May 3, 2019

thejewishpress AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

this week

Sally Malashock was beautiful, inside and out

annette van de Kamp-wRight Editor, Jewish Press ally Malashock, who died February 24 at the age of 94, was born in Omaha to Jacob and Molly Gross. “While she will be remembered for many things, above all, she will be remembered for her kindness towards others,” her obituary read.

It’s a theme that runs through every story about her.

“My mom was the kindest, most gentle woman I ever knew,” daughter Jan Egermayer said. “She always made everyone feel comfortable and had a way of making them feel at ease.”

Sally was a beloved and respected member of the Omaha Community. She served on the Temple Israel board, was Chairwoman of the Ak-Sar-Ben Ball Committee, served as president of the Nebraska Medical Center Faculty Wives, was president of the Omaha Council of Jewish Women, president of the Clarkson hospital service league and trustee of the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Let’s talk about wellness: Food and nutrition page 6

Day of Learning through music page 12

volunteers of the year Sally loved to see the world and cherished her many travels with Dr. Ed Malashock, her husband of 74 years (their engagement announcement ran in the Jewish Press of July 28, 1944). Together they spent time living in the Philippines, New York and St. Louis, eventually coming home to Omaha.

“It’s hard to pick a favorite memory, or summarize what Sally meant to me during 74 years of marriage,” husband Dr. Ed Malashock said. “I could go on and on about Sally. She was my wife, but she was also my partner in everything I did. Being married to her was an exciting and wonderful experience.”

“She was creative and curious,” Jan added, “and always joyful when she was around See Sally malashock page 2

Teen Leadership Awards

inside Viewpoint Synagogues Life cycles

MAY 3 , 2 0 1 9 | 2 8 NISAN 5 7 7 9 | V O L. 9 9 | NO . 2 9 | C a nd leli g h ti ng | FRID AY , MAY 3 , 8 : 0 5 P. M.

S

The garden of spring page 5

WWW.JEWISHOMAHA.ORG

8 10 11

SpOnSORed by the benJamin and anna e. wieSman Family endOwment Fund

gabby blaiR Staff Writer, Jewish Press and annette van de Kamp-wRight Editor, Jewish Press Nominees for The Robert and Ellen Gordman Jewish Teen Leadership Award were collected from our community’s synagogues, Jewish organizations and the agencies of The Jewish Federation of Omaha. Criteria for nomination include community involvement, demonstrated leadership ability in local youth groups and active participation in strengthening their respective organizations. Honorees receive a stipend of $1000 for use towards a conclave, convention, Jewish summer camp or recognized Israel experience trip of their choice.

Zach Krausman

Robert Osborne

Each recipient also has their name engraved on permanently displayed plaques at the JCC. This year, The Jewish Federation of Omaha is pleased to present The Robert and Ellen Gordman Teen Leadership Award to two very deserving Omaha teens, Zach Krausman and Robert Osborne.

Zach Krausman is the son of Laurel and Hazzan Michael Krausman of Omaha. A senior at Millard North High school, Zach goes above and

beyond in all he does at school and at synagogue. Zach thoroughly enjoys and excels in mathematics and has been inducted into both the National Honor Society and the National French Honor Society. Krausman is also an accomplished musician. He has enjoyed participating in Jazz Band, Stage Band, Marching Band, Concert Band, Orchestral Winds Ensemble and Pit Orchestra during his time at Millard North.

See teen leadership awards page 3

annette van de Kamp-wRight Editor, Jewish Press Each year, agencies of the Jewish Federation of Omaha are asked to select those community members who have gone above and beyond in giving their time and sharing their passion. Here are the 2018 recipients of the Volunteer of the Year Award. They will be honored for their commitment to our shared mission at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Annual Meeting, monday, June 3, 5-8 p.m. in the JCC Theater. n JCC Andy Isaacson has been a willing volunteer leading services at the CDC for Shabbat and Havdalah services. We are fortunate to have his assistance.

Andy is always a willing song leader when we call on him to help lead CDC Shabbat. He has joined us several times over the past two school years. Each time Andy will research songs pertaining to the relevant holiday and bring new music to our school. Lately, Andy has encouraged other parents to join him and bring along their instruments, as well. Andy is very energetic and brings a great deal of Ruach (spirit) to everything he does. We all look forward to Shabbat with “Mr. Andy.” n Jewish press David Kotok has been a valuable member of the Jewish Press Board of Directors for many years. His professional expertise, insight and advice has always been helpful and welcome. Years of working at the Omaha World-Herald means he has a wealth of knowledge which he has been generous enough to share with the Jewish Press. It’s not so easy in this day and age to find people with his level of inside newspaper knowhow. David has helped us meet challenges and given us context and perspective whenever we needed it. We will miss him very much (and are definitely keeping him on speed dial)! n Jewish Federation of Omaha Jeff Platt has been a consistently reliable and effective member of the Annual Campaign Cabinet for many years. There has not been an Annual Campaign where we have not reached out to Jeff for additional help connecting with hard to reach donors. He always comes through!

In addition to the contribution Jeff has made to our Annual Campaign, both financially and through volunteerism, he can be seen regularly working out at the JCC. Jeff also sits on the Jewish Social See volunteers of the year page 2

Volunteers of the Year

2 | The Jewish Press | May 3, 2019

community

Sally Malashock

Continued from page 1 In 2018, the couple estabothers. She loved to delight her friends and family, lished the Ed and Sally especially her grandchildren, by cooking their faMalashock Jewish Senior vorite meal. She would learn a new craft to do Outreach Fund at the Jewalongside them or create the most special handish Federation of Omaha made gift. She was endlessly empathetic and cared Foundation.

Becoming deeply about how others felt.” more aware of the various During the early years of their marriage, Dr. degrees of physical and Malashock said, “she stuck with me through medmental impairment that ical school, and then we went abroad. I completed can come with aging, they Sally and Dr. Ed Malashock my military service in Manila, the Philippines, as a realized not everyone in medical officer and ended up in what was then the only hos- that category is capable of supporting themselves. pital in the Far East besides Tokyo. It wasn’t glamorous, but it Shelly Fox, Director of Admissions and Community Outwas an exciting experience. She was able to come with me and reach at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, said: our first child was born there.”

“This fund will help a growing segment of our community; Sally joined Ed eight months after Ed was stationed in the the Jewish seniors who are living independently and could benPhilippines. She and two other military wives traveled there efit from help with transportation and basic handyman servvia a freighter and the trip took 18 days. Sally recalled it as a ices. Sally and Ed both understood, when they set up this fund, ‘fun vacation.’ how important it is for seniors to maintain their independence.”

“After that, we moved to St. Louis for my surgery residency,” “She was a thoughtful leader who always spoke directly, with Dr. Malashock added. “We still weren’t done when my resi- kind words and went out of her way to make sure others felt dency was complete; we spent the next three years in New included,” Jan said. “My mom had macular degeneration for York before finally settling back home in Nebraska.”

21 years and did not let that stop her. While at the Heritage She never complained, not once, Dr. Malashock said. “She at Sterling Ridge these past years, she participated in many of always made the best of it, which really wasn’t easy, especially the activities they offered and so enjoyed spending time visin the Philippines.” iting with the residents and staff. My mother was truly beauIt’s that kindness and empathy for others, putting others’ tiful, both inside and out.” needs before her own that marked Sally’s many volunteer Sally was preceded in death by parents, Molly and Jacob hours. She drove blind children to school, was president of the Gross; and brothers, Elmer, Gordon and Gerald Gross. She is PTA at their children’s school and was active in the NCJW for survived by her husband, Dr. Edward Malashock; children, many years. In 2006, they created the Edward and Sally Mark Malashock (Deborah), Jim Malashock, and Jan Malashock Project for Interfaith Affairs through the Anti- Egermayer; grandchildren: Julie (Ari Rabin-Havt), Matt and Defamation League, hoping to provide a bridge to connect and Scott Egermayer, Joshua, Joseph and John Malashock; and build community among the different religious communities. former son-in-law, Robert Egermayer.

Continued from page 1 Services Board of Directors.

The Platt family has been dedicated to the Omaha Jewish community for generations and Jeff and his family continue their commitment to this day. n ADL/CRC Ron Giller has been an active member of the ADL-CRC Board of Directors for three years and began serving on the Executive Committee in 2018. Ron plays an integral role in our Education programming and has helped guide the organization’s popular Educator Speaker Series into a premier program that focuses on topical, cutting edge themes in local education.

Ron was principal of Friedel Jewish Academy from 2008-2012 and served as interim principal in 2015. He also was an elementary school principal in the Bellevue Public Schools.

