March 12, 2021

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Week of Understanding The Kaplan Book Group has had so much Mazel with Zoom meetings Page 5

Virtual cooking with Michael Solomonov Page 6

SCOTT LITTKY IHE Executive Director ach year a highlight of the Institute for Holocaust Education calendar is our annual Week of Understanding. As we all know we have been faced this year with many challenges and obstacles to ensure that we have a successful year of programming. As we reviewed our programming calendar for IHE, we knew that we could not cancel the Week of Understanding but that we needed to design the program this year to meet what has been presented to us because of COVID-19 and the restrictions that are still in place. As a result of this our annual Week of Understanding will be 100% virtual.

Between March 22 and 26, the IHE has arranged more than 20 speaking engagements that will reach some 7,000 Nebraska students. Some of these engagements will take place with local Holocaust survivors such as Dr. Fred Kader and Kitty Williams along with second generation speakers, Hazzan Michael Krausman and Dr. Steven Wees. To learn more about these and other local survivors, you can check out the “Survivor Stories” section on the IHE website.

E

George Elbaum

Sarah Kutler

Kiel Majewski

Peter Metzelaar

Agnes Schwartz

Danny Spungen

We are also honored to welcome Holocaust survivors who have agreed to “travel” to Omaha virtually especially for the Week of Understanding program. The guests who will be joining us in 2021 are profiled below.

The public is invited to share in these

Once upon a summer at the JCC Page 12

School day at the J

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Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles

7 8 10 11

A cohort of children during a School Day at the J morning meeting , Fall 2020.

GABBY BLAIR Jewish Press Staff Writer The disruption to the world’s educational systems due to the Covid

pandemic has been without precedent. Omaha area school districts employed a wide array of independent plans heading into the 2020-21 school year ranging from 100% remote instruction to 100% in-person learning to rotating hybrid schedules in between.

This non-uniformed return to schooling across the metro created a lot of havoc for families who were scrambling to balance the professional work of parents with the educational needs of their children.

See School day at the J page 4

moving testimonies, through three evening engagements. The whole community is invited to attend as follows: Agnes Schwartz, Holocaust Survivor, A Roll of the Dice on March 22, 6:30 p.m. To join the Zoom please contact See Week of Understanding page 3

Welcome, Mike Siegel hood Development Center! We are ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPrecent empty nesters - give or take a WRIGHT pandemic. My family loves dogs and Jewish Press Editor The Jewish Federation of Omaha we currently have a one-year-old is pleased to welcome Mike Siegel standard goldendoodle named as President of the Ozzie.”

JFO Board of DirecMike’s favorite tors. The oldest of movie is Shawshank three boys, Mike Redemption. “To be was born on Long honest, I also love Island, NY. He atdumb comedies that tended Washingjust make me laugh ton University in St. out loud. My friends Louis and worked love to go with me as in the buying ofthey are entertained fices of a St. Louis by how hard I laugh. department store I enjoy all different for two years after types of music, but graduating: classic rock is my faMichael Siegel “I met my wife, Anvorite as it reminds drea, an Omaha native, while work- me of the summer camp that I ating in St. Louis,” he said. “We moved tended for 12 years.” to New York where I started workHe has taken an active role in the ing for the family business, manu- Omaha Jewish Community for 19 facturing novelty tin boxes. After years. Initially asked to be part of seven years in New York, we decided JOLT’s Young Leadership Training, we wanted to raise our family in he was soon afterwards asked to sit Omaha. We’ve been in Omaha since on the Jewish Press Board. From 1999. We have three children, Tyler, there, he found himself on the JewMonica, and Josh - all proud gradu- ish Community Center Board, folates of the Pennie Z. Davis Child- lowed by the JFO Board.

2 | The Jewish Press | March 12, 2021

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Mike Siegel

Continued from page 1 “I think the JFO is an unbelievable organization for our community,” Mike said. “We are able to reach so many people through the various agencies and the versatile programming. How could I not want to be a part of it? As I began to better understand the intricacies of the Federation, I realized that my business experience and organizational skills would allow me to make a positive contribution to the Federation. One of the best ways to make an impact is to lead by example.”

Outside of the Jewish community, most of his experience comes from working in a family business and being a coach for his kids’ teams: “Being around kids gives you all kinds of perspective. You learn to lead by example, treat people with respect, acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses, and teach them that things won’t always go their way. These are life lessons that I carry through to the boards I lead.”

Being in a small family business made him realize that it’s critical to have a basic understanding of all aspects of an organization.

“When I don’t know something, I ask.

I love finding solutions to problems.”

Any thriving Jewish community needs strong leaders who wear many

different hats, and Mike is part of a long tradition of dedicated lay leaders, volunteers and staff: “Strong leadership on both the lay and professional sides is essential for a successful organization,” he said. “Strong leaders are needed to set the strategic direction and make sure that the organization remains relevant to the community. It is also the Federation’s responsibility to identify future leaders amongst our community members and staff. Providing these people with the tools to develop their leadership skills is essential for our future. Just like a baseball team, we need to make sure we have a deep bench if the organization is to remain a vibrant part of our community.

“It humbles me to see the names of those that held this position before me.

Serving as President of JFO is an honor and responsibility that I take seriously.

Every president that preceded me had a hand in what the Federation looks like today. Given their wealth of knowledge, I plan to connect with past presidents to keep them abreast of Federation issues and hear their various perspectives.”

He doesn’t have enough time in his day to be a micro-manager, he said, but he is also a person who learns by doing.

“There are times when I know I have to do some things myself to get a complete understanding of the issue. How-

ever, I like looking at the big picture, creating the road map, and figuring out what the steps are to get there.”

He acknowledges the importance of engaging the next generation in order to grow and stay relevant.

“It’s imperative. We need to earn their time, respect, and energy by showing them the positive impact the JFO has on our community. In fact, over the last six months, I assembled a team to develop a strategic plan for the next three-five years. We worked with a professional consultant and developed five strategic priorities. I am happy to say that the JFO Board approved the plan at a board retreat last month. We developed a communication plan and I look forward to sharing it with the entire community over the next several months. The main theme of the plan is engagement.”

As for that engagement, he’s experienced first-hand the kind of place Omaha is.

“I love Omaha! It is a fabulous place to build a life and raise a family. I have many favorite things about our Jewish community, but our welcoming and supportive nature are at the top of the list. Whether it is for a celebration or a time of need, the Omaha Jewish community has your back. It is rare to find a community as genuine as ours.”

See Mike Siegel page 4

CAROLE LAINOF Gary Nachman will be the speaker for the B’nai Israel Shabbat service on March 12, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. via ZOOM. Gary has been the ADL/CRC, (AntiDefamation League Community Redevelopment Committee) Director since December 2019. He attended Hebrew University in Jerusalem 1973-76, has been involved with Jewish causes most of his life and served on the ADL Board for 24 years.

Gary states that the primary goal of the ADL is to raise awareness of what the organization Gary Nachman does emphasizing collaboration with other nonprofits on civil justice causes. Primarily this involves education by teaching antibias training and working with law enforcement to identify extremist groups. His personal mantra: “One can wait for hate or one can educate.”

Another prominent goal is to support Israel’s right to exist.

Gary will speak about the goal of the ADL/CRC emphasizing the current rise of modern anti-Semitism in the USA and other countries around the world. This will be a very pertinent, timely presentation and everyone is invited to join. Larry Blass is our Service Leader, and Howard Kutler is our ZOOM contact at hkutler@hotmail.com.

ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS The Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith is pleased to announce the resumption of its award-winning speaker program via ZOOM. Although the Home auditorium remains temporarily closed, we’ll continue presenting an outstanding lineup of thought-provoking keynoters. For specific speaker information and/or to be placed on the email list, please contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com or leave a message at the B’nai B’rith JCC office 402.334.6443.

