March 29, 2019

thejewishpress AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

this week

WWW.JEWISHOMAHA.ORG

Cantor Shermet celebration weekend

M

Friedel’s Annual Plant Sale Page 5

Cheesy Pull-apart Garlic Bread Babka Page 12

Cantor Wendy Shermet TempleIsraelOmaha.com/CantorDinner.

This fundraising dinner will provide an opportunity to invest in the future of music at Temple Israel. The proceeds will go directly to the newly named Cantor Wendy See Cantor Shermet page 3

PASSOVER:

What Does Real Freedom Mean?

inside Viewpoint Synagogues

9 10

JFO welcomes Jamie Skog

MARCH 2 9 , 2 0 1 9 | 2 2 AD AR II 5 7 7 9 | V O L. 9 9 | NO . 2 4 | C a nD lEli g h ti ng | FRID AY , MARCH 2 9 , 7 : 2 8 P. M.

CaSSanDra WEiSEnBurgEr Director of Communications, Temple Israel ake sure you mark your calendars for April 26-28 as we celebrate Cantor Wendy Shermet’s retirement after 18 wonderful years at Temple Israel.

On Friday, April 26 at 5:30 p.m. you are invited to Temple Israel as we host a celebratory fundraising dinner honoring Cantor Shermet.

We will have a wonderful menu with something for everyone: braised short ribs, salmon sliders, pasta primavera with choice of sauces on the side, along with potatoes with cheese, grilled vegetables, broccoli slaw salad, challah, and chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert!

The cost of the dinner is $25 per person. You also have the opportunity to be a Sponsor ($50 and includes 1 seat), a Patron ($180 and includes 2 seats), or a Table Sponsor ($1,000 and includes 8 or 9 seats).

RSVPs with your payment are due by April 5. Visit our website to RSVP online today:

Beth El Synagogue 2019 Cantor’s Concert Page 2

SPonSorED By thE BEnJaMin anD anna E. WiESMan faMily EnDoWMEnt funD

Mark kirChhoff Community Engagement and Education, JFO There may not be any concept or state of being more embedded in the human psyche than “freedom.”

Mankind has pursued it, obtained it, lost it, abandoned it, embraced it, fought for it, gained it, argued about it and lived by it from the onset of modern civilization. The founding fathers of the United States embraced freedom so strongly that the first amendment to the Constitution spells it out to prohibit the government from imposing its actions so as to deny freedom to its citizens. “Con-

gress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Religions speak of man’s ability to make free choices in the way one leads his/her life. With the holiday of Passover approaching, Jews re-

call their bondage in Egypt and relive the escape to freedom. By now we certainly have a firm grasp of what freedom means. Or do we?

If there is one thing I have learned when Rabbi Shlomo Abramovich, visiting scholar at Beth Israel Synagogue, has his next creative idea for the “Friday Learning Series,” he will tell me, “It’s complicated.” As we See PaSSoVEr page 3

DianE WalkEr Executive Assistant, JFO We are excited to announce that starting April 1, Jamie Skog-Burke will join the JFO team and assume the role of Director of Development. Jamie grew up in Omaha and she and her husband, BJ Burke, decided to come home to Omaha last spring. She credits her first fundraising experiences to leadership roles in Jewish youth movements, serving as both a chair for the BBG Beau Dance committee and as a former OTYG

Jamie Skog-Burke Spaghetti Dinner Chair in the late 90’s.

She appreciates that she learned early the importance of giving Tzedakah and the value of fundraising. Jamie looks forward to working with the JFO team and the broader community in the coming years to continue to strengthen our community and increase our JFO donors.

After graduating from Westside in 2001, Jamie received a BA in Vocal Performance and Judaic Studies from the University of Denver. Following graduation, she worked as the youth director at Beth El in 2005 and then went on to study for her master’s in Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. For the last 15 years, she has held a number of professional roles in Jewish communities around the country. Fun Fact: she has worked at or visited 16 different Jewish summer camps. For the last four years, she has served as a Hillel campus professional on both the University of Denver and University of Michigan campuses.

Jamie speaks Hebrew and loves to cook foods inspired by Jewish communities throughout the world. Over the course of her professional career, Jamie has visited Israel 14 times. There she developed her love of hiking and her passion for home-cooked food. She and BJ are excited to literally “plant some roots in Omaha” this summer as they try their hand at growing their first garden. She said she “owes many of her formative Jewish memories to the Omaha Jewish community and is honored to be in a position to be able to pay back the community for what she has been given in the past.”

Outside of work, Jamie tries to live an active, healthy and outdoors-oriented life. She loves skiing, swimming, yoga, paddle boarding and afternoon walks around the lake with her husband and little dog Milo. After 17 years away, she is really excited to be back!

2 | The Jewish Press | March 29, 2019

community

JFS pinwheel planting

Beth el synagogue 2019 Cantor’s Concert: Jaffa Road to California Street

ozzIe noGG Beth El Synagogue’s Cantor’s Concert to benefit the Seth Rich Memorial Camp Scholarship Fund is scheduled for Sunday, May 5 at 4 p.m. This year’s guest artists are Toronto-based Jaffa Road, an award-winning group of international musicians who bring a combination of jazz, Asian, Middle Eastern and contemporary sound to their unique approach to Jewish music.

“The principal goal of our yearly concert is to raise money so that every student who wants a Jewish summer experience can enjoy one,” explained Hazzan Michael Krausman of Beth El. “At the same time, we want to provide a memorable Jewish musical experience for the entire Omaha community.

When I spoke with Aaron Lightstone, one of the leaders of Jaffa Road, I realized we both share a passion for producing inspirational Jewish music — as well as a deep appreciation for the value of Jewish summer camp in shaping committed Jewish leaders for the future.

After our conversation, I was sure Jaffa Road would be a perfect fit for our Cantor’s Concert, here on California Street.”

Chairmen for Jaffa Road to California Street: A Concert to benefit the Seth Rich Memorial Camp Scholarship Fund,

Jewish family service, along with other local agencies who work with abused children such as Project Harmony, Boys town and Child saving Institute, will once again participate in our annual Pinwheel Planting on the front lawn of the Jewish Community Center, sunday, March 31 at 1 p.m. We are joining the national Program, naming april as Child abuse Prevention Month. If you wish to help us “plant,” please arrive by 1 p.m. at the JCC marquee along 132nd street. Please BYos – Bring your own screwdriver... it helps to create the holes!

Calling all 56-75 year olds...

the Jaffa road quintet brings their fusion of Jewish, arabic and Indian music with rock, pop and jazz to Beth el on May 5. are Mary and Joel Rich and Pam and Bruce Friedlander. For information on individual ticket pricing and sponsorship opportunities, please visit the Beth El website at http:// bethel-omaha.org or call the synagogue office at

402.492.8550. All giving levels include at least two concert tickets at no extra charge. Donations are tax deductible.

Look for further details on the May 5 concert in upcoming editions of the Jewish Press.

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Karen Gustafson Executive Director, JFS Jewish Family Service is facilitating a discussion about Suicide Risk in this age group. We will present some facts, warning signs and prevention strategies. We will also talk about protective factors and why we need to challenge the stigma of mental health so that we can help friends, family and community members.

We are holding all age-specific discussions in smaller venues so that it leads to a more intimate discussion and helps to build connection — one of the greatest protective factors to prevent suicide.

We hope that you don’t view this as “it doesn’t apply to me;” it applies to everyone.

This discussion will be held at the home of Patty and Steve Nogg, 1425 N. 135th St. RSVPs are needed by April 5 to help us plan. Please call Meg at JFS 402.330.2024.

The Jewish Press | March 29, 2019 | 3

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Fran and Rich’s Excellent Adventures: Part IV rich juro

quest to find Jews in Sierra Leone.

