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FEBRUARY 18, 2022 | 1 7 A DA R I 578 2 | VO L. 1 02 | NO. 1 8 | CANDLELIGHTING | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 5 : 44 P.M.
Ode to Don on his Birthday Howard Epstein announces retirement Page 3
Lidstadt to secure bipartisan support Page 4
home. We hadn’t intended to JOEY HOFFMAN n a balmy leave my first love, New York, Shabbos in the city where I was born, December, I where I gave birth to my was seated in daughter Daisy, where my the quad at writing career launched and Barnard in Manhattan’s flourished. So living in our Upper West Side when my adopted city - where Baruch cell phone rang. Instantly, I Hashem, I met some of the got giddy. I had recently best people I will ever know moved back to New York City and made my dearest friends after 15 1/2 years in Omaha. - sometimes I felt like my When Don’s name popped body was on Dodge and my up, I picked up. heart was on Broadway. When Don called, it clicked: “Hi!” I said. “Hi Kiddo. I miss you.” home is not just the concrete, “Awww. I miss you too.” or a red farmhouse on Highway 6 or a 700 square-foot “Tell me what’s going on in NYC apartment. Home is a your life.” name, a voice. Home is a call And so it went. As always, you receive on a seemingly we kibbitzed and laughed like random Friday. old school chums. Sure, we’re generations apart, but no May it be inscribed in The matter. Old souls find each Book of Life: Don’s a master other. There’s a bliss about storyteller. I could listen to him which brings out my best him talk all day. Actually, I Don Nogg self. The secret to his svelte have. Sort of. We met in 2014 frame: he burns calories by smiling. If you know Don - (and when I conducted an interview with him for the book, who doesn’t? He’s Mr. Omaha, just like his adored dad Nate Council Bluffs, Iowa: History & Stories of the Jewish Midwest, published by the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society. was Mr. Council Bluffs), you understand. While in Omaha, I’d periodically ponder the meaning of See Don Nogg page 3
O
Criticism of Emma Saltzberg’s Israel activism came as no surprise Page 6
Shlicha highlights
REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles
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SIVAN COHEN Omaha Community Shlicha The end of December and the month of January were busy and exciting! Some of the highlights of the past weeks included a farewell recep-
tion for Alan Potash, CEO of the JFO. I wish him good luck in his future endeavors.Thank you so much Alan, for your support and for the willingness to be available to listen to my stories and ideas, and give me advice. The first 2022 part of the Eye on Israel program was led by the guest lecturer, Ra’anan de Haas, Shaliach at the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire, featuring the Israeli Navy. I took part as a counselor in the Israeli scout’s (Tzofim) camp in California. The purpose was to give the campers, all ninth grade students, a sense that they are part of the See Shlicha highlights page 2
Diaspora: Malagasy Jews
Malagasy Jews converting to Judaism, May 2016. Credit: Deborah Josefson
SAM KRICSFELD On the large, remote African island of Madagascar, a small community of Jews recently established itself. It stands in stark contrast to what Jewry in Madagascar could have been like had a ludicrous Nazi plan succeeded. The historical link between the Jewish people and the Malagasy people is tenuous. According to Jewish Virtual Library, many of the local population believe they are descendants of ancient Israelites (de-
spite likely being descendants of Indonesian seafarers), and legends continue that Moses’s staff and fragments of the original Ten Commandments are hidden somewhere on the island. According to the Jerusalem Post article, ‘The Secrets of the Malagasy Jews of Madagascar,’ many Malagasy people consider themselves Israelite, Aaronite or Jewish, despite having incongruent beliefs such as messianism or animal sacrifice. See Malagasy Jews page 2
2 | The Jewish Press | February 18, 2022
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Shlicha highlights
Continued from page 1 future young leadership generation. During this camp, they had the opportunity to meet campers from around the leadership and to form friendships with campers of their age who also speak Hebrew. I was happy to attend “Mind, Body, Soul,” an evening of fun and wellness for women at Beth Israel Synagogue. We had an ‘Aromatic Experience’ at the Dundee Candle Co. and participated in a unique custom-scented candle workshop. Finally, we celebrated Tu’bshvat with some wine and appetizers. Upcoming programs include ‘L’Chaim,’ featuring Israeli whiskey at Spirit World on Feb. 24! Stay tuned for more information, or email me at scohen@jewishomaha.org.
