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Taste of Israel
Jewish Book Month Author Event SHIRLY BANNER JFO Library Specialist On Thursday, March 31, at 1 p.m., the community will gather in person to welcome author Alison Hammer to Omaha for the longawaited return of the Jewish Book Month Author Event. While this year we will not be having a sitdown luncheon as in the past, we
NJHS interim Executive Director passionate about preservation Page 3
Partnership guests Page 5
Jeff Kirshenbaum and Rabbi Yoni Dreyer
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor srael is finally open again! Jewish Federation of Omaha wasted no time strengthening its bond with the Holy Land. Dozens turned out for a “Taste of Israel” at the Jewish Community Center with one of Israel’s most popular tour guides while sampling some of Israel’s top wines and Israeli-style meats. Meanwhile, the JFO is ramping up trips to Israel for women, men and teens. “We have waited so patiently,” said Seth Feldman, who organized the “Taste of Israel” event. “Omaha has such an incredible connection to Israel that being shut out was
I Omaha J-Serve 2022 Page 6
very difficult during the pandemic.” One of the difficulties caused by the pandemic has been the inability to travel to family and friends and cities we once called home. It also meant travel from the diaspora to Israel was off the table. That had a serious impact in many Jewish communities. No community missions, no birthright trips, fewer student exchange programs and no face-to-face contact between sister cities or business partners, and no in-person partnership collaboration—to name just a few. In many Jewish communities, the relationship with Israel and its people is strong. But while Zoom solved certain problems (we See Taste of Israel page 2
Israel Teen Trip
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JAY KATELMAN JFO Director of Community Development As many in the community are already aware, in December of 2021, the Jewish Federation of Omaha was to take our local teens on the Israel Teen Trip, as we attempt to do every two years. Due to the COVID Omicron variant, Israel closed its borders to foreign visitors, and the trip had to
be postponed. The Jewish Federation is happy to announce that we have rescheduled the trip to take place from Dec. 20, 2022 to Jan. 1, 2023. Also, due to the postponement, we are excited to announce some unique opportunities this rescheduled trip brings for our Omaha Jewish Community. The trip is open to 11th and 12th-grade high school students in See Israel Teen Trip page 3
will be serving light refreshments as we gather in person to hear Alison Hammer speak about her latest novel, Little Pieces of Me. Please register for the event by going to www.jewishomaha.org and clicking on the “Alison Hammer Author Event” slider at the top of the page. The $10 registration fee includes a copy of Alison’s book. Books are currently available, and you may make arrangements to receive your copy before the event by contacting Shirly Banner at the contact information below. Alison Hammer is the founder of Every Damn Day Writers, which serves as a support group for women writers needing encouragement and accountability along the writing journey path. A graduate of the University of Florida and the Creative Circus in Atlanta, Alison resides in Chicago, where she is a VP creative director at an advertising agency. When contacted to finalize details for this author event, Alison said: “I have been traveling recently for work and for book events, so if you all are still comfortable with the event, then I would be comfortable as well. It’s actually the event on my schedule I’ve been most looking forward to!” Growing up in St. Louis, Alison would travel to Omaha for various youth group conventions held here in Omaha and is anxious to see how things have changed. In Alison Hammer’s current novel, she explores the meaning of family and just who they are. Walking a See Jewish Book Month page 2
2 | The Jewish Press | March 25, 2022
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Taste of Israel
Omaha trips. As soon as Israel Continued from page 1 certainly didn’t forget about opened its borders, he booked each other) and initiatives cona trip to the US for a lasttinued online, we all missed minute speaking tour. Usually, getting on that plane and landthese types of events take ing in Tel Aviv. There are few months of planning, but in this things as invigorating to the case, Jewish Omaha did someJewish soul as visiting Israel. thing remarkable. Six local The sights, the sounds, the families raised their hands and smells, the feeling of being offered to split the cost of the among family; it all cannot event.” compare to a long-distance The families who stepped up connection. In addition, a necwere Matt and Jenni Cohen, essary part of relationship Jess and Shane Cohn, Stacey building is support for each and Seth Feldman, Steve and other, and conveying that supPatty Kaniewski, Sharon and David Sussman and Seth Feldman port in person. Jeff Kirshenbaum, Debbie and In short: it’s been hard. Now that the world is slowly opening Alan Kricsfeld, Kalli and Matthew Taub and the Zacharia back up, it is imperative to begin rebuilding that tangible con- family. nection to Israel. That means trips, first and foremost, and “Then,” Seth said, “all synagogues and Chabad came on we’re ecstatic that this year, the Jewish Federation of Omaha board to co-sponsor and promote it, the JFO and the Staenis planning a Teen trip, Momentum trips for men and women, berg JCC jumped in and dozens of people RSVP’d almost imas well as a future community mission in 2023. Those of you mediately!” It was a strictly kosher event; Rabbi Yoni Dreyer who’ve visited Israel in the past know: the more we visit, the prepared and helped serve the brisket with help from Jeff Kirmore connected we become. When we have the privilege to shenbaum. The morning after the event, David Sussman visvisit Israel, we are so much more than tourists. ited the Friedel Jewish Academy and spent time with the While we look forward to future visits, we are now able to students. offer Israel-focused programming again. Last week, one such As a community, we are focusing energy and resources on program brought a healthy crowd to the JCC, when we facili- bringing Omahans to Israel. The JFO estimates approximately tated a program named ‘Taste of Israel.’ An inspiring speech 15% of us have so far visited Israel one or more times, as well by American-Israeli David Sussman about his unique Aliyah as other Jewish communities, including Hungary, Cuba, experience accompanied an Israeli wine tasting and freshly Ukraine, and Warsaw. The pandemic slowed us down, but it prepared brisket. Seth Feldman said: did not stop us. Stay tuned for more programming, as well as “David was my tour guide in Israel, and he also led some announcements for future trips to Israel—and come along!