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BGS Bagels with Michael Staenberg Join us Friday, March 19 at 8:15 a.m. CST as we sit down with prolific philanthropist and major donor to the Omaha JCC, Michael Staenberg, for BGS’s second, virtual Young Leadership Series event.

Staenberg will share his own unique path to philanthropy and current giving philosophies. We’re excited to provide this inspiration and introspection to young leaders in our community. The event includes a short presentation followed by a Q&A with participants.

Register by March 17 to receive your $10 Bagel/Coffee Gift Card. Registration is required; please contact Jamie Skog-Burke at jskogburke@jewishomaha.org for the link.

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Week of Understanding Continued from page 1 Scott Littky at slittky@ihene.org for the link. Presented by the Tri-Faith Initative and the Institute for Holocaust Education.

Danny Spungen and Kiel Majewski, Evidence: Artifacts that tell stories from World War II & the Holocaust on March 23, 7 p.m. To join the Zoom please contact Scott Littky at slittky@ihene. org for the link.

The Spungen Family Foundation, based in the USA, has arguably the most extensive and largest privately-owned Holocaust collection and exhibit in the world. The collection consists of hundreds of objects from all major concentration camps and ghettos. It also includes rare objects from lesserknown sites that will reveal new information even to advanced students of the Holocaust. We bring the story to life through documents that survived the war – postcards, letters, passports, visas, fragments of Torah scroll, currency from concentration camps and much more.

These artifacts are genuine witnesses to the Holocaust that have stories to tell – stories about what they have seen and what they mean for today’s world. The Spungen Holocaust Collection and exhibit provides a unique and powerful way for students to learn how to analyze primary sources, interpret the evidence of the past, and think critically about its implications for today. Presented by the Spungen Family Foundation and the Institute for Holocaust Education Dr. Helen Epstein, Franci’s War: Daughter on her mother’s manuscript, Holocaust survival, and immigration on March 25, 12:30 p.m. The Zoom ID: 961 1377 4767. Presented by The Department of Modern Languages & Literatures, The Harris Center for Judaic Studies, and The Czech Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Meet our guests: GEORGE ELBAUM George was born in Warsaw, Poland, on Aug. 20, 1938, one year before Hitler invaded Poland and spurred the outbreak of World War II. Within weeks, George's father was called to serve in the army and never returned. Acutely aware of the danger she and her son were in, George's mom dyed her hair blonde and purchased the identification documents of a Catholic woman who had died. In 1942, she smuggled George out of the Warsaw Ghetto before paying various Polish Catholic families to hide and raise him. In 1945, George was reunited with his mother, the only other surviving member of his family. They immigrated to America in 1949.

For 60 years, George was reluctant to share his story with anyone. He worked towards an engineering career, earning an undergraduate degree, two master's degrees, and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2009, upon viewing Paper Clips, a documentary chronicling a Tennessee middle school's unique attempt to honor Holocaust victims, George was moved to share his story with the world. He and his wife Mimi Jensen live in San Francisco, but George makes frequent trips to Seattle to visit his children and grandchildren.

George is a member of the Holocaust Center's Speakers Bureau.

HELEN EPSTEIN Dr. Epstein is an author and journalist. She will be speaking about her book, Franci’s War, a memoir by her mother Franci Rabinek Epstein, and her own role in publishing it in 2020.

SARAH KUTLER Sarah is our first 3G speaker. She is the granddaughter of Beatrice Karp of blessed memory. Beatrice was born in 1932 in Lauterbach, Germany. She was six years old when the Nazis took power. She survived the Gurs and Rivesaltes concentration camps, along with her younger sister. With the encouragement of her late husband Robert Pappenheimer, Bea went on to share her story with thousands of children and adults in order to remember the millions of innocent lives that were murdered, including her parents.

Beatrice died in early March of 2019. She is survived by her four daughters and sons-in-law, Roxanne Pappenheimer (Mark), Jeany Soshnik (Ron), Deborah Pappenheimer (Art), and Nancy Kutler (Howard); seven grandchildren: Danny, Michael,

LESLIE’S

Leah, Rachel, Arielle, Ben and Sarah; three great-grandchildren: George, Audrey and Lilianna; and sister, Susie Phillips.

Beatrice’s youngest grandchild, Sarah Kutler, is a student at the Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, working on her master’s in social work.

She aims to be a counselor for trauma survivors, specifically survivors of sexual assault. While Sarah is learning how to keep her grandmother’s story alive, she takes a social justice perspective on how everyday individuals can engage in introspection, empathy and social justice to ensure that a tragedy like the Holocaust will never happen again.

KIEL MAJEWSKI Kiel Majewski is a public historian and peacebuilding advocate in the field of collective memory. In his career, he has curated exhibits, directed a museum, mentored youth, worked with survivors of genocide and led tours of memorial sites in Europe, Africa and North America. He has also been researching his grandfather's WWII US army unit that liberated the Dora-Mittelbau Concentration Camp in Nordhausen, Germany.

PETER METZELAAR Peter was born in Amsterdam in 1935. In 1942, when Peter was seven, the Nazis seized Peter's entire family except for Peter and his mother. Peter's mother contacted the Dutch Underground for help. The Underground found Klaas and Roefina Post who agreed to shelter Peter and his mother on their small farm in northern Holland, putting their own lives at risk.

For two years they lived with the Posts, until it became too dangerous and they found another hiding place with two women in The Hague. Peter, his mother, and his aunt were the only survivors of his family. Klaas and Roefina Post have been recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.

After the war, Peter and his mother immigrated to the United States in 1949, arriving in New York. Peter was 13 and didn't speak any English, but was placed in the 8th grade. Peter had a long career as a radiology technologist. He and his wife raised two children in California and moved to Seattle in 1997.

Peter continues to be an active member of the Holocaust Center for Humanity's Speakers Bureau.

AGNES SCHWARTZ Agnes is from Budapest, Hungary. Upon occupation by Nazi forces in 1944, she was forced to move into a ghetto. At 10 years old, the family maid (Julia Balazs) took Agnes in as her "niece" who was “fleeing from the Russian army.” During Allied bombings, Agnes was sent underground to hide for months.

Agnes' father was saved by Raoul Wallenberg and hidden in one of his safe houses. Her grandmother, grandfather and aunt were drowned in the Danube. Her mother was deported and perished at Bergen-Belsen. Agnes now lives in Skokie, IL, where she is an active volunteer and speaker at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center.

DANNY SPUNGEN Danny is a collector, businessman, and philanthropist.

When he was 47 years old, Danny’s 3rd-generation family business was sold. In his early retirement, he purchased arguably the world’s largest exhibit of philatelic material about the Holocaust in 2007. He has since donated the majority of the material to the Spungen Family Foundation, of which he is a trustee. Since then, Danny has become a lifelong “student” of the Holocaust. He is a docent at the Illinois Holocaust Museum, a board member of CANDLES Holocaust Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana and an active member of the Association of Holocaust Organizations.

The Week of Understanding is an effort to maximize the opportunity for Nebraskans to hear from Holocaust survivors and liberators while these eye-witnesses are still among us.

The program is made possible by generous support from The Jewish Federation of Omaha, the Institute for Holocaust Education, The Sherwood Foundation, Omaha Public Schools, Wahoo Public Schools, the Tri-Faith Initiative, The Spungen Family Foundation and the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation of the JFO Foundation.

4 | The Jewish Press | March 12, 2021

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Our history: It takes a village GABBY BLAIR Jewish Press Staff Writer As the designated keepers of Omaha’s Jewish history, the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society wishes to thank the members of our community who identified recent photographs held by the archives that were published in the Jewish Press.

“Our work at the NJHS is so important, not just for preserving our past, but also for our future,” explains Kathy Weiner, who has served as the NJHS Office Assistant for the past 20 years. “It is not uncommon for us to be contacted by family members seeking to research their roots in the Omaha and Council Bluffs area and I love helping families in their quest for genealogical information.”