Malagasy Jews
the conversion possible. Rabbi Delouya Continued from page 1 Madagascar has 20 million inhabitants. pressed the converts by reminding them According to Pew Research Center, roughly about antisemitism and the persecution of 85% of them are Christians. According to the Jews. They were adamant in converting. Jewish Telegraphic Agency article “In remote According to JTA, the mass conversion Madagascar, a new community chooses to took place in a river located a 90-minute be Jewish,” a small population of followers of drive away from Madagascar’s capital, Anmessianic sects became disillusioned with tananarivo. A tent was erected for privacy, their churches and began to study Torah. and the river served as a makeshift mikvah In May of 2016, the community formally became a recognized Jewish population. Kulanu, a New Yorkbased nonprofit that engages with remote Jewish communities, facilitated a voluntary Orthodox conversion for 121 people between the ages of three and 25 years old. According to JTA, the road to conversion was rigorous — those interested in converting were largely self-studied through the internet and cor- The conversion process included full body immersions in a respondence with rabbis in river located a 90-minute drive away from Antananarivo, Madagascar’s capital. Credit: Deborah Josefson Israel. Years of intensive Torah study in the soon-to-be-Jewish com- for all 121 people. Converting all the people munity culminated in it coming before a beit took 10 days and finished with 12 Jewish din (rabbinical court). weddings and a symposium on Madagascar’s According to the Forward article ‘Joining Israelite connections. Fabric of World Jewish Community, 100 ConThe story of Jews in Madagascar could verts on African Island of Madagascar,’ the have been very different. The Nazis’ Madacommunity was originally divided about the gascar Plan, proposed in 1940, laid out plans conversion. Many believed themselves to al- for sending 4 million Jews to the then-French ready be Jewish and did not think conversion island colony. was necessary. Rabbi Achiya Delouya, head According to Nazi Resettlement Policy and of the beit din that facilitated the conversion, the Search for a Solution to the Jewish Question was fascinated by the legends of the sup- 1939-1941, written by Christopher R. Brownposed Israelite ancestry but considered them ing, Madagascar had long been considered “too nebulous to accept on their face.” Ku- by antisemites as “the ideal dumping lanu’s vice president negotiated with the ground” for European Jews, but it wasn’t until Malagasy Jewish community leaders to make See Madagascar page 3
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Don Nogg
Continued from page 1 Correction: “interviews,” plural, because we chatted so long during my first visit. Then the second turned into a third. It was like little family reunions, though we had just made each other’s acquaintance. There in his living room, just a man and his scribe, I listened to Don’s Technicolor tales. I loved not just the content, but his cadence, natural pauses and deadpan delivery. There’s a musicality to it. I loved how he sprinkled in Yiddish like kosher salt in simmering matzo ball soup. I particularly appreciate Don’s good-natured snark. “Dad, because he was a salesman, had to travel in the country,” he said. “When I was born, for instance, my dad was in Logan, Iowa, calling on customers. Did you know my mother was able to have me anyway?” We often chat and eat. We’re Jewish. It’s required. Tortellini at Lo Sole Mio, donuts and coffee at Pettit’s. At the Alpine Inn, Don devoured his favorite dish - I am not making this up fried gizzards. Even the feral raccoons out back, notorious for ravaging scraps, wouldn’t touch the stuff. Don - who turns 92 today - embodies Tikkun Olam. A mensch brimming with nachas for his family. He’s thoughtful and full of thought. Don’s knack for mixing wit and wisdom while tackling a range of topics reminds me of a favorite teacher you recall so fondly decades later. Curiosity as a lifestyle is rooted in Don’s Council Bluffs boyhood. “I fell in love with the library,” he says. “I fell in love with the librarians. The reference librarian, Ms. Green, would, on cold winter nights, invite me over to her apartment on Sixth and Washington. Dad would take me over there, she’d make cocoa and we’d sit and talk. My field was geography.” It is. Understatement. Don’s a walking Jeopardy champ. I called him on a recent Shabbos, my great-grandmother Bertha’s silver candlesticks aglow beside me, and asked a geographical question about Washington Heights, where Bertha raised my sassy grandmother, Mama Paula. Of course he knew the answer, then added an unexpected bonus round, riffing
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in glorious detail about how Manhattan connects to boroughs and bridges and rivers like a veteran cabbie. “Ozzie and I used to travel the whole island,” he said. Ah, Ozzie. Each time Don and I talk he waxes poetic about his beloved. You’d swear they’re newlyweds. Before I met Ozzie, I was smitten by proxy. Don’s devotion to his wife echoes the great love stories of old Hollywood. Cue Tony Bennett crooning during a montage of two sweethearts zipping across Central Park, cheering wildly as their cherished children blow out birthday candles, holding hands in shul. One pivotal point in their courtship Don shared could easily be the film’s title: “On April Fool’s Day, 1954 at The Waldorf, she finally said yes.”
Howard Epstein announces retirement Howard Epstein plans to retire as Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation at the end of June. “After much thought and soul-searching,” he said, “I believe the time is right for me to give another person the opportunity to enjoy what is truly a satisfying and rewarding career at the Foundation. Time has flown by since I joined the Foundation ten years ago, and I will always treasure the friendships and special relationships I have developed with everyone at the Foundation – donors, supporters, co-workers, board members and so many others.” Although Howard’s retirement is four months away, Foundation lay leaders have begun a search for his successor, with a goal of ensuring that the Foundation will be in good hands in the years to come.
Madagascar and the opportunity for them Continued from page 2 to exploit for their own purearly June 1940 that the Madaposes the symbolic imporgascar Plan was taken seritance which Jerusalem has for ously. Germany would have the Christian and Mohad to defeat both France and hammedan parts of the world,” Great Britain to realize the Rademacher wrote. “Moreover, plan, but only France fell. the Jews will remain in GerTranslated documents from man hands as a pledge for the July of 1940 available on the future good behavior of the Yad Vashem website include members of their race in The Jewish Question in the America.” Peace Treaty, about, essentially, The Madagascar Plan was what to do with the Jews in Eunever realized — the Nazis’ rope after France fell to the Nazis. The document was failure in the Battle of Britain penned by Franz Rademacher, and their attack on the Soviet head of the Jewish Department Union are only two of the of the German Foreign Office. many reasons the plan was “In the peace treaty, France never enacted. To get rid of the must make the island of MadaJews, the Nazis turned to orgascar available for the soluganized genocide. tion of the Jewish question, Madagascar could have held and to resettle and compena much different place in Jewsate the approximately 25,000 ish history. Now, the Jews in French citizens living there,” Madagascar are there by Madagascar Physiography Public domain Rademacher wrote. choice. A small but dedicated “This arrangement would prevent the possible establish- community, the new Malagasy Jews are proof that the Jewish ment in Palestine by the Jews of a Vatican State of their own, people are strong, vibrant and diverse.
