March 18, 2022

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Hineini

Memories of Ukraine Page 4

is happening to the people of ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPUkraine. We are not strangers WRIGHT to this story and are reminded Jewish Press Editor of our own history. Our tradiriday, March 4, tion teaches us it is our responmembers of the sibility to repair the world. We Jewish commudo so by standing up, speaking nity of Omaha out and helping others. came together We are not helpless. to express support for our We are part of a national comfamily members in Ukraine munity, the Jewish Federations and listen to messages from of North America. The JFNA Omaha and Lincoln clergy, works with long-time, expericommunity member Anna enced partners on the ground Yuz Mosenkis, and past JFO to help elderly and vulnerable president Zoë Riekes. Yellow Ukrainians who are trapped in and blue Shabbat candles the country. They help with and yellow and blue ribbons food, medical supplies, and were handed out. The vigil, with whatever else is needed. an opportunity to show soliThey help refugees to processdarity and bring attention to Anna Yuz Mosenkis ing stations and help those who the crisis, was an initiative of the Israel and Overseas Committee. Chairperson of this want to immediately immigrate to Israel.

As of March 4, the Omaha community was asked to raise committee is Melissa Shapiro; its members are Sivan Cohen, Jeannette Gabriel, Jan Goldstein, Mushka Katzman, Chuck $100,000 for emergency needs and services to assist Jewish Lucoff, Zoë Riekes, Stacey Rockman, Norm Sheldon, Jenn communities in Ukraine. Let’s join together like we always Tompkins, Dick Zacharia and Jeff Zacharia. Here are Zoë’s have. Let each of us say the word we know so well in our Jewish community: Hineini. I am here. words from that day: We all watch the horrific pictures and hear the stories of what See Hineini page 3

F

The Friedel Science Fair Page 5

To help Ukraine, Jewish bakers made hamantashen Page 12

JFO and its agencies host Blood Drive

REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles

8 9 10 11

SAM KRICSFELD JFO Philanthropy Assistant Recently, we at the Jewish Federation of Omaha and its agencies collaborated for an inaugural Red Cross blood drive at the Staenberg Omaha JCC, located on the Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus.

In Judaism, one of the most important mitzvot is to save a life. People need blood for lifesaving surgeries, transfusions, and treatments – the Red Cross says that someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds.

Blood is in high demand, and people aren’t giving enough of it. The Red Cross hasn’t faced a blood shortage as dire as the current one in over a decade. In some cases, the lack of blood has forced health care profes-

Laura Wine, Director of Programming at the Staenberg Omaha JCC, getting her blood drawn at the JCC’s first Red Cross blood drive, a collaboration of the JFO and its agencies, on Feb. 17.

sionals to delay major operations – even organ transplants.

With the mitzvah of saving lives and the acute blood shortage in mind, the JFO and its agencies teamed up to make the blood drive a well-attended success.

On Feb. 17, Red Cross staff arrived at the Staenberg Omaha JCC first thing in the morning to set up all the See Blood Drive page 2

ASU Hillel Shlicha Lior Ashkenazi in Omaha

Lior Ashkenazi, left, Sivan Cohen, and Alan Potash

SIVAN COHEN Omaha Community Shlicha For a short time in December, there were two Shlichot in Omaha.

We were fortunate enough to have Lior Ashkenazi, the Jewish Agency’s Shlicha at Arizona State University (ASU) Hillel, in town on a special and personal visit. Lior, who is also the chapter director of “Shevet Shemesh,” (the Israeli Scout/Tzofim program in Phoenix), came all the way from Arizona to visit a city that’s important to her family.

Long before Lior was born, the

Ashkenazi family moved to Omaha from Israel in the early 1970s. Her grandparents, Arik and Sarah Ashkenazi, moved here with their three children: Sagi, Yossi and Kobi.

Their fourth child, a daughter, was born later.

During the Ashkenazis’ time in Omaha, Arik worked at 1/2 Price Stores and Sarah worked at Richman-Gordman (managed by Dan Gordman, a well-known member of the Omaha Jewish community).

Arik and Sarah made great strides See ASU Hillel Shlicha page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | March 18, 2022

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Blood Drive

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

ASU Hillel Shlicha

sion to begin a long-term mission in the United States. Lior Continued from page 1 in their jobs, met many amazing Jewish people, and fell in love currently works as the Shlicha at ASU Hillel and the chapter with the city, while Sagi, director of “Shevet Yossi and Kobi attended Shemesh.”

Crestridge Magnet While growing up in IsSchool and took classes rael, she heard all about at the Jewish Community her family’s time in Center.

Omaha. She says that stoAfter several wonderful ries of the people, JCC acyears in Omaha, the tivities, winter snow, and Ashkenazis missed their trips around Nebraska are connection to Israel. They integral parts of the decided to move back, Ashkenazi family’s history. packing their memories, Lior traveled here from experiences and everyArizona to “complete the thing they had learned in circle” of her family’s story Omaha. and see the city that is so Lior, who is Sagi’s important to her family. daughter, grew up in Is“It’s a huge experience rael. She was a camper and a privilege to visit the and a counselor with the city,” Lior said. “I’ve heard Israeli Scouts/Tzofim and a lot about Omaha, and I developed a love and facan really imagine the exmiliarity with the field of periences my family went education. After her through here... From my mandatory service in the point of view as a misIsrael Defense Forces, she Lior Ashkenazi at Crestridge Magnet School (top half), where Sagi, Yossi sionary — and out of fawanted to continue her and Kobi Ashkenazi (bottom half) attended in the 1970s. miliarity with the family work in education. Through the Jewish Agency, she worked story — I think it’s amazing to see a strong and united Jewish at Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute, a summer camp in community in the city. I hope to visit again soon.”

Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, that is run by the Union for ReLior has a special request for you: If you or your relatives form Judaism. knew Lior’s grandparents, or even if their names are familiar Her summer in Wisconsin exposed her to the world of Jew- to you, please contact me at scohen@jewishomaha.org so ish communities in North America and encouraged her deci- I can put you in touch with her.

Continued from page 1 equipment they’d need in the Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue.

Everyone wanting to donate blood had to schedule a time and was recommended to drink extra water, get a good night’s sleep, and eat before donating. After each volunteer signed in and was deemed eligible to donate, a sterile needle was inserted into their arm. A unit of blood was collected over the course of about 10 minutes, after which donors were given refreshments (including juice boxes and cookies) and cleared to leave. Red Cross staff facilitated donations for over six hours.

The idea for a blood drive at the Staenberg Omaha JCC came from its Director of Programming, Laura Wine. She wanted to host the drive on campus because many people want to donate blood but don’t have the time or don’t know where to go.

“Giving blood is easy and a great way to give back to the community,” Laura said. “We brought [the opportunity] to them.”