Executive Director, Renee Ratner Corcoran has been with the NJHS for the past 23 years. “I started as a part time person while my daughter- now a grown woman- was still in grade school. When Mary Fellman retired I was asked by the Board of Directors to organize the NJHS and became Executive Director. I think we have done wonderful things for our Jewish community. This includes cataloging the collection, organizing events, publishing journals, newsletters and becoming a repository of this area’s Jewish history for all agencies inside and outside of our community.”

Oftentimes, donations made by individuals or agencies include a few photographs that are unidentified. After combing through items donated, identities can sometimes be extrapolated. Those that cannot, are published in the Jewish Press in the hope the community can help solve the mystery and perhaps add details that would otherwise be lost to time.

“It is important to find and record the information and add it to our files for preservation. Due to space constraints, the NJHS is unable to permanently store unidentified photographs. The mission of the NJHS is to record and collect the history of our Jewish community for future generations and

that is exactly what we are doing by trying to identify the photos. We hate to throw them away without a good search to find out who they are and thus really appreciate community assistance in helping to preserve our history.”

Newly identified photographs that have now found their homes in the NJHS Archives: Feb. 12, 2021 Carolyn “Cari” Cohn & Mark Morros; Jan. 29, 2021 Kevin Finkel and Cristi Weiner Finkel; Jan. 8, 2021 Dr. Steven Bennett; Dec. 25, 2020 Jesica Christensen & Greg Herrick; Nov. 6, 2020 Marty Kaplan; Nov. 13, 2020 Zev Kohll Eisenberg; Nov. 27, 2020 Brenna Robinson; Dec. 11, 2020 Marshall & Shannon Comisar; Dec. 18, 2020 Ann Schneider & Adam Walter; and Jan. 15, 2021 Russell Cohn.

Who Am I? The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society (NJHS) requests help from the community in identifying photographs from the archives. Please contact Kathy Weiner at 402.334.6441 or kweiner@jewish omaha.org if you are able to assist in the effort to preserve Jewish Omaha history.

School day at the J Continued from page 1 While the value of good teachers and schools has always been appreciated, the stability of these institutions to the working family schedule is something that many have perhaps taken a little for granted.

How can parents work outside of the home if their children, especially those younger students, are supposed to be learning from home? How can parents working remotely balance conference calls and deadlines with children who need hands-on guidance navigating the world of Zoom meetings and online work? How can parents maintain their job schedule when their children’s schedule is fragile and ever changing?

Always looking for new ideas to meet the needs and improve the life of its members, the Staenberg Omaha JCC began offering ‘School Day at the J’ - a school alternative program for children K-6 in August 2020.

“This was a very popular and successful program we offered until Omaha Public Schools resumed in-person learning on Feb. 1, 2021,” shares Laura Wine, Staenberg JCC Director of Programming. “We have always offered youth options for school holidays, breaks and snow days, but this was a little different.”

Wine credits JCC J Camp and Youth Programming Director, Amanda Welsh, for the idea, saying that Welsh saw this as an opportunity to serve the community and provide an additional revenue stream for the JCC. “We found that so many in our community who live in districts that were fully remote or on a hybrid schedule had a real need, not just for child care but for supervised schooling of their elementary-aged students.”

Wine explains most families who signed up for ‘School Day at the J’ were members, though some learned about the option through word of mouth and ended up joining the JCC, although membership was not necessary. “We had many parents in the medical field for whom remote work wasn’t an option. Even for those parents working from home, managing work responsibilities with young children in the house all day is not exactly easy.”

The feedback received by the JCC from families who took part in School Day at the J has been overwhelmingly positive and all survey responses indicated they would take advantage of this program again should the need arise. “Many of these families further expressed interest in the idea of a summer tutoring program that would help children catch up or stay on task over the summer that we are considering running in conjunction with camp,” shares Wine.

At its peak, School Day at the J served over 40 K-6 students, mostly from OPS and Westside districts, though the majority of those enrolled were K-4. Families had the option of sending their children 5 or 3 days per week, which was in sync with the fully remote curriculum for OPS students and the hybrid learning schedule of District 66.

Welsh, together with BBYO Director/Assistant Director of J Camp Administration, Jacob Geltzer, and multiple JCC Youth and Camp support staff members worked together to create as safe an environment as possible with masks and dedicated

work spaces complete with desk dividers for students who were broken into smaller cohorts in order to maintain social distancing guidelines. The staff was joined by longtime JCC members Amanda Gilmore, a retired OPS elementary teacher (Columbian School 1st grade) and Kim Johansen, a retired Millard Specialist (Grace Abbott) who could assist children with curriculum questions and challenges.

“I have known both of these ladies for a long time,” explains Wine. “Mrs. Gilmore from her days as a Kindergarten teacher at Columbian, when we had a half-day kindergarten program, and Mrs. Johansen who was my neighbor and worked with my own children at Grace Abbott Elementary in Millard. Both of these teachers are wonderful and were amazing with the children in the program.”

School Day at The J helped to bring structured learning back into the lives of children, all of whom had not attended school since the abrupt closing in March of 2020. The school day ran from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily and began with each cohort attending their own morning meetings and enrichment/activities stations. Each student would then log onto their school devices for their individual district and complete class curriculum and Zoom sessions. Staff dedicated to each group were on hand to help with any issues that might arise technologically or with questions/needs the children had.

“Most Zoom classes were over by lunch time, so the afternoon was spent off screens as much as possible. Study hall time was provided to ensure homework assignments were completed and we filled the rest of the time with science and art projects and visits to the gym or pool. We tried to use as much of our campus space, indoor and out, as possible for each cohort.” Wine continues. “Jacob Geltzer also offered an in-house designed curriculum in social studies and Judaics.

We worked very hard to mimic a school day structure and provide an and enriching day; the children really seemed to enjoy it. Knowing that we were able to provide a safe and useful solution to a challenge facing many of our community’s families was very gratifying, and now that we have a solid working model we are ready to again serve our families if the time comes.”

Mike Siegel Continued from page 2 One more thing we need to know about Mike Siegel: he is a huge summer camp person.

“I have known my camp friends for over 40 years and enjoy spending time with them. In my opinion, sending your child to an overnight camp is one of the best things you can do. The relationships that you develop with your camp friends create a unique bond. I may not see them as often as I would like, but we have the best time when we get together. My camp friends continue to be amazed by the generous spirit of Jewish Omaha.”

The Jewish Press | January 1, 2021 | 5

The Kaplan Book Group has had so much Mazel with Zoom meetings SHIRLY BANNER Library Specialist On March 18 the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group continues the year with Rebecca Goldstein’s book Mazel. Mazel is the Yiddish word for luck and given all that happened during the past year, one can only hope some mazel is due to happen for us all. The novel spans the lives of three generations of Saunders women - Sasha, Chloe and Phoebe.

Matriarch Sasha Saunders, whose father was a rabbi in their small shtetl in Poland, abandons her religious ways and becomes a renowned actress in the budding Yiddish Theaters of Warsaw and New York. As children, Sasha and her older sister Fraydel have a very close relationship. Fraydel, is both intelligent and creative, but her demeanor does not fit well into the religious atmosphere in the family’s home. After she commits suicide rather than go through with an arranged marriage, the family leaves the shtetl and moves to Warsaw. It is in Warsaw that Sasha spreads her wings and distances herself from her religious ways, her family, and becomes involved in the Yiddish theaters working her way up in their ranks to stardom.

Sasha’s daughter Chloe is a Columbia Uni-

versity professor of Classical Greek Mythology who sees any kind of Jewish religion and ideology as irrelevant to her. Chloe’s independent lifestyle is quite obvious when she decides she wants to have a child but have no relationship with the father. She becomes pregnant from an affair with a visiting professor and gives birth to her daughter, Phoebe.

