March 16, 2018

thejewishpress AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

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Annette vAn de kAmp Editor, Jewish Press pril 11, our Jewish community will come together at Beth El Synagogue for the annual Yom HaShoah Remembrance Day. The evening begins with the youth program for those in grades 8-12 at 5:30 p.m., followed by the main program at 7 p.m. The Yom HaShoah com-

Will Eisner comes to Lincoln page 12

inside Viewpoint Synagogues Life cycles

8 10 11

memoration is organized by the Institute for Holocaust Education, writtten this year written by Joanie Jacobson and Jill Belmont and directed by Joanie Jacobson.

“The Holocaust was the deliberate, systematic, diabolical massacre of 12 million people,” Jacobson said. “We lost six million Jewish men, women and children. When you factor in the children and grandchildren who were never born,

A culinary treat

Andie GordmAn And SuSie norton New moon. New month. New program?

Not so new, really. Women at Temple Israel have been gathering, almost monthly, since last summer to celebrate the new moon by observing Rosh Chodesh. This gathering has been a fantastic way for women of all ages to spend time together and also to meet new people. As Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin explains, “Rosh

Chodesh is an incredible opportunity for women in our community of all ages, backgrounds, and interests to come together to celebrate and be together. There are so many things in our daily lives pulling us in different directions; Rosh Chodesh represents a chance to focus on ourselves and our relationships with other women in this community each month. For those of you who have not yet had the chance to experience it, it is truly special.”

The group kicked off this new initiative with an event at the home of Danielle Gordman, which included welcoming Karen Flayhart, wife of Temple’s new Senior Rabbi, Brian Stoller.

A priority of Rabbi Deana Berezin, this new Rosh Chodesh group is led by a steering committee of congregants: Marlen Frost, Susan Long, Mendy Halsted, Sandy Christofferson, Pam DePorte, Penny Endelman, Ellen Platt, Berta Ackerson, Andie See Culinary treat page 2

we’ve lost millions more. There are those who insist the Holocaust never happened, that it’s Jewish propaganda, fake news; and they are determined to prove it. It is a black hole in the history of the world because the world let it happen.

“It’s not just that the community needs Yom HaShoah; Yom HaShoah needs the community. It needs us to tell the story, See Yom HaShoah page 2

Week of Understanding

Liz FeLdStern Executive Director, Institute for Holocaust Education Between March 19th and 23rd, the IHE has arranged more than 20 speaking engagements that will reach some 5,000 Nebraska students. Some of these engagements will take place with local Holocaust survivors such as Dr. Fred Kader, Bea Karp, and Kitty Williams. To learn more about these and other local survivors, you can check out the “Survivor Stories” section on the IHE website, or tour the Pennie Z. Davis Gallery on the JCC Campus.

We are also honored to welcome Holocaust survivors who have agreed to travel to Omaha especially for the Week of Understanding program. The guests who will be joining us in 2018 are profiled below.

The public is invited to share in these moving testimonies, through a number of evening engagements.

Meet our guests: dr. mark Wygoda Dr. Mark Wygoda is the son of Hermann Wygoda, a German-born Polish Jew who fought back against the Nazis as a Division Commander See Week of understanding page 3

2 | The Jewish Press | March 16, 2018

community

culinary treat

Yom HaShoah

continued from page 1 to give it life, to say Kaddish for six million souls. We are a people of deeds; the Holocaust needs us to put our words and feelings into actions—to model human kindness, protect human life and preserve human dignity.�

The program serves two distinct purposes, according to IHE Executive Director Liz Feldstern: “Yom HaShoah creates an opportunity to remember and learn about tragedies that occurred during the Holocaust, but it also allows us to make connections with events in the world today. Yom HaShoah asks us to look at current policies and crises through the lens of the Holocaust and consider how it will inform the choices we make every day.�

As in every other year, Yom HaShoah is, first and foremost, a community event. “That we mark this day together is significant.� Jacobson said. “Judaism teaches there is power in communal prayer, so why wouldn’t there be power in communal gathering?

Our voices are louder, stronger. Our collective voices are stronger. Our collective energy is greater. Our collective feelings can lead to conversation, and conversation can lead to action, proving there is, indeed, strength in numbers.�

A group of survivors, including Annette Fettman for Cantor Leo Fettman, Dr. Fred

Kader, Marcel Kahn, Bea Karp, Milton Kleinberg, Polina Labunskaya, Lila Lutz, Esther Silver and Kitty Williams who will share parts of their stories, insight and wisdom during the evening. “Each is not just a survivor,� Jacobson said. “These men and women are our neighbors, our friends, our acquaintances, our family.

Each of them had a life before the Holocaust and a life after. They were innocent children who played games and dreamt of a promising future. Instead, they became captives, prisoners, hidden children and orphans but who emerged from the darkness as survivors, voyagers, immigrants and parents. That qualifies them as credible messengers -- people who have survived unthinkable loss, terror and heartache but have valuable insight and wisdom to share with the rest of us. “Not just a survivor. Not just one of six million. These are people worth knowing, their words are worth hearing, and Yom Hashoah is always an evening worth sharing together.�

The Yom HaShoah Community Commemoration is generously funded by the Jewish Federation of Omaha, Beth El Synagogue, Beth Israel Synagogue, Temple Israel and the Gertrude T. and Albert B. Newman Endowment Fund and the Morton A. Richards Youth Program Fund at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

early deadline notice

The deadline for the April 6 issue is tuesday, March 27, 9 a.m. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.

THE MUSIC OF FANNY MENDELSSOHN AND ANDREA CLEARFIELD SUNDAY, MARCH 25 TH , 3 P.M.

continued from page 1 Gordman, Rosie Zweiback and Susie Norton. Committee members have planned and hosted events, either individually or in pairs. Events have included: yoga, financial planning, readings with a psychic, a game night and a poetry slam. “This first year of Rosh Chodesh programming has been nothing short of amazing,� says Rabbi Berezin. “We have had dedicated volunteers who have coordinated each event, drawing from their own personal interests and strengths. We have learned from one another, we have grown closer to one another, we have laughed together and cried together. The programs that this group has put together have been inspirational, educational, fun and, perhaps most importantly, meaningful. I look forward to celebrating Rosh Chodesh with the remarkable women of Temple Israel for many years to come.�

Planning for next year will start in late April or early May. We look forward to another year of fantastic and creative programming. For more information about Temple Israel’s Rosh Chodesh Group, please contact Rabbi Deana Berezin.

As we welcome the month of Iyar at our Rosh Chodesh gathering on april 10, Andie Gordman and Susie Norton are hosting a night of food, fun, and friendship at Metropolitan Community College’s Institute of Culinary Arts. This is a very special night at a very special place. The Institute was named #8 in the 2016 Best Choice Schools Top 50 Culinary Schools list! If you’ve never been, prepare to be amazed.

We will get a behind-the-scenes tour, including the student-run Sage Bistro, classrooms, labs, and the demonstrations theaters. Chef Brian O’Malley, Associate Dean, will entertain us with a cooking demo and we will enjoy an appetizer buffet, desserts, and wine after the tour and demo. Join us to learn more about this top-rated facility and the team that is producing many of the up and coming chefs in Omaha. The cost is only $18 because an anonymous donor has generously subsidized the cost of this event. Join us at The Institute of Culinary Arts at 5730 N. 30th Street at 6 p.m. on april 10. Please RSVP to rSVP@templeisrael omaha.com or 402.556.6536 by March 30.

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Week of Understanding

Continued from page 1 months, Magda was “selected” to be sent to a work camp. At in the Italian Liberation Army from 1944-45. He was the only the end of March 1945, Magda was sent on a death march to member of his family to have survived the Holocaust. “Co- Buchenwald. Magda and several prisoners decided that they mandante Enrico” as he was known to the 2,500 partisan were going to attempt to escape. They hid in a nearby barn troops he commanded, planned war actions, negotiated pris- for almost two days until American soldiers discovered oner exchanges with the local German commander and, ulti- Magda and the other women and liberated them. Extended mately, helped liberate the city of Savona, Italy. After the war family members welcomed Magda into their home in he received an American Chicago in September 1946.