Jewish Book Month
Continued from page 1 delicate line in the mother-daughter relationship, protagonist Paige Meyers and her mother Betsy discover that the misadventures of one’s past eventually can come to light and reveal the truth of who we are. It all begins innocently when Paige receives an email from “FamilyTree,” a DNA testing website she previously did work for, informing her that they have found a matching direct biological link to her. Mark, the man she has always believed to be her father and who died two years prior, is not her biological father. Paige discovers that her father is a stranger to her named Andrew Abrams. Paige learns that Andrew was her mother and Mark’s classmate when they were all students at the University of Kansas. With Betsy unwilling to discuss her past, Paige turns to Aunt Sissy, her mom’s best friend, to help uncover the story that Betsy is unwilling to discuss. Once she knows what the circumstances were involving her mother and Andrew, Paige faces the dilemma of whether or not to find out more about her biological father and contemplates whether she should attempt to meet him. She wonders if Andrew has any interest in finding out about his long-lost daughter. Hammer’s book is both amusing and serious and examines the often complex dynamics of mother-daughter relationships. Please consider joining us on March 31 to hear Alison Hammer’s discussion of her book Little Pieces of Me and more. If you are an avid reader, you might be interested in joining the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion group which meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. New members are always welcome. To view books discussed by the group over the past several years, go to www.jewishoma ha.org, click on the “Community & Education” pulldown tab and navigate to “Kripke Jewish Federation Library,” then to “Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group.” The Kaplan Book group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For information about the group and to join in the discussion, contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org.
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NJHS interim Executive Director passionate about preservation JILL KUSHNER BELMONT Elizabeth Boutin understands the importance of preserving history. She believes you need to know where you came from to understand who you are. Given those convictions, the position of interim Executive Director of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society was right up her alley. Boutin has been at the helm of NJHS since mid-December 2021. A native of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, she has a longtime passion for art history and preservation, as well as museum work. She holds a graduate-level certification in “Museums, Collections, ManElizabeth Boutin agement and Care,” and is currently working toward a master’s degree in museum studies. For several years, Boutin worked at Joslyn Art Museum, serving as a preparator of museum exhibitions. In this position, she was responsible for every aspect of the process from unpacking, setting up and displaying the artwork, to dismantling and storing pieces. Through her museum work, Boutin learned the importance of correctly preserving cherished documents, photographs, and objects. Her appreciation runs deep for the number of collections that have been donated to NJHS, and she noted the importance of safely storing those cherished slices of history. “I love having the skill set to preserve items, knowing how to store delicate objects,” she said. “You have to be very careful when you’re dealing with a variety of objects. Because each one possesses a different chemical bond that can interact with others and cause faster deterioration, you need to know how to separate them. Temperature, humidity, and light are also
important factors.” Boutin is juggling a full plate in the Historical Society’s office, located at the Jewish Community Center. She’s focused on updating the NJHS website (www.nebraskajhs.com), as well as the organization’s Facebook page. She’d like to add to the website the many oral histories that have been recorded over the years. She’s also looking for software that will allow the organization to offer online exhibits of collections. To optimize space, she plans to rearrange the climate-controlled room in the basement of the JCC that holds so many of the community’s collections. Understanding the importance of the historical society is vitally important, Boutin said. By donating keepsakes, photographs and documents, Jewish community members can create a legacy that offers a roadmap to their families’ stories through earlier generations. “Your families are a part of our history,” she said. “They are a part of our community, of our state. All these people, all these families, all these businesses, helped to grow the community that we know today.” NJHS Board President Ben Justman said he appreciates Boutin’s commitment to the organization and its mission. “We’re pleased to welcome Liz as our interim director,” Justman said. “With her knowledge and expertise as a trained museum professional, she will effectively manage day-to-day operations within the organization and help us to further carry out the mission of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society.” He added that, “This is an exciting time for NJHS, as we work through an organizational strategic plan, update our bylaws, closely collaborate with the Jewish Federation of Omaha on the Milton Mendel and Marsha Kleinberg Jewish Omaha Heritage Center, and plan for the 40th anniversary of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society.” For more information about NJHS, contact Boutin at 402.334.6441, or lboutin@jewishomaha.org.
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Israel Teen Trip Continued from page 1 our Jewish community. Since this trip has been rescheduled for a year after it was supposed to originally occur, we reached out to the Birthright Foundation. They granted an extension to allow any 2022 seniors that were signed up for the original trip to come back and attend our rescheduled trip and not lose their Birthright eligibility. This trip, which takes place once every two years has more space to add more teens to join this wonderful Israel experience offered through the Federation. If you have a teen that is a going to be a junior or senior next year, they can register to come on this rescheduled trip while we still have spots available. This is a subsidized trip, and the cost to our
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Clinical Social Worker Jewish families is only $600. The Federation and local synagogues subsidize the rest of the trip. This trip is a chance for teens to visit Israel and develop their own personal connection to Israel and strengthen their Jewish identity. It also is great for the teens from our different synagogues to bond and experience this once-in-a-lifetime trip together. I ask that any interested teen or any parent interested in having their teen attend the rescheduled trip please contact me. You can reach me directly at 402.334.6461 or at jkatelman @jewishomaha.org. We look forward to adding more local teens interested in visiting Israel through our educational and fun Israel Teen Trip.
