May 8, 2015

Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

Carole Greenberg retires

May 8, 2015 19 Iyar 5775 Vol. 95 | No. 34

This Week

Community Service Award winners Page 5

Eye on Israel: Celebrating Jerusalem Day Page 6

by GABBY BLAIR On May 29, the Pennie Z. Davis Child Development Center’s longterm visionary, artistic muse, and Assistant Director, Carole Greenberg, is retiring. As I sat down with Carole to conduct this interview, the love, warmth and soul that she has poured into making the CDC the amazing facility it is today, was tangible. From her interactions with the staff, to the works of art hanging on the wall, Carole’s essence is apparent wherever one looks. As her time at the CDC comes to an end, even the thought of her absence is bringing tears to the eyes of her colleagues, CDC parents and children and alumni, alike.

I should note that I called the CDC at 7:45 a.m. one morning to see about setting up a time later in the week to meet with her and was taken aback that she answered the phone herself.

On a moment’s notice, she made time to meet with me just a few hours later. Cheerful and accommodating, she told me her story, with a big smile and a twinkle in her eye; those of you who know her, know she is full of an electric energy.

Tell me how you came to be at the CDC? “It was November of 1989. At that time, the JCC Preschool was housed where Jewish Family Services, the

Carole Greenberg JCC Community Room, and The Jewish Press is currently located. I walked into the facility, found then director Marlen Frost, and said “Hi! I am Carole Greenberg, and I am the

best thing that has ever happened to you!” I was turned down flat and told they were not hiring. In March of 1990, I was called and informed of a small part-time gig being a camp

counselor for 4-year-olds. Naturally, I jumped at the chance!” Carole goes on, explaining how she progressed from getting her foot in the door, to becoming a lead preschool teacher, and then assistant director, followed by her efforts to develop the amazing art program the CDC is so well known for. “Along with all of her talents, Carole was the brains behind starting the art program at the CDC. She can account for thousands of canvasses hanging in homes, offices and other places around the city by children who went through her art program,” says Corey Kirshenbaum, former long time CDC Director. Kirshenbaum goes on to say, “Carole was an outstanding person to work with. She always found a way to take children to the next level of development... to take the best of each child and challenge them to their highest potential. Carole was an outstanding role model for with the other teachers and staff and she always had her door open and was willing to help.

Carole was the glue that held the CDC together. She was not only my child’s teacher, she was a superb colleague who I was honored to work with for so many years. We often spoke to each other without saying anything. I became an outstanding Continued on page 3

IHE Essay Contest Spirit of Federation

by LIZ FELDSTERN Executive Director, Institute for Holocaust Education The Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) and the Plains States Region of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) organized the 13th annual Tribute to the Rescuers Essay Contest for high school students this

After Nepal quake, Israelis stick together Page 12

essay about an individual or group that illustrates moral courage. Students use the Holocaust as a lens to analyze moral behavior and the essays must identify and explain the courageous act, connect it to the Holocaust and demonstrate a personal connection. The essay contest is generously funded by the Carl

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

This Month Graduation See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

8 10 11

From left to right: Harold Mann, Linda Mann, Emily Koster, Joseph Ferris, Sarah Kutler, Matthew Henggeler and Zmarnk Ahmad Daud. year. Essays came in from all across Nebraska, as well as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Oregon, Missouri, Arizona, and Texas! Awards were given out on April 27, with the first-place students winning as much as $800.

The Essay Contest asks students in grades 9-12 to write a 750-1000 word

Frohm Foundation.

“The winning students thought deeply about the true meaning of moral courage, and managed to connect to the topic on a very personal level,” said Liz Feldstern, Executive Director of the IHE. “Our objective is for students to appreciate the historical significance of the Holocaust and its impact on communities and conflicts around the world. Each student can work to make a positive change in the world,” she added.

More than 70 years ago, the Danish people organized a national effort to send 7,200 Jews by fishing boats to neutral Sweden. This effort resulted in the highest Jewish survival rate of Continued on page 3

Phil and Nancy Wolf

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPis married to Mike Schmidt. They WRIGHT live and work in Omaha; she is a Jewish Press Editor 7th grade math teacher in OPS, he Nancy and Phil Wolf are the re- is an attorney. Son Alex lives in Beicipients of the 2015 Phil and Terri jing, China, and works for a transSchrager Spirit of Federation lation company, providing English Award. The award is given annually subtitles for some Chinese TV to a man and a woman who have shows. Then there is Nathan, who demonstrated personal commit- lives in Chengdu, also in China. He ment, dedication and leadership to is currently enrolled in University the Federation and/or its agencies. to study Mandarin and has private Nancy and Phil moved here from students studying English and Chicago in 1989 and have three Math. children: Hannah is the oldest and Continued on page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | May 8, 2015

Spirit of Federation Continued from page 1 The most remarkable thing about the Wolfs is how many different organizations over the years have benefited from their dedication. Yet, they were very surprised to learn about the award.

“There are so many people who do so much, and our work doesn’t even begin to match up,” Nancy said. “These other people are the heroes. They believe in the possibilities of those people they are trying to help. Working with other passionate volunteers leaves me feeling energized and humbled.”

Nancy was involved with volunteering for the schools as their kids were growing up, served on the Omaha Public Library Foundation board, and volunteered in an ESL classroom in South Omaha for several years.

“Volunteering in varied capacities,” Nancy says, “has given me the opportunity to meet so many interesting and wonderful people! I’ve spent time with new immigrants learning English and trying to make a new life.”

She has donated her time and energy to The Salvation Army, the Munroe-Meyer Institute, and the United Way of the Midlands. She helped with the Women Build project of Habitat for Humanity, and together with her daughter Hannah, Nancy actually helped put up siding.

“In the Jewish community, I am on the boards of ADL and the Jewish Press, as well as Secretary of B’nai Israel Synagogue,” Nancy says. “I have helped Chabad in various ways for several years. I will never forget the beautiful Israeli family who came here so their baby boy could receive multiple organ transplants, and then needing to return again after five years for additional help. Rabbi Mendel Katzman asked if I could help coordinate rides that first time (18 months!) to medical appointments, grocery shopping, etc. It turned out to be life-changing for them, and for me.

Phil’s volunteer activities have been within the Jewish community, including the synagogues, the JCC and committee activities with the Federation. One area that stands out is his coaching which, according to him, “was one of the most nerve-wracking and rewarding things I have ever done.”

“I got into coaching purely by accident,” He recalls. “It was a team of kindergarteners, boys and girls. The established coach was going to be out of town and could not otherwise find a sub, so I sort of had to do it. With no prior experience, I worried about it all week before the first game (and during the week before every game for years). Finally, it dawned on me to approach the kids based on what I had been thinking while watching from the stands.

“It was supposed to be a “no scorekeeping” participation league, but I knew from my daughter’s involvement that the kids all knew what was going on. The notion I had was, yes, all the kids would play as equally as possible at those young ages, but it did not make sense not to try to win. It was not that we had to win, but rather, if we did not try to win, we would not have an object around which to organize, and I thought the kids needed that. If we won, we won, and if we lost, we lost, but we would get the kids playing together around that object.

“So, that first game, the kids gathered around, really young kids not knowing me at all (except for my daughter Hannah), and I asked them if they knew they had lost all their games to that point and if they wanted to try to win.

Interestingly, they all admitted knowing they had lost and nodded enthusiastically about trying to win. They were each assigned a role so they could think about what we were going to do as a team. We won the game and the coach called me the next week and said he was turning over the reins.

“I am not sure how much of a coach I was, but I continued with it for 14 years including at the Maccabi Games, as long as my own kids played. My last team was the JCC team for eighth grade boys with my youngest son in that group.

“We had some really good teams and always had great kids. The experience of coaching would be hard to replicate in any other endeavor. I still run into the “kids” now and then, and that rekindles a lot of nice memories.

“Coaching at the JCC was also my entrée to the wider Jewish community as there were kids from all of the synagogues on the teams at one time or another. I came to know many families and am very grateful for the trust they placed in me.

