March 17, 2023

The Jewish Press

AMY BERNSTEIN SHIVVERS

JFO Foundation Executive Director

As the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation begins 2023, we’re excited to celebrate our 40th anniversary! The Foundation stands strong and proud today because of your “compassionate actions.” Your generosity provides social services, senior care, opportunities for our youth and so much more. Ef-

whose passion inspired a community and/or transformed an agency. We will engage in an intimate conversation with our panelists about the process of implementing positive communal change, the conflicts that may stand in the way, and the vehicles that may facilitate its creation. Panelists include: Lori Epstein, Gloria Kaslow, David Gilinsky and Todd Simon.

For this program, we are partnering with the newly launched Young Omaha Emerg-

Providing mental health support to Ukraine

HILLARY RUBESIN, PHD, LIMHP, REAT

“Kate? Are you still there? Kate?”

I smile warmly at the 81 faces filling the Zoom boxes in front of me. Inside, I am trying not to panic. Kate, our Ukrainian interpreter, is frozen on the screen. The lights in her apartment in Kiev have cut off completely.

fective philanthropy, which we think of as strategic, long-term and ongoing financial support is what assures a future for the Omaha Jewish community. It’s only fitting that we say THANK YOU!

To celebrate and honor the Foundation’s 40th Anniversary, we’re hosting a variety of events, programs, conversations and socials for all ages. We realize that to maintain a quality life in Omaha, it’s necessary to engage the next generation of philanthropists to carry on... “L’dor v’dor.” We’re calling the celebration Fabulous at 40! Everyone is invited to join in a year of celebration, information, storytelling and fun.

On Tuesday, March 28 at 6 p.m. join us for From Passion to Action. In this session we will listen to the firsthand experiences of lay leaders (and professionals) who became empowered after learning of a profound need within the Jewish community, and

ing Leaders (YOEL). YOEL was created to ensure that Jewish Omaha continues to exist as a thriving and connected Jewish community now and in the future. YOEL provides today’s potential young future leaders with a stronger knowledge base about the Omaha Jewish community, the chance to dive deeper into their own personal leadership styles and attributes, and to connect with peers.

“The Jewish Omaha Leadership Training (JOLT) program was a successful leadership development course. Alumni from the program continue to lead boards in the community and make a great impact. The Federation has brought the program back with Mike Siegel, president of the JFO Board of Directors and Stacy Feldman, impact leader at JFO. We are excited about the From Passion to Action session and thrilled See Fabulous at 40! page 3

Fabulous at 40! LOVE letter

Thank you, thank you, thank YOU. Because of your continued support of LOVE (League Offering Volunteers to the Elderly) we have been able to make a meaningful impact for our seniors residing at the Blumkin Home. We’ve donated four large towel warmers, one for each neighborhood. We’ve celebrated with Residents at holidays and birthdays, and provided welcome bags for new Residents. This year, communication is our focus, and here’s why.

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s Activity Staff was recognized nationally by the LifeLoop committee for creating

a great environment in which our Residents live. This recognition was in large part because of your dona-

LifeLoop on the internet or through its app and see which activities their loved one participated in, and which events were declined. We purchased the system the year before COVID changed our understanding of how vital communication would become for Residents. We have since donated three large iPads and rolling stands, connecting families, enabling communication and facilitating better outcomes during previously unexperienced isolation.

tions, which supported the on-going yearly LifeLoop subscription, four televisions and the technology infrastructure needed to support the LifeLoop system. LifeLoop helps communicate everyday activities, meals for the week, upcoming birthdays and highlights new residents.

Not only does LifeLoop communicate within RBJH, it also shares information about each Resident’s activities with their respective families. Each week, a Resident’s family can refer to

Communication continues to draw our focus. Conference room communication is vital as we continue to protect Residents with telehealth options. Video conferencing, a new standard, creates less exposure to the current triple threats of influenza, RSV and COVID. RBJH staff are able to speak with discharging teams and facilitate family conferencing to streamline information and possible solutions.

On May 7 we will Celebrate 50 Years of LOVE. We appreciate your See LOVE letter page 2

Minutes before, I had started facilitating an online training for First Aid of the Soul (FAS; firstaidofthe soul.org)—a nonprofit dedicated to providing trauma-informed mental health support to people living in Ukraine. FAS formed a week after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since that point, over 400 mental health therapists from across the world have volunteered their time, providing online trainings, supervision sessions, direct counseling, and workshops to over 6500 Ukrainians to date. While internet connectivity often presents an issue, the Ukrainian participants continue to show up for free support week after week. I have been involved with FAS since its inception. The Executive Director, Nathalie Robelot, invited me to join the team based on our shared experience years prior working with refugees and immigrants resettled in North Carolina. I was also fortunate enough to travel with Nathalie to Ukraine in 2018 to visit her family and to offer Expressive Arts Therapy trainings to mental health professionals in Kiev. While I’ve provided therapy and trainings to people from over 40 countries worldwide since 2008, the work with FAS carries extra meaning for me, as my great-grandparents fled their homes in Ukraine and Russia following pogroms at the turn of the 20th century.

When I began working at Jewish See Mental health support page 3

Mel Brooks’ History of the World Part II Page 4

Boy Meets Voters: Ben Savage is running to replace Adam Schiff Page 5

A Jewish producer sees his family history in Netflix film Page 12

Hillary Rubesin

Bob’s 3-minute read

Are the Jewish people better off because of our work? The answer is undoubtedly and profoundly YES. Yes, we are better off because of our work. The Jewish Federation of Omaha ecosystem is working. We are working together to make an impact on the lives of our community members every day. We push and challenge ourselves to deliver what each of us expects from our community. Our expectations are high, as they should be, and that is good, because we own a sincere sense of pride and responsibility for what Jewish Omaha is and does.

BOB GOLDBERG Chief Executive Officer, JFO

We will never be everything to everyone. We have a long way to go to elevate Jewish literacy, work towards equity and inclusion, model civil discourse, bridge political differences, combat antisemitism and other forms of hatred, lessen the financial burden for entry to Jewish community life, work towards a greater overall well-being for each of us, become more welcoming and connected, and so much more. We are thoughtfully wrestling with these issues and kicking the tires of innovative ideas to help us make progress.

In my six weeks here so far, I have had many folks in my ear about topics dear to them, and I relish this. It is an honor and a privilege to join with each of you to move our community forward, and we do that when each of you have the chance to express your deeply held beliefs, needs, and wants, and are willing to lean in and partner with us to make substantive positive change. Your advocacy is the passion that drives us forward. We need it.

We are at our best when we fully engage, get involved, and

create change from within. It is fairly easy to stand on the sideline and comment about those things which we don’t think are up to par. Some of the things that we do are well known, and some less so, but regardless our work matters to those who we are empowered to serve, and we should be immensely proud that we are purpose driven and focused on caring for one another. I invite you to get involved and help to build coalitions to create positive change from within. It’s not often easy, and its sometimes messy and frustrating, I get that, but that’s the work of community building, and it’s how positive change happens, and it matters.

Our community is organized differently today perhaps, than it was in previous decades. Today, we are much more professionally driven, and our professionals work with their agency boards and committees to steer us towards our goals. We must continually ask ourselves, “Are we engaging well enough with those whom we seek to serve? Are we doing all that we can to listen to what our stakeholders are telling us matters most to them?”

Our leadership has been proactive in conducting multiple surveys over recent years to gather input on issues of importance to the community and we will continue to do so and use this data to inform our objectives. Our purpose as an organization, as a Jewish Federation, is to care for and about one another. We do this in a multitude of ways, and we can always do better. Your faith and trust in our value proposition that together, we make a real difference, is foundational to our becoming the community we imagine for ourselves.

I am proud to be a part of this community that pushes and believes in possibilities, and works collaboratively to pursue our purpose with vigor and determination. I am proud of who we are, what we do, and how we do it. The Jewish people are better off because of our collective work. I am confident of that.