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Ed. Note: This is part 5 of 6 stories about Dick Fellman’s experiences with the Lincoln Star, Lincoln’s morning newspaper, during the 1950s. Working as a reporter, including part-time police reporter, was a great job for me. I had started law school and was now beginning my second year. Over the prior summer I continued RICHARD FELLMAN working at the Star rather than seeking a job as a clerk in a law office. This separated me from my classmates and demonstrated, though I did not know it then, that my greater joy came from the newspaper world rather than the law. Still, I now suppose, the law had its effect. It clearly did in the Star newsroom. One day, Larry Becker and Earl Dyer came to my desk and said they had a few questions for me. Had I ever spent a night on a farm? Did any of my family have rural connections? Did I know anything at all about farming or agriculture? The answers were all in the negative, and Earl smiled at Larry. “I told you so,” Earl said. But Larry began, “Dick, none of that really matters. I spoke with Jimmy and he agrees with me. You write well. Congress just passed a massive farm bill and in it is the ‘Soil Bank.’ It’s sort of complicated, and since you’ve already spent a year in law school, you’ll be able to understand it. We’ll help you with the 4-H Club and the routine stories, and you’ll be our expert on the Soil Bank. We’re naming you our Farm Editor, but your salary will remain the same. Will you take the promotion?” My answer was obvious. “Sure, I will.” And so, I became the Lincoln Star Farm Editor. (To this day I have my press card framed signed by James E. Lawrence, Star Editor, with Farm Editor after my name.) I wrote a weekly “Farm Report” and did all the routine agriculture stories for the paper. I did a major piece crossing the
state and writing about the conditions and the various methods of irrigation. I covered Ezra Taft Benson, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, when he did a tour of Nebraska, and I covered county fairs and the large Nebraska State Fair. The Federal Agriculture office was in the building across the street from the newspaper, and I became friends with the many experts in agricultural matters working there. When a story became complicated, or when it required some firsthand knowledge that they knew I lacked, they helped me by explaining small details and adding color so my stories were run with almost no editing. In effect, though it was far from the fact, some considered me a sort of “farm expert.” I never made that claim, and I denied it whenever it was brought to my attention. Proof of that came one day in early June. The wheat harvest was moving up from Oklahoma and Kansas into southeast Nebraska. One evening, Larry Becker came to me and said he wanted a front page story of the combines, two or three abreast, coming through the wheat fields in southeast Nebraska. “Tomorrow morning,” he said, “take a Speed Graphic (that big clumsy camera which I could barely operate without serious problems) and drive to the farm we’ll locate in advance for you. Take some pictures and get the story. I’ll talk to you and look at the photos when you get back.” Next morning, off I went, notebook in hand and camera by my side, with the name and directions for the farmer who would meet me. As I was driving, a major worry overtook me. I had no idea what a combine looked like. I could picture three big farm machines coming in tandem across a field, but if the machinery did not all look the same, I was going to have to ask the farmer which one of those big machines is a combine? That would be a great question for the Star’s Farm Editor to ask, I thought to myself. Fortunately, all three of the combines looked alike and in fact were identical. The story turned out well and brought me compliments. No one ever knew the truth.
Goodbye, Philip Roth; Hello, “Saul Goodman” Like several million other fans, I am looking forward to the premiere of the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul, scheduled for release on April 18. Better Call Saul is a prequel to Breaking Bad, which aired over five seasons between 2008-2013. The prequel tells the story of one of the secondary characters on Breaking Bad: a sleazy lawyer named Saul Goodman. Except TEDDY that his real name is not Saul Good- WEINBERGER man. When we are first introduced to him toward the end of the second season of Breaking Bad, Goodman confidentially tells Walter White (a high-school chemistry teacher turned crystal meth manufacturer who is the star of the series): “My real name’s McGill; the Jew thing I just do for the home boys. They all want a pipe-hitting member of the tribe, so to speak.” We don’t hear the name “McGill” again until the prequel, which focuses on how Jimmy McGill becomes Saul Goodman. When Jimmy is asked why exactly he chose the name “Saul Goodman” for his new identity, he says: “s’ all good, man.” Clearly, some fun is being had with the Jewish name “Saul Goodman.” What is not clear, what is actually extremely difficult to fathom, is why Jews are expected to be good sports about this. At a time when even ostensibly “friendly” cultural appropriation is severely criticized, how to explain the existence of the belittlement of a Jewish name by the sympathetic main character of a very popular television series? Here is one explanation: Jewish ethnicity has practically disappeared from the American cultural landscape. A person is only “Jewish” to the extent that they practice the Jewish religion. “’S’all good, man” is a victimless prank, as the word “Jewish” does not make an appearance in either series (this, despite the fact that a major character in each series has a Jewish surname: Jimmy/Saul’s girlfriend Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul and DEA agent Hank Schrader in Breaking Bad). No character in either series practices the Jewish religion; hence, no character is “Jewish.” This privileging of religiosity to the exclusion of all other aspects of Jewishness is made by American Jews as well. Jews, after all, were involved in the writing, casting, directing, and producing of both television series. There is, too, the fact that the actor who plays Jimmy/Saul, Bob Odenkirk, is married to a Jewish woman named Naomi and they have raised their children Jewish (and in a “you can’t make these things up” aside, Odenkirk’s wife’s surname is “Shem Tov,” which means “good name”).
To see the absence of Jewish ethnicity on a broader scale, you need only be a reader of the obituary section of the New York Times. One telling example can suffice here. Both Carl Reiner, who died at the end of June 2020, and Jackie Mason, who died at the end of this past July, were given extensive obituaries in the Times. Before he became a comic, Mason received rabbinic ordination and thus his Jewishness features in his obituary; Carl Reiner, alas, was just a great comic, and so the word “Jewish” is wholly absent from his obituary. In a remarkable way, the life and career of Philip Roth charts what has happened. In the late 1950s, Roth begins to publish the stories that would eventually make it into his 1959 collection Goodbye, Columbus, which to a large extent depicts Jewish life as it expands beyond the inner city and into America’s suburbs. The early Roth was attacked by some of his Jewish readers, who feared that the “goyim” would use his depiction of unsavory Jewish characters as fuel for their antisemitism. Roth went on to turn this reader-critic dynamic into an inspiration for his fiction, featuring a character named “Philip Roth” in several of his novels. Roth chronicled the lives of Jews like himself: native born, secular, well-educated, passionately pro-Israel, and vibrantly Jewish, and America couldn’t get enough of his fiction. It is tantalizing to see in W. W. Norton’s recent and unprecedented withdrawal of the biography of Philip Roth a poetic/artistic illustration of what has happened to Jewish ethnicity in America. Without in any way belittling the case against Blake Bailey, it is possible to “read” the withdrawal of the biography of the novelist of American Jewish ethnic life as signifying America’s withdrawal from Jewish ethnicity. Henceforth, unless Jews are doing something particularistically Jewish; i.e., something having to do with the Jewish religion, there is no reason to think of them as “Jewish.” This is not to say that Jews in America no longer struggle with the issues that animated Roth’s fiction; it is to say that American culture has largely lost interest in them. Is all this “bad” for America’s Jews? I’m not sure. On the one hand, a key strategy of the Jewish people over two millennia of exile was to keep a low profile, and from this perspective, the disinterest of American culture in Jewish ethnicity is welcome. On the other hand, for anyone who is persuaded that Judaism is not just a religion but a people, Jimmy McGill’s “Jew thing” may signify that ’s’all is not good. Teddy Weinberger, Ph.D., made aliyah with his wife, former Omahan Saraj Jane Ross, and their five children, Nathan, Rebecca, Ruthie, Ezra, and Elie, all of whom are veterans of the Israeli Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@gmail.com.