Staff and volunteers from the JFO and its agencies answered the call for blood – 32 people signed up for the blood drive, and 28 units of blood (each around a pint) were collected.

“This was a very successful drive, and the staff from the Red Cross loved our facility,” Laura said. “They are excited to come back in the future.”

Laura hopes to host a blood drive at the Staenberg Omaha JCC twice a year, with the next one planned for late summer.

The Red Cross has an app in which donors can schedule appointments, view their donation history, and track their blood’s journey to a hospital. “Knowing your blood is helping others is very fulfilling,” Laura said.

If you are eligible, we implore you to donate blood. Again, blood saves lives, and saving lives is a mitzvah. There are blood drives almost daily across Omaha, and there are multiple blood donation centers in the city.

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The Jewish Press | March 18, 2022 | 3

Escaping Kharkiv by way of Omaha LEIBEL BAUMGARTEN for Chabad We’ve all been glued to the news from Ukraine. The unspeakable horror unfolding before our eyes is heart-rending.

The harrowing tales of people making daring escapes become especially surreal when the escapees are lifelong friends and close relatives.

Omaha’s Rabbi Mendel Katzman has a 40-year friendship with Kharkov’s chief rabbi, Rabbi Moshe Moskovitz. As the attacks began, the friends were in touch, and Rabbi Katzman began sending urgently needed funds to Kharkiv to help women and children escape, and provide food, shelter and medicine to all who needed it.

Rabbi Katzman met Rabbi Moskovitz as a yeshivah student in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1980. At just 20 years of age, he took on a mentorship role towards Rabbi Moskovitz, a few years his junior. The two remained close friends, with Rabbi Katzman moving to Omaha in 1986 and the Moskovitzes heading out to Kharkiv in 1990.

The two have always been there for each other, and Rabbi Katzman co-officiated Rabbi Moskovitz’s oldest daughter’s wedding in Kharkiv a few years ago. “Rabbi Moskovitz leads the very same Synagogue my father prayed in as a child while on the run during World War II.” Indeed, like hundreds of Chabad emissaries, the Moskovitzes came to a land soaked with hundreds of years of Jewish blood, and for three decades sparked a remarkable rebirth of Jewish life in Ukraine. There are 384 Chabad emissaries serving 350,000 Jews in dozens of Ukrainian cities.

As the attacks started, these Chabad emissaries began helping thousands of women and children escape. Entire orphanages were taken to Moldova, Germany, and eventually Israel.

In Ukraine, Chabad centers became sources for food, shelter and basic necessities. The worldwide Chabad community banded together to support these efforts.

Meanwhile, Omaha, through the special friendship of Rabbis Moskovitz and Katzman, adopted Kharkiv to help save countless people. With every penny going directly to people on the ground, there was no time or possibility for bureaucratic red tape or administrative processes. Lives were at stake.

Rabbi Moskovitz and his wife Miriam were determined to stay and serve their community. But after their 30-year-old day school and a neighboring apartment building were shelled, it became clear that they had run out of time and made a last second attempt to flee the danger. They left at a moment’s notice, with as large a group as they could gather. There was no time to pack, they left with nothing more than the clothes on their backs – literally.

All throughout, Rabbi Katzman kept in contact with Rabbi Moskovitz, trying to help in any way possible. As they journeyed through war-torn streets, eventually their cell phones lost power, and they had just about run out of gas. Every gas station was empty, and it seemed like all hope was lost. During this time, friends and family the world over were praying for their safe escape, without any way of knowing their status.

Eventually, an officer allowed them to fill up at a police station, and they made it safely out of the country.

The Moskovitzes continue to coordinate relief efforts in Kharkiv. Like every other Ukrainian Chabad Center, they are relying heavily on the generosity of the Jewish community all over the world. If you would like to contribute to the long term rescue, recovery, and resettlement of the Jewish community of Kharkiv and make a huge difference in saving lives now, visit ochabad.com/kharkiv. If you want to donate through JFO, which has committed assistance to this important project as well, please do so by sending your check to Jewish Federation of Omaha with “Ukraine relief ” in the memoline. Checks may also be dropped off in person. For a central page to donate to another city of your choice, visit www.Chabad.org/Ukraine.

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Snowbirds

Hineini able to evacuate? Should Continued from page 1 they stay where they are?

Let’s all be here for the peoHearing stories of refugees ple of Ukraine, and please being welcomed by Jewish give generously. communities in places To aid in our goal, the like Moldova and RomaJFO will be matching all nia gives hope, but there donations dollar for dollar are many who are physiup to $50,000. If you’d like cally unable to leave and to donate, please visit our remain homebound. We website at www.jewisho all know how to step up in maha.org and click on situations like these; we’ve the ‘Crisis in Ukraine’ banbeen here before. This is ner at the top of the home who we are. Federations page. are coming together to do As of March 8, our comeverything possible to munity had raised over help; it’s what we can do $59,000, which means the collectively. It’s time to do JFO matched $50,000, but what we do best, and fulmore help is still needed, fill our mission. so please join us. If you Thank you in advance prefer to donate by check, for your generosity and for please send your check to Sivan Cohen and Zoë Riekes meeting the needs of our the JFO (333 S 132nd St) with “Ukraine” in the memo line. We will compile these family around the world. The Omaha Jewish community has a long history of rising to the moment and showing up for check donations and send the funds to JFNA. This is our family; imagine, right now, they are having life- those in need, and we will be here for the Ukrainian Jewish and-death conversations. Should they evacuate? Are they community today.

Annual Spring Arts and Crafts Show The Annual Spring Arts and Crafts Show will be held Saturday and Sunday, March 19-20 at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs.

