March 15, 2024

The Jewish Press

The Willesden Project

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor

A few weeks ago, you read how the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), the Institute of Holocaust Education (IHE) and the Jewish Federation of Omaha (JFO) are joining forces. “The Willesden Project” is coming to Omaha area middle school students and the community on March 28, 2024 at the Holland Performing Arts Center. Currently, 1900 local middle school students from 17 area middle schools and organizations are registered for the project

What motivates American Jews to give?

AMY BERNSTEIN SHIVVERS

JFO Foundation Executive Director

Amid rising antisemitism, a new study shows that American Jews who have experienced bias are far more likely to give to charities of all kinds than those who have not.

REGULARS

While the study was conducted before Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, the authors say it provides plenty of useful information about what motivates American Jews to give to secular and nonsecular charities alike.

Two-thirds of Jewish households surveyed gave to nonreligious causes, compared with 59 percent of nonJewish households. The Israel-Hamas

war means that more American Jews are likely giving more to organizations focused on Israel-related advocacy or relief to those affected by the hostilities, at least for now.

Three quarters of Jewish households donated an average of $10,588 to charities of all kinds, and one in four gave to Israel-related causes in 2022, according to the newly released survey of 3,115 households by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Ruderman See What motivates giving? page 2

which includes a complete curriculum based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane Set partially in 1938 Vienna, and in London during the Blitzkrieg, The Children of Willesden Lane tells the true story of Lisa Jura, a young Jewish musician who is dreaming about her concert debut at the storied Musikverein concert hall. When new ordinances are issued under the Nazi regime, everything changes for Lisa, except her love of music and the pursuit of her dream. She finds herself on the See The Willesden Project page 3

Learning equals growth at Beth Israel

Learning has always been a key value in Judaism. Learning provides the avenue to grow spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally. Beth Israel Synagogue provides a wealth of learning opportunities which are open to Omaha’s Jewish community at no charge. Rabbi Ari Dembitzer and Rabbi Mordechai Geiger are continually strategizing on how to

best provide a variety of classes designed to expand knowledge and develop a thirst to participants to continue.

“Helping others learn and grow is perhaps the most important role of a rabbi,” says Rabbi Ari. “From someone securing a small tidbit of understanding to another person grasping a major concept, it is my See Learning equals growth page 3

Residents give back!

Tzedek Teens support Nebraska Humane Society Page 4

The JFO welcomes author Arthur Smith Page

MARY SUE GROSSMAN

Beth Israel’s Dynamic Duo - Rabbi Mordechai Geiger and Rabbi Ari Dembitzer.

Mona Golabek Credit: Hold on to Your Music Foundation

What motivates giving?

Continued from page 1

Family Foundation, which commissioned the report.

The survey, which was conducted in March 2023, is the most comprehensive look at American Jewish giving trends in the past 10 years.

American Jewish donors who personally experienced antisemitism — which has seen a troubling surge in recent years — were nearly 10 times more likely to give to any charity than those who hadn’t experienced antisemitism. Donors who expressed concern over rising antisemitism also gave roughly five times more to charity on average than those who were unconcerned.

Most of the charities that Jewish households supported were not affiliated with any religion or with Israel, according to the survey, a finding consistent with similar studies from more than a decade ago.

Over 65 percent of Jewish households gave to nonreligious causes, with charities that serve basic needs like food banks and homeless shelters as well as health care and education providers especially likely to receive support.

In contrast, more than three-fifths of non-Jewish households gave to religious charities — like churches and mosques, Catholic Relief Services, and Jewish Federations — compared with only 53 percent of Jewish households.

That trend may have shifted somewhat since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which sparked a wave of Jewish philanthropy for Israel-related causes. We know our local Israel relief stands at $1.1 million and Americans have donated at least $780 million to Israel since the Hamas attack.

This doesn’t mean that everyday donors will stop giving to their local food bank, homeless shelter, or alma

mater, but it may shift priorities for certain donors, at least temporarily. In recent months, several prominent donors have opted to pull funding from universities over what they see as an insufficient response to campus antisemitism

and student protests critical of Israel’s retaliation on Gaza, while upping donations to Israel-related causes.

The report found that those who described being Jewish as important in their lives and those with higher wealth or income were more likely to give to Israel-related causes, as were members of Generation X and millennials. Those generations donated to Israel-related charities at rates of 27 percent and 25 percent, respectively, compared with 17 percent of baby boomers.

While synagogues or temples received support from about only one-third of respondents, they were the most likely to receive a Jewish household’s biggest donation in a given year. Those who described being Jewish as “very important” were far more likely to give to their house of worship, with two-thirds donating an average of $4,894.

Nearly 30 percent of Jewish households volunteer, with almost half volunteering for more than five hours a month. People with higher levels of education and religious participation were

ORGANIZATIONS

more likely to volunteer.

Half of US’s 25 most generous philanthropists are Jews. Few give to Jewish groups.

Twelve billionaires with Jewish backgrounds appear on the list of America’s ‘most generous givers’ who donated a collective $27 billion in 2022 according to Forbes. One thing that stands out about these Jewish philanthropists is that almost none prioritize giving to the Jewish community.

To be sure, many, if not all, of the others have given at least small amounts to Jewish charities. In 2021, for example, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, announced $1.3 million in gifts to 11 Jewish groups; last year they distributed more than $900 million in total, according to Forbes. Meanwhile, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie, have donated at least $1 million to the Jewish National Fund; they gave away more than $800 million last year. And Michael Dell, the founder of the Dell computing company, donated the land for a Jewish community center in his home of Austin, Texas, and supported a recent renovation.

Does this surprise you? Perhaps we can reflect on our own giving and agree that in today’s world, Jews supporting Jews is critical, meaningful and impactful.

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 our email for specific information concerning its thought-provoking, informative list of speakers. To be placed on the email list, contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com

Life & Legacy Spotlight

STACIE METZ

JFO Foundation Program and Stewardship Administrator

“My parents, of blessed memory, were Holocaust survivors and were of very modest means. While their financial gifts were small, those donations were straight from the heart. Their dedication to the continuation of a strong Jewish community was critically important to each of them. We are blessed that we can contribute to the continuation of their legacy,” shares Alex. Mary Sue added “In my 15 years of working in the Jewish community, I personally saw the impact the generosity of previous generations has made and continues to make on so many families. Alex and I hope that, through our involvement with Life & Legacy, we can be a part of that impact in the future.”

Residents give back!

MAGGIE CONTI

RBJH Director of Activities and Volunteer Services

It all started with selling strawberry ceramics as a fundraiser to family members and guests of RBJH and surprisingly raised $250. Residents wanted to give back to the Jewish and Omaha communities by making essential hygiene kits. Christina Caniglia, Assistant Activities Director, encouraged the Jewish community to clean out their drawers for this cause. She asked for a wish list of travel size products such as toothpaste/brushes, deodorant, tissue and Chapstick and the community did not disappoint. One person alone donated 170 toothbrushes along with a whole host of toiletries. With Christina’s enthusiasm and leadership, Residents made over 120 packages to be delivered to the Jewish Family Service Tzedakah Program and a North Omaha church serving the homeless and needy. RBJH Residents and staff want to thank all those who made this lovely program so successful. Kindness is contagious!

HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

PARENTS & SENIORS

We will be publishing our annual High School Graduation Class pages on May 24, 2024.

be included, fill out the form below with a photo and send it to us or you can email the information and photo to: jpress@jewishomaha.org by May 10, 2024.

Mary Sue and Alex Grossman

The Willesden Project

Continued from page 1

Kindertransport and without her family. She has to make a new life in London. Against this backdrop, the story masterfully emphasizes the human relationships Lisa is able to build during this difficult time. Her mother Malka tells her before she departs for London, ‘Hold on to your music.’ And Lisa did.

Willesden Lane was written by Lisa’s daughter, Mona Golabek, herself an accomplished concert pianist. Participating students receive their very own copy of the book and will attend the live theatrical performance free of charge.

In addition to being an author, Mona is the founder of the Hold On To Your Music Foundation which collaborates with the USC Shoah Foundation, Echoes and Reflections, and the Koret Foundation to bring Willesden Lane to millions of students. Since she began offering the Willesden Project, over five million students have been exposed to Lisa’s story.