Phoebe, who knows very little about her biological father is raised by both her mother and grandmother. Even as a child Phoebe is fascinated by soap bubbles and the patterns they make so it is to no one’s surprise that she becomes a professor of mathematics. What does surprise her family is Phoebe’s return to her grandmother’s long-dismissed Orthodox Judaism as she becomes a baal teshuva (also known as B.T. or someone who returns to their religious Jewish roots). When Phoebe and her husband move to Lipton, New Jersey, a small Orthodox Jewish bedroom community, Sasha becomes very vocally displeased and likens it to the town to the shtetl her family left years ago in Poland.

Goldstein’s novel begins in the present day in Lipton, New Jersey. Sasha is visiting Phoebe who is about to give birth to a child See Kaplan Book Group page 6

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Psychiatric emergencies It is unimaginable: someone you know has threatened to take their life. Statements of suicidal intent should always be taken seriously. So, what do you do? 911 can be called 24 hours a day. EMS personnel are trained M’LEE to deal with these situ- HASSLINGER, ations and 911 would LCSW be the first call in a Social Workermedical emergency. Emergency Department The goal is to get this person to a safe place, by taking them to a hospital. No matter what the age of the person, someone needs to act.

Every hospital emergency department (ED) in the city has a process in place to assess the safety of people in these situations. It is making sure a person is safe, wherever they live. If they are found to be a danger to themselves or others, the hospital will take steps to better assure their security. Psychiatric hospitals, in every city, exist for these very purposes: Safety. Stabilization. Treatment. Aftercare.

Let’s take a closer look at this process.

Someone comes into the ED with the police, for example, after they have tried to harm themselves in some way, or made a credible threat. Some people come in who are homeless, intoxicated, having used drugs, having been abused. They can be family, a neighbor,

a co-worker. They can be anyone. Whatever the situation, the behavioral health staff for the ED comes to assess this person. Part of this interview includes evaluating thoughts of self-harm, suicide and/or harming another person. When necessary, legal means are used to assure a person gets to a safe, therapeutic environment for psychiatric care.

When hospitalization is needed, this person is then seen by a psychiatrist, attends group therapy and interacts with other patients, who are also there for care. The treatment team will work together with the patient regarding possible medications, out-patient therapy and other options, in an effort to work more in-depth on issues needing attention. Aftercare options might include: day hospitalization, therapists in private practice, therapy with an employer’s EAP (employee assistance program), or therapy at the United Way agencies, which have sliding fee scale options. The new facility for psychiatric emergencies at Nebraska Medicine, expected this fall, will also be a valuable resource for these patients. No matter what care is recommended, follow-up is key to long-term recovery and support.

The Mental Health Series is presented by The Jewish Press and the Jennifer Beth Kay Memorial Fund.

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MOTHER’S DAY

2021 HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS AND PARENTS

We will be publishing our annual High School Graduation Class pages on May 21, 2021. 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 3, 2021.

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DON’T MISS

Rosh Chodesh On Sunday, March 14 at 12:30 p.m., Partnership2Gether presents a Women’s Rosh Chodesh gathering, connecting 19 Partnership communities. It will be a celebration of International Women’s Day and will include a Rosh Chodesh ceremony, a chance to meet a local Western Galilee entrepreneur and participate in a Learn2Gether session.

Partnership2Gether is an extraordinary global platform connecting some 550 communities around the world in 47 partnerships and is a program of the Jewish Agency and the Jewish Federations of North America. Our partnership promotes personal relationships between the Central Area Consortium (12 U.S. Jewish com-

munities) and Israel’s Western Galilee (Akko and Matte Asher) and Budapest through cultural, educational, social, medical and economic programs. This is a program of the Jewish Agency and the Jewish Federations of North America.

Partnership2Gether (P2G) builds living bridges among our communities by sharing ideas, strengths, challenges and models of success and empowering ALL communities to generate waves of change. The impact of these programs go far beyond the community level—each of us has the opportunity to become directly and personally involved.

For more information, please contact jskogburke@jewishomaha.org.

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YOUR GRADUATE The annual Graduation Issue will publish this year on May 21, 2021. Senior photos will run in that issue and we know you’ll want to highlight the achievements of your high school graduate! Congratulatory ads are available in two sizes.

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Virtual cooking with Michael Solomonov Looking for a way to get in the Passover mood? Tuesday, March 16 at 7 p.m., chef Michael Solomonov, creator of Zahav with Steven Cook, will demonstrate how to prepare a special Passover meal.

Join us and learn how to make a common Sephardic Passover entrée called Mina, or pie. The Mina will be made with matzo, ground beef, cardamom, coffee and topped with Charoset. A simple red pepper salad packed with flavor will be the side to this delicious meal.

This event is free and open to the community, but registration is required. To register, please visit www. jewishomaha.org. Once there, you Michael Solomonov can also download the recipes for both the Mina and the red pepper salad, so you can be prepared for what’s coming!

Kaplan Book Group Continued from page 5 of her own and a few years prior to an engagement party in Lipton thrown by Phoebe’s future in-laws who also live in Lipton. It is from there that the novel travels back in time several generations to tell the story of Sasha’s grandparents and parents and continues progressing until we are back up to present time. Along the way, the reader is slowly exposed to who these three women are and the relationships and influences that previous generations have had upon them. As much as we might not want to admit, every person is a product of the generations that have preceded him.

The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion

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group meets virtually via ZOOM 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@jew ishomaha.org.

Mazal Tov, Aaron!

We are so proud of your achievements – membership in NHS, varsity letter in tennis and a Merit Award from the Band.

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We are so proud of your achievements – membership in NHS, varsity letter in tennis and a Merit Award from B.E.S.T.T.

Love, Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters and grandparents

The Jewish Press | March 12, 2021 | 7

Above: Thanks to Roselyn and Peter Mannon from Beth El for donating 20 Hamantashen Boxes (240 cookies) to be enjoyed by the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Residents! Chag Purim sameach! Pictured are Robby Erlich, Engagement Coordinator for Beth El and Shelly Fox, Director of Admissions & Community Outreach.

Above: RBJH Residents and staff want to thank the community for the outpouring of Purim attention to Residents with goodie bags, Purim boxes, homemade hamantaschen, and Purim cards from the preschoolers. Thank you, L.O.V.E., Beth El, Chabad, Temple Israel, and The Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center for thinking of us.

Above and below: The 2021 RBJH Purim Party King and Queen are Helen Sweet and Alexander Gutis. Note: The royal couple accommodated the paparazzi for quick pics without masks so the kingdom can identify the magnificent couple.

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.

Above and below: Omaha BBYO teens celebrated Purim by holding their annual Hamantaschen Bake-off Program.

Above and below: More Purim highlights from RBJH.

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8 | The Jewish Press | March 12, 2021

Voices The Jewish Press (Founded in 1920) Abby Kutler 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 Abby Kutler, President; Eric Dunning, Ex-Officio; Danni Christensen, David Finkelstein, Candice Friedman, Bracha Goldsweig, Margie Gutnik, Natasha Kraft, Chuck Lucoff, Eric Shapiro, Andy Shefsky, Shoshy Susman and Amy Tipp.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Seed of the serpent?

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor At Ferris State University a few weeks ago, a public research school in Big Rapids, Michigan, a professor was fired for using anti-Semitic, racist, homophobic and other inflammatory language on social media.

“Thomas Brennan, a physical sciences professor, had tweeted about a “Jewish mafia” and called the COVID-19 pandemic a “Jewish revolution,” according to an article last fall in the university’s newspaper and further reported on by USA Today, the Detroit Free Press and other outlets,” Gabe Friedman wrote.

Brennan also referred to prominent Black physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson by using the ‘N-’word.

“My defense is that I was acting out and speaking out of despair caused by a personal crisis involving extremely painful migraines, emf sensitivity and a series of repeated break-ins into my home,” Brennan tweeted in response. I won’t dignify that excuse, and neither should the college.

Meanwhile, CPAC canceled the appearance of speaker Young Pharaoh who has made several derogatory comments about Jews on social media.

The speaker in question called Judaism a “complete lie,” referred to “thieving Jews” and said Israeli Jews commit pedophilia online.