“We learn in Jewish teachings that there are obligations without measure, whose reward is without measure,” Nancy

Lincoln Interfaith Breakfast

by SARAH KELEN Using interfaith efforts as a metaphor for bridges, Sayeed Members from Lincoln’s diverse faith communities gath- pointed to the engineering requirement to examine bridges ered on Thursday, April 30, at the 31st annual Mayor’s and ensure their structural integrity as well as the design Interfaith Prayer Breakfast. The theme this year was imperative to make them beautiful. The same is true in “Moving from Walls to Bridges: Finding Common Ground community partnerships, she noted: they too require a cycle of construction, for Community Transformaassessment, and reconstruction.” The event featured tion or improvement. readings and prayers offered The Jewish community of by leaders of Hindu, Jewish, Lincoln (Congregation B’nai Muslim, and different Jeshurun and Congregation Christian communities, as well as remarks by Lincoln Tifereth Israel) was wellmayor Chris Beutler. represented in the Prayer The keynote speaker for Breakfast. Anne Rickover of the event was Dr. Sarah Congregation B’nai Sayeed, Director of Jeshurun served on the Community Partnerships at planning committee, and Rabbi Craig Lewis of the Interfaith Center of New Congregation B’nai York. Sayeed began by pointJeshurun offered a teaching ing to the centrality of the Members of Lincoln’s Jewish community enjoy the Mayor’s on loving one’s neighbor in shared meal in the Mayor’s Interfaith Prayer Breakfast. Standing: David Weisser, the rabbinical tradition.

Interfaith Prayer Breakfast, Marcia Kushner, and Zachary Bram; Seated: Gail Wishnow The Jewish community of observing that food provides and Max Neiden.

Lincoln also teamed up to a common ground for diverse faith traditions to share in the practice of hospitali- sponsor a table together, offering members of Lincoln’s two ty. Food also calls diverse groups together in mutual cele- Jewish congregations a chance to greet old friends as well as making new ones. bration of God’s gifts.

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says. “How many times do we need to be reminded to help clothe the needy, take care of the widow and orphan, etc.?

Therefore, some volunteering opportunities are obligatory.

But after becoming conditioned to say yes when understanding there is need, and being able to witness the positive effects, volunteering definitely becomes a privilege.”

“As to the Jewish world,” Phil adds, “it is both a privilege and an obligation. Somehow, I got here and it must have been on the backs of those who came before. It is a privilege to be part of the residue of what came before, and it is a duty for me to put forth some effort so that their prior work will not be for nothing. It should not end with me.

“We have children and, while they sometimes left me wondering whether they ever paid any attention, we know they saw and will remember what we have done; our involvements connoting the Jewish community’s importance to us.

Seeing where we were, through visible activities or presence at the various institutions within the Jewish community, as well as watching/listening/thinking about who we were with, how we spent our time, what we were reading and our conversations, our children would know there is no question of our Jewish identity. They have free will. We know that. But we want it to be extremely tough for them to ever walk away.”

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May 8, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 3

Honoring Temple Israel’s seniors

by SCOTT LITTKY Program Director, Temple Israel Excitement is building with the school year coming to an end. As the trees turn green and the flowers bloom, our focus is turning to our high school seniors. On Friday, May 22, at Temple Israel, we will honor our graduating high school seniors and present the Brandon Thomas Rising Star Scholarship at our annual Senior Send Off. The following members of Temple Israel are graduating high school this year: Sarah Alexander, Jacob Baron, Wil Beach, Courtney Bierman, Madison Bierman, Sarah Cohn, John Eirinberg, Madison Eisenberg, Estella Fox, Maxwell Gendler, Blair Goldstein, Danny Glazer, Shaylie Hollst, Leah Miller, Spencer Newman, Sarah Brandon Thomas Prescott, Ari Rauhauser, Isaac Rogers, Andrew Rosen, Abby Schodelmeyer, Tyler Schneiderman, Luke Schranger, Gabrielle Simon, Lydia Sklarsky, Max Slosburg, Rachel Stoneking, Jacob Vann, Jacqueline Wax, David Wright and Zane Zimmerman.

They will be recognized during Shabbat Services at

Temple Israel on May 22. The service will begin at 6 p.m. and, as always, is open to the community.

Beginning this year, we will present the Brandon Thomas Rising Star Scholarship to two of our graduating seniors.

Brandon was just shy of graduation from the Institute for the Culinary Arts when he died at age 21 from injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident. Brandon was passionate about his career choice and was a loving and caring friend to all who knew him. When asked to describe Brandon, his mother Andie Gordman said, “Brandon had a passion for culinary arts; he knew from a young age he always wanted to be a chef. Thanksgiving was absolutely his favorite holiday, and he couldn’t wait to help plan the menu and cook the meal.”

The Brandon Thomas Raising Star Scholarship is being presented this year to Madison Eisenberg and Rachel Stoneking. Madison will attend Metro Community College this fall to study general education. She has been very active working with children as a nanny and volunteering at Wildlife Encounter, where she has helped children understand the importance of animals in our world. Rachel will attend the University of Nebraska next year and will be studying to become a veterinarian.

The evening will conclude with an Oneg after services. The Oneg is sponsored by Elly and Bob Gordman, Andie Gordman and Dan Fitzgerald and Lindsey Thomas in celebration of Brandon Thomas and all the graduating seniors.

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Carole Greenberg Continued from page 1 lip reader thanks to her, and we had many laughs together over the years.”

Can you reflect on three of the best or most memorable experiences you have had at the CDC? “Wow. That is almost impossible. I have been here just a hair under 25 years, we are talking a little under a month short of 25 years!” she laughs. “I have loved every day of it.

This is a place where I have spent the majority of my time.

All the people I have worked with, cared for... it is like family. It is a passion.” Greenberg goes on saying, “Former students are now returning with their own children, or coming back as art camp counselors, its really moving.” Of the three most memorable experiences, Greenberg lists her instrumental role in being a part of the design and purchasing of the current building and the continuation of updating and art work; the outpouring of support from parents and co-workers after an auto accident en route to a JCC conference in 1996; and her first CDC graduation. “I made paper hats, paper collars, and the cake. We have come such a long way since then and refer to it as our “Broadway production”!”

Expounding a little on the history of the CDC, Carole detailed the evolution of the facility existing today. “We made the move to the current building in 2000. At that time, Dinah Raful had become the CDC Director. We really outgrew our space, and there were parties interested in helping us expand, so we put together a plan and submitted it... we were told to go back and think BIGGER!” The plans for our current home were then designed, and Pennie Z. Davis personally put up $1 million dollars for its construction. Thanks to this generous gift, and those of so many other amazing community donors, we have this special place today! I was so honored on the day that I gave Pennie the first tour of the building.”

So, what is next for you?

“You know, most people seem to dislike change. I love change. I love exploring and trying new things. It keeps me going. My husband Andy and I have moved from our home in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, to Newbury Park, California, to New Hampshire, and then to Omaha. Our next stop is Lake Worth, Florida,” says Greenberg. After wintering in Florida, visiting family and friends, and helping her sister look for a new home in the area, the Greenbergs began casually looking at properties a local realtor would send them. A special listing, meeting their criteria, prompted the decision to make the move and start the next chapter of their lives. Eventually, Greenberg, who has been to 76 countries, would like to travel more with her husband. She said that once settled, she may look into directing art classes for adults and working with the Girl Scouts. “It is going to be hard to leave this place. Our son and his family are in nearby Kansas City. The CDC has been my home for such a big part of my life, and I am going to really miss the staff camaraderie and the amazing children. We have such wonderful friends here and this is such a a great community.” As excited as Carole Greenberg is about the upcoming move and exploring new things, I can see that she is full of emotion when discussing leaving Omaha, and especially, the CDC. It is a bittersweet ending to our meeting.

Jeanine Huntoon is the seventh director who Carole has worked with. “There is no way we could ever fill Carole’s shoes,” says Huntoon. “The huge impact she has had on so many lives is amazing, and she will be sorely missed!”

Huntoon and the CDC staff are holding a Retirement Open House on May 28, 5:30-7 p.m. in the JCC Auditorium. Huntoon expects a good turnout and goes on to say, “It would be great to have current and former CDC families and friends come celebrate Carole, her dedication to the program and give her the send off she deserves!”

IHE Essay Contest

Continued from page 1 any European country during World War II. The Danish citizens provide a unique example of courage and concern, jeopardizing their own lives to spare those of their fellow countrymen. The Tribute to the Rescuers Essay Contest was co-founded by the Danish Immigrant Museum (Elk Horn, IA) and is named From left to right: Paula Lenz, Amber Johnson, Emily Koster, Joseph Ferris, Matthew for these courageous acts.

Henggeler, Zmarnk Ahmad Daud, Jenny Razor and Jen Stastny. In front: Sarah Kutler.

