May 12, 2023

Page 1

The Jewish Press

Malashock Award for Professional Excellence

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

Jewish Press Editor

The Jody & Neal Malashock Award for Professional Excellence is presented annually to a professional in the Omaha Jewish community who has shown exemplary professional performance in advancing the mission of the organization. The honoree is selected by the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors. This year’s recipient is Director of Marketing Margie Utesch, who started her career here in April of 2003, when she was hired as the Publicity Director for the JCC. In 2011, her title later changed to Director of Marketing.

“My job has changed over the years,” she said. “Initially I was charged with improving the level of design and production of all JCC marketing materials. Several years later, the JFO Central Service initiative positioned the marketing staff as a department with professional services available to the entire campus. Since then, it has provided graphic

design, email communications, digital marketing, website management, video, photography, and print production services. The one thing that has been a constant in the Marketing department over the years is my co-workers’ fun, friendly, and creative personalities!”

Margie is married to Brad; together the couple have two children: Ed (18) and Julia (14), as well as a dog named Max.

Open one of our newspapers, and more often than not there are advertisements and announcements designed by Margie. Those big banners you see at events, the postcards that come in the mail, our letterhead and business cards, the inserts reminding us to show up and the thank you notes that come after donating? Chances are, Margie had something to do with it. Even if she didn’t personally create what you are holding in your hands, it comes from her department, where she supervises an equally capable staff.

When asked, she said she doesn’t remember what she wanted to be at age six, but “I See Malashock Award page 2

2023 Sokolof Merit Scholarships

JFO Foundation Fund & Scholarship Administrator

Please join us on Sunday, May 21 at 7 p.m. in the Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue at the Staenberg Omaha JCC to honor some of our community’s best and brightest – the 2023 Sokolof award winners!

In 2004, the late Phil Sokolof left a bequest to create the Phil & Ruth Sokolof Honor Roll Fund and the Karen Sokolof Javitch Music Appreciation Fund. These funds provide for the Phil & Ruth Sokolof Honor Roll

Jewish Camp Reunion

If you’re a Jewish summer camp alum with fond memories of Sabra, Ramah, Hertzl, Moshava, Beber, Young Judah, Esther K. Newman, JCC camp (or your own personal favorite), then “this fun’s for you!” You can re-live those indelible days at the 2023 Summer Camp Reunion hosted by The Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation on Thursday, June 8, at Sonny’s in Aksarben Village from 6-8 p.m.

What’s your fondest memory of Jewish summer camp? For many of us, boarding a school bus during the summer meant drinking bug juice, plenty of bug spray, jumping in a lake, care packages from parents or grandparents, horseback riding, camp songs, hiking in the woods or sneaking out of your cabin at midnight.

Note: There are two major differences between Jewish summer camp and a Jewish camp reunion: No curfew and an upgraded beverage selection including beer, wine and mixed drinks or flavored sparkling water.

Join other happy campers for a bonfire, mini s’mores kits, corn hole, ping pong and an all-Inclusive Camp Sing-A-Long (songbook included).

The 2023 Summer Camp Reunion is fun for free. In addition, attendees will have an opportunity to assist families sending their children to Jewish summer camp.

So, if you are a die-hard summer camper who wants to re-live your glory days — or a converted homesick camper who found “the light” — or a first-timer who didn’t want to go to camp at all and ended up not wanting to go home, party with other alums at Sonny’s in Aksarben Village on June 8.

See Camp Reunion page 3

MAY 12, 2023 | 21 IYAR 5783 | VOL. 103 | NO. 29 | CANDLELIGHTING | FRIDAY, MAY 12, 8:14 P.M. Snow in August? Page 2 Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration Pages 6 & 7 Jewish institutions awaken to climate crisis Page 12
WWW.OMAHAJEWISHPRESS.COM | WWW.JEWISHOMAHA.ORG SPONSORED BY THE BENJAMIN AND ANNA E. WIESMAN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA REGULARS Spotlight 8 Voices 9 Synagogues 10 Life cycles 11 INSIDE
DIANE WALKER Merit Scholarships and the Karen Sokolof Javitch Music Fund Scholarships to honor exceptional students and teachers. Recipients of these awards epitomize the scholarship cri- teria of achievement, scholastic performance, community service, and overall good character. Each year, the applicants are stellar. See Sokolof Scholarships page 3 Margie Utesch Ainsley Meyerson Lauren Dolson Julia Edelstein Brianna Sadofsky Ilana McNamara Emily Woods

You’re Invited!

The Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation is hosting a yearlong calendar of events in celebration of its 40th Anniversary. Join us for camp songs, family stories, a community art project, cake and more!

JFO AND CELEBRATE

Awards Night

ANNUAL MEETING

SUMMER CAMP Reunion

Mon | June 5 | 6:00-8:00 PM*

@ Alan J Levine Performing Arts Theater 333 S. 132nd Street

Join us for the JFO Annual Meeting & Awards Night including a reception hosted by The Foundation.

*Please note this is the CORRECT time. It is incorrect on the postcard. We apologize for the confusion.

Thur | June 8 | 6:00-8:00 PM

@ Sonny’s at Aksarben - 1905 S. 67th Street

Join us for a drink, games, s’mores and a camp song jamboree!

Sun | July 16 | 4:00-5:30 PM

@ JCC - Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue - 333 S. 132nd Street

A conversation in the round with our community rabbis. They will unpack the meaning of tzedakah beyond the Blue Box. A fresh perspective on giving!

Tue | Aug 15 | 6:00-8:30 PM

SHIRLY BANNER

JFO Library Specialist

On May 18th at 1 p.m. the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will gather for its monthly meeting. Group members have the choice of meeting either in person in the Benjamin & Anna E. Wiesman Family Reception Room in the Staenberg Jewish Community Center or via Zoom. This month they will be discussing Snow in August by Peter Hamill. New participants are always welcome.

What do Colin Powell, Mario Cuomo, and journalist and author Peter Hamill have in common? They all served as Shabbos goy for families in New York City. Hamill’s novel, Snow in August, is set in post-war 1946 The main character, Michael Devlin, becomes the Shabbos goy for Prague native and Orthodox Rabbi Judah Hirsch at his small Brooklyn synagogue. It is a chance meeting that forever changes the lives of both Michael and Rabbi Hirsch and eventually their close-knit working-class Brooklyn neighborhood.

Michael is a Catholic altar boy on his way to help serve 8 o’clock mass, trudging through a blizzard that has basically shut down the streets in the area, when he is beckoned over to the small synagogue and helps Rabbi Hirsch by turning on the lights for him since it is the Sabbath and a Jew can not turn on the lights. As Michael continues to visit the Rabbi, he assumes the role of the Shabbos goy for him and develops a friendship. Rabbi Hirsch teaches Michael Yiddish in exchange for Michael helping the struggling Rabbi learn English.

One day Michael and his friends, Sonny and Jimmy, go to Mr. G’s candy store to spend the dollar the boys earned shoveling snow. When

neighborhood bully and gang leader of the Falcons, Frankie McCarthy, harasses the boys and tries to take their money, Mr. G tries to intervene and is savagely beaten. Although everyone knows that Michael is a witness to the beating, he is too afraid to identify Frankie as being responsible.

After incidents revolving around discrimination faced by African-American baseball player Jackie Robinson’s recent joining of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the antisemitism faced by the local Jewish store owners, and the painting of a swastika on the synagogue, Michael tries to stand up to the perpetrators. Michael is assaulted by several of the Falcons who think he ratted Frankie out to the police for Mr. G’s beating. Later, while on crutches, he is unable to defend his mother when they are again assaulted by the Falcons.

Finally summoning up his courage to confront Frankie and the Falcon gang, Michael goes to the synagogue to ask Rabbi Hirsch to summon up the ancient and powerful Golem that the Rabbi once told him about. Michael fears it may be too late as he finds the Rabbi badly beaten and in a coma. Will Michael and Rabbi Hirsch succeed with the Golem’s help in righting the wrongs the Falcons have forced Michael and others to endure?

Please feel free to join us on May 18 in person or via Zoom. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group meets the third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m.

The Group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For information about the group and to join in the discussion, please contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org

Malashock Award

FILM

“Who Are the Marcuses?” GATHER

FAMILY WORKSHOP

@ Alan J Levine Performing Arts Theater 333 S. 132nd Street

Be inspired by the documentary of philanthropists and Holocaust refugees with a tie to Omaha, followed by Q&A. Pre-reception hosted by The Foundation.

Sun | Aug 27 | 3:30-5:00 PM

@ JCC - Linda K. & Nelson Gordman Black Box Theater - 333 S. 132nd Street

Families participate in a community art project to honor our ancestors and learn giving practices for and from young parents.

Sun | Nov 5 | 4:00-5:30 PM

@ JCC - Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue - 333 S. 132nd Street

Multigenerational families will share their collective stories of giving together, followed by facilitated conversations about Jewish values.