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sands lived but were affected by the radiation. It was the RICH JURO The war in Ukraine stirred up memories of Fran and my two biggest nuclear disaster yet and occurred before Ukraine got visits to that now beseiged country. The first trip to Ukraine its independence from the USSR in 1989. was in 1966, over 55 years ago. We were on an extended jourInstead of Chernobyl, Fran and I asked our guide, Ivana, to ney to Europe for $5 a day (now its almost $5 a minute!). We take us to Babi Yar. Ivana readily agreed, and one other person had made arrangements in New York City (where we were liv- went with us. Babi Yar is a ravine on the outskirts of Kiev. In ing) for a visit to the Soviet Union for $15/day – but it included September 1941, shortly after the German Army conquered hotel, food, tours, and air fare. What a bargain! So we took the the area, the Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing units of the Nazis) train from Helsinki, Finrounded up the Jews in the land, to Moscow, where we area, marched them two met our six fellow travelers. miles to Babi Yar, had them We took the train back to strip, and killed them with St. Petersburg (then called rifles. The dead bodies were Leningrad), toured, then restacked on each other in toured again to Moscow, the ravine. Over 33,000 Jews where we took an Aeroflot were murdered in two days plane to Kiev, the capital of at Babi Yar! the Ukrainian Soviet SocialWhen the Germans ist Republic. were losing the territory in My paternal grandpar1943, they attempted to ents had lived outside Kiev cover up the mass murder (now spelled Kyiv but I’m by burning the bodies. Fiftoo old to change). At the teen of the concentration time, Jews weren’t allowed camp workers who were to live in the city. In the conscripted to help es1890s, due to a combinacaped and lived to tell the tion of the poor economic Russov House in Romankravchuk, Odessa. Credit: licensed under the grisly story. When the SoviCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. conditions, the czar’s cruel ets reconquered Kiev, the rule, that the first male child had to serve 20 years in the army mass execution became known. But after WWII, Stalin’s anti(and probably wouldn’t survive), and the Cossack terrorist semitism policy hid the public knowledge of Babi Yar. Even raids on the Jewish community, my grandparents left for New after Stalin’s death, the coverup continued until some intelYork City. Hundreds of thousands of others emigrated from lectuals publicized it in articles, books, and especially the the Jewish Pale of Russia in those years. (My maternal grand- poem by Yevgeni Yevtushenko in 1961: parents left Belarus a few years later with my mother, who was No gravestone stands on Babi Yar; all of three months of age, and endured the steerage of the imOnly coarse earth heaped roughly on the gash; migrants’ ship.)

Such dread comes over me.

Kiev, in 1966, was a much more attractive city than the gray (Update: Not until 2021 was the memorial center at Babi buildings of Moscow. Kiev’s streets, shops, and culture were Yar dedicated. A Russian missile damaged it in 2022.)

Westernized way ahead of the rest of the USSR. The people The next day, we boarded the river “cruise ship.” It was made were better dressed and seemed happier. We toured the city. in Russia, was in a deteriorating condition, and held about 70 Most of the churches were beautiful but had very few people passengers. The rooms were tiny, and the bathrooms were in them due to the USSR’s official policy of atheism. The food even smaller. Because we had a deluxe room, we had a shower was blah: we remembered that even the chicken Kiev was the in the bathroom, but the water came from the ceiling in the worst we had ever eaten. middle of the tiny bathroom, and drained out on holes cut in Then we flew to Yalta, at that time part of Ukraine due to the floor. The captain and sailors were from Russia, and I was the USSR leader Nikita Khrushchev’s giving Crimea to afraid to look in the engine room for fear of what I might see.

Ukraine. Yalta was a Russian resort on the Black Sea. It was The passengers included 25 young people from a company the site where FDR, Winston Churchill, and Josef Stalin met in Moscow. They slept all day and partied every night with in February 1945, a few months before WWII ended in Europe. loud music on the open third deck. Fran went up see what was Roosevelt was in ill health and died two months later. FDR going on. She danced with one of the Russians, and he was also wanted Stalin to help in the Asian war against the Japan- happy to dance with her until in the dim light he realized Fran ese and to join the forthcoming United Nations. Perhaps those was old enough to be his mother. Thankfully, the Russians disreasons are why Roosevelt “gave” Eastern Europe to Stalin. embarked after five days, and we could sleep at night.

In 1966, we could sit in the chairs that the Big 3 leaders sat Another passenger was Richard, the head lawyer for the in, visit the hall they met in, and could “think their thoughts.” University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He was about to welcome his We drove down FDR Drive, and we visited the beach on the fiance, a blond Ukrainian woman named Katrina whom he Black Sea that the Russian elite vacationed at. We’ll always re- had met on the internet. Katrina, was not interested in member the stony beach at Yalta, the men in very brief Ukraine’s sights or politics; she was only concerned when they bathing suits, and, especially, the overweight Soviet women would get married and move to Lincoln. Eventually they did, who wore only their panties and bras. and as far as I know, they said conjugal vows in Nebraska. I Fast forward from 1966 for 35 years. We returned to Ukraine read that Richard retired a few years ago, and as far as I know, about 20 years ago for a river cruise down the Dneiper River. they’re still in Lincoln. I don’t know if Katrina or Richard are Ukraine was now an independent nation, and proud of it. Fly- concerned with the current war in Ukraine. I hope they are. ing into Kiev, we again toured the city. It had even more color We sailed down the Dneiper River, stopping at some small and elan than in 1966, and the magnificent churches, and the towns and larger cities. It was all interesting to us. On the synagogue, actually had people in them. We skipped the tour fourth day, the tour director left the ship, saying “he had to go to Chernobyl, the nuclear reactor that exploded in 1986. Hun- to Moscow.” That left four young Ukrainian ladies in charge dreds were killed in Ukraine and nearby Belarus; tens of thou- See Memories of Ukraine page 6

The Jewish Press | March 18, 2022 | 5

The Friedel Science Fair

News LOCA L | NAT IO NAL | WO RLD

Bobblehead with a cause ISA WRIGHT Friedel Jewish Academy Volunteer On Monday, Feb. 28, the JCC’s Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue came to life with Friedel Jewish Academy’s annual Science Fair. Each year, Friedel students have the option to design an experiment, learn about the scientific method, and present their results as part of the only judged science fair for elementary school students in the Omaha area. The judges were education students from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Creighton University.

As always, Friedel did not disappoint.

The students’ projects were wide-ranging and complex: from aerodynamics to the effectiveness of hand sanitizer, the students were well-spoken in explaining their projects. They displayed a deep understanding of the scientific method, walking through the steps of research, hypothesis, and data collection/analysis. Many of them expressed passion for their topics, their love for science, and their excitement about sharing their projects.

The judges’ feedback reflected this. They remarked on the students’ thorough experiments, effective communication, and beautiful graphs. Some students even recreated

their experiments in person, sharing what they had learned and contributing to the lively atmosphere of the event.

The Friedel Science Fair was an amazing opportunity for the students not only to learn but to educate others at the same time. As one of the judges wrote to a student, “Take pride in your work, you taught adults science today!”

For more information about Friedel Jewish Academy, you can visit their website www. friedeljewishacademy.com or contact Director of Advancement Sara Kohen at skoh en@fjaomaha.com or 402.301.1662.

View Katrina’s work in the art gallery at the JCC Omaha until March 27.

Featuring paintings of Vintage Neon Signs and Omaha’s Old Market.

Katrina Swanson 402.679.3595

www.katrinaswanson.com | Pkwanson1@cox.net

MILWAUKEE Last week, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled the first bobblehead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy has become a face of defiance and a symbol of strength in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He has been called a hero at home and abroad as he refuses to leave the nation’s capital in Kyiv while Russian forces continue to attack the country. The bobblehead is being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is donating $5 from every bobblehead sold to GlobalGiving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, supporting humanitarian assistance in impacted communities in Ukraine and surrounding regions where Ukrainian refugees have fled.