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News
IN THE NEWS The Nebraska Rural Radio Association (NRRA) announced that Jennifer Vik joined the association as the director of national retail and digital sales. This is a new role within the company and will be effective on March 14. Vik has been in the broadcast sales industry for over 20 years, most recently as the National Sales Manager for NRG Media from 2008-2021. She was responsible for overseeing national retail, agriculture and political business for seven markets in Nebraska, Wisconsin and Iowa. She successfully grew revenue year over year by facilitating hundreds of accounts with Katz Radio Group. “I am so excited to become part of this incredible company,” Vik said. “This presents an amazing opportunity to grow revenue and contribute to all of the great work that is already happening within the Association. I am honored to represent NRRA and to work with Katz Radio Group and their truly wonderful team.” Vik handled business for over 30 stations, including elections in 2012, 2016, and 2020. Prior to becoming the national sales manager for NRG, Vik was a senior account executive at NRG Media from 2005-2008. She was a senior account manager for IHeart Media in Omaha from 2000 to 2004. Nebraska Rural Radio Association Chief Executive Officer Tim Marshall said he is excited to have Vik join the staff. “The goal of this new role is to highlight the strength of the NRRA stations and the Rural Radio Network,” Marshall said. “Jennifer is highly respected in our industry and brings a wealth of knowledge to our company and this position.” The Old Avoca Schoolhouse in Avoca, Nebraska, will be streaming an online “Rounds Workshop” for fiddlers, violists, cellists, and recorder players. The Workshops will be on Tuesday, May 17, from 7-8 p.m., and Wednesday, May 18 from 10-11 a.m., Central time. Different tunes will be played at each session. Each participant will receive a copy of our Book of Rounds, written in the clef of their choice. It has 40 tunes in 13 keys from 12 countries. The lyrics for 27 tunes are included, with handy indexes to organize it all. Volumes with the same tunes are available for fiddle, viola, cello, soprano recorder, alto recorder, tenor recorder, and bass recorder. During the Workshop, we will read, play, and discuss various survival skills for these kinds of pieces. A treble clef version of the sheet music for the tunes being played will be displayed on Zoom’s screen during the workshop. There is limited enrollment, and pre-registration is required. The fee for the “Rounds Workshop” is $20.00. For more information, and to register, please visit www.green blattandseay. com.
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 thought-provoking, informative list of speakers. To be placed on the email list, contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com.
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Partnership guests
Dr. Marcy Paul
Golan Rozenberg
LaDona Fishkin
LEIGH CHAVES JFO Israel Engagement and Outreach Director On Monday, April 4, the Federation is pleased to host three guests from our Partnership2Gether program for a community visit. Our guests are Dr. Marcy Paul - US Central Consortium Director, Golan Rozenberg – Israel Chair for Community Engagement, and LaDona Fishkin – US Chair for Community Engagement. Each year, significant monies from our annual campaign are allocated to programs that support our Partnership2 Gether relationship. Our guests look forward to sharing more details about these programs and how your generous donations have continued to support important initiatives. The mission of Partnership2Gether is to “promote mutually beneficial endeav-
ors between the people of the Central Area Consortium, Budapest, and the Western Galilee, forging the relationships through programs that build Jewish identity and strengthen ties and connections among and between Israel, Budapest, and the US”. The committees of Partnership2Gether create and build upon their mission of connecting people and focus on areas in a variety of cul-
tural, educational, and social activities including dedicated programming in art, medical, business, and academia areas. The day’s visit will include meeting with young Jewish professionals, Federation staff, donors, JCC staff, medical professionals, UNO, the Omaha Conservatory of Music, the CRC, and the Israel and Overseas Committee.
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Why we need LB888
The Nebraska Unicameral appears to be headed toward passing legislation requiring that Holocaust education, along with education on other acts of genocide, be taught in Nebraska schools. I am extremely appreciative SCOTT LITTKY to Mark Dreiling, Chief Executive Director, of Staff for Congress- IHE man Don Bacon, for his hard work and dedication to assist in moving this bill, and to Senator Jen Day for her introduction of the bill and her passionate testimony a few weeks ago in the Education Committee in Lincoln. I would also like to ask that you contact your State of Nebraska representative and encourage them to vote in favor of LB888 when it comes up for a vote. It takes a village, and together we can make the teaching of the Holocaust and other genocides a priority in Nebraska. The passage of LB888 will serve as a beginning, but not the end-all on the subject of genocide. At the Institute of Holocaust Education, we have made it our mission “to provide educational resources, workshops. Survivor testimony, and integrated arts programming to students, educators, and the public. Our goal is to ensure that the tragedy and history of the Holocaust are remembered, that appropriate, fact-based instruction and materials
are available to students, educators, and the public to enable them to learn the lessons of the Holocaust and that, as a result, we inspire our community to create a more just and equitable society. The IHE provides support to Holocaust Survivors in our community.” Learning about the Holocaust is much more than the teaching of facts and locations on a map. It is through the study of the Holocaust and other genocides that we can hopefully assist in the development of students who will live their lives with empathy towards their fellow person and will act as an upstander when they see injustice in the world. As Jews we see this as Tikkun Olam, the moral obligation to repair our world. The Institute for Holocaust Education stands ready and able to take a leadership role along with the amazing teachers, schools and organizations that we have partnered with over the years to make LB888 a reality once it becomes law. If we truly believe in the words “Never Again,” we have an obligation, as Elie Wiesel said; “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” Please join me and contact your local state Senator. Ask them to vote in favor of LB888. Together we can make sure the words “Never Again” replace words of indifference, and can help change the course of humankind.
