Yomi, 5:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:50 p.m.; Board of Directors Meeting, 6:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Wednesday School, 4:15 p.m.; Daf Yomi, 5:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:50 p.m. THURSDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Character Development, 9:30 am. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 5:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:50 p.m. FRIDAY-Feb. 18: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 5:44 p.m. SATURDAY-Feb. 19: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Torah Class/Kids Class, 10:30 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush, 11:30 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 5 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha, 5:40 p.m.; Shalosh Seudos/Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 6 p.m.; Ma’ariv/Havdalah, 6:45 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/Zoom hybrid (Ochabad.com/classroom). 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/Lech ayim; Candlelighting, 5:35 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:36 p.m. SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps, 9 a.m. MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha Class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani Katzman; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen. TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Virtual Pirkei Avot Women’s Class, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Introduction to Hebrew Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen. THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Advanced Hebrew Class, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 18 — No advance experience necessary), noon with Rabbi Katzman. FRIDAY-Feb. 18: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochabad. com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 5:44 p.m. SATURDAY-Feb. 19: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:44 p.m.
LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. Note: Some of our services, but not all, are now being offered in person. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex, Lesiie Delserone and Peter Mullin, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:38 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Tetza-
veh, noon; Havdalah, 6:40 p.m. SUNDAY: LJCS Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Men's Jewish Bike Group of Lincoln meets Sundays at 10 a.m., rain or shine, to ride to one of The Mill locations from Hanson Ct. (except we drive if it’s too wet, cold, cloudy, windy, hot or humid) followed by coffee and spirited discussions. If interested, please email Al Weiss at alb ertw801@gmail.com to find out where to meet each week; We will put pickleball on hiatus while we are not holding in-person services. When we start up again, remember that everyone is welcome; just wear comfortable clothes and tennis or gym shoes. If you need a paddle, contact Miriam Wallick by email at Miriam57@aol.com or by text at 402.470.2393 before Sunday. TUESDAY: Tea & Coffee with Pals, 1:30 p.m. via Zoom; Jewish Ethical Teachings Class, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Alex. WEDNESDAY: LJCS Classes, 4 p.m. FRIDAY-Feb. 18: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex, Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:47 p.m. SATURDAY-Feb. 19: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Ki Tisa, noon; Havdalah, 6:48 p.m.
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FRIDAY: 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 Brian Stoller, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin and Cantor Joanna Alexander. DAILY VIRTUAL MINYAN: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. via Zoom. FRIDAY: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m. In-Person; Shabbat B’yachad: Voices of the Congregation, 6 p.m. with Stan Krieger via Zoom or In-Person. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or InPerson; OTYG Program: Local Teen Social Justice Seminar, 4 p.m. In-Person. SUNDAY: Second Sunday Breakfast Service, 9 a.m. at the Stephen Center; Youth Learning Programs, 10 a.m.; Words of Wisdom: Where Do We Find Them?, 10:15 a.m. In-Person; Book Club, 10:30 a.m. via Zoom. MONDAY: Jewish Law & the Quest for Meaning, 11 a.m. via Zoom. TUESDAY: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Youth Learning Programs — In-Person: Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6:30-8 p.m.; Grade 12 Confirmation Class, 6:30 p.m.; Community Beit Midrash, 7 p.m. via In-person at the JCC or Zoom. THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Class, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel via Zoom or In-Person. FRIDAY-Feb. 18: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m. In-Person; Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. via Zoom; Classic Shabbat: Judaism’s Spiritual Vocabulary: Exploring the Prayers and the Prayer Book, 6 p.m. via Zoom or In-Person. SATURDAY-Feb. 19: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or In-Person; Bat Mitzvah of Lindsay Stoller and Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. via Zoom or In-Person. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.