Ron and his wife Kaye, an accomplished artist, are master gardeners and participate in numerous local garden walks and gardening programs. n Jewish Social Services Jewish Social Services is proud to nominate Gretchen Radler for the Jewish Federation of Omaha Volunteer of the Year. Gretchen is extraordinarily committed to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home and for three years she has given countless volunteer hours. Like clockwork, Gretchen is at the Home every Tuesday helping out with Mah Jong. She comes for one reason, to spend quality time playing a game the Residents love. She will work with challenging Residents that have limited physical and cognitive abilities making them feel important and wanted. Tuesday afternoon is the highlight of the week for one Resident when she gets to play her favorite game and see the spirited Gretchen. True friendships are formed during these weekly games and Gretchen has been known to visit community seniors in their homes and in the hospital. You will find Gretchen befriending other Residents during her one-onSee Volunteers of the Year page 3

Companionship Personal Care Nutrition Assistance Veteran Services Light Housekeeping Transportation Errands & Appointments And much more

4611 S 96th St Suite 101 Omaha, NE 68127 402-506-9368

www.carebuildersathomeomaha.com

The Jewish Press | May 3, 2019 | 3

Teen Leadership Awards

Continued from page 1 Zach is well known at Beth El synagogue for his friendly, inclusive manner and sense of humor. Beth El Director of Congregational Learning, Eadie Tsabari, described Krausman as a true leader amongst his peers.

“Zach has been my student since 6th grade. He was a wonderful student. He is inquisitive, creative and respectful. He is one of those students who I knew early on would be someone special to his community. He has been a very active member of our youth group programs. From BESTT Kibbutz Chavarim, through High School and USY where he has held multiple positions — not only in our chapter but on the Regional Board — as well. He has been in charge of our most important fundraiser, the annual Purim carnival, and always tries to motivate the other teens by initiating innovative ideas to get the job done.”

After attending AIPAC, Zach returned and helped implement youth Israel education programming. He has also been instrumental in developing activities and learning for BESTT Shul-In overnight activities and the annual youth Shabbaton, a three-day weekend retreat. “We have had many overnight activities where he has given up his weekends to volunteer and work with the younger kids.”

Tsabari went on to explain, “Zach is a magnificent role model for our students and works with all ages utilizing his skills and his enthusiasm. Beside youth group, Zach has been an integral part of our Hebrew School. He has been one of the students in charge of our Jr. Congregation Shabbat programing, volunteering his time to mentor the younger students. He has been an aid in our Hebrew school since the 8th grade and is here every Sunday to assist classroom activities.

He was my classroom assistant and I always knew he was capable of taking over the class and teaching if I was unable to be there. Zach is working with our newest Beth El band - the Lecha Do-dudes - and is using his musical talents to teach his peers Kabbalat Shabbat music to share with our congregation.

He uses technology, is absolutely engaging, organized and completely responsible for the class. He is always ready to offer his time and his energy to the school. And best of all, the kids just love him!”

“Zach’s spirit, enthusiasm and love for everything Jewish is contagious,” concludes Tsabari. “He is full of ideas to build and improve our synagogue’s youth experience and is ready to do the work to implement them. For the past four years, Zach has volunteered hundreds of hours through our Merit Scholarship program. He is a huge part of what happens with our youth at Beth El Synagogue and we could not be more proud of him!”

Robert Osborne is the son of Ann and Don; he, too, is about to graduate from Millard North High School.

Robert is a member of Temple Israel, a member of NFTY and the current Omaha Aleph Gadol of Mother Chapter AZA #1. From 2014-15, he was the editor of the BBYO Chapter Newspaper. He was vice president of Programming from 2016-17 and Council level vice president during that same period. He attended ten national conventions, three international conventions, the International Leadership Conference, as well as several Executive Conferences. He’s given additional time to the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society and to the Temple Israel Spaghetti Dinner.

“Robert has been an active member of OTYG at Temple since 8th grade,” Rabbi Brian Stoller said. “He has helped lead the way to success with Temple’s annual Spaghetti Dinner fund raiser for Camp Rainbow and Temple youth programming. He has attended religious school since kindergarten.

He has remained active through his senior year. Robert is a role model to younger kids as well as his peers as he actively engages in youth programming and classroom learning activities. He always engages in conversation with kids of all ages. He promotes participation in youth organizations and in religious school and encourages kids to get involved.”

“Robert takes his activities in the Jewish community very See Teen Leadership Awards page 4

Continued from page 2 one visits throughout the week. Gretchen has served on the League of Volunteers for the Elderly (L.O.V.E.) board for two years and volunteered in a variety of jobs helping out wherever it was needed.

Gretchen is also an active volunteer at Temple Israel Synagogue and is chair of the Caring Committee. She is also a Rotary Reader, spending every Tuesday morning at Skinner Magnet School reading with two students. In the past, Gretchen worked on a project for Rotary building 12 Little Free Libraries for the community. Gretchen defines what it means to quietly and discreetly give without expectation of praise. Bringing light to Residents’ lives and extending herself to others is the essence of who she is. Gretchen exemplifies a commitment to service and social responsibility and is an extremely valuable asset to Jewish Senior Services. n Jewish Family Service Participants in the video What I Wish You Knew: Lauren Azar, Kaleb Braaton, Logan Jacik, Alex Kraft, Logan Miller, Ruby Platt and Isabella Wright are JFS Volunteers of the Year.

What I Wish You Knew is a video produced by Jewish Family Service. The goal of the video was to have young people share how they feel about mental health and some of the advice they would like to share with the significant people in their lives (i.e., parents, friends and teachers). Their advice also includes what they have learned on their

journey and what advice they would give their ‘younger-self’ through personal self-reflection. JFS’ goal for this video is to use it to promote support for mental health care and treatment in hopes of preventing a suicide from occurring in our community. n Institute for Holocaust Education From 2012 until October of 2018, Donna Walter served as the Education Coordinator for the Institute for Holocaust Education. Since her retirement, Donna has become our most active volunteer and very worthy of being recognized as a Volunteer of the Year.

Donna Walter continues to add support to both our new Executive Director and Education Coordinator. She is always ready to listen and to help us problem solve and to give us the history when needed to IHE. Donna Walter serves as a volunteer, regularly visiting and speaking with a number of our local survivors. Further she visits and helps with their transportation needs.

She has been a presenter at a recent teacher training and added recruitment for volunteers for IHE activities (like our local essay contest) to her volunteer activities. When a volunteer is needed, Donna is the first to give her time and service. Quite frankly, we could not have managed this year without Donna Walter.

Donna was asked when she retired to join our Governance Council.

She accepted and continues to be one of our leaders.

Volunteers of the Year

CareBuilders at Home

More than 30 years ago, brothers David and Steven Savitsky saw other franchise options, because the foundational values from David a need in their community. Taking care of seniors at home, they disand Steven Savitsky were in alignment with her own. covered the quality of care, dedication and compassion had room for “It is always my goal and top priority to provide compassionate, improvement. They founded CareBuilders at Home, because seniors quality care to those we have been chosen to serve from a loving should age with independence and dignity in the comfort of their faspace,” she says. “I believe we are divinely driven to be servants in vorite place: their own home. this lifetime and it is a gift to be chosen to care for those in need, David and Steven founded staffing company ATC Healthcare and whether it be the client we are directly serving or the family who is decided to add homecare to their model. They have created a comaffected by their loved one’s care needs and health challenges.” pany rooted in putting families and their loved ones first through CareBuilders at Home has been helping people across the nation thorough assessments, care plans and the selection of the right care- age gracefully in the comfort of their own home for over 3 decades. givers.

Our vast experience allows us to understand the needs of our clients Brenda Ouellette is the President and Executive Director of Carebetter than any other provider. We create individualized care plans Builders at Home in the Heartland. Brenda chose CareBuilders over perfectly tailored to suit each of our clients’ needs and preferences.

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Anne & Alan Cohen

Marty & Kathy Cohen Tish Selk A member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates, LLC.

Marty Cohen | 402-690-1591

Spring is here. Now is the time to sell.

Inventory is scarce and there are qualified buyers looking to purchase. Don’t hesitate!

Give us a call and we would be happy to do a market analysis on your home, help with staging, and get it on the market for you.

With more than 100 years of experience, we have the skills and knowledge to exceed your highest expectations.

COMING SOON Ponca Perserve 1 1/2 Story on 1.84 Acres Elkhorn Ranch in Elk Valley Subdivision

Snowbirds

Please let the Jewish Press know in advance when you are leaving and when you are returning. Sometimes several papers are sent to your “old” address before we are notified by the Post Office. Every time they return a paper to us, you miss the Jewish Press and we are charged! Please call us at 402.334.6448 or email us at jpress@jewishomaha.org.

4 | The Jewish Press | May 3, 2019

autism Center of nebraska Gala

tOm O’COnnOr UNMC Public Relations Children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities will benefit from “Hats Off to ACN,” the 2019 Autism Center of Nebraska Gala.