Each bobblehead will be individually numbered and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s online store. The bobbleheads, which are expected to arrive in July, are $30 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

“To show our support like countless others throughout the country and across the world,

we are excited to release this bobblehead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to help raise funds and awareness for Ukraine,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Mu-

seum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said.

“With the spotlight shining on him during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Zelenskyy has become a worldwide hero, and we think he deserves to be honored with a bobblehead.”

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Fall Symposium

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Memories of Ukraine

Continued from page 4 of us voyagers. They were inexperienced but very nice and spoke passable English. Not a problem, except one day Fran and I wanted to go explore ashore on our own. One of the young ladies said, “You can’t go alone.” Finally, another one said, “Do you know what you’re doing, and you realize the ship sails at 4 p.m.?”

We said “yes,” and they let us off the ship. Fran and I walked around the town, ate some local goodies, brought some back for everyone, and returned in plenty of time. Two of the four new tour managers had grown up in Kiev, young girls when Chernobyl exploded. They were both worried about the nuclear radiation, especially about how it would affect their future health, whether they could have babies, and if their babies would be healthy.

After several days, the Dneiper River emptied into the Black Sea. We sailed by the Crimean peninsula, including the “closed” city of Sevastopol. The reason it was “closed” was that the Soviets had a large naval base there. Then we got to Yalta. This time we couldn’t sit in the Big 3 chairs, the rooms were St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kyiv. Credit: Petar Milošević, licensed roped off, and we didn’t see the under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International beach to view whether the Ukraini- license.

Patent attorney. Jazz enthusiast. Philanthropist.

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ans and Russians were still wearing the minimal bathing suits. But its still called FDR Drive, and there are many dachas (second homes for the Russian elite) in and around Yalta.

(Note: Following the invasion of Crimea in 2014 by Russian troops, Yalta is administered by the Russian Federation.)

Then we sailed back on the Black Sea until we reached the city of Odessa. The third largest city in the Ukraine, Odessa is a port, cultural, and industrial hub. It was founded in 1794 by Catherine the Great as a warm weather harbor. Immediately, we saw and climbed the famous Potemkin Stairs, 192 very wide steps leading up from the port to the main boulevard. On a tour, we saw the magnificent opera house, and outside the city the famous writer Pushkin’s house.

After a couple of days in Odessa, we reboarded our ship, sailed up the Dneiper, stopped at a couple of towns, and finally ended our journey in Kiev again. We will never forget the warmth of the people, the vistas, and the past and present history of Ukraine. Beyond that, we hope that the independence of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people will thrive for years and years.

LEONARD GREENSPOON The 34th Annual Symposium on Jewish Civilization will take place on Sunday, Oct. 23, and Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. The title for this year’s Symposium is Chronicling Jews and Crime: From Law-Makers to Law-Breakers. Sessions will take place on the campuses of Creighton and UNO and also at the Omaha Jewish Community Center.

The Symposium is jointly sponsored by the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization (Creighton University), the Kripke Center for the Study of Religion and Society (Creighton University), the Harris Center for Judaic Studies (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), and the Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies (University of Nebraska-Omaha), along with generous members of the Jewish community.

Those interested in making a presentation are urged to apply. Support for presenters’ transportation and accommodation will be provided. Proposals should contain a 200-word abstract and a CV; submit them

by May 1 to Leonard Greenspoon, Klutznick Chair, at ljgrn@creighton.edu.

For further information about the Symposium, see the Klutznick Chair website at http://www.crei g hton .edu/c ca s/ klutznick/.

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

The Jewish Press | March 18, 2022 | 7

Police reporter for the Star

Ed. Note: This is part 4 of 6 stories about Dick Fellman’s experiences with the Lincoln Star, Lincoln’s morning newspaper, during the 1950s.

After about a year of sometimes working part time and at other times working full time as a reporter, I was still a cub reporter doing weather and obits. Now and then I went out on as- RICHARD FELLMAN signment or made phone calls with established or new sources, then I would do a story. Eventually, Larry Becker, the news editor of the Star, said I was being promoted to being the substitute police reporter. That meant new stories to write and a lot of new sources to meet.

So it began. The then-functioning police reporter, who was going to leave, took me to the police station, better known to the Star as the “Cop House,” though this was never said in public, and there I was introduced to the night captain and his assistant, the desk sergeant (who I was privately told actually ran the place,) and a couple of police officers who happened to be around when the introductions were made. I was shown the large book which was used to enter the name and details of the arrest for each individual, and I was told that I could actually enter the small area where officers spoke by radio and by telephone with cruisers who were on duty. And that amounted to the instruction, except to add that everything I did and everything that I wrote and everything that I saw or heard was privileged, which meant it was for me, my editor, and nobody else.

I said yes, “I understand,” to all that was told to me. Then, I was told about my new hours.

Not much that we were interested in began before midevening, so I was to start work in the late afternoon when I would go to the police station and review the booking arrests, make notes, and come back to write what seemed interesting.

Then, as the night came on, I was to go back to the station, again review the booking items, talk to everyone around and catch the rumors, and then follow through with what seemed to be happening.

In the middle of all this, about half past eleven every evening, I was to record some weather data— amount of moisture and temperatures— and this involved something special, for the weather data was recorded on the roof of a building two blocks from the newspaper. I was taken there, introduced to the night watchman, and from there it was his show.

We went to the rear of the building, climbed some stairs, took the freight elevator to the top, crawled over some pipes, took a small ladder up to a “super roof ” where we observed the weather meters.

On warm, nice nights it was fun, but in heavy rains, hot or cold nights, or especially when it was snowing or windy, it was horrible, the worst part of the job. But the story consisted of a few facts, reported in person to the city editor, and then back

to the police station.

One night I noticed that the neon sign in front of the station which normally read “Police Headquarters” was missing the first two letters of the word “Police.” I took a photo, gave it to the city editor who smiled with joy , and next morning it was on the front page with my name for the credit. My life at Police Headquarters for a few weeks was miserable.

Then came the assignment to go to the station and interview a man they were holding, a famous lifetime criminal who could break into any place and steal only those items which he could turn around and sell. Through the years he had become an expert and had made a small fortune. The desk sergeant let me in his cell where he was alone, locked up as he left, and told me he’d be back to let me out in an hour. “Will that give you enough time for your interview and photo,” he asked. But the time went by, the shift changed, and nobody came to unlock the cell. “Sonny boy,” the famed felon said, “You’re here for the night. They forgot you.” And they did until almost two hours into the night shift when the supervisor came laughing. “Young man, we just forgot you. Sorry. Hope you get a good story.” And the door was opened, I did the story including the fact that I was locked up, and the story did wonders for me.

From that point on I was taken seriously as the Night Police Reporter for the Lincoln Star.

