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Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition releases new phone app to help prevent youth suicide Page 6
The Kaplan Book Group discovers there are really Jews in India Page 9
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ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor his Spring, two important days on the Jewish calendar are Yom HaZikaron, which starts the evening of May 3, and Yom Ha’atzmaut, which follows immediately after. The Jewish Federation of Omaha invites the community
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Ellie Penner establishes PACE Fund
OJAA Virtual Trivia Night Page 10
REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles
YOM HA’ATZMAUT
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LINDA POLLARD JFO Foundation Endowment Assistant/Staff Writer As a former Women’s Campaign Division Director of the Federation, Ellie Penner knows how campaign dollars impact the Omaha Jewish community. Never forgetting her years in Omaha and the importance of the Federation annual campaign, Ellie chose to give back. She recently established a PACE Fund at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. Ellie said, “Establishing a PACE fund allows me to say ‘thank you’ to the Jewish community of Omaha for providing the many opportunities for growth.” Ellie is a native of Yonkers, NY. She received her B.A. in Spanish from Sophie Newcomb College in New Or-
to both remember and celebrate with us on May 4, from 5:15-7:30 p.m. Our event will be a carnival outdoors, weather permitting. The location we have chosen for the carnival is exciting: we’re sure quite a few of you remember the old pool, located on the south side of our campus. The road adjacent to the See Yom Ha’atzmaut page 2
Let’s Celebrate Women
Deirdre Haj
Ellie Penner
leans, which is now a part of Tulane University. Before moving to Omaha, Ellie lived and worked in New York City. She worked for various brokerage firms and a mergers and acquisitions company. Ellie has a daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter who live in Overland Park, KS. Ellie’s stepdaughter lives with her husband in Los Angeles. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, See Ellie Penner page 3
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Jewish Press Editor Please join us on May 3, when the Jewish Federation of Omaha Women’s Spring Event will be held at Lola’s and Film Streams in Dundee. We have food, we have drinks, all we need for this evening to be a success is you! “Women philanthropists are the change-makers and communityshapers of the world,” the JFNA states. “We are sisters and daughters, mothers and friends, compassionate and committed women at every stage of life and career. Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy engages Jew-
ish women in the fulfilling work of making the world a better place. In every community, we are building and supporting Jewish life for today and for generations to come.” It is about more than philanthropy, it’s about all women in our community. The Jewish Federation of Omaha welcomes the opportunity to celebrate all we do together and in person. Our program kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with a pre-cocktail reception for women under 45. At 6 p.m., the cocktail reception is open to women of all ages, and at 7 p.m. we will start the speaker portion of the program. See Celebrate Women page 5
2 | The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022
YOM HA’ATZMAUT
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Continued from page 1 area will be blocked off so there will be foot traffic only. An ideal space to enjoy for market stalls, Israeli dancing, and even a small petting zoo! In case of inclement weather, we will move into the gymnasium. At 5:15 p.m., we will come together for an opening ceremony to remember Israel’s fallen soldiers, after which we will celebrate Israel’s independence with inflatables, face painting and arts and crafts for our youngest community members. Of course, we will also have Poppin’ Penelope, our trusted balloon artist. Tents will create a shuk, with local artists and crafters selling their wares. Each vendor will have their own booth, so things won’t get too crowded. In addition, the synagogues and Chabad will have their own booths, and the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue will host a trivia contest at 6:30 p.m. Of course, no celebration is complete without food. On the menu are kosher pizza (vegan and gluten free options are available), falafel, veggies and hummus, popcorn, water bottles and dessert – all available for purchase. Yom HaZikaron is the national remembrance day observed in Israel for all Israeli military personnel who lost their lives in the struggle that led to the establishment of the State of Israel and for those who have been killed subsequently while on active duty in Israel’s armed forces. As of Yom HaZikaron 2021, that number was 23,928. In Israel, the day opens with a siren at 8 p.m. on the preceding evening. This siren is heard all over the country and lasts
for one minute, during which Israelis stop everything, including driving on highways, and stand in silence, commemorating the fallen and showing respect. By law, all places of entertainment are closed on the eve of Yom HaZikaron, and broadcasting and educational bodies note the solemnity of the day. Regular television programs cease for the day, and the names and ranks of every soldier who died for Israel are displayed in a 24-hour television broadcast. Since the founding of the state, Israel has chosen the red everlasting flower (its Hebrew name means ‘Blood of the Maccabees’) as the national memorial flower. The flower is depicted in many memorial sites and can be seen worn as stickers on shirts and jackets throughout Yom HaZikaron. Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Iyar, which is the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the State of Israel, when members of the “provisional government” read and signed a declaration of independence in Tel Aviv. The original date corresponded to May 14, 1948; in 2022 it falls on May 4-5. RSVPs to our Yom Ha’atzmaut carnival are due by April 18 and can be sent here: https://app.mobilecause.com/ form/7n1oWQ?vid=qatys. This event is made possible through the generosity of the Murray H. & Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation, Herbert Goldsten Trust, and the following JFO Foundation funds: Special Donor-Advised Funds, Esther K. Newman Memorial Fund, Gertrude T. & Albert B. Newman Endowment, Morton A. Richards Youth Program Fund, Foundation IMPACT Grant.
Why a personal relationship is important to both doctors and their patients As the adage says, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, but what if instead of dreading your annual appointment with your doctor, you actually looked forward to it? Here at MembersMD, we pride ourselves on focusing on personalized health care. The cornerstone of that is the relationship between the doctor and patient. In a healthcare system that is overworked and understaffed, patients often feel as though they are simply another cog in the machine and their annual physical is just another box for them to check off their adult “to-do list.” When your doctor is someone who has taken the time to listen to your concerns, to answer your litany of questions, and to connect with you on a personal level, it opens a whole new realm of possibilities for your relationship with your health. Your doctor can be-
come a sounding board, an advocate, and a trusted confidant. However, any good relationship is a two-way street. When your doctor feels that they know you on a more personal level, they can care for you in a way that is unique, thoughtful, and meaningful. This care could range from researching the newest developments in medicine to help you deal with a chronic issue, to reaching out to you about new genetic testing that could help qualm your fears about issues in your medical history, to calling you and checking in after you’ve had an appointment with a specialist to answer any of your questions. When you and your doctor have a personal relationship, that personalized care comes naturally, and it can vastly change the way that you feel about and manage your health.
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The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022 | 3
J-Serve 2022 Recap
News LOCA L | N ATION AL | WORLD
Ellie Penner
JACOB GELTZER BBYO/Teen Program Director What a day we had at J-Serve 2022. On April 3, BBYO, Young Jewish Giving, Beth El, Temple Israel, and Beth Israel teamed up our middle school and high school members for a day of service to give back to our community. Teen planners Eva Bloom and Benjamin Kutler decided that this year’s J-Serve program would involve giving back to those in need. This year, we partnered with Kids Against Hunger to pack meals for the local food banks in Omaha. Kids Against Hunger is a nonprofit humanitarian organization with a mission to provide fully nutritious food to impoverished children and families around the world, and around the corner. The goal of the organization is for the meals to provide a stable nutritional base from which recipient families can move their families from starvation or food insecurity to self-sufficiency. Not only did we hit our goal and pack 3,000 apple cinnamon oatmeal packets, but we did it within 30 minutes! Participants enjoyed making a competition about which packing line could pack their meals the fastest, and knew that they were making a direct impact to people’s lives in Omaha. We can’t wait to participate in our next day of service soon. This program was supported in part by the generosity of the Special Donor Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.