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Lipstadt to secure bipartisan support
semitism,” the group said Tuesday in a tweet. RON KAMPEAS The pressure seems to have paid off: Questions from the ReWASHINGTON | JTA Deborah Lipstadt, President Joe Biden’s nominee to be an- publican who took the lead at the hearing, Marco Rubio of tisemitism monitor, brought two Jewish guests to her Senate Florida, were friendly, and another Republican, Rob Portman confirmation hearing: one whose rabbi was held hostage by of Ohio, repeatedly said Lipstadt was qualified for the position. an Islamist, another who hid markers of her Jewishness to proThe two women seated behind Lipstadt at a COVID-safe tect herself from American Nazis. distance in the cavernous Senate Foreign Relations CommitWith Anna Salton Eisen, a congregant at Congregation Beth tee hearing room were a visible representation of her arguIsrael in Colleyville, Texas, and Diane D’Costa, a recent grad- ment that antisemitism could emerge from all corners. uate of the University of Virginia, looking on, the eminent Eisen, along with her 100-year-old Holocaust survivor mother, Holocaust historian made the point is a congregant of the synagogue where that antisemitism poses a threat whera British Islamist held the rabbi and ever it originates. three congregants at gunpoint for 11 “I am an equal-opportunity foe of anhours in Colleyville, Texas, on Jan. 15. tisemitism,” said Lipstadt, who is The hostages managed to flee, and the under consideration for the job to be assailant was killed in a shootout with the State Department envoy tracking federal agents. Elsewhere on the Hill, antisemitism and meeting with foreign that synagogue’s rabbi, Charlie Cytrongovernments about combating the Walker, was virtually testifying at anphenomenon. “Unless one is willing to other hearing advocating for increased fight Jew-hatred wherever one finds it, synagogue security funds. one should not be a nominee for this Deborah Lipstadt, President Joe Biden's nom- D’Costa was moving into her dorm inee to be antisemitism monitor, testifies in room in August of 2017 when neoposition.” Lipstadt has the committee’s Demo- the Dirksen Office building near the U.S. Capi- Nazis marched on the University of cratic majority on her side, and Repub- tol, Feb. 8, 2022. Credit: Ron Kampeas Virginia campus in Charlottesville, licans appeared to be willing to move past their anger over chanting, “Jews will not replace us.” She said she hid effects her past statements critical of the party, meaning Lipstadt’s that could give her away as Jewish, such as a hamsa necklace. nomination appeared to be on track for approval… whenever The next day, a neo-Nazi drove his car into a crowd of countershe comes up for a vote. But no one in the Capitol seemed to demonstrators, killing one and injuring at least another 20. know when that would be. D’Costa and Lipstadt both testified at the lawsuit brought The lone exception to the nominee’s supporters was Sen. last year against the Charlottesville marchers. Integrity First for Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican who had made a state- America, the group that organized the lawsuit, said Lipstadt’s ment last year about the Jan. 6 rioters that Lipstadt had said testimony showed she had the chops for the job. “She stood up equated to “white supremacy.” Johnson accused Lipstadt at to the defendants’ horrific attempts to normalize their extremthe hearing of spreading “malicious poison.” ism, so effectively, in fact, that most knew better than to try to Nonpartisan Jewish organizations, noting the recent spike cross-examine her,” the group said Tuesday in a statement. in antisemitism, have pressed for Lipstadt’s confirmation in Democrats on the panel repeatedly noted that the lead Rethe face of a bid by some Republican senators to block it. publican, James Risch of Idaho, had delayed Lipstadt’s confirThough such groups are usually loath to weigh in on nomina- mation because of her past attacks on Republicans. “It’s good tions, there was a full-throated push to get her confirmed fol- to see you here, we’ve been trying to get you here for a while,” lowing the Jan. 15 hostage-taking crisis at a Texas synagogue. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who is Jewish, said to Lipstadt upon Christians United for Israel, a conservative evangelical entering the room. group that has the ear of many Senate Republicans, also en“I am truly disappointed it took this long,” the committee chairdorsed her. “As her confirmation hearing showed today, Dr. man, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said in his opening remarks. @deborahlipstadt is the right person at the right time for the This article was edited for length. Please read the full position of Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat #Anti- story at www.omahajewishpress.com.
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.
The Jewish Press | February 18, 2022 | 5
German Holocaust denier hides in Brazil
CALEB GUEDES-REED JTA A far-right German extremist who has been convicted of denying the Holocaust is taking shelter in Brazil. Nikolai Nerling, 41, told Brazilian news site Globo that he fears he will be arrested if he returns to Germany. The Berlin public prosecutor’s office declined to say whether Interpol was notified of his presence in Brazil or whether an extradition request would be filed. Nerling was fired in May 2018, from a Berlin elementary school where he taught from 2009 to 2018 after a report in a local newspaper showed that he was disseminating neo-Nazi content. In December, he was fined 6,000 euros for denying the existence of the Holocaust in front of a group of students visiting the Dachau concentration camp. He arrived in Brazil on a tourist visa in November 2021, and has spent the last few months touring cities in southern Brazil and creating more content for his channels, often denying the Holocaust. In one video recorded in Pomerode, in the Santa Catarina region, Nerling can be seen removing “FCK NAXS” from a graffitied wall together with another man. Because YouTube has blocked his channel several times, the majority of his videos are published on his Telegram channel where he has over 30,000 subscribers. He funds his work with donations from his followers. Michel Gherman, an advisor to the Instituto Brasil-Israel (IBI) and professor in the sociology department at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, suspects that Nerling
chose the south of Brazil, specifically Santa Catarina, because of the area’s history of having a large German immigrant population. “We think it makes sense from his racist and Nazi perspective to have searched for a population of German origins,” Gherman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Nerling considered heading to Paraguay next, following the lead of the over 1,000 Germans who have moved to the South American country in the last year to avoid Germany’s strict COVID-19 rules. However, Paraguay updated their entry requirements on Jan. 10, 2022, now requiring vaccination from foreign travelers not residing in the country. Nerling, who is unvaccinated, is afraid he won’t be able to get in. For now, he has decided to wait and see how things develop in Brazil, though his tourist visa expires after 90 days. Little is known about what, if any, course of action the government will take regarding Nerling’s presence. Gherman said that Jewish groups have been raising the alarm about close ties between Brazilian neo-Nazi groups and the government of President Jair Bolsonaro. Last year, he extended a warm welcome to a lawmaker from Germany’s far-right AfD party who is the great-granddaughter of a prominent Nazi. One of his advisers made a sign associated with white supremacy during a legislative session. “We think there should be a stronger pressure, a condemning, from past victims of Nazism, in relation to the ties between the current administration with Nazis,” said Gherman.