Scheduled for May 4 from 6-10 p.m. at ACN’s event center, 9012 Q St., the gala will include a cocktail hour, dinner, silent auction, live auction and a talk by Howard Needelman, M.D. dr. needelman Dr. Needelman, assistant professor with the Munroe-Meyer Institute and the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Pediatrics, is a noted neonatologist who serves as faculty coordinator for Project DOCC (Delivery of Chronic Care) and resident rotation director of developmental/behavioral pediatrics at UNMC. “We are very pleased to have Dr. Needelman as our guest speaker this year,” said Joan K. Marcus, president of the

Share the L.O.V.E., join today

FIRST CLASS ENTERTAIN

HONEYMAN RENT-ALL The Party Place WITH

FOR THE FINEST IN ENTERTAINING ACCESSORIES, HOW CAN YOU THROW A PARTY AND NOT INVITE US? • Tables • Chairs • Linens • Skirting • China • Glassware • Champagne Fountains • Chafing Dishes • Party Canopies • Wedding & Church Displays • Dance Floors • BBQ Grills • Coat Racks • Candelabras • Margarita Machines • Chocolate Fountains Our Visit room w o h S

11226 Wright Circle

402-333-2882 (1 Block South of 114th & Center)

We Disp dding Sup lays & plies

GaBBy Blair Staff Writer, Jewish Press For the past 47 years, L.O.V.E. (League Offering Volunteers for the Elderly) has been committed to improving the quality of life and care for all Residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Through the generosity of donors to L.O.V.E.’s yearly membership drive, L.O.V.E. has been able to make yearly contributions to the RBJH that help maintain the level of excellence we have come to expect from our highly regarded institution.

Over the years, L.O.V.E has been instrumental in completing major projects that benefit the staff and Residents including The Esther Wax Sensory Room, neighborhood television displays, medical and recreational equipment and so much more.

As L.O.V.E. enters its 48th year, your help is crucial in fulfilling our mission: to support the programs and services of

Autism Center board. “I’m sure his observations about autism, based on his decades of research, will be of interest to everyone at the gala.”

Gala highlights also will include presentation of the John T. Clark Memorial Award, which recognizes the contributions of Clark, a longtime Omaha financial adviser who was an Autism Center president. This year’s award will go to former congressman Hal Daub, who also has served as an NU regent and Omaha mayor.

Employer Partnership Awards will be presented to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and to KOLN/KGIN, Channel 10/11 in Lincoln.

This is the second year for the gala, which will feature Omaha radio personality Dave Wingert as master of ceremonies. Shayne Fili of Auction Solutions Inc. will conduct the live auction.

Gala proceeds will support Autism Center programs including community-based living options, vocational day services and The Art Garden, a unique gallery featuring work by ACN artisans.

To purchase tickets, tables or to otherwise sponsor the gala, contact Patrice Meiners atpmeiners@acnomaha.org or 402.315.1000 (extension 100), or go to: http://www.acn omaha.org.

the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home through volunteerism and fundraising efforts. None of these amazing additions would be possible without the generous support of Friends and Life Members of L.O.V.E. Your dedication to the Residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home is much appreciated and remember: All you need is LOVE, and all L.O.V.E. needs... is YOU! Joining L.O.V.E. is easy! Simply fill out and clip the membership form and drop it off to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home or mail it to: L.O.V.E. Attn: Les Kay, Treasurer 323 South 132nd Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68154.

Interested in volunteering with L.O.V.E? please contact Sabine Strong, RBJH Volunteer Coordinator at 402.334.6519 or via email at: sstrong@rbjh.com. Background checks are required of all volunteers as the safety of our Residents is our number one priority. L.O.V.E. is a 501c3; all donations made to L.O.V.E. are 100% tax deductible. $________ Donation - Resident Projects

2019 MEMBERSHIP New Membership

Renewal

$18.00 $75.00 $300.00

Individual - Chai Individual - Benefactor Individual - Life Member

$36.00 $150.00 $500.00

Couple - Double Chai Couple - Benefactor Couple - Life Member

Name___________________________________ Spouse_________________________________ (If Couple Membership)

Address_________________________________________________________________________ E-mail___________________________________________ Phone ( _____ )_________________ Make checks payable to LOVE and mail with form to: LOVE, Attn: Treasurer, 323 South 132nd Street, Omaha, NE 68154

Teen Leadership Awards

Continued from page 3 seriously,” Renee Corcoran, Executive Director of NJHS said.

“As a member of BBYO’s Mother Chapter AZA #1, he has served three years on the board and, during his term as membership Vice President, he reached out to 7th and 8th graders and helped increase membership by 30%. As Aleph Gadol, he continues his work with the executive committee to grow membership, work within the Jewish Community and plan monthly programs and volunteer opportunities.”

Robert spent the summer of 2017 volunteering in the NJHS office.

“He was an outstanding addition to our office,” Renee said.

“Not only was he dependable, self-motivated and very interested in the history of our Jewish community, he was instrumental in the design of the now permanent AZA display located in the main corridor of the Jewish Community Center.”

NJHS President Bob Belgrade added: “Robert is a soft-spoken young man, sometimes engaging in conversations older

than his years. I believe his involvement in our Jewish community has just started with his high school activities. He will be outstanding in any endeavor of his choice.”

Zach and Robert will be honored with their awards during the Jewish Federation of Omaha Annual Meeting, Monday, June 3 from 5-8 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center.

S

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.

The Jewish Press | May 3, 2019 | 5

community

“a

Ophir Palmon: Photography and beyond

The garden of spring

RichaRd Fellman

time to plant and a time to pluck� said the ancient king who was himself the son of a king. And the words mean the same to me today as I recall my own gardens of 50 years ago and every spring that followed, as they meant to all who ever read the litany of life expressed by Koheleth in the Book of Ecclesiastes.

I planted gardens every spring, first nothing more than three or four tomato plants, and then growing year by year until the garden measured ten feet deep and fifty feet long, and there were two days in every growing season when that particular garden was perfect.

The first day of perfection was the day the actual planting was completed, for when all the seeds were planted and the infant plants transplanted I stood and looked at all I had done; and at that moment in my mind I did not see the tiny plants and the spots where I knew the seeds would grow but I saw the fully developed plants brimming with their fruits, bright red juicy tomatoes, long thin cucumbers, thick peppers starting to ripen and turn from deep green to bright scarlet, and I saw then, even though I could not actually see them because they were deep in the ground, the fist-sized brown potatoes that were waiting for the shovel and the transformation to baked pleasures.

That was the day I finished planting.

Then, months later, usually near the end of summer, came the wonderful Sunday mornings when all of a sudden it was easy to get up shortly after sunrise, go to the garden, and start the harvest. The produce then almost looked like what I had imagined in the spring, though the resulting vegetables were never quite what I had imagined.

But they were plentiful. I carefully plucked them from the vines and matured plants and placed each individual fruit in small market baskets, one for the tomatoes, one for the cukes, and one for the peppers, washed and scrubbed each piece to make them all look like the front row display of the best produce sections of the finest markets, and put the baskets in the back seat of my convertible with the top down.

As I drove away, heading towards my in-town relatives and some of our closest friends, I thought of my maternal

grandfather, Meyer Green, whom I never met, but who spent his life once he matured and came to America as a fruit and vegetable peddler.

I drove a late model car, though he sold his produce from the back of a wagon driven by a single horse. He never owned a truck or a car, but he was remembered as a kind and gentle man who met each of his customers, all Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe just as he was, at their homes before the days of refrigeration and sold them what he had purchased early that morning at the wholesale stalls in what is still called the Old Market in downtown Omaha.

But I wasn’t selling anything. I stopped at each home, rang the doorbell, told the lady of the house, always either a relative or a friend, that I had some “fresh from my garden vegetables� in my car for them, and I asked them to come with me to the street and select whatever they wanted. I had small brown paper sacks for each of them in which to place the produce they wanted.

Everyone always smiled. I stood aside and let each woman select whatever she wanted. I often wore the pair of blue bib overalls my kids had once given me for Father’s Day which made me look, except for the car I was driving, like a farmer.

I doubt that anyone ever mistook me, however. And I spent those Sunday mornings going from home to home, repeating at each stop the same story... how I planted, tended, watered, and finally plucked each piece of fresh produce just for this particular morning.

I never told anyone on those Sunday mornings that before I put the morning’s harvest in the car to give away I picked a huge amount of everything and took it in the house for Bev, and we had all of it for however long it lasted.

Those Sunday mornings are now long gone, for that large garden disappeared when we moved from the home Bev and I lived in for 40 years, where we raised our four children, for now I live alone, my backyard faces a golf course and there are rules which prohibit me from digging up a garden and ringing it with a fence to keep the rabbits out.

I am left on my deck with five large pots each with room for one tomato or pepper plant, and I have never been able to produce in those pots a smidgen of what came, after a lot of work, in that ten-by-fifty foot garden.

Ophir Palmon will be the Guest Speaker at B’nai Israel on Friday, may 10, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. He will relate his personal journey from practicing mechanical engineering to devoting his energies to photography/videography then finally transitioning to Life Coaching.

Palmon relates that he began photography as “just a hobby� after moving from Israel to Maryland with Roni, his wife who was pursuing a doctorate in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology. He considers himself self-taught in photography and videography, and later secured a position working for Industrial Photo in Silver Springs and a media company In Washington, DC, as a videographer and photographer on Capitol Hill, where he gained extensive experience.