Continued from page 1 whether in Tucson or Overland Park. Upon moving to Omaha in 1969, Ellie became a very active volunteer in the community. She served on the Board of Directors and as president of the NCJW-Omaha Section, and as secretary of NCJW’s Central District. Ellie was on the JCC Board and was Chair of the JCC Membership and Dance Committees. She also served on the JCC and Jewish Federation Nominating Committees, the Federation’s Budget & Allocation Committee, and on the Federation Board of Directors. Teaming up with others, Ellie worked on executing the first Teen Trip to Israel in 1987. In the greater Omaha area, Ellie served on the board and then as President of Planned Parenthood of Omaha/Council Bluffs. Jan Goldstein said, “I had the opportunity to work with Ellie professionally in the early 1990s for a short time, at the very beginning of my career, when she trained me to take over for her upon deciding to retire — for the first time! This was the Federation Women’s Campaign Director position, and Ellie defined it to its best.” Ellie worked for the Federation from fall 1985 to fall 1990. She served as the Federation Women’s Division Director, coordinating the Super Sunday campaign, and the annual meeting. She also directed a yearlong young leadership training program, a Midwest Women’s Mission to Israel, and coordinated the Welcome to Omaha program. In the fall of 1999, Ellie moved to Tucson, Arizona. She kept up to date on the events and people in the Omaha Jewish community through the Jewish Press. Three years after moving to Tucson, Ellie saw an ad in the Jewish Press for a Membership Services Coordinator/Assistant to the Director of an Overland Park synagogue. Ellie applied for the position and was hired. She moved to Overland Park, working at the synagogue for five years. After her time at the synagogue, Ellie
worked part-time at the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City until her retirement in 2010. Although retired, Ellie is not a ‘retiring’ type of person. She tries to keep active in mind and body every day. She keeps it physical with line dancing or water aerobics in Sun City, Arizona, and, while in Overland Park, Ellie will participate in a YouTube workout or Silver Sneakers aerobics class. For the last two winters, Ellie was the recording secretary for her line dancing club, and she also submits an article for the Sun City monthly publication. She reads every day, preferably fiction, and keeps up with current events. She also works on different word games and puzzles, which she describes as “relaxation.” However, Ellie admits that she does not feel compelled to do something every day, and gives herself permission to spend a day in her pajamas when she feels like it. Although she moved away from Omaha in the fall of 1990, Omaha has remained a part of Ellie Penner’s life. Ellie said, “I consider the 30 years I lived in Omaha as my most productive and meaningful. It was, first as a volunteer for Omaha Section, NCJW and then as an employee for the Jewish Federation of Omaha that I developed the skills (communication, interpersonal, and administrative) that allowed me to gain confidence and accept additional challenges.” Jan said, “The principles, beliefs and motivations we discussed in that office and the way she showed me how I needed to reach out to as many people in the community as I could are the fundamentals of what we do today and what brings us to where we are now at this point in time. This is what Ellie Penner is doing today by endowing her gift. She is doing what she asked others to do and what has been important to her throughout her life, ensuring the continuity of a strong Jewish community here in Omaha and for the Jewish people.” It is gratifying when former Omahans remember our city so See Ellie Penner page 4
CHAIRS: Nancy Schlessinger • Cindy Goldberg • Jess Cohn • Ally Freeman • Ellie Novak • Hillary Rubesin
Tuesday, May 3, 2022 6:00-8:00 p.m. Women’s Philanthropy of Jewish Federation of Omaha thanks you for your support and invites you to celebrate all that we’ve accomplished together. Please join us for a festive cocktail hour and an intimate
Speaker
Deirdre Haj Executive Director, Film Streams
conversation with Deirdre Haj, Executive Director, Film Streams. Ms. Haj will speak candidly about being a Jewish woman, coming up the ranks in the lucrative film industry and why diversity in filmmaking is more important than ever.
Film Streams Dundee / Lola’s 4952 Dodge Street | Omaha, Nebraska 68132
Please RSVP by April 28th online at jewishomaha.org or scan QR code.
For more information about this event please email Stacy Feldman at sfeldman@jewishomaha.org
4 | The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022
News
Ellie Penner
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Reducing access to lethal means KAREN M. GUSTAFSON, MS, NCC, LIMHP Jewish Family Service Executive Director Reducing access to lethal means of selfharm for a person at risk of suicide is an important part of a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. Many suicide attempts take place during a short-term crisis, so it is important to consider a person’s access to lethal means during these periods of increased risk, in order to reduce their risk of dying by suicide. “Lethal means” are items or actions that might be used in a suicide attempt that are likely to result in death. Firearms are the most lethal among suicide methods. Also of concern are medications that are lethal at high doses. Therefore, as part of our consistent work on suicide prevention in the community, Jewish Family Service (JFS) is putting our efforts behind this year’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30, 2022. This has become an annual event because of its importance in educating people about the dangers of prescription drugs left unlocked or in excess in our homes. When these medications get into the hands of someone who is suicidal, they can be deadly. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published a study that states nine out of 10 people who attempt suicide and survive will NOT go on to die by suicide at a later date. This is well established in the suicidology literature along with the knowledge that
when a person identifies a “means” that they want to use, and that “means” is not readily available, they do NOT typically choose another means to harm themselves. Hence, the
importance of restricting lethal means in the first place during the initial crisis period. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial pub-
lic safely and public health issue. “Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, leading to potential accidental poisoning, misuse, and overdose. Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment.” Findings from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health states, 9.7 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizer or sedatives. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. The DEA’s Take Back Day events provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths. Please help us. Help YOUR family or a family friend. Go to DEATakeBack.com for a collection site near you. Please dispose of unused medications “properly.” If you wish to have a lockbox for the medication that you need to store in your home, please call Jewish Family Service with your request. We can help you obtain a lockbox through Region 6 Behavioral Health.
ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS The award-winning B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS speaker program currently meets Wednesdays via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Please watch the Press for specific information concerning its thought-provoking, informative list of speakers. To be placed on the email list, contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com.
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Continued from page 3 fondly that they want to help ensure that a strong, active and engaged Jewish community endures in Omaha. Without the generosity of Ellie and those like her, we might not be handing down to the following generations the thriving Jewish community we are fortunate to experience. If you would like to establish an endowment fund, please contact Howard Epstein at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, 402.334.6466 or hepstein@jewishom aha.org.