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Yellow stars
lions of Jews by National Socialist Germany TOBY AXELROD and endangering public peace,” Dortmund BERLIN | JTA Another German city has decided to ban Police Chief Gregor Lange said. the display of yellow stars at demonstrations Those applying for demonstration permits against coronavirus lockdown measures. will now have to comply with the ban against Police in Dortmund, in the state of North displaying symbols that trivialize the HoloRhine-Westphalia, announced last Thursday caust, police told the Evangelical Press Servthat, effective immediately, the wearing of the ice, and violators will face charges. yellow Star of David Several German states printed with the word are considering similar “unvaccinated” is regulations — something banned at protests that Germany’s national against government commissioner on antimeasures meant to semitism, Felix Klein, has curb the COVID-19 been calling for since the pandemic. early days of the panJews in Nazi Gerdemic. Munich banned many and most occuthe practice in June 2020 pied lands were forced and Wiesbaden followed to wear identifying A participant in a demonstration against suit in July 2020. symbols, including Coronavirus restrictions stands with a yellow Bremen is considering yellow stars printed star with the inscription “not vaccinated” in such a move, according with the word “Jew.” Berlin, March 13, 2021. Credit: Fabian Som- to the city’s Senator of mer/picture alliance via Getty Images Such symbols have Justice Claudia Schilling. become common at demonstrations against Speaking last week with the German media COVID-19 restrictions in Europe and North consortium Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, America, with slogans often printed in He- Schilling said the practice of associating the yelbraicized script. Some protestors also carry low star “with one’s own vaccination status is signs comparing Holocaust victim Anne not only in bad taste, but in my eyes fulfills the Frank or German World War II resistance ac- criminal offense of incitement of the people.” tivist Sophie Scholl to protesters against coroGermany does not yet require that citizens navirus lockdown measures. be vaccinated, but the Bundestag, or parlia“Anyone who displays the Jewish star in this ment, has been considering introducing such way is trivializing the planned murder of mil- a measure.
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Criticism of Emma Saltzberg’s Israel activism came as no surprise she said about her game-show experience. PHILISSA CRAMER Saltzberg said she plans to use her $56,199 in winnings to JTA Emma Saltzberg knew she might invite criticism by com- save for an apartment in Brooklyn, where she lives with her peting on Jeopardy!. fiance, and to buy art. She talked to JTA about the correct anFrom her years of experience in progressive Jewish groups, swers that she credits to her years in Hebrew school, how her including IfNotNow, a group founded in 2014 to galvanize Jewish family turned her onto trivia and what she thinks JewAmerican Jews to oppose Israel’s occupation of Palestinian ish communities can learn from the Jeopardy! community. territories, she knew that her appearance on one of the most This conversation has been lightly edited for length and popular TV shows in the United clarity. States would likely generate JTA: How did you end up on negative comments from those Jeopardy! and what was the who believe criticizing the occuexperience like for you? pation is antisemitic. Saltzberg: It was so fun. I feel So when those comments like I really am not used to expestarted to appear on social riences that are, like, just good media, especially after IfNotand fun. Especially not now. Now touted her third win, and It was just so much fun getting then her fourth and final conto go to the Sony lot and work test, Saltzberg wasn’t surprised. with the staff on Jeopardy! who “That was priced in to my deare just incredible. They’re so cision to do something public,” skilled and warm and just made she told the Jewish Telegraphic me feel so comfortable. And then Agency. “I was totally expecting Emma Saltzberg, a Jewish activist from Brooklyn (by way winning, and then winning again of Philadelphia), won nearly $60,000 on Jeopardy! in Feb- and again — it was just more than it.” ruary 2022. Credit: Screenshot What she hadn’t counted on, I could have possibly dreamed up. she said, was her fellow contestants standing up for her. On In November 2020, my fiance and I were watching the old Monday, Lawrence Long, the nursing student and self-de- Jeopardy! episodes on Netflix, and I just kept getting things scribed “stay-at-home uncle” from North Carolina who de- right and quickly and he said, you know, you should take the feated Saltzberg on Feb. 7 episode reached out to let her know test. He didn’t stop bugging me for several days until I took that he was distressed by the attacks and would be donating the test. I got the invitation to a group audition on Zoom in to IfNotNow in her honor. June. And then in August they called me and they asked me Long, whose second appearance also ended in a win Feb. 8, to come at the end of September. told JTA that he happens to agree with Saltzberg on the issue I couldn’t go because it was my friend’s wedding, so I ended of the occupation, but that wasn’t what animated him. up going right after Thanksgiving. I realized later that if I had “I noticed the particularly hateful comments directed at gone that day it was Amy Schneider’s first set of tapings. Emma online,” he said in an email, adding, “I would have had [Schneider recently ended a 40-game winning streak, the secher back regardless of whether our personal beliefs aligned. ... ond longest in Jeopardy! history.] I would have been one of the I wish her nothing but the best and I gotta figure out the cool first people to go up against Amy. multiple of $18 to donate.” It would have been an honor and a joy to have her to stomp Saltzberg said Long’s outreach “made my heart swell” — and me into the ground. But it was also fun to go after her, when that it was just one of many examples of kindness from within everyone was just so excited. the famously tight-knit community of Jeopardy! contestants. To read more about Emma Saltzberg, please visit “It was just more than I could have possibly dreamed up,” www.omahajewishpress.com.