All events except Sonny’s will be kosher. All events and programs are free of charge. RSVP requested.

RSVP using the QR code, visit www.jfofoundation.org/anniversary or call us at 402-334-6498.

Continued from page 1 can tell you that I was a very imaginative child. I enjoyed making up stories about fictional characters to entertain my family during long car rides. I loved being creative, from painting rocks with my grandmother to creating photo albums using magazine cutouts to embellish the page layouts. I enjoyed taking ordinary objects and making them fit my unique style. Reflecting back, these interests formed my choice to pursue a graphic design and marketing career.”

“Buzz and I would like to thank the Federation board on their selection of Margie Utesch as the recipient of this Award,” Jody Malashock said. “I have personally known and worked with Margie for over 10 years and I have seen how she exemplifies professional excellence everyday. Our community is so fortunate to have Margie in it and we warmly congratulate her!”

There is no doubt she feels at home:

“The Federation is my second family!” she said. “This is where I have spent the last 20 years of my life. My children attended the ELC, JCC summer camps and spent hours in my office waiting for me to call it a day. Today you may see me with my daughter Julia as my sidekick at the backyard concert series, holiday celebrations, the pool, or other events. I often joke about getting her on the payroll. Over the years, I have developed lasting relationships with community members and co-workers. These relationships are why I LOVE this place!”

“Margie’s positive impact is too expansive to put into words,” Publicity Manager/Gallery Manager Lynn Batten said. “She deeply cares about her job, everyone she works with, and the community as a whole. She gives her all

to everything she does, creating high-quality materials that promote the mission of the JFO and all of its agencies. She takes the time to get to know community members and volunteers at special events. She’s strengthened the channels of communication between the JFO and the synagogues. She also works very hard to improve internal communication and workflow between JFO agencies. She has become a leader within the Central Services department and makes it a priority to be inclusive and supportive.”

There were surprises along the way:

“Going to Israel in 2018 was an unexpected opportunity,” Margie said. “This trip connected the dots on why the work of the JFO is so important. I’m so grateful for the friendships I made with the group I traveled with and the people I met from Israel.”

There is no doubt among Margie’s coworkers she is deserving of this award:

“She is truly one of the kindest people I know.” Lynn Batten said. “She exemplifies the JFO values in all that she does. She always has a smile on her face, and everything she does is done with grace and tact. Her work ethic inspires others to do their best. She is approachable and has an open mind. Anyone that has worked with her knows what a genuine and talented person she is.”

Please join us for our Annual Meeting and a reception hosted by the JFO Foundation, when we congratulate Margie and our other award recipients, Monday June 5 at the Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater. The evening starts at 6 p.m. with wine, beer, and light hors d’oeuvres. The program itself will start at 6:30 p.m., and will end by 8 p.m. with desserts and drinks.

2 | The Jewish Press | May 12, 2023
INSPIRE
GATHER
CELEBRATE
INSPIRE
IN
Snow in August?
Margie with her daughter Julia

The Bucky & Caryl Greenberg Scholarship

PAM MONSKY

Jewish Community Relations Council Assistant Director

Two $500 college scholarships will be awarded to eligible graduating high school seniors in the Omaha metro area who have demonstrated a passion for building inclusivity, respect and equity in their school and community.

The completed application is due May 25, 2023 and can be accessed here: https://www.jccomaha.org/bucky-carylgreenberg-scholarship/

The Omaha Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is offering this scholarship in memory of Barton (Bucky) & Caryl Greenberg, whose desire for ensuring civil rights and equality extended not only to the Jewish community, but to all people.

For more information or any questions, please contact Pam Monsky, JCRC Assistant Director, 402.334.6572, pmon sky@jewishomaha.org

Camp Reunion

Sokolof Scholarships

Continued from page 1

It is with great pleasure that the Sokolof Committee announces the 2023 Sokolof Scholarship Awards. Graduating high school seniors for their college freshman year, the recipients are Ainsley Meyerson and Lauren Dolson; for health care recipients, Julia Edelstein and Brianna Sadofsky

Ilana McNamara is the recipient of the music award. Emily Woods is this year’s Outstanding Jewish Teacher. Each recipient will receive a $10,000 award.

AINSLEY MEYERSON

Ainsley will graduate from Westside High School. She is currently considering Northwestern, Dartmouth, and the University of Michigan to pursue a degree in Cognitive Science.