Bronze Star medal for valor in Magda is a member of the dr. Mark Wygoda combat, personally awarded to Speaker’s Bureau of the Illinois “Comandante Enrico”, My Father’s Holocaust Resistance him by US General Mark Holocaust Museum & EducaMarch 20, 7 p.m. at Countryside Community Church Clark. Prior to joining the partion Center.

Presented by the Center for Faith Studies agnes schwartz tisans in Italy, Hermann Wygoda lived a covert life both Agnes is from Budapest, in Poland, where he was a Hungary. Upon occupation by dr. Mark Wygoda smuggler to the Warsaw Nazi forces in 1944, she was Encore presentation ghetto, and in Germany, where forced to move into a ghetto.

March 21, 6:30 p.m. at Millard Branch – he was a foreman, translator, At 10 years old, the family Omaha Public Library and armed courier for a Germaid (Julia Balazs) took Agnes **Free admission for both man business. in as her “niece” who was “fleeDr. Mark Wygoda is a profesing from the Russian army”. agnes schwartz sor of Biology at McNeese State During Allied bombings, “A Roll of the Dice” - Holocaust Testimony University in Lake Charles, LA. Agnes was sent underground March 21, 6:30 p.m. at Durham Museum, Truhlsen Hall He has been speaking about his to hide for months. Agnes’ fa**Museum Admission applies father’s Holocaust experiences ther was saved by Raoul Walsince 1995. lenberg and hidden in one of Reserve a seat at DurhamMuseum.org rita rubenstein his safe houses. Her grandRita Rubenstein was born in mother, grandfather, and aunt rita rubenstein 1936 in Romania. In 1940, her were drowned in the Danube.

Holocaust Testimony father was drafted into the SoHer mother was deported and March 21, 7 p.m. at Beth El Synagogue viet Army, never to be seen perished at Bergen-Belsen. again. In 1941, Rita’s family Agnes now lives in Skokie, IL, (her mother, grandmother, an aunt, uncle, and two cousins) where she is an active volunteer and speaker at the Illinois were given 24 hours to pack before being deported to a ghetto Holocaust Museum & Education Center. in occupied Ukraine. This ghetto was in a remote region and Week of Understanding is an effort to maximize the opporthe family spent the next three years in a mud-walled hut with tunity for Nebraskans to hear from Holocaust survivors and libno running water. The area was eventually liberated by the erators while these eye-witnesses are still among us. The Russian Army. Rita and her family returned to their hometown program is made possible by generous support from Omaha in Romania. Here they learned of her father’s death. Fearing Public Schools, Wahoo Public Schools, and the Shirley and Soviet policies, Rita and family obtained forged documents Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation (of the JFOF). identifying them as Polish citizens, which allowed them to take a dangerous three-month journey through Poland and find refuge in the Feldafing Displaced Persons camp in Germany.

It took another three years before Rita and her mother were allowed to immigrate to the United States in 1949.

Magda Brown B’nai B’rith BreadBreakers Magda is from Miskolc, Hungary. She grew up in a safe, lovB’nai B’rith Breadbreakers meets weekly on Wednesdays at the ing home and enjoyed a normal childhood. After German Rose Blumkin Jewish Home auditorium from noon to 1 p.m. For troops occupied Budapest, Magda and her family were sent specific speaker information, please email to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland.

Gary.Javitch@Gmail.com, Breadbreakers chairman. For more inAfter arriving, Magda was separated from her mother, father, formation or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was the last time she saw them bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

— they were sent directly into the gas chambers. After two

Organizations

Omaha Chamber Music society’s annual concert The Omaha Chamber Music Society is proud to present its annual concert at the Jewish Community Center, generously supported by the Sokolof Javitch Music Fund. The free performance at 3 p.m. on March 25 will feature the works of female composers Fanny Mendelssohn and Andrea Clearfield, played by members of the Omaha Symphony and their fantastic colleagues in the Omaha community.

Yulia Kalashnikova will perform Mendelssohn’s Notturno in G minor, a work that demonstrates the incredible talent that Felix Mendelssohn’s sister exhibited both as a composer and a performer,

though often overshadowed by her brother Felix. Yulia will then join Omaha Symphony Principal French Horn Brett Hodge for Clearfield’s Songs of the Wolf, a virtuosic exhibition for Hodge.

Finally, eight performers – and a conductor, a first for OCMS! – will gather for Clearfield’s Lung-Ta: the Wind-Horse, a work based on a Tibetan prayer for peace. Clearfield wrote it in collaboration with Maureen Drdak, who’s gorgeous Lung-Ta Triptych can be seen on our accompanying ad and materials. Lung-Ta was presented to the Dalai Lama as a gift in 2009, and we’re thrilled to be able to present its premiere to the Omaha community.

Make plans now to attend the annual Spring Arts and Crafts Show that will be held saturday and sunday, March 17-18 at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The show is billed as one of Iowa's largest shows, with over 150 exhibitors presenting and selling thousands of unique, handmade products.

Among the various products being sold at the show are oak and pine furniture, paintings and prints, ceramics, kids teepees, wall hangings, blankets, jewelry, pet products, etched and stained glass, yard and garden art, pottery, candles, clothing, quilts, aprons, pillows, doll clothes, rugs, place mats, table runners, purses, floral arrangements and wreaths, wood and metal signs, soap and lotions,

and many more original products.

Exhibitors will also be selling coffee cakes, dips, salsa, soups, jams, jellies, cheese and sausage, wines, honey, food mixes and roasted nuts. All items offered for sale to the public are handmade by the exhibitor.

Hours of the show are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on sunday. Admission is $5 and children 10 and younger are free. Parking is free throughout the show. All patrons who attend the show on Saturday will receive a two-day re-entry stamp.

For a chance to win one of four $50 gift certificates to the show, like us on facebook under Callahan Promotions, Inc. and for exhibitor information on the show, please call us at 563.652.4529.

spring arts & Crafts show at Mid-america Center

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If you are currently attending college, are between the ages of 18 and 24, and want to become more involved in our community, this is your chance.

If you are interested, please send your resume and cover letter to avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.

We can’t wait to meet you!

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4 | The Jewish Press | March 16, 2018

Anti-Semitic incidents surged in 2017

T

Class of 2018 HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

High School Seniors and Parents

We will be publishing our annual High School Graduation Class pages on May 18, 2018. To 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 1, 2018.

High School Senior Information ______________________________________________ Name ______________________________________________ Parent(s)’ Name(s) ______________________________________________ Current High School ______________________________________________ College you plan to attend Send by May 1, 2018 to:

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Pam monsky Community Development Liaison, ADL Plains States Region New York, NY he Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said in a new report today that the number of anti-Semitic incidents was nearly 60 per cent higher in 2017 than 2016, the largest single-year increase on record and the second highest number reported since ADL started tracking incident data in the 1970s.

The sharp rise, reported in ADL’s Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents was, in part, due to a significant increase in incidents in schools and on college campuses, which nearly doubled for the second year in a row.

There were 1,986 anti-Semitic incidents reported across the United States in 2017, including physical assaults, vandalism, and attacks on Jewish institutions. That figure represents a 57 per cent increase over the 1,267 incidents in 2016. Every part of the country was affected, with an incident reported in all 50 states for the first time in at least a decade.

“A confluence of events in 2017 led to a surge in attacks on our community – from bomb threats, cemetery desecrations, white supremacists marching in Charlottesville, and children harassing children at school,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director. “These incidents came at a time when we saw a rising climate of incivility, the emboldening of hate groups and widening divisions in society. In reflecting on this time and understanding it better with this new data, we feel even more committed to our century-old mission to stop the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.”