We can talk all day about ‘cancel culture,’ and whether it’s helpful or hurtful, but it still seems getting fired for expressing racist, anti-Semitic, or otherwise intolerant views is not unexpected. They kind of had it coming, no? All the more surprising

that Fritz Berggren (at the moment of this writing) you off in traffic, your insurance agent, you name it. still has his job--at the U.S. State Department, no Add to that list someone who has worked at the less.

State Department for 12 years. Even more worriOn Feb. 26, the news broke that Berggren had some is the fact that Berggren didn’t think anything been “moonlighting as a blogger devoted to attack- of it to espouse his views publicly. What was it that ing Jews and promoting white Christian national- I wrote about the armband? Blogging your anti-Seism,” according to Asaf Shalev (JTA.com).

Here’s some of what Berggren wrote: “Jesus Christ came to save the whole world from the Jews — the founders of the original Anti-Christ religion, they who are the seed of the Serpent, that brood of vipers,” Berggren wrote in an Oct. 4, 2020, post on his website titled “Jews are Not God’s Chosen People.

Judeo-Christian is Anti-Christ. Jewish ideas poison people.”

According to Shalev, Politico also reported that “Berggren works for a State Department unit that handles Fritz Berggren appears in a holiday video shared by the U.S. special immigrant visas for Afghans. Department of Defense in 2018. Credit: Department of Defense He has been identified as a Foreign Service worker mitic views, out in the open, for anyone to see, is since 2009.” not exactly hiding in the shadows. This is not seWe always wonder: we know anti-Semites are out cretive, backroom, dark-web stuff. This is being there, but who are they? Until it becomes fashion- open and proud of your hateful views. That’s asable to wear a swastika armband, it is a troublesome suming people will read your words and agree with conclusion that there are people who look just like them. That’s not being afraid of the backlash, you or me who have these kinds of views. The idea maybe not even anticipating the backlash. that it could be the cashier at your favorite superHe calls us ‘the seed of the serpent.’ It seems the market, your hairdresser, your dentist, is chilling. It only serpent in the story is him. The faster the State could be the person at the DMV who took that awful Department gets rid of him, the better it will be for photo for your driver’s license or the one who cut all of us. And maybe, we can stop treating ‘cancel

Here’s a (Jewish) way to redirect your pandemic despair into purposeful living ALAN KADISH AND MICHAEL SHMIDMAN This last year of pandemic living has not been easy. Over 500,000 Americans have died, including countless members of our own Jewish communities, and a return to normalcy still feels distant.

In these difficult times, we would like to propose an alternative to despair and suggest a path forward that offers not just hope for the distant future, but strength and a sense of purpose for today and tomorrow.

This plague is hardly the first time we have been challenged as a people. Consider this story from the period of expulsions of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula between 1492 and 1497. Rabbi Abraham Saba, a scholar and preacher who lived in Spain’s Castilian region, was among those forced to leave his lifelong home. He fled on foot to neighboring Portugal, where he continued writing his rabbinic and biblical commentaries.

But several years later Portugal’s Jews were subject to an expulsion decree. Saba again attempted to flee. Nearing Lisbon, he became aware of the decree issued against possession of Hebrew books.

Saba buried his trove of manuscripts, but he was thrown into prison and never recovered them.

Eventually Saba escaped to Morocco, where after struggling with an illness he resumed his life’s work, rewriting his lost manuscripts from memory. His commentaries on the Pentateuch and the books of Ruth and Esther are still studied today, five centuries later. Determination and dedication had defeated disruption and despair.

Saba’s dogged persistence in studying and writing despite the obstacles he faced was remarkable.

But in the annals of Jewish history, it was not extraordinary. Jewish history is filled with figures, from Maimonides to Albert Einstein, who achieved outstanding levels of intellectual accomplishment despite challenging circumstances, from plagues and expulsions to pogroms and Nazi persecution.

The challenge of our current period is different, but trying in its own ways. We are isolated from other people, stalked by an invisible threat that has sapped our energy and many of the joys of daily life.

We struggle to find purpose and motivation.

This is where the Jewish intellectual tradition can serve as an invaluable guide. For centuries, Jews have clung to a few basic principles that have helped us lead purposeful lives even in times of political, social and economic distress.

This tradition of learning and achievement initially was derived from Torah study, but it has become more universal. Transmitted overtly or inadvertently by a system of education and by a cultural milieu, it has been effective at fostering achievement and offers guidance to Jews and non-Jews alike.

When life sometimes can seem like one long slog, the Jewish intellectual tradition offers an alternative that can bring with it happiness and a sense of accomplishment. Credit: PaulCalbar/Getty

Especially these days, when life sometimes can seem like one long slog — each day bleeding into the other, with real life replaced by a simulacrum of screens and social media and endless binge-watching that somehow never seems to satisfy; the Jewish intellectual tradition offers an alternative that can bring with it happiness and a sense of accomplishment.

In our study of some 3,000 years of Jewish history, we have discerned a few guiding principles, which we outline in our new book, The Jewish Intellectual Tradition: A History of Learning and Achievement.

These principles include respect for tradition combined with creativity and innovation; the primacy of education for young and old; logic and intellectual honesty in pursuit of truth; and living a purposeful life.

We extracted from these principles specific recommendations for the circumstances of our age.

Surround yourself with the written word. Reading is enriching like no other medium. Just because

you’re no longer in school doesn’t mean you should stop learning. Self-development through learning should be a lifelong pursuit.

Set goals for yourself and don’t be distracted from your determination to accomplish those goals, whether it’s learning something new, mastering a particular skill, creating something in the woodshop or at the writing table, helping your children achieve their goals, or tackling Shakespeare, the Talmud or quantum physics. Assume that impediments, major or minor, will crop up along the way. Push through.

Find a mentor who can help you toward your goal. Seek out experts as your companions, whether online, in person or in books. One silver lining of the pandemic has been the unprecedented access to learning opportunities. It’s possible to log onto Zoom classes happening anywhere around the world, to find a study partner through any one of a number of matching services, to connect remotely to Jewish events and services.

Bring your family along for the ride. Talk to them about your goals and why they’re important.

Your children will pick up the values you exemplify.

Don’t just leave their education to school. Show them what’s important in life by modeling that behavior.

Learn collaboratively. Find peers who share your goals with whom you can consult, partner and even argue. This is the classic Jewish mode of “chavruta” learning: one-on-one study and argumentation with a friend. Studies have shown that cooperative learning not only advances educational achievement but promotes self-esteem, healthy relationships and more positive attitudes toward learning.

And don’t be afraid of argument or intellectual challenges, so long as your argumentation is conducted in good faith, with respect and in pursuit of truth. Judaism embraces analytical and even disruptive thinking.

The unique feature of Jewish intellectual achievement is that it continues even at times of great challenge. That’s because striving for a higher purpose actually helps us overcome day-to-day stresses rather than adding to them. Our salvation See Pandemic dispair page 9

The Jewish Press | March 12, 2021 | 9

The Jewish muscleman who likely inspired the creators of Superman TZVI SINENSKY JTA With Superman and Lois, the newest TV series involving the character, premiering last week on the CW network, it’s a good time to recall that Superman was the 1938 brainchild of Jewish creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Many have suggested that the pair were inspired by their own Jewish backgrounds to create Superman as the paradigm of a hero who defended vulnerable populations from their enemies.

But there is reason to suspect that a more specific encounter may have inspired them to craft the Superman persona.

The years 1923 and 1924 saw a phenomenon in the United States: tours by Siegmund Breitbart, known as “The Jewish Superman,” across North America. Breitbart performed in Cleveland and Toronto, Siegel and Schuster’s respective hometowns.

While it is nearly impossible to prove — there are no records of Siegel or Shuster mentioning Breitbart — there is reason to surmise that the strongman may have served as something of an inspiration. He wore a cape and was advertised as capable of stopping speeding locomotives.