Despite a challenging and varied course load, Ainsley keeps a full schedule. She was elected Class President by her peers for the Class of 2023. She is active in varsity show choir and serves as Editor-In-Chief of Westside Wired, her school’s online news website. If that’s not enough, she’s also a varsity cheerleader, serves on the Student Council and is in the Mu Alpha Theta Math Honors Society.

Omaha Suburban Athletic Association.

Lauren has been involved with BBYO since 8th grade and currently serves at the Regional President of the Mid-America Region. She was also recently the recipient of Chabad’s Rose Mitzvah Ambassador Award. Making and fostering connections is paramount to Lauren who recognized the strength that comes from peer collaboration in a supportive and uplifting environment.

“She is an outstanding young woman, but it is difficult to put into words what a wonderful attitude and spirit of optimism she possesses. She consistently impresses me with her work ethic and perseverance,” stated one teacher. Another recommender wrote, “She doesn’t shy away from challenging situations and isn’t afraid to hold her peers accountable for their actions. Lauren has always been dependable, and I can always count on her to honor her commitments.”

Lauren’s parents are Racquel and Thomas Dolson.

JULIA EDELSTEIN

Continued from page 1

To RSVP, and/or to make a contribution for camp scholarships, visit www.jfofoundation.org/anniversary, scan QR code or email jfof40@jewishomaha.org

Sincere thanks to our 40th Anniversary supporters: Anything Grants, Foundation Grants Committee – Foundation IMPACT Grants, Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation, Herbert Goldsten Trust, Milton S. & Corinne N. Livingston Foundation Fund, Murray H. & Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation, Special Donor-Advised Fund and Sonny’s at AKSARBEN.

SUMMER INTERN

Ainsley has shown she is not afraid of challenges and obstacles, often going the extra mile to overcome them. She is hardworking and responsible and strives to treat others with respect, empathy, and kindness. Ainsley is dedicated to youth suicide prevention and advancing mental health research. One teacher said, “Ainsley is an exceptional young lady with great potential and will do well in any endeavor she pursues.” Another teacher wrote, “She is a young woman that is ready to jump into the next chapter of her life with enthusiasm and excitement, bringing with her a plethora of experiences, all which have contributed to making her the well-rounded individual that she is. Ainsley knows herself and academics aside, what sets her apart is her ability to advocate for herself and others.”

Ainsley’s parents are Jamie and Troy Meyerson.

LAUREN DOLSON

Lauren will graduate from Elkhorn South High School. She is deciding between Tulane, the University of Miami (Coral Gables) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison based on both academics and a vibrant Jewish community.

In addition to taking advanced placement and honors courses, Lauren is Co-Editor in Chief of the yearbook at Elkhorn South. She previously attended Brownell Talbot where she was the yearbook Editor-in-Chief as well. She is also involved in the National Honor Society. Outside of school, she volunteers with Sarpy County Teen Court, a diversion program for first-time juvenile violators and plays softball with

Julia has been accepted at A.T. Still University - Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. She received her BS in Exercise Science Magna Cum Laude from North Dakota State University in 2018.

Julia is eager to contribute to medicine through a physician’s role and to form relationships with her patients and peers. She believes physicians earn the privilege of intervening at vulnerable times in their patients’ lives and hopes to deliver compassionate and sincere care. She continues to supplement and expand her knowledge and experiences through a wide variety of clinical and academic opportunities within science and healthcare. She is currently working as both a Research Assistant in the PoWER Lab at Boys Town National Research Hospital, and as a Patient Care Technician on the Cardiac Care Unit – Post Cardiac Surgery at Nebraska Medicine.

She also has active roles in the Nebraska Medical Orchestra and is a volunteer soccer/goalkeepers coach at Concordia Jr./Sr. High School.

One recommender said, “She is a self-motivated hard worker; collaborative team member; independent problem solver; and strong written and verbal communicator.” A medical professional shared this about Julia, “Julia has sound clinical judgment, remains levelheaded in complex patient situations, and is an excellent patient and family advocate. She demonstrates exceptional compassion and empathy to our patients. I know she will be a fantastic physician.”

Julia’s parents are Ellene and Stanley Edelstein. See Sokolof Merit Scholarships page 5

The Jewish Press | May 12, 2023 | 3 News LOCAL | NATIONAL | WORLD
The Jewish Press
THE JEWISH PRESS IS LOOKING FOR A SUMMER INTERN.
If you are currently attending college, are between the ages of 18 and 24, and want to become more involved in our community, this is your chance.
If you are interested, please send your resume and cover letter to avandekamp@jewishomaha.org. WE CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU!