2014-15 Winners: 9th-10th Grades: First Place: Emily Koster, VJ and Angela Skutt Catholic High Macaluso, Bethlehem Catholic High School, Bethlehem, PA; School, Omaha; Second Place: Zmarak Ahmad Daud, Burke Honorable Mention: Joseph Ferris, Central High School, High School, Omaha; Third Place: Kayley Anderson, VJ and Omaha Teacher Awards: First Place: Jen Stastny, Central High Angela Skutt Catholic High School, Omaha.

11th-12th Grades: First Place: Matthew Henggeler, School, Omaha; Second Place: Robert Gowell, Bethlehem Central High School, Omaha; Second Place: Sarah Kutler, Catholic High School, Bethlehem, PA; Third Place: Sherri Central High School, Omaha; Third Place: Samantha Hoye, VJ and Angela Skutt Catholic High School.

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4 | The Jewish Press | May 8, 2015

Father of missing Israeli hiker joins search in Nepal

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by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The father of the only Israeli missing in the Nepal earthquake arrived on the scene to help in the search.

Members of Or Asraf ’s Israel Defense Forces combat unit also touched down April 29 in Nepal to help look for their comrade.* A search-and-rescue team was already on the ground in the area of Bamboo, a village in the Langtang Valley where Asraf was believed to be hiking at the time of the earthquake and from where many Israeli hikers have been rescued, according to the Times of Israel. Numerous landslides have hit the area in the wake of the earthquake.

Asraf had an emergency satellite device that emits a signal to trace his whereabouts, but it has not been turned on. Several backpackers have told officials that they saw Asraf alive immediately after the earthquake.

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee announced on Wednesday that it would send an aid shipment of medical and humanitarian supplies from New York to a Kathmandu hospital in an effort coordinated with the Nepalese Consulate in New York. The shipment is being undertaken in conjunction with the Afya Foundation of Yonkers, New York.

“The damage is visible -- to temples, to the tourist areas,” said Mike Attinson, JDC’s disaster response expert and emergency field medic, who is in Nepal. “The cultural heritage has been destroyed. People are still

sleeping outside, still afraid to go into their homes. They’re still apprehensive. The poorer sections of the city were hit worse.”

The Israel Defense Forces field hospital that opened on April 29 saw more than 100 patients on its first day of operation and delivered its first baby, a boy. The death toll has climbed to more than 5,500.

On Thursday, April 30, a 15-year-old boy was pulled alive from the rubble, where he had been trapped for five days. Several hours after the boy’s rescue, an Israeli NGO’s search-and-rescue team in Kathmandu led an international effort in locating and extracting a young Nepalese woman from the earthquake rubble.

The IsraAid team guided the rescue of Krishna Devi Khadka, who was stuck in a hotel for five days in an air pocket covered by a dead body. The extraction took several hours and was undertaken with search-andrescue teams from France, Norway and Nepal, IsraAid said in a statement. The team continued to work at the same site, believing that it had located another survivor.

Also Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman announced that Israel will adopt a village in Nepal and assist in its reconstruction. He said the assistance will include clearing the rubble, rebuilding homes and infrastructure, and ensuring access to clean drinking water. *Editor’s note: Asraf Or’s body was discovered and retrieved on Monday, May 4.

Birth Liz and Joe Ruback of Overland Park, KS announce the April 22 birth of their son, William David.

He is named for his late grandfather, David Ruback.

Grandparents are Mary Beth and Mike

Manninger and Marcy Ruback all of Omaha.

Great-grandparents are Dottie Rosenblum of Omaha, Marie RoffmanRuback of Council Bluffs, IA, and Jeanne Lipsey-Rosenblum, San Rafael, CA.

Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Carole Patrick, Executive at Stephens Center, will speak about the new building and how the Center helps the homeless on

Wednesday, May 13, noon. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

Invest in your health

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May 8, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 5

Not 1, not 2, but 3 Community Service Awards

by SHERRIE SAAG Expressions of Hope Omaha parking garage for a tranquil representation of wall Communications, Jewish Federation of Omaha barriers. Finally, Debbie Butler by Jamie Burmeister, who Ten years in the making, Fabric of Survival finally made its What does it say about a community with so many out- wanted a monument to everyday people and so constructed way to Omaha and was on display at KANEKO from January standing programs that when it comes time to honor the a giant bust out of fluid material.

15 to March 14, 2015. Sponsored by the Institute for Holocaust best of the best, it proves Education (IHE), the colimpossible? lection of 36 handThat’s the case this year, as embroidered and collage Federation Executive Comtapestries is an internamittee members were tionally recognized exhibcharged with choosing one it and the life’s work of program that stood above the Holocaust survivor Esther rest, and it proved too diffiNisenthal Krinitz. cult. The solution? Recognize IHE multi-event prothe three programs unanigramming served to mously acknowledged as bring as many people as having tremendous positive possible to view what the impact on Jewish Omaha in Smithsonian described as the last year. “visually stunning”. IHE The Institute for Holocaust Executive Director Liz Education’s Fabric of Feldstern said, “The This year’s Community Service Award winners: TypecastRecast, Fabric of Survival and Omaha Jewish Reunion.

Survival, the Anti-Defamaexhibit personalizes the Welcome Home tion League’s TypecastRecast, and the community-wide tragedy of the Holocaust and opens our hearts and minds to Omaha Jewish Reunion will share the 2014-15 Jewish Conceived and inspired by community leader Steve Riekes what was lost and what we must strive to prevent anyone Federation of Omaha Community Service Award. and planned with the help of dozens of community volunteers, from enduring in the future.”

Challenging perception through Art the Omaha Jewish Reunion was a weekend for everyone who An opening night reception took place on Feb. 6 featuring TypecastRecast was a temporary public art exhibition in calls Omaha home to return, remember and reconnect. several members of the artist’s family. Lunch hour docents, downtown Omaha displayed from April to October. Its goal Over 400 people came together the weekend of Sept. 12- IHE volunteers, were present on Wednesdays through was to promote respect, inclusiveness and civility. The intent 14 to enjoy a full slate of social events, meals, lectures, pro- February for specially-guided tours. More than 14 school and was to create a communal space where communities could grams and tours. Guests arrived in Omaha from more than community groups had private tours. All told, Feldstern estihave conversations about bias and bigotry; to discuss how a dozen cities in 13 different states. Every facet of Jewish mated over 3,000 visitors in just nine weeks saw the exhibit. together, we might imagine our world free from hate. The Omaha was included in the festivities. Each Omaha synaKrinitz’s needle work was meant to tell her life story to her project touched the hearts and minds of thousands in our gogue hosted Shabbat services, and the Nebraska Jewish children, but the exhibit has now toured worldwide and, community.

Historical Society filled the gallery space with displays, ran according to Feldstern, “is about how an individual can turn The artist selection process was led by the Bemis Center genealogy searches and conducted campus tours. BBYO overwhelming tragedy into an opportunity to share their for Contemporary Arts. The educational curriculum and hosted national leadership from its Washington DC offices story and inspire others.” online resources that accompanied the art display sought to to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of BBYO and the 70th She continued, “This program reached out beyond the challenge perceptions, deconstruct stereotypes, generate Anniversary of BBG. HavDAlahGALa was a festive and Jewish community, truly fulfilling our cultural, religious, eduunderstanding and initiate dialogue. fun-filled Saturday night celebration at the Jewish cational and social imperative to ‘be a light unto the Nations’.”

1300 students, educators and community members from Community Center.

Much like its co-award winners, the Fabric of Survival was over 32 schools and community groups from throughout Tours took people all over town: revitalized Dundee, the a true community-wide effort with many, many volunteers the metropolitan area participated in the TypecastRecast UNO campus, Aksarben, “Bagel” and the newly-built contributing to its success. Docents: Janey Dann, Helen experience.

Temple Israel. Many former and current Omaha residents Epstein, Marti Rosen-Atherton, Caryl Greenberg, Bonnie Its honorary committee was instrumental in making presented at special programs, including Dan Kully, Howard Horwich, Gilda Pieck, Barbara Taxman, Rocky Stern, Gloria TypecastRecast a reality and share in the event’s honors: Weinberg and Andrew Bernstein.

Kaslow, Susan Rothholz, Eunie Denenberg, Nancy Skid and Norman & Frances Batt Family Foundation, Carol Gendler, This event would not have been possible without the ded- Barbara Frohman.

Shirley Goldstein, Mike & Susan Lebens, The Schrager ication and perseverance of over 100 community volunteers Group Tour Facilitators: Pam Gannon, Carol Sheridan, Supporting Foundation, Todd and Betiana Simon, Paul and who began working nearly two years prior to the weekend. Heidi Reinhart, Paula Lenz, Ophir Palmon, Sandee Annette Smith and Speedy and Debbi Zweiback.