“Since its inception, I have seen such a variety of reactions to the project,” Mona said. “I have shared my mother’s story with people from all over the globe, from all walks of life. One time during a performance in London, one third of the audience was made up of Arabic students. We have visited Paris, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Harare, Singapore, Vienna, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Baltimore, Fort Worth, Austin, Birmingham, Memphis, Palm Desert, Portland, Pittsburgh, Palm Beach, and many other cities. But every time, I find that people from many different backgrounds can relate to my mother’s story.”

Lisa and the other children in the story banded together and the music allowed not only Lisa, but all of them to dream of something beyond their day-to-day situation.

“They created a new family,” Mona said, “and they helped and supported each other.” Relationships like these were critical for Lisa’s survival. More than anything, this is about the triumph of the human spirit.”

In spite of the book’s setting, Mona considers

Willesden Lane much more than a Holocaust story:

“It’s a story about a girl with a dream who overcomes obstacles, and that is something everyone can recognize. I remember initially wondering if this would be something only Jewish audiences would relate to, and I’ve found the opposite to be true. We can all see ourselves in a story about dreams, about separation, and about overcoming challenges. It’s a story about man’s humanity and about what it is you hold on to. In my mother’s case, she found her passion and her faith in music, but for each of us there is something like that. And especially now it is extremely important to tell stories of courage and to find a way to break down walls.”

A planned concert tour to Israel was rescheduled as a result of the war: “I was all set to go in January of this year, but that obviously didn’t happen,” she said. “Watching the explosion of antisemitism around the world has been demoralizing. We all encounter ignorance, people who get their news from soundbites, and it is beyond tragic to see how Israel is demonized. Yet, Oct. 7, if anything, has re-energized me to keep doing this work. My parents told me: ‘Be worthy of life.’ You can go to a dark place or you can choose the light. I chose the light.”

Community members and the general public are invited to attend this heart-stirring show on March 28 at 7 p.m. at the Holland Performing Arts Center. Virtuoso Mona Golabek will perform some of the world’s most revered piano compositions as she shares her mother’s riveting story of survival.

Learning equals growth

Continued from page 1 honor to help others on their path and all the while, I am learning, too.”

Rabbi Mordechai agrees with Rabbi Ari adding that “in all the craziness of life, our time of learning Torah together is an oasis of truth, peace, and connection.”

The following are the available current offerings with new opportunities shared on the weekly Beth Israel email.

PARSHA AND HALACHA YOMI – Enjoy this quick way to begin your day with this five-minute thought on the weekly Torah portion and a timely idea in Jewish law. Hear Rabbi Ari’s presentation via What’sApp at 6:45 a.m., Monday through Thursday.

KINYAN HA MASESCHTA – Led by Rabbi Mordechai as part of a life-changing, global network of study groups. The goal is to ignite Torah’s true, fulfilling pleasure via a revolutionary commitment to complete proficiency in learning with the aim for every participant to experience a wholehearted love and comprehensive command of the Gemara. The group meets Sunday mornings from 9:40-10:25 a.m. and Tuesday and Thursday evenings after Mincha/Maariv.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT – This weekly Zoom class meets Thursday mornings at 9:30 a.m., taught by Rabbi Ari. This class uses Ramchal’s Path of the Just, looking at the idea that everything that happens to a person makes that person who he or she is, and who he or she can become. This book helps to learn how to be a better person through all the ups and downs of life.

PARSHA CLASS – Join a discussion of a key point from the weekly parsha reading on Thursday evenings, taking place between Mincha and Maariv. The class is led by Rabbi Ari. PIRKE AVOT – In the Shabbat Kollel, between 8:30-9 a.m.,

Tickets for the evening performance are $36 per adult. Adult ticket holders may bring up to 10 students ages 12-18 using the promo code JFO18 free of charge. Seating is limited. To reserve your tickets, please scan the QR code or visit www.ihene.org

If you would like to check out a copy of The Children of Willesden Lane, please visit the Kripke-Veret Collection of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. This program is generously funded by the Henry Davis Family Foundation, Fran and Rich Juro, and the Lozier Foundation.

a study is made of Pirke Avot, with a focus on finding one’s personal mission statement and unique potential for greatness.

SOULFUL TORAH – Rabbi Mordechai leads this Shabbat afternoon class, discussing important points of the weekly Torah portion. The class occurs 45 minutes prior to Mincha.

LAWS OF SHABBAT – Taking place on Shabbat, a half hour before Havdalah, Rabbi Ari will cover specific Shabbat laws each week.

JEWISH MEDICAL ETHICS – Rabbi Mordechai teaches this class, open to medical professionals and community members at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Discussion features Jewish philosophy on various topics and how that applies practically to medical ethics. Past topics have included brain death, abortion, and PVT. The class is currently on hiatus and will resume after Pesach. Classes are held on the UNMC campus in the Michael Sorrell building.

DUTIES OF THE HEART – Rabbi Mordechai is also teaching a class for the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Called Duties of the Heart. He shares what he has learned over the past seven years studying the book by the same name written by Bahya and Paquda. He characterizes the work “as a timeless masterpiece that delves into profound teachings of faith, gratitude, and trust. Rooted in logic and philosophy, these principles are meticulously woven into the fabric of Torah teachings.” Classes meet the 1st Sunday of each month through May 5, from 3-4 p.m. in the Wiesman Family Reception Room at the Staenberg Omaha Jewish Community Center.

For additional information on these classes or any other educational offerings at Beth Israel, please call the synagogue office at 402.556.6288. Links to What’sApp and Zoom are available on the weekly synagogue email or by visiting synagogue website at orthodoxomaha.org

ROOFING SIDING GUTTERS

402-391-4287

Profiles in Service

LINDA POLLARD

JFO Foundation Endowment Assistant/ Staff Writer

The Foundation’s mission is to ensure the ongoing and future sustainability of Jewish Omaha by managing donor assets and distributing funds. These funds are instrumental in providing support for scholarships, grants, special projects, programs that benefit both Jewish Omaha and secular and Jewish charitable organizations near and far chosen by our donor-advised participants. Your support enriches Jewish Tomorrows.

We take great pride in our dedicated board members, each of whom plays a vital role in advancing our mission. Throughout the year, we will be spotlighting members to recognize their valuable time, talents, and contributions to making our community stronger.

MICHAEL ABRAMSON has served on The Foundation board since 2021.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO BE ON THE FOUNDATION BOARD?

I wanted to be a part of an organization that helped fund the operations of the Jewish Community of Omaha. Also, the current Board consists of leaders in our community and I was honored to be picked to be a part of the Foundation Board.

WHAT ABOUT BEING ON THE FOUNDATION BOARD INSPIRES YOU?

Being a part of the decision process to manage and fund our

Jewish Community. Also, being a part of a Board that is nurturing and protecting the community’s investments for future generations.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE STRENGTHS YOU BRING TO THE BOARD?

My experience being a member of many Jewish agency boards over the years and being a part of many non-Jewish boards over the years. It has brought me perspective of the needs of the community and help with our fiduciary duties.

WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE BOARD ARE YOU PARTICULARLY PROUD OF?

The handling of the Levine bequest and how it was allocated for our community’s best interests.

HAS SERVING ON THE BOARD CHANGED YOUR PERSPECTIVE OF JEWISH OMAHA IN ANY WAY? IF SO, HOW?

The importance of preserving and maintaining our investments and endowments for future generations and the needs of our community well into the future.

WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE FOUNDATION?

The Foundation is a fiduciary of the Jewish Community. Its purpose is to maintain and protect our investments for future use. The decision on how it is spent and allocated is up to the Jewish Federation Board.

Tzedek Teens support Nebraska Humane Society

NAOMI FOX, JFO Assistant Director of Engagement and Education and STACIE METZ, JFO Foundation Program and Stewardship Administrator

The Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Tzedek Teens program empowers Jewish youth with tools to donate money, time, and energy to causes that are important to them!

On Sunday, Feb. 18, Jewish youth ages 11-18 gathered at the Nebraska Humane Society for Tzedek Teen’s first Tzedek Project. Tzedek Projects are hands on service-learning projects that Jewish community tweens and teens can participate in to practice Tikkun Olam together. Prior to our experience at NHS, as a community we donated a variety of supplies for dogs and cats in the shelter. Thank you to everyone in our community who dropped off donations!

We started with the handson part of our project. Teens created enrichment activities for the dogs in the shelter using small treats and cardboard tubes. While creating the activities, students schmoozed and got to know each other if they hadn’t already met. As this was our first project with teens participating from all synagogues in Omaha, some had not been acquainted yet. With this group’s passion for helping animals, they all had shared interests and could connect with each other. After the creation of a large tub of activities, students were impressed with their accomplishment as a group! One participant said, “It was very fun! I enjoyed making the little toy snacks for the dogs. I love animals and I love helping out as much as I can, even if it’s something small!”