Valmont Executives impress

JAY KATELMAN

JFO Director of Community Development

On Wednesday April 19, Steve Kaniewski and Avner Applbaum from Valmont spoke to members of the community at the Jewish Business Leaders (JBL) Bagels & Business Breakfast. We had one of our largest crowds in recent memory.

Steve is the President and CEO and Avner is the CFO of Valmont Industries, Inc. Steve spoke about his background, and how he became President and CEO of the company. He addressed everything from managing warehouses in Mexico to working his way up the corporate ladder. The different challenges he faced made for an interesting speech.

Avner also spoke about his career path, and how he ended up at Valmont. Steve and Avner worked with each other briefly at a different company. When Steve needed a CFO, he called Avner and invited him to Omaha. Although Steve and Avner are not natives of Omaha, they both love this city and are very involved philanthropically.

Steve and Avner closed by speaking about their vision for Valmont and took questions from the audience. They discussed drones that can check on equipment, enabling them to discover concerns and extend warranties that other companies cannot. It is amazing to hear how this type of technology is being used today to advance the business community.

Steve also addressed the future of electronic vehicles, and explained how overnight the grid

would not be able to fully adapt to giving out that amount of power, and how an infrastructure change would be necessary. The duo discussed how early in their careers they never sought out to be in a certain position, but said to work hard, because you never know who is noticing. Ultimately, that is how they became reacquainted later in their careers.

“Steve and Avner are a blessing to the Omaha Jewish and business communities,” Alex Epstein, founder of Jewish Business Leaders and EVP of OMNE Partners, said. “It was fascinating to hear about how they each respectively arrived at their current positions and all the exciting things Valmont is doing right here in town that affect the greater world. We are so lucky as a community to have two Jewish community members lead-

ing a local Fortune 500 company. I am grateful the community was able to hear this unbelievable story about one of the most historic Omaha companies, and how two Jewish leaders became their CEO and CFO.”

Thank you to all those who came, and a special thank you to our event sponsors. Our Platinum sponsors: Bridges Trust, OMNE Partners, and Valmont, and our Event Sponsors: ACCESSbank, CFO Systems LLC, and Alex Epstein.

Our next event will be held at the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue at the Staenberg Omaha Jewish Community Center, July 19, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. We are proud to announce the next speakers will be Steve Seline, Ted Baer and Kathy Baer, who will talk about the Brandeis story.

Lillian’s Piano

SHELLY

FOX

You may have noticed the new addition of a very old piano in the Jewish Community Center front lobby. This 100-year-old Shmoller Muller upright piano was recently donated by the family of Lillian Goodman Noodell Z”L. As a young adult, Lillian saved a part of every paycheck to purchase this piano, definitely a luxury in the early 1900s. She learned to play, married Harry Noodell Z”L, and the piano moved with them through the years as their family grew. Their four children (Doris Alloy, Esther Bogdanoff. Shirley Goodman and Don Noodell) all played on this same piano.

Eventually, when Lillian and Harry moved to a smaller house, the piano found a new home with daughter Doris and Harry Alloy. Doris continued to play and in the 1960s, one of their daughters, Shelly Fox, learned to play on this same instrument.

Recently, Harry and Doris moved from their home. Although many of their grandchildren and great grandchildren play piano, it was necessary to find a new home for this one. Five generations of the Noodell family have treasured this beautiful piano, and Lillian would be so proud to have its new home be at our Staenberg Omaha JCC.

ORGANIZATIONS

B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS

The award-winning B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS speaker program currently meets Wednesdays via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Please watch our email for specific information concerning its thoughtprovoking, informative list of speakers. To be placed on the email list, contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com

4 | The Jewish Press | May 12, 2023 News LOCAL | NATIONAL | WORLD Sokolof Honor Roll Merit Scholars for College Ainsley Meyerson & Lauren Dolson Sokolof Honor Roll Merit Scholars for Health Care Julia Edelstein & Brianna Sadofsky Karen Sokolof Javitch Merit Music Scholar Ilana McNamara Sokolof Outstanding Teacher of the Year Emily Woods Join Us in Honoring Some of Jewish Omaha’s Best & Brightest Please RSVP to 402.334.6551 for accurate planning! SOKOLOF AWARDS RECEPTION Sunday, May 21, 2023 | 7 p.m. Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue Staenberg Omaha JCC ALL ARE WELCOME SLUSKY CONSTRUCTION Your Insurance Claim Specialists Roofing • Gutters • Siding • Windows DAN SLUSKY 402.306.0440 • Daniel@SluskyCo.com HAIL DAMAGE? OY VEY! It’s not too late to file a claim. Not sure? No worries. Call DAN for a free inspection! Howard Kutler | 402.334.6559 | hkutler@jewishomaha.org Contact our advertising executive to promote your business in this very special edition. Publishing date | 06.09.23 Space reservation | 05.30.23 Father’s Day
Avner Applbaum, left, Steve Kaniewski, Jay Katelman and Alex Epstein