LOVE letter

Continued from page 1

support in rescheduling Billy McGuigan’s Yesterday and Today Beatles retrospective. The event will highlight two shows generously sponsored by the Karen Sokolof Family Music Fund. The afternoon performance will include an ice cream social (sponsored by Tom Vann) with many activities before the show for families, followed by an evening performance with mingling, appetizers and cocktails. Because of the generous grants, our performance costs are covered, letting us pass along the savings to you, our families and Billy enthusiasts. We hope to raise additional funds to impact everyday activities and future projects to enhance the lives of RBJH Residents, today and in the future.

Together, we work to reduce pressure points on RBJH, its staff, Residents and families. Aided by a board of volunteers who sees the issues first-hand and acts quickly, offsetting the costs to RBJH’s budget, and reducing the financial burden on the staff, residents and families. Thank you is an often-used expression, but it means more today than yesterday, mainly because we know how hard it’s been to show up these past few years. Thank you for showing up, and for showing that you care.

Sincerely,

GRETCHEN RADLER AND LARRY DeBRUIN

ORGANIZATIONS

B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS

The award-winning B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS speaker program currently meets Wednesdays via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Please watch 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

INFORMATION

ANTISEMITIC/HATE INCIDENTS

Testimony on LB 679

The IHE and the JCRC turned out in force to deliver testimonies in favor of LB679 at the Nebraska State Legislature. Ten people, from educators, students, children and grandchildren of survivors, the ADL, and a representative of the Nebraska Rural Communities Schools Association all testified in favor of LB 679 which provides funding for the previously passed LB888 mandating Holocaust and genocide education. Pictured are Ruth Kross, Skutt Catholic HS; left; Pam Monsky, JCRC Assist. Director; Harmon Maples, ADL Nebraska Community Engagement Manager; Scott Littky, IHE Executive Director; Eleanor Dunning, UNL Student; Ari Kohen, UNL Professor; Senator Jen Day, District 49, who introduced the bill; Sandy Renken, Nebraska educator; Beth Dotan, Holocaust educator and IHE Founder; Paula Lenz, retired educator.

Sommerhauser Symposium

GABBY BLAIR

Jewish Press Staff Writer

The University of Nebraska’s Department of Political Science and the Forsythe Family Program on Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs will be hosting the 2023 Sommerhauser Symposium on Holocaust Education Fascism: Then and Now on March 27, in the Swanson Auditorium at the Nebraska Union, 1400 R St, Lincoln, NE from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The community and the public are invited to attend.

The biannual Sommerhauser Symposium has been hosted by UNL and led by Professors Ari Kohen, Professor of Political Science, Schlesinger Professor of Social Justice, and Director of the Harris Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Gerald Steinacher, the James A. Rawley Professor of History at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, since 2015.

A livestream will be available, though attendees are encouraged to attend in person. For more information, please contact: Ari Kohen at akohen2@unl.edu or Gerald J. Steinacher at gsteinacher2@unl.edu

Anyone who wants access to the livestream must register at https://unl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WC8nxw 61ReWNT5PEyE6slg. You will then receive information to log in on March 27

The principal sponsor of the symposium is the Norman and Bernice Harris Center for Judaic Studies. It is co-sponsored by the Department of History, the Department of Political Science, and the Forsythe Family Program on Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs.

Mental health support

Continued from page 1

Family Service in October, I told Karen Gustafson about my ongoing work with FAS, and she agreed that, since Ukraine was a current focus of Federation support, I could commit a few JFS hours each week to continue working with displaced Ukrainians. I have used this time to facilitate larger online mental health trainings, as well as more intimate support groups.

Currently, I am leading an ongoing supervision group for therapists and interpreters who provide direct care to displaced Ukrainians—a “support the supporters” model. In these groups, we discuss how to best hold the Ukrainians in crisis, case by case. I teach grounding techniques to help the facilitators process the traumatic stories shared in their therapy sessions. I encourage the therapists and interpreters to find ways to practice self-care so they can move the trauma they are witnessing through their bodies, so the unsettling words and images don’t immobilize them throughout the week.

I often use arts-based approaches in my work. Because the arts are universal and circumvent language barriers, they are incredibly effective for cross-cultural work. Additionally, words are not the most effective way to process trauma. Trauma lives in our bodies and in images in our brains, so processing it in the same ways--through somatic work and artmaking—often enables deeper healing.

As I nervously wait for Kate’s frozen screen to move, I notice the art materials on the desk near my computer. I lift them to the camera and pantomime drawing. Participants nod their heads. A minute later, I hear another FAS interpreter, Maks, enter the Zoom room. He sends a private message that he will interpret for me if Kate does not return soon.

Thirty seconds later, Kate’s lights come back on and her face begins to move. I let out a deep breath, gratefully acknowledging that, for the moment, she is alive. I never know, in these trainings, workshops, and groups, whose electricity and inter-

Welcome, 9 a.m. Panel One, 9:15–11 a.m. Right wing populism and the rise of authoritarianism in Europe and the US

Zack Beauchamp, Journalist and senior correspondent at Vox “Neo” or “Post” fascism in the 21st century?

Matt McManus, Political scientist at the University of Michigan Political extremists in the United States and Brazil

Amanda Gailey, Associate professor of English, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Panel Two, 11 a.m.–12:45 p.m. Antifeminism as overlooked ideology: Perspectives from Europe

Rebekka Blum, Researcher, publicist and political educator and Alia Wielens, Sociologist and political educator Copy-and-Paste Fascism: Memes, Manifestos, and Mayhem on the Far-Right

Casey Kelly, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

How to teach about the Holocaust and Fascism?

Philipp Mittnik, Professor for history and political didactics and head of the Center for civic education at the University of Pedagogy in Vienna

Lunch break, 12:45-2:30 p.m. and Panel Three, 2:30-4:15 p.m. White Nationalism and Christian Churches

Samuel Perry, Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma

Charles B. Hudson, the Nebraska Nazi: Native Fascism, Antisemitism, and Christian Nationalism in Interwar America Melissa Amateis, PhD Student, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Antisemitism Today

Trent Spoolstra, ADL Associate Regional Director, Chicago Roundtable, 4:15-5 p.m.

net will go out, who will have to mute themselves due to airraid sirens, who will quickly leave the Zoom room to run to the basement out of fear of dropping bombs.

All I can do is show up—a small face in a small Zoom box, offering a small amount of mental health support from across the world, as a small reminder that our colleagues in Ukraine are not alone.

After my training has ended, I stay in the Zoom room for a minute longer so my infant son, Max, can wave to the interpreter who bears his same name. As I log off the screen, and settle into the couch in my warm, safe home in Omaha, I hug my son tightly and hope Maks, in his dark apartment in Western Ukraine, also somehow feels this embrace.

Fabulous at 40!

Continued from page 1

to be partnering with the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation,” said Jenn Tompkins, Executive Director Philanthropy & Engagement at the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Please join us on March 28 to be inspired and find your passion to enrich our community with YOUR time and talents! Snacks will be provided. To register visit jfofoun dation.org or scan the QR code.

Sincere thanks to our 40th Anniversary Sponsors: Anything Grants, Foundation Grants Committee – Foundation IMPACT Grants, Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation, Herbert Goldsten Trust, Milton S. & Corinne N. Livingston Foundation Fund, Murray H. & Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation and Special Donor-Advised Fund.

2023 SOMMERHAUSER SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE

For more information, call 1-800-521-0600, ext. 2888 (US) or 01-734-761-4700 (International) www.il.proquest.com

Mel Brooks’ History of the World Part II

JACKIE HAJDENBERG

This article contains spoilers for History of the World Part II

JTA

In a scene that now streams on Hulu, a group of early Christian bishops gathers to set a promotion strategy for their newish religion — to “make the Bible an international blockbuster,” as one puts it.

But the plot is unclear: “Who are the bad guys in this story?” asks one. He and his fellow clerics consider two options: the Jews and the Romans.

“Let’s make them the Jews, for sure,” says a bishop. “They run everything,” says another.

And thus the First Council of Nicaea, a gathering in 325 C.E. that is considered the birth of Christian antisemitism, gets the Mel Brooks treatment in History of the World Part II, the long-awaited sequel to the classic Mel Brooks film that revolves around Jewish history — and skewers it. The new four-part series even had a Jewish premiere date — March 6, the eve of the merrymaking holiday of Purim.