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Omaha J-Serve 2022 BENJAMIN KUTLER AND EVA BLOOM We are so excited to share plans for this year’s Omaha community J-Serve program. J-Serve is the International Day of Jewish Teen Service. Teens in 6th through 12th grades from across the globe come together to make a difference through hands-on projects fulfilling the Jewish values of caring, justice, and repairing the world. This year, we are partnering with Kids Against Hunger to pack meals for those in need. Kids Against Hunger is a nonprofit, humanitarian organization with a mission to provide fully nutritious food to impoverished children and families around the world... and around the corner. The goal of the organization is for the meals to provide a stable nutritional base so that recipients can move their families from starvation or food insecurity to self-sufficiency. Our goal is to pack 3,000 meals, and we need your help to do it!
This event is in partnership with BBYO, Young Jewish Giving, Beth El’s Youth group (USY), Beth Israel’s Youth Group (NCSY), and
Temple Israel, and is open to any Jewish teen in Omaha/Lincoln in grades 6-12. We hope you, your child or grandchild will attend this program and feel the impact of this day. We ask all participants to please register ahead of time for this event by going to www.tinyurl.com/omahajserve22.
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The Jewish Press | March 25, 2022 | 7
The Hamantaschen Bar at Chabad. Clockwise from above: Mushka Tenenbaum with daughter Chana and Ronia Mazur; Rabbi Mendel Katzman and granddaughter Chana Tenenbaum; in anticipation of Purim, young Jewish Omahans made hamantaschen with a variety of fillings; Rabbi Eli Tenenbaum shows off the hamantaschen in the oven.
Top, above, below and bottom: The winners of Wacky Wednesday at The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.
SP O TLIGHT PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a photo of a recent Jewish Community event you would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.
Beth El Sunday school made hamantaschen. Clockwise from above: Austin Abramson; Henry and Abby Kutler; and Dayton Abramson and Sam Kutler.
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8 | The Jewish Press | March 25, 2022
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Margie Gutnik President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Susan Bernard Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Sam Kricsfeld Staff Writers Mary Bachteler Accounting Jewish Press Board Margie Gutnik, President; Abigail Kutler, Ex-Officio; Danni Christensen; David Finkelstein; Bracha Goldsweig; Mary Sue Grossman; Les Kay; Natasha Kraft; Chuck Lucoff; Joseph Pinson; Andy Shefsky and Amy Tipp. The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Life, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www.jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de KampWright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.
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Does it make you happy?
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor It’s a loaded question in that headline, isn’t it? The other day, I had a conversation with a friend about silver linings, and whether we are able to find them in the middle of what the world throws at us. Not just pandemic-wise, with all that it entailed, but the conflicts we encounter in a variety of ways. There are the immediate conflicts: someone’s not happy with the work we do, the lines at the supermarket are too long, the kids don’t clean up after themselves and gas prices are too high. There’s the bigger stuff: sick family members, relationship trouble, we can’t pay the bills. After that come the issues that touch us without touching us, the things that worry us from a distance: war, natural disasters, climate change. Unless we are confronted with any of those in a more personal way, we tend to categorize these worries as outside ourselves. We think about it, sure, but it doesn’t necessarily change our way of life in a meaningful sense. It should, but it doesn’t. The pandemic taught us that sometimes the big worry can become personal for everybody. We were all affected directly, on a day-to-day basis. Many of us were sent home, businesses closed, people lost jobs and couldn’t visit their loved ones. The level of isolation everyone experienced was real and will have long-term effects. It’s probably high time we begin to unpack some of it. We’ve heard endless stories of people retiring early, choosing a different career, families breaking up and starting over. College students changing
their majors—or taking gap years and putting academics on hold entirely in exchange for a different kind of education.
Credit:Kyrill Poole licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
It is not surprising that when millions of people are forced to stay home, they find more time to contemplate their lives. And one way to respond to a situation like a pandemic is to ask that question: what makes me happy? Is what I’m doing, how I’m living my life, is what it is supposed to be? Could I be doing something else? When we ask the happiness question, really ask it, we may find surprising answers. I found I have way more friends than I always thought I did. I’ve found most of them work really hard to stay in touch and if at times we don’t, that
is okay too. I found I love the work I do and the people I do it with much more than I thought. I found our family is much more resilient than I believed we were, not because we didn’t struggle (we did) but because we’ve been able to pivot and respond to crises in unexpected ways. I’ve found that when we all spend more time at home the house gets unbelievably messy and we all stink at keeping it organized—and that doesn’t make me as unhappy as it once did. I’ve found I’m overly fond of pink and glittery things and because of that my office doesn’t really look like an adult works here—and I’m okay with that. I’ve also found that what makes me happy doesn’t always have to make sense to others. I’ve discovered which things make me happy—and that’s my silver lining. It’s tough to talk about silver linings when the world is at war and we’ve watched almost a million Americans and more than 6 million worldwide die from the virus. But we must; it’s not enough to care about everything that troubles us, we also have to care about what makes us happy. In spite of -or maybe because- the world is so messed up, we have to fight harder than ever for happiness. My feet are firmly planted on the soap box; I’m aware. But try it some time, ask yourself: ‘Does this make me happy?’ It’s not a selfish question. It’s not enough to eat right and exercise, pay the bills and work hard at your job. We also need to put energy into our own happiness. Because we all know that when we take care of ourselves, we are better positioned to take care of others.