Omaha Community Playhouse presents The Giver
The Giver is opening April 15 at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a utopian society with no war, no pain and no memories. All of life’s choices, from your occupation to your family members, are conveniently dictated by the government to keep things perfectly equal and functional. But when Jonas is chosen by The Giver to bear the memories of his society, past and present, he learns the truth behind his perfect world. Will Jonas fall in line or risk everything to forge a new path? Adapted by Eric Coble from the Newberry Awardwinning book by Lois Lowry, The Giver runs from April 15 through May 8 in the Hawks Mainstage Theatre at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at OmahaPlayhouse.com or by calling the OCP Box Office at 402.553.0800. Reserve your seats early for the best pricing and seating options. PAID ADVERTISEMENT
The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022 | 5
Celebrate Women
Continued from page 1 Event Chair Nancy Schlessinger met with Jenn Tompkins right after the latter moved into her current role as Executive Director/Community Philanthropy and Engagement “I wanted to explore a large community event for all Jewish women in Omaha, Lincoln, and Iowa. I just felt that an event for all women, no matter what level of giving, should be able to celebrate together who we are, what we do, and to excite more people to get involved in the women’s side of things for the Jewish Federation.” Our speaker is Deirdre Haj, Executive Director of Film Streams. She will speak candidly about being a Jewish woman, coming up the ranks in the film industry, and why diversity in filmmaking is more important than ever. Deirdre joined Film Streams after more than a decade leading the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival based in Durham, North Carolina. In addition to her executive leadership of Full Frame, she also served as Senior Advisor for Television and Film at Duke University since 2016. Prior to her roles at Full Frame and Duke, she worked between Hollywood studios and government agencies, drawing together film and television actors, producers and directors and federal agencies to examine onscreen depictions of various public health issues. Haj was selected to lead Film Streams following a national search led by a committee of Film Streams board members and facilitated by Arts Consulting Group. Nancy Schlessinger, Cindy Goldberg, Jess Cohn, Hillary Rubesin, Ally Freeman and Ellie Novak are co-chairing the event. “An event like this is even more meaningful now that we can be in person,” Nancy said. “Being able to get out and do something not behind the computer screen is something to look forward to! We may be a smaller community, but we are filled with amazing women of all ages who come from different backgrounds and bring different interests. I hope that this will be a special way to mingle and get to know one another again. Hearing from Deirdre Haj, who has a really cool background in women’s leadership and film, is very exciting. In addition, I am a huge fan and supporter of Filmstreams. This venue offers us a terrific space that evening, as well as Lola’s with delicious food that is certain to please!” There is no cost to attend the program, but RSVPs are needed and can be submitted at https://app.mobilecause.com/ form/aVnRUQ?vid=r1gbi, or visit our website at www.jew ishomaha.org and click on the Women’s Philanthropy slider.
A moment of wonder and joy at the J ANNA PATKOVSKY Some people, due to health problems, may encounter barriers that prevent them from exercising. My name is Anna Patkovsky, and I am one of them. Needless to say, any physical activity that improves or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness is important. I need to include fitness in my daily routine for a variety of reasons, including strengthening my muscles and cardiovascular system, honing my athletic skills, overcoming psychological obstacles, and just having fun. Being surrounded by the positive attitude of people at JCC towards me is a moment of wonder and joy! I would like to express my deep grat-
Anna Patkovsky
itude to everyone who attends my “Group Lessons” classes at the JCC for congratulating me on my birthday in
March. Thank you for the wonderful wishes, beautiful gifts, and delicious cake. This means a lot to me. THANK YOU especially to Daron Kruse for organizing such a beautiful and touching event. Fitness gives me strength and vigor. Every daily workout at the JCC allows me to open new horizons. Thank you, wonderful instructors and my colleagues in fitness classes. Thank you for the fruitful work both on the body and the inner mood. Thank you for your help and support, your understanding and sensitivity. Thank you for the confidence and freedom that I gain after each class. I wish you great success, good luck, and frequent reasons for joy!
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6 | The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022
2022 HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS AND PARENTS We will be publishing our annual High School Graduation Class pages on May 27, 2022. To be included, send us an email with the student’s name, parents names, high school they are attending, the college they will be attending and photo to: jpress@jewishomaha.org by May 1, 2022.
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Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition releases new phone app to help prevent youth suicide The Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition has released an app called My Companion Journal that aims to prevent youth suicide in Nebraska and helps students cope with mental health issues. “This application for smartphones allows youth to communicate their feelings in a journal-like format,” said Dave Miers, Ph.D., founder of the coalition and director of behavioral health services at Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln. “Connectedness saves lives, and this app helps youth learn to develop and use such connections. With My Companion, they can create a support system and crisis system, including warning signs of possible suicide.” Users can log daily reflections, input contacts to reach in an emergency, access resources, reach hotlines easily and submit an anonymous tip. My Companion was created in collaboration with Don’t Panic Labs, Boys Town National Hotline and many generous supporters including the Kim Foundation. It’s modeled after a similar app released in Utah. More than 800,000 students have access to the app in that state, and over 500 life-saving interventions were initiated in a nine-month period because of the app. Dr. Miers said, “My Companion is focused on youth in our state, and it’s a great way for them to interact in a positive, healthy way and
have suicide prevention resources in their hands when and if needed.” Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Nebraskans ages 15 to 24.
“This app will make a difference in many lives. Suicide is preventable. There is hope, there is help, and there are resources,” he said. My Companion app is now LIVE in both the App Store - Apple and Google Play Store! Here is the link for iOS platforms: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mycom panion-journal/id1558734264. Here is the link for Android platforms: https://play. google.com/store/apps/de tails?id=com.nsp.companion.
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The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022 | 7
News
Partnership visit
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ELC Purim Parade and Spiel
Marcy Paul talking to Eric Shapiro, Mosah Goodman, and Robby Erlich at the Ben Gurion Society breakfast.