As with the 1981 original — written, directed and produced by Brooks, who also stars — the new series is littered with Jewish subject matter, even in the sketches that aren’t about Jews. And although comedy mores have changed in the past four decades, the series aims to retain Brooks’ signature combination of sharp parody, vaudevillian vulgarity and Borscht Belt antics.

“We really tried to embrace what we loved about [Brooks’] work and apply that to the work that we were doing, whether that was the themes of funny character names, or breaking the fourth wall or anachronisms or certain kinds of playful blocking,” director Alice Mathias told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “The kind of comedy work that I was doing up until this point was a touch more restrained and not quite as slapstick in places. So it was really fun to get a little sillier.”

And the creators aren’t concerned about a show with repeated send-ups of Jewish history at a time of rising antisemitism.

“Saying ‘the Jews are the bad guys’ is only funny because you’re making fun of the people saying it,” said showrunner David Stassen. “You’re punching up, you’re making fun of the bishops.”

music. The new series puts a 21st century spin on that idea, reminiscent of Comedy Central’s Drunk History (and featuring many of the same cast members, including Joe Lo Truglio, who plays one of the bishops at Nicaea) with hints of the Netflix series I Think You Should Leave

Audiences will see comedic sendups of historical events including Black congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s historic run for president; Marco Polo’s arrival at the palace of Kublai Khan in China; the Russian Revolution; and the signing of the Oslo Accords, the 1993 Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.in

power. That was the intent.”

Just a few of the Jewish jokes: Jason Alexander makes an appearance as a notary-slash-mohel who brings the wrong bag, full of his ritual tools, to the official signing of the Confederate Army’s surrender at the end of the Civil War.

“Useless. Unless somebody wants to take a little off the top,” Alexander’s character says, gesturing to his tools.

THE JEWISH PRESS IS LOOKING FOR A SUMMER INTERN.

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!

SUMMER INTERN The Jewish Press

Part of the series’ Jewishness is thanks to Nick Kroll, the Jewish comedian who had been interested in creating History of the World Part II for a very long time and “nudzhed” Brooks to agree, Stassen told JTA, using the Yiddish word for pester. Kroll is the co-creator of the critically acclaimed cartoon Big Mouth, which was largely based on his experience attending the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester. He also grew up in a Conservative, kosher-keeping household.

Kroll joins Brooks, 96, Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen as a writer and executive producer, with Mathias of Netflix’s absurdist sketch series I Think You Should Leave as director.

“It wasn’t a matter of, is this the right time for this?” Stassen told JTA. “It was just like, how do we honor Mel? How do we do a show that’s different than current sketch shows, that is in Mel’s tone?”

History of the World Part I spoofs the epic films of the mid20th century, with sketches including a musical number take on the Spanish Inquisition; an alternate history of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments; and cavemen discovering

The story of Jesus Christ gets parodied via multiple genres and is arguably one of the most Jewish recurring sketches of the whole series. In a Curb Your Enthusiasm — inspired sketch in the second episode, Judas (Kroll) and Luke (JB Smoove) realize that Jesus (Jay Ellis) has abandoned keeping kosher when they catch him publicly eating a bacon cheeseburger. A subsequent sketch spoofs the documentary The Beatles: Get Back, in which fans of the apostles eat matzah on sticks outside of the Apples & Honey recording studio.

And a recurring sketch focusing on the Russian Revolution and parodying parts of Fiddler on the Roof features a literal mud pie salesman named Schmuck Mudman who lives in an Eastern European shtetl. Mudman sells his wares via Putz Mates, a Yiddish play on the food delivery app PostMates. After moving from the village to Moscow, Mudman, played by Kroll, is surprised to find a meeting of the Mensheviks, the opposition to the Communist Bolshevik party, in his apartment.

“Your misery looks familiar to me. Are we from the same shtetl?” Mudman asks one of the Mensheviks in a depressing round of early 20th century Jewish geography.

“No. I get this all the time,” the man responds. “But I’m a miserable city Jew.”

Trade scholarships available for the 2023-24 academic year

An anonymous donor in our community has created two trade school and/or cosmetology school scholarship opportunities, up to $5,000 each, to go towards the 2023-24 academic year.

Not every student who advances into higher education signs up for a four-year curriculum. Some high school graduates seek job training that lasts a year or two and then places them in the workforce. Such opportunities include,

but are not restricted to: Information Technology, Construction, Industrial, Transportation and Horticulture. It is not too late to apply for this upcoming school year!

Qualified students who have unmet needs regarding tuition for either a two-year trade school program or a trade certificate program can contact the Jewish Press at avande kamp@jewishomaha.org or jpress@jewishomaha.org for more information.

A fan of the apostles (Quinta Brunson) stands outside of Apples and Honey Studios. Credit: Hulu

Jesus (Jay Ellis) and Judas (Nick Kroll) in a scene from the Curb Your Judaism sketch in History of the World Part II. Credit: Aaron Epstein/Hulu

About suicide

Suicide is a public health issue that impacts individuals from a variety of backgrounds and of all ages. Every year, millions of Americans are directly affected by the more than 44,000 suicides and hundreds of thousands of suicide attempts made by friends or loved ones (source: AFSP). While these numbers are staggering, suicide is preventable and anyone can help by readying themselves with some knowledge on facts, risk factors, warning signs, and what to do if you or someone you love is in a crisis situation.

Please keep in mind that this information in no way substitutes for seeking professional help or advice from your doctor. With this information we simply intend to introduce you to helpful information on suicide prevention.

SUICIDE WARNING SIGNS

Learning the warning signs of suicide could save someone’s life. While an individual may not be experiencing all of these warning signs, most will experience more than one and for an extended period of time. Some are obvious while some are more subtle, so it’s important to know what to look for and what to do next if you do notice these behaviors in someone you care about. With each of these warning signs, watch for a change from the individual’s typical behavior. Go to https://thekimfoundation.org/about-suicide-andwarning-signs/# to learn more about warning signs, such as withdrawal, changes in sleep, risky, or reckless behavior, excessive drinking or substance use.

This series is sponsored by the Jewish Press and the Jennifer Beth Kay memorial fund.

Visit

Boy Meets Voters: Ben Savage is running to replace Adam Schiff

RON KAMPEAS

JTA

Ben Savage, the Jewish actor best known for the 1990s coming of age series Boy Meets World, is running to replace Adam Schiff, the Jewish Democratic congressman from California who is running for Senate.

Savage, 42, is among at least four Democrats running in the primary to replace Schiff in his Los Angeles-area congressional district. His Instagram post on Mar. 6 announcing the campaign focused on good governance.

“I’m running for Congress because it’s time to restore faith in government by offering reasonable, innovative and compassionate solutions to our country’s most pressing issues,” Savage wrote in the post. “And it’s time for new and passionate leaders who can help move our country forward. Leaders who want to see the government operating at maximum capacity, unhindered by political divisions and special interests.”

Schiff, who is running to replace the retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein, gained a national profile for his role prosecuting former President Donald Trump in his first impeachment, as well as for his position on the congressional committee investigating the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

Alongside his acting career, Savage has some political expe-

rience. He graduated with a degree in political science from Stanford University and interned for Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, who was Jewish, in 2003, when Specter was a Republican. Specter later became a Democrat. And this isn’t his first campaign: Last year, Savage garnered less than 7% of the vote in a run for West Hollywood City Council. He became famous, however, for his starring role in Boy Meets World as lovable goof Cory Matthews. The show ran on ABC from 1993-2000, and was rebooted on the Disney Channel from 2014-2017 as Girl Meets World, which focused on Riley, the daughter of Savage’s character and his wife, Topanga. Savage’s older brother is Fred Savage, the scandal-beset star of another coming of age series, The Wonder Years. In adulthood, Ben Savage has gravitated to playing Jewish characters. In a flashback episode of the drama Homeland, he played a younger version of Saul Berenson, the Jewish spymaster played by Mandy Patinkin. He also played the Jewish love interest of a woman who discovers she has Jewish heritage in the 2020 Hallmark movie, Love, Lights, Hanukkah!