ADL-CRC Plains States Regional Director Mary-Beth Muskin said, “The ADL-CRC is receiving reports of hate crimes and hate incidents weekly, which is an increase over last year. In Hastings, Nebraska, a white nationalist group plastered hate-filled fliers on street signs, traffic lights and storefronts throughout the city. A White Supremacist group unfurled a hate-filled banner from an overpass on Interstate 80, and at a local university several swastikas were found carved into the wall of a bathroom with hateful messages written above them and more recently, we had a white supremacist speaking out on UNL’s campus.” Muskin added, “Reported regional incidents were up by 29% in 2017. The ADLCRC continues to work with law enforcement to identify those individuals and groups behind hateful messages and actions.”

InCIDEnTs Since 1979, ADL has counted anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. and reported the numbers in its annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents. Last year, in response to concerns about rising anti-Semitism, ADL stepped up the frequency of reporting and issuing additional reports to share data more regularly throughout the year.

In 2017, according to ADL, there were: • 1,015 incidents of harassment, including 163 bomb threats against Jewish institutions, up 41 percent from 2016; • 1,952 incidents of vandalism, up 86 percent from 2016; • 19 physical assaults, down 47 percent from 2016.

The largest increase in 2017 was in the category of vandalism. The dramatic increase in

anti-Semitic acts of vandalism is particularly concerning because it indicates perpetrators feel emboldened enough to break the law. In the vast majority of vandalism cases, the perpetrators remain unidentified.

The three worst months were in the first quarter of the year – with 208, 273, and 273 incidents in January, February, and March, respectively. These months include the 163 bomb threats against Jewish institutions.

Incidents took place in every state across the country; but consistent with prior reports, the states with the highest number of incidents tend to be those with the largest Jewish populations. These include New York (380 incidents); California (268); New Jersey (208); Massachusetts (177); Florida (98); and Pennsylvania (96).

According to the audit, there are myriad reasons why the numbers are rising. These include the fact that more people are reporting incidents to ADL than ever before. AntiSemitic incidents took place in a wide variety of locations, including places of business, private homes, public areas such as parks and streets, Jewish institutions and schools and colleges/universities.

InCIDEnTs In sCHooLs on RIsE Anti-Semitic incidents in K-12 schools and college campuses in 2017 nearly doubled over 2016. There were 457 anti-Semitic incidents reported in non-Jewish schools, up from 235 in 2016 and 114 in 2015. Jewish institutions and schools also saw incidents double, jumping from 170 in 2016 to 342 last year. Meanwhile, college campuses saw a total of 204 incidents in 2017, compared to 108 in 2016.

“The consistent increase of anti-Semitic incidents against students of all ages is deeply troubling,” Greenblatt said. “We know that students do not always report when they are being bullied, so for every incident that’s reported, it is likely there’s another that goes unreported. This is why it is imperative for schools to have anti-bias and anti-bullying programs, and why we are committing to take our No Place for Hate program into more schools this year.”

CEmETERy VanDaLIsm Jewish graves or cemeteries were desecrated seven times in 2017. The desecration of Jewish headstones is a classic anti-Semitic act employed for hundreds of years. The majority of the cemetery desecrations occurred in the first months of the year, at the same time as the bomb threats were called in to Jewish institutions, which contributed to a sense that the Jewish American community was under siege. One bright spot in this was the response of members of the Muslim and Christian faiths, who raised thousands of dollars to help repair the damaged tombstones.

HoW aDL Is REsPonDInG ADL has a comprehensive approach to address anti-Semitic incidents and behavior, including educating youth to prevent these behaviors and working with law enforcement to apprehend the perpetrators. ADL trains 15,000 law enforcement officials per year, provides anti-bias training widely, including to every new FBI agent, and reaches 1.5 million kids in schools with our anti-bias and anti-bullying training. anti-sematic incidents page 6

Beth El second seder features rituals from around the globe

Ozzie nOGG On Saturday evening, March 31, Beth El Synagogue will offer its traditional Second Seder, but chances are the format will be far from traditional.

“For the last few years, we’ve had a lot of fun getting into the desert experience,” said Ariella Rohr, Beth El Engagement Coordinator. “But as we started thinking about Passover this year, we realized that Jews have held seders all over the world.

Eastern Europe, Africa, South America, Asia. I’ve spent a lot of time these last few weeks diving deep into the Passover traditions of our fellow Jews in different communities around the globe. Some I’d heard of before, like the Sephardi Scallion Whip, and some things I learned were more surprising. Did you know there is only one Jew in Afghanistan? I know we sometimes think Omaha has a small Jewish community, but imagine being the only Jew in the whole country.”

Executive Chef Jeff Snow, co-founder of Catering Creations, will prepare the Seder meal. “Jeff ’s a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America,” Ariella said, “and for seven years in a row Catering Creations has been voted Best Caterer, First Place in Best of Omaha, so obviously, the Seder dinner will be delicious. Rest assured, Beth El’s Second Seder will be surprising and fun.”

Beth El Synagogue’s Second Seder begins at 6:15 p.m. in the Social Hall. It will be preceded by Get-In-The-Mood Warm-Up-Activities at 5 p.m. and minyan at 5:30 p.m.

Please register online at www.bethel-omaha.org by March 5. Cost per plate is $38 adult (age 13 and up); $15 child (age 6-12). Price after March 5 is $42 per adult and $18 per child.

There is no charge for children five and under. No reservations will be taken after March 19.

Parshat vayikra

We start the third of the five books of Torah, Vayikra, this week.

After we establish the point of creation and our nation in the first two books, we now focus on the relationship. “Vayikra”, which means “he called”, deals with how to now connect to G-d. We need to always remember that Judaism is not just cerebral. We need to connect and rabbi ari deepen our relationship with all Dembitzer Beth Israel Synagogue parts of our being.

Shabbat Shalom

The Jewish Press | March 16, 2018 | 5

community The Chabad CTeen Shabbaton Levi Katzman Becca Denenberg and Leora McNamara came away from the Chabad CTeen Shabbaton weekend on Feb. 23-27 with a lot of enthusiasm. They’d had the chance to explore New York city, eat good food, and meet other people their age from around the world. Even though the event at first sounded intimidating—over 2,500 teens participated—Becca said that the size didn’t really matter because “everyone is just like you. And everyone is trying to make friends.”

Leora said, “it was so cool to walk on the streets and see ‘you’re Jewish, you’re Jewish, you’re Jewish.’”

“CTeen did a Times Square takeover on Saturday night with a Havdalah service and a Torah completion, and it was so cool. It was like a bunch of people dancing. It was so much fun—two screens with CTeen stuff on them.”

Both girls encouraged other youth to consider coming next year. “Come on the trip,” said Becca, “you will not regret it.”

For more information contact Levi Katzman Levi@ochabad.com.

UNO Summer course to focus on Jewish women in the Midwest

Gabby bLair Staff Writer, Jewish Press Register today for Jewish Women in the Midwest, a summer course being offered on tuesday evenings, 6 p.m.-8:40 p.m., may 15 - aug. 7, 2018. All classes will meet at the Jewish Community Center Library; 333 S. 132nd Street.

Sponsored by the University of Nebraska–Omaha Schwalb Center for Israel & Jewish Studies, the course will be led by Jeannette Gabriel, Ph.D. candidate in Social Studies Education at The University of Iowa. This course is open to all UNO students and members of the community through UNO’s auditor and Senior Passport pro-

Jeannette Gabriel

grams. The UNO Senior Passport Program costs $25 and allows participants over age 65 to attend two undergraduate courses per semester with instructor’s approval.

To audit this course, or to join the Senior Passport Program, please contact Patsy Stradling, UNO Registrar’s office at 402.554.3042 or by email at pstradling@un omaha.edu. Registration forms may also be picked up from Mark Kirchhoff at the JCC in the Kripke Federation Library.

For more information about The Schwalb Center, please contact Kasey De Goey 402.554.2788 or uno schwalbcenter@unomaha.edu.

Snowbirds Retreat yourself...

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Anti-Semitic incidents

6 | The Jewish Press | March 16, 2018

community

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Beth El women enjoy ‘wool therapy’ OzzIE NOgg

eth El women, experienced and novice, will meet for A Nite to KNIT! on Wednesday evening, March 28, from 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. at Personal Threads Boutique, 8600 Cass. Judy Brookstein and Sibby Wolfson are co-chairs of the program which is part of Beth El’s Miriam Initiative.