There’s not much to see in and around Freetown. SL was described for travelers in Lonely Planet as the “secret beach destination” for its many miles of beautiful empty seashores, but

he economy: most of the population of almost seven million live on subsistence agriculture, with rice as the main crop. Outside of Freetown, there’s very little electricity, although there is now an attempt at developing solar power. Sierra Leone is rich is natural resources: diamonds (“blood diamonds” was the term for many that were sold to finance the rebels during the civil war), titanium, gold, timber and bauxite. The growth in the economy that the country had for the first decade of this century was given a huge setback when the Ebola virus affected several thousand in 2014-15. In this tropical climate, malaria and yellow fever are widespread, Credit: Victor Turay but HIV/AIDS is relatively Lumley Street,Freetown, Sierra Leone rare. In short, over half the people still live in poverty.

Fran and I are not beach people. So Ibrahim drove us around The good news is that Sierra Leone has had a democrati- the city. We stopped at the post office. They were very nice, cally-elected government since 1998 (the rebels were defeated like all SL people we met, but didn’t have the type of stamps in 2002). The legislature is, like Nebraska’s, unicameral. Along we wanted. Then we drove toward the national museum hopwith the 112 elected members there are 12 “paramount chiefs” ing we’d find it as good as the one in Monrovia. We parked who represent their districts. The President can serve two 5- about two blocks away. As we rounded the corner to approach year terms. Corruption is still a big problem, especially with the entrance to the museum, we saw a large crowd gathered the management of natural resources. in the street. Then we heard a couple of gunshots. It was an About 80 percent of the seven million people are Sunni anti-government protest. We turned around and joined the Muslim. Almost all the rest are Protestant Christian, but SL other onlookers hurrying away. is a very tolerant nation. Officials are not elected or selected Ibrahim said, “Just wait a few minutes, and it’ll be fine.” We based on their religion. A friend of mine, Don Nogg, sent me said, “No, let’s go,” and we did. So ended our visit to the national a note that there was a Chabad in SL; but when I sent an in- museum and our almost-involvement in the protest. We’re too quiry e-mail, the reply was that there were perhaps two Jewish old for this, especially in a West African country. The next day services a year and no synagogue. There is an “Israelite Con- I received an e-mail from the US State Department warning gregation” called “Master of the Sabbath,” but no one but Americans to avoid downtown Freetown as there were governthemselves considers them Jewish, and I’m not sure they re- ment protests. And a month later another State Department ally do. We hired a driver-guide, Ibrahim, through the hotel. memo cautioned us about increased violent crime.

When we asked about going to the Calaba neighborhood The next day we took the taxi to the boat area, gave up our where the “Israelites” were, Ibrahim said: “It will take too two small suitcases, walked down the wharf, boarded the ship long, and I’m not sure I could find it.” So we gave up on our See Excellent Adventures page 5

cantor Shermet

continued from page 1 Shermet Music Fund.

“Cantor Shermet has been a part of the Temple Israel community for 18 years and as our cantor she has been with us through all of our lifecycle events. I can’t think of a better way to honor her than by renaming our music fund after her. This fund will allow our future cantors who follow Cantor Shermet to continue to bring us exciting and meaningful music experiences,” said Temple Israel President Andie Gordman.

“The Music Fund is critical to Temple Israel’s vibrancy, culture, and worship,” said Cantor Shermet. “This Fund allows for artistic groups such as the Omaha Chamber Music Society and the Omaha Chamber Symphony, along with solo guest artists, to be part of services and also present concerts. We keep current with today’s compositions through our subscription to Transcontinental Music Publications, along with other Jewish music publishers. Additionally, this

PASSOVER

continued from page 1 reflected together on the April sessions, Rabbi Shlomo pondered, “Does freedom mean the right to choose your own way - to do whatever you want? What happens when the freedom of the individual conflicts with the freedom of the society or with other values the society stands for?”

As he explored the topic further, he observed, “We are committed to varied types of obligations: the state, the community, our family and also our faith and religion. How can these commitments be compatible with our yearning for freedom?

Does responsibility conflict with freedom?”

And it is the exploring of questions such as these that have made “The Friday Learning Series” so popular with the community. This month will be a two-session series on April 5

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At 7 p.m. everyone is invited to a special service in the sanctuary where we will honor Cantor Shermet’s legacy and celebrate her retirement with joy and music. A special oneg will follow.

On Sunday, April 28 at 11:30 a.m., the religious school will come together for a light brunch to celebrate their many special years with Cantor Shermet.

Cantor Shermet will also be honored at the Tri-Faith Initiative’s Dinner in Abraham’s Tent on Sunday evening, April 28 at 6 p.m. at the CHI Health Center. Details and reservation information coming soon.

For 18 years, Cantor Shermet has learned with us, prayed with us, celebrated our simchas with us, mourned with us and walked the path of life with us. We have been so blessed

by Cantor Shermet’s talent, presence and love for 18 years; we hope you will join in this celebration with us!

and 12 at 11:15 a.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library.

Rabbi Shlomo will start with the story of Passover and use varied sources to get a better understanding of what real freedom is and how we might achieve it.

The Friday Learning Series is a joint program of Beth Israel Synagogue and the Community Engagement and Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. The series is open to the community free of charge thanks to the support of the Ann Goldstein Programming Endowment Fund. Reservations are not required. While you are encouraged to attend all the sessions, each one will have a wealth of information and you will benefit from attending one or all.

Contact Mark Kirchhoff at mkirchhoff@jewishomaha. org or 402.334.6463 for questions.

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April 2019

All events held at the Jewish Community Center unless otherwise noted. This calendar does not include all community events. For a complete listing, visit the Federation’s website: www.jewishomaha.org (click on calendar). To keep calendar accurate, call Pat Anson at 402.334.8200. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of the events.

FridAy, mArCh 29 Friday Learning Series: Israel Elections with Rabbi Shlomo, 11:15 a.m.

Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Beth El “Our Shabbat Tables,” 6 p.m.

SAturdAy, mArCh 30 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Junior Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El

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SundAy, mArCh 31 CPR/AED/First Aid Course, 8 a.m.

Temple Israel 5th Sunday Breakfast, 8:30 a.m. at Stephen Center Prayer-Book Hebrew for Adults, 9 a.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Sunday School, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El Becoming A Soulful Parent with Rabbi Abraham, 10 a.m. at Beth El Religious School, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Temple Israel TED Talk, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel Yachad Putt Putt, meet at the JCC at 11:30 a.m.

Recital Dance Rehearsals, 1 p.m.

Musical Theater Rehearsal, 3 p.m. mondAy, April 1 Eye on Israel, noon

tueSdAy, April 2 Mitzvah & Mysticism with Rabbi Abraham, 1 1:30 a.m. at Beth El BBYO Chapter Meetings, 6 p.m.

WedneSdAy, April 3 Breadbreakers and Speaker, noon at RBJH Religious School, 4 p.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Hebrew School, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Sing Unto the Lord a New Song with Hazzan Krausman, 6 p.m. at Beth El Hebrew High Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth El Hebrew High, 6:30 p.m. at Beth El Adult Education Class, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Mitzvah & Mysticism with Rabbi Abraham, 7:15 p.m. at Beth El

thurSdAy, April 4 Thursday Symposium, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Beth El Chesed Committee visits RBJH, 2 p.m.

Love & Logic Class, 6 p.m.

Schwalb Center Sokolof Lecture, 7 p.m.

FridAy, April 5 Beth El BILU USY Spring Kallah at Sunstream Retreat Center (Ogden, IA) through April 7 Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Incident at Vichy Performance, 5 p.m.

First Friday Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel

SAturdAy, April 6 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Junior Congregation, 10 a.m. at Beth El Incident at Vichy Performance, 5 p.m.

SundAy, April 7 Prayer-Book Hebrew for Adults, 9 a.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Sunday School, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El Religious School, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Torah Tots, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El Recital Dance Rehearsals, 1 p.m.

Temple Israel Rosh Chodesh Event, 2 p.m.

Camp Sabra, 2:30 p.m.

Musical Theater Rehearsal, 3 p.m.

Four Cups of Freedom, 4 p.m.

mondAy, April 8 IHE Art & the Holocaust Reception, 5:45 pm Friedel Board Meeting, 7 p.m. at FJA tueSdAy, April 9 Mitzvah & Mysticism with Rabbi Abraham, 11:30 a.m. at Beth El Beth El Chesed Committee visits Remington Heights, 2 p.m.