In real life, Topanga — the canyon, if not Cory’s fictional love interest — remains out of reach. It’s in California’s 32nd congressional district, right next to where Savage is running.

Ben Savage speaks onstage at the Boy Meets World 25th Anniversary Reunion panel during New York Comic Con 2018 at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, Oct. 5, 2018. Credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for New York Comic Con

Primaries on the first day of Passover

RON KAMPEAS

WASHINGTON | JTA

Entebbe veterans join protests

RON KAMPEAS

JTA

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to oppose the government’s planned judicial reform on Saturday night, but within hours Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition advanced the legislation through the Knesset.

Protests against the reforms extended to areas of Israel’s establishment where political protest was once unthinkable, including among combat pilots as well as staff for the national airline, El Al.

The government is opening bids for other airlines to fly Netanyahu and his wife to Rome later this week after too few El Al employees signed up to work the trip. The airline denied that the worker shortage reflected a protest against the prime minister, who is scheduled to meet with Italy’s new rightwing leader, Giorgia Meloni.

But others are making clear that their refusal to show up to work represents a protest against Israel’s right-wing government, which is seeking to sap the judiciary of its power.

Thirty-seven of 40 combat pilots in the military reserves said they would skip the first day of a required week of training to “devote our time to discourse and thinking for the sake of democracy and the unity of the people, and therefore we will not report to reserve duty on

this day, with the exception of operational activity,” according to a translation of the letter published by the Times of Israel. They would turn up as required for the rest of the week, they said.

mentions him in public remarks.

The 10 veterans were especially offended by Netanyahu’s likening of the protesters — whom they have joined — to the settlers who rioted in a West Bank village last week, burning houses and cars and injuring dozens. One Palestinian was killed amid the riots.

“We did the impossible with our brothers in arms,” said the letter, posted March 3 on social media. “And you and your cohort are doing everything you can to undermine motivation and to crack up Israeli society.”

Four states have presidential primaries that fall on the first day of Passover next year and legislation has been introduced in at least two of them, Maryland and Pennsylvania, to change the date.

The four states listed on the website of the National Conference of State Legislatures as having presidential primaries on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 are Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Rhode Island. Passover starts the previous evening, and traditional Jewish law, or halacha, prohibits writing, driving or the use of electricity on the holiday, which would make voting impossible for many observant Jews.

Reserves pilots train multiple times a year, a regimen that is seen as critical to their effectiveness. A mass action by one of the military’s most elite units is unheard of.

Among the dozens of appeals against the reforms, a standout came from 10 of the troops who joined Netanyahu’s older brother, Yonatan, in rescuing hostages held on a plane in Entebbe, Uganda, in 1976. Yonatan was killed during the raid, which Israelis view as an iconic moment in their history and which is seen as emblematic of Israel’s willingness to go to extreme lengths to rescue Jews in peril. Benjamin Netanyahu has since made his brother his lodestar, and frequently

The combat pilots and Entebbe veterans joined a growing protest movement against legislation that would allow a simple majority of 61 Knesset members to overrule the Supreme Court, and that would constrain the court in other ways.

On March 4, the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee advanced the legislation, which has already passed the full Knesset on the first of three required votes to become law.

The opposition sees the reforms as gutting the independence of the judiciary, which has been a bulwark against the erosion of the rights of women, nonOrthodox Jews, and minorities, including Arab and LGBTQ Israelis.

This story was edited for length. Read more at www.omahajewish press.com.

The Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., are home to a substantial and close-knit Jewish community, including Orthodox enclaves. Baltimore also has a large Jewish community with a substantial Orthodox component. Ronald Halber, the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, said on Wednesday that his organization was already coordinating with the Maryland legislature to change the date.

“The JCRC is working with both House and Senate leaders to pass legislation that will correct this unfortunate conflict and we are confident that the matter will be resolved without any issues,” he said.

The leaders of both chambers in Maryland’s state legislature, both Democrats, said last month they were willing to change the date, and an Orthodox Jewish Democratic lawmaker, Dalya Attar, has initiated legislation to do so.

Attar told Jewish Insider that she appreciated Maryland’s flexible voting system, which allows for early voting, but that it is not sufficient to compensate for holding a primary on the first day of Passover.

Robin Schatz, the director of government affairs at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, said she was looking into the matter.

There are substantial Jewish populations, including Orthodox enclaves, in Pittsburgh and in Philadelphia and its suburbs. The state’s governor, Democrat Josh Shapiro, is an observant Jew.

Thousands of Israeli protesters rally against the Israeli goverment’s judicial overhaul bills in Tel Aviv, March 4, 2023.

Credit: Gili Yaari Flash90

Above and below: Mazal tov to our first graders and their families! We enjoyed celebrating all that you’ve learned at the siddur celebration. Thank you to Cantor Alexander, Rabbi Abraham and Rabbi Ari for sharing some wisdom with our students!

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Above and below left and right: Friedel Jewish Academy staff celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday in style.

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Above: Annette Fettman and daughter Aviva making mandelbread together.

Above and below: RBJH gearing up for Purim.

Top, above and below: Hamantaschen baking at Beth Israel.

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.

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The language we understand

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor

“In 1996,” Julian Voloj wrote for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, “Jordan Gorfinkel launched two series of comics that get at the two sides to his personality and career. One was Birds of Prey which he created while overseeing the Batman franchise as an editor at DC Comics. Another claim to fame during his tenure from 1991-99 was the creation of Batman: No Man’s Land, which served as inspiration for the 2012 Christopher Nolan blockbuster Dark Knight Rises The other that he launched 1996 was Jewish Cartoon, an ongoing series of comics that poke fun and celebrate aspects of Jewish life and religious observance. To date, he has followed a cast of characters in this series for over 1,000 cartoons.”

As Diaspora Jews, we all know: representation is important. It’s easy to lose ourselves in the culture around us; oftentimes when we decry levels of assimilation, we forget to address exactly how hard it is to stay true to ourselves. But it is, especially so when we look at what popular culture exposes us to. From cinema to theater, from favorite foods to cartoons, from music to extra-curricular activities, there is very little Yiddishkeit to be found.

And so, when it falls into our lap, we jump at it.

In this case, with good reason: what Gorfinkel has done is nothing short of remarkable. His most recent work is a Koren Esther graphic novel, and alongside the sequential art pages it contains the full, unabridged Hebrew text:

First of all, language is more than words. It’s emotion, is facial expression, it’s movement. It’s also color, shape, music, touch, love, temperature-there are so many different types of language we use to communicate, I’d need three pages to list them all. And communicating Torah, communicating Judaism, happens not just through words and sentences. Who is to say that the parsha read in synagogue is more meaningful than the smell of your mother’s fresh-baked challah? It all depends on who you are and what language speaks to you.

Especially when we teach children, we try to find what speaks to them. That is different for every individual, we all know that each child has their own unique learning style. It is no less true for adults. Creating a new Megillah experience, while acknowledging the mitzvah of reading it, as Gorfinkel has done, is and essential task. To be clear: the comic book does not replace the Megillah, it simply adds to it. The artists does not compromise, he does not give up or give in.

Imagine someone with dyslexia, or a non-native speaker, or simply the many of us who love to listen but hate to read for ourselves, those whose attention wanders, have bad eyesight, or are simply too young to really grasp the words.

“The mitzvah is to listen to the Megillah in Hebrew,” Gorfinkel said, “and the tradition is to read it in the language you understand.”

‘The language we understand’ is an interesting way to put it. It’s the kind of phrase that will live in my head for days, twisting and turning, giving me endless things to consider.

ed is more important now than ever

Charlie Yale, son of Sarah and Adam Yale, was awarded a Silver Key Award (Critical Essay) by Hastings College for the below piece, and has graciously allowed us to republish his article.

