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The Jewish Press

(Founded in 1920)

Abby Kutler

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Annette van de Kamp-Wright

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Richard Busse

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Jewish Press Board

Abby Kutler, President; Eric Dunning, Ex-Officio; Danni Christensen, David Finkelstein, Candice Friedman, Bracha Goldsweig, Margie Gutnik, Natasha Kraft, Chuck Lucoff, Eric Shapiro, Andy Shefsky, Shoshy Susman 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: wwwjewishomaha.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

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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.

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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.

What story do we tell?

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

Jewish Press Editor There seems to be some confusion about why a gunman walked into several Atlanta businesses and killed eight women. Was it because the majority of the victims were Asian-Americans? Was it because they were women? How much does the ‘why’ matter? That last question is more complicated than it seems. Because, of course it matters, but at the same time it doesn’t—the end result, after all, is the same. Lives were lost, friends and family are left behind with trauma, and a community is reeling from yet another violent attack. So, what story do we tell? For all the articles I’ve read about the Atlanta shooting, there was not a single one that didn’t lead by mentioning the Asian-American community. And of course, part of that community overlaps with the Jewish-American community. There is a problem with our tendency to categorize the victims. After all, if it’s Asian-Americans, those of us not of Asian descent can stop empathizing. If it’s women, we don’t have to stay awake all night worrying about racial profiling. By shoving victims in a box, the “rest of us” can breathe more easily. That may sound harsh, but it’s how our brains work—and most media outlets know that. This way, we can sympathize without feeling attacked ourselves, without feeling unsafe and taking ownership. When we see each other as part of the human race, without gender- or skin- or national origin bias, we understand that this attack should concern us all. Because at the end of the day, someone differentiate between the victims in a Sikh temple somewhere has decided another’s life is worth or a high school, between a black church that is nothing. At the same time, violence against Asian- burned to the ground or a Chabad house that is Americans continues to be on the rise: firebombed, between a mosque that is vandalized “In January, President Joe Biden acknowledged or a cemetery that has its headstones toppled and the difficulties in reporting on these statistics, signing a memorandum condemning the rise in attacks towards the Asian community and asking the attorney general to "expand collection of data and public reporting regarding hate incidents against such individuals." (CNN.com) Racism in the U.S. continues to be underreported. Besides, different states have different rules and guidelines as to what constitutes a hate crime. The real picture of how the AAPI A man walks past a massage parlor where three women were shot and (Asian American Pacific Is- killed in Atlanta, March 17, 2021. Credit: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images lander) community is treated is sure to be uglier desecrated. We can empathize and stand with our than we think. Asian-American communities, when we aknowl I ask again: what story do we tell? Do we act edge that this affects us all. sympathetic for a few days, only to move on quickly We must remind ourselves: when it comes to to the next big news story? Or do we understand racial crimes and baseless hatred, we have a duty that this baseless hate continues to grow out of to stand up for the victims—regardless of who they control, and that whichever minority group is tar- are, what they look like or what they believe in. geted today, it’s all of us that pay the price? As Jews, There are eight victims in Atlanta. They are the latwe owe it to ourselves to take that ownership, to be est in this cruel category. If we want their memoupset and feel hurt, whether the shooting happens ries to be for a blessing, we better make sure we in a massage parlor or a synagogue. We shouldn’t become that blessing.

LGBTQ people lack full legal protections in every state. Jews need to be part of the solution.

STACY SCHUSTERMAN

JTA In the 1980s, Dennis Neill, an employee of our family business, came out as gay to my late father, Charles Schusterman. Coming out in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the height of the AIDS crisis was a risky thing to do, and it could have cost Dennis his job. But my father embraced Dennis and assured him that his job was safe. At the time, there was no law in Oklahoma to prevent Dennis from being fired or discriminated against simply for being gay. My father provided that protection on his own. Nearly 20 years later, Dennis’s story and many others like it inspired me to ensure that our company extended full benefits to LGBTQ+ people, even though no federal law and very few state laws mandated we provide such benefits. Even today, no such laws exist in many states or at the federal level. Despite measurable achievements for LGBTQ rights, such as legalizing samesex marriage, the federal government has never passed comprehensive legislation for fair and equal treatment of LGBTQ people. That could change soon as the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on the Equality Act. If signed into law, the Equality Act would prohibit employers in all 50 states from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. It would also protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in housing, education, government services and public spaces. As a business owner, philanthropist and American Jew who strives to honor the dignity of all people and to work toward a more just and inclusive society, I believe this is a critical moment for our community to mobilize in support of LGBTQ rights. Beginning under the leadership of my mother, Lynn, our family’s philanthropy has proudly supported efforts to advance LGBTQ equality for more than two decades. We have seen how investments in LGBTQ rights — in the U.S., Israel, and in our home state of Oklahoma—have led to significant progress and, in turn, helped to strengthen communities civically, socially, and even economically. Today, I call on all American Jews to join with Keshet to support the Equality Act so that all people in the U.S. — regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity — can live with dignity. Reach out to your senators to tell them to vote for the legislation. Encourage your family and networks to do the same. And urge Jewish organizations you are a part of to join Keshet’s coalition of partners. We need all American Jews to take action.