Ophir Palmon In the summer of 1993, Roni was offered a position at UNO, the beginning of their life in Omaha. At that time, Palmon started Artistic Visions, always contemplating “What more can you do with a camera?� His work evolved into portraying life events, storytelling, and recording life’s transitions. His photographs are actual art forms, always depicting his subject’s emotions and personalities.

His work ranges from Taking Art to The Streets, in the early 2000s, photo recording The March of the Living with a group of Jewish American youth in Poland and Israel, and recently his exhibit at UNO Faces of Israel a stunning combination of photographs matched with his personal poetry.

Palmon’s latest endeavor is Focus Coaching, which he feels, uses the same introspective abilities he draws on in his photography. He is trained and certified in this field.

In addition, Palmon is an Israeli Dancer and teaches this at the Omaha International Folk Dancers group.

He will be bringing some of his photographic art to display in the Social Hall for all to peruse and enjoy during the delicious Oneg. As always Larry Blass will lead the service and everyone is invited to join B’nai Israel on Friday, may 10 at 7:30 p.m. for a religious and artistic evening.

Give Mom the Gift of Health

Clothing by Brunello Cucinelli

Photo by Hooton Images

Rockbrook | 108th and Center 402.397.8866 | www.bodybasics.com 32 years in business | 2 generations | David and Adam Kutler

4911 Dodge Street

Omaha NE

402.551.4831

shopnanc.com

6 | The Jewish Press | May 3, 2019

community Let’s talk about Wellness: Food and nutrition deborah denenberg Let’s talk about wellness. The new JCC Wellness Committee is examining the nutritional environment of the JCC, the CDC and other youth programming.

What does wellness mean? It’s a broad term used to describe aspects of the public health.

The University of Nebraska at Lincoln defines wellness as “an interactive process of becoming aware of and practicing healthy choices to create a more successful and balanced lifestyle”.

Dr. Ayman El Mohandes, the founding Dean of the Nebraska School of Public Health at UNMC, outlined these wellness categories: • Food and Nutrition • Exercise and Mobility • Safety and Injury Prevention • Mental and Behavioral Health • Sexual and Reproductive Health While all these categories are important, our JCC Wellness Committee is urgently focused on food and nutrition. Why? Because the statistics are so alarming. 30% of Nebraskans, including our children, are overweight or obese, and obesity recently surpassed nicotine as the number one form of preventable death in America. We noted “preventable” and decided to take action.

One could argue that many factors enter the obesity equation, including how much time we spend exercising vs. watching our screens.

However, about 90% of childhood obesity is related to what children eat. Food and nutrition seemed an impactful place to start.

We teach our children the story of the Jewish sage Zusya. On his deathbed, Zusya was visibly fearful. His students surrounded him. “Why are you fearful, our teacher? Are you afraid when you meet your Maker, he will ask, ‘Why weren’t you more like Abraham or Isaac or Moses?’”

“No,” Zusya responded, I am afraid He will ask, “Why weren’t you more like Zusya?”

This story teaches us to wholeheartedly be ourselves, and to use G-d’s resources to be the best we can be. Our JCC is an elite health and fitness facility. Let’s be who we are. Let’s create a nutritional environment reflecting the same excellence as our physical plant, programming and staff.

Join our efforts, send comments or questions to: debbie@denenberg.com.

From Shirley’s Kitchen: Kennedy Brownies

From: Ann Goldstein Originating from: Ann’s mom, Jane Kennedy.

Usually served this when: Anytime when needing an easy and delicious dessert! Usually holidays and often Sundays for a treat.

Prepared by: Gail Raznick These are great brownies that everyone has room for. Often had them in the house on weekends for Deb’s friends to have when they stopped by (these were better than the Duncan Hines Fudge Brownies by far!)

Ingredients and directions: Melt together in double boiler or microwave: 2 squares unsweetened chocolate, 1/4 oz.

1 stick butter or margarine Add and stir together by hand: 1 cup sugar 1 cup flour 2 eggs Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix. Grease 7x11 pan and pour into pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

Cool brownies.

Serves 8-10 or more easily Frosting: Melt 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate and 1 Tbsp. butter (micro or double boiler) Add 1-2 Tbsp. coffee (more if needed) Add 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and stir until smooth.

Frost cooled brownies.

Little King is 50 years old!

Little King restaurants in Omaha are celebrating 50 years.

In 1969, Sid Wertheim set out to deliver the best New Yorkstyle submarine sandwiches in the midwest. Today, that’s still Little King’s goal. Special anniversary promotions are scheduled in May, including discounts on sandwiches, chips and drinks. Little King stores will hold eating contests, giveaways and a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas.

2019

t u a m z t ’A a H Yom Y8 A M , Y A D S E N WED

Contemporary and Ethnic Inspired Clothing, Exotic Jewelry and Gifts

ALL HEBREW SCHOOL ACTIVITES WILL BE HELD DURING THEIR REGULARLY SCHEDULED TIMES AT THE JCC AS PART OF ISRAEL’S INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION!

5:30-7:30 p.m. | FREE CHILDREN’S CARNIVAL 6:00-6:15 p.m. | YOM HAZIKARON CEREMONY 7:00 p.m. | B’NAI B’RITH JEWISH TRIVIA CONTEST All events held at the JCC. FREE & open to the community.

THANK YOU! This program is made possible with the support of the Herbert Goldsten Trust, and the following Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation Funds: Albert and Eleanor Feldman Family Israel Foundation and the Murray H. and Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation.

1018 Howard St. 402-342-2972 www.souqltd.com Follow us on Facebook

The Jewish Press | May 3, 2019 | 7

50 years later, this feminist witchy film remains super relevant

P

rohkll kafriSSen (JTA) art feminist folk horror masterpiece, part surrealist autobiographical allegory, Nelly Kaplan’s A Very Curious Girl (“La Fiancee du Pirate”) turns 50 this year and still feels as fresh, and necessary, as the day it was released.

Before its premiere in 1969, a film censor told Kaplan that she had to punish the heroine of A Very Curious Girl for sleeping around and abusing men, lest she get an audiencelimiting rating. Kaplan responded by threatening the censor with a public scandal. At the intersection of technology and witchcra, Kaplan presents an extremely timely vision of feminine liberation, one even the censors could not repress.

When I was a 22-year-old baby film snob, I saw A Very Curious Girl (on VHS!) and it blew me away.

I knew I had seen something not just unique but dangerous. I convinced my adviser it was a good idea to write my honors thesis on A Very Curious Girl (and a few other films by Jewish, French female filmmakers).

Somehow she agreed.

Kaplan, a Russian-Jewish, Buenos Aires-born immigrant to Paris in the early 1950s, made such a unique impact on French cinema that her legacy is only now being properly understood. She’s finally getting her first New York retrospective at the Quad Cinema, opening with a run of A Very Curious Girl as well as some of her lesser known, more experimental work. ough her Jewishness is no secret, I think it’s key to unlocking the autobiographical aspects of her work.

As an Argentine Jew, Kaplan came to Paris with an unusual perspective. On the one hand, she was acutely aware of lingering antiSemitism in postwar France. She became mistress and apprentice to the great man of French cinema, Abel Gance. She was his muse, company actress and, most important, second unit director. One day Gance’s wife came to the set when Kaplan was playing a topless courtesan. Gance’s wife leapt at her with cries of “sale Juive,” dirty Jewess. It was clear anti-Jewish hatred had hardly been put to rest with the war.

At the same time, having come from South America, Kaplan was not tied to the trauma of recent history in the same way as those who had lived through it.

As a filmmaker, and as a Jew, Kaplan has just enough distance from recent history to be able to use it as material and make it her own with her trademark blend of sex and surrealism. is is aptly demonstrated in A Very Curious Girl. e movie takes place in an isolated rural French village, where a young woman named Marie lives with her mother and her goat in a tin roof shack on the edge of her boss’ farm. e village of Telliers is home to a mere handful of residents, all of them unpleasant caricatures: the priggish mailman, the buffoonish herbalist, the useless parish priest.

Marie works for the farm owner, a woman

who treats her like an animal by day and coerces sexual favors from her by night. e rest of the villagers are no better. ey see Marie as a source of free sex and/or labor, a marginal character who should be grateful that they allowed her and her mother to live in the village when they arrived during the war sans identity papers.

An isolated village, a persecuted witch on the edge of town, a midnight burial on unconsecrated ground, a goat who scares the villagers: is is not the lavender-scented fantasy Provence of American and English imagination; this is the middle of muddy nowhere, “la France profonde,” the French sticks, where the old ways still hold and anything is possible, even a feminist reversal of

SHOP THE KING OF BUY HERE PAY HERE

SONNY GERBER AUTO SALES Since 1955

On the spot financing Low down payments Low payments Minimum credit approval 4519 Cuming Street

4021 Cuming Street

402-556-4086

402-558-7400

LAST CHANCE Credit: Alma

Class of 2019

ancient horror tropes. In Kaplan’s imagination, it’s the witch who burns her persecutors, not the other way around.