LEIGH CHAVES JFO Israel Engagement and Outreach Director On Monday, April 4, guests from our Partnership2Gether (P2G) program visited Omaha for a jam-packed day of making connections and friendships. Our guests included Dr. Marcy Paul, US Central Consortium Director; Golan Rozenberg, Israel Chair for Community Engagement; and LaDona Fishkin, US Chair for Community Engagement. Our Partnership Consortium includes the Western Galilee, Israel, Budapest, Hungary, and 16 communities in the United States. The P2G program promotes people-to-people relationships through cultural, social, medical, educational, and economic programs. Partnership goes beyond the above mission pulled from the website, however. Partnership means networking over breakfast with the Ben Gurion Society, collaborating with The Schwalb Center at UNO, working with The Omaha Conservatory of Music to provide lessons overseas, singing and dancing to “boker tov chaverim!” in the Federation lobby with the JCC directors, brainstorming ideas with the CRC, chatting with donors over cocktails, making new friends over dinner with the Israel and Overseas Committee, and sharing hugs at the end of the evening. See Partnership visit page 8
SAM KRICSFELD Jewish Press Staff Writer Purim 2020 was the last Jewish holiday before the COVID19 pandemic started. The Pennie Z. Davis Early Learning Center (ELC) (then the Pennie Z. Davis Childhood Development Center) celebrated Purim with its students and their families. Less than a week before statewide shutdowns went into effect, we all were blissfully unaware of what was to come — and probably eating too many hamantaschen. Now we’ve made it past Purim 2022, and the ELC was finally able to celebrate in person again. The ELC Purim Parade and Spiel was held in person and packed with fun on March 18. Staenberg Omaha JCC Executive Director Mark Martin said it had been exactly two years and a day since the last largescale, in-person ELC event. “Let’s move forward,” he said. “The last 104 weeks have been never-ending.” Lisa Cooper, the ELC’s director, was thrilled by the turnout and the atmosphere. Martin said he lost count at 250 attendees, and Cooper said she heard that about 300 people came
to celebrate Purim with the ELC. “I didn’t realize how much I had missed this until I was in the middle of it,” Cooper said about the ELC’s in-person celebration. “Seeing the children so excited, seeing our staff coming together, having several other JCC Directors help out, and of course all of our families being here together... It was such a great reminder of who we are as a school.” This year, the original plan was for the ELC Purim event to simply be a parade outside in the front driveway, but uncooperative weather resulted in the parade being in the gymnasium of the Staenberg Omaha JCC. The change in venue allowed the ELC to add a Purim spiel that could be presented indoors and heard by all attendees. Guests sat on the gymnasium’s tiered bleachers as students performed, engaged, and had a great time. The parade itself consisted of students in some fantastic Purim costumes — everyone from princesses and queens to superheroes and police officers were represented in the wide array of outfits. Amy Dworin, the ELC’s assistant director, See ELC Purim page 8
Co-Sponsor of the Taylor Force Act
DON BACON IS ENDORSED BY: Pro-Israel America Republican Jewish Coalition ǿƊǘƊ §ȌǶǞƧƵ Ǐ˛ƧƵȲȺ ȺȺȌƧǞƊɈǞȌȁ Nebraska Farm Bureau Mayor Jean Stothert
8 | The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022
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ELC Purim
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Partnership visit
Partnership guests and the JCC directors
Ruth Meints (executive director of the Omaha Conservatory of Music) giving a tour to Marcy Paul and LaDona Fishkin
Continued from page 7 With a few new P2G staff and a dedicated JFO staff member for Partnership, our relationship and programming with our consortium will only continue to grow and evolve. For information on how to get involved with our Partnership2Gether program, contact Leigh Chaves at lchaves@jewishomaha.org.
IN THE NEWS Greer Fay Cashman, the popular Grapevine gossip columnist, wrote in her March 25 (weekend) column: “Journalist and author Sybil Kaplan ( a regular contributor to the Omaha Jewish Press) is best known for editing, writing and reviewing cookbooks, but she has a few other strings to her bow. In her younger years, she was the first leader of Hatzaad Harishon, a youth group of black Jewish youth that was formed in the [1960s] in New York by white and black Jews. She led the group for five years. At some stage in the 1970s, the organization ceased to exist. Because she regards it as an important chapter in AmericanJewish history, Kaplan has written a book about Hatzaad Harishon but would like to augment it with the memories of some
of its former members from the 1960s. She is hoping that some of them may have moved to Israel, or even if not, and wish to correspond by email to share some of their recollections. She would love for them, or anyone else familiar with Hatzaad Harishon, to be in contact with her at sybilkaplan1938@aol.com.” Jewish Family Service is looking for a Licensed Mental Health Therapist. Jewish Federation of Omaha, Jewish Family Service, 333 S. 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154. From $27 an hour - Part-time. Interested parties can submit their resume to tdrelicharz @jfsomaha.com.
Continued from page 7 played some upbeat Purim music on a loop as the children first walked into the gymnasium. Each class did a circle around the basketball court for the audience (consisting mostly of the students’ parents and grandparents), and students got their “big moment.” When asked about her favorite costume of the parade, Cooper said, “There were so many great ones. How do you pick just one?” The vibrant atmosphere in the gymnasium was incredible. “Everyone was so happy and excited to be together,” Cooper said. The ELC’s Purim Parade and Spiel only lasted a brief 30 minutes, but it certainly had effects on all the people involved. Two years of Zoom calls or socially-distant holidays and parties has left everyone fatigued — especially families. The ability for the children to dress up and goof off for their families — and the ability for the parents and grandparents to watch their kids celebrate — was restorative and rejuvenating. “We received so many emails from parents that they were so happy to be back together and see their children at an event like this,” Cooper said. The feedback was universally positive. Through its Purim Parade and Spiel, the ELC reminded everyone what celebrations are supposed to feel like. The ELC, Staenberg Omaha JCC, and Jewish Federation of Omaha and its agencies look forward to many more in-person, vibrant, meaningful events.
Israel’s Independence Day Celebration WEDNESDAY • MAY 4th • 5-7 PM An opening ceremony will kick off the evening at 5:15 p.m. Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus 333 South 132nd Street • Omaha, NE
This OUTDOOR CELEBRATION* of Israel will resemble an Israeli shuk, or marketplace where LOCAL VENDORS will sell arts & crafts, jewelry, food, and more. ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGES will include face painting, petting zoo, photo booth, Israeli dancing, crafts, games, and more! Plus the B’nai Brith Trivia Contest will begin at 6:30 pm in the Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue. *In case of rain, the outdoor celebration will be moved indoors to the Staenberg Omaha JCC gymnasium.
Scan QR code to register and receive event details! Registrations encouraged by April 18th
www.jewishomaha.org Sponsored by the Murray H. & Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation, Herbert Goldsten Trust, and the following JFO Foundation funds: Special Donor-Advised Funds, Esther K. Newman Memorial Fund, Gertrude T. & Albert B. Newman Endowment, Morton A. Richards Youth Program Fund, Foundation IMPACT Grant.
The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022 | 9
The Kaplan Book Group discovers there really are Jews in India
SHIRLY BANNER JFO Kripke Jewish Federation Library Specialist On April 21, the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will gather for their monthly meeting. Group members have the choice of meeting either via Zoom or in person in the Benjamin & Anna E. Wiesman Reception Room in the Staenberg Jewish Community Center. They will be discussing documentary filmmaker Sadia Shepard’s memoir, The Girl From Foreign. Have you ever heard about the lost tribes of Israel? The original members of the Bene Israel community who left Israel and were shipwrecked in India more than 2000 years ago are thought by many to be members of the ten lost tribes of Israel. Through her memoir, The Girl From Foreign, and armed with the backing of a Fulbright Scholarship, Sadia Shepard was able to study and film some of the present day members of the Bene Israel community of India. In doing so, she was fulfilling a promise made to her beloved grandmother a year before her death — that she would return to India and Pakistan to trace the ancestry of her grandmother and other descendants of the Bene Israeli community. As Sadia explores the struggling and slowly dwindling number of members of the Bene Israel community of India who still remain, she also discovers many secrets about her complicated family history. Sadia’s memoir becomes a three-part
journey of discovery: her grandmother’s history, the story of the Bene Israel community, and a voyage of self-discovery about her complicated lineage and religious background. Rachel Jacobs/ Rahat
Siddiqi, Sadia’s grandmother, was born an Indian Jew and a descendent of Bene Israel; her mother was a Pakistani Muslim, and her father was a Christian American. Rachel’s/Rahat’s life in India and Pakistan is a complicated one and steeped in family traditions and complexities. Through Sadia’s photos and narrations, we experience her introduction to various Jewish customs, education, and
livelihoods of various Bene Israel members who still remain in Pune and Bombay, India. Perhaps the most troubling journey Sadia undergoes is her learning more about the Bene Israel community and its Jewish customs. She is often confronted by others in regards to her seeming ambivalence about religion; is she Jewish, Muslim, or Christian? Through her complex journey, Sadia comes to say, “For each of us, there is a time in our lives that we return to again and again in our thoughts, a place we walk through silently.” So too is the path she is following — that of her grandmother’s past which may lead to changes in the path of her future. Please feel free to join us on April 21 in person or via Zoom. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion group meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. New members are always welcome. To view books discussed by the group over the past several years, go to www.jewish omaha.org, click on the “Community & Education” pulldown tab and navigate to “Kripke Jewish Federation Library,” then to “Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group.” The group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For information about the group and to join in the discussion, contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org.