It is more than appropriate to describe the Reunion as a Friedman, Ozzie Nogg, Donna Stastny, Paige Reitz, Gabbie The art included Always Forgive Never Forget by Avery community-wide effort. So in that spirit, let’s recognize the Gaines Liwaru and Linda Jordan.

Mazor; bright pink and orange string woven into an Reunion’s committee chairs: Fundraising: Howard Kaslow with sponsors Humanities installed fence that was intended to play on the idea of Mary Bernstein, Coordinator; Joanie Jacobson, Nebraska, Nebraska Arts Council, Slosburg Family fences as boundaries between people. Broken Open by Jarrod Entertainment; Don Goldstein and Marty Ricks, Finance; Charitable Trust and Howard Kooper.

Beck deconstructed and reassembled hate symbols into an Dana Gonzalez and Frankie Kasin, Lodging; Nelson These three programs will be honored at the Jewish open-ended steel structure to illustrate that negative things Gordman and Cliff Levitan, Logistics; Patty Nogg, Federation of Omaha’s Annual Meeting and Awards night could be rearranged into something beautiful.

Outreach; Eunie Denenberg and Susan Rothholz, on June 1 at 7 p.m. in the JCC Theater. The names of the And, Risers by Paige Reitz consisted of a set of choir risers Programming; Bob Belgrade, Website/Social Media; Sherrie winning sponsor(s) and program are engraved on a plaque on display with the intent they be used by choir groups Saag, Publicity; Iris Ricks and Terri Zacharia, Registration; which is permanently displayed in the JCC lobby. The entire throughout the city for impromptu performances. Charley Alan Potash and Lt. Shayna Ray, Security; Nancy Noddle, community is invited to celebrate with all of Jewish Omaha’s Friedman created Two Drinking Fountains a conceptual Food Service; Renee Corcoran, Tours and Exhibits; Brian award winners, so please join us! For more information conbridge between past and present. Andrew Conzett and Ryan and Jeff Nogg, Transportation; and, Joanie Bernstein and tact Federation Associate Executive Director Julee Katzman Fisher chose space along the western side of the Hilton Judy Brookstein, Volunteers. at 402.334.6428.

6 | The Jewish Press | May 8, 2015

Eye on Israel: Celebrating Jerusalem Day

by ELIAD ELIYAHU BEN SHUSHAN Community Shaliach On Sunday, May 17 we will celebrate “Jerusalem Day”. Jerusalem Day is an Israeli national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City in the aftermath of the June 1967 Six-Day War. The day is officially marked by state ceremonies and memorial services. The Chief

Rabbinate of Israel declared Jerusalem Day a minor religious holiday to mark the regaining of access to the Western Wall. People in Israel celebrate this day with parades in the streets, dancing with Israeli flags, singing Israeli popular songs about Jerusalem and about the revival of the Jewish nation on the holy land of Israel.

I remember from my childhood how we were educated to admire the heroism of the Six-Day War fighters who strengthened the spirit of the Jewish people in Israel and all around the world. My great love of Jerusalem and personal interest of that special day led me to the research I conducted during my graduate studies. I focused on the way each

newspaper reported the events of June 7, 1967 when the IDF paratroops arrived at the Western Wall. It was amazing to learn how even 48 years ago each sector in Israel had an official newspaper, and each newspaper reported the arrival of the paratroopers to the Western Wall differently. In the beginning of the research my assumptions were that the religious newspapers would concentrate on the miracle aspects of this special day and how the prophecies of our prophets were fulfilled. In contrast, I expected that for the “secular” newspapers the soldiers’ heroism would be the center of interest. However, on that day of the war, the east part of Jerusalem united with the west. There was unity among the Jewish people in Israel and especially in the media. For one day, the newspaper reporters seemed to abandon all of the characteristics of their respective newspapers in reporting the events of the day. From all the newspapers you could feel the sense of gratitude to God and the IDF heroes. And that is just one aspect of the uniqueness of that special day and that war that we will explore during the next Eye on Israel session.

On this upcoming Tuesday, May 12 from noon-1 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library, our special edition of Eye on Israel will feature an Israeli speaker, Dr. Baruch Feldstern. Dr. Feldstern will share his experiences as a volunteer during the Six-Day War. “The Six-Day War was one of the most formative experiences of my life,” says Feldstern. “I hope to share that moment in Jewish history which I think retains significance for the Jewish communities in Israel and America even to this day, almost 50 years later.”

Following the war, Feldstern entered the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and was ordained in 1972. He joined the administration and faculty at the Seminary, remaining there until 1978 when the Seminary sent him to direct one of its programs in Jerusalem. In 1992 he received his

PhD in Midrash and a year later began teaching Talmud in the Rothberg School for Overseas Students at the Hebrew University.

From 1991 to 2013, he taught at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem. His book, Hemat HaHemda, examines the earliest Bible commentary that has survived from the illustrious Jewish community of Aleppo. Dr. Feldstern and his wife, Adina, have three sons, one of whom, Yonatan, currently lives in Omaha with his wife, Liz, and their two children. Liz is the Executive Director of the

Institute for Holocaust Education.

Please mark your calendar for Tuesday, May 12 from noon-1 p.m. and join us in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library for this Eye on Israel session. Eye on Israel is presented through the Community Shaliach program, an offering of the Center for Jewish Life whose mission is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. For additional information, please call 402.334.6463.

Friedel Students remember

Naama Arzi, Judaic studies teacher, helps first graders Shiloh Wertheim and Eva Cohen follow the service

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN for Friedel Jewish Academy Ron Giller, interim head of school at Friedel Jewish Academy, and Beth Cohen, the new head of school, reminded students that Yom HaShoah, which the school observed on April 16, is a day “to remember not to forget” all those who died in World War II including Jews and millions of others. Giller and Cohen also said that

“We should be kind to each other, respect all mankind, and remember that we are all equal and created in the image of God.” The following week, on Yom HaZikaron, which honors fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of terrorism, the students remembered the 11 wars Israel has fought since its birth in 1948 and stood silently as Israelis do as a siren blared in memory of those who have died.

Summer Intern The Jewish Press is looking for a summer intern.

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May 8, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 7

Experience Israel with Anne Shackman and the Azriels

Basic computer skills made easy!

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT schedule, and a tour of the Machane Yehuda market. Enter Jewish Press Editor the old city, and walk to the Kotel for a Shabbat evening Rabbi Aryeh Azriel and his wife Elyce, together with Anne service, followed by dinner at the home of a local.

Shackman, will travel to Israel from Oct. 18 through 28, There is much more; if you’d like to see the full itinerary, 2015, and they invite you to come with them. The itinerary is spectacular, and includes must-see destinations for both those who have been to Israel repeatedly, and first-time travelers. The trip is open to the entire community.

Iris Ricks and Jan Goldstein, who organized the trip through Amiel, have put together a schedule that includes visits to the Partnership, and give participants a chance to see first-hand how Omaha is connected to the region.

Travelers will arrive at Ben Gurion Airport on Monday, Oct. 19, and go north to visit Independence Hall, where Aerial view of the city of Akko David Ben Gurion declared Israel’s independence. Then it is on to Nahariya, where you will check into your hotel and enjoy a welcome dinner with the Partnership.

Also included are visits to the Western Galilee Underground Hospital, where you will go on a tour and see some of the hospital’s emergency procedures, the Iscar Plant, and Safed. You’ll visit Kibbutz Malkiya, located near the Lebanon border, have the opportunity to meet with IDF soldiers, and plant a tree. Another highlight of the trip is the Agamon Halula, a nature and bird watching park located in the Galilee.

View of the Kotel, Jerusalem.

Before heading to Jerusalem, you will head to Mitzpe Gadot, which until the or for additional information, please contact Iris Ricks at 1967 war served as a Syrian base, and the Helicopter Crash 402.917.5269 or Jan Goldstein at 402.319.1514.

Memorial, which consists of 73 large stone structures, repreThe total cost of the trip will be $3,297 (Land only) and is senting the IDF soldiers who were killed in 1997 when two based on double occupancy. A single occupancy supplement helicopters collided on their way to Southern Lebanon. will be available for $1,108. Airfare is $1,650.46; a deposit of In Jerusalem, Yad Vashem as well as the Knesset are on the $500 will be due by May 31.