For students at Central High School in Omaha, Nebraska, it’s commonplace to graduate without ever stepping foot into a sex education class. It seems like a no-brainer: skip a “useless” class and free up space for an elective or a more rigorous International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement class. Who wouldn’t want to skip out on the awkward sex talks and banana condom demonstrations with their health teacher?

But there’s a problem with this mindset. After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, especially in states like Nebraska that may be looking to ban abortion, sex ed is more important than ever.

Sex ed and/or HIV/AIDS prevention programs are required, in some form, in 39 states plus DC in the US. But, only 17 of these states require sex ed to be “medically accurate,” according to the Guttmacher Institute.

That term is as vague as it sounds. It doesn’t specify the content of the course, except for the fact that the educational material must be supported by “the weight of research conducted in compliance with accepted scientific methods,” according to a sample piece of legislation from the Public Leadership Institute.

Five of the ten states with the highest teen pregnancy rates don’t mandate any sex ed, as reported by World Population Review. All of them are poised to ban or limit abortion in some capacity.

That means to me one thing: the U.S. needs comprehensive sex education for all students, post-Roe, to limit teenage pregnancy.

The US is notoriously bad at sex ed. A study conducted in PLOS ONE, a medical journal, reported that out of the 35 most developed nations, the US ranks first in teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. But, a comprehensive, community-

based and mandatory sex ed curriculum nationwide will be more effective at preventing teen pregnancy and STIs, especially for African American and Hispanic individuals in their teenage years, as stated in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a CDC publication.

SIECUS, a sex ed advocacy group, reports that 18 states don’t mandate sex ed. Nebraska, where I live, is one of them. While my school does offer a sex ed curriculum, students can opt out of it entirely. Because I wanted to take an elective that I missed when we went remote due to the pandemic, I was one of the students who opted out of sex ed.

But learning how to be sexually literate is a basic component of being a young adult in today’s world. I should not have been able to opt out of sex ed as easily as I was able to; it is a class that holds equal importance to any other class a student takes during high school. But, unlike other classes, sex ed remains separate because the consequences of a bad sex ed system can be detrimental, and sometimes, permanent.

The structure and premise of high school, as a whole, is to prepare young adults for the real world. There is almost nothing more “real-world” than becoming sexually literate, especially in a time where the reproductive rights of those with uteruses have been taken away.

Denying abortions to people who need them creates a larger risk of experiencing poverty and job loss, possibly increases levels of abuse and raises rates of single parenthood, according to a study at the University of California San Francisco. An article published in American Journal of Public Health goes as far as saying that “Laws that restrict access to abortion may result in worsened economic outcomes for women.” Abortion is a valuable family planning method. Sex ed is important, and it will always remain important because family planning is always relevant.

The main opponents to a complete and comprehensive sex ed curriculum in the United States are generally those in favor of the overturning of Roe: the religious right.

Both sex ed and abortion have been marker issues for the religious right for over 60 years, according to People for the American Way and The

I might be overly enthusiastic (I’m sorry) but I think having a Jewish comic book is also just really, really fun. Not with one accidentally Jew-ish character, but born from a Jewish story, with only Jewish content and wisdom. Something that is entirely ours: it’s cool.

You can read more about Gorfinkel’s work at www.omahajewishpress.com.

Guardian. It is ironic that the religious right chooses to make these contradictory stances their primary issues. If conservatives wanted to limit teen pregnancy, and therefore abortions, they would teach comprehensive sex ed.

It has been proven many times that comprehensive sex ed is better at preventing teen pregnancy than abstinence-only programs or situations where sex ed isn’t mandated. A Washington University study found that teens who received comprehensive sex ed were 60 percent less likely to get pregnant or impregnate someone than teens who received no sex ed and 30 percent less likely than their peers who received abstinence-only sex ed.

The right to abortion and a comprehensive sex ed shouldn’t be a trade-off; but to support abortion bans and neglect comprehensive and accessible sex ed is completely contradictory.

Some states have excellent templates for comprehensive sex ed. California, Vermont and other blue states such as Maine, Illinois, Oregon and Washington all offer mandated sex ed, HIV/STI training, comprehensive healthy relationship training and contraceptive coverage. Some of these states still fall short; some are still neutral toward LGBTQ+ people, and not as inclusive as they ought to be. But it is a start.

It is impossible to create a “one size fits all” program for the whole country. But all factors point towards the need for every single state to adopt a comprehensive sex ed program.

We need to do this for our youth. And for the future of our nation.

Sex

CHARLIE YALE Guest Editorial

A page from the The Koren Tanakh Graphic Novel Esther shows the Purim story in visual action. Credit: Jordan B. Gorfinkel and Yael Nathan

The settler’s attack on Huwara is not the Orthodox Judaism I grew up on

Nighttime in Huwara, a small Palestinian town in the West Bank. Jews in large skullcaps and sidelocks, prayer fringes dangling from their waists, responding loudly to the cantor: “Yehei shmei raba mevurach leolam u’leolmei olmaya” (“May His great name be blessed, forever and ever”) — the words of Kaddish, a regular daily prayer that can also be said to mourn the dead.

The gloom outside is illuminated by an enormous bonfire of cars, shops and homes belonging to the Palestinian residents of the village, which the Kaddish-reciters have set on fire, in revenge for the horrific and heartrending murders, hours before the pogrom, of brothers Hillel and Yagel Yaniv (may their memory be a blessing) and for other recent terror attacks in the area.

One Palestinian was killed during the rioting by these Jewish settlers. Dozens of wounded Palestinians were evacuated to hospitals, some from smoke inhalation, others from beatings and stabbings. A family was evacuated by IDF troops, moments before they might have perished in the flames that took their home.

This wasn’t just any Kaddish, yet another one of those said and repeated by any observant Jew multiple times a day, sometimes in mumbling fashion. This time it was a Kaddish for Judaism itself.

I grew up in a small town in central Israel, in a classic “dati leumi” or national religious community whose ideology combines Zionism and Orthodox Judaism. I studied in typical religious institutions: a school in the state-religious education stream, a high school yeshiva and a “hesder yeshiva,” which combines advanced religious studies with military service. I was also very active in the religious Zionist Bnei Akiva youth movement, as an educator and leader.

Even today I live in a religious community in Jerusalem, and my young children study in schools that belong to the statereligious education stream.

The Judaism that I know and by which I try to live is a Judaism that operates according to the commandment “walk in His ways” (Deuteronomy 11:22) and the Talmud: “As He is gracious you should also be gracious, as He is compassionate you should also be compassionate” (Shabbat 133b:4-6). This Judaism operates according to the verse from Leviticus, “The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land belongs to Me, for you are strangers and [temporary] residents with Me.”

By contrast, the Judaism that the militant settlers imbibed — or distorted — led one of the pogromchiks, he too in skull-

cap and sidelocks, to speak in Hebrew words I understood but whose language I could not not comprehend. “There is something very moving here,” he told a reporter. “Jews won’t be silent. What the army can’t do, what the police will never do, simple Jews come and carry out a simple act of vengeance, setting fire to anything they can.”

tims and circles burn the soul and draw many good people into the cycle of vengeance. The solution, too, is complex and hard to see, even far off on the horizon. But there are moments when things are actually very clear, clarifying the gray areas, when the choices are between life and death, and good and evil.

This evil version of Judaism is a lethal drug, which through a historical twist of fate gained ascendance over our ancient tradition. Combined with nationalism and majority hegemony in the Land of Israel, it has become a conflagration, one that has long since spread beyond religious Zionism — what Americans might refer to as “Modern Orthodox” — to the haredi, or ultra-Orthodox sector, and Israeli society in general.

The same Judaism led Davidi Ben Zion, deputy head of the Samaria Regional Council, also an observant Jew, to say blithely, shortly before the pogrom, that “Huwara should be wiped off the earth — no room for mercy,” and “the [Jewish] guys in Huwara right now are behaving precisely like guys whose brothers were massacred in cold blood at point-blank. The idea that a Jew in Samaria is a diasporic Jew who will be stabbed in the heart and politely say thank you, is childish naivete.”

That same Judaism led Israel’s finance minister, Betzalel Smotrich, the de facto governor of the West Bank, to publicly support a tweet by another coalition member calling to “wipe out” the village.