Credit: Flickr Commons Numerous polls indicate that roughly 80% of Americans — including a majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents — support a bill like the Equality Act. Yet LGBTQ people continue to lack full legal protections in every state. The impact on people’s lives has been disastrous. For example, in Missouri, a lesbian couple was denied an apartment in a senior living community because their marriage is “not understood in the Bible.” And in my home state of Oklahoma, a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University was denied tenure and not permitted to reapply to teach the following school year after she came out as transgender. The safety and dignity of LGBTQ workers should not depend on the generosity of individual employers. Similarly, housing security for LGBTQ tenants should not be subject to the whim of a landlord. Passing the Equality Act would ensure that LGBTQ Americans nationwide — including many members of our own Jewish community — would not be denied opportunities simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Historically, many faith groups have fueled discrimination against LGBTQ people in the name of religion. I fear that conservative religious voices will continue to grow louder in the coming weeks. That is why Jewish communities must uphold the ethical mandates of our tradition by advocating for justice, equality and basic human dignity for LGBTQ Americans in all 50 states — now more than ever before. We know that when the Jewish community organizes for LGBTQ rights, we make a critical difference. For example, in 2018, when anti-trans groups sought to legalize discrimination against transgender people in Massachusetts, Keshet mobilized the largest Jewish campaign in history to protect transgender rights — and their work paid off. Seventy percent of Jewish community organizations in Massachusetts, including 100 synagogues, joined Keshet’s campaign. Thanks to the work of a broad coalition of partners, including Keshet, voters resoundingly defeated the effort to rescind legal protections for trans people in Massachusetts. When I think back to the 1980s, I’m proud that my father embraced and supported Dennis. And under my mother’s leadership, Dennis went on to become a leader in our family’s philanthropic efforts to advance LGBTQ rights in Tulsa. But it is unconscionable that nearly 40 years later, people still cannot rely on the law to protect them. No one should have to live in fear that they will be fired from a job or denied an apartment simply for living their lives. Passing the Equality Act would be a major step toward building an American society rooted in justice and dignity for everyone. I urge all American Jews to join Keshet’s campaign to help pass the Equality Act. Together, let’s build an inclusive future that reflects our Jewish values and benefits us all.

Stacy Schusterman is Chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. (70 Faces Media, JTA’s parent organization, is a grantee.)

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

RABBI WENDY PEIN

This op-ed first appeared in The Jewish Week. “A Chabad rabbi and Reform rabbi walk into a club” sounds like the beginning of an old, tired Jewish joke. Yet this actually happened to me through the new social media app Clubhouse, when I entered a virtual discussion room hosted by a Chabad rabbi. What ensued was an intriguing dialogue that has left me contemplating the potential of this application for learning, dialogue and outreach. Clubhouse is an invitation-only social media application through which users join virtual rooms for dialogue through their iPhones. Users move seamlessly through virtual rooms to listen and discuss topics such as entrepreneurship, marketing, culture and, in my case, Judaism. It is like an interactive podcast. Clubhouse’s appeal as an audio-only application is reflected in its subscription of 10 million users, an increase of 8 million users since January. It is now the fifth most popular downloaded app through Apple. The Clubhouse room I entered had the approximate title of “Vashti as the unworthy Jewish heroine of modernity.” As I joined the virtual room, I was prepared to defend the oft-maligned Vashti — the queen banished by an angry King Ahasuerus — as the unsung heroine of the Purim story. Instead, the Chabad rabbi and host provided background about Vashti that was unfamiliar to me: a midrash saying that during her time in the palace, Vashti had enslaved other Jewish women. I was immediately skeptical and was ready to argue … until I looked up and read Megillah 12b. Here, the Talmud does in fact state that Vashti had previously enslaved and humiliated Jewish women, and therefore, being asked to abase herself before King Ahasuerus was a punishment “measure for measure.” However, Megillah 12b provides other reasons for her refusal to display herself before the king and his court, including that she suffered from a case of leprosy. The Chabad rabbi called on me and asked for my opinion. I acknowledged that the Talmud and other commentaries provide multiple reasons for Vashti’s refusal, and we each need to discern which explanations provide truth for us. I also shared that through this discussion room, I had learned something new about Vashti and the Talmud. This experience reminded me of the famous teaching that wise people learn from every person (Pirke Avot 4:1) and how much there is to learn from new, virtual forms. Clubhouse provides an intriguing virtual platform for dialogue. I have listened and engaged in discussions about Judaism, Israel and anti-Semitism. Participants on Clubhouse reflect a wide range of ages and demographics, a more diverse population than is typically found in Jewish institutions.

Seth Cohen, the founder of Applied Optimism, a community and experience consultancy with a focus on supporting organizations in the Jewish community, has observed that Clubhouse is drawing a younger audience than is often found in our established institutions. “Clubhouse provides a frictionless, inclusive and low barrier environment in which one can explore their Jewish identity in both meaningful and deeply personal ways,” according to Cohen. Clubhouse began with a small membership of prominent tech investors. As it started opening up, general users who joined the platform helped its popularity surge. Today it represents a “grassroots initiative led by people,” according to Tori

Credit: Flickr Commons Greene, an administrator of the Shabbat Shalom club on Clubhouse, which has 11,000 members and followers. Greene also points out that Clubhouse is not an intentional Jewish space but a virtual space with Jewish content, and users easily gain access to a variety of different perspectives on ideas and values that they may not encounter from in-person forums, possibly a part of its appeal. As Cohen summarized, “Clubhouse is not an end … but rather the beginning … of ways to foster a playful, experimental way to engage others Jewishly.” We can learn a lot about successful Jewish engagement simply by scrolling through Clubhouse, listening in on the rooms with Jewish content and observing the participation of Clubhouse users. The Talmud teaches that if you want to learn about a new practice, go out and see what the people are doing (Menachot 35b). During these past few weeks, I have seen and heard that our people are on Clubhouse. As Rabbi Hillel wisely advised us, “Now go and learn” (Shabbat 31a). Rabbi Wendy Pein and Seth Cohen appeared in a Clubhouse room titled “A roomful of rabbis talking about the Jewish future” on March 17.

Rabbi Wendy Pein is the director of congregational learning at Temple Israel of Northern Westchester (TINW) in Croton-on-the-Hudson, New York.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

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CONGRATULATE YOUR GRADUATE

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