During A Nite to KNIT!, novice knitters should plan to arrive at Personal Threads by 5:45 p.m., so staff have time to help them purchase a ball of yarn and appropriate needles. Experienced knitters are also invited to come at 5:45 p.m., and to bring any current projects they’re working on. “Knitting for all skill levels begins at 6:15 p.m.,” Brookstein said, “and by the end of the evening, newbies will know how to knit the basic stitches.” The program is limited to 20 participants.

Researchers in mind/body medicine find that the rhythm of working the same knitting or crochet stitch over and over again calms the heart rate and breathing, creating a feeling of inner quiet similar to a yoga flow. “You could call the craft wool therapy,” Sibby said.

“Knitting is so relaxing, it takes my mind off everything else.”

According to Judy Brookstein, “A Nite to KNIT! is for every woman who is creative, who wants to be creative, or who wants to learn something new. Personal Threads is such a beautiful shop and the yarns are so luscious, it’s hard to know where to look first.

Joe and Julie Wynn, the owners of the bou-

tique, are very excited about hosting our group, as are their staff of very helpful, very patient teachers. A Nite to KNIT! is a chance for Beth El women to form a sort of chavurah — small group of like-minded women who gather to share experiences.”

Sibby Wolfson, left, and Judy Brookstein cochairs of Beth El’s A Nite to KNIT! — an event for novice and experienced needleworkers.

The entrance to Personal Threads Boutique, 8600 Cass St., is on the North side of the building. Take the elevator to the 2nd floor. For A Nite to KNIT! reservations contact Judy Brookstein, 402.493.3642, or email: brookstein@cox.net by Friday, March 23.

The Miriam Initiative is a new concept in women’s programming at Beth El — a series of ongoing projects and programs created, developed and presented by Beth El women.

The Initiative welcomes all women who want to participate at any level from leadership to fellowship. Call the synagogue 402.492.8550 for more information.

Continued from page 4 “We make government leaders and the public aware of anti-Semitism so we can counter it together,” said Greenblatt. “AntiSemitism may be the oldest hatred, but it is deeply felt today and we will never give up on our important work to ensure our communities are safe for each and every one.”

ADL has recently announced expansions in its work to counter cyber-hate with a new center in Silicon Valley in recognition of the close connection between the rise in hate online and the rise of hate incidents in our communities.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS In response to the historic rise in anti-Semitic incidents, ADL is sharing the following policy recommendations with members of Congress and other government leaders: • Congress should pass legislation to expand federal protections against bomb threats to religious institutions. The House of Representatives approved this legislation, HR 1730, in December. The Senate must now act and send the measure to the President to sign.

• Public officials and law enforcement authorities must use their bully pulpit to speak out against anti-Semitic incidents – and all acts of hate. These officials must support efforts to punish this conduct to the fullest extent of the law, while providing comfort and assistance to individual victims and community members.

• Victims and bystanders should report all anti-Semitic incidents and vandalism to the Anti-Defamation League and to local police.

If we expect law enforcement officials and community members to take these incidents seriously, we must take them seriously – and report them, both to ADL and to the police.

• College and university administrators,

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faculty, and staff must receive the necessary training to effectively respond to anti-Semitic incidents, hate crimes, hate speech, and extremism on campus. Campus officials have a moral obligation to speak out against hate. Colleges and universities must build an institution for learning that works toward inclusion and equity while also ensuring open expression and a marketplace for ideas The ADL Audit includes both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats, and slurs. Compiled using information provided by victims, law enforcement, and community leaders, and evaluated by ADL’s professional staff, the Audit provides a regular snapshot of one specific aspect of a nationwide problem while identifying possible trends or changes in the types of activity reported. This information assists ADL in developing and enhancing its programs to counter and prevent the spread of anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry.

The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all. Today it is the world’s leading organization combating anti-Semitism, exposing hate groups, training law enforcement on hate crimes, developing anti-bias education programs for students, countering cyber-hate and relentlessly pursuing equal rights for all.

The ADL-CRC Plains States Regional office was established in 1950. In a unique relationship, the ADL also serves as the Community Relations Council (CRC) and is the central resource for information on social issues and problems affecting the local Jewish community in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas.

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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 16, 2018 | 7

purim SCRAPBOOK

he holiday of Purim was celebrated community-wide at a variety of get-togethers, including the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, which crowned Marvin and Sandra Kohll as the 2018 Purim King and Queen. The royal couple was crowned in the presence of Residents and staff on Thursday, March 1. Parties and Purim spiels were offered at Friedel Jewish Academy, Beth El, Beth Israel and Temple Israel, as well as the Chabad House, which turned the main sanctuary into a slice of Israel.

8 | The Jewish Press | March 16, 2018

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a

come again?

anneTTe van De KamP Editor, Jewish Press nti-Semitism takes many different forms and can pop up anywhere, anytime. Here is what happened recently in a Montreal borough where approximately 25 % of the population is Hasidic. Irritated with the influx of school buses, protesters showed up at the Outremont Borough Council meeting, wearing rectangular yellow badges. Apparently, that was needed to make it clear what they were protesting. The badges, not surprisingly, outraged Jewish residents of Outremont: “The person who devised such a protest either has no knowledge of history whatsoever, or if they understood, they would surely have realized it was a horrendous way to express one’s opinion,” B’nai B’rith Canada’s Steven Slimovitch said.

No knowledge of history? In my humble opinion, these protesters knew exactly what they were doing. Protest leader Ginette Chartre doubled down and asked “Should we change the color of the school buses because it reminds Jews of their past?”

This is not about traffic flow. It’s about anti-Semitism, it’s about grabbing any possible excuse to mess with the Jewish population and using whatever means are most hurtful.

The second example has to do with ice cream. In the Russian Tatarstan region, a new flavor was recently introduced: it’s a “crusty horn with chocolate and prune-flavored ice cream and topped with peanuts.” I’m not sure about the prune, but otherwise it sounds reasonable, were it not for the wrapper. It contains a blue and white Israeli flag with the name of this particular flavor: “Poor Jews.”

Come again?

As much as I would like to write a profound response to

that isn’t, it builds and sustains hate. Even the smallest reference is harmful.

In 2017, The Independent’s Rabina Khan wrote: “The Holocaust didn’t start in the gas chambers: it began with the rhetoric of hate.”

As people, we cannot function without language and if that language itself is infected with hateful reminders of our otherness, the onus is on us to make it better. The danger, when so much hateful rhetoric exists, is that we begin to categorize it. Sometimes, we might feel hurt by something someone says, but we’re the only one in the room who feels that way, so we let it go. Sometimes we think: ‘they won’t get it anyway, so it’s no use to point it out.’ Or we think words can be shrugged off, ignored. Dealing with it head-on is difficult; we get tired of always being the one who cries foul.

After all, when did we become so sensitive? And who wants to be accused of exactly that?

Because of this way of thinking, there are really two problems we face: the continued existence of anti-Semitism and the temptation to let a company in Russia’s Tatarstan region sells an ice cream it go. But there is a reason we have the comcone named “Poor Jews.”

Credit: Slavitsa mandment against Lashon Hara. Entire books guage and mythology. It is an ideology in its own right. have been written on the subject; it doesn’t just refer to The vocabulary of anti-Semitic abuse is both extensive gossip. The Talmud states the tongue is such a dangerous and colorful. Much of it harks back to the ideology and be- instrument, it has to be hidden behind two walls: the lips havior of Nazi-Germany, while more recent anti-Jewish and the teeth. Words are powerful, it is a message that is language is rooted in the anti-Israel narrative.” repeated over and over again in the Torah. Long before the The website goes on to identify keywords that are used information age and the existence of social media, we’ve to send a clear message of anti-Semitism. It’s not just been given a blueprint on how to act. And so, when those school bus protests and ice cream flavors: it’s in the who use that “evil speech” confront us, we cannot shut everyday language that is used by everyday people. Each our ears and walk away. If words are powerful when used time some random citizen somewhere refers to ‘being for hate, they can be equally powerful when used for Jewed down,’ calls us ‘Yids,’ or makes a Holocaust joke good.