Summer at the JCC
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 two-week 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. Our Kindergarten and 1st grade camps embrace the natural enthusiasm and energy of kids at this grade level. Our programs are scheduled to provide a day full of excitement and learning. Campers engage in a wide range of activities throughout the week. Art activities, nature activities, and song sessions are just some of the things campers can look forward to. Our 2nd and 3rd grade level of J Camp caters to kids’ creativity and emerging independence. Each Monday, campers will select one of two chugim (choice activities) that they will participate in for that week. The chugim are designed to let campers explore specific areas of interest more thoroughly. In addition to their selected chugim, campers will participate in other daily and weekly activities. Online registration will not open until April 6, 2022. Before that time, Members (starting Feb. 2) and non-Members (starting Feb. 23) can register the following ways: Mail your completed Camp Registration Form and payment to: Staenberg Omaha JCC, Attn: JCC Registration, 333 South 132nd St. Omaha, NE 68154. Register over the phone at 402.334.6452 or 402.334.6426. Drop off your completed Camp Registration Form and payment to the Member Services Desk. For more information or listings by week, please visit our website at www.jccomaha.org. We can’t wait to see you and your child(ren) this summer!
ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS The award-winning B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS speaker program currently meets Wednesdays via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Please watch the Press 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.
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, the 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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The Jewish Press | February 18, 2022 | 7
The Men of Beth El went Go Kart racing. Above: Kevin Saltzman, left, Michael Schop, Hazzan Krausman, Ian Yellin, Mark Kelln, David Finkelstein, David Weill, Jay Gordman, Wayne Schwarz, Steven Tipp, Alan Tipp, and Mark Hoffman. Left: Hazzan Michael Krausman, left, Robby Erlich, and David Finkelstein. Below: USY/Kadima went bowling on Sunday, Jan. 23.
SP O TLIGHT 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.
Top, above, below and bottom: Beth Israel hosted an amazing evening focused on fun and self-care.
Above, right and below: At the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Residents and staff geared up for the Winter Olympics with a hall of flags from around the world. RBJH is proud of the staff diversity of people from all over the globe, as they enjoyed finding their native flag.
GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY
8 | The Jewish Press | February 18, 2022
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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.
We are everything
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor “She may not have meant to,” Gabe Friedman wrote for the JTA, “but Whoopi Goldberg waded into a charged discourse that has polarized the Jewish community — and those who seek to discriminate against them — for centuries.” The comment in question (plus the aftermath) about the Holocaust not being about ‘race’ but about ‘white people killing other white people’ struck a nerve. The problem is, Jews cannot be boxed in as just one race. We come in all shades and colors. We’re like Joseph’s coat. Another problem is that for Black people in America, race is a painful and complex topic, and the Black community has to own the majority of the discourse surrounding it. Uncomfortable for Americans who aren’t Black, maybe, but so be it. Also, Whoopi’s comments may have been awkward, but she is not the enemy-so let’s not treat her as such. Then, just as this story was gathering steam online, I read an article about the latest PEW study, ‘Jewish Americans in 2020,’ which was released in May of 2021. Like all community studies, it categorizes its subjects to a fault, which is, I think, something we have to be aware of when processing the results. ‘Orthodox’ and ‘non-Orthodox,’ ‘cultural,’ ‘young,’ ‘intermarried’ and ‘Nones’ are all boxes we are squeezed into. Do we have children and if so, how many? Do we go to shul or do we feel Jewish without being re-
ligious at all? Do we eat Jewish food for its cultural value, or do we keep kosher? In short, the question PEW asks over and over is “Who are we?” And if we have paid attention at all, we should know by now that this is not a question we can find a simple answer to.
brown. And that is a larger portion that you think. When you put us in boxes, you disregard the fact that many of us fit more than one; we may have one foot in this box and another one in that box. Maybe we belong in five different boxes, or ten. And what if we fit no box? It makes us no less Jewish.
The reason for that is: we are many things. Even if we look at only the American section of the Diaspora, we are many races. We are many cultures, we have all the passports and we speak all the languages. We eat different kinds of ‘Jewish’ food, we sing different songs, we vote for all the candidates, we have all the different opinions and impressions of Israel. We, as Jews, do not fit one box and to imply that we do does us injustice as a people. We are simply Jews, no more, no less; to categorize us is to separate us. An Orthodox Jew can also be a cultural Jew. It is possible to be non-Orthodox and never miss a morning Minyon. You can be a Black American Jew, a Hispanic American Jew, a Chinese American Jew. Call us all white and you disregard all the Jews that are various shades of beige and
We can ask ourselves ”Who are we,” as many times as we like; I have no problem with the question. The answers, however, need to be as diverse as we are as a people. The rest of the world would like an easy category to shove us in, but that doesn’t mean we have to cater to them. One of the most beautiful concepts for the Jewish people is that “a Jew is a Jew is a Jew.” There is no test, there is no value in checkmarks, there is no wisdom in asking ourselves what kind of Jew we are. We are Jews, and that is that. So no, the Holocaust wasn’t about ‘white people killing other white people.’ It was about boxing Jews in, quite literally. It’s still happening, and it is high time to put a stop to it.