Thank you, Kathy Weiner Celebrating a simcha?

Commemorate your special occasion by establishing your charitable endowment fund at the Foundation.

Call Howard Epstein for more details.

The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society Board thanks Kathy Weiner for her more than twenty years of committed service to the organization. We wish you all the best on your next adventure, Kathy! Pictured, from left: NJHS President Ben Justman, Kathy Weiner, board members Robby Erlich and Beth Staenberg.

Do you know an outstanding Jewish teacher currently teaching K-12 in the Omaha metro area?

$10,000 Sokolof Teacher’s Award

Just write a letter describing this teacher (who has been teaching at least 3 years) and tell us why she/he deserves this special recognition.

Encourage others (current or former students, parents, teachers) to do so also.

A teacher who was nominated in the past, but not selected, can be nominated again. Only an update is needed.

Send your letter by April 1, 2022 to Diane Walker at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, 333 So. 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154 or dwalker@jewishomaha.org.

Contact her with any questions at 402-334-6551.

Contact Howard Epstein, Executive Director 402-334-6466 hepstein@jewishomaha.org www.jfofoundation.org

2022 HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS AND PARENTS We will be publishing our annual High School Graduation Class pages on May 27, 2022. 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, 2022.

HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR INFORMATION ________________________________________________ Name ________________________________________________ Parent(s)’ Name(s) ________________________________________________ Current High School ________________________________________________ College you plan to attend Send by May 1, 2022 to: The Jewish Press | 333 So. 132 St. | Omaha, NE 68154

The Jewish Press

8 | The Jewish Press | March 18, 2022

Above: Shani Katzman teaches about Purim during the monthly Rosh Chodesh Women’s Power Lunch, while Aviva Segal listens.

Below: Friedel students used a parachute during their gym class.

Above: The Chasen family enjoyed a beautiful springlike day on the RBJH patio while checking out the recent Jewish Press Spotlight photos of Steve Chasen.

SP O TLIGHT

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a photo of a recent Jewish Community event you would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.

Above, below and bottom: Thank you, BBYO! The BBYO students donated goody bags for the Residents and staff of RBJH! A sweet treat indeed!

Above and below: Friday, March 4, the community came together to express solidarity with Ukraine.

Clockwise from above left: Rabbi Mendel Katzman, Marty Ricks and Rabbi Brian Stoller, Anna Mosenkis and Rami Arav, and Rabbi Steven Abraham.

Voices

The Jewish Press (Founded in 1920)

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Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

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The Jewish Press | March 18, 2022 | 9

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.

Hope

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor It feels weird, doesn’t it? Celebrating Purim, shopping for Passover and starting the first leg of the chametz clean-up, while the world is in such turmoil. This time it’s not because of a virus (although we aren’t out of the woods yet on that one) but because one man halfway across the world has lost his mind.

One man. I can’t get over that. Of course it’s true that a single person can’t cause this much heartbreak without the help of many bystanders and a population that is manipulated by propaganda, but still. It feels that if someone were to take Vladimir Putin out, bomb whatever bunker he’s hiding in, things would end rather quickly. What does it say about me that I fervently wish for someone else to die? Even if that someone else is a murderous dictator?

We are supposed to celebrate, and we are supposed to worry. Can we do both those things at once? How do we balance honoring our Jewish holidays while watching the world burn? Not to be dramatic, but the bombs keep falling and as of this writing, those shells are landing awfully close to the Polish border. From Poland it’s a hop and a skip to the place where I was born and where most of my family still lives. At the same time, it’s inappropriate to worry about the people who are still safe, when so many others have died, been displaced, are hunkering down in makeshift shelters. But I can’t help it; I call and text home constantly, asking for updates.

My mother and I have agreed not to borrow tomorrow’s heartache, but focus on what’s already

happening instead. For me, that means sending money, for her, that means donating goods. She doesn’t drive anymore, but she has plenty of friends who do and she gives me a meticulous account of the goods that go, where they are delivered, who they are for. She makes fun of the over-enthusiastic

Credit: Yallayallaletsgo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

people who bring random junk to the border without checking if anyone needs it, only to get turned back. Warehouses full of stuffed animals, old clothes nobody wants. Because even during a rescue operation, there are rules, and when people are in need, you don’t give them only the stuff you were throwing out anyway—everyone knows that.

And I know why she is so busy and why she talks the way she does. Underneath it all, she is as terrified as I am. It’s like watching a WWII documentary, but in Technicolor. This is no history lesson, this is real life; this is now. This is my country’s sol-

diers volunteering to go ‘over there,’ amidst the fear that ‘over there’ will soon become ‘over here.’

Back to the question: where is the balance? Do we see Putin as a modern-day Haman? Do we focus on the hope that is inherent in all Jewish holidays, the hope for a better tomorrow, the notion that yes, things are bad but we will win in the end? What if, one of these days, we don’t win in the end? And what is ‘winning’ anyway? In WWII, Hitler and his Nazis were defeated, eventually, but not until millions lay dead. The Maccabees won, the oil burned, but the blood flowed and Hannah lost all her sons.

The slaves got out of Egypt, but Egypt didn’t exactly get out of the slaves. In the Ukraine, too many lives have already been lost to think of ‘winning.’

Hope is a tough commodity—forget about getting your hands on food and water, a good shelter or any other of life’s necessities. It’s the hope we have to worry about. In that sense, both the Jewish calendar and the world outside our window are teaching us that to have hope, not because of the world we live in, but in spite of it, is the most valuable and hard-won thing of all. It is also the most necessary, for what does it mean if we allow ourselves to live without it?

If you haven’t already, and if you are able, please consider donating to the Ukraine. Because when we give, we tell the world: ‘I believe this money will get there and will make a difference, no matter how small. I believe and I trust and I have hope.’

That is how we simultaneously celebrate and mourn. By hoping against all odds that evil will eventually be defeated.

Jews and non-Jews share history in Ukraine. There are reasons for hope.

SARA J. BLOOMFIELD JTA The Russian invasion of Ukraine, justified by Vladimir Putin as necessary to “denazify” the country and stop “genocide,” outraged me for its blatant assault on a people, and on truth. But as I thought about his previous misuses of history, I should not have been so surprised.

In 2019, marking the 80th anniversary of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, Putin sought to downplay the significance of this agreement in starting World War II and its secret protocols that divided Poland between Hitler and Stalin — two other masters at rewriting history.

This invasion also brought back the overwhelming sense I had from various visits to Ukraine, best summarized in a familiar adage originally about the Balkans, that Ukraine has had more history than it can consume. As I traveled to big cities and small towns, aspects of its many layers of complicated history were on view everywhere.