We learned about all the services NHS provides for the Omaha community. We had a behind the scenes tour of their facility, learned about the medical services provided to all animals as needed, and saw indoor and outdoor training facilities. When reflecting on the tour Zac Kazor shares, “I learned a ton of things during my tour at the Humane Society, I learned about the entire process of what happens when an animal shows up at the Humane Society, including how the adoption process works and how the facility is laid out. I think the craziest thing I learned about was how they have specific box cars for horses! I thought that was pretty interesting.”

At the end of their time together, the teens shared their experiences. When asked how they felt after the project, Juliette Boehm Smith expressed, “It was great to see familiar faces and get to know my community more while making the dog treats.” According to Zac Kazor, “It felt good to participate in a project with other teenage Jews, as we could all connect on a Jewish level. We all loved helping and caring for animals. I thought this was very important to us as Jewish teens!” Others agreed that they had a good time practicing Tikkun Olam to-

gether as a community.

Since 2008, participating teens have had the chance to volunteer in the community and donate money from their teen donor-advised funds to organization(s) of their choosing that support a cause important to them. In high school, Emily Kutler was an active participant of Young Jewish Giving (YJG),

which has now transitioned into Tzedek Teens. Emily shared that “it really impacted the way that I understood social change ...and I appreciate the learning I did in YJG because it gave me so much insight into nonprofit operations and the need for philanthropists, no matter their age, who care about giving back to our communities.” She added, “It inspired a lot within me. I think my passion for social justice is such a central part of my identity these days, and I am grateful for the way that opportunity, and the way the Omaha Jewish community, centered social justice quietly in my life... where I really got to expand my social justice energy and grow as a social justice leader. At the end of the day, I’m really fortunate to have had that experience!”

To date, $44,386.75 has been dispersed, of which nearly $35,000 (over 78%) has been donated to Jewish agencies- in fact, since October, over $9,000 has been donated directly to Israel. Our next Tzedek Project will be on Sunday, April 14 in collaboration with BBYO. Together, we will be hosting J-Serve, an annual day in which Jewish teens across the world work together to make a positive impact in their community. This year, J-Serve in Omaha will be on Sunday, April 14 in the early afternoon. We will be working together to help our environment by cleaning up a local park with the City of Omaha’s VIP (Volunteer in Parks) organization. Additionally, we will create blankets to be donated to a local shelter for people experiencing homelessness. Please register for the event by scanning the QR code. With questions, reach out to Naomi Fox nfox@jewish omaha.org

Home

Left: Creating enrichment activities for the dogs in the shelter and right: Tzedek Teens at the Nebraska Humane Society Tzedek Project.

JBL welcomes David Gilinsky

JAY KATELMAN

The next Jewish Business Leaders Bagels & Breakfast will be held on April 19 at Happy Hollow Country Club and will feature David Gilinsky from Bergman Incentives. Breakfast will be buffet style provided by Happy Hollow. We will have Kosher options from Star Catering, and as always Stories will be on site to provide coffee for all!

For the past 30+ years, David Gilinsky has been an owner and leader at Bergman Incentives, a company specializing in corporate branded solutions including promotional merchandise and branded apparel.

Bergman Incentives is an evolution of the family business founded in 1888 by Sol Bergman, David’s great-great grandfather. The business is one of the few remaining Omaha businesses which spans five consecutive generations. And Bergman has kept its roots firmly planted in the values of the company’s rich history while remaining adaptive and agile to serve its growing roster of clients from the Inc. 5000 to the Fortune 1000.

David is married to Katherine Finnegan: an incredible wife, teacher, and community member. Together, Katherine and David have raised 3 children: Molly (31), Laura (30), and Jack (27) and are now grandparents to two beautiful granddaughters.

If you have any questions, please contact Jay Katelman at jkatelman@jewishomaha.org, or at 402.334.6461. Please register for the event using the link or QR code https://tiny url.com/JBLDavid

As always, a special thanks to our Platinum Sponsors – Bridges Trust, Valmont, OMNE Partners, and Jet Linx Omaha. We’d also like to thank the event sponsors – Bergman Incentives and Alex Epstein.

The Richard Dean Winchell Annual History Lecture

MARK CELINSCAK

Professor of History at the University of Ottawa and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Dr. Jan Grabowski is a renowned scholar of the Holocaust and a prolific author. His research on the Holocaust includes the issues surrounding the extermination of the Polish Jews as well as the history of the Jewish-Polish relations between 1939-1945.

He is well known for his book Hunt for the Jews: Betrayal and Murder in German-Occupied Poland (2011). Awarded the Yad Vashem International Book Prize for Holocaust Research, it describes the German search for Jews who escaped from Polish ghettos and were trying to hide among the non-Jewish population. According to Grabowski, most Jews in hiding were given up by local people to the Polish police or directly to German authorities. The book sparked heated public debate in Poland.

The title of Dr. Grabowski’s 2024 Richard Dean Winchell Annual History Lecture is Producing a ‘Usable’ Past: Holocaust Distortion and New Threats to the Memory of the Holocaust. Unlike Holocaust deniers, people, institutions, and states engaging in Holocaust distortion do not deny the factuality of the

Jewish catastrophe. They simply deny that their people, their ethnic group, or their nation, had anything to do with the event. Using the massive resources of the state, they falsify the historical narrative to make it compatible with various national myths. Dr. Grabowski’s talk will focus on Poland, a place where a great majority of the victims of the Holo-

caust had been put to death and a place where Holocaust distortion has become a quasi-official policy of the state.

“We are honored to host Dr. Grabowski who will deliver the 2024 Winchell Lecture,” says Dr. Mark Celinscak, Louis and Frances Blumkin Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies in the Department of History. “The battle over historical truth is a serious one, and Dr. Grabowski’s work strives to bring greater understanding to a complicated, painful past.”

The 2024 Winchell Lecture will be held on March 26, 2024, at 7 p.m. in the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center, Room 201, on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

According to the chair of the Department of History, Dr. Danielle Battisti, “The mission of the Winchell Lecture series is to enhance student, faculty, and community discourse on values and cultural heritage. We are grateful that Dr. Grabowski will share his groundbreaking research on our campus and to our community.”

The 2024 Winchell Lecture is co-sponsored by the Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy. The lecture is free and open to the public.

David Gilinsky

Dr. Jan Grabowski

Rabbi Geiger’s Weekly Torah Expedition

PARSHA VAYIKRA

Jeff went in for his annual checkup. His doctor asked him if he had any concerns about his health. Jeff said everything was fine, but he was concerned about his wife’s hearing. So, the doctor recommended that Jeff ask his wife a question when he got home. If she doesn’t respond, he should take a step closer and ask again and keep doing so until she answers. This would indicate how severe the issue was. So when Jeff got home, he asked, “Honey, what’s for dinner”? No answer. He stepped closer, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” No answer. This went on until Jeff was right behind his wife. “Honey, what’s for dinner?” Finally, his wife turns around and yells, “For the 20th time, chicken!”

In this week’s parsha, G-d calls to Moses (Leviticus 1:1). Rashi tells us that G-d’s call was loud enough for the whole Jewish people, but only Moses heard Him. I think Rashi is teaching us a powerful lesson. So often, we think that G-d is not paying attention to us. That He does not listen to our prayers. That we are alone. But maybe, like Jeff, we have it precisely backward. Maybe G-d is always listening, sending us the message of His infinite love for us, but we have turned a deaf ear to Him. The only way we will hear G-d’s messages to us over the deafening noise that is our daily life is if we pause and take a moment to think and to listen.

The Kaplan Book Group and “The Lucky Ones”

SHIRLY BANNER

JFO Library Specialist

On March 21 at 1 p.m. the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will gather for their monthly meeting. Group members have the choice of meeting either in person in the Benjamin & Anna Wiesman Reception Room in the Staenberg Jewish Community Center or via Zoom. This month they will be discussing We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter. New participants are always welcome.

A good writer should always write what they know, and in her debut novel, Georgia Hunter does exactly that. Upon learning at the age of 15 that her family history could be traced back two generations to Holocaust survivors, Hunter’s interest in discovering more about her family’s journey and their sur-

vival stories grew. We Were the Lucky Ones is the product of her research into the experiences of her grandfather Eddy and the extended Kurc family during the period of the Holocaust from March of 1939 through post-Holocaust April of 1947. Hunter’s historical fiction book is based on the Kurc family’s actual lives.

