thejewishpress AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
this week
Synagogue Purim schedules Pages 2, 4 & 6
Dorothy Kaplan Book Group chooses next book Page 5
MARCH 3 , 2 0 1 7 | 5 AD AR 5 7 7 7 | V O L. 9 7 | NO . 2 1 | c A Nd LELi g h ti Ng | FRID AY , MARCH 3 , 5 : 5 9 P. M.
Announcing the Jule M. Newman Anti-Bigotry Endowment Fund
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LiNdA PoLLARd Endowment Assistant/Staff Writer, Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation ule Newman had what most would consider an impossible dream. As he told his young bride-to-be, Esther Kaplan, he would someday own a chain of grocery stores. And with hard work, long hours, determination, and knowledge learned from working in his father’s small grocery store, he did just that. To really appreciate Jule Newman’s accomplishments, one has to imagine his early years. He challenged crews on passing trains to target practice: they would throw coal at him and his brothers. They would then collect the coal, which the family could not afford, and took it home to use for heat. At other times, he would watch for patrons at nearby bars who left without their newspapers which he would reassem-
Jule Newman ble and resell at a different bar. Jules’ parents immigrated to Omaha from a small village near Budapest, Hungary (then Austria-Hungary). During his earliest years, he worked at his father’s small grocery. Although not mandatory in those years, he still at-
Artist in Residency in Nahariya: Eliya Beany
Sixth grade art project at Temple Israel Page 11
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SPoNSoREd By thE BENJAMiN ANd ANNA E. wiESMAN fAMiLy ENdowMENt fuNd
tended public school through the eighth grade. High school was not an option for children of poor immigrant families in the first decade of the 20th century. From this beginning, building a chain of extremely successful supermarkets would be unusual and extraordinary for anyone. First, Jule needed money to open a store. After serving in the Medical Corps in World War 1, he worked in the shops department of the Union Pacific Railroad. After he had saved $1,100, enough seed money for a store in those years, he still almost gave up his dream. He had been offered the job of managing the railroad’s entire shop operation, evidence of his rare qualities. With his savings, Jule and a partner opened a grocery store in 1920. Just three years later, he bought out his partner, and started to build a chain of grocery stores with his two brothers and a cousin. The grocery store chain, See Jule M. Newman Endowment page 3
Storytelling with Rita Paskowitz
Editor’s note: During the week of Feb. 6 through 10, Friedel Jewish Academy fifth and sixth graders, together with teacher Denise Bennett, joined residents from the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home to trade stories. Under the expert guidance of storyteller Rita Paskowitz, the students interviewed residents, wrote down what they learned and shared the results in front of an audience. Here are a few of their stories.
A lovely lady
inside Viewpoint Synagogues Life cycles
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Eliya Beany
iNtERviEw with MARk kiRchhoff Program and Communications Assistant On May 14, 2015 seven photographers from the United States and
one from Budapest, Hungary, met in Nahariya, Israel, to participate in the “Artist in Residency” project conducted through the Partnership 2Gether program. The goal for the week was for each photographer to photograph and interview four people in order to document the richness and diversity of the people living in the Western Galilee region of the country. The photos and narratives in this four-part series are the work of Mark Kirchhoff, Program and Communications Assistant for the JFO. See Artist in Residency page 2
SoPhiA MAvRoPouLoS Sixth grade I feel very lucky and special for interviewing Annette Fettman. There is so much to say about Annette. When Annette was a girl, her mom would put curls in Annette’s hair before she went to school, and that would always make her late. Speaking of school, Annette’s favorite subject was art and it still is! If you have ever been to the Blumkin Home, you will see a blue bench with a dove saying Shalom and Rita’s quote. This bench, which we’ve all noticed and appreciated, was designed and painted by Annette. There are also several pieces of Annette’s art in the JCC, including sculptures, vases and paintings. She is actually one of the best artists that I’ve ever seen! Even though I have only seen her once, she means the world to me. The way she smiles at me makes my heart feel huge. And her eyes are the most perfect shade of blue. I hope that I will see her around. Stay healthy, stay beautiful Love, your partner Sophia. See Storytelling page 3