In Kiev, I was greeted each morning outside my hotel by an enormous statue of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the revered Cossack leader who commanded a 17th-century uprising to promote Ukrainian independence from Poland. He was also a vicious antisemite responsible for the killing of at least 40,000 Jews. I was appalled that the statue existed and wished that at the very least it might be accompanied by information about the innocent victims of this Ukrainian nationalist. Today, I find myself reflecting on this symbol of an independent Ukraine that also symbolizes its complex past.

As I would drive around the country, I would encounter common themes. You had the impression that one could stop in almost any town or village and ask, “Where were the Jews buried?” Someone would take you to a forest or a piece of land near a farmer’s field to see the mass grave. Over one and a half million Jewish men, women and children were murdered in Ukraine by the Nazis and their local collaborators. Unlike other European Jews, they were not deported to distant killing centers like Auschwitz but shot, one by one, in the places they had lived for centuries.

We now know so much more about “the Holocaust by bullets” because, ironically, of the fall of the

Soviet Union and the opening of massive archives Holocaust scholars, Jewish community leaders and as well as the important work of Fr. Patrick Des- American diplomats. All of them saw this as a mobois, who identified many of the mass graves and ment to write a new chapter in Ukrainian history. interviewed locals who saw these horrible crimes. One described to me a burned-out bus with this On one visit to Ukraine Fr. Desbois and I went to a declaration written in the ash: “One day spent wooded area, now a mass grave, where we met an fighting here is a life worth living.” The people I met elderly woman who shared her memories as a were filled with similar defiance and resilience, alyoung girl witnessing the killing of her neighbors. though sometimes tinged by understandable anxAnother stark recollection is walking around iety or cynicism. But, overwhelmingly, the word I towns and seeing on door after door an indenta- kept hearing everywhere was “hope.” tion that once held a mezuzah — the small case that traditionally marks the entrance to Jewish homes. The Jews were long gone, but the unintended marker of where a people had once lived remained, speaking to us across the decades.

I will also never forget that People walk in front of the Bogdan Khmelnytsky Monument and St. Michael's Cathedral in practically in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 8, 2022. Khmelnytsky, the revered Cossack leader who comevery town and manded a 17th-century uprising to promote Ukrainian independence from Poland, was village one also a vicious antisemite responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 Jews. Credit: would see the STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images same memorial: an angel, her head lowered, her Ukraine has suffered from extraordinary external face drenched in sorrow, holding a stalk of wheat threats such as German Nazism and Soviet Comin one arm and a dead baby in the other. No expla- munism and serious internal problems like exnations required. One only needs the most super- treme nationalism and antisemitism. But in recent ficial sense of Ukraine’s history to know the stature decades it has begun to face its past, confront immourns Stalin’s deliberate starvation of at least 3.5 portant truths, and create a pluralistic democracy. million Ukrainians, both Christians and Jews, in “Hope” hardly feels like the right word for this mo1932-33, now known as the Holodomor. ment. But given a chance, the Ukrainian people In summer 2014 I visited in the aftermath of have given us reason to believe that in the long Putin’s annexation of Crimea and the Dignity Rev- term, freedom and dignity might prevail. olution that preceded it. The revolution had overSara J. Bloomfield is director of the United thrown Ukraine’s Russian-backed president, Viktor States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Yanukovych. Makeshift memorials and anti-RussThe views and opinions expressed in this article are ian sentiments were everywhere. I met government those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the officials, public intellectuals, directors of archives, views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

Synagogues

10 | The Jewish Press | March 18, 2022

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 712.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Street Omaha, NE 68154-1980 402.492.8550 bethel-omaha.org

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154 402.556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

CHABAD HOUSE

An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646 402.330.1800 OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN

South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123 402.294.6244 email: oafbjsll@icloud.com

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154 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 Join us on Friday, April 8, 7 p.m. for evening services with a guest speaker. The service will be led by Larry Blass.

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, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Mary-Beth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber.

Handicap Accessible.

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

VIRTUAL 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: Early Bird Deadline for Passover Seder Due by 5 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. with Rabbi HaLevi at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. with Rabbi HaLevi at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El; Havdalah, 8:10 p.m.

Zoom only.

SUNDAY: Siddur 101 with Hazzan Krausman following morning minyan; BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.

Early Dismissal at 11 a.m.; Torah Tots (Ages 3-5), 9:45 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Purim Carnival, 11 a.m.

TUESDAY: Mussar, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham at Beth El & Zoom.

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

THURSDAY: Revisting the Classics, 7 p.m. with Hazzan Krausman.

FRIDAY-Mar. 25: Nebraska AIDS Coalition Lunch, 11:30 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY-Mar. 26: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El; Havdalah, 8:15 p.m. Zoom only.

Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.

BETH ISRAEL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer.

Classes, Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah on Zoom, WhatsApp or Facebook Live. On site services held outside in pergola, weather permitting. Physical distancing and masks required.

FRIDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Prayer, 7:45 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 7:16 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Torah Class/Kids Class, 10:30 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush, 11:30 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 6:40 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha, 7:20 p.m.; Shalosh Seudos/ Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 7:40 p.m.; Ma’ariv/ Havdalah, 8:17 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 6:50 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m.

MONDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Prayer, 7:45 a.m. (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 6:50 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Prayer, 7:45 a.m. (Zoom); Kids Class, 3:45 p.m.; Daf Yomi, 6:50 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Prayer, 7:45 a.m. (Zoom); Wednesday

School, 4:15 p.m.; Daf Yomi, 6:50 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m.; Board of Directors Meeting, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit/Megillah Reading, 7 a.m.; Deeping Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Character Development, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 6:50 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY-Mar. 25: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Prayer, 7:45 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 7:24 p.m.

SATURDAY-Mar. 26: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Torah Class/Kids Class, 10:30 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush, 11:30 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 6:50 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha, 7:20 p.m.; Shalosh Seudos/Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 7:40 p.m.; Ma’ariv/Havdalah, 8:25 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/Zoom hybrid (Ochabad.com/classroom). 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/Le chayim; Candlelighting, 7:16 p.m.; Last Day of Megillah Land Exhibit: A museum-like life-size exhibit created by local artists and volunteers will be displayed at Chabad. Tours are by appointment. Call 402.330.1800 or email alissa@ochabad.com to schedule a time for your family or group. Schools, youth groups, book clubs all welcome. The tour duration is 30 minutes followed by an optional discussion and Hamantashen (the three-cornered Purim cookie) refreshments.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:16 p.m.

SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps, 9 a.m.

MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha Class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani Katzman; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Virtual Pirkei Avot Women’s Class, 7 p.m.

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

THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Advanced Hebrew Class, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 18 — No advance experience necessary), noon with Rabbi Katzman.

FRIDAY-Mar. 25: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochab ad.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 7:23 p.m.

SATURDAY-Mar. 26: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:24 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, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex, Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:18 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Tzav,

noon; Havdalah, 8:19 p.m.