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OJAA Virtual Trivia Night JAY KATELMAN JFO Foundation Director of Community Development and LIFE & LEGACY/OJAA Coordinator If you enjoy trivia and socializing with friends old and new, far and near, you will really enjoy the Omaha Jewish Alumni Association (OJAA) trivia night. The OJAA FREE Trivia event is on April 28, 2022, at 7 p.m. Central time. The event will be run by a professional trivia company and will last one hour. Those who register individually will be placed into teams randomly, which is half the fun! We had a similar event in February of 2021. However, these will be all new questions. The event will be customized to focus on Omaha and the Omaha Jewish community’s past, and it will take many of you back in time, while hopefully challenging you too. Please let all your friends and family know. Visit the website to register at https:// tinyurl .com/OJAATrivia. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Prizes will be awarded to the winning team. Trivia Mafia, a Minneapolis-based company, will moderate the trivia event. Trivia Mafia is committed to providing the best trivia — even in a world when we can barely gather in person. Join us on Zoom for a fresh batch of enjoyably challenging questions
about all kinds of topics, most based in the Jewish community of Omaha. HOW DOES IT WORK? • Follow the Zoom link provided to start the game; you can download Zoom on your computer, use the app on your phone or tablet, or join on the web (there’s even an extension for Chrome). You can join up to 20 minutes early and size up the competition! • Show your team spirit by changing your screen name to start with your team name once you join. (This will also help the host sort you into the correct room.) If you prefer to take your chances with a new group of friends, then put “Random” as your team name. • Your team will have its own Breakout Room to discuss the questions after each round. Plan to take notes while the questions are being read. • The host will go over the rules, read a round of five questions, then open the rooms (you’ll see a prompt to join your room at that time). • You’ll have five minutes to confer about the answers, and one person from your team will submit answers via a Google Form (provided during the rules). • The game will be four rounds of questions and take about an hour, and you’ll see the team standings by the end #braggingrights. • We hope you enjoy a fun quiz where you learn something new about the world, or at least about your teams.
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The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022 | 11
Above and below: Even though Purim is over, we had so many photos, we will keep posting them just a little longer. Here are some great costumes from Beth Israel.
The Lincoln Jewish Community celebrated Purim with megillah, magic and merriment. Pictured are: above: Brenda Friedman and Charlie Friedman, and below: The Bloom-Kelen Family.
Top, above and below: A Spring Fling Tea at RBJH: A few ladies enjoyed an elegant tea to celebrate spring. The group read spiritual cards from Israel and had a lovely spread from the Bagel Bin and delicious cupcakes made by the NW Residents. Thank you to the Julius Froom & Phil & Minnie Freeman Restricted Endowment Fund from the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.
Below: The newest reader of the Jewish Press, Vicki Allely’s granddaughter.
SP O TLIGHT PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a photo of a recent Jewish Community event you would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.
Above and right: This Purim, for the first time in two years, the ELC was able to invite families for an inside celebration. Mazel tov!
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12 | The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022
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Zelensky on stage
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor For most of us, it’s difficult to imagine what the situation in Ukraine is like. We see plenty of images, but don’t always have context and we don’t own this story—we have to be told and taught by others who are closer to the fire. And we can cringe when we see images of destruction and the dead—but it still doesn’t seem real. One of the more bizarre moments in the Russian-Ukraine War to date was perhaps Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy addressing the audience during last week’s Grammy Award show. The contrast between Zelenksy on screen in his army T-shirt and the room full of Gucci- and Vuitton-clad pop stars was surreal. Listening to him speak profound and true and heartbreaking words, even if they were pre-recorded, felt like an out-ofbody experience. “What is more opposite to music?” he asked the crowd. “The silence of ruined cities and killed people. Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded. In hospitals.” There was applause, of course, and there was quiet. But then the evening went on like before, with winners and losers and really cool performances. Because the world keeps turning, and the show must go on, even if halfway across the world people are dying. I’m not necessarily stating that as a criticism; I think the Grammys did alright with this clip of Zelensky. It’s okay to juxtapose a besieged leader speaking from a bunker with icons of the music industry who are supposedly having a good night.
Pop culture and politics shouldn’t mix, critics have said for years. I may think so myself, when yet another artist signs a pledge to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, or expresses the desire to not perform in Israel. However, at no time have I watched a politician in Zelensky’s position use this avenue to speak to the world as he did.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky flashes a peace sign during a workout in December 2021. Credit: Instagram
Will it make a difference? Hard to say. Speaking to the United Nations or the European Union, or to NATO, or to any individual government, so far hasn’t resulted in the level of support Zelensky would like, I’m sure. In that sense, speaking at the Grammys probably won’t do much either. What he does gain is an ever-growing awareness about what is happening on the ground in Ukraine.
Nobody will ever be able to say “we didn’t know what was happening,” the way they did after the Holocaust. Because we do know— it’s impossible not to know. It’s an interesting phenomenon, the marketing of your own war story. Of course, Putin has been doing it for years, but we expect that from a dictator. For a democratic leader, thinking about PR in this context is an entirely different thing. Yet, this is a large portion of Zelensky’s job. There’s strategy for war, and then there’s the strategy for talking about that war. Remember that old adage about how history is written by the victors? In 2022, that is no longer the case. These days, history is written by everybody with a smartphone. It is written by the aggressor, and by the one receiving the aggression; it is written by the advancing soldier and by the refugee. It is written in words and images at the speed of light. It is headline news, and Zelensky’s stage is much, much bigger than the Grammys alone- his stage is every phone, every desktop, every streaming service and every television. Because he words things better than I do, I’ll leave you with this fragment from Zelensky’s Grammy speech: “We are fighting Russia,” Zelensky said, “which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence. Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today to tell our story. Tell the truth about the war on your social networks, on TV. Support us in any way you can. Any — but not silence. And then peace will come.”