BBYO Chapter Meetings, 6 p.m.

WedneSdAy, April 10 Breadbreakers and Speaker, noon at RBJH Religious School, 4 p.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Hebrew School, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Sing Unto the Lord a New Song with Hazzan Krausman, 6 p.m. at Beth El Hebrew High, 6:30 p.m. at Beth El Board of Commissioners Meeting, 6:30 pm at Beth Israel Adult Education Class, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel JFS Suicide Prevention and Education for ages 55-75, 7 p.m. at home of Patty and Steve Nogg Mitzvah & Mysticism with Rabbi Abraham, 7:15 p.m. at Beth El thurSdAy, April 11 Thursday Symposium, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Team Omaha JCC Maccabi Meeting, 5 p.m.

FridAy, April 12 Temple Israel OTYG Lock In and Elections Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH

Temple Israel Shabbat Comes to You at Heritage on Sterling Ridge, 4 pm Pre-Neg & Tot/Family Shabbat, 5:30 p.m. at Beth El Beth El “Our Shabbat Tables,” 6 p.m.

L'dorV'dor Chocolate Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel Monthly Service & Speaker, 7:30 p.m. at B’nai Israel-Council Bluffs

SAturdAy, April 13 Temple Israel OTYG Lock In and Elections Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Shabbat's Cool Grades 3-7, 10 a.m. at Beth El

SundAy, April 14 BESTT Sunday School, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El BILU Kadima/USY Board Mtg, 10 am at Beth El Religious School, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Book Club, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel Temple Tots Sunday, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Siddur Celebration, 11 a.m. at Beth El Teen Foundation Meeting, 12:30 p.m.

Recital Dance Rehearsals, 1 p.m.

JFO/Klutznick event honoring Debbie and Speedy Zweiback, 2 p.m.

Musical Theater Rehearsal, 3 p.m. mondAy, April 15 IHE Art & the Holocaust Reception, 5:30 pm tueSdAy, April 16 Mitzvah & Mysticism with Rabbi Abraham, 11:30 a.m. at Beth El BBYO Chapter Meetings, 6 p.m.

YJG - Teen Giving Shuk, 6 p.m.

Temple Israel Board of Trustees, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel

WedneSdAy, April 17 Jewish Business Leaders, 7:30 a.m. at Happy Hollow Country Club Breadbreakers and Speaker, noon at RBJH Beth El Chesed Committee visits the Heritage at Sterling Ridge, 2 p.m.

Religious School, 4 p.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Hebrew School, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El BILU USY General Membership Mtg & Lounge, 5:15 p.m. at Beth El Sing Unto the Lord a New Song with Hazzan Krausman, 6 p.m. at Beth El Hebrew High, 6:30 p.m. at Beth El Adult Education Class, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel

thurSdAy, April 18 Thursday Symposium, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Love & Logic Class, 6 pm OTYG Program: Matzah Making Competition, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel SAturdAy, April 20 Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Community Seder, 5:30 p.m. at Beth El Passover Seder, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel SundAy, April 21 Musical Theater Rehearsal, 3 p.m.

tueSdAy, April 23 Mitzvah & Mysticism with Rabbi Abraham, 11:30 a.m. at Beth El BBYO Chapter Meetings, 6 p.m.

Star Deli Dinner, 5-7 p.m. at RBJH

WedneSdAy, April 24 Breadbreakers and Speaker, noon at RBJH Religious School, 4 p.m. at Temple Israel Sing Unto the Lord a New Song with Hazzan Krausman, 6 p.m. at Beth El Adult Education Class, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel

thurSdAy, April 25 Thursday Symposium, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel FridAy, April 26 Temple Israel Cantor Shermet Celebration Weekend Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH SAturdAy, April 27 Temple Israel Cantor Shermet Celebration Weekend Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel

SundAy, April 28 Beth El 8th Grade Holocaust Trip Temple Israel Cantor Shermet Celebration Weekend Prayer-Book Hebrew for Adults, 9 a.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Sunday School, 9:30 a.m. at Beth El Religious School, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Temple Israel TED Talk, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel Temple Tots Sunday, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel Mimouna, noon OTYG Board Meeting, noon at Temple Israel Recital Dance Rehearsals, 1 p.m.

JYG End of Year Program, 2 p.m. at Temple Israel Musical Theater Rehearsal, 3 p.m. tueSdAy, April 30 Mitzvah & Mysticism with Rabbi Abraham, 11:30 a.m. at Beth El BBYO Chapter Meetings, 6 p.m.

Friedel’s Annual Plant Sale

The Jewish Press | March 29, 2019 | 5

community

Friedel Jewish Academy’s PTO will be holding its annual plant sale on thursday, May 2 and Friday, May 3. Just like last year, Friedel will be partnering with Janousek Florist to bring an assortment of decorative plants, plants that will yield fruit and vegetable starters, and herbs.

New this year, there will be two sale locations: (1) the JCC main entrance area from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. both days and (2) the CDC lobby from 11:30 a.m.–6 p.m. Also new this year, people can pre-order their plants to make pick-up easy on the days of the sale. Pre-orders are due by april 17.

The PTO needs two kinds of volunteers to help run the sale: (1) gardening enthusiasts who can share their gardening expertise with potential customers and (2) cashiers. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Please contact Friedel’s PTO Chair, Lauren Tam, at usbooksandme@yahoo.com to pre-order, volunteer, or with any questions.

the Omaha Community Playhouse presents One Man, Two Guvnors

One Man, Two Guvnors opens at the Omaha Community Playhouse on april 12.

When out-of-work Francis becomes employed by two men, he goes to great lengths to serve both employers without them finding out about each other. But soon, cases of mistaken identity and the introduction of several unusual characters begin to thwart his plan. How long will Francis be able to keep them apart? The result is a side-splitting farce packed with physical comedy and hilarious hijinks, set in 1960s England.

One Man, Two Guvnors premiered in London in

2011 with James Cordon as Francis, a role he reprised in the original Broadway production in 2012, winning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. The Omaha Community Playhouse production will run from april 12 through May 5 in the Hawks Mainstage Theatre.

Tickets are on sale now and start at $24. Tickets may be purchased at the Omaha Community Playhouse Box Office, located at 6915 Cass Street, by phone at 402.553.0800 or online at OmahaPlayhouse.com.

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excellent adventures

Continued from page 3 Atlantic Ocean. The next day we embarked for the 40 minute ride to the opposite shore, on a wonderful cruise from Capetown with walked the long pier to the waiting area, col- stops in Namibia and St. Helena (where lected our rollerboards, and then took the van to the airport. We wish the nice people of Sierra Leone well, but it’s going to be awhile before it becomes a tourist favorite.

And Beyond...

Flying from Freetown’s Longi Airport to Capetown was no fun. We flew from SL to Accra, Ghana, thence to Nairobi, Kenya, changed planes, then flew to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and finally to Capetown, South Africa. It was sixteen hours flying, plus changing planes, overnight (without flat beds). But Capetown is one of the world’s great street scene from Freetown, sierra Leone cities with lots to see and do. Our Capetown friends took us to Kirstenbosch Napoleon was exiled). A highlight was an IsGardens where we saw some of the large raeli-born tenor, Shimi Goodman, who sang Shona sculptures that we collect. Then onto not only for the regular evening entertainthe winelands for a great lunch, then Sabbath ment but also for the Friday night services. dinner in their house overlooking the South We reached Rio de Janeiro in two weeks.

Organizations

B’nai B’rith BreadBreakers

B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers meets weekly on Wednesdays at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home auditorium from noon to 1 p.m. For specific speaker information, please email Gary.Javitch@Gmail.com, Breadbreakers chairman. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

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Tifereth Israel seder options include Escape from Egypt

6 | The Jewish Press | March 29, 2019

community

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Foundation update

merican stock markets have been volatile, yet trending much higher recently, which gives some generous friends of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation an extra reason to make their gifts go further when supporting our good works. Instead of writing a check, great things happen when you transfer HowArd EpStEin shares of publicly-traded securities to Executive Director, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foun- JFO Foundation dation (provided they have gone up in value and been owned for more than one year).