Who was this man Breitbart, lauded during his lifetime as the strongest man in the world, The Iron King, Jewish Hercules and a modern-day Samson?

Siegmund “Zishe” Breitbart was born to a family of locksmiths in Lodz (now Poland, then Russia) in 1893. In his autobiography, he reports that his family discovered his unusual strength when, at age three, he extricated himself from beneath an iron bar that had fallen on him in his father’s store.

By four he was casting iron in his family shop.

His early years were difficult. Expelled from a number of religious schools for using force against fellow students, Breitbart was captured by the Germans while serving in the Russian army during World War I. After the war he remained in Germany, subsisting on the money he earned by performing feats of strength at local markets.

It was at one such 1919 performance that the German Circus Busch, famed for featuring Harry Houdini and other top performers, spotted Breitbart and brought him on board to perform its opening act.

Breitbart’s strongman routine, which had him dressed in hypermasculine costumes such as a Roman centurion, skyrocketed in popularity, and he quickly was moved from sideshow to main event. Notwithstanding the fast-rising tide of antiSemitism in Germany and Austria, Breitbart, who often wore the Star of David while entering the circus ring, achieved a mass Jewish and non-Jewish following in Berlin, Vienna, Prague and Warsaw.

Breitbart’s act was based on his early experience working with iron. He bent rods into horseshoes, bit through chains

and pounded nails into boards with his fist. He could draw chariots with his teeth. And his image undercut racial stereotypes about Jews. As musclemen were seen as representing the proud, strong German male throughout the opening decades of the 20th century, Breitbart was in effect also embodying quintessential images of German masculinity.

As Breitbart’s legend grew, he increasingly became the talk of each town in which he performed. One reporter noted that “Not only do gymnasia students and high school girls talk about him; even first graders know how strong Breitbart is.”

Siegmund Breitbart, who could pull heavy weights with his teeth, was considered one of the strongest men in the world.

Credit: U.S. Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons

A tavern proprietor complained, “My tables are studded with holes because my customers test their strength by hammering nails into them with their open hands. All Viennese women are in love with this new Samson. Racial hatred, pride or prudishness — all of it is useless here.”

Capitalizing on his popularity in Europe, Breitbart spent much of 1923 touring the United States. Ultimately the Breitbart craze resulted in product endorsements, a starring role in the 1923 film The Iron King and a Breitbart physical health correspondence course in which subscribers received guides detailing Breitbart’s muscle-building and nutritional eating routines.

Breitbart’s career came to an abrupt end in 1925 when a stage accident involving a rusty nail led to a fatal case of blood poisoning. He was buried in Berlin.

Unfortunately, the Nazi destruction of Polish Jewry largely extinguished the rich oral legends that perpetuated Breitbart’s memory. But his legend has not fully disappeared. A 2001 movie, Invincible, featured a fictional account of his life. A children’s book titled Zishe the Strongman appeared in 2010.

What do we make of this seeming paradox: a Jewish superhero who at a time of rising anti-Semitism, and during an era when Jewish men were derided as sissies, became a folk hero

of able-bodied masculinity?

Some saw Breitbart as a sort of vindication of the then-German and Austrian embrace of male bravado. In this view, that he was also Jewish rendered him something of a freak to the average German, making him all the more compelling as entertainment on the vaudeville circuit.

Others saw Breitbart as a model for the new Zionist Muscular Judaism. A popular Yiddish saying went, “If a thousand Breitbarts were to arise among the Jews, the Jewish people would cease being persecuted.” Breitbart himself was a proud Jew and often performed while flanked by the Zionist flag. He refused to return to a Warsaw restaurant that declined to play Hatikvah to greet him. He supported Zeev Jabotinsky’s idea of a Jewish army. Legend has it that Jabotinsky and Breitbart hatched a plan in which Breitbart would become the general of a one-day Jewish army in Palestine.

But neither of these fully captures the story of Breitbart, who was more than just a proud Jewish strongman. He highly esteemed rabbis and Jewish intellectuals, and according to one report, he amassed a substantial personal library that contained 2,000 books on Roman history. He performed for a group of Yiddish thinkers and wrote a personal letter of support on their behalf. He met and performed personally on behalf of the Radzhiner Hasidic rebbe and donated 30 pounds of Passover flour to the rebbe’s followers following the meeting.

Even more remarkable, “Zishe” (literally sweet) was eulogized by numerous individuals as exceptionally sweet, highly emotional and filled with “edelkeit” (Yiddish for a sweet, caring person). One reporter who met with Breitbart expected a tough guy. Instead, he subsequently characterized The Iron King as “the embodiment of edelkeit.”

Similarly, the chief rabbi of the Orthodox Jewish Community (Adass Yisroel) in Berlin, Dr. Esra Monk, saw Breitbart as a “modern Samson the hero” who also possessed a tender demeanor.

“It is greatly symbolic,” Monk declared in his 1925 eulogy, “that for a man who broke chains, it was enough for one person’s good word to render his heart soft as butter.”

Like Clark Kent, Breitbart’s persona was far richer and more well-rounded than his stage persona allowed. He was a mixture of elements — brains, brawn, a gentle nature and fierce Jewish pride. And he’s still inspiring nearly 100 years after his untimely death.

Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky serves as Rosh Yeshiva of the Gur Aryeh program at Main Line Classical Academy, director of the Lamm Heritage Archives and editor of The Lehrhaus.

He is writing a dissertation on rabbinics and masculinity.

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.

Israel’s ‘vaccine diplomacy’ is a scandal, not Michael Che’s SNL joke meeting the needs of those they occupy.

ADI ADAMIT-GORSTEIN Under international law, as an occupying power Israel is JTA Michael Che of Saturday Night Live made a joke last week fully obligated in “ensuring and maintaining... the medical and during the show’s Weekend Update segment saying that “Israel hospital establishments and services, public health and hyis reporting that they’ve vaccinated half of their population, giene in the occupied territory,” especially regarding “preventive measures necessary to combat the spread of contagious and I’m gonna guess it’s the Jewish half.” diseases and epidemics.” This The joke struck a nerve includes supplying vaccinaamong some Jews, who rushed tions to the Palestinians living to condemn the satirical show in the West Bank. for anti-Semitism and deIsrael doesn’t seem to find manded that Che and SNL this obligation on the top of its apologize for using “dangerous” priority list. Although it has and “anti-Semitic” tropes successfully managed to vacciagainst Israel, according to a nate nearly half of its populapetition released by the Amerition, it has only passed a few can Jewish Committee. Others, thousand vaccine doses to the like the Anti-Defamation Palestinian Authority.

League and the pro-Israel Despite those facts, organizagroup StandWithUs, released their own dismayed statements Health workers carry a box of 5,000 doses of COVID vaccine tions like AJC not only deor shared AJC’s petition on their donated by Israel arriving at the Air Force base in Guatemala manded an SNL apology but platforms. Some liberal Jewish City, Feb. 25, 2021. Credit: Johan Ordonez/AFP via Getty Images decided to start a campaign and mobilize its supporters around groups, on the other hand, celebrated the joke for pointing out the issue by spreading a petition on social media, calling on NBC Israel’s systematic discrimination against the Palestinians.

According to the AJC statement, the joke is anti-Semitic and to “retract its outrageous claim” and apologize immediately.

It is truly a mystery why these organizations choose to focus false, since “every Israeli, regardless of religion or ethnicity, is eligible for the COVID vaccine, and more than two-thirds of their attention on a comedian who has nothing to do with the Israel’s Arab citizens over 60 have already been vaccinated.” very real and very deadly epidemic of anti-Semitism unfolding The problem with this statement is that it erases the Pales- in the United States.

It is not anti-Semitic to note that Jewish settlers living in the tinians under Israel’s occupying control in the West Bank — West Bank are full and equal citizens of Israel, while Palestiniand misses the actual vaccine scandal unfolding.

Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza may not be ans living there are deprived of basic rights; it is the plain truth.

Instead of issuing disingenuous statements against TV coIsraeli citizens, but they certainly qualify as part of the population under Israel’s control. Instead of working to distribute medians, organizations like AJC should use their full power to vaccines to these noncitizens living in the West Bank and combat deadly anti-Semitism, and call on Israel to fulfill its Gaza, which the Fourth Geneva Conventions legally obligates legal and moral obligation to vaccinate everyone living under Israel to do, Israel has been caught engaging in “vaccine diplo- their control.

Adi Adamit-Gorstein is a graduate student in the dual macy,” promising doses to far-off foreign governments before

degree of MPA Nonprofit Management and MA in Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University. She started her professional career as a journalist in Israel and later worked as a public relations strategist focusing on communication strategies for NGOs and political candidates.

She is currently interning with the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs in New York City.

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.

Pandemic despair Continued from page 8 won’t come from mindless activities but from determined pursuit of our goals.

A life lived daily with a sense of purpose, with the firm belief that your actions and the values you exemplify and transmit make a difference, can ennoble and elevate you and those around you.

It is this persistence that has made the Jewish contribution to the world so significant, in fields from science and law to philosophy and social justice. Now, particularly when times are tough, our role in helping improve society must not be neglected. Whatever the circumstances, we can proudly uphold that tradition.

Dr. Alan Kadish is the president of the Touro College and University System. Dr. Michael Shmidman is the dean of Touro’s Graduate School of Jewish Studies.

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.

This story was sponsored by the Touro College and University System, which supports Jewish continuity and community while serving a diverse population of over 19,000 students across 30 schools. This article was produced by JTA’s native content team.

Synagogues

10 | The Jewish Press | March 12, 2021

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

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 via Zoom on Friday, March 12, 7:30 p.m. for evening services with guest speaker, Gary Nachman.

Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

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

Handicap Accessible.

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

VIRTUAL MINYAN SCHEDULE: Mornings on Sundays, 9 a.m. and Mondays and Thursdays, 8 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services — Refugee Shabbat, 10 a.m.; Guest speaker Stacy Martin, President & CEO Lutheran Family Services, 11:15 a.m. following services; Havdalah, 7:05 p.m.; “A Home Called Nebraska” Film and Panel Discussion, 7:45 p.m.

SUNDAY: Torah Study, 10 a.m.; BESTT (Grades K7), 10:30 a.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 12:15 p.m.; Torah Tots (Ages 3-5), 4 p.m.

MONDAY: Kosher Food Orders Due; Passover Seder to Go Orders Due; Book of Ruth with Rabbi Abraham and Pastor Johnson, 6:30 p.m.; Jewish Law with Rabbi Abraham, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY: Biblical Literacy with Rabbi Abraham, 11:30 a.m.; Virtual Office Hours with Eadie and Amy, 4 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Coffee & Conversation with Rabbi Abraham, 2 p.m.; BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:30 p.m.; Beit Midrash — The Promised Land?, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY: Virtual Office Hours with Eadie and Amy, 4 p.m.; Pearls of Jewish Prayer with Hazzan Krausman, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY-March 19: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY-March 20: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m.; Bioethics During A Pandemic with Rabbi Gary Gerson and Dr. Carol Gerson, 11:15 a.m. following services; Havdalah, 8:10 p.m.

Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and Zoom 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 Sukkah, weather permitting. Physical distancing and masks required.

FRIDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Candlelighting, 6:10 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Kids Class, 5:50 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 6:10 p.m.; Havdalah, 7:10 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Jewish Law in Depth, 9:45 a.m. with Rabbi Moshe; Daf Yomi with Rabbi Yoni — 30 mins prior to Mincha; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:10 p.m.

MONDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf

Yomi with Rabbi Yoni — 30 mins prior to Mincha; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:10 p.m.

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi with Rabbi Yoni — 30 mins prior to Mincha; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:10 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi with Rabbi Yoni — 30 mins prior to Mincha; Board of Directors Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

(Zoom); Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:10 p.m.

THURSDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 am.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Character Development, 9:30 am. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi with Rabbi Yoni — 30 mins prior to Mincha; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:10 p.m.

FRIDAY-March 19: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Candlelighting, 7:17 p.m.

SATURDAY-March 20: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Kids Class, 6:50 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha, 7:20 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:19 p.m.

Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.

CHABAD HOUSE Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Due to Coronavirus, all services and classes have moved online. For schedules and more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.org or call the office at 402.330.1800.

FRIDAY: Minyan, 7 a.m.; Lechayim, 4 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Candlelighting, 6:09 p.m.

SATURDAY: Minyan, 10 a.m.; Shabbat Ends, 7:09 p.m.

SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.

MONDAY: Minyan, 7 a.m.; Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani Katzman; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Professor David Cohen.

TUESDAY: Minyan, 7 a.m.; Virtual Pirkei Avot Women’s Class, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Minyan, 7 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Professor David Cohen; Introduction to Hebrew Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Professor David Cohen.

THURSDAY: Minyan, 7 a.m.; Advanced Hebrew Class, 11 a.m. with Professor David Cohen; Talmud Study, noon with Rabbi Katzman; Fun with Yiddish, 1 p.m. with Shani Katzman.

FRIDAY-March 19: Minyan, 7 a.m.; Lechayim, 4 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Candlelighting, 7:17 p.m.

SATURDAY-March 20: Minyan, 10 a.m.; Shabbat Ends, 8:17 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL Virtual services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch.

FRIDAY: Candlelighting, 6:12 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex, Leslie

Delserone & Peter Mullin, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. led by Rabbi Felch via Zoom; Torah Study on Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei, 11:30 a.m. via Zoom; Havdalah (72 minutes), 7:12 p.m.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan-Gesher, 10 a.m. via Zoom; Adult Ed: Intro to Judaism Class, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex via Zoom.

MONDAY: Makers of Jewish Things, 7 p.m. via Zoom.

TUESDAY: Synagogue Staff Meeting, 10 a.m.; Tea & Coffee with Pals, 1:30 p.m. via Zoom; Adult Ed: Jewish Prayer with Rabbi Alex, 7 p.m. via Zoom.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 4 p.m. via Zoom..

FRIDAY-March 19: Candlelighting, 7:20 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex, Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

SATURDAY-March 20: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. led by Rabbi Felch via Zoom; Torah Study on Parashat Vayikra, 11:30 a.m. via Zoom; Havdalah (72 minutes), 8:20 p.m.

Passover: Community Second Seder, Sunday, March 28 at 6:30 p.m. Rabbi Alex will lead a virtual Seder for our community on the second night of Passover, complete with wine, questions, and plenty o'plagues.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE All services canceled until further notice.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home is currently closed to visitors.

TEMPLE ISRAEL

Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Brian Stoller, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin and Cantor Joanna Alexander.

DAILY VIRTUAL MINYAN: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.

Join us via Zoom.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Service — Racial Justice Sermon Series: “Racial Justice and the End of Exodus” with Kelly Whitehead, 6 p.m. Join us via Zoom.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. Join us via Zoom.

SUNDAY: 2nd Sunday Breakfast Service—Stephen Center, 8:30 a.m.; Youth Learning Programs, 10 a.m.; Grade 6 Trope, 11 a.m.

MONDAY: Jewish Law & the Quest for Meaning, 11 a.m. Join us via Zoom.

TUESDAY: Radical Justice Lunch and Learn: Undefine the Redline, noon; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Mindful Meditation with Margot, 9 a.m. Join us via Zoom; Youth Learning Programs: Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6-8 p.m.; Community Beit Midrash: The Promised Land? Jewish Pluralism & Power in the State of Israel, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Discussion, 9:30 a.m. with Moshe Nachman. Join us via Zoom.

FRIDAY-March 19: Tot Shabbat, 5:30 p.m. Join us via Zoom; Shabbat Service — Racial Justice Sermon Series: “The Power of Reflection and Repair” with Evan Taylor, 6 p.m. Join us via Zoom.