Ukraine, Russia and the unbearable lightness of ‘never again’ YEHUDA KURTZER JTA After decades of fearing that we would forget the horrors of our recent past, I am starting to fear the opposite possibility: that we Jews remember our history all too well but feel powerless to act on its lessons. The Russian invasion of Ukraine invites analogies to our traumatic past. History begs us to learn from what came before. These analogies to the past are never perfect. Seeing analogies between past and present does not mean we think that anything that happened in the past would be identical to anything happening in the present. For comparisons to be useful, however, they need not be exact. It is enough for us as Jews to see familiarity in the past and resemblance in the present. We do this to activate our sense of responsibility, to ask if we have seen this plot point before, to figure out how we are supposed to act in the story to change the inevitability of the outcome. We become different people when we remember, as the past merges with the present and points to the choices we might make. But now: What if we remember well, but cannot act upon it? Will Jewish memory become a prison of our powerlessness? I grew up believing that appeasement was just one rung above fascist tyranny itself, and at times possibly worse: Appeasers replace responsibility with naivete and facilitate demonic evil even when they know better. The narrative of the West juxtaposes Churchill the hero with Chamberlain the villain; the philosopher Avishai Margalit uses Chamberlain as the archetype of the “rotten compromise,” for making concessions that make people skeptical of the morality of compromise altogether. I know that the sanctions regime imposed against Putin’s Russia and his oligarchs are the most severe in history, and still I wonder: What is the threshold of appeasement, and will we know if we have crossed it? We still debate FDR’s decision not to bomb the train tracks leading to Auschwitz. It was a viable option, and we know this because Jewish leaders pleaded with American officials to consider it, and they decided against it. None of us has any idea
whether such a bombing operation would have cide, a banner to fight immigrant detention, a slosucceeded, much less whether it would have made gan for schools and gun control. And whatever we a dent in the Final Solution. But our memory of the wanted the legacy of the Shoah to be, we have in story makes us wonder whether it might have, and no case been successful. American presidents it makes us furiously study the current invasion, mouthed these words seriously even as they failed seeking opportunities for a similar intervention. to intervene, or intervened too late, to stop genoAt the same time, we fear that we will only know cides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur, Syria and elsewhat actions we should have taken a long time where. If the fear was forgetting, it was unfounded. from now, and that our children will study such actions with the same helplessness that plagues us when we read about FDR’s decisions. My greatg ra n d p a re n t s came to America well before World War II. But I have read about and feel chastened by A giant Ukrainian flag flies from a hotel directly across the street from the Russian EmAmerica’s turnbassy in Washington, D.C., March 10, 2022. Credit: Victoria Pickering/Flickr Commons ing away Jewish refugees during the war. I am in shock watching the But remembering and acting on the memory is largest and fastest-developing refugee crisis unfold- something else entirely. The legacy of our past ining before us and seeing our country failing to par- dicts us when we can’t carry the former into the ticipate in a proportionate way — given our size latter. and economic power — to the absorption and reI never expected — even watching the politics of settlement efforts. Why do we have a museum cel- memory pull apart the legacy of remembering for ebrating American intervention in wartime, as we opposing political ends — that we would shift from do in the United States Holocaust Memorial Mu- a fear of forgetting to the fear that comes with reseum, and why do we have such a profound educa- membering. The past glares at us now, it revisits us tional apparatus focused on helping Americans every day in the news cycle, and I am scared. It is understand how to not be a bystander, if not for not because we have forgotten it, but precisely bemoments like this? cause we remember it, and we do not know how to It is not hard to imagine the museum that will heed it. one day mark this unfolding atrocity. Yehuda Kurtzer is the president of the Shalom Our insistence on memory — and the belief that Hartman Institute of North America and host it will change things — never quite works. This is of the Identity/Crisis podcast. because the invocation of memory can be banal, The views and opinions expressed in this article are and because it can pull us apart. “Never again” is those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the everywhere now — Meir Kahane’s appeal to Jewish views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media. self-defense became a rallying cry to prevent geno-
The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022 | 13
For a Polish Jew like me, the war on Ukraine is about our shared futures KONSTANTY GEBERT JTA As a Jew growing up in Poland, I participated in the Polish democratic opposition of the 1970s, then the pro-democracy Solidarity movement and finally the anti-Communist underground of the 1980s. I was very painfully aware that some of my fellow militants were antisemitic, and that at times this antisemitism, not a love of freedom, could be the main motivation of their actions. Yet I had no doubt that if we won and secured freedom for all, antisemites included, it would have been well worth it. Thirty years of an independent and free Poland have given me no reasons to question that commitment, even though antisemitism remains a visible presence, occasionally threatening and always obscene. When Russia first invaded our eastern neighbor one month ago, some around the world were puzzled about how Jews could so easily support Ukraine, given what Jews suffered there during the Shoah. Neither have Poles forgotten about the fierce Ukrainian-led massacres of World War II, which claimed the lives of 120,000 Poles, and even if they remember the Russian occupation up to World War I and after World War II. But here in Poland, and in neighboring countries in Central Europe, there was no question about supporting Ukraine. Figures and institutions like the chief rabbi, the Union of Jewish Religious Communities, the Polin Museum and local Jewish communities centers, as well as other Jewish institutions and organizations, immediately expressed solidarity with Ukraine. To understand this, you need consider the value of freedom. Freedom is something many outside observers take for granted, having, like their parents, enjoyed it all their lives. Even I, though I have spent more than the first half of my life deprived of its blessings, no longer think twice about writing and publishing what I think, under my own name, and without fear of repression. Similarly, the Ukrainians, despite the dysfunctional, heavyhanded and corrupt state that emerged after independence, eventually won their freedom at the price of blood, during the Maidan Revolution of 2013–14. This is the freedom Russia would now take away from them. The yearning for freedom is why I publicly endorsed the Ukrainian Orange Revolution of 2004. Some other Jewish ob-
servers, no less knowledgeable about East Central Europe, criticized me by stressing that “Ukraine is not Poland.” In other words, they reasoned, the Polish experiment in democracy could not be expected to succeed in its eastern neighbor — and, given the heavy legacy of Ukrainian antisemitism, did not deserve to be supported there.
A pro-Ukraine march in the Main Square of Krakow, Poland, March 24, 2022. Credit: Omar Marques/Getty Images
Their fear was legitimate, but has proven unsubstantiated: There is less antisemitism in Ukraine today than in Poland, even if the organized presence of extreme nationalists there gives grounds for serious concern. Those who do not understand our support for Ukraine overlook another fundamental thing: This is not about the past. It is about the future. To be sure, Ukrainians have not yet fully owned up to the unspeakable suffering they inflicted on Jews and Poles alike, if not equally, during World War II. But Poles, too, have yet to fully acknowledge their own role. Ukrainians, Poles and Jews who lived under the former Soviet Union will, like the Russians, have to make a reckoning of their roles as both victims and servants of the bloody Soviet system. This is not to say that history is just a cruel mess, full of unacknowledged and unpunished crimes everybody is guilty of. We can make sense of history, and different crimes are not equal to each other. But in order for this reckoning to take place at all, we need freedom. And freedom is what the war is all about. Only after denying Russians their freedom could Putin send his army into Ukraine to deny Ukrainians the same. Poles and
Jews support Ukrainians under the old Polish revolutionary slogan, “For our freedom and yours.” The Russian army could adopt a counter-slogan: “For your oppression and ours.” Russia had become a corrupt and lawless dictatorship just as Ukraine was ceasing to be one. Their smaller Western neighbor was becoming, to Russians, an alternative to their dictatorial present. The only way to protect that present was to destroy the alternative. Hence the missiles against Kyiv. The Polish Jewish community has prepared reception centers for Ukrainian refugees near the border, and in Lublin, Łódz and near Warsaw. Thousands of people have already been assisted. “How many of them are Jewish?” a journalist from a haredi publication asked in a phone interview with Poland’s Chief Rabbi, Michael Schudrich. “I don’t have the faintest idea,” answered Schudrich, “but I know they were all God’s children.” The journalist hung up, and a minute later called again – not to apologize, but to angrily comment that he “doesn’t need to be preached at.” “Oh, but he does,” Schudrich told me. Freedom is never given once and for all. Shameful democratic backsliding, not just in Poland but in Hungary and Slovenia, demonstrates this all too clearly. And there is no guarantee that Ukraine, if it manages to repel the Russian onslaught, will become a democratic showcase, happily engaging in debate about the sins of its past. It is legitimate to be skeptical. But there can be no doubt that if Putin wins, freedom will not have a chance. Just look at Russia today (or at Russia Today before it abruptly shut down). Or imagine Poland after such a victory, say, 10 years from now. Between Putin’s brutal terror, and our homegrown autocrats, freedom would not stand much of a chance. Should Jews care? If this were a Monopoly game, and if there were a “Get out of history free” card, I wouldn’t blame those who would grab it in order to show it to the next jackbooted thug who came to break down their door. But good luck to anyone who thinks the men with guns will play by the rules of the game. Or believe it’s a game at all. Konstanty Gebert is a veteran Polish journalist, Jewish community figure and former underground activist in Warsaw. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
The Jewish Press Endowment The purpose of this endowment fund is to ensure the Omaha Jewish Press continues to serve the Omaha Jewish Community. Here’s how you can help: $36 pays for two weeks of office supplies $180 covers the monthly cost of our copier contract $360 helps us develop new content, such as our author series $1,800 will cover two weeks of printing the Jewish Press Fill out the information below and simply return it to the Jewish Press office, or visit us online at http://www.omahajewishpress.com.