Bills attacking LGBTQ rights are an assault on Jewish values and teens IDIT KLEIN AND IS PERLMAN JTA As we approached Purim – a holiday that honors the courage to be our true selves – we were alarmed by the surge of legislative attacks on the rights, safety and dignity of LGBTQ youth across the nation. Among over 100 pending anti-LGBTQ bills are the recently passed “Don’t Say Gay Bill” in Florida and the terrifying equation of trans-affirming health care with child abuse by the governor of Texas. We are a queer Jewish communal professional and a non-binary Jewish college student. In the spirit of Purim, we recognize that now is a time when we must fight for ourselves, and we call on our beloved Jewish community to join us in our fight for the rights of LGBTQ people everywhere One of us, Is Perlman, grew up in Florida and was blessed with parents who supported the start of their medical transition there. Despite that love and affirmation, Is endured years of self-loathing and shame due to the onslaught of anti-trans rhetoric in their local communities and the broader world. Is was one of the 40% of trans and non-binary young people who attempt suicide by age 24. It was only when they met other LGBTQ Jewish teens and adult mentors through a Shabbaton organized by Keshet (a national organization working for LGBTQ equality in the Jewish community) that they came to understand themselves as not just worthy of basic dignity, but as a holy person who is made in the image of the Divine. If Is were still a high school student in Florida today, any reference to their identity or experience as a non-binary person could be banned under the newly-passed “Don’t Say Gay” law. For the many LGBTQ youth who live in Florida, this bill serves to further marginalize a group that already experiences severe stigma and isolation. Legislators in the dozens of states around the country that have introduced anti-LGBTQ legislation are playing politics with the lives of LGBTQ youth and undermining their basic humanity. Do not be fooled by these politicians’ rhetoric. Do speak out to condemn how this law will spark shame and fear among LGBTQ youth and no doubt threaten their safety and even lives.
In Texas, the governor directed the Texas Depart- take meaningful action on LGBTQ rights issues. ment of Family and Protective Services to open As we approach Purim, we invite Jewish commuchild abuse investigations of parents who provide nities nationwide to join us in heeding Mordechai’s gender-affirming care for their trans children. This words urging Esther to act: “Perhaps you have come means that parents who support their trans kids to your … position for just such a time as this?” and help them access the health care they need may The crisis for LGBTQ young people, especially be subject to investigation which could lead to their trans youth, should concern all of us. There are so children being taken away. Imagine the terror that many ways to make a difference: speak out against parents of trans kids and the kids themselves are harmful legislation with your state legislators and now experiencing. Thankfully, an ACLU lawsuit has thus far blocked its implementation, but we don’t know if they will succeed in permanently stopping this destructive policy. Already, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, the largest pediatric hospital in the country, announced that it will no longer prescribe gender-affirming hormone therapies. Hospital officials cited the governor’s directive as the reason for the change. Pharmacies are refusing Students at the Norfolk County Agricultural High School in Walpole, to fill prescriptions and insurance Massachusetts march as part of a nationwide student protest over anti-LGBT education policies in Florida and Texas, March 11, 2022. companies are pulling coverage. Credit: Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images It has been nearly 40 years since legislation was first proposed to outlaw discrimi- urge your senators to pass the Equality Act; mobilize nation based on sexual orientation, with gender people in your local Jewish community or organize identity added more recently. We have been active an educational program; tell a trans kid in your life in a national Jewish community campaign led by that they can count on your support. We need every Keshet to support the passing of the Equality Act Jewish community member to recognize this time that would at long last give LGBTQ people the civil as a time for action. Only then, will all LGBTQ youth rights protections that everyone deserves in their be able to live with safety, dignity and the certainty homes, jobs, public services and more. If the Equal- that they, like every human being, are indeed holy. ity Act were federal law, it would be impossible for We know from Is’ experience, and that of countstates to target LGBTQ young people with this less other trans young people, that trans-affirming spate of senseless, cruel legislation and policies. care is the opposite of abuse; it is health care. Often, Polls consistently tell us that a clear majority of it is life-saving care. As a community whose highest American Jews support LGBTQ civil rights. We value is pikuach nefesh, saving a life, we call on know from our own experience in the “Yes on 3” Jews everywhere to say to trans youth: Your life campaign to preserve transgender rights in Massa- matters and we will fight to save it. chusetts that when called upon, our Jewish comIdit Klein is the president and CEO of Keshet. munities do take action: Over 70% of synagogues Is Perlman is a Jewish non-binary first year and other Jewish organizations played an active student at Columbia University and a Keshet role in the campaign and helped us win. This is just youth leader. one of many examples we could offer of how AmerThe views and opinions expressed in this article are ican Jewish communities have learned about, those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the grown to support, and eventually have moved to views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
The Jewish Press | March 25, 2022 | 9
Is ‘never again’ now? The Ukraine war ignites a recurring debate ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL JTA 79 years ago this month, crowds twice filled Madison Square Garden for a pageant, “We Will Never Die,” meant to draw attention to the slaughter of Europe’s Jews by the Nazis. Screenwriter Ben Hecht organized the spectacle and wrote the script; German refugee composer Kurt Weill wrote the score. Two million Jews had already been killed. In the self-congratulatory amnesia called hindsight, American Jews often look back on “We Will Never Die” as a watershed in raising awareness about the Holocaust — and a condemnation of America’s failure at that point to stop the genocide. What’s often forgotten is that Hecht had trouble getting major Jewish organizations to sign on as sponsors. “A meeting of representatives of 32 Jewish groups, hosted by Hecht, dissolved in shouting matches as ideological and personal rivalries left the Jewish organizations unable to cooperate,” according to the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. This was 1943, mind you, so the debate over whether the United States should commit blood and treasure to the defense of its Allies was already settled. But the “ideological and personal rivalries” are reminders that Americans were never of one mind about entering World War II, and certainly not about whether and how to save the Jews. America and its allies are embroiled in a similar debate now, and World War II and its lessons are being invoked by those urging a fierce Western response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Chief among these are Ukraine’s Jewish president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who has specifically cited the Holocaust in asking governments, and Jewish groups, to intervene. “Nazism is born in silence. So shout about killings of civilians. Shout about the murders of Ukrainians,” Zelensky said in a call with American Jewish groups. He spoke about the Russian missile strike near the Babyn Yar memorial to slaughtered Jews, saying, “We all died again at Babyn Yar from the missile attack, even though the world pledges ‘Never again.’” Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine, also invoked “never again” in a Washington Post oped. “For decades, world leaders bowed their heads at war memorials across Europe and solemnly proclaimed: ‘Never again.’ The time has come to prove those were not empty words,” he wrote. The rhetoric may be soaring, but not everyone is convinced. “I’m seeing the term genocide & the phrase ‘never again’ used
more in the context of Ukraine,” tweeted Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. “I understand why they’re being used — & the resonance they carry — but they’re not accurate ways to talk about a conventional war between states, even one with humanitarian casualties.” Damon Linker, a columnist at The Week, made a similar point. “What Russia’s doing is terrible, but it’s what happens in war. It isn’t genocide, and it certainly isn’t the Holocaust, which is what that phrase refers to,” he tweeted. “Please stop the hype.”