The Foundation welcomes Stacie Metz

The Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of Stacie Metz to our staff. Stacie’s title is Program and Stewardship Administrator, and she will coordinate the LIFE & LEGACY initiative, the Omaha Jewish Alumni program, develop initiatives to increase the Foundation’s donor base, and enhance donor relations along with other responsibilities.

Having lived in Omaha longer than Sioux City, Iowa, the city in which she was raised, it is safe to consider Stacie Metz a “naturalized” Omahan. Stacie moved to Omaha after graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in education. Her parents, Vicki and Jerry Chesen, moved to Omaha while Stacie was in college. At the encouragement of her parents, Stacie met with Rabbi Azriel when he was in Lawrence visiting students. Rabbi Azriel recruited Stacie to move to Omaha after graduation to work at Temple Israel. Stacie worked in Temple’s Religious School and Youth Department for a year.

Stacie went to work next at Clarkson College where she was

an admissions counselor and then the director of general education. Upon leaving Clarkson College Stacie enjoyed a year and a half at home with her children before rejoining the workforce. She returned to work at the corporate office of Buchanan Energy (dba Bucky’s Convenience Stores) –starting part-time and then becoming fulltime. Stacie established their hiring, HR policies and procedures and training practices as they grew from two locations to over 25. Stacie’s last position was with a company that dealt with senior home care.

Stacie’s son Benjamin graduated from Drake University and works at the Jewish Federation in Des Moines, her daughter Julia is a junior at UNO, and Elizabeth is a freshman at Westside High School. Stacie’s bonus son, Henry, is in the Army, stationed in Georgia. In her free time Stacie enjoys cooking, baking and going for walks.

Stacie comes to the Foundation with a broad range of professional experience and abundant positive energy. We know that The Foundation will continue to grow with Stacie’s talents, and we feel quite fortunate to have her onboard as we prepare for the next 40 years of Foundation growth.

Sokolof Merit Scholarships

Continued from page 3

BRIANNA SADOFSKY

Brianna is attending the University of Nebraska Medical Center – College of Nursing and will graduate in May 2025.

She received her BA in English Summa Cum Laude from Arizona State University in 2021. She currently is working at Nebraska Medical Center as a Certified Nursing Assistant on the COVID-19 ICU Unit while pursuing her nursing degree with a mental health emphasis. Brianna saw mental health struggles firsthand while in college and was fortunate enough to see kindness and compassion in action. Since that time, she has been inspired to be that same kind of nurse and person, helping others in times of mental and physical vulnerability. She strives to make a sincere and lasting impact upon the lives of others. Annually since 2015, Brianna has helped to arrange a team and fundraise for the Out of Darkness Walk to create more awareness about suicide prevention.

One recommender said, “Ms. Sadofsky is a thirsty student of an unquantifiable range of topics. Her questions are intuitive, her conclusions are often ingenious, her curiosity is insatiable, and humility in the face of what is possible is an inspiration.” Another medical professional simply said, “If we could just have 10 more Briannas!”

Brianna’s parents are Kelli and Paul Sadofsky.

ILANA MCNAMARA

Ilana is currently finishing her fourth year at Oberlin College and Conservatory, pursuing a double degree with a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance and a BA in Mathematics with a Minor in Interdisciplinary Performance. She anticipates graduating in May 2024. Her career goals are to be a Western classical chamber violist, specializing in contemporary music and collaborating with other artists.

Ilana is involved in the Oberlin Orchestra, Contemporary Music Ensemble, Opera Pit Orchestra, and Baroque Orchestra. She composes music as well, and has had her compositions premiered. On campus she is also involved with a klezmer band called Schtick n Poke. Ilana remains on the board of the Chabad Student Group. She also takes private viola lessons once a week and practices multiple hours each day. Ilana continues to be employed as a blogger for the Oberlin Office of Communications, teaches viola lessons, and serves as a Facilitator of Jewish Identity and Experience Barefoot Dialogue (a vulnerability-based dialogue program at Oberlin).