First, you have the opportunity to support the charitable causes within Omaha’s Jewish community that are most important to you. Your gift can go into a permanent endowment fund in your name or in honor or memory of a loved one.

You select the cause or program to support, the Foundation invests your gift, and annually, the Foundation will distribute available income to your selected cause or program. Year after year, future generations will benefit from your generosity.

Your gift can also go into your donor-advised fund. You retain the right to recommend distributions from your donor-advised fund to your favorite charitable causes.

Second, your stock gift qualifies for a charitable deduction for the full fair market value on the date the Foundation receives it. Then, because the shares were given instead of sold, you avoid recognizing the capital gain and avoid paying capital gain taxes on the transfer. Know also that the 2019 capital gains tax rates are 15 percent for many taxpayers (20 percent for top-bracket earners), plus an additional net investment

income tax of 3.8 percent on net investment income for individuals earning more than $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing a joint return).

Example: Mr. and Mrs. Silverspring own 400 shares of stock. In 1995, the shares were worth a total of $5,600. They are now worth a total of $52,000. Their gift is worth $52,000, yet their actual out-of-pocket cost is only $5,600, regardless of tax savings. In their tax bracket (24 percent), if they sell them, they’ll pay 18.8% or $8,723 in capital gains and excess net investment income taxes Instead of selling the shares, they will contribute 400 shares valued at $130 per share directly to the Foundation to establish an endowment or a donor-advised fund. Tax laws allow them to take the larger of their itemized deductions or their standard deduction. Charitable contributions are now among the few expenditures which can be itemized as deductions.

A married couple filing jointly is entitled to a standard deduction of $24,000 this year, so if itemized deductions exceed $24,000, it will be beneficial to itemize.

Assuming they have no additional expenditures which they could itemize, their itemized deductions will equal the amount of their charitable contribution, or $52,000, an amount which is $28,000 greater than the standard deduction. In their tax bracket, this additional $28,000 deduction, all attributable to charity, will save $5,264 in income tax. Add this to the 8,723 capital gain and excess net investment income taxes they avoid, and their net cost to give $52,000 to the Foundation is $38,013 – which is 73 cents on the dollar, compared to a cash gift of the same amount.

Please consult with your attorney, accountant or financial advisor about this opportunity and feel free to contact me at 402.334.6466 or by email at hepstein@jewishomaha.org.

The beauty of offering two seder options at Tifereth Israel is that a seder is not a one-size-fits-all experience. Tifereth Israel’s first seder on Friday, April 19 starts at 6 p.m. and is geared for individuals over the age of 13 who like a more traditional format of singing, reading and discussing parts of the Haggadah.

The second seder, Saturday April 20, also at 6 p.m., is designed for families with children who want to be physically active, while still fully experiencing the message of the Haggadah. This second seder, Escape from Egypt, will utilize lockboxes that can be accessed via codes related to Passover-related questions. Each lockbox will harbor an activity that relates to the Passover story found in the Haggadah.

Although there is no charge to those attending either seder, donations to the Lay-leader Discretionary Fund are welcomed to help defray the meal expenses.

Both meals will be prepared in the Tifereth Israel kitchen which is being kashered for Pesach. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. both nights.

We sincerely hope you will join us! Reservations for both seders are due by April 1. Registration can be completed by calling the Tifereth Israel office at 402.423.8569 or you can send an email to Nancy Coren at ncoren@tiferethisraellincoln.org.

See full digital issues at https://issuu.com/jewishpress7

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The Jewish Press | March 29, 2019 | 7

An imperfect Prime Minister

Israel goes to the polls on April 9. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s recent indictment on corruption charges has sent Israeli leftists into paroxysms of joyful anticipation, as there are predictions that the opposition TEDDY party headed by Benny WEINBERGER Ganz will garner the largest number of Knesset seats and take the premiership.

Whether or not these predictions turn out to be accurate, it’s clear that many Israelis will vote for Netanyahu’s Likud party despite the corruption charges. At a time of enhanced military security and economy prosperity, it’s no wonder that the average Israeli has to rub its eyes after reading the charges against Netanyahu. Even the most left-wing newspapers cannot make the personal gain of which Netanyahu is accused amount to truly big money. Many Israelis are thus asking themselves: That’s it, that’s what they got him for?

A few bottles of champagne, some cigars, several pieces of jewelry? What self-respecting strongman, whether in North Korea, South America, Africa, or the Arab States, would have made do with what Netanyahu allegedly took? It’s downright embarrassing to have such an unambitious person at the head of one’s country.

I’m brought back to an issue that I’ve been wrestling with for over two decades: How much better does Israel need to be than other countries in the world? A little better, a lot better, the best? This is a question that applies across the board: where does Israel need to score on income inequality (the gap between rich and poor), social services, trafficking against women, high-school matriculation exams? Is it legitimate to demand that Israel be better than any other country on all indices?

The answer is “yes”—but only if you view Israel as a “light unto the nations” (Isaiah 49.6), as being within the purview of God’s objective guide for holiness and not of human relative goodness. To urge perfection

Vision Resource Fair

Get answers to your questions about vision loss at the Vision Resource Fair April 6 and 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Baxter Arena. This free event features more than 20 exhibitors providing information about: • Managing eye conditions • Living independently • Enjoying social, cultural and recreational • activities • Working or returning to work • Getting around town • Using digital eyewear and other new • technology • Handling stress, change and emotional health Conditions such as diabetes, glaucoma, and aged-related macular degeneration are increasing the odds of severe vision loss. As their sight declines, individuals and those who support them — including friends, family members and employers — have more questions and concerns about the effects on work, social and daily activities.

Held in conjunction with Omaha's Health Expo, the Vision Resource Fair provides a single location for learning about community resources to help those experiencing vision loss.

Free vision screenings for all ages will be offered, courtesy of Omaha Lions Clubs — a great opportunity for children, parents and grandparents

upon the Israeli polity in the absence of religion is a kind of racism. It’s like saying: Because it’s in our very genes to be honest and true, if our Prime Minister has in any way acted criminally he has violated who we are and must go.

Oddly, precisely those whom you might expect to be the Prime Minister’s harshest critics are his strongest supporters. It turns out that most religious Jews feel that because God’s kingdom has not yet been established, it is inappropriate to hold the Prime Minister of Israel to a divine standard. This is not to say, God forbid, that anything goes, or that stealing a few thousand dollars is okay as long as you don’t steal a few million. It’s a question of what can and cannot be tolerated in the world of realpolitik.

A few weeks ago Gideon Levy, one of Haaretz’s veteran and most extreme columnists, writing in reference to IDF soldiers who were convicted of abusing detained Palestinians, said sarcastically that their actions reflect “the pure evil on the part of the world’s most moral army.” Yes, not 97 percent or even 99 percent -- there is “pure” evil in the IDF. Here Levy, giving unintentional support to my claim above, uses the language of racists, who love to speak in terms of “purity” (though this of course is a fantasy, as any person with a smidgeon of post-modernist training knows). Absent religion, the expectation, however unconscious, however unwitting, that Israel should be a kind of Sweden in the Middle East is predicated upon a belief in the innate superiority of Jews.

I don’t know which party I will vote for on April 9, but I do know that Bibi Netanyahu is an appropriate candidate to lead Israel forward. If the United States could allow Bill Clinton to remain in office even after putting him through the impeachment process, Israel can allow Bibi Netanyahu to remain in office even after indicting him.

Teddy Weinberger, Ph.D., made aliyah in 1997 with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Jane Ross, and their five children, Nathan, Rebecca, Ruthie, Ezra, and Elie, all of whom are veterans of the Israel Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@ netvision.net.il.

to learn about eye health together.

“Vision loss can leave people feeling uncertain, isolated and even helpless,” said Lisa Kelly, director of enrichment programs at Outlook Nebraska.