“We Will Never Die,” a memorial pageant for the Jews murdered up to that point by the Nazis, was held in Madison Square Garden on March 9 and 10, 1943. Here, during the final scene, cantors sing the Kaddish for the dead. Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images
In some ways the debate is semantic. ”Never Again” is a phrase popularized by a Jewish militant, adopted by mainstream Jewish groups and eventually absorbed into the global vocabulary as a shorthand for – for what, exactly? Is it about intervention when a government targets a people or ethnic group for slaughter, as in Rwanda? Does it include campaigns of terror meant to “ethnically cleanse” a region, as in Bosnia or Myanmar? Is it about a system of “reeducation camps” meant to erase a people’s culture, as the Chinese are doing to the Uyghurs? Or, as Kuleba defines it, does it mean “stopping the aggressor before it can cause more death and destruction”? According to that conception of “never again,” the Holocaust may have ended with the death of six million Jews, but it couldn’t have begun
without unchecked territorial expansion by a brutal regime. The debate is also highly concrete. If Kuleba is right, history will judge America poorly if it doesn’t do more to stop Russia’s attacks on civilians and its razing of Ukrainian cities. And yet, while the United States and its allies have committed arms and sanctions meant to cripple Russia’s economy, President Biden has ruled out sending ground troops to defend Ukraine, or enforcing a “no-fly zone” over the country that would make direct conflict with Russian jets inevitable. The bloody Russian invasion, bound to get bloodier still, has not risen to what most people and official bodies would call a genocide. And even if it were to, it would be surprising if the United States would commit troops to the battlefield. Most Americans have little stomach for a hot war with Russia. The threat of nuclear escalation is terrifying. A Cygnal poll taken last week found that 39% of U.S. respondents supported Washington “joining the military response” in Ukraine – a plurality but hardly a landslide. A broad majority still preferred non-military intervention. The United States, like the rest of the world, has a checkered history in fulfilling the promise of “never again.” Bill Clinton was ashamed of America’s inaction in Rwanda. Barack Obama in 2012 launched a White House task force called the Atrocities Prevention Board, although it didn’t prevent the mass slaughter of Syrians by their own government and Russia on Obama’s watch. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has a Center for the Prevention of Genocide. And yet as Stalin purportedly said about the Vatican, “How big is its army?” And yet, many refuse to allow realpolitik to deaden their response to the tragedy in Ukraine. “We can discuss and debate a no-fly zone, but there is one thing we can’t debate, and that is this should be a no-cry zone,” said Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, head of the New York Board of Rabbis, during a recent interfaith service for Ukraine. “We should never, ever see innocent people mercilessly murdered.” Few could dispute that. But if nothing else, history reminds us that slogans are not policies, and that the very best intentions crash up against self-interest and self-preservation. If nothing else, the debate over “never again” demands more humility and forgiveness in judging the failures of previous generations. Andrew Silow-Carroll is editor in chief of The New York Jewish Week and senior editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Susan Bernard | 402.334.6559 | sbernard@jewishomaha.org
Synagogues
10 | The Jewish Press | March 25, 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: Nebraska AIDS Coalition Lunch, 11:30 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: 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. SUNDAY: Siddur 101 with Hazzan Krausman following morning minyan; BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m. MONDAY: Ending Domestic Violence, 7 p.m. with Shalom Bayit — Zoom only. 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.; Community Beit Midrash, 7 p.m. via In-person at the JCC or Zoom. THURSDAY: Revisting the Classics, 7 p.m. with Hazzan Krausman. FRIDAY-Apr. 1: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY-Apr. 2: Shabbat Morning Services and Bat Mitzvah of Sima Denenberg, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El; Havdalah, 8:25 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, 7:24 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, 8:25 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 7 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, 7 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, 7 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, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m. THURSDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 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, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m. FRIDAY-Apr. 1: 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, 7:31 p.m. SATURDAY-Apr. 2: 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, 7:30 p.m.; Shalosh Seudos/Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 7:50 p.m.; Ma’ariv/Havdalah, 8:33 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, 7:23 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:24 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; NEW CLASS: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) Class, 7 p.m. FRIDAY-Apr. 1: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochab ad.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 7:31 p.m. SATURDAY-Mar. 26: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:32 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 and Elaine Monnier, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:26 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Shmini, noon; Havdalah, 8:26 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; South Street Temple Board Meeting, 1:30 p.m.; We will put pickleball on hiatus while we are not holding in-person 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. FRIDAY-Apr. 1: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex, Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:33 p.m. SATURDAY-Apr. 2: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Tazria 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. In-Person; Classic B’yachad: Voices of the Congregation, 6 p.m. with Sally Kaplan and Sara Cowen via Zoom or InPerson. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or InPerson. SUNDAY: Youth Learning Programs, 10 a.m.; Words of Wisdom, 10:15 a.m. MONDAY: Jewish Law & the Quest for Meaning, 11 a.m. via Zoom. . WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m.-noon In-Person; Youth Learning Programs: Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; T’filah, 4:45 p.m.; Community Dinner, 6 p.m.; Grades 712, 6:30-8 p.m.; Grade 12 Confirmation Class, 6:30 p.m.; Community Beit Midrash, 7 p.m. via In-person at the JCC or Zoom. THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Class, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel via Zoom or In-Person. FRIDAY-Apr. 1: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m. In-Person; Shabbat Shirah, 6 p.m. via Zoom or In-Person. SATURDAY-Apr. 2: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or In-Person; Shabbat Morning Service and B’nai Mitzvah of Lucy and Knox Pocras, 10:30 a.m. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.
UNVEILING A stone setting for the grave of Hedy H. Kirke will be on Sunday, March 27, 11 a.m., at Beth Israel Cemetery.