Hear the word of Adonai…

For Adonai has a case Against the inhabitants of this land, Because there is no honesty and no goodness And no obedience to God in the land.

Murder and theft are rife, Blood flows to blood!

-From Hosea 4:1-2 Feb. 14, 2018, was my daughter’s birthday. As I dropped her off at her Omaha school carrying two boxes of donuts to share with her classmates, I prayed, as I do every day, that she would be safe there – that her school would not become the target of yet another deranged shooter (God forbid).

How sad and tragic that we live in a time when parents have good reason to pray for such things.

Sadly, there was a school shooting that day – in Parkland, Florida – and 17 students and faculty members were murdered. In these weeks following that horrific massacre, as in the aftermath of every one of these shameful tragedies, there is an outcry for action against this epidemic of evil. And yet, heartbroken as we are over the senseless deaths of children, our society remains paralyzed, deadlocked, incapable of doing anything productive to prevent more school shootings from occurring.

And so, as my teacher Rabbi Yehiel Poupko has written, the prophet’s words ring out from across the millennia as a stinging indictment of our failure to protect our children: “Adonai has a case against the inhabitants of this land… Blood flows to blood” – and you do nothing!

I am certain there are myriad factors conspiring to create the wicked phenomenon of school shooters, and that no one factor alone accounts for it. I suspect that our violence-glorifying culture, untreated mental illness, social isolation of young men, and family instability are among the culprits.

I also suspect that the easy access to guns, when combined with these other societal maladies, is bound to ignite a dangerous fire. I am no psychologist or sociologist or policy expert, and I readily admit that I know nothing about guns. I have never owned a gun and I doubt I would ever purchase one. And yet, I also admit that I do not be-

lieve guns are all bad. Indeed, I am glad that certain people have them – like police officers, soldiers, and the armed guard who patrols our Temple. Many citizens who would never harm another human being use guns for hunting and other legitimate sporting Rabbi bRian activities. I am also aware sTolleR that owning a gun helps Temple Israel many people feel safe, knowing they have a means to defend themselves and their families.

To my mind, guns are what the Jewish philosopher Will Herberg calls a “partial good” – something that serves a positive purpose as long as it is kept in proper perspective. The problem we face today, it seems to me, is not that guns are inherently evil; it is, rather, that our society has transformed the gun from a partial good into an object of outright idol worship. As Herberg writes: “The evil of idolatry is not due to the badness of the thing idolized. The things of the world are good things in their place [italics mine]. The evil of idolatry resides in the fact that a partial and limited good… is taken and exalted to absoluteness. It is the process of idolatrization that does the mischief; it turns a partial good into a total evil.”

The evil confronting our society is not the gun in and of itself, and it is not the honest, law-abiding citizen who exercises his or her Constitutional right to own a firearm. The evil is in elevating the gun to an absolute that takes precedence over everything else, including the safety of our schools and the lives of our children.

Before I became a rabbi, I worked for seven years in Republican politics. I have first-hand insight into the political viewpoint of gun-rights activists. Those whom I worked with are good, moral citizens who loathe school shootings and mourn their victims every bit as much as gun-control activists do. But they are deeply and sincerely concerned that gun-control policies will lead the

what is going on here, I can’t. It’s just too bizarre.

“Would you like some ice cream?”

“Yes, please, I’ll have some Poor Jews.”

“Oh, good choice! I’ll have some too.”

The website of the anti-Semitism campaign in the United Kingdom states: “Anti-Semitism is a millennia-old phenomenon that, over the centuries, has spawned its own unique beliefs, lan-

On school shootings, guns and idolatry

country down a slippery slope that will result in the effective (if not actual) elimination of their Second Amendment rights. So in order to safeguard this freedom, they have chosen to stake out an absolutist position, rejecting any restrictions on gun-rights no matter what extenuating circumstances exist or may arise in our society. In so doing, I believe they have unwittingly made the gun – a work of human hands, a partial good – into a false, and dangerous, god.

Perhaps in days gone by in America, in an age when our culture wasn’t as troubled and violenceobsessed as it is today, an absolutist position on guns was a benign idolatry. But today, with firstgraders and high-schoolers and teachers shot dead in their schools – their schools! – it is clear that this god of metal has become quite malignant – for, not unlike the ancient Canaanite god Molekh the Torah so furiously condemns, it now demands the sacrifice of our children.

The core theological claim of Judaism is that nothing other than the One God is absolute, and to make anything else absolute – anything at all – is a grave moral error. Guns play a necessary role in our society; they are a partial good, in their place. But the idolatrous gun-cult, zealously preached and enforced by the priests of absolutism, is a scourge of our society, and it must be combated. “Adonai has a claim against the inhabitants of this land because there is… no obedience to God in the land.” For God said: “You shall have no other gods besides Me.”

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The Jewish Press | March 16, 2018 | 9

Louis Farrakhan is an anti-Semite. Is he still relevant?

Ben SaLeS JTA Louis Farrakhan was an anti-Semite in 1972 when he said Jews were “in control of the media.”

He was an anti-Semite in 1984 when he said “Hitler was a very great man.”

He was an anti-Semite in 1995 when he said “You are the synagogue of Satan, and you have wrapped your tentacles around the U.S. government, and you are deceiving and sending this nation to hell.”

He was an anti-Semite -- and homophobe -- in 2007 when he said “It's the wicked Jews, the false Jews that are promoting lesbianism, homosexuality.”

And he was an anti-Semite again last Sunday at an annual gathering of the Nation of Islam when he said he “has pulled the cover off the eyes of that Satanic Jew and I’m here to say your time is up, your world is through.”

“He was always very anti-Semitic and he remains very antiSemitic,” said Oren Segal, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism. “The one thing that has remained consistent is the anti-Semitism that has come from his speech.”

The 84-year-old leader of the Nation of Islam, a black separatist movement, made headlines again this week when he gave a speech to thousands laced with anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

But what’s drawing scrutiny is why Farrakhan, after years of denunciations by groups like the ADL and the Southern Poverty Law Center -- and by politicians, including AfricanAmericans who once may have considered him an ally -- is still accepted by mainstream public figures.

Several leading liberals have drawn fire in recent weeks for their associations with Farrakhan. Most prominent was former President Barack Obama, who appeared in a newly uncovered photo smiling next to Farrakhan at a meeting of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2005. The circumstances of the photo remain unclear, but the photographer said he sat on it for years because allies of Obama feared its publication would have sunk the presidential ambitions of the up-andcoming senator. Others wanted to know why the CBC was still welcoming Farrakhan to one of its events.

Obama has criticized Farrakhan’s anti-Semitism and disavowed his support during his 2008 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. After the photo emerged, his camp referred reporters to those denunciations.

Asked about the photo by the conservative Daily Caller, Illinois Democratic Rep. Danny Davis was quoted calling Farrakhan “an outstanding human being” who “plays a big role in the lives of thousands” of people -- though Davis insists he was misquoted. Davis’ office said he would have no further comment.

Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the second in charge at the Democratic National Committee, has been dogged by his associations with Farrakhan, which lasted until at least the late 1990s. Running for Congress for the first time in 2006, he wrote a letter to Minnesota’s Jewish community disavowing Farrakhan and his anti-Semitism.

But last month he was criticized for attending a 2013 dinner

hosted by the Iranian government whose guests included Farrakhan. Ellison, who is Muslim, said he attended the dinner with other Muslims “to advocate for a peaceful resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue” and didn’t know in advance who else would be there.

One of Farrakhan’s unapologetic supporters is Tamika Mallory, a co-organizer of the Women’s March, who has praised Farrakhan repeatedly, posted a photo of her posing with him on Instagram and attended his recent speech. Mallory did not respond immediately to a JTA request for comment.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper called out Mallory, along with other high-profile supporters of Farrakhan, in a tweet thread about the speech.