“The Vision Resource Fair brings together more than 20 Omaha-area organizations that can provide answers, assistance and tools to help those living with vision loss as well as their friends, family members and employers.”

As a primary sponsor of the Vision Resource Fair, Outlook Nebraska is offering complimentary tickets, available for download at outlookne.org/resourcefair. When entering Baxter Arena's main entrance, let Health Expo staff know you are there for the Vision Resource Fair to receive free admission.

Outlook Nebraska is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to positively impacting everyone who is blind and visually impaired. Those dealing with vision loss turn to Outlook Nebraska to find the resources, learn how to stay independent using technology, explore employment opportunities, and enjoy recreation and cultural activities.

Outlook Nebraska directly employs blind and visually impaired individuals in its paper products converting facility and contact center. To learn more about Outlook or to contribute to its mission, call 402.614.3331 or visit outlookne.org.

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8 | The Jewish Press | March 29, 2019

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One of the world’s great love poems celebrates the coming of spring, the passing of winter and the end of the season of rains.

Flowers appear, as does singing, and “the voice of the turtle is richard fellman heard in the land.”

No one to this day, and according to tradition it has been nearly 3000 years since King Solomon wrote the Song of Songs, can explain what the “voice of the turtle” means, but it doesn’t seem to matter much, for the “time of singing” far exceeds whatever the curmudgeon’s voice might say.

I like spring.

Warmth has finally overtaken chilled air.

Sun shines much longer each day than it did just a few weeks before. Buds have begun to bloom. Yellow is everywhere, long-stemmed daffodils, bell-shaped forsythia, even the pesky dandelion which sports dainty little flowers before it becomes a weed.

Yellow is the color of spring.

From my window a green carpet of finely tended grass spreads out over 18 holes of a man-made golf course, and soon men and women, some on carts and some walking, will play and enjoy a game which challenges strength and endurance and a bit of one’s nerves.

I only watch, but I will soon celebrate the opening of their links just as golfers do.

In spring I think back to the time of Solomon, the great and wise poet-King of ancient Israel.

Would that we today had such a wise leader, a builder, a writer, a man of wisdom, even a great lover.

What came before Solomon were years of weak tribal government, then the people’s voice rose saying they wanted a king. But the selection of a king proved a false start, and ultimately a king who was himself both a man of war and a man of letters assumed leadership and the throne.

Then came Solomon, the wise leader and magnificent builder.

What followed Solomon were years of political intrigue interrupted by some success and some failure, but a kingdom remained until it was conquered by forces far greater than itself.

Political history doesn’t repeat itself in exact terms as does each spring though elements of the past both good and bad seem to creep into focus time and again. It makes one wonder.

Can we take old lessons, somehow update them, and apply them to our present and our future?

How do we know which chapters of our past to reapply and which to leave in the ash can of our former failures?

I listen to the “voice of the turtle” though I am not sure exactly what it means. I’d like to ask Solomon what he meant, but he is now long gone. He was the love son of a strong man who committed sin when he yielded to an even stronger and voluptuous woman, but Solomon’s father carefully listened to a wise advisor.

How I wish our leader today would listen to the likes of that advisor, even knowing as we all do of our present leader’s wrongdoing.

Still, spring is about to return. Winter is now departing. Soft rains will be welcome.

Prayerfully, floods will soon depart. And flowers are certainly on their way.

I hope we will hear fresh voices.

Omaha health and Wellness expo

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The Jewish Press | March 29, 2019 | 9

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(Founded in 1920) Abby Kutler President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Susan Bernard Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Staff Writer Thierry Ndjike Accounting Jewish Press Board Abby Kutler, President; Eric Dunning, Ex Officio; Laura Dembitzer; Candice Friedman; Jill Idelman; Andy Isaacson; Michael Kaufman; David Kotok; Natasha Kraft; Debbie Kricsfeld; Eric Shapiro 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.

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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@jew ishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishom aha.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@jew ishomaha.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 Kamp-Wright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450.

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American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

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W

Questions

ANNETTE vAN dE KAmP-WRiGhT Editor, Jewish Press illiam Sullivan, 21, of Saugerties, New York, was recently charged with second-degree aggravated harassment.

Sullivan turned the light off in the produce cooler of the store where he worked and told a fellow employee: “you’re in the gas chamber.” He then called her a “*** Jew.” (I could partially spell that adjective out, but I’m not going to.)

The Jewish employee told her supervisors and reported Sullivan to police. Two days later, Sullivan harassed her again, this time with more anti-Semitic epithets. After that second incident, he was finally fired. (Sources: JTA. New York Post) I have a few questions. Starting with: How was that first infraction not enough reason to get William Sullivan fired? What is this, the first strike is just a warning? No wonder the Jewish employee ended up walking away from the job; the notion that it took two separate incidents before the manager decided enough was enough is horrifying.

My second question has to do with this anti-Semitic obsession with Holocaust imagery. On the one hand, we are constantly confronted with a lack of knowledge, ignorance about the Holocaust and what happened during those years. Ignorance about Auschwitz, how the Nazis operated, who the main players were and why it is important to remember and show respect to the victims. Then there is the concept of Holocaust denial: the idea that “it’s all one big conspiracy, no Jews were ever killed, the concentration camps were work camps rather than welloiled murder factories.”

Third, there is the outright admiration for Hitler and his minions that continues to reign supreme in Neo-Nazi circles. Essentially, they admire the Third Reich while deny-

ing the Third Reich did what it did. I’ll never understand that.

And in the middle of all that really compromised thinking, those gas references just keep coming. Why is that?

“Anti-Semitism is difficult to define,” Deborah Lipstadtwrites in Antisemitism Here and Now (Schocken,

2018). “It is hard, if not impossible, to explain something that is essentially irrational, delusional and absurd.” At its heart, she explains, anti-Semitism is a conspiracy theory, and in its most extreme case, it manifests in the belief that Jews are responsible for the evil in the world. Persisting through millennia, in different cultures and regions, the belief that “Jews are not an enemy but the ultimate enemy” is what makes anti-Semitism different from other prejudices.” (Washington Post, 2019) Lipstadt is probably correct when she argues anti-Semitism is “irrational, delusional and absurd,” but it’s an unsatisfying answer to the why of it all. We can’t argue with the absurd, we can’t educate the delusional; all we can do is observe the how. There will always be the disen-

franchised and there will always be a hateful home for them somewhere.

On March 16, the store in question, Mother Earth’s Storehouse, issued the following apology on its Facebook page: “The Management of our Kingston store would like to apologize to our community for the upset that has occurred. The situation has been handled and the employee is no longer employed by us. We have never, nor will we ever tolerate hate. We were conducting an investigation.”

They followed it up with a second apology two days later, announcing they would offer all employees training and had hired an HR company to help with “any future situations that could occur.”

The Internet wasn’t having it. No surprise: apologizing for ‘the upset that has occurred’ doesn’t exactly reek of taking responsibility.

The real problem with a man like William Sullivan is not only what he did and said to his Jewish colleague, it was that the management at his workplace didn’t think it was cause for immediate action. The fact that he wasn’t fired right away proves a lukewarm reaction. It’s perpetuating the idea that ‘it wasn’t that bad.’ To Sullivan, it was obviously an invitation to do it again. So, what’s the message? It’s okay to be a ‘little bit anti-Semitic, just don’t overdo it?’ You can get away with it once, but not twice?

What if the Jewish employee had not involved the cops?

And why oh why did they stand back and do nothing when the Jewish employee quit her job over it? Did they secretly think: good riddance?

Russia’s richest Jew thought European anti-Semitism was a thing of the past. Now, he’s not so sure.

viKToR vEKSELBERG MOSCOW | JTA Israel’s Minister of Immigration and Absorption, Yoav Gallant, recently lashed out at France for an increase of anti-Semitic incidents and called upon French Jews to leave the country and emigrate to Israel for their own safety.

Such a significant statement by an Israeli government official in the midst of a rising anti-Semitic tide across Europe is alarming. Only a few years ago, it seemed to me, and perhaps to many others as well, that anti-Semitism was a thing of the past and that the open societies of the modern world will no longer tolerate such extremist views.