In the name of this Judaism, denizens of hills and outposts abuse the Palestinians daily, with the aid or under the blind eye of the IDF. A national Jewish settlement endeavor has been taking place for two generations now, which despite the good intentions of some of its practitioners, has included land theft, institutionalized discrimination, killing and hatred. An endeavor under which the current coalition, the most observant ever, only grows and intensifies.

In ordinary times life is not black and white. The Palestinian side also has a significant part in the story. The violence comes in great force and cruelty from there as well, and its many vic-

An entire generation of Jews has been raised on this Judaism of hate, contemptuous of anyone who is not Jewish, of any display of weakness, of compassion. To whom Judaism is not the keeping and continuation of our tradition, observing commandments or studying Torah, but a worship of “Jewish might” (“Otzma Yehudit,” the name of a far-right political party) and limitless greed. In this Judaism, traditional values like modesty, pity and charity are signs of weakness, or remnants of a pathetic and feeble Christian morality that under no circumstances are to be shown to a stranger, the other, those who are not like us.

What we need now is not accommodation, nor soft words and platitudes. Neither will an obvious and empty condemnation of the pogrom do a bit of good. What we need now — having seen the elected officials who represent this religious population, having witnessed their nationalist Judaism — is a policy rooted in a tradition they abandoned. We should treat those who distort Judaism as the Mishnah tells us to treat all evildoers: “Distance yourself from an evil neighbor, and do not cleave to a wicked person” (Ethics of the Fathers 1:7). We need to announce that we want no part in the feral growth that has sprung up here, that this is not the tradition we grew up on, this is not the Torah we studied, and this is not how we wish to live our lives and raise our children.

Let us return to tradition and start over.

Aviad Houminer-Rosenblum is deputy director-general of Berl Katznelson Center and a member of The Faithful Left movement, which last month organized the first-ever conference of Israel’s religious left.

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.

The JTA conversation: Pogrom? Terrorism? What do we call what happened in Huwara?

ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL

JTA

On Feb. 26, after a Palestinian gunman shot and killed two Israeli brothers in the West Bank, Jewish settlers rioted in the nearby Palestinian town of Huwara, burning cars and buildings. A Palestinian was killed and dozens were injured.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Jewish rioters for “taking the law in their own hands,” but many observers including the top Israeli general in the West Bank and Abraham Foxman, director emeritus of the Anti-Defamation League, used stronger language, calling the attacks a “pogrom.”

The use of the word, which most famously refers to a wave of anti-Jewish violence in the Russian empire beginning in the late 19th century, in turn became the subject of debate. Does using “pogrom” co-opt Jewish history unfairly and inaccurately by suggesting Jews are no better than their historical persecutors? Does avoiding the term mean Israel and its supporters are not taking sufficient responsibility for the actions of its Jewish citizens?

The debate is not just about language, but about controlling the narrative. Political speech can minimize or exaggerate events, put them in their proper context or distort them in ways that, per George Orwell, can “corrupt thought.”

We asked historians, linguists and activists to consider the word pogrom, and asked them what politicians, journalists and everyday people should call what happened at Huwara.

Their responses are below.

Sidestepping the real issue, Dr. Jeffrey Shandler, Distinguished Professor, Department of Jewish Studies, Rutgers University

The meanings of the word “pogrom” in different languages are key here. In Russian, it means a massacre or raid, as it does in Yiddish; in neither language is it understood as specifically about violence against Jews. The Oxford English Dictionary concurs that pogrom means an “organized massacre… of any body or class,” but notes that, in the English-language press, it was first used mostly to refer to anti-Jewish attacks in Russia, citing examples from 1905-1906.

Therefore, though the association of pogrom with violence targeting Jews is widely familiar, its meaning is broader.

That said, because of English speakers’ widely familiar association of the term with Jews as victims, to use pogrom to describe violence perpetrated by Jews is provocative. As to whether it is appropriate to refer to recent attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinians, it seems to me that this question side-

steps the more important question of whether the actions being called pogroms are appropriate.

Call it what it is: “settler terrorism,” Sara Yael Hirschhorn, ’22-’23 Research Fellow at the Center for Antisemitism Research at the ADL, and author, “City on a Hilltop: American Jews and the Israeli Settler Movement”

Let me say first with a loud and clear conscience: What happened in Huwara was abhorrent, immoral, and unconscionable and certainly was not committed in my name.

West Bank, but not a genocide. The equivalence also all too easily and incorrectly grafts tropes of racism and white supremacy drawn from American history into the West Bank’s soil.

So what to say about Huwara? Israel — for reasons both political and lexiconographical — has failed to consistently adopt a term for such attacks. (Often the euphemism of “errant weeds” who are “taking matters into their own hands” is the choice of Knesset politicians.) To my mind, the best term is “settler terrorism,” which puts Jewish-Israeli acts on par with Palestinian terrorism. It should also mean that these actions merit the same consequences under the occupation like trial, imprisonment, home demolition and other deterrents enforced against all those who choose the path of violence.

Last but not least, a pogrom was historically an unpunished crime against humanity that led only to war and annihilation. Don’t we aspire for more in Israel/Palestine?

But to paraphrase Raymond Carver’s famous formulation: How do we talk about it when we talk about Huwara? What kind of descriptive and analytical framework can adequately and contextually interpret that horrific event?

The shorthand of choice seems to be “pogrom” — but it isn’t clear that all who deploy the term are signifying the same thing. For some, pogrom is a synonym for pillage, rampage, fire, property damage and violence in the streets — a oneword general summary of brutal acts. For others, pogrom refers to vigilante justice, an abbreviated story of the non-state or non-institutional actors and their motivations.

More specifically, however, pogrom is seemingly being mobilized as a metaphor to Jewish history, juxtaposing the Jewish victims of yesterday to the Jewish-Israeli perpetrators of today, an implicit analogy to the prelude to the Shoah, recasting Zionists as organized bands of genocidaires (with or without regime sponsorship) like the Cossacks, the Nationalist Fronts or even the Einsatzgruppen. Some would use the word to incorporate all three meanings (and more).

As a historian, I am troubled by the haphazard and harmful use of terms that are attached to a specific time and place — such as the thousand-year history of Jews in the Rhinelands and Eastern Europe, with many layers of imperial, national, local, economic and religious forces that precipitated these events — in such an ahistorical manner. Nor do I find the parallels between Zionists and Nazis to be historically careful (if deliberately offensive) — the State of Israel is committing crimes in the

Palestinians call it “ethnic cleansing,” Ibrahim Eid Dalalsha, Director, Horizon Center for Political Studies and Media Outreach, Ramallah, and member of Israel Policy Forum’s Critical Neighbors task force

Palestinians generally view and describe what happened during Sunday’s Huwara attacks as “racist hate crimes seeking to destroy and dispossess the Palestinian people of their homes and properties.” While no specific term has been used to describe these attacks, it was likened to the barbaric and savage invasion of Baghdad by Hulagu, the 13th-century Mongol commander.

Palestinian intellectuals tend to use “ethnic cleansing,” savage and barbaric ethnically motivated violence against innocent civilians, as another way of referring to these attacks. When such events include killing, Palestinian politicians and intellectuals tend to use the term massacre, or “majzara,” to underline the irrational and indiscriminate violence against defenseless civilians. I don’t think the term “pogrom” and its historic connotation are widely known to most people here. From a Palestinian perspective, using such terms, including “Holocaust,” is not considered a mistake. In fact, even using “Holocaust“ to describe violence against Palestinian civilians in and around 1948 was not considered a mistake until very recently when it caused such a saga for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Germany. Andrew Silow-Carroll is is Editor at Large of the New York Jewish Week and Managing Editor for Ideas for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Jewish rioters look on as the cars they set on fire burn in the Palestinian town of Huwara in the West Bank, Feb. 26, 2023. Credit: via Twitter

Credit: JTA illustration by Mollie Suss

Synagogues

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

618 Mynster Street

Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766

712.322.4705 www.cblhs.orb

email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

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

402.492.8550 bethel-omaha.org

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154

402.556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

CHABAD HOUSE

An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch

1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646

402.330.1800 OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY:

B’NAI JESHURUN

South Street Temple

Union for Reform Judaism

2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797

402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road

Offutt AFB, NE 68123

402.294.6244

email: oafbjsll@icloud.com

ROSE BLUMKIN

JEWISH HOME

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154 rbjh.com

TEMPLE ISRAEL

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)

13111 Sterling Ridge Drive Omaha, NE 68144-1206

402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY:

TIFERETH ISRAEL

Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236

402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org

B’NAI ISRAEL

Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, April 14, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

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

BETH EL

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

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

FRIDAY: Nebraska AIDS Project Lunch 11:30 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades 3-7) 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 8:05 p.m. Zoom Only.