One recommendation stated, “Working with her is an immense pleasure. Ilana is bright, creative, energetic, and hard working. She is a gifted communicator, both in writing and as a speaker. Although I cannot say anything about her musical talents, she has the intellectual talent, creativity, and work ethic to thrive at whatever she decides to tackle.” Another rec-

ommendation stated, “As a dual degree student at Oberlin College and Oberlin Conservatory, Ilana must balance large course loads. Students taking on this challenge must be motivated and well organized. Ilana is both and has become a leader in my studio.”

Ilana’s parents are Aviva Segal and Patrick McNamara. EMILY WOODS

Emily received both her BS in elementary education and her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Tampa. She taught 5th and 6th Grade math in Tampa from 2008 to 2014 when she returned to the Omaha area. This is her ninth year teaching in Omaha. She made the move from R.L. Marrs Middle Magnet School to Lewis & Clark Middle School last year. Emily teaches math, advanced math, leads the National Junior Honor Society, and is the SAT Coordinator. In each role, it is abundantly clear that she is a leader of students, in and out of her classroom, working each day to positively impact students, both personally and academically.

Emily received numerous nominations from peers, co-workers, and students. One wrote “Mrs. Woods works to create lessons that provide students with real-world applications for the content that they are learning. She also demonstrates a passion for math that is contagious among her students.” The Sokolof Committee was especially excited to hear from two of Emily’s eighth grade students. Both agree Mrs. Woods makes a difference in the lives of all of her students. One said, “She makes her classes both fun and exciting with fun games and activities that relate to the topic we are on. She makes sure that you feel heard and have a voice in the classroom.” The other said, “The perfect teacher in my mind is a person who cares about what they do and how they do it. They enjoy being around their students and love to hear fascinating questions each day. Mrs. Woods shows me all of this and so much more.” Her Assistant Principal shared, “Mrs. Woods is the teacher that every student deserves.” What an amazing epithet! And one that accurately describes our 2023 Sokolof Outstanding Jewish Teacher of the Year.

Emily’s parents are Jenny and Peter Gordon.

The Phil and Ruth Sokolof Honor Roll Merit Scholarships and the Karen Sokolof Javitch Music Fund are administered by the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. Jody Malashock chairs an otherwise anonymous committee that selects the award recipients.

The Foundation will host a reception for the award recipients and their families on May 21 at 7 p.m. in the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue at the Staenberg Omaha Jewish Community Center. Everyone is welcome to join the celebration of these outstanding women. Please RSVP to 402.334.6551 for accurate planning.

The Jewish Press | May 12, 2023 | 5 The Jewish Press SALES POSITION Interested? Send your application to Avandekamp@jewish omaha.org today. We cannot wait to meet you! The Jewish Press is looking for a part-time sales person, with the following responsibilities: • Print and digital sales • Digital Content development • Tracking sales goals and reporting results • as necessary • Promoting the organization and products Requirements: • Previous experience in a sales-related role is • a plus • Great customer service skills • Excellent written and verbal communication • skills PART-TIME FLEXIBLE HOURS HIRO 88 WEST OMAHA LINCOLN 3655 N 129th St. 402.933.0091 601 R St. #100 402.261.9388 SUSHI | JAPANESE | CHINESE OLD MARKET 1308 Jackson St. 402.933.5168 MILLARD 17664 Welch Pl. 402.933.5168 www.Hiro88.com
Stacie Metz

Yom Ha’Atzmaut

Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut are on back-to-back days, which is an emotional swing going from the sadness of remembering those who have given their lives defending Israel, to the joy and celebration of independence. This year’s Yom HaAtzmaut Family Celebration packed the Staenberg Omaha JCC gym in honor of Israel’s 75th anniversary. Thank you to our volunteers, event sponsors, and staff for making all the fun possible.

Column 1: Estelle Hoberman, left, Eliana Volshonok, Hazel Hoffman, Molly Epstein, and Alexander Campos; Alex, Avi and Ari Epstein; Rachel Winograd; Cyrus Ansari and Shahrokh Ansari; Norm Sheldon, left, Kori Lucoff, Makayla Lucoff, Lisa Lucoff, and Suzy Sheldon.

Column 2: IDF Officers Eli Efrati, left, Billy Harel, Sharon Comisar-Langdon, Avi Michaeli, and Golan Rosenberg; Sam Kutler; Brianna Alexander; Jason Epsenhart and Jennie Gates Beckman.