Yet recent incidents in present-day Europe, Ukraine and the United States make one wonder whether anti-Semitism has been prematurely relegated to the dustbin of history.

Last year, my hometown of Drohobych in western Ukraine witnessed the re-opening of a choral synagogue that my father Felix and I helped to rebuild.

This synagogue, dating back to the mid-nineteenth century, used to be the biggest in all of Eastern Galicia. The dedication ceremony was not meant to be all pomp and circumstance, and still over 5,000 people showed up that day. For Drohobych, with its population of 70,000, this is truly an astronomical figure. Many families traveled from afar to attend the dedication of the synagogue in person.

But only a few weeks later, unidentified criminals smashed the synagogue’s windows. Apparently, the fact that the town now has an active Jewish synagogue that was rebuilt with the money donated by a Russian businessperson made some unhappy.

This is just one example of a hate crime that Ukrainian Jews have witnessed over the past few months. Another Jewish synagogue was desecrated in Lviv. In Kolomyya, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, a memorial wall at a local Jewish cemetery was defiled with graffiti depicting a man throwing the star of David into a trash can. In mid-February, swastikas appeared on the plasma screens in a Kiev shopping mall.

No wonder Jewish communities all over the Every third Jew living in Europe today has expeworld were greatly alarmed by the torchlight pro- rienced acts of intolerance, according to a poll cession in the Ukrainian capital on New Year’s Eve. taken at a round-table on anti-Semitism at this Recent incidents in France, which is home to Eu- year’s World Economic Forum. rope’s largest Jewish community, have exposed seIn our modern world, with its excessive and rious issues with tolerance in developed, democratic never-ending flow of information, these kinds of nations as well. In January 2015, during the shoot- reports are often pushed off to the side or buried ing at the editorial office of under the massive onslaught of Charlie Hebdo, one of the terother news stories. They may all rorists attacked a kosher grocery seem rather insignificant as long store in Paris killing four people. as the tragedy inflicts others and In late February of this year, does not come to our door. some 80 graves were desecrated This is a grave mistake our at a Jewish cemetery in the small predecessors already made in town of Quatzenheim, located the 1930s, failing to grasp the in the Alsace region of France. full extent of what was happenAccording to a recent poll, 44 ing back then in Germany after percent of France’s “yellow the Nazi party rose to power. It vests” movement believes there is important not to forget the A swastika is daubed on a Jewish grais a Zionist conspiracy in the lessons of the Holocaust. vestone in Eastham Jewish cemetery. world. It is hardly surprising For me, it is a tragic chapter in Credit: Graeme Robertson/Getty Images that Jewish children in France my family’s own history. Before have to move to private schools in order to avoid World War II, Jews accounted for the greater part the bullying that is rampant today in the country’s of Drohobych’s population. During Nazi Gerpublic school system. many’s retreat, over 15,000 Jews were killed, many French President Emmanuel Macron has admit- of whom had been placed in ghettos. Among them ted that anti-Semitic incidents in the country dou- were most of my relatives on my father’s side, inbled in 2018, reaching an appalling 541 incidents cluding 17 men and women in total whose remains that have been officially reported. were scattered in a mass grave.

But France is by no means an exception. Last This May, the Jewish Museum and Tolerance February, Joan Ryan, an MP from the Labour Center in Moscow will open a new memorial dedParty in the British House of Commons, an- icated to the Jewish resistance fighters in concentranounced her departure from the party, which “has tion camps and ghettos. It will serve as the symbol become infected with the scourge of anti-Semitic of their boundless heroism and as a token of reracism.” The worst attack on American Jewry to membrance for all those whose names were lost in date happened in October 2018 in Pittsburgh, mass graves. The mission of this memorial is to prePennsylvania where a man opened fire in a syna- vent a future Holocaust and to forestall the looming gogue. Eleven people were killed in the massacre. of dark times by telling the story of the Holocaust According to U.S. media, the attacker had openly and keeping its memory alive for later generations. expressed his hate for Jews on social media for The views and opinions expressed in this article are quite some time, and yet, no one did anything to those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the stop him or report him to the authorities. views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

10 | The Jewish Press | March 29, 2019

synagogues B’nai israEl synagoguE

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

BETh El synagoguE

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

BETh israEl synagoguE

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

ChaBad housE

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

CongrEgaTion B’nai JEshurun

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

offuTT air forCE BasE

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

rosE BluMkin JEwish hoME

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154

TEMPlE israEl

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive Omaha, NE 68144-1206 402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com

TifErETh israEl

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

B’nai israEl synagoguE

Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on april 12, at 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker Rich Juro on Visiting synagogues all over the world while traveling with his wife Fran. Our service leader is Larry Blass, and as always, an Oneg to follow service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

For information on our historic synagogue, contact any of our board members: Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Howard Kutler, Carole Lainof, Wayne Lainof, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf, or email nancywolf16620@gmail.com.

BETh El synagoguE

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. friday: L’dor Va’ Dough, 10 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.; Shabbat Table on the Town, various times saTurday: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. Bat Mitzvah of sasha denenberg; Junior Congregation, 10 a.m.; Mincha following Shabbat morning services. wEEkday sErViCEs: Sundays, 9:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. sunday: Madrachim Meeting, 9 a.m.; BESTT Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; USY Board Meeting, 10 a.m.; God 101: An Introduction to Faith for Believers and Skeptics, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham; Adult Ed: Judaism and the Environment, 11 a.m. with Marty Shukert; Tallit Tying Grades 5-6, 11 a.m.

TuEsday: A Journey through the Talmud, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham; Mahjong, 1 p.m. wEdnEsday: L’dor Va’ Dough, 10 a.m.; BESTT Classes, Grade 3-7, 4:15 p.m.; Sing unto the Lord a new song, 6 p.m. with Hazzan; Hebrew High, 6:30 p.m.; A Journey through the Talmud and Rabbinic Literature, 7:30 p.m. with Rabbi Abraham.

Thursday: Breakfast and Brachot: Service, 7 a.m. and Breakfast, 7:30 a.m.; Chesed Committe visits Blumkin Home, 2 p.m.

Kindergarten Roundup, sunday, april 7, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Miriam Initiative Book Swap, Tuesday, april 9, 7-9 p.m.

Please RSVP www.bethel-omaha.org.

BETh israEl synagoguE

Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer friday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha, 7:28 p.m.; Candle Lighting, 7:28 p.m. saTurday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion, 6:25 p.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 7:10 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:29 p.m. sunday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Animal Sacrifice in the Age of Vegetarianism: How can they coincide?, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:35 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

Monday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Jewish History — Your History, noon with Rabbi Shlomo; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:35 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

TuEsday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Torah Tuesday, 3 p.m. with Rabbi Ari; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:35 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. wEdnEsday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:35 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

Thursday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Connecting with Our Faith, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:35 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

ChaBad housE

Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. friday: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing. saTurday: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. wEEkdays: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing.

Monday: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani. wEdnEsday: Mystical Thinking, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman.

Thursday: Talmud Class, noon with Rabbi Katzman.

All programs are open to the entire community. For more information call 402.330.1800 or visit www.ochabad.com.

Visit us at jewishomaha.org

CongrEgaTion B’nai JEshurun

Services conducted by Rabbi Teri Appleby. friday: Erev Shabbat Service, 6:30 p.m. music by Elaine Monnier and Mark Miller; Candlelighting, 7:30 p.m.; Oneg, 7:30 p.m. hosted by Nicholette Seigfried. saTurday: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study on Parashat Sh’mini, 10:45 a.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 9:01 p.m. sunday: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m.; Adult Hebrew Prayer Class, 11:30 a.m.; Board of Trustees Meeting, 1:30 p.m.; Steel Drum Concert, 3 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. All ages welcome. RSVP to corenan cy@gmail.com or 402.770.4167.; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. All equipment furnished. Wear comfortable clothing. For questions, call or text Miriam Wallick at miriam57@aol.com. wEdnEsday: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. at TI. Sommerhauser Symposium on Antisemitism in the 1930s and Today, april 1, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Colonial Rooms A&B in the City Campus Union, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For more information contact Ari Kohen at akohen2@unl.edu or Gerald J. Steinacher at gsteinacher2@unl.edu.