It’s never made explicit from where exactly Marie and her mother came — they’re referred to both as witches and “gypsies.” But not only are they without papers, we find out when Marie’s mother is killed in a hit-andrun that they are both unbaptized. e village priest arrives to attend to the dead body and fretfully notes that church burial will be impossible. ose who exist beyond the authority of the Church live precariously, a fact well understood by European Jews.

In A Very Curious Girl, the tin roof shack on the edge of the farm is Marie’s ghetto. Her existence outside the authority of the church is both a threat to the community and a source of power. Marie and her mother are targeted as witches, just as Jews in the Middle Ages were figured as witches and wizards.

Aer her mother is killed, the townspeople target Marie’s goat, her best friend, murdering him in cold blood. Instead of breaking her, the murder of the goat is the catalyst for Marie to finally transform herself into the powerful witch she is accused of being. She starts charging the villagers for what they have come to expect for free. Seizing the means of production, and sex work in particular, brings Marie newfound wealth. e intersection of old-fashioned witchcra and cutting-edge technology feels incredibly relevant today. In Marie, Nelly Kaplan has created an unforgettably witchy wanderer perfectly suited for our cultural moment. is article originally appeared on Alma and was edited for length.

Visit us on facebook:

ps://www.facebook.com/ShalomahaPress

HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

High School Seniors and Parents

We will be publishing our annual High School Graduation Class pages on May 17, 2019. To be included, email us the graduate’s name, parents’ names, current high school and the college you plan to attend plus a photo to: jpress@jewishomaha.org by May 6, 2019.

thejewishpress

8 | The Jewish Press | May 3, 2019

viewpoint thejewishpress

(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.

The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: avandekamp@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.

Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422.

Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press As- National Newspaper sociation Association Award winner 2008

h

Numb

ANNETTE vAN dE KAmP-WRiGhT Editor, Jewish Press ere we are again. Another hate-driven shooting at a place of worship, more people whose lives are irrevocably altered by one person’s intolerance. What do we make of it? I don’t know. What can we say that hasn’t already be said a hundred times?

“Let’s face it: Any fanatic who thinks he is doing God’s work by murdering innocent people — whether he is Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim or Hindu — deserves to be humiliated,” David Suissa wrote for Jewish Journal on April 24.

He wrote the article in response to the recent attacks on churches in Sri Lanka, but of course it is relevant beyond that.

It’s difficult to not go through the motions, on automatic pilot. Share the story, commiserate. Make our donations, do another mitzvah in an attempt to somehow make something good happen in the face of tragedy. But we’re numb. How could we not be?

The photo of Lori Gilbert Kaye, the woman who died in San Diego last Saturday, drives the point home: we are just like her. How many of us have stood where she is in that picture, by the Kotel, a Siddur in hand?

I don’t know for a fact that this latest shooter thought he was doing ‘God’s work.’ I can’t even begin to comprehend how someone only 19 years old can hate Jews so much he wants to take an automatic rifle into a Chabad House and kill the people inside. Frankly, I think we’re all at the point where we don’t really care what made him do it.We’re too sad to wonder about him.

Since there are no words I can add that are as mean-

ingful, I will leave you with the statement sent out by our local Chabad House.

Dear Friends, We were shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the brutal, gruesome attack at the Altman Family Chabad Community Center in Poway, (built and dedicated by our very dear friend Ed Altman, originally from Omaha).

In solidarity with the Poway Jewish community, whose joyous Pesach holiday was ruthlessly disrupted by an anti-Semitic attack, we mourn the loss of Lori Gilbert-Kaye, a precious, vibrant, generous woman, whose life was snuffed out in its prime as she attempted to shield others from being hurt.

Please continue to pray for the speedy and complete recovery of Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, Noya Dahan, and Almog Peretz who sustained injuries from the bullets and shrapnel.

In Poway, Pittsburgh, or Jerusalem we are targeted simply for being Jewish. Our enemy recognizes no distinctions, labels, or affiliations.

Every Jew is invaluable and indispensable to the global Jewish Mishpoche and mission.

At the Pesach Seder we read the immortal words: "In every generation they rise and try to destroy us. But G-d saves us from their hands."

Even in this tragedy, many obvious miracles prevented a more horrific outcome.

In the face of hate and destruction the Rebbe would urge us to respond with more mitzvahs thus to transform

the pain and darkness into a force for good and light. In the coming days, let's think of ways to do more good.

Thank you to all who reached out with concern, love, and friendship. Your kindness and warmth are greatly appreciated!

ANdREW SiLoW-CARRoLL JTA My seders, like most, drew to a close with the annual cringe-fest known as “Sh’foch Hamatcha,” in which everyone stands up and urges the Almighty to “Pour out Your fury on the nations [goyim] that do not know You.” The section is a justifiable reflection of historic Jewish anger and wishful thinking, especially during the Middle Ages when the biblical verse was added to the Haggadah. But PC it is not.

The word “goyim” sits there like a stray bone in the homemade gefilte fish, inevitable and undigestible. In this case the word means nothing other than “nation,” counting the Jews as one among many “goyim” out there. But the verse plants the seeds for how we’ve come to think of “goy” and “goyim”: as designations for any individual or collective who simply are Not Us. But is goy necessarily disparaging? I saw the point being debated on Twitter last week. The writer Ariel Sobel insisted in a tweet, “Goy isn’t a slur. If you think it is, you are a goy.”

She fleshed that out in a separate tweet: “Being called not Jewish is not a slur. The absence of Judaism does not make someone vulnerable. Having a term to describe it is not a slur, it just discomforts people because it subverts them as the labeless norm.” A lot of the Jews who responded begged to differ, saying that while some Jews use the word as a fairly neutral or even affectionate term for a “non-Jew,” the word has taken on disparaging connotations. Others pointed out that it creates a binary that is particularly hurtful to interfaith families and converts.

“As a Jew married to a Jew by choice, I definitely see goy as a slur — seldom used as a compliment, and never used in the presence of a non-Jew,” wrote Nahma Nadich, the deputy director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston. “That’s a good litmus test: if you wouldn’t use a word in the presence of someone you’re describing, good chance it’s offensive.”

Sobel explained that she was reacting to white supremacists who have embraced the word “goyim,” partly to accuse Jews of promoting their own brand of ethnic chauvinism and partly as a badge of twisted honor. But she also thanked those who responded for changing her thinking about the term.

“Goy can be weaponized to hurt interfaith families, converts, and patrilineal Jews,” she wrote. “We all have unique relationships to the term shaped by our experience. So grateful to have had so many people jump in on the conversation and tell me about theirs.”

I have a hard time seeing “goy” as anything but offensive. In my day job I often find it necessary to distinguish between Jews and non-Jews, as in “What it’s like to be a non-Jewish counselor at a Jewish summer camp” or “In Moscow, a non-Jewish physicist recalls helping build the Soviet Union’s only yeshiva.”

But the word “goy” has too much historical and linguistic baggage to be used as casually as “nonJew” or “gentile.” It starts with the obvious slurs – like “goyishe kopf,” or gentile brains, which suggests (generously) a dullard, or “shikker iz a goy,” a gentile is a drunkard. “Goyishe naches” describes the kinds of things that a Jew mockingly presumes only a gentile would enjoy, like hunting, sailing and eating white bread.

But even in its plain sense the word is a weapon in what the Yiddishist Michael Wex calls the “vocabulary of exclusion.” “Differences between yidish and goyish, sacred and profane, proper and improper, are built into the structure of the language,” he writes, using “yidish” to mean Jewish.

How that came to be is the subject of a fascinating discussion in the current online edition of the scholarly journal Ancient Jew Review (the best name of any Jewish publication ever). The occasion is the publication of a new book by the Israeli scholars Adi Ophir and Ishay Rosen-Zvi titled Goy: Israel’s Multiple Others and the Birth of the Gentile (Oxford University Press). In it they argue that while the word “goy” is common in the Torah, it was only in the later rabbinic literature (starting say, in the first and second centuries CE) that “goy” acquired the status of the absolute Other. From then until today, the word not only distinguishes what makes a gentile different than a Jew, but – and this is crucial — what defines a Jew as being different from a gentile.

The authors suggest that it was the lapsed Jew and Christian apostle Paul who got the ball rolling in his letters by emphasizing the distinctions between the Jews and the followers of Jesus.

Ophir and Rozen-Zvi note that the rabbis don’t just distinguish between ways of religious thinking,

but divide the world into a binary Us and Not Us. “In contrast to earlier attempts to grapple with threatening foreign groups, the generalized and abstract rabbinic Goy has no other quality besides his being a non-Jew,” writes Yair Furstenberg, of the Talmud Department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in a response to their book.

Is that necessarily a bad thing? We make distinctions all the time. Many of our identities are based as much upon what we are not as what we are. The challenge is what you do with those distinctions.