SUNDAY: LJCS Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Men's Jewish Bike Group of Lincoln meets Sundays at 10 a.m., rain or shine, to ride to one of The Mill locations from Hanson Ct. (except we drive if it’s too wet, cold, cloudy, windy, hot or humid) followed by coffee and spirited discussions. If interested, please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail.com to find out where to meet each week; Jewish Book Club, 1:30 p.m. will discuss Jew in the Lotus, A Poet’s Rediscovery of Jewish Identity, by Roger Kamenetz via Zoom; We will put pickleball on hiatus while we are not holding inperson services. When we start up again, remember that everyone is welcome; just wear comfortable clothes and tennis or gym shoes. If you need a paddle, contact Miriam Wallick by email at Miriam57@ aol.com or by text at 402.470.2393 before Sunday.

TUESDAY: Tea & Coffee with Pals, 1:30 p.m. via Zoom.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Classes, 4 p.m.; Federation Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY-Mar. 25: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex and Elaine Monnier, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:26 p.m.

SATURDAY-Mar. 26: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Shmini, noon; Havdalah, 8:26 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

FRIDAY: 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 Brian Stoller, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin and Cantor Joanna Alexander.

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

FRIDAY: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m.; Classic Shabbat: Scrolls of the Season, 6 p.m. via Zoom or In-Person; Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or InPerson; Shabbat Morning Services and Bar Mitzvah of Corey Nogg, 10:30 a.m.; Purim Planning Lock-In for Grades 8-12.

SUNDAY: Youth Learning Programs, 10 a.m.; Purim Spiel and Carnival, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

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

TUESDAY: Building Racial Stamina Workshop, 7 p.m. . WEDNESDAY: Youth Learning Programs: Grades 36, 4-6 p.m.; T’filah, 4:45 p.m.; Community Dinner, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6:30-8 p.m.; Grade 12 Confirmation Class, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Class, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel via Zoom or In-Person.

FRIDAY-Mar. 25: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m. In-Person; Classic B’yachad: Voices of the Congregation, 6 p.m. with Sally Kaplan and Sara Cowen via Zoom or In-Person.

SATURDAY-Mar. 26: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or In-Person..

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

You can now eat kosher at Istanbul’s airport DAVID I. KLEIN ISTANBUL | JTA The Istanbul Airport is one of the busiest in Europe, serving nearly 40 million people in 2021. Many of its observant Jewish travelers often get stuck in layovers there without kosher food options.

Now they have a flashy new go-to: a kosher vending machine, in addition to hot kosher meals sold in some of the airport’s lounges.

“There’s more flights to Tel Aviv than to London,” Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, who helped organize the arrangement, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

“It’s definitely a very important hub where hundreds of thousands of kosher eating Jews pass

through, and sometimes they stop over, sometimes they get stuck.”

Chitrik is Turkey’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi, and a member of the Hasidic Chabad-Lubavitch movement. He manages kosher certifying operations on behalf of the Turkish Rabbinate, but he also represents the Israeli Rabbinate, the U.S.-based Orthodox Union and several other certifying agencies in the country.

The new airport options are a huge weight off his shoulders, as he was frequently contacted by hungry travelers trying to get kosher meals while passing through.

“For many years I had the habit of bringing

kosher food with me every time I went to the airport, to give out to people there,” Chitrik said.

After one time too many, he tweeted about his practice. To his surprise, airport authorities reached out to him and made kosher food options a reality.

In addition to helping hungry Jews, the development brings visibility to Jewish religious life in the Muslim world, argued Chitrik, who is also director of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States.

“It’s a statement of comfort, of welcoming, of tolerance and coexistence,” Chitrik said. “And that’s a good thing. It’s a sign of the normalization of Jewish life in the Muslim world.”

Life cycles BAR MITZVAH MARK BENJAMIN KRICSFELD Mark Benjamin Kricsfeld, son of Dr. David and Anya Kricsfeld, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at Congregation Beth Shalom in Overland Park, Kansas.

Mark is a seventh-grade student at Oxford Middle School in Overland Park, Kansas.

He enjoys studying history and geography and playing violin.

Grandparents are Cheryl and Richard Diamond of Omaha, Dr. Barry and Barbara Kricsfeld of Omaha, Dr. Mara Sukholutskaya of Ada, Oklahoma, and Igor Berdichevsky of Kiryat Shmona, Israel.

CORRECTION

In our March 4, 2022 edition, we published a Purim photo from a few years ago, and identified Rochi Katzman as one of the people in the picture. The person pictured was actually Chani Katzman. The Jewish Press regrets this error.

Join us at Chabad for these upcoming events The c ommunity is invited to Bistro Night at Chabad, featuring all Persian food on Monday, March 28. You can find more details and the RSVP link at www.ochabad.com and on social media.

In addition, 1200 Mitzvahs are needed to commemorate the birthday of the Rebbe and celebrate the impact he had and continues ton have on the world in these 120 years.

The Rebbe's birthday is on the 11th of Nissan, which this year coincides with April 12. For more information, please contact Shani Katzman at shani@ochabad.com or visit our website at www.ochabad.com.

The Mission of Chabad of Nebraska is to improve the world though education, action, and loving kindness; to help realize a moral, G-dly world.

Zelensky says Jerusalem could serve as potential site for negotiation with Russia igible for citizenship if they have local relatives.

SHIRA HANAU Ayelet Shaked, Israel’s interior minister, announced last JTA Speaking at a press conference March 12, Ukrainian Pres- week that Israel would cap its absorption of Ukrainian ident Volodymyr Zelensky said Jerusalem could serve as the refugees who are ineligible for Israeli citizenship at 25,000 peolocation for potential negotiations between Ukraine and ple. After facing criticism for the number, Shaked amended the policy on Sunday, according to The Times of Israel.

Russia.

Under Israel’s Law of Return, anyone with at least one Jew“These are not places where we can come to any understandings on ending the war — I’m not talking about tech- ish grandparent who wishes to obtain Israeli citizenship is nical meetings but meetings between leaders,” Zelensky said automatically eligible, and Israel has anticipated a wave of of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, according to The Times of Is- Ukrainian Jews moving to the country.

But the country has historically been less welcoming to rael. “I believe Israel can be such a place, especially non-Jewish refugees, including the thousands of African asyJerusalem. I think so, and I said this to [Naftali] Bennett.”

Zelensky’s comments came just one week after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett flew to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and spoke with Zelensky several times by phone in an attempt to bring about an end to the conflict.

In the early days of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Zelensky asked Bennett to mediate negotiations because of Israel’s uniquely close ties to both Ukraine and Russia. Bennett, who declined to follow other Western countries in sending weaponry to aid Ukraine, brought the request to Putin, who initially denied it.