We Were the Lucky Ones follows the lives of the Kurc family from Radon, Poland which include father Sol and mother Nechuma, owners of a fabric shop, their five children and extended family. The eldest son Genek is by profession a lawyer married to Herta. Eldest daughter Mila is an accomplished pianist and married to Selim, who is a doctor and they have a daughter, Felicia. Addy (who is based on Hunter’s grandfather Eddy) is an engineer and musician living in Paris at the start of the novel. Jakob is in

law school and an avid photographer and married to childhood friend Bella. The youngest child, Halina, is married to Adam, an architect and involved in the Polish Underground.

Each chapter of Hunter’s novel is told from the perspective of one family member who reveals the struggles they endured to survive the Holocaust and their hope to reunite after the war. Throughout the novel, Hunter intertwines historical information and a timeline that anchors the story to real-time events. The Kurc family’s survival story takes us to various German and Soviet Union occupied areas of Europe and beyond; we travel throughout Poland to Radom, Lvov, Warsaw and Lódz; Paris, France; Casablanca, Morocco; Siberia; Tehran; Italy; and finally to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The holiday of Passover, going from “from slavery to freedom” begins and ends Hunter’s novel. It brought home the struggles and significance of the holiday to the Kurc family and all they endured to survive. Following the novel’s conclusion, Hunter recounts how she came to discover the Kurc’s See Kaplan Book Group page 11

Top: Jay Lerner, Omahan with home in Los Angeles; Jacob Savage, Glendale, son-in-law of Murray Newman; Don Goldstein, Omahan, vacationing in La Quinta; Yoshi Zweiback, former Omahan, lives in Encino, Rabbi at Stephen Wise Temple; Alan Potash, former Omahan, lives in Palm Desert; Bottom Row: Mike Meyer, former Omahan, lives in Laguna Beach; Al Rosen, fomer Omahan, Lives in Sherman Oaks; Mike Erman, Omahan with home in Los Angeles; Murray Newman, Omahan, vacationing in Rancho Mirage; Mort Glass, former Omahan, lives in Newport Beach. Photo edited by Jim Krantz

RABBI MORDECHAI GEIGER Beth Israel

SP O TLIGHT

PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS

SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a

of a recent Jewish Community

would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org

GENEROUSLY

SUPPORTED BY

photo

event you

Above: The Nebraska delegation at Chabad’s recent Shabbaton in Lawrence Kansas. College students from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska came together.

Above, right and below: The recent Sigma Alpha Mu Reunion took place in Palm Springs was well attended.

Above and below: Temple Israel is getting into the Purim mood.

Below: Friedel Seventh graders visit B’nai Israel.

Above: What sets RBJH apart from other skilled nursing facilities is to have access to fabulous events at the Jewish Community Center. Recently, RBJH Residents enjoyed viewing the Milton Mendel and Marsha Kleinberg Jewish Omaha Heritage Center. Thank you to our docent, Dr. Jennifer Garza, Director of Collections and Archives, and to Jane Rips, Executive Director of the NJHS for organizing this scheduled tour. Residents reminisced while sharing personal stories and viewing many artifacts of Omaha’s Jewish community.

Above: RBJH Residents found out that their fabulous Elvis Impersonator, Bill Chrastil, had to cancel at the last minute due to illness, and Amy Anderson, Activities Coordinator, didn’t miss a beat by running down to the Purim stash and dusting off the Elvis costume. Kudos, Amy, for the fun day.

Below: Sunday, Feb. 25 Gesher and Hallah High students at the Lincoln Jewish Community School baked fresh Challah for a bake sale. Students chose to donate proceeds from the sale to the FIDF for humanitarian support.

Above and below: Beth El’s 8th grade Chicago trip included a trip to the “Bean” and the SkyDeck of Willis tower.

The Jewish Press

(Founded in 1920)

Margie Gutnik

President Annette van de Kamp-Wright

Editor

Richard Busse

Creative Director

Howard Kutler

Advertising Executive

Lori Kooper-Schwarz

Assistant Editor

Gabby Blair

Staff Writer

Sam Kricsfeld

Digital support

Mary Bachteler

Accounting

Jewish Press Board

Margie Gutnik, President; Abigail Kutler, Ex-Officio; Helen Epstein; Andrea Erlich; Seth Feldman; David Finkelstein; Ally Freeman; Mary Sue Grossman; Chuck Lucoff; Suzy Sheldon; Joseph Pinson and Larry Ring.

The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the JFO are: Institute for Holocaust Education, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Social Services, Nebraska Jewish Historical Society and the Jewish Press Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www.jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

Editorial

The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org ; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org

Letters to the Editor Guidelines

The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.

Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events.

News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.”

The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf.

Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de Kamp-Wright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450.

Postal

The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422.

Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org

Correcting the narrative

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor

We’ll start this week’s op-ed with a correction. I know, those usually don’t take up this much space, but these are unusual circumstances.

When we published Sasha Denenberg’s article in our March 8 edition, I copy-pasted straight from the previously published article on Westside Wired Turns out, changes were made to that version, not authorized by Sasha. By the time Sasha pointed it out to me, we were already printing. My mistake for thinking what the Wired had online would be kosher.

The paragraph printed on page two of the 3/15 paper read:

“In late January, another article was published on Westside Wired, titled, Westside Alumna Participates in Local Movement for Palestine. This student journalist’s article featured an interview with a Westside graduate who organizes pro-Palestine protests. The article presented her as a hero who stands with the oppressed, and gave the impression she supports a racist Palestinian government called Hamas, which is hell-bent on the death of Jews, the classic definition of genocide. Don’t take it from me, hear directly from the leaders of the movement she endorses:…”

Here is the original version:

“In late January, another article was published on Westside Wired, titled, Westside Alumna Participates in Local Movement for Palestine. This student jour-

nalist’s article featured an interview with Elise Smith, a Westside graduate who organizes proPalestine protests. The article presented her as a hero who stands with the oppressed, when in reality she supports a racist Palestinian government called Hamas, which is hell-bent on the death of Jews, the classic definition of genocide. Don’t take it from me, hear directly from the leaders of the movement she endorses:...” The Jewish Press regrets the error.

It’s tempting to think it’s not that big a deal. The thing is, it’s not about whether this issue is big or small. They were Sasha’s words, and they were changed. And so, we are printing this correction.

Don’t think I’m writing this to make Westside look bad—not my job and not my intention.

The real reason I want to over-emphasize this is because misinformation and manipulated language is all around us. Don’t just blame social media: newspapers, magazines and cable television all deal with writing teams, executives, editors and sales people, and so forth and so on. When we read ‘news,’ it’s rarely the type of direct-from-thesource honesty we wish we had access to. Instead, it’s been processed, like unhealthy food.

“Americans are experiencing the war through an online landscape rife with misinformation and hateful content,” the Anti-Defamation League stated. Language has been weaponized.

First, there is the tendency to only read what we already agree with. Second, we change the meaning

Remembering Ellen Bernstein, 70

SHIRA DICKER

JTA

On Tuesday, I was jolted awake at 3:30 a.m., wrestling with unwelcome consciousness until I eventually exhausted or bored myself back to sleep.

Three hours later, I awoke to the news that my friend Ellen Bernstein — author, rabbi and the birthmother of contemporary Jewish environmentalism — had died in the middle of the night.

For Ellen, who liked to luxuriate in time, the end came quickly: two weeks after a dire diagnosis, one week after the publication of what is sure to be her masterwork — Toward a Holy Ecology: Reading the Song of Songs in the Age of Climate Crisis. The biblical love song, she writes, “could be understood as a mediation on our relationship with nature, animated by love.”

I met Ellen Bernstein 35 years ago at a hippie-dippie Jewish summer retreat in rural Pennsylvania. She was sitting cross-legged on the dry, straw-like grass and I plunked myself down next to her. Her hair was the exact color of the grass she sat on. Ellen had just founded Shomrei Adamah (Keepers of the Earth), the first Jewish national environmental organization. Listening to her detail her environmental ethic and theology, she made me realize — with all the power of received revelation — that I had always understood my role as a guardian of the planet.

She had grown up in Massachusetts, taking an environmental studies class in high school and attending one of the first environmental studies programs in the country at the University of California, Berkeley. Over the years, she received a teaching credential in life sciences from San Francisco State University, a master’s degree in biology from Southern Oregon State University and a master’s in Jewish education from Hebrew College.