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S U S H I | J A PA N E S E | C H I N E S E

The Jewish world responds to Nepal On Saturday a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, leaving an enormous human tragedy in its wake. Latest numbers suggest more than 4,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured. The United Nations reports the death toll is likely to rise to the tens of thousands in Nepal, India and China.

Approximately 2,000 Israelis are currently in Nepal and 100 remain among those reported missing.

The Jewish world responded quickly. Our overseas partner, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the Israel Defense Force and Magen David Adom personnel arrived in Katmandu on Sunday. Our national Partner, JFNA and Federations across the country are mobilizing fundraising efforts.

It’s at times like this that our shared commitment to Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, finds its deepest expression. To make an immediate contribution to the relief efforts, we recommend the following organizations: The Katmandu Chabad House and Israeli Embassy are currently housing hundreds of Israelis who survived the quake and will be evacuated aboard El Al jets as soon as possible.

A 260-person Israel Defense Forces mission carrying 95 tons of equipment for a field hospital and 40 doctors departed for Nepal on Sunday and will remain for two

weeks.

JDC is providing relief and medical supplies including shelter, nutritional items, sanitation and water.

JDC’s disaster relief team - including crisis experts and field medics arrived on April 28.

JDC’s partners on the ground in Nepal include Tevel B’Tzedek, an Israeli humanitarian group with a longstanding presence in Nepal and UNICEF, a longtime partner of JDC for disaster relief.

Visit one of the folowing websites to make a donation: https://secure-fedweb.jewishfederations.org/page/ contribute/nepal-relief-fund http://www.jdc.org/ http://ajws.org/ https://chabadorg.clhosting.org/special/campaigns/nepal https://www.afmda.org/emergency/ http://www.israaid.co.il/ http://www.tevelbtzedek.org/ https://www.israelrescue.org/ www.wjr.org.uk http://www.zaka.org.uk/ Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims of this tragedy.

Jay Noddle, JFO President and Alan Potash, CEO

Terry Ford

402.630.3581 Tford7372@aol.com

8 | The Jewish Press | May 8, 2015

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

Nepal

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT ment) is automatically a bad thing. Sure, I think sometimes Jewish Press Editor in America we have too big a mouth when we discuss Israel; My husband Jeremy teaches a number of classes at both after all, we don’t live there and need to listen to what the Bellevue University and Metro Community College. He Israelis themselves have to say much more often. But that’s interacts with a great variety of students and is always full of stories about where they came from, what their culture is like, and how they arrived in Omaha. They bring him food (which he rarely brings home) and they show up, even on days when attendance is not required. They connect on a level beyond the lesson plan.

At the moment, he has a large number of Nepalese students. Needless to say, they spent some time discussing the recent earthquake, who had family in Katmandu, and the world’s rescue efforts. The students commented how, before anyone else, they were grateful to Israel. They were blown away by Israel’s immediacy in helping those who needed it. It was, to them, incredibly touching.

It’s nice to hear positive words about Israel; we don’t get much of that these days. Of course, it comes with a big fat caveat: without that horrible IDF Field Hospital in Katmandu Credit: Edgar Asher disaster that killed thousands, there would have been no need for any Israelis to come to Nepal’s aid. An okay; we can handle those types of differences. We can be earthquake is much too steep a price in exchange for a little critical without being anti-Israel. At the end of the day, we’re sympathy. It would be better if people could say nice things all on the same side. The side where Israel continues to exist. about Israel even if IDF soldiers weren’t pulling bodies from The ugly truth about anti-Israel sentiment, whether it the rubble. That, however, is not very likely. Bad mouthing comes in the form of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Israel is way too fashionable lately. movement, rotten social media comments or just plain bad And that is more than unfortunate. reporting by mainstream media, is that it denies that right to Let me be absolutely clear. I’ve said this before: I don’t existence. advocate that Israel be held to a different standard. I also do Many of the BDS movement’s leaders who are active on colnot believe that any criticism of Israel (especially its govern- lege campuses around the country are better informed than

the students they target. That does not mean they pass that on; they don’t benefit from a balanced approach. Their job is more straightforward: gain support for their cause, no matter what it takes. And the thing is, show the average poli-sci major who is 21 years old and looking for something to believe in, a few photos of bleeding Palestinian children, and she will join your movement. She might not be able to find Ramallah on a map, but she’ll sure check the label on that tub of Hummus. And if I sound grouchy, it’s because I am so sick and tired of the BDS movement, I can’t even be polite anymore.

Sorry.

Deep breath.

Like so many of you out there, I have children who will someday, I hope, find their way into a good college. My oldest is about to start high school, so that moment is much closer than I like to think. And I have to say; I’m very tempted to keep a list with every university where the students pass a BDS resolution. I’m not psyched about sending them to a place where that level of anti-Israel sentiment is the norm. And how dangerous is that? To think that there are places, where education should be the highest norm, of which our children should be wary? And do we really want to give up that easily? And while we’re on the topic, has anyone done any research about Jewish enrollment and whether it is affected by BDS resolutions?

It’s clear that, if we want to hear fair and balanced voices about Israel, we have to provide those ourselves. Send our kids with the tools to fight back, help them create solid arguments, send them to Israel to see for themselves and educate them about the difference between critical thinking and following the mob. Maybe then, we can spark a light in the darkness. And maybe then, we don’t have to hear positive comments only when Israel’s heroes come to the rescue.

How to avoid another Yarmouk

by KENNETH JACOBSON NEW YORK (JTA) -- It’s happening again -- Palestinian refugees are caught between warring factions in the Middle East and the world is reacting too slowly to their plight.

In earlier times, Palestinian refugees found themselves in the crosshairs at the Sabra and Shatila camps, when Lebanese Phalangists massacred them while Israeli forces stood by. Now it’s the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, where militants from the Islamic State have targeted Palestinian civilians in a reign of terror that Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. secretary-general, has called the “deepest circle of hell.”

Some have used the Yarmouk tragedy to point out, appropriately so, that the world is relatively silent about the suffering of Palestinians at the hands of ISIS. The point is made that it is only when the Jews can be blamed for what is happening that the international community rises up.

Otherwise it couldn’t care less.

I reach a similar conclusion but from a different perspective. If the world truly cared about the situation of Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East, it would not wait for a humanitarian crisis to erupt before acting to fundamentally improve their quality of life and end the circumstances that set the stage for these disasters.

Yes, we know the arguments for maintaining the status quo regarding Palestinian refugees. Many of those Palestinians in the camps await the time they can return to their homes in what is now Israel. This, of course, is a non-starter since it has always been clear that this would lead to the demographic demise of the Jewish state. Without denigrating the motives of many Palestinians who long for their old homes, for the Palestinian leadership, the refugee issue has been a primary vehicle for sustaining the war against Israel.

Then there’s the argument that the refugee camps need to be sustained until the Palestinians achieve a state of their own -- and indeed, a Palestinian state should be the first

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option for the resettlement of Palestinian refugees. But it hasn’t happened yet, mostly because the Palestinian leadership turned down multiple opportunities to create such a state. Yet even without a state, there is no reason why the condition of Palestinian refugees cannot be improved.

All of which points to one inevitable conclusion that the tragedy at Yarmouk should reinforce: The world needs final-

Palestinians in the Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus, Syria, awaiting food aid from the United Nations, Jan. 31, 2004. Credit: United Nations Relief and Works Agency via Getty Images ly to treat the Palestinian refugee issue like the many other refugee situations that have plagued the world over many decades. The goal must be to end their refugee status as soon as possible. There needs to be international pressure on Lebanon, Syria and other Arab states to dismantle these refugee camps and institute an orderly procedure to integrate Palestinian refugees into their societies.

Integration of refugees is always a challenge and one should never underestimate them -- particularly in Syria, which is going through its own hell because of 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 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.

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Bashar Assad’s aggression and the brutality of ISIS. But the idea of dismantling the camps and integrating their residents has never been on the agenda. Now it should be introduced, with the understanding that once there is an independent Palestinian state, some of the former refugees, if not most, might consider moving there.

But the most egregious example of this state of affairs is not in Lebanon or Syria, but in the Palestinian territories themselves. Every time I read about an incident in a refugee camp in the West Bank or Gaza, I can’t help but ask myself: Why are there still camps in territories where Palestinians are in control?

At least in Syria and Lebanon, one must acknowledge the resistance by ruling governments to integrating these outsiders. But in the territories under Palestinian rule, there are no outsiders and nothing to stand in the way of the immediate dismantling of the camps.

Here, more than anywhere, the cynical motives of Palestinian leadership are apparent. Here, where the ability to transform the lives of people living in camps is in their hands, they do nothing. But that is no excuse for the failure of the international community to act.