In another response to the Israelis’ book, Cynthia Baker, a professor of religious studies at Bates College, aligns with those who believe that Jew-goy divisions “distort, deform, and diminish the full personhood of most of this world’s human inhabitants.”

Ophir and Rozen-Zvi also suggest that the Us and Them thinking of the rabbis tends to reinforce a sense of superiority among the Jews, and assigns to goyim qualities that, as Baker writes, “mark their lack of worthiness – and … none that are genuinely positive.”

At the very least, the idea of undifferentiated goyim shows an incredible lack of curiosity of the ways that non-Jews might differ among themselves, let alone how they differ from Jews.

Jews are hardly alone in this exclusionary thinking. The Jew-goy distinction was born at a time when Jews were themselves excluded from the “nations,” and could barely imagine a society where people of various faiths and religions could live side by side on equal terms.

That doesn’t argue for getting rid of the “Pour out your fury on the goyim” section of the Haggadah. I’m a big believer in wrestling with the more difficult parts of the tradition rather than censoring them. But perhaps we should read such language with empathy for the Jewish condition at the time it was written — and acknowledge the ways our own conditions have changed.

Today we have the luxury and ability to think about the Other in ways that honor the Jews for their differences without disparaging others for theirs. We can do better than “goy.”

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.

Is ‘goy’ a slur?

We will not submit to panic or fear. We are not weakened, nor afraid. Our resolve is only strengthened.

Here are the inspiring, courageous words of my dear friend and colleague, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein in the aftermath of the attack. https://youtu.be/eyMKZIThxK8 Am Yisrael Chai!

Rabbi Mendel and Shani Katzman, Directors and Anthony Scioli, President 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 | May 3, 2019 | 9

How an Italian earthquake in 1570 created the first Modern Orthodox Jew hEnry abramson NEW YORK | JTA Azariah de’ Rossi was an entirely unremarkable Italian Jew in his late 50s when the earth shook beneath his feet in the great Ferrara earthquake of November 1570.

Narrowly escaping the collapse of his home that Shabbat night, he and his family sought refuge with other survivors, Jews and Christians alike, in open fields and even aboard boats on the Po River. His encounter with Christian scholars in the aftermath of the earthquake convinced him to write a religious book, inspired by the earthquake, that described the majesty of the God’s universe.

The resultant 700-page magnum opus, titled The Light of the Eyes, caused an intellectually seismic event whose aftershocks would reverberate for the next 500 years: Without realizing it, Azariah de’ Rossi had essentially created Modern Orthodoxy.

According to my colleague at Touro College Rabbi Dr. Zev Eleff, who literally wrote the book on Modern Orthodoxy, it is “a movement that inspires a life that is halakhically legitimate, inspired by the promise of Religious Zionism and animated by the best of modern wisdom and culture.” (Halacha is Jewish religious law.) It would take a few centuries to flourish into a full-fledged movement (especially the religious Zionism part), but de’ Rossi’s approach to Judaism was pretty radical for the 1500s. For example, de’ Rossi was broadly inclusive of all wisdoms, regardless of their source. Elements of this orientation are evident in isolated works of Jewish physicians such as Maimonides, but de’ Rossi was much more radical, consulting controversial Jewish thinkers like Philo and Christian sources like Augustine. A child of the burgeoning rationalist humanism of the 16th century, he saw the nondenominational advancement of human wisdom as a garden of intellectual delights, open to visitors of all persuasions and welcoming whatever beneficial seeds might be planted there. Many would toil in that garden over the next five centuries, but Azariah de’ Rossi was arguably the first to seed the landscape.

De’ Rossi was certainly not the first Jew to express pious literary gratitude to God after near-death experience – we’ve been doing that

since Moses and Miriam stood and watched the Egyptian forces drown in the sea. What set him apart from his predecessors, however, was the unique infusion of the spirit of the Italian Renaissance into his work. The opening (and best) chapter of his book, titled The Voice of God, was a religious-scientific exploration of the nature and purpose of earthquakes. He surveyed the extant knowledge of the phenomenon from a wide variety of non-Jewish sources, folding it into detailed discussions of biblical passages and rabbinic in a sometimes disjointed and lumpy whole.

Images from a German broadsheet describing the Ferrara Earthquake of 1570.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

In his innocence, de’ Rossi did not realize that using the tools of contemporary scholarship from non-Jewish sources might represent a threat to traditional Jewish thought. His enthusiastic, almost breathless embrace of contemporary science and the assumption that it could not possibly undermine religious ideology drew the ire of rabbis throughout Europe. He was roundly attacked, for example when he noted how his wife recovered from a salt deficiency, and opined that Elisha the prophet may have used the same strategy to heal a biblical leper. He was forced to apologize for this argument, which suggested that miraculous cures might have this-worldly explanations.

For de’ Rossi, the identification of a mundane reason for a supernatural event was merely “bringing nature into the sphere of the miraculous.” The reconciliation of science and Torah, and the recognition of all that is valuable in modern thought and culture in harmony with traditional Judaism, is precisely the root mission of the Modern Orthodox movement. De’ Rossi’s irrepressible intellectual curiosity led him into a wide variety of disciplines – and into even more hot water. While he staunchly defended the inviolate nature of the text of the Torah, he did not refrain from addressing the apparent contradictions between the Talmud and 16th-century science. He personally maintained steadfast faith in the dictates of Jewish theology and practice, but he recognized the sages of the Talmud as human beings, of necessity limited by the state of knowledge in their times. “We ought not to flatter them against their will,” he asserted, “by stating with our lips what we do not believe in our hearts.”

The backlash was immediate and forceful. Italian rabbis issued a ban on his book (although not on de’ Rossi personally, however, because he was well known to be scrupulously observant). The ban, which forbade any Jew to possess even a part of The Light of the Eyes without written rabbinic permission, was maintained well into the 17th century. The prolific Rabbi Yaakov Emden suggested that perhaps the Hebrew title Me’or Einayim should be rendered Me’aver Einayim, or “Blinding the Eyes.” However, he held back from banning the book.

The debates initiated by de’ Rossi continue to rage in communities from Teaneck to Lakewood, from Bnei Brak to Efrat. On the one hand, Orthodox Jews are subject to what sociologist Samuel Heilman has described as the “sliding to the right,” increasingly seeking to disassociate with contemporary culture, thought and technology. At the same time, writers like Rabbi Nathan Slifkin ignite de’ Rossi-sized controversies over scientific questions such as the ascent of humanity.

The aftershocks occasioned by the publication of The Light of the Eyes continue to register on the Richter scale even today.

Henry Abramson is a specialist in Jewish history and thought who currently serves as a Dean of Touro College in Brooklyn, NY.

e Jewish Press Centennial Endowment In 2020, the Jewish Press will turn 100 years old!

Please join us as we get ready for the next 100 years by giving to the Centennial Endowment Fund. e 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: Fill out the information below and simply return it to the Jewish Press office, or visit us online at http://www.jewishomaha.org/jewish-press/.

e Jewish Press Centennial Endowment Giving levels Your information

O O O O

$18 $36 $180 Other $______

Name______________________________________________________ Address____________________________________________________ Email_______________________________________________________ Please make checks payable to e JFO Foundation

thejewishpress

10 | The Jewish Press | May 3, 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 may 10, at 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker Ophir Palmon. 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 Delivery Day, 10 a.m.; Hebrew High Graduation and Teacher Appreciation, 5 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. saturday: Conversation with God, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation (Grades K-7), 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: BESTT Photo Day and Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Torah Tots, 10:30 a.m.; Siddur Ceremony, 11 a.m.; USY Elections, noon; Cantor’s Concert — Jaffa Road, 4 p.m. tuEsday: Mahjong, 1 p.m. wEdnEsday: L’dor Va Dough Baking, 10 a.m.; BESTT Classes, 4 p.m. at the JCC; Hebrew High Yom Ha’atzmaut High School Program, 6 p.m. at the JCC. thursday: Morning Minyan with Breakfast and Brachot, 7 a.m.; Shanghai, 1 p.m.

Pre-Neg and Tot Shabbat, friday, may 10, 5:30 p.m.

Chesed Committee visits Remington Heights, tuesday, may 14, 2 p.m. and Chesed Committee visits The Heritage at Sterling Ridge, wednesday, may 15, 2 p.m.