Along the way she worked as a river guide in Northern California and taught high school biology.

The author of several books — all groundbreaking — Ellen received rabbinic ordination at the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2012. She was super-smart, something often difficult to discern in shy people. I’ve been with her at large settings where she was tormented by the torrents of talk and the high volume of voices. I’ve also seen her sidestep her way through crowds to the podium and deliver eloquent, poetic, visionary words. I last heard her speak at the United Nations

General Assembly this past fall and she was magnificent — speaking about the role women can play in responding to the climate crisis.

Ellen was entirely authentic; she lived the mission of the organization she founded. Yes, there was her make-up-free, untrendy natural appearance, but it was her organic, unadorned soul which was most luminous.

Because of Ellen, I started composting (for a while with worms), adapted Dr. Seuss’s environmental story, The Lorax, for the stage one summer at Camp Yavneh in New Hampshire (incorporating passages from Genesis and Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav and adding a dance where the Truffula Trees swayed to the newly composed melody of Etz Chaim Hi — She is a Tree of Life) and took note of my carbon footprint for the very first time.

Ellen influenced my view of pregnancy and childbirth. I chose midwives instead of an obstetrician, craving a more body-centered, holistic approach. I took a course in herbal medicine, embraced acupuncture and read the holy texts of my tradition through the lens of our relationship with the land. For a long while I was a vegan, compelled by my compassion for animals more than health, awakened to the environmental toll taken by the meat industry.

So profound was Ellen’s teaching — decades before she was ordained as a rabbi — that my Yiddishkeit became focused on the centrality of the mitzvah of earth guardianship, as detailed in the first chapter of Genesis. When I chose to observe the feminine ritual of mikveh (which was very intermittently), I opted for immersion in a lake or, once, the Atlantic Ocean.

Post-Ellen, I walked with the awareness that “The

of certain words and turn them into dog whistles.

Show me someone who mentions genocide a lot, and I’ll show you someone who doesn’t like Israel. ‘Apartheid’ is no longer associated with South Africa for anyone under 50. Third, we invent new images and catch phrases to signal others like us and before you know it, we can’t go to the grocery store without being triggered (who decided that watermelons were representative of a free Palestine?).

One story I read on Al-Jazeera claimed misinformation on the part of the Israeli government, but did so in Manga format. Lies never looked so cool; it tells you exactly who the audience is. It also serves as a reminder that the anti-Zionists have been winning the PR war.

What can we do about that?

We continue to tell our story, any chance we have—and if nobody gives us the space, we’ll create it.

Every Jewish holiday involves words of healing, and story-telling. The very essence of Judaism is story-telling. We read the Hagaddah, we read the Megilla, we read our prayers and retell the story of Judah Maccabee. If people don’t listen the first time, we’ll tell the story again, and again. Even if those who hate us don’t believe the story, the story itself still remains true. Like the Megillah, the story of Oct. 7 now belongs to us. We claim ownership: this is a Jewish story.

And our truth does not depend on your watermelon meme.

heavens belong to God but the land was given to humankind” (Psalm 115).

Eventually I was honored to count Ellen not just as a friend and mentor, but as a collaborator. In the nineties, I wrote a chapter for one of her books: Ecology and the Jewish Spirit: Where Nature and the Sacred Meet. We worked together four years ago on her Haggadah, The Promise of the Land, which launched just as the first season of the pandemic caused a global lockdown. Ellen had ambitious Earth Seders set up in several communities and when I warned that everything was about to be shut down and we needed a contingency plan, she laughed that I was negative and pessimistic.

Ellen was fond of stating how absolutely, crashingly boring many environmental organizations are and how insufferable activists could be and that making environmentally clueless people feel stupid will hardly awaken them to earth awareness and their jobs as guardian of the planet.

She believed in a different, a more gentle, loving and collaborative way. “On a soul level, we know that a good life means living in harmony with the natural world — our life support system,” she recently told an interviewer.

Ellen changed my life, and that of so many others, by rooting us in our authentic skins and teaching us to feel the earth move under our feet. She peeled away the artifice of contemporary society and popular culture and gave us permission to see and inhabit the true essence of life — the seasons, flowers, birds, animals, mountains, rivers, the sun rising and setting, rainbows, the smell of rain, fields, deserts, the scent and sweep of great winds, the majesty of the ocean, deep lush forests, fragrances and sounds, the great swirling hullabaloo, orchestrated by God, given to humankind to protect.

Her far-flung circle of friends found one another over the past two weeks, with her rabbinic colleagues weaving a canopy of prayer around her and her husband, fulfilling the mitzvah of chesed shel emet, the truest form of lovingkindness that can be given — to the dead, who cannot repay us.

Shira Dicker is a writer, activist and promoter of culture whose collection of short stories, Lolita at Leonard’s of Great Neck and Other Stories from the Before Times, will be published this spring.

This story was edited for length.

Ellen Bernstein founded Shomrei Adamah, the first Jewish environmental group, in 1988. Credit: Steven Tenenbaum

While pro-Palestinian supporters glorify a suicide, a ballot box protest gets results

ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL

JTA

Last week saw two wildly contrasting acts of pro-Palestinian protest: a U.S. airman who died after he set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington shouting “Free Palestine,” and a protest vote in Michigan’s Democratic primaries.

One protest was personal and shockingly violent; the other was peaceful and had mass appeal.

They contrasted in another way: While Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation drew impassioned social media attention — from supporters and critics — the campaign to vote “Uncommitted” rather than for President Joe Biden in the primaries may have gotten something that often eludes the pro-Palestinian movement: results.

Nonviolence appeared to have worked, at least in getting the media to talk about the protesters’ actual grievances about Biden’s support for Israel in its war on Hamas; in causing the Biden campaign to acknowledge that they were listening; and in inspiring similar efforts by those who hope to replicate the “Uncommitted” movement in other states.

It may have represented a shift in pro-Palestinian advocacy that the pro-Israel community cannot easily dismiss.

“I think it’s historic,” Sally Howell, an assistant professor in Arab American studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, told Al Jazeera. “And for Arab American political participation, it’s really groundbreaking. I don’t think they’ve ever gotten the attention of a presidential campaign like they have it now.”

On March 3, Bushnell livestreamed his action as he approached the embassy with a bottle of gasoline and declared, “I will no longer be complicit in genocide.” He lit himself on fire and died from his wounds that night.

Many on the pro-Palestinian left praised Bushnell’s self-immolation. Cornel West, the African-American scholar and 2024 independent presidential candidate, called it an act of “extraordinary courage and commitment.” The anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace wrote, “we honor the life of Aaron Bushnell” for his “final act of solidarity.” Bushnell’s name trended on X, formerly Twitter, thanks mostly to supporters.

Others were quick to condemn his act. Graeme Wood, a staff writer at The Atlantic, wrote that the “tendency to celebrate and encourage this behavior, or even to be moved by it, strikes me as deeply sick,” and asserted that the “Palestinian cause is already associated with death cultism.” Washington Post columnist Ramesh Ponnuru wrote that Bushnell “accomplished nothing good by killing himself,” and that his death “will not change U.S. policy or public opinion — and it shouldn’t.”

The Anti-Defamation League dedicated a page on its website to Bushnell’s death, highlighting the “anti-Israel activists” and “terrorist organizations” who praised his protest. The ADL also linked to various reports that Bushnell, who grew up in an isolated Christian community in Massachusetts, “held strong anti-Zionist and anarchist views.”

The social media discourse, as usual, soon became about the discourse. A sympathetic Rolling Stone reporter who covered the story wrote that such disapproval of Bushnell’s act was “almost laughably ignorant, seemingly desperate to delegitimize Bushnell’s action and, in so doing, the overall movement for which he did it.”

And Mohammed El-Kurd, The Nation’s “first-ever Palestine correspondent,” suggested that critics of the Palestinian cause

condemn all forms of protest, violent and otherwise.

“You can’t protest peacefully. You can’t boycott. You can’t hunger strike. You can’t hijack planes,” he wrote on X. “You can’t block traffic. You can’t throw Molotovs. You can’t self-immolate. You can’t heckle politicians. You can’t march. You can’t riot. You can’t dissent. You just can’t be.”

Pro-Israel activists mocked him, using the tweet as evidence that supporters of the Palestinians see no moral difference between throwing a firebomb and protesting peacefully. But ElKurd isn’t the first to suggest that Palestinians are dismissed as extremists even when they adopt nonviolent forms of protest.