Spring Garden Clean-up, sunday, april 14, 9-10:30 am.

We’ll be cleaning up the garden beds and trimming plants. If you have any of these items, please bring them: gloves, hand trimmers, paper garden trash bags/trash containers, rakes, brooms, string trimmer, etc. Let Ellin Siegel know if you have any questions at ellin.siegel@gmail.com.

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

Application packets are available in the Temple office and on the Temple website.

offuTT air forCE BasE

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

rosE BluMkin JEwish hoME

saTurday: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Larry DeBruin.

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

TEMPlE israEl

friday: Shabbat Evening Service and Ebernburg Scroll Dedication, 6 p.m. Join us as we dedicate the Ebernburg scroll in its new interactive ark, recount the history and the significance of this congregational treasure, and honor the legacy of the Falkenstein and Gottlieb families who entrusted this scroll to our care. This dedication will occur on Walter Gottlieb’s 44th yartzheit, almost exactly eighty years to the evening on which his family presented the scroll to Rabbi David Wice. Our congregation is grateful to Walter’s children (and our members) Steven Gottlieb and Ellen Saylan for safeguarding the dignity of the scroll and ensuring that its story is preserved for future generations of Temple Israel congregants. saTurday: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Service, 10:30 a.m. Bar Mitzvah of Jordan nogg, son of Jaime and Brian Nogg. sunday: 5th Sunday Breakfast Service at the Stephen Center, 8:30 a.m.; Beginning Prayer-Book Hebrew, 9 a.m.; Religious School for Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; Temple TED Talk, 10:30 a.m.; Tri-Faith Committee Meeting, noon.

wEdnEsday: Religious School Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6:30 p.m.; Family School, 6:30 p.m.; Adult Education Class, 6:30 p.m. with Rabbi Berezin.

Thursday: The History of the Jewish People: Antisemitism and the Dreyfus Affair, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Steven Abraham of Beth El Synagogue.

Rosh Chodesh: M&M’s Magical Mystery Tour Hosted by Mendy Halsted and Mindi Armstrong, sunday, april 7, 2 p.m. Join us for a Magical Mystery Tour of Old Jewish Omaha by bus! Led by Renee Corcoran of the Jewish Historical Society and Kevee Kirshenbaum, this will be a great tour for newcomers who want to learn about the rich Jewish history of Omaha, those who have lived here all their lives and just want to reminisce, and everyone in between! Cost is $10. RSVP to Temple Israel, 402.556.6536.

Wednesday Evening Adult Education: More Precious than Rubies: Parting Wisdom from Cantor Shermet, wednesday, april 10, 6:30 p.m. For 18 years, Cantor Shermet has learned with us, prayed with us, celebrated our simchas with us, mourned with us, and walked the path of life with us. As she prepares for her retirement this summer, join Cantor Shermet for conversations about Jewish life, our congregation, her passions and interests, and her plans for the future.

Passover Family Seder, saturday, april 20, 6 p.m. This is a family-friendly event and children will be rewarded for participating in the Seder with an exciting search for the afikoman after the meal. Reservations are required and your payment is your reservation. To reserve your seat at the table, your RSVP must be made by Friday, April 12. Cost of the dinner is $27 for adults, $14 for children ages 6-12, and no charge for children ages five and under. After April 12, the cost of the dinner increases to: $37 for adults, $24 for children 6-12.

TifErETh israEl

Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. friday: No Services; Candlelighting, 7:30 p.m. saTurday: Shabbat Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a light Kiddush Luncheon sponsored by Nanci Hamicksburg and James Hamicksburg in honor of the Simcha Bat of Willow Rose Hamicksburg; Got Shabbat, 11 a.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 8:31 p.m. sunday: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m.; Nebraska Steel Drum Concert, 3 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. The group features Jonah Payne and Louis Raymond-Kolker. All ages welcome. RSVP to corenan cy@gmail.com or 402.770.4167; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. All equipment furnished. Wear comfortable clothing. For questions, call or text Miriam Wallick at miriam57@aol.com. wEdnEsday: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. at TI. Thursday: Hebrew Reading class, 7 p.m. at the synagogue taught by Nancy Coren. Please let her know if you plan to attend and bring a pack of index cards with you.

Sommerhauser Symposium on Antisemitism in the 1930s and Today, april 1, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Colonial Rooms A&B in the City Campus Union, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For more information contact Ari Kohen at akohen2@unl.edu or Gerald J. Steinacher at gsteinacher2@unl.edu.

Tifereth Israel Board Meeting, sunday, april 7, 1 p.m.

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

Application packets are availible in the Tifereth Israel foyer.

Mike Pompeo compares President Trump to Queen Esther

JTA news sTAff Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested that President Donald Trump may have been sent by God to protect Israel.

Asked in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network whether he thought “President Trump right now has been sort of raised for such a time as this, just like Queen Esther, to help save the Jewish people from the Iranian menace” — a reference to the story behind the Purim holiday, and to the present-day relationship between Iran and Israel — Pompeo said: “As a Christian,

I certainly believe that’s possible.”

He added that with “the work that our administration’s done to make sure that this democracy in the Middle East, that this Jewish state, remains,” that he is “confident that the Lord is at work here.”

Pompeo was in Jerusalem, where he accompanied Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Western Wall.

The secretary also said that the Trump administration’s peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians doesn’t sacrifice “core principles” of any religion.

The Jewish Press | March 29, 2019 | 11

community

A

Beth El presents Judaism and the Environment OzzIE NOGG

s Rabbi Tarfon of Yavneh famously said about 1,900 years ago in Pirke Avot, “You are not obligated to complete the work, but you are not free to avoid it.” In that spirit, Beth El will present Judaism and the Environment on Sunday, March 31 from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. “is workshop is designed for multi-generations to examine the facts of climate change and think together about solutions and how we can act strategically,” said Marty Shukert who developed the sessions. “e program especially invites the participation of young people, including high school students, who will be most affected by the eventual impact of climate change. It will challenge us to think about the path we’re on today, what we can do to change it, and presents an opportunity for people of all ages to learn and work together to develop ideas for action that really can make a difference.” e workshop will include three 20-minute presentation modules followed by a working session by participants: 1. The Environment in the Bible and Other Jewish Texts. Some religious groups have emerged as climate change deniers and use the Bible as a basis for inaction. is module, presented by Rabbi Steven Abraham, will investigate the ways Jewish texts emphasize the relationships between people and the environment, as well as our roles and responsibilities to God, ourselves, and future generations in our stewardship of the world.

2. The IPCC and NOAA Reports: A Visual Summary. Recent reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provide alarming predictions of the impact of current trends on climate, the implications of failing to take action to slow and reverse these trends, and the narrow window of time open to us to act. is presentation, led by Marty Shukert, will review the findings and warnings of these two important documents. It will summarize the trends and consequences of climate change and set out the urgent need for action, the performance goals we must meet, and the consequences of inaction.

3. Promising Actions. is module, also presented by Marty Shukert, will examine promising directions that various people and organizations have recommended, with a special emphasis on policies that are capable of achieving broad agreement. In view of recent news, it will also review and evaluate the Green New Deal.

Following the three modules, participants will break into small group working lunches to consider information from the previous presentations and develop their own ideas for how to take action. ey will report their ideas to the whole group, which will then be compiled and distributed to all participants.

“While we struggle with many national and international issues on a daily basis,” Shukert said, “there is one critical issue that overrides them all – the continued habitability of our planet and the type of Credit: pixabay environment we are leaving for future generations. ere are people who tell us that climate change is normal; that there is nothing to worry about; and that the overwhelming evidence and near unanimous scientific consensus around the reality and effects of climate change on the earth and our very civilization are false and motivated by nefarious motives. I, for one, am unwilling to gamble the future of my grandchildren on the opinions of these people in the face of serious science and observable events. As Jews who traditionally see ourselves and the rest of humanity as God’s partners in creation, we have a special responsibility to be both informed and act on this challenge to not just ‘repair’ but also to save our world.