American synagogues mark anniversary of the first bat mitzvah JACKIE HAJDENBERG JTA Barb Berkowitz became a bat mitzvah at 42 years old. Berkowitz and 11 other women in the adult bat mitzvah class at Temple Emanuel in New Haven, Connecticut, had been studying with Rabbi Jerry Brieger for months. Some had only just learned how to read Hebrew, while others had watched their sons prepare for their bar mitzvahs. Each woman chanted a few verses of the Torah portion, offering insights to their community. That was in 1989. Today, Berkowitz is the “Torah captain” at Temple Emanuel, where she is in charge of appointing Torah readers. This week, the rabbi instructed her to select only women to chant, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the first bat mitz-
vah in the United States. Temple Emanuel is one of more than 100 synagogues honoring the milestone in expanding roles for women in synagogue: the 1922 bat mitzvah of Judith Kaplan, the first-ever for an American girl. The anniversary is being celebrated this weekend as part of a campaign organized by the Manhattan synagogue Kaplan’s father founded, the Jewish Women’s Archive and a host of Jewish organizations across the country. In the 1920s, the atmosphere around the inclusion of women in all forms of American life was changing. Judith Kaplan’s bat mitzvah took place just two years after the certification of the 19th amendment finally granted women the right to vote. And as the daughter of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism and
SAJ, she was also in the right place at the right time. But it wasn’t until the 1980s that bat mitzvah ceremonies were mainstream in American synagogues — a history that may be surprising to girls and younger women who have seen bat mitzvahs reflected in pop culture for as long as they can remember. “We almost can’t imagine a world without bat mitzvah,” said Rabbi Karen Perolman of Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, New Jersey. “And yet I think there’s a risk of taking it for granted if we don’t really lift it up and say, ‘This is something of significance, worthy of celebration, it’s worthy of acknowledgement.’ We should know the story of Judith Kaplan.”
Life cycles IN MEMORIAM PATRICIA DUNN Patricia Dunn, beloved wife, mother, and friend passed away on March 16, 2022, in Omaha. A celebration of Patty's life was held on March 20, 2022, for friends and family to gather and celebrate and honor her memory. She was preceded in death by parents, Harold and Ruth Oruch. She is survived by loving husband, Jack Dunn; daughter, Jennifer Harris; son and daughter-in-law, Adam and Leah Rissien; grandsons: Ben and Harry; brother, Michael Oruch and brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Teri Oruch; aunt, Florence "Tootie" Simon; nephews, Jason and Ryan Oruch; and The Girls. Patty had a passion to create art and support her artist friends. She loved her rescue dogs who held a special place in her heart and her home. Memorials may be made to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.
In appeal to Israel, Zelensky invokes the ‘final solution’
RON KAMPEAS JTA In a searing 12-minute speech addressing the “people of Israel,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky likened the “final solution” the Nazis sought to impose on the Jews to Russia’s ambitions for Ukraine. Zelensky also appealed, yet again, for military assistance and criticized the government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for trying to maintain relations with both Ukraine and Russia. Zelensky, who is Jewish, acknowledged the sensitivity of Holocaust analogies in his speech Sunday but said they were apt in this case. “The invasion of Russia into Ukraine is not just a military operation, as they present it in Moscow. This is a comprehensive and unjust war that is aimed at destroying our people, our country, our cities, our culture our children, everything that makes Ukrainians Ukrainian,” he said. “All the things that Russia is wickedly destroying while the world watches, so I can make this parallel, this comparison of our history to yours. … They didn’t want to leave any remnant of you and now they don’t want to leave any remnant of us.” Zelensky said Russian claims that the war would provide Russia security were similar to Nazi claims that the removal of the Jewish people would ensure the security of Germany. “They called this ‘the final solution to the Jewish question,’ you remember well, and I am sure you will never forget, but listen to what they are saying in Moscow, they are once again saying ‘the final solution,’ but now they are referring to us, to the idea of Ukraine,” he said. “You have to answer these questions and afterward live with those answers,” Zelinsky added. He also said he did not understand what the calculus was of the Israeli government, which has held back in forcefully condemning Russia and has resisted calls for more assistance, and which has claimed its relative neutrality could be useful in helping to broker an end to the war. This article was edited for length; please find the full text on our website at www.omahajewishpress.com.
The Jewish Press | March 25, 2022 | 11
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Beth El Second Seder ROBBY ERLICH Beth El Engagement Coordinator Beth El Synagogue recently had a “Brisket Recipe Challenge” where three recipes and cooks were chosen to prepare their signature brisket for kiddish lunch on Saturday, Feb. 19. It was a close contest, but Joan Marcus won the congregant taste test voting! Her brisket will be highlighted in Beth El’s annual second night Passover Seder! After two years of having Passover To-Go, Beth El is very excited to be back in the building this year. The Seder will take place on Saturday, April 16, starting at 6 p.m. for ma’ariv, then at 6:30 p.m. for the Seder in the newly renovated social hall. The Annual Passover Seder at Beth El will be complete with a traditional Seder led by Rabbi Abraham and Hazzan Krausman. The buffet-style Passover meal will be matzo ball soup, gefillte fish, chopped liver, brisket, salmon, matzo farfel stuffing, roasted potatoes, asparagus with cherry tomato, and assorted Passover desserts. The clergy and staff at Beth El are looking forward to having the annual Seder back at Beth El. Rabbi Abraham said: “It will be wonderful to be able to be back together after a two-year hiatus being online. We look forward to having a wonderful Seder, with delicious food and wonderful singing in our newly renovated social hall.” Regular pricing is $50 for adults and $18 for children which is due by April 1. For more information and to RSVP your spot at this limited seated Seder, please visit www.bethel-omaha.org. Any questions can be directed to Robby Erlich, Engagement Coordinator at rerlich@bethel-omaha.org or 402.492.8550.
JCC Book Club Held Tuesdays, April 5, May 3, and June 7 from 5-7 p.m. The JCC Book Club combines older books, new ones, snacks, and great conversations. Love reading or maybe just need a nudge to get yourself back into it? We are the perfect club for you! The next session of the Book Club will start April 5th. We will be reading The Boys in the Boat, a non-fiction novel by Daniel James Brown. We ask that all participants read the book before attending. Participants purchase their own book. The Book Club is open to Members and Non Members, ages 18+. For more information and to register, please visit www.jccomaha.com.
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12 | The Jewish Press | March 25, 2022
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