When I recall my father Elie Wiesel, my shame about these Olympics only deepens ELISHA WIESEL JTA On Feb. 4 my world was shaken. It hit me, as though it were a fresh wound: My father, Elie Wiesel, was really gone. It hurt terribly when he died over five years ago, on July 2, 2016. But I also found peace and awakening as I grieved. I had this sense from the very moment he passed that he would be with me always. Through his dreams for me, I felt that as long as I lived, he would too — as would my ancestors. This feeling deepened over the years that followed. My year of Mourner’s Kaddish ended and I still found myself drawn to Shabbat peace, to morning tefillin, to the intentionality of a minyan gathered to pray, to the stories of our people in ancient texts. I felt the wholeness of history, of the chain of which he had always wanted me to feel a crucial part, which he so keenly felt himself. And although I miss him daily, I unfailingly find that thinking of him makes my footsteps feel sure. But on Friday I had to stop and catch my breath as I realized the depth of my loss, our loss. Because that day was the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and millions were tuning in to the opening ceremony. Most of the world didn’t seem to know, or care, that the host country is hosting a pageant of “peace and friendship” while simultaneously terrorizing its Uyghur minority. The Chinese government’s systematic oppression of the Uyghurs, a Muslim group in northwest China, is not the Holocaust. But although we may not have seen this particular movie, we know the genre. I have heard the painful testimony of Uyghur dissidents, who manage to get the word out despite a media clampdown that makes it almost impossible for the Western press to report on the facts. Forced internment camps target people for thought crimes and racial affiliation. Medical data suggests that forced sterilizations are taking place among this targeted racial group. Families have been forcibly separated and threatened into silence. Just like in 1936, the International Olympic Committee is unwilling to push the issue. And our com-
munity is mostly silent. went unanswered. Natan Sharansky and Bernard I saw 100 or 200 brave souls rally on a rainy Thurs- Henry-Levi, two leading Jewish intellectuals, signed day last week in Times Square. In the gray neon an ad in the New York Times, organized by me and light, the young leaders called on each other and paid for by the Elie Wiesel Foundation, urging a passersby via megaphones whose batteries could protest of the Beijing Olympics; Jewish organizanot keep up with the urgency of the message: Turn off the Olympics, and close the concentration camps in Xinjiang. It should have been the whole city turning up to honor their message. I know now that we have failed my father in this regard. He did not fail us. He spoke of how he always felt he had to answer to the dead: Did he do enough? And yes. He did. He was there to speak up against atrocities in Darfur, Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda. He tried with everything he had to tell us. And all the words he spoke and wrote could not change the fact that five years after his death, 1 million people are reportedly in concentration camps, be- A large Olympic ring logo is seen inside the stadium during the cause of their race and religion, in the grip Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb 4, 2022. Credit: Fred Lee/Getty Images of a totalitarian regime — a regime honored to host the world’s nations, on a global televi- tions across the denominational spectrum have sion platform that packages sports with advertising. spoken up for the Uyghurs; and Jewish World Today’s culture of workplace activism is highly Watch is trying to generate widespread action developed. In corporations and small businesses around the issue. across the United States, Black Americans and But they are still too few. I fear that China’s statetheir allies, for one, showed with emotion how cries sponsored capitalism has silenced us through our against police brutality could be heard in board greed. rooms and executive suites. My father believed passionately that speaking up But are men and women of conscience reaching mattered, especially to the victims. out to their managers at the corporations that Have I, blessed to live in this country which sponsor the Olympics? Are voices inside corporate stands for freedom, done enough? America respectfully but insistently calling for “Shame on Xi Jinping,” shouted the determined company conversations about their responsibility young people in Times Square on Thursday night. when they hear survivors’ reports of genocide on And I think: Shame on me, if we can’t find some the part of the Chinese government? If they are, way to help. Shame on us. they are not making themselves heard. Elisha Wiesel is the son of Marion and Elie There are brave leaders, like Steve Simon of the Wiesel. Women’s Tennis Association, who canceled a luThe views and opinions expressed in this article are crative tournament in China when the WTA’s de- those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the mands for player Peng Shuai’s safety and freedom views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
The Jewish Press | February 18, 2022 | 9
The Amnesty International report doesn’t bring Israel any closer to peace MATT NOSANCHUK Editor’s Note: Due to an editing error, this op-ed as originally published included language that the author did not approve. The following has been corrected. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency apologizes for the error. JTA Last week, Amnesty International released a 280-page report calling Israel an apartheid state and charging it with crimes against humanity, including atrocities against Palestinian citizens of Israel. Such claims have been made before, usually over vociferous objections from supporters of Israel. Predictably, the report unleashed harsh criticism from the Israeli government and from voices throughout the American Jewish community. Much of the criticism, including the statement issued from my organization, the New York Jewish Agenda, focused on the report’s language, terminology, omissions and conclusions, which called into question Israel’s very legitimacy as a homeland for the Jewish people. For example, we noted in our statement, Amnesty International’s report concludes that Israel has employed a system of apartheid within its borders since the nation was established in 1948. As an American Jewish organization uniting liberal Zionists who are passionate about Israel and hold a deep commitment to promoting their Jewish values here at home and in Israel, we share the anger of many in the Jewish community regarding the excesses of the report, especially during this time of growing concerns about the rise of antisemitism and authoritarianism in the United States and around the world. At the same time, we believe in the necessity of a more nuanced response beyond that anger. We must look beyond this report’s controversial legal conclusions and examine the difficult realities of Israel’s 55-year occupation of the West Bank, its control of the Gaza border, and the unfulfilled promise of full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel. It’s not just Amnesty International that has documented this in detail: Numerous Israeli NGOs and the U.S. State Department have warned about the many costs of occupation. These realities cannot be ignored – not by those who live in Israel, nor by those of us who support Israel here in America. I have traveled to Israel numerous times over the past 46 years, including spending a year there during college. I have