SATURDAY-March 20: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. Join us via Zoom.

Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.

Yeshiva University men’s basketball is on a winning streak ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL JTA Yeshiva University’s men’s basketball team is riding a 35-game winning streak, picking up from last season when the Maccabees reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA’s Division III national tournament before the pandemic shut down the rest of the event.

The unbeaten streak is the third longest in Division III men’s basketball history, and the longest among all current NCAA Division I, II and III teams. Y.U., the Modern Orthodox flagship university in Manhattan, has started the 2020-21 season at 6-0 and is ranked No. 4 in the D3hoops.com Men’s National Poll.

The Maccabees, the defending Skyline Conference champion, haven’t lost since the opening game of the previous campaign.

D3hoops.com also named senior forward Gabriel Leifer of Lawrence, New York, to its Team of the

Week last week. Leifer, a returning fourth team AllAmerican, is just the fourth men’s basketball player, and seventh overall, in the 24-year history of D3hoops.com to be named to its Team of the Week in four separate seasons, according to Y.U. For all its promise, the team will be denied the chance for a tournament title for the second season in a row: Due to low participation numbers Coach Elliot Steinmetz instructs his Yeshiva University men's basketball team among member schools, during its historic 2019-20 season. Credit: Y.U. Athletics NCAA Division III winter championships are can- celed for the 2020-21 academic year.

Life cycles BIRTH SCARLETT ALEXANDRA QUEHL Kelly Broder and her fiancé, Colonel Eric Quehl, of Alexandria, VA, announce the Feb. 21, 2021, birth of their daughter, Scarlett Alexandra.

Scarlett is named after Kelly’s maternal great-grandmother, Sara Krasne, and her middle name, Alexandra, is named after Eric’s maternal grandmother, Angela Donkers.

Grandparents are Anne and Bruce Shackman, Barry Broder and Gloria Melman of Highland Beach, FL., and David and Theresa Quehl of Farmington, MN. Great-grandparents are the late Thama Lee and Willard Friedman, the late Bess and Max Broder, the late Angela and Martin Donkers, and the late Dena and Herbert Quehl.

See full digital issues https://issuu.com/jewishpress7

LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY A word of sincere thanks Recently, a family inquired regarding the request for a Jewish clergy member to officiate at their loved one’s funeral.

This individual and their family had never been involved in the Omaha Jewish community, nor had they ever been members of a local synagogue. They were not planning a traditional Jewish funeral ...but their loved one was born Jewish and had expressed the desire for a Rabbi (or Jewish clergy member) at the time of need. They were unfamiliar with the Community, but knew that it was important to their parent to have their Jewish heritage respected at the memorial service.

I reached out to our local synagogues and would like to thank Rabbi Ari Dembitzer of Beth Israel synagogue for making himself available to this family. When asked, he immediately replied with “it would be an honor” and made the effort to adjust his schedule and prioritize their needs.

This family was very grateful... as am I. Shelly Fox, Director Community Outreach, Jewish Senior Outreach at RBJH

Brooklyn Orthodox patrol founder arrested

ber of Orthodox patrol groups with close ties to local police, SHIRA HANAU during the period when he was alleged to have been abusing JTA A founder of a Jewish patrol group in Brooklyn is facing fed- the victim. eral sexual misconduct charges stemming from a 2017 case The Shomrim patrols have come under greater scrutiny in in which he was charged recent years following inwith the statutory rape of a stances in which members 15-year-old girl. have admitted to assaulting Jacob Daskal, 62, was ara Black man in a Hasidic rested and charged March 4 neighborhood, attempting with inciting a minor to ento bribe the police and gage in illicit sexual activity waiting to call law enforceand transporting a minor ment after a Hasidic boy for the purposes of engagwas abducted in 2011. ing in sexual activity.

Critics have also noted The charges brought by their close ties to law enthe U.S. Attorney’s Office forcement and consistent were related to the same funding from local officials, victim, according to the leading to claims that the New York Daily News, but Shomrim as a private group also included activities that A member of a Shomrim security patrol team in north London in is not subject to public occurred in Chicago as well 2014. Credit: Leon Neal/AFP via Getty Images scrutiny like the police and as upstate New York. They fall outside the jurisdiction of the has amassed too much power.

Brooklyn District Attorney, which charged Daskal with rape A Shomrim leader claimed to the Forward in 2016 that the and sexual abuse among other crimes in 2018. group could get members of the Hasidic community released In light of the federal charges, the ones brought by the from minor charges without having to go through the police Brooklyn District Attorney are expected to be dropped, ac- central booking system. cording to a law enforcement source.

Daskal, who is among the founders of the Borough Park Shomrim, allegedly groomed the teen for sex in 2017 between August and November. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the relationship began in Brooklyn and continued at Daskal’s home in upstate South Fallsburg.

When the girl moved to Chicago in October 2017, Daskal texted and Skyped with her and requested that she pose nude in photos and on video chats. The following month, Daskal is alleged to have traveled to Chicago to bring the girl to a hotel room, where he engaged in sexual activity with her.

Daskal was still at the helm of the Shomrim, one of a num-

The Jewish Press | March 12, 2021 | 11

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

Once Upon a Summer at the JCC Take an adventure this summer and create your own magical story at J Camp 2021. Explore new activities, make new friends and learn new skills. The Staenberg Omaha JCC provides the perfect setting for campers to engage in sports, arts, swimming, song singing, nature activities, science experiments and so much more. From our ample green space to our newly renovated facilities and kid-friendly aquatic areas, we have everything campers need – all at one great location. Join us! Come along for a storybook summer.

You can find the full brochure at our website at www.jcc omaha.org.

Member Registration for our 2021 Summer Camp opened on Wednesday, Feb. 17.

Non-member Registration will open Wednesday, March 10. Interested in becoming a J member?

Contact Member Services at 402.334.6426.

We’re the only day camp in Omaha to carry ACA accreditation!

The Jewish Community Center of Omaha’s summer 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 Fun Days offer the same engaging activities, but allow for greater flexibility in scheduling, as per-day registration is available.

Our staff leads kids in exciting projects and fun-filled activities based on the theme of the day. Summer Fun Days are open to Members and Non Members in K-7th grade. They are offered

the week before camp (May 27-June 4), the week of July 4 and post-camp (Aug. 9-13). Register for the entire week or individual days. If you have questions on your registration status, please email jberkey@jccomaha.org. For more information on Summer Fun Days contact Amanda Welsh at 402.334.6409 or awelsh@jccomaha.org.

JCamp is: • Open to JCC Members & Non Members, K-7th grade • Summer Fun Days run 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.

• Registration is per day • SFDs are held at the Staenberg Omaha JCC • Before & After Care is available, as well as Pizza Fridays; additional registration is required for these.

Weekly J Camp is for K-7th grade members and non-mem-

bers who want a well-rounded day camp experience. J Camp is held at the Staenberg Omaha JCC and provides a little bit of everything. Based mostly outdoors in our Day Camp Pavilion, activities include arts and crafts, sports, nature, cooking, science, Israeli culture and team building. Campers are grouped by grade for age-appropriate activities. Our 2021 Summer camp will run May 26 through Aug. 13, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; registration is per week.

Participation is based on the grade your child will enter in Fall 2021. Before & After Care is available if needed. Undernights, Overnights, Pizza Friday and Family Night are included.

J Camp is divided into groups, according to camper age.

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.

4th-7th grade J Camp is designed to encourage independent thinking, decision-making and engagement.

Each week of J Camp brings an exciting new theme for kids to enjoy! Themes and registration codes are listed on our website at www.jccomaha.org More Questions? Contact us: Amanda Welsh at 402.334.6409 or awelsh@jccomaha.org, Jake Lenagh at 402.334.6408 or jlenagh@jccomaha.org or Jacob Geltzer at 402.334.6404 or jgeltzer@jccomaha.org.