JCC Summer Camp registration now open for Members Summer calls for wild journeys, new experiences and fun discoveries! J Camp 2022 will provide just that. Each week campers will “travel” far and wide to engage in ‘kid approved’ activities including sports, arts, song singing, nature, science and much more. This year we are excited to offer lots of NEW programs including more premiere camp options, aquatic and American Red Cross camps, and expanded programs for older kids, including a twoweek musical theater camp and show choir camp! Join us this summer…adventure awaits you! Summer Camp is open to members and non members of all backgrounds, regardless of faith, race, or national origin. Camp participation is based on the grade your child will enter in fall 2022. The Jewish Community Center of Omaha’s sum-
mer camp is proud to be the only day camp in Omaha that is accredited by the American Camp Association. Developed exclusively for the camp industry, this nationally recognized accreditation focuses on program quality, health, safety, and risk management aspects of a camp’s operation. This certification means we adhere to their strict standards for a safe,
enjoyable and enriching camp experience for every participant. Summer Camp Registration is now open for JCC members, while registration for non-members opens Feb. 23. Summer Camp dates are from June 6 until Aug. 5. For more information, about our various options and to register, please visit our website at www.jccomaha.org.
Life cycles IN MEMORIAM ROMAN PISETSKY Roman Pisetsky passed away on Jan. 31, 2022, in Omaha. Services were held Feb. 4, 2022, at Beth El Cemetery. He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Raisa Pisetsky; sons, William Pisetsky and Eric Pisetsky; grandson Yuliy Pisetsky; granddaughters, Ellina Seckel and Karina Jung. Roman was born in 1934 in the little town of Uzda near the city of Minsk, Belarus, U.S.S.R. Roman and Raisa were married in 1957. The family immigrated to U.S. in 1989. Roman worked at Millard Refrigerated Services until retiring in 1999. Memorials may be made in his memory to the fund of your choice at Beth El Synagogue, 14506 California Street, Omaha, NE 68154. SARAH MILDER JONES Sarah Milder Jones passed away on Jan. 31, 2022, in Denver. Services were held on Feb. 7, 2022, in California. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert David Jones and sister, Rita Milder. She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Beth and Hillel Tigay and Rebecca Jones and David Schreiber; daughter, Juliette Jones; grandchildren: Mila Tigay, Eden Tigay, Hannah Schreiber and William Jarvis, Bobby Schreiber, Lucy Schreiber, Frances Vega and Leo Vega; brother and sister-in-law, Alvin and Sharon Milder; brother, Jay Milder; and many beloved nieces and nephews. Sarah was born in Omaha in 1942 to Jeannette and Leo Milder and made homes in Los Angeles, Detroit and most recently Denver. She graduated from Central High in 1960. Sarah was a deeply kind, gentle, compassionate and curious woman. She adored and was adored by her family. She had the soul of an artist and will be remembered for her insatiable thirst for knowledge and her lifetime dedication to studying and writing about Torah and her connection to Jewish wisdom.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, It was nice to see the picture of my mother, Renee Micklin Greenberg, in the Jewish Press. She was in several shows for kids with other Jewish women in the 1960s. Mom was good friends with Marlene Staenberg, so they must have enjoyed doing the shows together. I do want to clarify one thing. The caption speculates the photo was taken around 1954, but I’m guessing the year was closer to 1964. We lived in the house on Sunset Trail from 1961 to 1970, which is the address listed for my Mom in the Sun’s caption. I live in Denver, but I enjoy keeping up with the news from Omaha. MARK GREENBERG
The Jewish Press | February 11, 2022 | 19
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Schumer recites the Shema RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON | JTA Sen. Chuck Schumer, the most senior Jewish elected official in U.S. history, recited the Shema prayer at the National Prayer Breakfast last week. The New York Democrat added a reading from Leviticus that emphasized unity, echoing the message President Joe Biden emphasized in his remarks at the same event. Biden in his remarks referred to the recent synagogue hostage crisis in Texas as an example of courage in the face of divisiveness. Schumer, the majority leader in the Senate, appeared with Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the body’s minority leader. After thanking Biden and the co-hosts, Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Schumer began: “A reading from Deuteronomy, Dvarim,” Schumer began, reading the first line of the Shema, which mandates that Jews internalize the oneness of God, in Hebrew. Schumer then said he would read from Leviticus 19:8. “Don’t take vengeance on or bear a grudge against any of your people, rather love your neighbor as yourself, I am Adonai,” he said in English.
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