seen first-hand the harsh realities of the occupation and felt the dream of a peacefully shared society for Palestinian and Jewish citizens of Israel slipping away. I have also observed how the lack of Palestinian equality corrodes Jewish Israeli ideals of a democratic, just, and secure state. Like so many others, especially many younger American Jews, I find it increasingly difficult to see those ideals in the current state of Israel. What matters most are the realities of life on the ground for Jews and Palestinians, not the labels – however controversial – that one puts on them. The categoric condemnation of the Amnesty International report by many in our community avoids grappling with the ongoing control and denial of rights
Credit: Jewish Telegraphic Agency Illustration
that Palestinians in the occupied territories and (to a lesser degree) in Israel experience day in and day out. This unsupportable reality — with no moral, logical or politically feasible endgame — must change. It threatens to bring about the end, one way or another, of a democratic homeland for Jews. In just the past few weeks, Palestinian families were forcibly evicted from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. An 80-year-old Palestinian-American man, Omar Assad, died of a heart attack after being detained, handcuffed, blindfolded and abandoned in the cold by soldiers who apparently had no good reason to detain him. This ongoing Israeli coalition debate over the construction of a yeshiva in Evyatar, an illegal West Bank outpost, demonstrates the continued push by the settlement movement to take over more land in the West Bank and the apparent unwillingness of the government decision-makers to stop them. For each one of these examples, supporters of Israel invoke
others in which Israelis were targeted by Palestinians. They all become part of competing and irreconcilable narratives on both sides of the conflict. We can continue down the rabbit hole of one-sided recriminations—with no good end in sight— that has defined this decades-long conflict. Or we can focus our energies on supporting efforts to build a better future for Palestinians and Israelis alike. Imagine if those of us who care deeply about safeguarding a democratic homeland for Jews in Israel expended as much effort fighting for greater justice in Israel and an end to the occupation as we spend responding each time someone condemns Israel: We could help make a real difference in transforming the situation. We must stop allowing outside critics to define the conversation and limit our voices. While a just, negotiated two-state solution to the conflict feels remote at this time, we don’t need to limit our activism and voices to defending Israel in the face of harsh criticism. Many Jews and Arabs, Palestinians and Israelis – with support from many American Jewish organizations – work together every day to build trust and seek consensus around common issues. In our increasingly polarized and siloed world, we too often hear only voices with which we agree and ignore or condemn the rest. It does not have to be this way. We know many in the New York and American Jewish communities share our feelings about the conflict. Like them, we remain committed to standing up for our values. This requires acknowledging that there are difficult realities on both sides. We can wait for the next report and the ensuing round of statements and recriminations, or we can raise our voices in support of building bridges of understanding and a shared society. The choice is ours to make. Matt Nosanchuk is a lawyer and the president and cofounder of the New York Jewish Agenda. A network of pluralistic and diverse Jewish leaders in New York City and State, NYJA advocates for key domestic priorities, supports a democratic Israel, and combats antisemitism. Matt served as the liaison to the American Jewish community in the White House during the Obama-Biden Administration. 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.
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Synagogues
10 | The Jewish Press | February 18, 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, March 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; No Jr. Congregation — Presidents Weekend; Brisket Tasting following Shabbat Services, noon (approximately); Havdalah, 6:35 p.m. Zoom only. SUNDAY: Siddur 101 with Hazzan Krausman, 9:30 a.m.; Hamantashen Baking — 5 baker limit, 9:30 a.m.; No BESTT — Presidents Weekend. TUESDAY: Mussar, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham at Beth El & Zoom; Young Adult Parlor Meeting, 7 p.m. at Stories Coffee. WEDNESDAY: Hamantashen Baking — 5 baker limit, 4 p.m.; 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. 25: Hamantashen Baking — 5 baker limit, 10 a.m.; Nebraska AIDS Coalition Lunch, 11:30 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY-Feb. 26: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation, 10 a.m.; BESTT Movie Night, 6 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:45 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, 5:44 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, 5 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha, 5:40 p.m.; Shalosh Seudos/ Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 6:10 p.m.; Ma’ariv/Havdalah, 6:45 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 5:20 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, 5:20 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, 5:20 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:50 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, 5:20 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:50 p.m.; Board of Directors Meeting, 6:30 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, 5:20 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:50 p.m. FRIDAY-Feb. 25: 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, 5:52 p.m. SATURDAY-Feb. 26: 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, 5:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha, 5:50 p.m.; Shalosh Seudos/Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 6:10 p.m.; Ma’ariv/Havdalah, 6:53 p.m. Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.
noon; Havdalah, 6:48 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 albertw801@gmail.com to find out where to meet each week; Weiss-Buettner Wedding, noon; Jewish Book Club, 1:30 p.m. and will discuss Panther In The Basement, by Amos Oz via Zoom; 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. MONDAY: Offices Closed — President’s Day 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.; Federation Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m. FRIDAY-Feb. 25: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex and Elaine Monnier, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:55 p.m. SATURDAY-Feb. 26: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Vayakehel noon; Havdalah, 6:56 p.m.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE 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, 5:44 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:44 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. 25: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochabad. com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 5:52 p.m. SATURDAY-Feb. 26: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:52 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, Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:347 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Ki Tisa,
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; 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: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or InPerson; Bat Mitzvah of Lindsay Stoller and Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. via Zoom or In-Person. The entire congregation is invited to join. MONDAY: Jewish Law & the Quest for Meaning, 11 a.m. via Zoom. TUESDAY: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. via Zoom or In-Person. 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. 25: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m. InPerson; Shabbat B’yachad: Judaism’s Spiritual Vocabulary: Exploring the Prayers and the Prayer Book, 6 p.m. via Zoom or In-Person. SATURDAY-Feb. 26: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or In-Person. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.