A week after the Hamas attacks on Israel, the Jewish writer Peter Beinart wrote that “Palestinians received little credit for trying to follow Black South Africans’ largely nonviolent path.” He cited the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel as one example of a nonviolent tactic that “was widely deemed antisemitic because it conflicts with the idea of a state that favors Jews.”

Beinart’s detractors responded that they do indeed consider BDS antisemitic because its leaders call for a Holy Land without a Jewish state. But it’s true that there are few forms of pro-Palestinian protest that don’t get under the skin of Israel’s supporters.

Last week, a Jewish Telegraphic Agency survey of federal Title VI investigations included warnings even by some Jewish activists that a law meant to protect students from discrimination is being weaponized, often by outsiders and without the input or consent of the alleged Jewish student “victims,” to cast harsh but nonviolent pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic.

In other examples, Tal Fortgang, adjunct fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute, recently called pro-Palestinian demonstrators who have blocked traffic in major cities across the country “civil terrorists.”

They “are blind to the cruelty of their own actions and prey upon those too decent to respond with deterrent force,” he wrote in the Wall Street Journal

Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the ADL, was dismissive of the Michigan primary protest. “I think it’s pathetic,” he said on CNBC’s Squawk Box, adding, “I’m old enough to remember [that] when you’re upset about policies that a government was doing... you didn’t pull back. You said, ‘I want a seat at the table and I’m gonna earn it.’”

When his interviewer suggested that was exactly what the Michigan protesters were doing, Greenblatt scoffed. “If they really want to make a difference, they should roll up their

sleeves and get involved,” he said.

The Michigan protesters, meanwhile, seemed to have made a difference – if not in getting Biden to change his policies, then at least in getting his team to listen. In Tuesday’s primary, “Uncommitted” garnered more than 10% of the Democratic vote, or 100,000 people on a day of unusually high turnout. The Listen to Michigan organizers had publicly set a goal of 10,000 votes — the margin by which Donald Trump won the state in the 2016 presidential election. Biden’s margin in 2020 was bigger, at about 150,000 votes.

Mitch Landrieu, the national co-chair of the Biden campaign, told NPR the next day that the “message has been received.” The administration sent a team of high-ranking officials to Michigan before the vote to talk with Muslim and Arab American community leaders.

“Uncommitted” is gaining momentum elsewhere: The biggest labor union in Washington state endorsed voting “Uncommitted” in the state’s Democratic presidential primary next month, and Minnesota progressives are encouraging state primary voters to select that option on Super Tuesday, March 5.

The “Uncommitted” movement is heeding what studies and experts have lately confirmed: that nonviolent protests are consistently more effective than violence. Social psychologist Eric Schuman, now at NYU, was a researcher at Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 2020 when he led research finding that “nonviolent nonnormative” protest — disruptive but nonviolent tactics like strikes, boycotts and sit-ins — “can be an effective means for advancing social change because they are disruptive in a way that generates pressure for political change but also lead people to view the protesters as constructive.”

Similarly, a 2023 survey of the academic literature by the Social Change Lab suggested that “nonviolent protests are more likely to succeed, while violence decreases the chances of success.”

Meanwhile, protesters often lose support if they use violence, according to Stanford sociologist Robb Willer.

And sometimes, nonviolent protests work because organizers and their targets come to dread the alternative. The movement to free Soviet Jewry learned this lesson in the 1970s, said Gal Beckerman, who wrote a history of the movement, when the violent street tactics of Rabbi Meir Kahane and other extremists led the Jewish establishment to step up its own nonviolent rallies and political lobbying.

Kahane’s antics “put a lot of pressure in the early ’70s on the Jewish establishment to say, ‘Hey, we need to do more. We need to organize Solidarity Sundays and get out in the streets,’ and it made them more amenable to activists who were already doing that work in the ’60s,” said Beckerman, whose latest book, The Quiet Before, is about how protest and social movements catch on. In turn, those nonviolent protests “drew the [political] establishment towards the activists they could talk to.”

Or, as Landrieu said about the “Uncommitted” voters, “We’re going to continue to listen to what it is that they have to say.” In Michigan, the pro-Palestinian movement may have found a way to get, if not a seat at a table, then at least some time in the room.

Andrew Silow-Carroll is editor at large of the New York Jewish Week and managing editor for Ideas for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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.

‘Were you adopted?’ and other questions not to ask Jews of color

ZERLINE HUGHES SPRUILL

This article originally appeared in My Jewish Learning | JTA I’m a Black Jew. No, I’m not from Ethiopia, and no, I’m not related to Whoopi Goldberg or the late Sammy Davis Jr. And no, I’m not adopted. Nonetheless, throughout my life, when people find out I’m Jewish, I often receive a barrage of questions, forcing me to overshare about my religious, personal and family life.

I know it’s not every day one meets a Jew of color, especially a Black Jew. But in fact, 1% of Jews in the United States identify as Black and 8% identify as non-white. So maybe it’s time to stop being so surprised. You can alleviate awkward, uncomfortable conversations with Jews of color you just met by avoiding these five overly personal or unnecessarily challenging questions:

1. WERE YOU ADOPTED? This question can be offensive for many reasons, starting with the fact that what it really is saying is: “You don’t look Jewish.” Yes, a 2012 survey conducted by the Adoption & Jewish Identity Project found that 66% of adoptions by Jewish parents are transracial. Further, Jews adopt children at a higher rate than the general population. So yes, some Jews of color are adopted. However, many more are not. Asking someone about their adoption status, especially someone you may have just met, is very personal. Let them volunteer their familial relationships if and when they are comfortable.

2. ARE YOU ETHIOPIAN OR SEPHARDI? Yes, some Black Jews come from Ethiopia. But some people mistakenly think all Black Jews come from Ethiopia. In fact, Black Jews hail from around the globe, from Northern Africa to Southern Africa, from Southern Europe to the United States. (Bonus tip: If you know someone is a Jew from Ethiopia, please don’t call them a “falasha” — it means “outsider” and is considered derogatory.) Wondering if your new friend is a Sephardi Jew with roots in Spain, Portugal, North Africa or the Middle East? It’s definitely possible. Just make sure your motivation is not a misplaced attempt to validate their Jewishness.

3. CAN YOU SPEAK HEBREW? Hebrew is a language that connects all Jews, because it is the language of our shared sacred texts. But not all Jews speak fluent Hebrew, including the average American Jew. So be careful with this question: Instead of trying to express your excitement around the possibility of speaking the same language together, it may seem like you’re looking for them to prove their Jewishness.

4. DID YOU CONVERT? According to Beyond the Count: Perspectives and Lived Experiences of Jews of Color, a study commissioned by Jews of Color Initiative, 40% of Jews of color are converts. While this is a large proportion, it is short of the majority. One shouldn’t presume a Jew of color wasn’t, in fact, born Jewish. The same 2021 study found that 64% of Jews of

color have one Jewish parent, and 22% have two Jewish parents. Instead of asking if a person has converted, allow them to volunteer the story behind their religious journey.

5. DO YOU KNOW MY FRIEND WHO IS ALSO A JEW OF COLOR? Yes, Jews like to play Jewish geography. But that’s for all Jews. While the world is getting smaller thanks to the internet and social media, odds are that one Black Jew doesn’t know the next. If they don’t attend the same synagogue, or live in the same neighborhood, chances are the answer is no.

It’s exciting to meet new friends, especially when you share something special — Judaism — in common. Being inquisitive is the only way to get to know someone better, but one is also obligated to exercise derech eretz, or common decency. When starting a conversation with a Jewish person of color, make sure your conversation is aimed at getting to know them and doesn’t unintentionally make them feel like they don’t belong or fit in. Over time, you may be privileged to learn about their lived experience and be asked to share yours, too.

Zerline Hughes Spruill is a freelance writer originally from Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in PTA Magazine, Ebony and the Boston Globe.

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.

People vote at a voting site in Dearborn, Michigan as Democrats and Republicans hold their presidential primary election, Feb. 27, 2024. Credit: Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images

Synagogues

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

618 Mynster Street

Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766

712.322.4705 www.cblhs.org

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Street Omaha, NE 68154-1980

402.492.8550

bethel-omaha.org

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154

402.556.6288

BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

CHABAD HOUSE

An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch

1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646

402.330.1800

OChabad.com

email: chabad@aol.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN

South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism

2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797

402.435.8004

www.southstreettemple.org

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123 402.294.6244

email: oafbjsll@icloud.com

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154

TEMPLE ISRAEL

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)

13111 Sterling Ridge Drive Omaha, NE 68144-1206 402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY:

TIFERETH ISRAEL

Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236

402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org

B’NAI ISRAEL

Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker, Scott Littky. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

For information about our historic synagogue, please visit our website at www.cblhs.org or contact any of our other board members: Renee Corcoran, Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Ann Moshman, Mary-Beth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber.