“The difference between Farrakhan and some members of the alt-reich whose heinous bigotry has received a lot of attention this past year: Farrakhan has a much larger following and elected officials meet with him openly,” Tapper wrote.

Louis Farrakhan speaking at a news conference at the Mosque Maryam in Chicago, March 31, 2011.

Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images But how broad is Farrakhan’s influence nowadays? Two decades ago, his Million Man March, which brought hundreds of thousands of black men to Washington, D.C., in a demand for racial justice and empowerment, put him squarely at the center of public discourse. Now his events draw thousands.

Farrakhan’s 2015 demonstration marking the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March was much smaller.

Nor is Farrakhan much of a power broker in his home base of Chicago, says Jay Tcath, executive vice president of the Jewish United Fund, the city's Jewish federation. Tcath says that while local African-American leaders may not be eager to publicly denounce him, Chicago's Jewish institutions don't see his hate as a major, or growing, threat.

“He has not grown the movement, he has not graduated to a larger venue, he has no public policy agenda, the number of mosques under his domain are not increasing,” Tcath told JTA. “That's not to diminish his bigotry, but it's to recognize that of the many challenges our community faces, including antiSemitism, his brand is not contagious among many others.”

Segal said that the fact that Farrakhan still draws thousands makes him the most popular purveyor of hate in America -more influential than Richard Spencer or other white supremacists. Their much-publicized Unite the Right” rally last

August in Charlottesville, Virginia, drew about 500 people.

And Segal pointed to tweets from younger Nation of Islam leaders espousing anti-Semitism.

“Even if, on the low end, several thousand [people attend his events], that’s larger than any organized extremist hate group in the country,” said the ADL official. “Its influence is broader than its individual members. Farrakhan has been sort of marked not only as an anti-Semite for many years, but given a pass by some in the mainstream in ways that others don’t get a pass.”

Part of the reason Farrakhan has maintained a level of mainstream acceptance is that the Nation of Islam, its antiSemitism aside, has drawn praise for its positive messaging and work within the African-American community. In addition to slandering Jews and the LGBT community, Farrakhan has encouraged his followers to stay away from drugs and commit to their families.

In a 2012 blog post, Atlantic journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote about why Farrakhan “could capture the imagination of so many people” despite being “an obvious bigot.” Coates, like Obama, Davis and other black leaders, attended the Million Man March in 1995 and described how Farrakhan appealed to disenfranchised black Americans at the time. “[W]hat the pundits never got was that Farrakhan promised something more -- improvement, minus the need to beg from white people,” Coates wrote. “Farrakhan promised improvement through self-reliance -- an old tradition stretching back to our very dawn.”

Segal acknowledged that the Nation of Islam has some positive programs that benefit people. But he and his boss, ADL National Director Jonathan Greenblatt,- said Farrakhan’s pervasive anti-Semitism should make him persona non grata.

“At a time when anti-Semitism indisputably is on the rise and our society seems more divided, the inability of public figures to denounce the words and leadership of Farrakhan is a problem ,” Greenblatt wrote in an essay Thursday. “Not only for Jews, many of whom are and want to continue to be active partners in the fight against hate in this country, but also for all those who believe in equal justice and dignity for all.”

Letter to the editor

Dear Editor, The Feb. 23 article about Anna Wiesman brought back many wonderful memories. I was part of the original Beth El Synagogue Braille Group, having been certified in 1959. We were under the dynamic leadership of Bernice Wolfson. Since Passover is fast approaching, I thought you might enjoy reading about one of our early projects. We produced the Haggadah. At the time, the only way to produce multiple copies of Braille was to actually set type. We used lead Braille slugs, line by line on a drum. Then we would run as many copies as we needed. Since Braille paper is quite soft, the dots would wear down with repeated use, so we brushed the back of each page with shellac, then hung them in the social hall. Yes, we opened the windows and had fans for circulation, but sometimes we did feel lightheaded!

I enjoyed working with Anna, Braille was a big part of my life. I retired in 1994, but all we did throughout the years still brings a smile.

Sincerely, doris Cohn

10 | The Jewish Press | March 16, 2018

synagogues 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

CongregaTIon 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

TIfereTh Israel

Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org

B’naI Israel synagogue

Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on april 13, at 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker Jannette Gabriel on Locking up Al Levy: Omaha’s Struggle Against Jim Crow during WWII. Our service leader is Larry Blass, and as always, an oneg to follow service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

For information on our historic synagogue, please contact any of our board members: Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf.

BeTh el synagogue

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. frIday: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. with Dr. Gary Rendsburg, Social Justice and the Prophets. saTurday: Shabbat Morning Services, 9:30 a.m. with Dr. Gary Rendsburg, Social Justice and the Prophets; Shabbat’s Cool, 10 a.m.; Mincha following Morning Services. weekday serVICes: Sundays, 9:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. sunday: BESTT Classes (K-7), 9:30 a.m.; Coffee and Nosh with Chef Cedric, 9:45 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Torah Tots, ages 4-5, 10:30 a.m.; Social Justice and the Prophets, 11 a.m. with Dr. Gary Rendsburg; School Committee Meeting, 11 a.m. monday: Intro to Judaism Class with Rabbi Abraham, 7 p.m.

Tuesday: The Ethical Life with Rabbi Abraham, noon at Whole Foods. wednesday: Chesed Committee visits Sterling Ridge, 2 p.m.; BESTT Classes (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; USY Program, 5:15 p.m.; Minor Prophets with Professor Leonard Greenspoon, 6 p.m.; BESTT Hebrew High Classes, 6:30 p.m.; Survivor Story — Rita Rubenstein, 7 p.m.; The Ethical Life with Rabbi Abraham, 7 p.m.

Thursday: Hebrew Reading in your Pajamas, 8 p.m.

For access to this online class, email Hazzan Krausman at hazzankrausman@bethel-omaha.org.

NE AIDS Coalition Lunch, friday, march 23, 11:30 a.m.

March of our Lives, saturday, march 24, noon.

All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.

BeTh Israel synagogue

Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. frIday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Candle Lighting and Mincha, 7:14 p.m. saTurday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; March Simcha Kiddush, 11:30 a.m.; Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion, 6:15 p.m. with Rabbi Ari; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 7 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:15 p.m. sunday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; How to make Pesach Kosher, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Ari. weekdays: Creating Spiritual Life, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari. monday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Talmudic Tales with Rabbi Shlomo, noon at the JCC library.

Tuesday-wednesday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

Thursday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Connecting to Our Fatih, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; L’Dor V’Dor — Generational Learning, 6:30 p.m. with Rabbis Ari and Shlomo; Character Building for 7-12th grades, 7:30 p.m. with Rabbi Ari; Talmud, 7:30 pm. with Rabbi Shlomo.

ChaBad house

Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. frIday: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing. saTurday: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. weekdays: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing. monday: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani. wednesday: Mystical Thinking, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman.

Thursday: Talmud Class, noon with Rabbi Katzman.

All programs are open to the entire community.

CongregaTIon B’naI Jeshurun

Services conducted by Rabbi Teri Appleby. frIday: Shabbat Evening Service, 6:30 p.m. with Star

City Kochavim; Candlelighting, 7:17 p.m.; Oneg, 7:30 p.m. saTurday: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study on Parashat Vayikra, 10:30 a.m.; Game Night and Potluck Dinner, 6 p.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 8:48 p.m. sunday: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m.; Adult Beginning Hebrew, 11:30 a.m.; Jewish Book Club, 1:30 p.m. Walt Library; Feeding the Kids at the F Street Rec Center, 2:30 p.m.; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. All equipment furnished. Wear comfortable clothing. For questions, call or text Miriam Wallick at miriam57@aol.com.

Tuesday: Ladies Lunch, noon at La Paz; Intro to Judaism: Holy Days/Festivals — Pesach, 7 p.m. wednesday: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m.

Online registration for our 2018 Annual Second Night Seder is now available. You can also RSVP to the office by phone at 402.435.8004 or e-mail office@southstreettem ple.org. RSVP’s due by march 26 at 5 p.m.