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Synagogues
14 | The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 712.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE
Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Street Omaha, NE 68154-1980 402.492.8550 bethel-omaha.org
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154 402.556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org
CHABAD HOUSE
An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646 402.330.1800 OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com
LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN
South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE
Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123 402.294.6244 email: oafbjsll@icloud.com
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME
323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154 rbjh.com
TEMPLE ISRAEL
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive Omaha, NE 68144-1206 402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com
LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: TIFERETH ISRAEL
Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org
B’NAI ISRAEL Join us on Friday, May 13, 7 p.m. for evening services with a guest speaker. The service will be led by Larry Blass. For information on COVID-related closures and about our historic synagogue, please contact Howard Kutler at hkutler@hotmail.com or any of our other board members: Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Mary-Beth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.
BETH EL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON MINYAN SCHEDULE: Mornings on Sundays, 9:30 a.m.; Mondays and Thursdays, 7 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Shacharit/Siyyum B’korim, 7 a.m. followed by Biur Chametz; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Passover Day 1/Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Mincha, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Zoom; Passover Seder, 6:30 p.m. at Beth El; No Havdalah this week. SUNDAY: Passover Festival Morning Services Day 2, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Ma’ariv, 8:45 p.m. Zoom only. MONDAY: Conversation with Lisa Scottoline, 7:30 p.m. Zoom only. TUESDAY: Mussar, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham at Beth El & Zoom. WEDNESDAY: Virtual Tai Chi, 3:15 p.m. with Beth Staenberg. FRIDAY-Apr. 22: Passover Festival Morning Services Day 7, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream. SATURDAY-Apr. 23: Shabbat Morning/Passover Morning Services Day 8 with Yizkor, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Havdalah, 8:50 p.m. Zoom only. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.
BETH ISRAEL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. Classes, Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah on Zoom, WhatsApp or Facebook Live. On site services held outside in pergola, weather permitting. Physical distancing and masks required. FRIDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Taanit Bechorot (Fast of the Firstborn) Siyum, 7:30 a.m.; Deeping Prayer, 7:45 a.m.; Lastest time to eat chometz, 10:47 a.m.; Chometz Burning, 11 a.m.-noon at Beth Israel; Synagogue Office Closes Early, noon; Latest time to dispose of chometz, 12:06 p.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 7:46 p.m.; Earliest Time to start first seder, 8:47 p.m.; (Sat) Chatzot Layla (Must eat afikomen by this time), 1:24 a.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 7:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha, 7:50 p.m.; Shalosh Seudos/ Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 8:10 p.m.; Ma’ariv/ Candlelighting/Earliest Time for Second Seder/Begin counting the Omer, 8:47 p.m.; Pesach Seder, 9 p.m. at Beth Israel; (Sun) Chatzot Layla (Must eat afikomen by this time), 1:24 a.m. SUNDAY: Chag Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Chag, 10:30 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 7:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:50 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:50 p.m. MONDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.;
Deeping Prayer, 7:45 a.m. (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 7:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:50 p.m. TUESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Deeping Prayer, 7:45 a.m. (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 7:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:50 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Deeping Prayer, 7:45 a.m. (Zoom); Board of Directors Meeting, 7 p.m.; Daf Yomi, 7:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:50 p.m. THURSDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Deeping Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 7:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/ Ma’ariv/Candlelighting, 7:50 p.m. FRIDAY-Apr. 22: Chag Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Chag, 10:30 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 7:50 p.m. SATURDAY-Apr. 23: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 7:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha, 7:50 p.m.; Shalosh Seudos/Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 8:10 p.m.; Ma’ariv/Havdalah, 8:57 p.m. Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.
CHABAD HOUSE All services are in-person. All classes are being offered in-person/Zoom hybrid (Ochabad.com/classroom). For more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.com or call the office at 402.330.1800. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8:30 a.m.; Finish Eating Chametz before 11:09 a.m.; Sell and Burn Chametz before 12:16 p.m.; Pesach Seder, 7:30 p.m. Free of Charge. All are welcome! RSVP at seder@ochabad. com; Candlelighting, 7:46 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Lunch; Candlelighting, 8:48 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m.; Yom Tov Ends, 8:49 p.m. MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha Class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani Katzman; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen. TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Virtual Pirkei Avot Women’s Class, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Introduction to Hebrew Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen. THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Advanced Hebrew Class, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 18 — No advance experience necessary), noon with Rabbi Katzman; Candlelighting, 7:53 p.m. FRIDAY-Apr. 22: Shacharit, 10 a.m.; Candlelighting, 7:54 p.m. SATURDAY-Apr. 23: Shacharit, 10 a.m.; Yizkor, 11 a.m.; Moshiach Meal, 7 p.m.; Yom Tov Ends, 8:57 p.m.
LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. Note: Some of our services, but not all, are now being offered in person. FRIDAY: Fast Begins, 5:21 a.m.; No Erev Shabbat Service; Fast Ends, 7:48 p.m.; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:48 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; No Torah Study; Community 2nd
Night Seder, 6 p.m. at SST; Candlelghting, 8:50 p.m. SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes; Men's Jewish Bike Group of Lincoln meets Sundays at 10 a.m., rain or shine, to ride to one of The Mill locations from Hanson Ct. (except we drive if it’s too wet, cold, cloudy, windy, hot or humid) followed by coffee and spirited discussions. If interested, please email Al Weiss at alb ertw801@gmail.com to find out where to meet each week; Jewish Book Club, 1:30 p.m. and will discuss Turbulent Souls or Not by the Sword by Kathryn Watterson via Zoom; We will put pickleball on hiatus while we are not holding in-person services. When we start up again, remember that everyone is welcome; just wear comfortable clothes and tennis or gym shoes. If you need a paddle, contact Miriam Wallick by email at Mir iam57@aol.com or by text at 402.470.2393 before Sunday; Havdalah, 8:51 p.m. TUESDAY: Tea & Coffee with Pals, 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. WEDNESDAY: LJCS Classes, 4:30 p.m.; Federation Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m. THURSDAY: Candlelighting, 7:54 p.m. FRIDAY-Apr. 22: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex and Elane Monnier, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Candlelighting, 7:55 p.m. SATURDAY-Apr. 23: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; No Torah Study; Havdalah, 8:58 p.m.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE
FRIDAY: Virtual Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month at Capehart Chapel. Contact TSgt Jason Rife at OAFBJSLL@icloud.com for more information.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s service is currently closed to visitors.
TEMPLE ISRAEL
In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Brian Stoller, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin and Cantor Joanna Alexander. DAILY VIRTUAL MINYAN: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. via Zoom. FRIDAY: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or InPerson; Passover Service, 10:30 a.m.; Passover Family Seder, 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY: No Youth Learning Programs. MONDAY: Jewish Law & the Quest for Meaning, 11 a.m. via Zoom. TUESDAY: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. . WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m.; Youth Learning Programs — In-Person: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; Passover Culinary Journey for Youth Learning Programs, 5-8 p.m.; Community Dinner, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6:30 p.m.; Grade 12 Confirmation Class, 6:30 p.m. THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Class, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel via Zoom or In-Person FRIDAY-Apr. 22: Conclusion of Passover Service and Yizkor, 10:30 a.m. via Zoom or In-Person; Tot Shabbat and Farewell to Passover, 5:45 p.m. In-Person; Shabbat B’yachad: These are the Generations: Temple Israel’s 150th Anniversary Archives Project, 6 p.m. via Zoom or In-Person. SATURDAY-Apr. 23: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or In-Person. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.
The chair and the cup are going to the American Jewish museum ANDREW LAPIN JTA When the rabbi at the center of January’s synagogue hostage standoff first encountered the stranger who would soon hold him at gunpoint, he served him a cup of tea. Eleven hours later, as part of a daring escape, the rabbi threw a chair at him. The teacup and the chair, items that together depict the terrifying arc of the synagogue hostage crisis at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, are now becoming literal artifacts of the American Jewish experience. Congregation Beth Israel has donated the items to the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia for a new exhibit on modern-day antisemitism in America, which will
open to the public this spring. The exhibit will be accompanied by a video interview with Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and the three congregants who were held hostage inside his synagogue by a British-Pakistani national. “‘The Cup and The Chair’ are not only artifacts that document a historic event but are symbolic of fundamental Jewish values: ‘Welcoming strangers’ and ‘Redeeming captives,'” Misha Galperin, the Weitzman museum’s president and CEO, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency via email. “They also represent the basic American ideals of embracing newcomers and bravery in the face of danger. This is what Jewish Americans aspire to be and what the Weitzman Museum aspires to represent.”
The items will be placed on the museum’s ground floor, with high visibility to the public. The Weitzman’s chief curator and director of exhibitions and interpretation, Josh Perelman, said the intent is “to serve as a reminder of our collective responsibility for protecting and expanding the ideals enshrined at Independence Hall.” The events in Colleyville invigorated a national conversation on antisemitism in America, with Jews and non-Jews alike seeing fresh evidence of its unsettling prevalence. In its aftermath, CytronWalker testified before Congress and became a national advocate for increased synagogue security funding. He is leaving Congregation Beth Israel in July to lead a synagogue in North Carolina.
Life cycles
The Jewish Press | April 15, 2022 | 15
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IN MEMORIAM LOU GOLDBERG Lou Goldberg passed away Feb. 25, 2022, at age 89. A celebration of Lou’s life was held on Feb. 27, 2022, for friends and family to gather and honor his memory. He was preceded in death by his parents, Marx and Belle Goldberg; and brothers, Milton and Paul. He is survived by his beloved wife, Sandy; daughter and sonin-law, Dr. Becki Goldberg Kahn and Tom Kahn; son, Matt; beloved grandchildren: Marissa and Miguel Amador, Megan and fiancé, Will, and Miranda Kahn. ROBERTA “BOBBIE” GROSSMAN Roberta "Bobbie" Grossman passed away April 3, 2022, at age 83. Services have been held. She was preceded in death by her parents, Anne and Art Grossman; brother, Larry Grossman; brother-in-law, Ed Hammerman; and her companion of many years, George Cermak. She is survived by her brother, Dr. Ron Grossman of Garrison NY; sister, Arlene Gitles of Northbrook, IL; nephew and niece-inlaw, Chuck and Paige Gitles of Glenview, IL; nieces and nephewsin-law, Rebecca and Cliff Deutsch of Chicago and Marci and Joe Glick of Scottsdale AZ; and grandnephews and grandniece. Bobbie was a lifelong Omaha resident. Memorials may be made to the Anne and Art Grossman Scholarship Fund at Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, 333 South 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154.
RONALD G. SIMONS Ronald G. Simons passed away on March 30, 2022 in Omaha. Services were held April 3, 2022, at the Schrager Memorial Chapel at the Temple Israel Cemetery and were officiated by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. He was preceded in death by parents, Ben and Evelyn Simons and sister, Sue Miller. He is survived by daughter and son-in-law, Cindy and Brian Stoneking , and son and daughter-in-law, Rob and Tonya Simons; grandchildren: Rachel and Harrison Stoneking and Jack and Ava Simons; sister, Linda Gepford; brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Donna Simons; nieces, nephews and many friends. DONALD VANN Donald Vann passed away on March 11, 2022, in Palm Desert, CA. Services were held on March 15, 2022, at Mount Sinai in Los Angeles, CA, and were officiated by Rabbi Joel Nickerson of Wilshire Temple in Los Angeles. He was preceded in death by his son, Bruce Vann. He is survived by wife, Gloria Vann of Palm Desert, CA; son and daughter in law, Martin and, Judy Vann of Calabasas, CA; daughter, Sally Rotenstreich of Atlanta, GA; and seven grandchildren. Donald was a graduate from Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He was a WWII veteran. For 40 years, he was one of three partners in the business, NBV. Upon retiring, he and his wife Gloria retired to Palm Desert, CA where he provided volunteer services for several Jewish and business organizations.
Coming next week: More Ukraine coverage ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor After a whirlwind week, during which Jeff Kirshenbaum and Rabbi Steven Abraham agreed to join the JFNA mission to the Polish-Ukrainian border, and 28 duffel bags were filled with over-the-counter-medicine by a generous community, the two found themselves on a plane to Warsaw. In next week’ issue of the Jewish Press, we’re sharing Jeff and Rabbi Abraham’s blog entries during those days, without too much editing. As long as this war goes on, as long as it continues to hurt the population of Ukraine, we will continue to pay attention. While we are not always able to pivot fast enough to include stories in the print edition, we do continually update our website at www.omahajewishpress. com. Please check back often for the latest news.
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