Let me be clear: None of this is an effort to sidestep the need for renewal of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians to achieve a two-state solution. That remains an imperative and the best long-term solution for the Palestinians.

But for now, to avoid future Yarmouks, to finally take Palestinian refugees out of this nebulous position they’ve been in for decades, a qualitative change in the international approach must take place.

It is not a simple solution, but it is a beginning for a people who have suffered far too long, with the unfortunate acquiescence of the international community.

Kenneth Jacobson is deputy national director of the AntiDefamation League.

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, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. 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.

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May 8, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 9

After Baltimore, reflecting on the chasm between black and white

by ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL (JTA) -- The Newark riots of 1967 have shaped the imagination of the New York-New Jersey area for over 40 years -- probably more than they shaped the actual political and social landscape of Newark and its suburbs.

The riots often are held up as a pivotal moment in the flight of Newark’s white community and the start of a spiral of poverty that persists today.

History, however, says the forces of disintegration were in place perhaps a full decade before 26 people died and countless businesses and homes were gutted on those two hot July days. Industry, like the white middle class, was fleeing the city well before the summer of 1967. White politicians and a largely white police force were alienated from the growing black majority.

Sound familiar? The riots in Baltimore, following the funeral for Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died of spinal cord injuries while under police custody, must seem terribly familiar to anyone with memories of the Newark unrest. The curfews, the violence, the National Guard, the looting -- despite all the progress we think we have made, 2015 looks awfully similar to 1967.

If there is a difference, it is that black people living in Ferguson and Baltimore have even less contact with the whites living outside these aggrieved inner cities than the two groups did in 1967. When shocked Jews watched the Newark riots that year, they had fresh memories of those streets and storefronts right before they were burned and destroyed. They knew many of the blacks caught up in the rioting as neighbors and customers. And even though they had left the city and taken their businesses and synagogues with them, they took the demise of the city they loved personally.

We have come a long way as a country, and blacks and other minorities have more opportunities than at any other time in our history. And that fact itself has led to a racial divide when it comes to the festering debate over police brutality. Whites see a black president and a growing black middle class and assume that those who can’t make it out of poverty are victims of their own choices. We regret bad and

racist cops and the harassment and deaths of innocents, but also suspect that the black community as a whole is better off as a result of aggressive community policing.

Blacks, meanwhile, understand what it means to be presumed guilty for no other reason than the color of one’s skin.

They watch their sons head out into the evening and know the fear that the wrong gesture or look could be interpreted

Police subduing an injured rioter during the July 1967 race riots in Newark, New Jersey.

Credit: Three Lions/Getty Images by a jumpy police officer as a threat. They despair of seeing open-and-shut cases of police brutality end without indictments, let alone convictions.

Whites, I am guessing, are more likely to see the violence in Baltimore as self-destructive and opportunistic, an unjustified assault on civic manners and public property that hurts the perpetrators more than anyone else. Looking for “root causes,” we think, only rewards violent behavior. The only grievances we should pay attention to, wrote one Facebook friend, are those delivered in petitions, in letters to the editor and in calls to elected officials.

Blacks better understand the frustration that leads to these kinds of explosions. They demand to know where your concern for person and property was when it was cops committing the violence, and black men and women suffering the consequences.

Out of professional curiosity and ethnic loyalty, I checked in with how the Jewish press in Baltimore was covering the unrest. The Baltimore Jewish Times reported on Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg, who has forged strong bonds between his Reservoir Hill synagogue and the predominantly African-American community around it. The paper noted that representatives of Jews United for Justice took part in a huge and peaceful march against police heavy-handedness.

“The ideal represented by Burg and others of the Jewish protestors who stood side-by-side with residents of Sandtown -- where Gray was from -- is one that we should all share,” wrote Joshua Runyan, the paper’s editor-in-chief.

“They note that while the media frequently focuses on the aftermath of rage, far too little attention is paid to the underlying causes of that rage.”

As a white, middle-class Jew, I don’t know and probably can’t understand the impulse that leads angry protesters to trash their own neighborhood. But perhaps that is because I am paying attention to a drama that started well before that point. I missed the first act, when a young man was beaten or harassed. And I didn’t see the second act, when the city quietly paid out civil judgments to settle complaints of brutality or harassment by police officers -- in the case of Baltimore, $5.7 million since 2011. If you arrive late for the drama, you shouldn’t be surprised that you don’t understand it.

I received a mailing from Rabbi Arthur Waskow of Philadelphia’s Shalom Center; he is a Baltimore native. He quoted Langston Hughes: “What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?”

We tend to remember the beginning of that poem, but not its ending: “Maybe it just sags / like a heavy load. / Or does it explode?”

Andrew Silow-Carroll is editor-in-chief of the New Jersey Jewish News, where this column first appeared.

Courting Adelson is not Jewish outreach

by DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (JTA) -- This weekend, a collection of GOP presidential candidates will arrive in Las Vegas for a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition. But don’t allow yourself to be fooled into thinking that these candidates are making a real attempt to appeal to American Jewish voters. Their presence is all about winning over a single Jewish donor: Sheldon Adelson.

Obviously, these candidates are familiar with how Adelson’s largesse almost single-handedly kept Newt Gingrich’s campaign alive in 2012. But the casino magnate does not speak for the American Jewish community, and the GOP candidates’ courting of an Adelson-funded super PAC should not be mistaken for genuine outreach.

There is a reason that more than twice as many American Jews identify as Democrats than as Republicans. The Democratic Party is the party of inclusion, empowerment, justice and opportunity. These are values that are closely aligned with the values that define our Jewish faith.

Growing up, my parents taught me that tikkun olam -repairing the world -- is a central tenet and one of the most important outward expressions of our faith. As Jews and as active citizens, it was our responsibility to help and advocate for others. As I grew up, I also sought to exemplify other Jewish values like tzedakah and gemilut hasadim. Like many other American Jews compelled to stand up and speak out for the causes of justice, equality and righteousness in public policy debates, I found a natural home within the Democratic Party.

It is Democrats who seek to right injustice, promote tolerance and constantly strive to move our nation toward a more perfect union. Jews overwhelmingly support women’s rights, workers’ rights, gay rights and civil rights for all Americans.

We know that when we help those around us, our commu-

nity and our country are stronger as a whole. We understand the importance of America as a place of new opportunities, and believe in immigration reform that will pave the path toward a better future that welcomed our ancestors when they arrived on America’s shores. These are values for which Democrats have fought and Republicans have not.

Sheldon Adelson, a casino magnate and major Republican donor, sits on the board of the Republican Jewish Coalition.

The coalition held its annual convention in Las Vegas. Above, Adelson last year at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.

Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images Instead of changing their positions on the issues that matter to American Jews, Republicans have chosen the dangerous strategy of politicizing Israel’s security as their strategy to win over Jewish voters. This strategy is not good for Israel or for the long-term relationship between our two great nations.

And to be clear, this strategy to try to convert Jewish

Democrats to vote Republican has not worked. Democrats are proud of America’s bipartisan support for Israel, and the GOP’s attempt to undermine that relationship for political gain has backfired.

As a Jewish woman, a member of Congress and as chair of the Democratic National Committee, I am proud of the efforts made by the Obama administration to solidify the relationship with one of our nation’s closest friends and strongest allies. Under President Obama, the United States and Israel have had unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation and strong economic collaboration. President Obama continues to fight for the issues that the Jewish community prioritizes -- millions of Americans have gained access to health care and he is fighting every day to secure a fair and living wage so that those who work hard are able to support themselves and make a better life for their children.

When I think of the future I want for my three beautiful children and for our country, it’s one centered on those core Jewish values that defined my childhood. I know that all Americans understand these values and wish the same for their families. As American Jews, we understand how our values demand correcting income inequality and expanding opportunity for those fighting to get into the middle class.

Unfortunately, Republicans are light years away from where we stand. When their presidential candidates court a single big Jewish donor while attempting to attract voters through fear mongering, we see straight through that. Until Republicans are prepared to change more than just their rhetoric, Jewish voters will continue to overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates and policies.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz represents Florida’s 23rd District in Congress and serves as the chair of the Democratic National Committee.

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10 | The Jewish Press | May 8, 2015

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 |712.322.4705 email: BnaiIsraelCouncilBluffs@gmail.com Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on May 8, at 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker, Maggie Conti, Director of Activities at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home on How my high school years at Council Bluffs St. Albert led to a career in Jewish Omaha. Oneg to follow service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

Larry Blass will officiate at all of the Speaker Series Services.