Handicap Accessible.

BETH EL

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

IN-PERSON AND ZOOM MINYAN SCHEDULE: Mornings on Sundays, 9:30 a.m.; Mondays and Thursdays 7 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K-12), 10 a.m.; Movie Time Shabbat’s Cool (Grades 2-7), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 8:05 p.m. Zoom Only.

SUNDAY: BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; Hebrew Reading for Adults, 10:30 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman; Adult B’nai Mitzvah, 11:15 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman; Meals That Heal, 3:30 p.m.

TUESDAY: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m.

FRIDAY-Mar. 22: Nebraska AIDS Project Lunch, 11:30 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat 6 p.m.

SATURDAY-Mar. 23: Shabbat Morning Service, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K-12), 10 a.m.; Mahjong Shabbat following Services and Kiddush Lunch; Havdalah & Megillah Reading 8 p.m. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.

BETH ISRAEL

FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Candlelighting/Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:14 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Kids Kiddush Club, 11:15 a.m.; Soulful Torah: Unpacking the Or HaChayim’s Teachings, 6:15 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 7:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:15 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit 9 a.m.; Kinyan HaMasechta, 9:40 a.m.; 2024 Hamantashcen Bake, 10 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv 7:20 p.m.

MONDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Monday Mind Builders, 4 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:20 p.m.

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Board of Directors Meeting, 6 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:20 p.m.; Kinyan HaMasechta following Mincha/ Ma’ariv.

WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7

a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:20 p.m.

THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Character Development Class, 9:30 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:20 p.m.; Parsha Class, 7:40 p.m.; Kinyan HaMasechta following Mincha/Ma’ariv.

FRIDAY-Mar. 22: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Candlelighting/Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:22 p.m.

SATURDAY-Mar. 23: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Kids Kiddush Club, 11:15 a.m.; Soulful Torah: Unpacking the Or HaChayim’s Teachings, 6:21 p.m.; Mincha, 7:10 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity 7:40 p.m.; Ma’ariv/Megillah/Havdalah, 8:21 p.m.

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

CHABAD HOUSE

All services are in-person. All classes are being offered in-person and via Zoom (ochabad.com/academy). For more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.com or call the office at 402.330.1800.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: Ochabad.com/ Lechayim; Candlelighting, 7:13 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:13 p.m.

SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps: Shacharit, 99:30 a.m., Video Presentation, 9:30 a.m. and Breakfast, 9:45 a.m.; Torah and Tea, 10:30-11:15 a.m.

MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha, 9:30 a.m.; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

TUESDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 7 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

THURSDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 34), noon; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) Class, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY-Mar. 22: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: Ochaba d.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 7:21 p.m.

SATURDAY-Mar. 23: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:21 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL

Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. All services offered in-person with live-stream or teleconferencing options.

FRIDAY: Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:16 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. at

ADL and B’nai Israel come together

THE MURPHY SCOTT WULFGAR

Any story of the greater Jewish community of Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa would be incomplete without mentioning the vital role that B’nai Israel Synagogue has played in its evolution. From its earliest beginnings in 1881, to the cornerstone being laid in the foundation in 1904, to a near catastrophic fire in 1930, and through the gradual migration of the Jewish community further west into Omaha, the little synagogue on Mynster Street has endured.

Over the last decade, in an effort to not only continue preserving its legacy, but to remain a vital and important fixture in today’s blossoming Jewish community, the synagogue has employed the past to engage the present—being reborn—as the B’nai Israel Living History Synagogue.

With carefully cultivated and intimate museum exhibits, community building and innovative arts events, monthly and High Holiday services, concerts, guided tours, and more, B’nai Israel is excited to add another facet to its offerings next month: becoming an ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Signature Synagogue.

On Tuesday, April 2 at noon, the synagogue holds its first community-wide event in partnership with ADL, welcoming their Midwest Region’s Assistant Regional Director, Trent Spoolstra. All are welcome to this lunchtime event discussing the roots connecting ADL (est. in 1913) to the larger picture of Jewish migration on a national and local level. Mr. Spoolstra will also discuss the past, the present, and the future of ADL in Omaha and Council Bluffs.

“As Jews we have a history of leaving our homes, being forced to migrate to new lands because of antisemitism. The focus of our museum is migration and paramount to that is an understanding of antisemitism,” Board Member (and former ADL-CRC Regional Director) Mary-Beth Muskin offers. “Sadly, antisemitism isn’t going anywhere, and we are overjoyed to welcome ADL into our synagogue making us better able to offer resources and contextual programming to all who find comfort, hope, and community within our walls.”

Learn more about April 2 and other events or RSVP at B’nai Israel’s website: www.cblhs.org/events

TI; Torah Study noon on Parashat Pekudei; Potluck Dinner and Family Game Night, 6 p.m. at SST. Adults and kids of all ages are welcome. Please bring a dish to share; Havdalah, 8:16 p.m.

SUNDAY: LJCS Classes, 9:30 a.m.-noon at SST; Men’s Bike/Coffee Group, 10:30 a.m. in the Conference Room at Rock 'n Joe (5025 Lindbergh St.). For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail. com; Justice in Action Meeting, 1:30 p.m. at SST; Pickleball, 3-5 p.m. Anyone interested in playing or learning how to play can text Miriam at 402.470.2393. If there are enough interested people; we will play in the Social Hall at TI.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Hebrew School, 4:30-6 p.m.; Jewish Themes Through Jewish Films, 6:30 p.m. at SST.

THURSDAY: Fast Begins, 6:06 a.m.; Fast Ends, 8:14 p.m.

FRIDAY-Mar. 22: Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:23p.m.

SATURDAY-Mar. 23: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. at TI; Torah Study noon on Parashat Vayikra; Havdalah, 8:24 p.m.; Community Purim Celebration, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at SST.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s service is currently closed to visitors.

TEMPLE ISRAEL

In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Benjamin Sharff, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander

FRIDAY: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. In-Person; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom; Congregational Dinner — Italian Dinner Night, 7 p.m.

RSVP Required.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SUNDAY: No Youth Learning; Hamentaschen Baking, 9 a.m. In-Person.

WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m. In-Person; Grades 36, 4:30 p.m. In-Person; Grades 8-12 Split by Grade 6 p.m. In-Person.

FRIDAY-Mar. 22: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. InPerson; Classic Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom; Teen Lock-In for Grades 9-12, 5 p.m.

SATURDAY-Mar. 23: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. InPerson & Zoom; Bowling Bash — Adult Purim Party, 6 p.m. at Bob & Willie’s Wonderbowl (RSVP Required).

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

Did You Know?

There are some unique Haggadot out there.

For instance, there is a Superhero Haggadah Moshe Rosenberg wrote A Story of Signs and Marvels and asks some very passover-y questions: How is the Passover Seder plate like a time machine? What makes a true superhero? And is guilt actually a Jewish super power? (We like that last one).

The So-Called Seder Haggadah comes in CD format and features a matzoh on a turntable. The 2010 Facebook Haggadah told the story of Passover in, you guessed it, a series of Facebook updates.

In The Traditional Egalitarian Passover Haggadah, the four sons are replaced by the four daughters.

Seder plates typically involve a lamb shank. Not so in the Haggadah For The Vegetarian Family

Finally, the most popular Jewish online dating website naturally has its own J-Date Haggadah, which you can download on an iPad.

Sources: Buzzfeed.com and Amazon.com.

Life cycles

HELEN SUE FRIEDBERG

Helen Sue Friedberg, (nee Vann) passed away peacefully at age 85 of kidney disease in hospice care in Fort Lauderdale, FL on Feb. 23, 2024 with her family at her side in her last days. Services were held on Feb. 25, 2024 at South Florida Jewish Cemetery in Lake Worth, FL.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ruth and Reuben Vann; her brother, Howard; and two sisters, Irene and Kathleen.

She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Ardy Friedberg of Kansas City, MO; two children, Ruth Campbell, a newspaper reporter and editor in Odessa, TX and Eric Friedberg, a Special Olympics athlete and Publix Supermarket associate in Fort Lauderdale.