LJCS CAMP ISRAEL is gearing up for another great twosession July 9–July 20, 2018. Make plans for your child to attend this summer.

It's not too soon to be thinking about summer camp! All Federation families are eligible for Camp Incentive Grants of $300 per camper to pay the initial camp registration deposit.

offuTT aIr forCe Base

frIday: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.

rose BlumkIn JewIsh home

saTurday: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Stan Edelstein.

Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

Temple Israel

frIday: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m.; Shabbat with OTYG Service, 6 p.m. Join OTYG for services at Temple Israel, followed by games and snacks at Spielbound! Admission, snacks, and beverages included. RSVP’s required. saTurday: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Service, 10:30 a.m.; Bat mitzvah of Camille horner, daughter of angela and paul horner. sunday: No Religious School Tuesday: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. wednesday: No Religious School; No Adult Education Class.

Thursday: Jewish Heroes, Heroines, and Personalities: Leonard Bernstein and Arnold Schoenberg, 10 a.m. taught

by Cantor Wendy Shermet. Class meets at Temple Israel.

Uncork and Unwine(d) with Tish!, saturday, march 24, 7 p.m. at Spirit World, 6680 Center St. We invite folks in their 30’s and 40’s to join us for an evening of wine and cheese tasting. We will be sampling three different Pinot Noirs; one from Oregon, one from California, and one from France! Our wines will be paired with veggies and hummus and cheese plates. This is the first event hosted by our new group “Tish,” a group for Temple-ish people who are 30-ish to 40-ish, single-ish or married-ish, Jewish and Jewish-ish. The cost is $10 and RSVP by march 21 to rsVp@templeisraelomaha.com or 402.556.6536.

Temple Tots Sunday, sunday, march 25, 10:30 a.m.

Temple TED Talk, sunday, march 25, 10:30 a.m.

Guiding Principles for the Synagogue Community: Avodah: Remember that Our Work is Service with Rabbi Brian Stoller, wednesday, march 28, 6:30 p.m.

Jewish Heroes, Heroines, and Personalities: Leonard Bernstein and Arnold Schoenberg, with Cantor Wendy Shermet, Thursday, march 28, 10 a.m.

No Services at Temple Israel, friday, march 30. Since so many in our community will be hosting or attending a firstnight Seder on March 30, we will not hold a Shabbat service at Temple Israel that evening.

TIfereTh Israel

Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: monday-friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. frIday: Share Shabbat Celebration, 6:30 p.m. at Donna and Alan Hersch home (5940 Dobson’s Court). Bring a dairy or pareve salad, vegetable dish or dessert. The main dish, challah and grape juice will be provided. Please RSVP to the synagogue office. saTurday: Shabbat Morning service, 10 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 11 a.m.; Please join us after services for a light Kiddush Lunch. sunday: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m.; We will be cleaning our kitchen for Passover in the morning; Jewish Book Club, 1:30 p.m. at Walt Library and will discuss The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Wisdom and Wit in the Wild Side by Steve Sheinkin and Soviet Daughter: A Graphic Revolution by Julia Alekseyeva. Please contact Laura French with any questions.; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. All equipment furnished. Wear comfortable clothing. For questions, call or text Miriam Wallick at miriam 57@aol.com.

Tuesday: Ladies Lunch, noon at La Paz (321 N. Cotner Blvd.) Please contact Laura French with any questions. wednesday: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m.

Thursday: Hebrew classes for adults, 6:30-7:30 p.m., with Esti Sheinberg. Each meeting will include listening, speaking and a little reading.

You're part of the puzzle...Don't be a missing piece! Join us for a Communal Seder at Tifereth Israel. You can choose from 2 options: friday, march 30, 6 p.m. — A Passover Seder for all ages. saturday, march 31, 6 p.m. — A Seder geared for extended families with children ages 0-13. Reserve a Place Now for yourself and your family! Cost: Free to all but donations to help defray expenses may be contributed to the Lay-leader Discretionary Fund. RSVP to the office at 402.423.8569 to say you're coming or e-mail ncoren@tifer ethisraellincoln.org.

It's not too soon to be thinking about summer camp! All Federation families are eligible for Camp Incentive Grants of $300 per camper to pay the initial camp registration deposit.

Application packets are availible in the Tifereth Israel foyer.

As you start to make summer plans, consider sending your child to LJCS CAMP ISRAEL, July 9–July 20, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Light Kosher dairy snack and lunch included. Tuition for each week is $75. This program is open to children ages 5-14. We require ALL campers to be registered through the LJCS, therefore we cannot accept drop-in guests.

Mideast peace plan, without the two-state solution JTA e Trump administration is finishing up its Middle East peace plan and intends to make it public soon, e New York Times reported. e plan does not call for a two-state solution. e White House must now figure out how to present the plan so that it is not immediately rejected by the Palestinians, the newspaper reported, citing three unnamed senior administration officials. According to the report, the officials said the plan does not have a set of guiding principles. It gives the outlines of a peace plan and leaves the Israelis and the Palestinians to fill in the details. e plan does not call for a two-state solution as a goal nor for a “fair and just solution” for Palestinian refugees, though it will offer suggestions on both points. e aides told e Times that the document proposes solutions to all the key disputes: bor-

ders, security, refugees and the status of Jerusalem. e Palestinians have said they will not consider a U.S.-proposed peace plan due to their anger over Trump’s announcement recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his intent to move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv in May. Netanyahu is less likely to be willing to make compromises, as he faces early elections due to coalition disputes and fears fallout from possible corruption charges. No one outside of the Trump administration has seen the document and the people who wrote it, Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt and David Friedman, have no previous experience in diplomacy. e three men reportedly met last week with Netanyahu for several hours while he was in Washington, D.C., to address the annual AIPAC policy conference and meet with Trump.

The Jewish Press | March 16, 2018 | 11

Pulverente MONUMENT CO.

lifecycles BiRtH

MAyA JessicA BRook

Jennifer Cooper Brook and Erik Brook of Chicago, announce the Feb. 17 birth of their daughter, Maya Jessica Brook.

She is named for her maternal great-grandmother Mania Friedman of Omaha, and her paternal great-grandfather Julius Brook of New York.

She has a sister, Chloe Lillian.

Grandparents are Rose and Harvey Cooper of Omaha, and Rita and Bob Brook of Chattanooga, TN. Great-grandparents are the late Mania and Zalman Friedman of Omaha, the late Albert and Bertha Cooper of Philadelphia, PA, the late Julius and Ruth Brook from New York, NY, and Harold and Yuppie Shavin of Chattanooga, TN.

in MeMoRiAM

MiRiAM kiMelMAn MeyeRson

Miriam Kimelman Meyerson passed away March 9 at age 97. Services were held on March 14 at Beth El Cemetery, 84th & L. She was preceded in death by her husband Leo Meyerson for 50 years, her parents, Kushe and Rivka Kimelman.

She is survived by her children Roberta Richard and Michael Silverman, Deborah Meyerson and Ronald and Jo Meyerson; and friend Abe Schloff.

She was born and raised in Pittsburgh PA. Miriam also lived in Venice CA, and in her final years, Austin TX. She married, resided and raised her family in Omaha, NE where she lived for 62 years. Miriam was a working mother long before it was fashionable for women to work outside the home. She had a desire to be productive in the workforce, but never allowed employment to eclipse her extraordinary commitment to her family.

Her interests included music, Yiddish, mahjong, dancing, reading and in later years, traveling. Her Jewish identity was intrinsically connected to how she lived and what she valued. She possessed a strong life force, a ready laugh, a listening ear and a deep love of family. Always well liked, she had a number of close friends throughout her life. She genuinely touched many others as well, all of whom have expressed affection and gratitude for having had the opportunity to have known her. She will be deeply missed and forever loved.

Memorials may be made honoring her life and memory to The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, The Omaha or Austin Jewish Community Centers.

A wedding in Brazil

MARcus M. GilBAn RIO DE JANEIRO | JTA A same-sex Jewish wedding ceremony held in the iconic Brazilian hotel frequented by kings and queens has made headlines in Latin America’s largest nation.