For information on our historic synagogue, please contact any of our board members: Mark Eveloff, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat -- Shabbat Al Fresco, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Services/Have a Cup of Coffee with God, 9:30 a.m.; Shabbat’s Cool (for Grades K-7), 10 a.m., followed by lunch; Mini Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 8:15 p.m.

WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.

SUNDAY: Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.

TUESDAY: Wrestling with Rabbis of the Talmud, 10 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High School, 6:45 p.m. Last class until Fall; Women’s Book Club Meeting, 7 p.m., at the home of Debi Kutler.

THURSDAY: Shanghai, 1 p.m.

BESTT Hebrew Heigh Graduation, Friday, May 15, 6 p.m., followed by dinner.

Shabbat Services featuring guest speaker, Hugo Kahn, Saturday, May 16, 9:30 a.m. Kiddush following services.

Playground Grand Opening, Sunday, May 17, 9:30 a.m.

All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.orthodoxomaha.org Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 7:55 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:17 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Midrash, 9:45 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

MONDAY: Scholar’s Club for Boys, 3:30 p.m.; Teen Class, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY: Wrestling with Rashi Class, 8 p.m. with Rabbi Weiss.

THURSDAY: Women’s Class, 9:30 a.m.; Med Center Chaburah, 1 p.m.; Scholar’s Club for Girls, 3:30 p.m.; Avot U-

Bar Mitzvah Alex Kraft, son of Natasha Kraft and Antonio Ashby, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, May 16, at Temple Israel.

Alex is a seventh-grade Honor Roll student at King Science and Technology Magnet School. He was accepted into the King Science and Technology Zoo Career Academy for the 2015-16 school year.

His interests include boy scouts, cross country, soccer and camp at OSRUI and the boy scouts.

For his mitzvah project, Alex volunteered mulching and cleaning at the Dundee Elementary School gardens. He volunteered with the Omaha Sister City Association at their annual World Fest. Lastly, he volunteered at Town and Country Animal Shelter cleaning out small animal cages, the cat room and playing with the small dogs.

Grandparents are Joan and Marc Kraft, and Cynthia and Sunny Cardwell.

Great-grandparents are the late Frances and Leo Kraft of Omaha, and the late Julia and Paul Tigges of Carrol, IA.

Banim-Parent Child Learning, 7 p.m.; Jews and Brews Class, 8:30 p.m. at the Shtrobach home.

Candlelighting Friday, May 8, 8:10 p.m. org or call him at 402.513.7697, or stop by the Temple between 10 a.m. and noon on Sundays when religious school is in session.

CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office.

WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak.

THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@unmc.edu.

All programs are open to the entire community.

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 Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Emor.

SUNDAY: NO LJCS Classes -- Mother’s Day WEDNESDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

Anniversary Events: On Friday May 15, there will be a special Shabbat evening service, Our Reform Legacy in Lincoln, lead by Rabbi Lewis, followed on Saturday morning by a special Torah study, We, the Children of Jeshurun. At 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 16 we will dedicate a tree donated by congregation members at the Holocaust Memorial at Wyuka Cemetery. At 11:30 a.m. Sunday, May 17 we will join the Lincoln Jewish Community School in celebrating the history of Jewish religious education in Lincoln at a picnic at Tifereth Israel.

The main event, will take place Saturday, May 16 at 6 p.m. at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel. The evening begins with a Havdalah service and followed by a reception and dinner. The evening will feature music, a presentation by Pippa White, recollections about Congregation B’nai Jeshurun’s historic past, and thoughts about its future. The cost for all this is $40 per person ($30 per person for those 13 – 18 years old). Please contact Rabbi Lewis in confidence if you would like to attend and need financial assistance.

Please send in the reservation form you received in the mail no later than May 8.

President’s Office Hours, Sunday Mornings, 10 a.m.–noon at SST. If you have any Temple business, programs, or new ideas you would like to discuss with Temple president David Weisser, please email him at president@southstreettemple.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road | Offutt AFB, NE 68123 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 SATURDAY: Service, 9:15 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg.

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Comes to You at Remington Heights, 4 p.m. led by Cantor Shermet; Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel, Rabbi Brown and Cantor Shermet.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Armon Seina, son of Tanya and Craig Seina, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah; Joint OTYG and BBYO Movie Night, 7:30 p.m. at the JCC. SUNDAY: No Religious School.

MONDAY: OTYG Board Meeting, 6 p.m. at Abby’s House.

TUESDAY: Holy Smokes, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Family Night, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6 p.m.; Adult Beit Café, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: What Makes a Value Jewish?, 10 a.m. with Debbie Massarano.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Lunch and Learn; Kylie McCormick will be our guest Lunch and Learn speaker. She will speak about the research she has done on Jewish Slave Owners in the Confederacy.

SUNDAY: NO LJCS Classes -- Mother’s Day; Haftorah Reading class, 11-11:50 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

Join us Saturday evening, May 16, from 7-9 p.m. for a special social gathering at the Synagogue. More information will follow about this special event!

The Lincoln Jewish Community school invites you to join them on Sunday, May 17 at noon in the Tifereth Israel parking lot for our end of the year picnic. Bring your blankets and enjoy lunch as we celebrate another successful school year. Please have RSVP's in to Nava no later than Monday May 11.

AIPAC opposes amendments to Iran bill

by JTA NEWS STAFF WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The American Israel Public Affairs Committee opposes amendments it would “ordinarily support” to a bill mandating congressional review of an Iran nuclear deal.

An AIPAC official confirmed last Friday that the group had earlier in the week sent a letter to all Senate offices urging them to “refrain from supporting provisions that could harm” bipartisan support for the bill.

Noah Pollak, the director of the Emergency Committee for Israel, which backs some of the amendments, posted a copy of the letter on Twitter on April 30.

“We know that senators will offer amendments on a wide range of initiatives, many of which AIPAC would ordinarily support,” the letter said. “However, our paramount consideration during Senate consideration of this bill is to ensure speedy enactment of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Act by preserving its broad, bipartisan support -- so that Congress assures itself a seat at the table in deliberations on any nuclear agreement with Iran.”

The Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign

Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and its ranking Democrat, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., last month hammered out a compromise version of the bill that guaranteed Congress approval of any deal, but stripped out provisions that mandated what the deal would include.

For example, an earlier version of the bill said any deal with Iran swapping sanctions relief for guarantees that Iran not acquire nuclear weapons also include requirements that Iran refrain from backing terrorism; its removal helped attract backing from Democrats like Cardin and led President Barack Obama to drop his threat to veto the bill.

A number of Republican senators now are seeking to attach amendments to the bill, among them one proposed

by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is seeking the GOP presidential nod, that would require Iran to recognize Israel as part of a final deal.

Reports say that Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the majority leader, is considering putting the bill, unadorned by amendments, to a vote as early as next week if he can bypass parliamentary maneuvers by Rubio and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., that would require voting on amendments.

Pulverent e

May 8, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 11

In memoriam SOLOMON “SOL” CRANDELL Solomon “Sol” Crandell passed away on March 26 at age 90 in Phoenix. Services were held at Mt. Sinai Cemetery, with Rabbi Mari Chernow officiating. Arrangements were made by Sinai Mortuary.

He is survived by his wife, Mona; daughter and son-inlaw, Jayne and Mark Sandler of Iowa City, Iowa, and daughter, Beth Crandell of Phoenix; and three grandchildren.

He was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and owned Crandell Furs.

Memorials may be made to the Freda and Robert Feinberg Learning Center at Temple Chai, 4645 E. Marilyn Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032.

DR. MYRON E. RUBNITZ Dr. Myron E. Rubnitz passed away on May 2 at age 91.

Services were held May 5 at Temple Jeremiah, 937 Happ Road, Northfield, IL 60093.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Abraham and Esther Rubnitz; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Lucille E. and Joseph L. Block; son, Thomas Block Rubnitz; and sisters and brothers-in-law, Josephine and Stephen Fraenkel and Miriam and Ervin Simon.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years Susan Block Rubnitz; children, Mary Lu and Ken Roffe, Peter Block Rubnitz and Edye Rubnitz, Robert Block Rubnitz and Ellen Strauss; grandchildren: Gregory and Ashlee Roffe, Andrew Roffe, Matthew Roffe, Talia Rubnitz, Nicholas Rubnitz, and Amanda Strauss; great-grandchildren: Eliza, Susannah, Delia, and Thomas Roffe; and many nieces and nephews.