SUNDAY: BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Hebrew Reading, 11 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman; Poker Hold ‘Em Tournament, 12:30 p.m.

MONDAY: Women’s Book Group, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY: Pirkei Avot, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham at Beth El & Live Stream; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7:15 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m.; Mental Health Awareness Program for High School Students, 6 p.m.; Keret & Kinneret, 6 p.m. with Dr. Rami Arav. Zoom Only.

THURSDAY: History of Kaddish, 11 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham.

FRIDAY-Mar. 24: Kabbalat Shabbat 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY-Mar. 25: B’nai Mitzvah of Alex and Matthew Scheer, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades 3-7), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 8:15 p.m. Zoom Only. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.

BETH ISRAEL

FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 7:15 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat 10:45 a.m.; Mincha 7 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 7:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:16 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 6:40 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:20 p.m.

MONDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 6:40 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:20 p.m.

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Parsha Class for 3rd-6th Grades, 2:45 p.m. at Friedel; Board of Directors Meeting, 6:30 p.m.; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 7:20 p.m.

RON KAMPEAS JTA

Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire media mogul, philanthropist and former New York mayor, is the latest pro-Israel stalwart to warn that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms could be catastrophic.

“Close allies bound together by shared values stand together in times of need — not only to support each other but to reaffirm the inviolable obligations we have to defend those values,” Bloomberg wrote Sunday in a New York Times op-ed. “And that is why I am standing up again now.”

Bloomberg, who served three terms as New York’s mayor and briefly ran as a Democrat for president in 2020, is the latest prominent Jewish figure who was often at the forefront of defending Israel to now say Netanyahu’s reforms, which would gut the independence of the judiciary, are endangering the country. Others have included Times columnist Bret Stephens, constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz and the former director of the

WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 6:40 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:20 p.m.

THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Character Development 9:30 a.m.; Daf Yomi 6:40 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:20 p.m.; Parsha Class, 7:50 p.m.

FRIDAY-Mar. 24: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 7:23 p.m.

SATURDAY-Mar. 25: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha, 7:10 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity 7:40 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:23 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, 7:14 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.; followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:15 p.m.

SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps: Video Presentation 9-9:30 a.m. and Breakfast, 9:45 a.m.

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

TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Hebrew Grammar, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Tanya Class, 9:30 a.m.; Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Hebrew Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

THURSDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Hebrew Reading, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 34), noon; Hebrew Reading, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Jewish Law Class, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY-Mar. 24: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ocha bad.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 7:22 p.m.

SATURDAY-Mar. 25: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.; followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:22 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL

Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. Note: Some of our services, but not all, are now being offered in person.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service with lay leaders and music by Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Oneg host: TBD; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:17 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service 9:30 a.m. with lay leaders at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Vayakhei-Pekudei; Havdalah, 8:17 p.m.

SUNDAY: LJCS Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Men’s Bike/Cof-

Anti-Defamation League, Abe Foxman.

Bloomberg noted how, as New York mayor in 2014, he defied a Federal Aviation Administration order not to fly to Israel during its war that summer with Hamas. He also listed his philanthropic endeavors in Israel, including a health center named for his mother. In 2014, he traveled to Israel to receive the inaugural Genesis Prize, which has been called the “Jewish Nobel.”

Bloomberg, who made his billions of dollars with his eponymous financial news and data firm, said Netanyahu’s planned reforms were harming the economy that he helped open up in his previous terms as prime minister.

“Unless he changes course, Mr. Netanyahu risks throwing all that progress — and his own hardearned legacy — away,” Bloomberg wrote. “The economic damage could make the cost being paid by the United Kingdom for Brexit look like bubkes,” a Yiddish term connoting “nothing.” Britain’s economy suffered detrimental effects from its withdrawal from the European Union.

fee Group continues to meet during the winter months, 10:30 a.m. at Rock-N-Joe, just off of 84th and Glynoaks. For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw801@ gmail.com; Jewish Book Club, 1:30 p.m.; Pickleball, 3-5 p.m. at TI. For more information please contact Miriam Wallick by text message 402.470.2393 or email at Miriam 57@aol.com. Wear comfortable clothes and appropriate footwear.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Classes, 4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY-Mar. 24: Bar Mitzvah of David Lee Hyten; Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex and music by Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Oneg host: The Hyten Family; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:25 p.m.

SATURDAY-Mar. 25: Bar Mitzvah of David Lee Hyten; Shabbat Morning Service 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex and David Lee Hyten and music by Nathaniel and Steve Kaup at SST; No Torah Study; Havdalah 8:25 p.m.

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 Batsheva Appel, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander

FRIDAY: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. In-Person; Dedication of Temple Israel History Gallery, 5:45 p.m. sponsored by Mibsy Brooks — In-Person.; Shabbat Service: Choir Exchange with Kol Rina and St. Paul Exchange, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SATURDAY: Torah Study 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SUNDAY: Grades PreK-6, 9:30 a.m.; Coffee and Conversation, 10 a.m.; Book Club: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair Lewis, 10:30 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m.-noon In-Person; Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; T’filah, 4:45 p.m.; Grades 9-12, 6-8 p.m. at Temple; Grades 7-8, 6:30-8 p.m.

THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Class 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel — In-Person & Zoom.

FRIDAY-Mar. 24: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. InPerson; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SATURDAY-Mar. 25: Torah Study 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. InPerson & Zoom.

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

Foreign investors have warned against investing in Israeli companies; the shekel’s value has fallen sharply, and some Israeli companies have moved their money into overseas accounts to protest the judicial legislation and guard against its potential economic effects.

Bloomberg said he could understand why companies were pulling out of Israel, noting the protection that Israel’s courts have extended to women and minorities, including Arab and LGBTQ Israelis.

“In a disturbing sign, some people have already begun pulling money out of the country and reevaluating their plans for future growth there,” he wrote. “As the owner of a global company, I don’t blame them. Companies and investors place enormous value on strong and independent judicial systems because courts help protect them — not only against crime and corruption but also government overreach. Just as important, they protect what their employees value most: individual rights and freedoms.”

Bloomberg: Israel’s judicial reforms could make Brexit’s economic effects look like ‘bubkes’

Life cycles

IN MEMORIAM

JOANNE PHYLLIS BEHLING, AKA JACQUELINE D. ANDRADE

Joanne Phyllis Behling (nee Wolf), aka Jacqueline D. Andrade, passed away on Jan. 30, 2023 after a brief illness at age 75. The family will welcome the community as we remember Joanne in a gathering at Omaha’s Chabad Center, 1866 S. 120th Street, on March 19, 2023 at 2 p.m. and virtually, using the Chabad Zoom link.

She was preceded in death by sister, Karen Wolf, and parents Aaron and Betty Wolf (nee Braverman).

She is survived by her loving brother, Daniel Wolf, and brothers and sisters-in-law, Philip and Nancy Wolf and Adam and Kelly Wolf; sister, Andrea Wolf; step-mother, Harriett Wolf (nee Ohsman); beloved nieces and nephews; and many more Wolfs, Bravermans and Ohsmans.

Joanne was born in Chicago on May 1, 1947 and grew up in Evanston IL, attending Oakton School, Nichols Junior High School, and Evanston Township High School and was a graduate of Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska.