It is the first Jewish same-sex wedding to go so public and is believed to be the first Jewish ceremony between two women in Brazil.

Some 200 Priscila Raab, left, and Roberta Gradel at their wedding in Rio de Janeiro, March 10, 2018. guests atCredit: Marco Rodrigues tended the lavish nuptials held Saturday at the luxurious Copacabana Palace Hotel, where pharmacist Roberta Gradel and economist Priscila Raab were married under a huppah. Gradel is Jewish and Raab is not.

“And they said ‘I do'” read the headline of the Monday edition of Rio’s most influential newspaper, O Globo, next to a large photo of the brides kissing under the canopy. Social media in the country were flooded with photos and videos of the couple during the ceremony.

“I am very happy to be able to participate in the overthrow of the wall of prejudice and false moralism that prevented same-sex unions,” party planner Ricardo Stambowsky, who was organizing his first gay wedding ceremony, told the local media.

It was the first time in 95 years that a same-sex wedding took place at the Copacabana Palace — the first choice for kings and queens visiting Rio. It’s an iconic art deco masterpiece standing opposite the white sandy Copacabana beach.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Brazil since 2013 following a National Justice Council decision, which orders notaries of every Brazilian state to perform same-sex marriages. In four years, 15,000 same-sex couples have officially registered to be married, according to the agency. Same-sex unions had already been legally recognized since 2004.

Polish senator calls for Israeli ambassador’s expulsion

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JTA A Polish senator for the ruling party said he would not shake hands with Israel’s ambassador and that he favors her expulsion from Poland for saying anti-Semitism was on the rise there. e senator, Jan Zaryn, criticized the Israeli envoy, Anna Azari, amid a diplomatic crisis between Israel and Poland over a Polish law that makes it a crime to blame Poland for Nazi crimes.

Azari, in a speech last week, said that since the law’s passage she could see how “easy it is to wake up in Poland anti-Semitic demons, even when there are hardly any Jews in the country.”

neBRAskA stAteWide clAssifieds

A view of Poland’s sejm Parliament House in Warsaw.

Credit: Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images for Autism Speaks Zaryn responded during an interview published Friday by the wPolsce news site.

“If anyone today thinks to equate in any way the rule of the Law and Justice party to the persecution of Jews led by the communist party apparatus in 1968, or by the marshals, then I certainly will not shake hands with such a person. If this is done by the ambassador of a foreign state, then maybe we have to ask this lady to leave this country,” he is quoted as saying.

Several Jewish groups said the Holocaust rhetoric law impedes open debate and risks censoring research. Some critics of the law said it whitewashes what they called Polish complicity. ese allegations unleashed a wave of anti-Semitic hate speech online and several real-life anti-Semitic incidents, which Azari last month condemned. According to the Never Again watchdog on anti-Semitism, the volume of anti-Semitic hate speech in Poland since January exceeds that observed in the preceding decade combined. e United States has also publicly condemned Poland’s legislation on discourse about the Holocaust and, according to one report, is resolved not to host Poland’s senior leadership until the crisis is resolved.

Azari revisited the issue during her speech last week at an event in Warsaw commemorating the events of March 1968, when tens of thousands of Jews le the country during a government-condoned wave of anti-Semitism.

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12 | The Jewish Press | March 16, 2018

worldnews

Will Eisner comes to Lincoln ANNETTE vAN dE kAmp Editor, Jewish Press An American cartoonist, writer and entrepreneur, Will Eisner (1917-2005) was the son of Shmuel Eisner and Fannie Ingber; Shmuel came from Austria-Hungary and Fannie was born to Romanian parents on a ship bound for the United States. Will Eisner was born in Brooklyn as the eldest of three children; he had a brother, Julian, and a sister, Rhoda.

Eisner was an early pioneer in the American comic book industry. His series e Spirit, which ran from 1940 to 1952, was an experiment in content and form. When he published A Contract with God in 1978, he popularized the term ‘Graphic Novel.’ While Eisner created graphic novels for three decades, he contributed to the formal study of comics as well by authoring textbooks. He taught at New York’s School of Visual Arts for 20 years. rough April 30, a traveling exhibit featuring Will Eisner’s work will be displayed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Love Library. e exhibit is located on the Love Library South’s second floor lobby and is free and open to the public.

It features 43 large Eisner digital prints, selected from parallel exhibits held at Le Musée de la Bande Dessinée in Angouleme, France and e Society of Illustrators in New York.

Both celebrated the 100th anniversary of Eisner’s birth.

Cartoonist Denis Kitchen is the founder of Kitchen Sink Press and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, while subsequent ventures have seen him establish himself as an art agent, handling the art sales of Will Eisner through his company Denis Kitchen Art Agency. He partners with Judith Hansen in Kitchen & Hansen Agency, LLC, which serves as a literary agency for Will Eisner's estate. On March 9, Kitchen gave an illustrated lecture, titled Will Eisner: the Father of Graphic Novels at UNL. For more than 30 years, Kitchen worked closely with Eisner.

“Present as a teenager at the birth of the comic book in the

mid 1930s,” Kitchen said, “Will Eisner quickly established himself as not only a premiere artist and writer, but a businessman, creating characters and packaging comics for various publishers. When he created e Spirit in 1940, this unprecedented Sunday comic book was inserted in five million newspapers weekly. In addition, he negotiated ownership of it when artists holding copyrights was virtually unprecedented. Following his pioneering work creating educational

The Spirit, a fictional crime fighter created by Will Eisner, eludes a nemesis, Silk Satin, and her henchmen in this wraparound cover for The Spirit magazine No. 20. comics for the U.S. Army, government and private industry, he returned to the commercial comics industry in the early 1970s and created A Contract with God, the first modern graphic novel, which revolutionized the field.”

Eisner’s work remains relevant, Kitchen said, and his Spirit stories continue to be reprinted, not just at home but abroad. “ey are adapted into films and book spin-offs,” Kitchen said. “His graphic novels (20 more aer A Contract with God) remain in print in 30 languages and three educational books on the creation and writing of graphic novels have been through multiple printings and serve as primers to young artists and professionals alike. Every year since 1988 the Will Eisner

Awards for excellence in over 20 categories are presented at San Diego Comic Con. ey are the comics industry’s equivalence of the Oscars. Among his countless international awards, Eisner was only the second recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed by the Jewish Federations of North America.”

During Eisner’s lifetime, the role of comic artists has changed tremendously, Kitchen said. While copyright was an anomaly for Comic book writers and creators in the 1940s, it is now fairly common. “anks to Eisner’s breakthrough book in 1978, graphic novels (full length works on any topics, whether serious, funny, autobiographical or historical) have largely replaced the thin, stapled adventure comics. Aer Eisner came Art Spiegelman’s Maus, followed by Congressman John Lewis’ March, which won the National Book Award. Comics are now viewed as a genre capable of artistic and literary merit, something that seemed laughable during Will Eisner’s early years.”

Will Eisner’s final work, e Plot, was published aer his death in 2005. It’s a didactic work that exposes the history of e Protocols of the Elders of Zion. “e Protocols always infuriated him,” Kitchen said. “Knowing that the hoax is still published, believed and influential in many parts of the world inspired him to create that final book.

Had he not died, his next project would have been a graphic adaptation of the Quran, which could have exposed him to personal danger. It didn’t frighten him, but it was not to be.”

Although Eisner is gone, his influence continues around the world. A list of Eisner-themed events marking his centennial birth year included multiple lectures at the San Diego Comic Con, a Will Eisner Week Celebration in Athens, Greece, an exhibit in Barcelona, Spain and a lecture at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. ere was a podcast in London, England, a festival in Ghent, Belgium and a virtual exhibit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Events have been scheduled from Ohio to South Carolina and from Alaska to Florida.

Mother’s Day Coming in May

publishing date | 05.04.18 space reservation | 04.25.18 camera ready deadline | 04.13.18 Promote your business in this special issue with an ad and a short article.

Contact our advertising executive to advertise in this very special edition.

Susan Bernard | 402.334.6559 | sbernard@jewishomaha.org