He was an Army veteran of WWII and the Korean War. He was a Physician at the Hines VA hospital for 60 years, where the medical technology school is named in his honor, and he was a professor at Northwestern and Loyola Medical Schools. He was a proud member of Temple Jeremiah for over 55 years.

Memorials may be made to North Shore Senior Center, 161 Northfield Rd., Northfield, IL 60093, www.nssc.org, Temple Jeremiah, www.templejeremiah.org, or the organization of your choice.

AARON SNYDER Aaron Snyder passed away on March 21 at age 83.

Services were held on April 8 at Mt. Sharon Cemetery in Springfield, PA. He was preceded in death by his parents Esther and Max Synder.

He is survived by his wife, Sophie (Sunni); sons, Michael and Larry; daughter-in-law, Patti Snyder; daughter and sonin-law, Bonnie and Michael Hyson; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild all of Philadelphia; sister, Sarah Snyder; and brother and sister-in-law, Barry and Fran Snyder of Omaha.

Aaron was a Korean Army Veteran.

Memorials may be made in Aaron’s memory to American Legion Post 805, 2340 N. Chester Pike, Broomall, PA 19008 or the organization of your choice.

To Submit obituaries to the Jewish Press: Email to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; fax to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154, or online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on Jewish Press and go to Submit Announcements.

Haredi Orthodox Israelis dodge draft law

by BEN SALES TEL AVIV (JTA) -- The Israel Defense Forces won’t be drafting haredi Orthodox Israelis, after all. That’s the upshot of a coalition deal Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed last week with United Torah Judaism, Israel’s Ashkenazi haredi Orthodox party. The agreement includes the impending repeal of a spate of religion-state reforms enacted as recently as last year.

Those reforms -- which affected the IDF draft, conversion, and subsidies to haredim -- were the signature achievement of the last government before it crumbled in dysfunction last December. Now, it looks like much of that legacy will disappear.

“The status quo on issues of religion and state will be kept as it has been for decades in Israel,” the agreement reads.

Chief among the reforms was the so-called “Draft Law,” which expanded the IDF’s mandatory draft to include haredi men. Under the March 2014 law, 24-year-old haredi men would have to serve in the army -- although criminal sanctions for draft dodging wouldn’t take effect until 2017.

The law aimed to right a historical imbalance in Israeli society. Mandatory military service is a rite of passage in Israel, one from which haredi Israelis had been exempt since the state’s founding in 1948. Many Israelis resented the haredi draft exemption, and the centrist Yesh Atid party based its inaugural 2013 electoral campaign on abolishing it. Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid touted the bill as a realistic compromise that would increase equity in Israel.

But the delay in sanctions made many Israelis skeptical that the law would ever have a real effect, even as the number of haredim joining the army rose in 2014. Three years left time for haredim to run in another election and re-enter the governing coalition, where they could roll back the law.

That’s most likely what’s about to happen. The UTJ-Likud coalition agreement gives the defense minister exclusive authority to decide whether to implement the law’s criminal sanctions, effectively allowing him to lift them.

The coalition agreement also pledges to amend a landmark law expanding the number of rabbis who can perform conversions, and includes an increase of subsidies to yeshiva students and to large families -- many of them haredi -that had been cut in 2013.

Lapid called the agreement “selling out Zionism.” But because there’s almost no chance he’ll join the coalition, Lapid’s words will have little effect. The agreement would also disregard the 87 percent of Jewish Israelis who wanted a haredi draft. Now, those Israelis will have to once again sit tight, waiting for the next election -- and the next chance to enact a reform so much of the country desires.

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Hundreds of thousands of haredi Orthodox Jews protesting a measure to draft them into the Israeli military, March 2, 2014.

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12 | The Jewish Press | May 8, 2015

After Nepal quake, Israelis stick together

by BEN SALES TEL AVIV (JTA) -- When the ground began to shake, Inbar Irron was among a dozen Israelis in Nepal who ran outside, and straight into a cloud of dust.

When their vision cleared, they saw a devastating scene: Much of the village of Manegau, where they had come to volunteer for four months, had crumbled to the ground. Miraculously, no villagers were hurt. But many of their homes had been reduced to rubble.

Irron’s group -- sent by the Israeli NGO Tevel B’Tzedek, which organizes volunteer trips to Nepal -- was there to set up a youth group, provide leadership workshops to women in the village, bring Israeli agritech to its farms and computers to its schools.

Now that mission is on hold. The volunteers and villagers have pitched plastic tents to weather the rainy nights and hope their food stockpile will last until the road to Kathmandu reopens. The immediate task, Irron says, is to rebuild at least a few buildings and reassure the villagers.

Approximately 2,000 Israelis were in Nepal when on Saturday, April 25, a 7.8magnitude earthquake struck, killing more than 5,000 people and destroying buildings and roads across the country. Over the weekend, across Nepal, hundreds of Israelis looked for shelter, helped each other, weathered strong aftershocks and waited for evacuation as they scrambled to contact worried parents.

On April 28, a flight from Nepal carrying some 220 Israelis landed in Tel Aviv. As Nepal has become a popular destination for Israelis seeking gestational carriers, all of the 26 Israeli babies born there to surrogate mothers were brought back to Israel along with their parents. Israeli search-and-rescue teams retrieved Israelis and brought them to

Kathmandu, where hundreds had taken shelter at the Israeli Embassy and Chabad house.

Nepal is a popular destination for young Israelis, many of whom vacation there for weeks or months following mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces.

Several Israeli missions landed in Nepal early in the week to provide medical care, assist search efforts and distribute humanitarian aid. An IDF delegation arrived to set up a field hospital, while staff from Magen David Adom fanned out across Kathmandu’s hospitals to care for Israelis and treat the quake’s 11,000 wounded. Dr. Rafi Strugo, who is heading the MDA team, called Kathmandu “an atmosphere of chaos.”

“In these missions, you need to understand that you won’t be able to do everything and help everyone,” Strugo, who also treated wounded in Nepal after the 2013 avalanche in Annapurna, told JTA via satellite phone.

“The dimensions of the tragedy, the dimensions of the destruction, are so big that you can’t contain it all.”

Raviv Torati, who was traveling in south Asia after his discharge from the IDF, was in a car on the way to a music festival when the quake hit, according to his mother, Orna.

The car survived the tremors and reached the festival, which was canceled, but Raviv was stuck there with a group of fellow travelers. Four days later they were sleeping in tents and living on food prepared for the festival while they waited for rescue.

“I want him to come home already,” Orna told JTA on Monday. “I worry so much that if he’ll go to India, there could be more earthquakes or weak roads and bridges. I’m worried he’ll be on the road and -- God forbid, I don’t want to say. We’re helpless here.”

A group of 10 Israelis hiking in Langtang National Park, 40 miles from Kathmandu, found each other after the quake and

worked together to survive. According to Elfie Sharabi, one of the hiker’s mothers, the group built a small shelter out of bamboo to use during the aftershocks and cleared out a large open space in case a helicopter needed to land to rescue them.

Her daughter, Shani, has a satellite phone, so parents across Israel and the world have been calling Sharabi in hopes of locating their children who went missing in Langtang. Together, Elfie and Shani Sharabi helped some 40 adult children in Langtang contact their parents.

But as her phone number spread across social media, Elfie Sharabi was deluged with messages from people with relatives across Nepal. On Monday afternoon, when she spoke to JTA, Sharabi was attempting to answer 175 WhatsApp messages and 250 emails.

“What’s good about it is because I have to communicate with so many other people, I don’t have time,” Sharabi told JTA. “I am usually a major worrier. I don’t have time to allow myself to start thinking. I spend so much time trying to calm other people and be positive, I guess it’s rubbing off on me, too.”

While many Israeli tourists who had traveled to Nepal in search of a relaxing vacation remained tense days after the earthquake, Shinaar said Nepalis have remained calm and, even amid the death and destruction, are focusing on supporting each other. It’s an outlook that Shinaar and his fellow volunteers, who are in Nepal for a year, hope to adopt as they begin the work of rebuilding the country.

“It’s very shocking, but because we work here we approach it differently from most of the Israeli tourists,” Shinaar wrote to JTA. “These are our communities and our people who are suffering here. There’s a lot more work to do.”

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20 $5, $10 and $ e iv ce re rs so n old Spo se Press Publishers & G members can u d n b a lu C rs o ss it d re E P eli. , s. * Reporters h at the Star D denomination as 5 C $ in ly e iv ct e Press Cash resp

Giving Levels choose one O Reporter O Editor O Publisher O Gold Sponsor Send check to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154.