Susie, as she was known, was born in Omaha, graduated from Central High School and the University of Missouri. She was a school teacher, museum educator, business owner and program director for a government job training agency.

Susie and Ardy lived and worked in many places: three times

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

It’s hard to believe that we’re writing a letter to the Jewish Press of Omaha concerning the article in its March 1 edition advertising, of all things, a drag queen event.

Of course, “Inclusive Communities” can host the programs they want. And, while it’s very disappointing that the event would be held in the name of a past Omaha rabbi and his wife, that too is the choice of the organizers. However, it’s striking that the article would mention the rabbi’s passion for teaching “the truth as he found it in the Torah” when the book of Deuteronomy clearly prohibits men from wearing women’s clothing.

The point is not to debate the issue of drag queen events but rather to state that the only Jewish newspaper in our community should not be used to advertise such an event. Is there any event sponsored in the name of a prominent local Jew that couldn’t be advertised in the Press? Could a Jews for Jesus event honoring someone in our community be promoted? Could an anti-Zionist organization honoring someone in our community have its event mentioned? And if not, why not?

We don’t recall there ever being an article in the Press that at least some of us wouldn’t want our kids to see. But that has changed. Some of us don’t want to explain what drag queens are to our kids.

We hope the Press board and its professionals will show far more discretion in what they show on its pages.

in Florida and also in Georgia, Texas, Nebraska, Missouri, Ohio, Colorado and New York City. In retirement, Susie and Ardy loved hiking and snow shoeing in Minnesota and the Northwest and visiting friends as they drove around the country. They enjoyed, cooking and entertaining and beer and French fries at local bars.They were rarely apart during those 20 retirement years.

Condolences from Susie’s many friends and colleagues talked of her humor, her smile, her generosity and the feasts she prepared for the geographic orphans at her and Ardy’s workplaces who had no place to go during holidays.

One friend said, “Susie was a very bright light in a sometimes dim world. She was always ready to have fun and loved to talk about everything. She was always so kind and loving and interested in whatever was going on in the world.”

Another said, “I especially remember Susie’s clever sense of humor, infectious laugh, and wonderful acceptance of life’s twists and turns. She was so proud and supportive of Ardy and her children. She was beautiful inside and out.”

The Kaplan Book Group

Continued from page 6

survival story and why she felt compelled to write the novel. Hunter also gives an update on the family “postnovel.” Having read this book several years ago, I was amazed at how much I missed in my initial reading. Historical fiction can reveal much more about a period or person’s life than you knew before. In the case of We Were the Lucky Ones, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

Please feel free to join us on March 21 in person or via Zoom. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. New members are always welcome.

The Kaplan Book Group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For information about the group and to join in the discussion, contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org

Before someone offers you alcohol or other drugs, decide what you are going to say.

Having the facts can give you confidence.

For more information, call 1-800-648-4444

ANNOUNCEMENT

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING works! Place your 25 word ad into thousands of Nebraska homes for $225. Contact the Jewish Press or call 1-800-369-2850.

HELLO NEBRASKA! Introducing www.nepublicnotices.com, a new public notice website presented as a public service by all Nebraska newspapers. Free access, fully searchable – because democracy depends upon open government and your right to know.

AFFORDABLE PRESS Release service. Send your message to 155 newspapers across Nebraska for one low price! Call 1-800369-2850 or www.nebpress.com for more details.

FOR SALE - AGRICULTURE

MERIDIAN SEED Tenders Models 225 and 240 on hand. Replacement parts including auger flighting, conveyor belting, electric auger tip up kits. TAG Sales and Service. 1-402-560-8508 hellerichgary@gmail.com.

FOR SALE - INSURANCE

DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insuranceNOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-855-490-4149 www.dental50plus.com/81 #6258.

FOR SALE - SATELLITE

DIRECTV Stream - Carries the Most Local MLB Games! CHOICE Package, $89.99/mo for 12 months. Stream on 20 devices in your home at once. HBO Max included for 3 mos (w/CHOICE Package or higher.) No annual contract, no hidden fees! Some restrictions apply. Call IVS 1-855-763-0124.

FOR SALE - SENIORS

PORTABLE OXYGEN Concentrator? May be covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 855-385-3580.

HOME SERVICES

DOES YOUR basement or crawl space need some attention? Call Thrasher Foundation Repair! A permanent solution for waterproofing, failing foundations, sinking concrete and nasty crawl spaces. FREE Inspection & Same Day Estimate. $250 off ANY project with code GET250. Call 1-844-958-3431.

SERVICES – DEBT RELIEF

INFLATION IS at 40 year highs. Interest rates are way up. Credit Cards. Medical Bills. Car Loans. Do you have $10k or more in debt? Call NATIONAL DEBT RELIEF and find out how to pay off your debt for significantly less than what you owe! FREE quote: Call 1-888-353-0702.

WANTED

GET YOUR deduction ahead of the year-end! Donate your car, truck, or SUV to assist the blind and visually impaired. Arrange a swift, no-cost vehicle pickup and secure a generous year-end tax credit. Call Heritage for the Blind Today at 1-877-730-8167 today!

The JFO welcomes author Arthur Smith

MARK KIRCHHOFF

JFO Community Engagement and Education

This year’s Spring Author Event promises to be engaging and insightful. Mark your calendars for Monday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Goldstein Community Engagement Venue at the Staenberg Omaha JCC. The early evening will be a great time for many in the community to join Arthur Smith, the man behind some of the longest-running unscripted series in television history, including the groundbreaking hits, Hell’s Kitchen, Paradise Hotel, and American Ninja Warrior. Kosher appetizers, beverages, and dessert will be served.

Smith began his career in Canada working in sports journalism. He quickly rose in the ranks of production to become the youngestever head of CBC Sports. With a strong drive to reach further in his career, he moved from Canada to the United States. Following an interview with television icon Dick Clark, Smith was invited to join him to produce a wide variety of entertainment programming. From that experience he joined the fledgling FOX Sports Net where he spearheaded an entirely new approach to sports television, helping it grow into a true industry powerhouse. In 2000 Smith made the biggest reach of his career with the launch of A. Smith & Co. Productions which has produced over 200 television shows on more than 50 networks. Across genres, formats, and platforms, Smith and his A. Smith & Co. team have earned a reputation

for original, emotional, buzz-worthy, and deeply personal storytelling.

Arthur Smith has made many reaches in his career and he has done so again with the writing of Reach: Hard Lessons and Learned Truths from a Lifetime in Television. The book was released on June 6, 2023. Throughout its pages Smith teaches that no dream is too big to reach for and succeed. Reach is both an inspirational and relatable book in which Smith takes us behind the scenes of dozens of pivotal moments in sports and television history, ranging from the high-intensity control room at the Olympics to the development of The Titan Games with Dwayne (“The Rock”) Johnson. We

learn about a show that never was with Donald Trump, as well as a super-farfetched idea that became the bizarroclassic genrebuster I Survived a Japanese Game Show. Through winning anecdotes involving a disparate cast of famous characters, including Marlon Brando, Gordon Ramsay, Magic Johnson, Little Richard, Wayne Gretzky, Simon Cowell, and Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, Smith illustrates just how far you can go when you work hard, take risks, and reach for your dreams.

Smith recently joined Sir Mark Thompson on the Thompson Show that streams on YouTube. Thompson is Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide where he oversees all aspects of the business in the U.S. and around the world. At the end of the interview, Smith shared some meaningful interactions that occurred while he was recording the audio book. When he began the project, he was

well-aware that readers and listeners have the choice to read or listen to his work, but a sound engineer has no such choice. He must be there. After 4 days of work, 6 hours per day, the audio was complete. The engineer came to Arthur who quoted him as saying, “I want to do more with my life. I want to start reaching. Can you spend some time with me and talk? I got really inspired by what you wrote and I realized that I am not living up to my full potential.” The request had an immediate and profound effect on Smith. “Oh my G-d. I got the shivers. I gave the guy a hug. It was very meaningful and very impactful, and very unexpected to me.” Both the book, which will be available for sale at the event, and Smith himself may very well have just such an impact on your life. But you have to REACH. Registration is required by using the QR code shown here, going to jewish omaha.org or through the registration link in the Federation’s emails. For questions, contact Naomi Fox, nfox@jewishomaha.org This program is made possible by the JFO’s membership in Jewish Book Council, with the support of the following JFO Foundation funds: Kenneth Ray Tretiak Memorial Fund, Lois Jeanne Schrager Memorial Fund, and Special Donor Advised Fund.

Arthur Smith