Joanne (Jackie) was a longtime resident of Chicago's north side and attended classes at Columbia College and Loyola University. In her later years Joanne (Jackie) was a caring and beloved resident of the community of Clark Manor Nursing Home where she enjoyed being in her familiar north side neighborhood.

Joanne had a loving heart and faithfully kept up with family members' events, holidays and reunions near and far. Joanne (Jackie) will be lovingly remembered and missed by her family, friends and caregivers.

PAULA ANN ROGOFF ZEGANS

Paula Ann Rogoff Zegans passed away on Feb. 24, 2023 in Boyton Beach, Florida. Services were held March 1, 2023 at Mt. Ararat Cemetary in Melville, Long Island New York and were officiated by Rabbi Kane.

She was preceded in death by her dear dear mother, Betsy Horowitz Rogoff and father, Joseph Rogoff.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Ian Zegans; daughter and son-in-law, Jodi and Adam Jassey; son and daughter-in-law, Steven and Zina Zegans; grandsons: Brett Jassey and Zev Ze-

B’NAI MITZVAH

Alex and Matthew Scheer, sons of Caryn and Marc Scheer, will celebrate their B’nai Mitzvah on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at Beth El Synagogue..

Alex and Matthew are seventhgraders honor roll students at Kiewit Middle School. They both are black belts in Tae Kwon Do.

Alex’s interests are hockey, tennis, baseball, golf, piano and art. He is a very talented artist and has had his art displayed in several school art shows.

Matthew’s interests are hockey (goalie), baseball, piano, cooking and building remote control cars. He won a culinary contest and represented Aldrich Elementary in a regional competition.

Alex Scheer

For their mitzvah project, Alex and Matthew volunteered to fight hunger in the community. They have volunteered at the Food Bank for the Heartland, stocked the Beth El food pantry, delivered cookies to the elderly, and will be helping out at the food pantry for Chabad. Additionally, they have volunteered at the Nebraska Humane Society.

They have an older sister, Cadee, and a dog, Charley.

Grandparents are Rita and Bob Yaffe of Omaha, Morry Lieberfeld of Arlington Heights, IL, Sally Lieberfeld of Des Plaines, IL, and Beth and Michael Scheer of Jacksonville, FL.

Pro-Israel stalwarts condemn judicial reforms

The actor Noa Tishby has gone to bat for Israel on U.S. college campuses as an official emissary. Philanthropist Miriam Adelson has underwritten multiple organizations dedicated to building pro-Israel sentiment in the U.S.

And now both prominent advocates for Israel have publicly joined what is turning out to be a resounding chorus of criticism of Israel’s current government and its efforts to sap the country’s judiciary of its independence and power.

“I will say it in the sharpest and clearest way: Diaspora Jewry and Israel’s supporters in the world are shocked.They are shocked,” Tishby said in a column published in Hebrew on Ynet Saturday. “With great pain they look and see how the country they fiercely defended — in Congress, in the media, on the networks or to foreign governments — is changing its face.”

Tishby wrote that she had never publicly criticized “any step taken by any government” in more than two decades as a public figure, but that she was writing “the most difficult public text I have ever written” because Israelis need to understand

that the judicial reform legislation, which she called “not a reform, but a coup,” brings their country out of step with other democracies and would threaten its national security and support abroad.

Writing in Israel Hayom, the right-wing Israeli newspaper founded by her late husband Sheldon, Adelson sidestepped the legislation itself and instead focused on its speedy advance.

“Regardless of the substance of the reforms, the government’s dash to ratify them is naturally suspect, raising questions about the root objectives and concern that this is a hasty, injudicious, and irresponsible move. A good deal is reached through cold-eyed circumspection,” wrote Adelson. She later added, “Bad motivations never bring about good outcomes.”

The statements from Adelson and Tishby offer a clear sign that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot expect prominent allies abroad to back his right-wing government on its signature legislation.

Read more about the ongoing protests against the judicial reforms at www.omahajewishpress.com.

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PHILISSA CRAMER JTA

A Jewish producer sees his family history in Netflix film

ANDREW LAPIN JTA

The film producer Daniel Dreifuss has only one surviving photo of a distant relative: his grandfather’s cousin, who fought for Germany in World War I and died in combat two days before the war’s end.

He has a few more photos of his grandfather, who also wore the German uniform in WWI — only to be rounded up by the Nazis two decades later during Kristallnacht and thrown into a concentration camp, as even the Jews who had fought for their country were not safe from its campaign of race extermination.

Dreifuss, who was raised in Brazil after his surviving ancestors fled the war to Uruguay, held up these weathered blackand-white photos to his Zoom camera as he spoke to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency from his home in Los Angeles.

“Twenty years later, your country, that you just gave your health for and your cousin for and your family for, sends you to a camp,” he said. “It’s a lot of trauma to have to go through in one lifetime.”

These family stories echoed through Dreifuss’ mind when he first read the script for a proposed modern take on All Quiet on the Western Front, the classic 1928 novel about the German army’s hellish experiences during World War I. Nearly a century later, author Erich Maria Remarque’s descriptions of trench warfare and of the utter lack of heroism, valor or patriotism felt by its soldier protagonists resonated with Dreifuss.

“I said, ‘I know these people,’” he recalled. “Not because they are some distant relatives that I’ve heard of, but because I am the grandson of one of those kids who were in the film.”

Dreifuss’ parents met at a Jewish youth group in Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s. “My father was my mother’s madrich,” he recalled, using the Hebrew word for a youth group counselor. After they were later married, they moved to Israel partially

to avoid Brazil’s military dictatorship and became left-wing political activists. They left Israel just before the Yom Kippur War and relocated to Scotland, where Dreifuss was born, before returning to Brazil to raise him.

Dreifuss had his bar mitzvah in the city of Belo Horizonte

with their bare hands, triumphs and looks down on top of a hill at the end with some sweeping score.”

But that journey has been validated by the film’s impressive Oscar total, which surprised industry observers. At the nomination ceremony last month, All Quiet received nine total nods, the second most of any film this year, including for best picture — which the novel’s original 1930 Hollywood adaptation, directed by Jewish filmmaker Lewis Milestone, won.

Considering the Nazis had once led a campaign of book burning against the source material and terrorized German movie theaters that showed the original movie adaptation, accusing it of being a “Judenfilm,” Dreifuss sees the new film’s success as a historical victory, too. “I love that my name will be associated with a story that was deemed degenerate by that regime,” he said.

before later moving to Rio, which has a much larger Jewish community. “My family was never at all religious, but culturally Jewish,” he said, recalling Passover celebrations and gefilte fish recipes. He did not have many Jewish friends growing up, but his Brazilian friends were interested in Judaism and would attend his family’s Jewish events.

This global upbringing is reflected in Dreifuss’ interest in international film. It took a decade for him to mount his remake of All Quiet, which was eventually set up with a German production company and released by Netflix this past fall amid another endless military conflict in Europe. No one, he said, wanted to fund a resolutely anti-war film that refused to glorify its combatants, a film that was “never a hero’s journey, not the story of someone who came, you know, beat 1,000 people

When he was first presented with an early draft of the new All Quiet script, in 2013, Dreifuss was coming off of the success of another international historical film he had produced. No, a 1980s-set Chilean political drama, starred Gael Garcia Bernal as an ad executive tasked with convincing his country to vote the dictator Augusto Pinochet out of office. The film netted Chile’s first-ever Oscar nomination for international feature film, although Dreifuss himself is not Chilean.

When Hollywood studios turned down the proposed remake of All Quiet, forcing Dreifuss to turn to European financing, he saw an opportunity to mount the first-ever German adaptation of the property, which would allow the film to open up a “historical perspective” on how the aftermath of WWI led to the rise of the Nazis and the Holocaust.

Though there are no explicitly Jewish characters in the film, Dreifuss believes it still speaks to the fate that would soon await Europe’s Jews.

This story was edited for length. Read the full article at www.omahajewishpress.com.

Austrian actor Felix Kammerer as Paul Bäumer, the protagonist of Netflix’s Oscar-nominated adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front. Credit: Reiner Bajo/Netflix