BEth israEl synagoguE

Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer friday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m.; Candle Lighting, 8:06 p.m. saturday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion, 7:05 p.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 7:50 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:11 p.m. sunday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Kabbalah and Mysticism, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Shlomo; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:10 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. monday: Rosh Chodesh Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 8:10 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. tuEsday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Yom Hazikaron, 6:30 p.m. at Beth Israel; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:10 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. wEdnEsday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Board of Commissioners Meeting, 6:30 p.m.; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 8:10 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, 8:10 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; Friday Night Shabbat Dinner, 6:30 p.m. at Marriott Downtown, 222 N. 10th Street Omaha for Berskshire Investors Conference; Candle Lighting, 8:05 p.m. 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.

congrEgation B’nai JEshurun

Services conducted by Rabbi Teri Appleby. friday: Yom HaShoah Service, 6:30 p.m.; Oneg, 7:30 p.m. hosted by the Hyten Family; Candlelighting, 8:07 p.m. saturday: Shabbat Morning Service with Yizkor, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study on Parashat Achrei Mot, 10:45 a.m.;

Havdalah (72 minutes), 9:38 p.m. sunday: No LJCS Classes; Adult Hebrew Prayer Class, 11:30 a.m.; Nebraska State Holocaust Commemoration, 3 p.m. in the Rotunda of the Nebraska State Capitol Bldg; 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. tuEsday: Star City Kochavim Rehearsal, 6:45 p.m.; Mussar: Inner Ladder, 7 p.m.

As you start to make summer plans, consider sending your child to LJCS CAMP ISRAEL, July 22–aug. 2, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Light Kosher dairy snack and lunch included.

Tuition for each week is $75 per camper. This program is open to children ages 5-14. We require ALL campers to be registered through the LJCS, therefore we cannot accept drop-in guests.

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 Stan Edelstein.

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

tEmPlE israEl

friday: Celebratory Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. Join us as we give tribute to Sharon Comisar-Langdon, who is retiring as our Religious School Director. OTYG board and Youth Advisor Jacob Kahn will be honored and 2019-2020 OTYG board will be installed. All high-school seniors will recieve a special blessing and Alec Feidman, son of Nancy Feidman and Ted Feidman, will be presented with the Brandon Thomas Pursuit of Passion Scholarship. Oneg in Brandon’s memory sponsored by Elly and Bob Gordman, Andie Gordman and Dan Fitzgerald, and Lindsey Thomas to follow. saturday: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Bat Mitzvah of kathryn howell, daughter of Danielle and Bryan Howell. sunday: Beginning Prayer-Book Hebrew, 9 a.m.; Last Sunday of Religious School for Grades PreK-6, 10 a.m.; Confirmation Service and Brunch, 10:30 a.m. Celebrate the Confirmation of our 10th graders. Because our high-school students are role models to our younger children, this year’s Confirmation service will include our younger students as participants. Community brunch open to all following the service.

Please RSVP to Temple Israel, 402.556.6536. We will also dedicate new links on our L’dor V’dor sculpture outside our main entrance; Tri-Fatih Garden and Orchard Planting Day, 2 p.m.; Rosh Chodesh Floral Fun Event hosted by Susie Silverman and Pam DePorte, 2 p.m. at Arrange This N’ That, 4022 South 108th Street. wEdnEsday: Religious School Grades 3-6, 4 p.m. at the JCC; Yom Ha’Atzmaut Community Celebration, 5:30 p.m. at the JCC; Religious School for Grades 8-12, 6 p.m. at the JCC.

thursday: The History of the Jewish People: Establishment of the Stat of Israel, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Berezin.

Holy Smokes, tuesday, may 14, 7 p.m. Cigars. Beer.

Whiskey. Rabbi Stoller will lead this men-only evening featuring philosophical discussions of men’s issues and perspectives from Jewish texts. This event is free, though reservations are required. RSVP to Temple Israel, 402.556.6536.

Shabbat Service with Kol Rina and St. Paul Choir Exchange friday, may 17, 6 p.m. at Temple Israel and sunday, may 19, 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul United Methodist.

Annual Meeting & Lag B’Omer Celebration, wednesday, may 22, 6 p.m. The congregation is invited to join us for our 148th annual meeting where we will be recognizing our board members and committee chairs who have completed their terms, and welcoming new board members. This will also be one of our final opportunities to say thank you to Cantor Shermet, Sharon Comisar-Langdon, Jacob Kahn, and Jen Goodman. Our new business will include approving a new three-year contract for Rabbi Stoller. His current contract expires in 2020; and this extension will run from 2020 to 2023.

Afterwards, we will move outside for our Lag B’Omer Celebration! This will be a fun, family-friendly evening of grilling, fire pits, and Israeli music! Hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, and cookies are on the menu for the evening as we celebrate the 33rd day of the Omer count. The suggested donation for this event is one canned food item per person. We will gather the food items and donate them to a food pantry.

tifErEth israEl

Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: monday-friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. friday: No Shabbat Service; Candlelighting, 8:07 p.m. saturday: Shabbat Service, 10 a.m. followed by light a kiddush lunch; Got Shabbat, 11 a.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 9:08 p.m. sunday: No LJCS Classes; Nebraska State Holocaust Commemoration, 3 p.m. in the Rotunda of the Nebraska State Capitol Building. Our legislative sponsor is Senator Megan Hunt, and our guest speaker is Beth Dotan, Founder and First Executive Director of IHE; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. All equipment furnished. Wear comfortable clothing. For questions, call or text Miriam Wallick at miriam 57@aol.com. wEdnEsday: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. at TI. thursday: Yom HaAtzmaut Celebration, 6:30 p.m.

We’ll be grilling outdoors and providing side dishes. Attendees should bring their own drinks for a meat meal. (No dairy drinks please.) A vegetarian option will be available upon request. Please RSVP so we can plan the amount of food to purchase.

As you start to make summer plans, consider sending your child to LJCS CAMP ISRAEL, July 22–aug. 2, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Light Kosher dairy snack and lunch included.

Tuition for each week is $75 per camper. This program is open to children ages 5-14. We require ALL campers to be registered through the LJCS, therefore we cannot accept drop-in guests.

Poway synagogue shooter charged with murder

marcy ostEr JTA The alleged gunman in the attack on the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego was charged with murder.

John Earnest, 19, was charged on Sunday afternoon, April 28 with one count of murder in the first degree and three counts of attempted murder in the first degree, according to records posted on the website of the San Diego County Sher- John Earnest Credit: Screenshot from KGTV San Diego iff ’s Department.

Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, was killed in the Saturday morning, April 27 attack and three people, including an 8-year-old girl, were injured.

Earnest is not eligible for bail, according to the

Sheriff ’s Department. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday afternoon, May 1.

Local officials have accused Earnest of a hate crime. Authorities are working to determine whether state hate crimes laws can be applied and if he violated federal civil rights laws, the Daily Beast reported.

Earnest called in the shooting to police after fleeing the scene. He was taken into police custody several blocks from the synagogue, reportedly emerging from his car with his hands in the air.

An assault rifle was found in the front seat of the vehicle, as was an action camera, indicating that he had planned to film the synagogue shooting.

Earnest also claims that he set fire to a mosque in Escondido, California, in the weeks after the shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The claim is under investigation.

In a manifesto he is believed to have posted online, the writer says that he was inspired by the Tree of Life synagogue gunman in Pittsburgh along with the New Zealand mosque shooter.

The Jewish Press | May 3, 2019 | 11

lifecycles biRTh

connoR michael Ruback

Liz and Joe Ruback of Olathe, KS, announce the April 7 birth of their son, Connor Michael.

He is named for his maternal grandfather.

He has a brother, William.

Grandparents are Mary Beth and Mike Manninger of Omaha, Marcy Ruback of Omaha and the late David Ruback.

Great-grandmother is Dottie Rosenblum of Omaha.

b’nai miTzVah

josePh fischeR

Joseph Fischer, son of Linda and Joe Fischer, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, May 11, at Beth El. Joseph is a seventh-grade student at Alice Buffett Middle School.

He is interested in cross country, baseball, and riding mountain bikes. His passion is baseball which he has been playing since preschool. He has enjoyed being part of his current team, ‘Hosey’s Heroes,’ for the past three years.

For his mitzvah project, Joseph raised and donated money to the P.A.C.E. organization (Police Athletics Center for Community Engagement.)

These police officers volunteer their time to help children in North Omaha play sports such as baseball, soccer, flag football and cross-fit sports. This summer, Joseph is going to also volunteer his time to help coach kids in this program at their baseball practices. He looks forward to helping them develop skills and learn new techniques for baseball.

He has a younger brother, Jacob.

Grandparents are Dr. Jose Fischer and Dolores Parra Fischer of Kansas City, Kansas, and Dr. Mark Lazarus and Elaine Sher Lazarus of Miami Beach, FL.

samanTha asuenTa anD soPhia maRie sTeRn

Samantha Asuenta Stern and Sophia Marie Stern, daughters of Kim and David Stern, will celebrate their B’not Mitzvah on Saturday, May 11, at Temple Israel.

Samantha is a sophia, left, and samantha stern seventh grade honor roll student and Sophia is a sixth grade honor roll student at Grandview Middle School.

Samantha plays basketball for Elkhorn Elite Gold and softball for Elkhorn Athletic Association. She enjoys hanging out with friends, playing outside, being active, and playing piano.

Sophia plays volleyball for Nebraska Elite and softball for Elkhorn Athletic Association. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, playing outside, being active, and playing the piano.