Water Fitness at the JCC Did you know that Water Fitness classes and Poolaties are offered as classes to J Members? As part of our Group Exercise program, these classes are held on a weekly basis in our indoor lap pool. Advanced registration is not needed for Water Fitness and Poolaties. Receive up-to-the minute alerts on your phone regarding hour changes and closures of the pool. To sign up for the JCC Omaha Aquatics notifications, send a text with the message “@jccoma” to the number 81010. Aqua-fit is a fun, medium-to-high intensity, low-
impact water workout that combines cardio, core, balance, range of motion and strength training. This is a circuit training style class set to music that uses Tabata training and various HITT training techniques to improve overall fitness. Poolaties: Pilates and Water Aerobics combine for a total body workout like no other! Come see for yourself. Poolaties will strengthen your core and have you coming back for more! Water aerobics includes a warm-up, cardio and strength-training exercises, and a cooldown. The buoyancy of the water is easy on your joints and will make water aerobics a good choice if you have joint problems, chronic pain or are recovering from injury. Exercises will include bicep curls, leg lifts and
moves to raise your heart rate. Most of this water workout is done in the shallow end of the pool. Water Fitness uses water as your resistance for a great workout! Instructors guide you through varying cardio and strength exercises utilizing foam tubes and water weights. It’s a great workout without stress on your joints. Swim Around Israel Fitness Challenge: Sign up and log all of your swim sessions from January through December. Those that swim 100 miles or more ( from Jerusalem to Haifa) will receive a tshirt! If that seems too easy, kick it up a notch by swimming the entire 372 miles For more information, please contact the Aquatics Office at 402.334.6473.
Life cycles IN MEMORIAM CAROLYN SINGER Carolyn Singer passed away on Jan. 23, 2022, in Omaha. She was preceded in death by Irving Singer. She is survived by son, Alex Zastera, mother, Connie Stilwell, brother Scott Singer, sister Marjorie Singer. Memorials may be made to Jewish Family Services. SHELLEY J. STERN Shelley J. Stern passed away on Feb. 6, 2022, in Omaha. Services were held on Feb. 9, 2022, at Beth El Cemetery. She was preceded in death by her parents, Dorothy and Arthur Green and her in-laws, Bess and Sam Stern. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Skip, daughter and son-in-law Melissa and Michael Shrago; son and daughter-in-law, David and Kim; granddaughters: Samantha and Sophia; grandsons: Ethan and Noah Shrago; brother and sister-in-law, Michael Green and Marsha Fox; and many cousins and dear friends. Shelley worked at Munroe Meyer Institute for 30 years and retired to spend time with family. Memorials may be made to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home or an organization of your choice.
Kushner and Berkovitz nominated for Nobel RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON | JTA Lee Zeldin, one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress, nominated Jared Kushner and Avi Berkowitz for the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab countries. “The Abraham Accords represent the most significant diplomatic breakthrough between Israel and Arab nations in decades,” Zeldin wrote in his nomination, according to the New York Post. The agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco are already paying dividends in increased tourism and investment, as well as symbolic gestures like dignitary visits and participation in sports competitions. The accords have garnered near-unanimous support in a pro-Israel community that has in recent years become more fractious, and they represent one of the rare areas of agreement between the Trump and Biden administrations. As a member of Congress, Zeldin qualifies as one of a cadre of individuals eligible to put forward a nomination for the peace prize by its deadline, which falls this month.
Violence erupts in Jerusalem
SHIRA HANAU JTA Violent clashes broke out over the weekend in Sheikh Jarrah.The mostly Palestinian area has become a focus in recent years of Israeli settler groups, who are trying to have Palestinian residents evicted. The ensuing legal battle has turned the neighborhood into a tinderbox. The latest violence began with an alleged firebombing attack on the home of a Jewish family in the area. The family was not at home, and no one was injured. After the alleged firebomb incident, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far right-wing member of the Israeli Knesset, vowed to reopen an office in the neighborhood, a step he had taken in May 2021 to support the settlers. At the time, then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Ben-Gvir to close the makeshift office to reduce tensions in the area. Ben-Gvir is the head of the Otzmah Yehudit party, the farright party that is the descendent of Kach, the party formed by the Jewish terrorist Meir Kahane. In a statement Sunday, Ben-Gvir said Jewish Israelis are “the landlords” and claimed the appropriate response to terror was more terror. In a tweet, Ben-Gvir called on Israeli citizens to gather in the area Sunday afternoon to “strengthen the Jewish residents. We are not afraid of Hamas threats!” More violence followed Ben-Gvir’s announcement Saturday. In the late hours on Saturday or early hours of Sunday morning, at least two people were wounded and six people arrested. At least one Jewish man was injured and one Arab driver arrested, according to the Times of Israel. Video from the area showed fighting on the streets. Also known in Hebrew as Shimon HaTzaddik, the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood was home to Jewish families before Jordan captured it in the 1948 war that resulted in Israel’s independence. Jordan gave the Jewish families’ homes to Palestinians who were displaced from Israel and prohibited from returning. In recent years, an Israeli group that obtained the original Jewish families’ ownership rights has been trying to evict the Palestinian families from the homes. Protests over the pending evictions helped spark the conflict in May 2021 between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and just last month, Israeli police evicted a Palestinian family in the neighborhood and knocked down their home to make way for a school in the first eviction in the neighborhood in several years.
The Jewish Press | February 18, 2022 | 11
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12 | The Jewish Press | February 18, 2022
We’re trying this again!
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SAVE THE DATE Sunday, May 1 4-7 p.m. JCC Pool Deck More details coming soon
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