“Many of us do things that are useful in the name of saving the earth,” Shukert continued. “We recycle cans and newspapers and try to live our lives more efficiently. ese are all helpful and should be continued, but much broader and more extensive action is necessary to meet the challenge before us.

Our hope is that this Beth El initiative can be a first step toward doing what we can as individuals and a community to ensure a world that continues to sustain life l’dor va’dor.”

To register for Judaism and the Environment, go to the Beth El website: bethel-omaha.org or call the Synagogue at 402.492.8550.

Rocket fired from Gaza slams into home in central Israel

A long-range rocket fired from Gaza scored a direct hit on a home in gas tank, according to reports. central Israel, injuring seven, including two infants.

Family members inside the home did not have enough time to get Netanyahu said in a statement shortly after the attack announcing the door of the home’s reinforced room closed. A 6-month-old infant his return that Israel “will rewill be kept in the hospital spond forcefully.” overnight, and a 12-year-old girl “Several minutes ago I conwill have shrapnel removed from cluded a telephone update and her leg in surgery. The IDF said the consultation with the Chief-ofrocket was fired from the area of Staff, the head of the Israel SeRafah in the southern Gaza Strip, curity Agency and the head of more than 50 miles from where it the National Security Council,” landed. It is the farthest that a Netanyahu said in the statement. rocket from Gaza has been fired “There has been a criminal atsince the Gaza War in 2014, where tack on the State of Israel and rockets struck Haifa. It is also the we will respond forcefully. In area where more than a week ago light of the security events I have Israeli security forces inspect the scene of a house that was hit two rockets were fired at Tel Aviv. decided to cut short my visit to by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in Moshav Mishmeret in Following the attack, the central Israel, on March 25, 2019. the US. In a few hours I will IDF closed the Erez and Kerem Credit: Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90 Shalom crossings between Israel meet with President Trump; I will return to Israel immediately afterwards in order to manage our acand Gaza. In addition, the IDF sent two brigades to southern Israel tions from close at hand.” and was preparing to call up thousands of reservists.

Code Red rocket alert sirens sounded throughout the Sharon area No terror group in Gaza has claimed responsibility for the attack, of central Israel at about 5:20 a.m. Monday. The Iron Dome missile although the Israeli media reported that only Hamas and Islamic Jihad defense system was not activated by the rocket. The Israel Defense have such long-range missiles. The IDF later confirmed Hamas as reForce said it was investigating why the system failed to deploy, alsponsible. Hamas said the rocket was fired in error and that it does though IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said that the system not want an escalation with Israel. The terror group said it is investiwas not deployed in the area “based on an assessment of the situagating why the rocket was launched. tion.” Maj. Mika Lifshitz, a military spokeswoman, said the rocket had The attack came hours after Hamas prisoners stabbed two guards a range of 75 miles. at Ketziot Prison in southern Israel. At least 11 jailed Palestinians The home struck by the rocket is located in Moshav Mishmeret, a were injured in the aftermath of the stabbing, two critically. Following community of more than 1,000 located north of Tel Aviv near Nethe incident, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group issued a threat tanya. In addition to collapsing in its center, the home caught fire. to Israel that the “consequences for its aggression that will be felt by Shrapnel from the rocket damaged surrounding homes and pierced a soldiers and citizens.”

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12 | The Jewish Press | March 29, 2019

food

this cheesy pull-apart garlic bread babka is totally addictive

shannon sarna es, babka is usually sweet: chocolate and cinnamon are the most traditional flavors, as we learned many years ago from Seinfeld and Elaine.

But babka dough is delicious and versatile, and actually quicker to mix up than challah dough. By adding less sugar, you can make a dough that is the perfect

Ingredients: For the dough: 1 Tbsp. dry active yeast 1/2 cup lukewarm water 1/4 cup sugar + 1/2 tsp.

4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/2 cup whole or 2% milk (or almond milk) 3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) unsalted butter (or margarine), melted 2 large eggs For the garlic herb butter: 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 2 tsp. minced garlic 1/2 Tbsp. Italian herb blend (or mix together dried parsley, oregano, and basil) For the cheese: 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (not fresh mozzarella) 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese Directions: To make the dough: Place the yeast and ½ teaspoon sugar in a small bowl. Add the lukewarm water and stir gently to mix. Set aside until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together the flour and 1/4 cup sugar.

In a medium saucepan, scald the milk (bring almost to a boil, until milk is just simmering). Allow to sit for 1 minute to cool just slightly (or just add cold milk — see note above).

vessel for copious amounts of garlic butter and cheese. Instead of the traditional twisted shape, this version will have you cutting small squares, brushing with garlic butter, and stuffing with cheese. Fold squares and then layer on top of each other to create irresistible pull-apart layers that are perfect for dipping in, say, some store-bought marinara sauce.If making this babka seems like a daunting task, let me share a few shortcuts:

Don’t worry about “scalding” the milk while making the dough; you can just add straight from the fridge.

Buy a bag of pre-shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian cheese mix.

Buy Italian herb seasoning in the spice aisle.

Use pre-minced garlic you buy in the jar instead of peeling and mincing yourself.

cheesy pull-apart garlic bread babka

Place dough in a greased bowl with a damp towel on top. Allow to rise 1 to 2 hours.

Prepare two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2 greased loaf pans.

Cut the dough into two equal parts (use a food scale for precision). Set aside one half of the dough.

Roll out the one piece of dough into a large rectangle.

Using a pizza cutter or dough cutter, cut the dough down the middle lengthwise, then cut into approximately 3 inch squares.

Roll each square until slightly elongated with a rolling pin.

Brush each piece of dough with the garlic butter, then top with cheese. Fold into smaller squares/rectangles.

Once all the pieces of dough are filled with butter and cheese, place in a greased loaf pan so they are standing Credit: Shannon Sarna up. You can alternate with seam on top and seam on the bottom.

With mixer on low, add the water-yeast mixture, milk, and melted Repeat with the other piece of dough. butter. Add eggs one at a time.

Lightly drape a kitchen towel over the top of pans. Allow to rise When the dough begins to come together, after 2 to 3 minutes, another 15-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F while the dough rises. turn off mixer and scrape down the sides. Raise the speed to high Top with any additional cheese. and mix for another 5 to 10 minutes until the dough is shiny, elastic, Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden on top. and smooth. It may seem like a long time to mix, but the result is Brush with remaining melted butter as soon as you remove from worth the wait. (You can also knead vigorously by hand for 10 minthe oven. Serve warm with tomato sauce for dipping if desired. utes if you don’t have a stand mixer.)

Serves 2.

the

omaha

Beginning April 2019: Construction of Indoor Aquatic Center

We are excited to announce that the next phase of our campus renovation is about to take place! Over the next several months we will refurbish the indoor pool, add an indoor family-friendly recreational pool, and construct a new Mind-Body studio. Each campus renovation is done in accordance with our mission of building and maintaining a vibrant Jewish community, not only for today but for generations to come.

Indoor Aquatic Center The new Indoor Aquatic Center will feature: t t t t t t

Refurbished Lap Pool >P[O M\SS SHULZ UL^ ÄS[LY N\[[LY system & easy access stair entry Fitness Vortex Large Water Slide Lazy River Aqua Play Area Zero Entry Recreational Pool

Mind-Body Studio A new Mind-Body studio will be put in place of the current canteen area. It will be used for classes like Yoga, Mat Pilates & Total Barre.

The space will include a gender-neutral restroom.

Existing Indoor Pool Refurbished New! Family - Friendly Recreational Pool

Storage Space

Office & Laundry Space

The outdoor competition pool will open when indoor pool closes for renovation.

Visit www.jccomaha.org to see the time-line.

Questions? Email Alan Potash at alanpotash@jewishomaha.org or Mark Martin at mmartin@jccomaha.org.