For their mitzvah project, Samantha and Sophia spent time at the Carolyn Scott Rainbow House. It is a place for families, from outside of the Omaha area, who have children requiring care at Children’s Hospital.They spent countless hours preparing meals for the families, playing games, and doing arts and crafts with the children. They also volunteered with Women Aid and COPE, two charitable organizations in Elkhorn, doing various duties.

Grandparents are Betty and George Grillo of Omaha, and Shelley and Skip Stern of Omaha.

To submiT announcemenTs

Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press at jpress@jewish omaha.org or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Readers can also submit announcements -- births, b’nai mitzvahs, engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewish omaha.org.

Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements.

Poway mayor says Post-Pittsburgh precautions saved lives

GabRielle biRkneR POWAY, Calif. | JTA Poway’s mayor said preparations made in the aermath of the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue “contributed to saving lives” in his hometown.

On Saturday, April 27, a gunman entered the Chabad of Poway, killing Lori Gilbert-Kaye, a 60-year-old congregant, and injuring three others, including Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, the congregation’s spiritual leader.

Following the October attack at the Tree of Life synagogue complex in Pittsburgh, Poway Mayor Steve Vaus and the San Diego County Sheriff ’s Department met with Jewish leaders at the Chabad of Poway to discuss best practices for an active shooter situation, the mayor said on April 28.

Be a role model; the person you want your kid to be.

What stronger anti-drug message is there?

For more information call: 1-800-648-4444 http://www.prevlink.org

Pulverent e MONUMENT CO.

Frank L. Ciciulla Jr.

60 Years Experience With Jewish Lettering and Memorials

1439 So. 13th

402-341-2452

Tritz Plumbing Inc. 402-894-0300 www.tritz.com repair • remodel

commercial • residential

family owned and operated since 1945

nebRaska sTaTewiDe classifieDs

aTTenTion aDVeRTiseRs! For $225/25 word classified you can advertise in over 162 Nebraska newspapers. For more information contact The Jewish Press or call 1-800-369-2850.

DenieD social Security Disability? Appeal! If you’re 50+, filed for SSD and denied, our attorneys can help get you approved! No money out of pocket! 855-6780775. affoRDable PRess Release service. Send your message to 164 newspapers across Nebraska for one low price! Call 1-800-369-2850 or www.nebpress.com for more details. floweR shoP for sale, Central Nebraska, town of 3,000. 70 year business, one family, owner retiring. Interested buyers call for more information, 1-800-5595427.

executive Director Rabbi Ysrael Goldstein with Poway mayor steve Vaus.

Credit: SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images “We memorialized the victims of the Tree of Life massacre, and then we gave them tips about what to do if hate comes knocking at the door,” Vaus said Sunday in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

“Tips like, if you can run away, run away. If you can hide, hide. If you can’t hide, challenge the shooter.’”

During Saturday’s shooting in Poway, “all of that happened,” the mayor said, “and I have no doubt that that meeting contributed to saving lives.” e security briefing between law enforcement and Chabad leadership in Poway took place two days aer the attack in Pittsburgh. e mayor praised one Chabad congregant, an off-duty border patrol agent who he said was able to gain access to a weapon not on his person.

“His courage likely prevented further bloodshed,” Vaus said. e shooting on the last day of Passover was six months to the day aer the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history, when an alleged white supremacist murdered 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue complex.

CNN quoted witnesses as saying that there were six or seven shots, and that the rabbi had two fingers blown off. e Anti-Defamation League said it is on the ground in San Diego “working with local authorities to set up a community support center for those directly affected by the shooting.”

Trump spoke about the shooting at the rally Saturday night, April 27th in Green Bay. “Our entire nation mourns the loss of life, prays for the wounded and stands in solidarity with the Jewish community,” he said. “We forcefully condemn the evil of anti-Semitism, which must be defeated.”

financial benefiTs for those facing serious illness. You may qualify for a Living Benefit Loan today (up to 50 percent of your Life Insurance Policy Death Benefit). Free information. Call 1-866-434-4975.

DenTal insuRance. Call Physicians Mutual Insurance Company for details.

Not just a discount plan, Real coverage for 350 procedures. 855-490-4149 or http://www.dental50plus.com/81 Ad#6118.

GeT a Smartphone for $0 down* with AT&T Next® and AT&T Next Every Year $250 Gift Card for switching to AT&T! (*Requires well-qualified credit. Limits & restrictions apply.) 1-855-539-2046.

DiRecTV & aT&T. 155 Channels & 1,000s of Shows/Movies On Demand (w/Select Package). AT&T Internet 99 Percent Reliability. Unlimited Texts to 120 Countries w/AT&T Wireless. Call 4 Free Quote, 1-855-977-3794.

DiRecTV now. No Satellite needed. $40/month. 65 Channels. Stream Breaking News, Live Events, Sports & On Demand Titles. No Annual Contract. No Commitment. Call 1-855-954-7227.

Dish neTwoRk $59.99 for 190 Channels. Add High Speed Internet for Only $14.95/month. Best Technology. Best Value. Smart HD DVR included. Free Installation. Some restrictions apply. Call 1-877-688-4784. life aleRT, 24/7. One press of a button sends help fast! Medical, Fire, Burglar.

Even if you can’t reach a phone! Free Brochure. Call 855-663-0118.

PuT on your TV ears and hear TV with unmatched clarity. TV Ears Original were originally $129.95, now with this special offer are only $59.95 with code MCB59!

Call 1-855-404-3553.

sTaY in your home longer with an American Standard Walk-in Bathtub. Receive up to $1,500 off, including a free toilet, and a lifetime warranty on the tub and installation! Call us at 1-888-332-9560.

sToP sTRuGGlinG on the stairs. Give your life a lift with an Acorn Stairlift. Call now for $250 off your stairlift purchase and free DVD & brochure! 1-877-6528506. cDl DRiVeRs! NEBCO is now hiring Class A & B Drivers. Great pay, medical and retirement benefits, paid time off, and Home Every Night! www.NEBCOinc.com/careers haVe 10k in Debt? National Debt Relief is rated A-Plus with the BBB. You could be debt free in 24-48 months. Call 1-866-834-5927 now for a free debt evaluation.

become a published author! Publications sold at all major secular & specialty Christian bookstores. Call Christian Faith Publishing for your Free author submission kit. 1-866-807-0505.

become a Published Author. We want to read your book! Dorrance Publishing trusted by authors since 1920. Book manuscript submissions currently being reviewed. Comprehensive Services: Consultation, Production, Promotion and Distribution. Call for your free Author’s Guide, 1-877-858-2822 or visit http://dorranceinfo.com/Nebraska. a-1 DonaTe your car for breast cancer! Help United Breast Foundation education, prevention & support programs. Fast free pickup - 24 hour response - tax deduction. 888-981-7797.

12 | The Jewish Press | May 3, 2019

community

O

Day of Learning through music

Jennie Gates Beckman Director of Community Engagement & Education, JFO n Sunday, April 14, over 100 community members gathered in the JCC Auditorium for the third annual ‘Day of Learning,’ honoring Speedy and Debbi Zweiback for their lifelong commitment to music and Jewish learning. Dr. Leonard Greenspoon introduced the day, as this program was the fruit of an ongoing collaboration between the Klutznick/Creighton Custodial Fund and the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Rabbi Josh “Yoshi” Zweiback, who grew up in Omaha and is now the Senior Rabbi of Stephen Wise Temple, one of the largest synagogues in the country, returned to help honor Speedy and Debbi by teaching Jewish text through music. e program was entitled “Building Bridges through Music,” a name which was teased from nearly a dozen conversations with the Zweibacks regarding how the day might highlight some of the things they are passionate about. Kindness, Authentic Connection, Mutual Responsibility, Inclusivity and Bringing People Together were all themes that were considered; the recurring instrument, however, was music. e committee hoped that the day could use music as an educational tool to dig deeper into text from Jewish liturgy than one might experience while listening to a cantor or choir.

Rabbi Zweiback performed several songs for the attendees, weaving in text study and original stories to paint a fuller picture of the meaning behind the music. Participants were able to follow along with text provided in handouts. He debuted his new song, Kol Yisrael with a local accompaniment of community voices: Donald Gerber, Hannah Goodman, Scott Goodman, Jill Idelman, Amy Nachman, Gary Nachman, Jeff Schweid and Jamie Skog-Burke took the stage alongside Josh’s sister, Rosie Zweiback, brother, Adam, and daughter, Naomi.

As what has become a Day of Learning tradition, this was our third year of wrapping up the aernoon with a sweet trib-

ute to the honorees. Federation CEO Alan Potash shared a moving toast to Speedy and Debbi, inspired by the last song Yoshi shared, We Remember and his invitation for us each to have the memory of someone close to us join us in the room.

Whether you were able to keep a dry eye or not, it was a beau-

tiful ending to a lovely aernoon. e Day of Learning through Music was made possible through the support of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation’s Klutznick/Creighton Custodial Fund and the Jewish Federation of Omaha.