Citing an unnamed Ukrainian official, Haaretz reported Friday that Bennett had urged Ukraine to accept Russian terms for A man carries a child after refugees from Ukraine arrive at the main train station an end to the conflict and was pursuing a in Berlin, March 1, 2022. Credit: Hannibal Hanschke/Getty Images negotiator role to avoid sending military aid to Ukraine, lum seekers currently living in Israel.

Israel had been criticized for trying to deport some nonsomething Israeli and Ukrainian sources have denied in Jewish Ukrainian refugees and for requiring a deposit from other reports.

Israel has been less forthright in condemning Russia’s in- them of around $3,000 as a guarantee that they would evenvasion of Ukraine than many other Western states as it has tually leave. The deposit requirement has been dropped.

Under the new policy, Ukrainians seeking refuge in Israel tried to maintain its relationships with both countries and to potentially facilitate peace talks. While Israeli Foreign will need to have a relative already living in Israel sign a form Minister Yair Lapid has condemned Russia directly multiple stating that the refugee will live with them for one to two months. Many of the Ukrainians seeking refuge in Israel are times, Bennett has been more reserved in his criticism.

A United States official urged Israel to join other Western believed to have relatives or friends in the country.

Nachman Shai, Israel’s minister of diaspora affairs, said nations in enacting sanctions on Russia in an interview with the policy was ‘still problematic:’ “No other country has imIsrael’s Channel 12 Friday.

“We squeeze the oligarchs around him, we squeeze its posed limits on refugees. This framework is still problematic, economy. So in that context we’re asking as many countries and we are again restricting the arrival of refugees and makas we can to join us. We’re asking that of Israel as well,” said ing a distinction between those who have family in Israel and Victoria Nuland, a U.S. State Department official. “Among those who do not,” Shai said in a statement.

Israel is also expected to alter the migration process for other things, you don’t want to become the last haven for Ukrainians eligible for Israeli citizenship. Until now, Ukraindirty money that’s fueling Putin’s wars.”

Nuland was referencing the fact that some Russian oli- ian refugees were required to present documentation provgarchs with ties to Putin have Israeli passports. Roman ing that they are eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law Abramovich, who has been hit with sanctions in the United of Return, something that has been difficult for many who fled their homes with little more than a backpack and which Kingdom, landed in Israel on Sunday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Monday during a requires time for officials to review.

According to The Times of Israel, Israeli officials will begin visit to Slovakia: “Israel will not be a route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other allowing those believed to be eligible for Israeli citizenship to enter Israel without an immigration visa and to complete Western countries.”

In other news, Israel will allow in Ukrainian refugees inel- the immigration process there.

The Jewish Press | March 18, 2022 | 11

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12 | The Jewish Press | March 18, 2022

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

To help Ukraine, Jewish bakers made hamantaschen

JOE BAUR This article originally appeared on The Nosher.

When Purim was just a few weeks away, a Berlin baker turned to her kitchen to whip up hamantaschen to support Ukrainian refugees fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion.

Laurel Kratochvila, the Jewish-American owner of Fine Bagels, a New York-style bagel shop on Berlin’s East Side, got the idea when she was stuck at home quarantining with COVID and spent an entire day watching the news.

“My husband was raised in Czechoslovakia in the post-’68 Russian occupation and we were both heartbroken –– him even more so,” Kratochvila said.

That led to a discussion between the two about how they could contribute to the Ukrainian cause. Purim was around the corner, when they would normally be making poppy seed and chocolate hamantaschen anyway, so they decided to launch “Hamantashen For Ukraine” and to donate their proceeds to Polish Humanitarian Action, an organization that is distributing food, hot drinks, diapers, hygiene products and blankets, as well as providing information and transportation for newly arrived refugees from Ukraine.

Over 30 home bakers and bakeries from Warsaw to Portland signed up. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I am assisting Kratochvila by reaching out to bakers in the United States to join the cause — as well as making my own

graham cracker cherry cheesecake haman- to support Ukrainian refugees.” taschen, inspired by a dessert my grandThat means making sweet and savory mother used to make.) hamantaschen using tart cherries and rye Kratochvila reached out on the day the in- that Tucker said are traditional in Ukrainian vasion began, sharing the idea. Feeling simi- cuisine. larly helpless and eager to do something (not to mention feeling flushed with fond memories of briefly visiting the country on a heritage trip just six months earlier), I immediately jumped at the opportunity to help out.

The response from Jewish bakers across the United States was immediate and decisive. From Los Angeles and Portland Jamie Wei sells hamantaschen with the colors of the Ukrainian flag. to Chicago, Philadelphia, Credit: chopsticksmeetfork/Instagram and New York City, Jews were eager to lend At Mamaleh’s Delicatessen in Cambridge, their hamantaschen to the cause.

Massachusetts, Rachel Sundet is donating 10 Tamar Fasja Unikel, a co-owner of Masa percent of all their hamantaschen sales to the Madre in Chicago said “coming together with fundraiser. “We’ve participated in similar a world of bakers seems ideal to show the kinds of fundraisers (like some of the Bakers world is watching. Purim is a holiday about Against Racism initiatives),” said Sundet. “And survival and fight and I hope that people it always feels better to have something to do around the world can learn the message.” in times when we feel helpless to what’s going Megan Tucker, the owner of the L.A.-based on in the world.” vegan Jewish deli Mort & Betty’s, felt comAs word of the fundraiser got out, Chef Jepelled as well to get involved. “Both my grand- remy Umansky jumped on board, promising parents’ families survived and fled Soviet to start offering plum and peach hamanpogroms in Lithuania. This part of my family taschen for the cause at his Larder Delihistory makes me want to do what I do best catessen and Bakery in Cleveland.

“My family fled Ukraine to escape Russian persecution and death several generations ago,” said Umansky. “To see the same thing happen again in my lifetime is devastating.

Coming together with my Ukrainian sisters and brothers and supporting them against the atrocities that they are currently experiencing is the least that I can do. May the Ukrainian people emerge from this stronger than ever!”

Additional culinary-based initiatives are underway as well. Fan-Fan Doughnuts in Brooklyn posted that they will “Bake For Ukraine,” selling ponchiki, a type of Ukrainian doughnut, with proceeds going towards a Ukrainian organization assisting children impacted by the ongoing war.

There’s also “Cook For Ukraine” with New York-based DACHA 46 joining forces with Alissa Timoshkina, a Russian food creative in London, and Chef Olia Hercules, who has been especially outspoken throughout the invasion. The Ukrainian cookbook author has family in the country, including her parents and a brother who recently joined the territorial defense in Kyiv.

Kratochvila said she’s overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response from bakers across Europe and the United States who are jumping in, donating their time and energy for this fundraiser.

“I know it’s not going to stop Putin,” she said. “But hopefully, it will help some people who are in a very desperate situation.”

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