Column 3: Children with volunteers Margie Gutnik and Jane Rips; Bob Goldberg and Rabbi Eli Tenenbaum; Jess and Sam Cohn, Abby and Henry Kutler; Jonah Friedlander; Mike, Talia, Nora and Hannah Schmidt; Ruby Boehm and Naomi Fox; Miri Katzir, left Lavi Dreyer, Rabbi Yoni, Shiran Dreyer, Shahrokh Ansari.

Column 4: Noah and Shiri Philips; Emmy Howell; Skylar Epstein, left Carrie Epstein, Dylan Epstein, Asher Epstein, and Chloe Epstein; Steve Kaniewski; Joshua Shapiro, left Asher Tipp, Tyler Epstein, and Job Feierstein.

Column 5: Front row Israeli CFL Instructor, Neta Uzi and Amit Uzi; back row Instructors, Tal and Moriah Uzi; Hazzan Michael Krausman and Robby Erlich; Happy Jewish Omaha Community; Volunteers Bruce Gutnik, left, Angela Love, Mike Siegel; Israeli Dancing Instructor Becki Smedlund with Estelle Hoberman, left Eliana Volshonok, Hazel Hoffman, Molly Epstein, Alexander Campos.

Column 6: Sharon Comisar-Langdon, left Margo and Steve Riekes; Rabbi Dembitzer joined a few of his kids for the festivities; Chabad offered a pool full of ‘desert sand’ for kids to play in and earn prizes; Adam and Miri Katzir.

The Jewish Press | May 12, 2023 | 7 6 The Jewish Press May 12, 2023

Top, above, below and bottom: RBJH Wild: Adventure Wildlife Encounter’s award-winning educational program visited the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home with some fascinating creatures to engage and connect residents to the natural world. The Residents got close and personal with some amazing animals.

Omaha Council BBG and MZ Yoshanah BBG newly elected board members: Adria Tipp, left, Eva Bloom, Elizabeth Brodkey, Juliette Boehm Smith, Samantha Stern, and Sasha Denenberg.

Omaha Council AZA and Mother Chapter AZA newly elected board members: Jordan Nogg, left, Evan Kugler, Ryan Kugler, Noah Atlas, AJ Shefsky, Asher Tipp.

Last week’s Friedel field trip to the Lincoln Children’s Zoo. Some of the kids got to pet a giraffe!

SP O TLIGHT

PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS

SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a photo of a recent Jewish Community event you would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

Left and above: Many Friedel students have been enjoying CFL (Circle for Life—a combination of music, movement, and martial arts) classes after school with Rabbi Tal all year. This week, three additional CFL instructors from Israel have joined us for programs with our students and their families. It’s been amazing! Thanks to Karen & Michael Cohen and the Omaha Public Schools Foundation for sponsoring the visit and to Mark Kirchhoff from On the Mark Photography for taking these great photos!

8 | The Jewish Press | May 12, 2023
Above: Below: Left, above and below:

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.

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Making a point

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

Jewish Press Editor

Mid-April, a synagogue in Seattle was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti. It happened the day before Yom HaShoah- and the congregation decided to leave it up for over a day as a reminder of “the hate that still exists in this world.” (Andrew Lapin, JTA)

The synagogue in question is Temple De Hirsch Sinai; its rabbi Daniel Weiner called the act “nonchalant and deliberate.” Included were a star of David, the word ‘apartheid,’ and the phrase ‘Israel has lied,’ as well as a face with the words ‘Im [sic] still here.’ All of it was spray-painted on a fencedoff portion of synagogue grounds.

Rabbi Weiner also said: “With the people oftentimes downplaying its significance amongst the various ‘isms’ that are out there, I thought it was important to understand, even in deep-blue Seattle, that these feelings, these perspectives, exist.”

Although I would personally not wait to clean up those walls, he’s not necessarily wrong. Sometimes, when people have a very opposite reaction, it can help us question our own response to hate. I am not advocating we leave all hate speech on every surface, far from it, but immediately cleaning it is perhaps not the answer.

It remains a tough question anyway: what to do when hate pops up in the form of anonymous graffiti? Do we expend energy trying to figure out who the perpetrators are? Except for those conveniently labeled goyim defense league pamphlets, we usually can’t pinpoint where the hate comes from. The same thing is true online: fake names, anonymous

RABBI JILL JACOBS

JTA

I spent July 4, 2017, at Trump Tower protesting the ban on travel from Muslim countries, enacted earlier that year. For me, standing side by side with Muslim, Christian and other faith leaders to fight discrimination was the best possible way to celebrate America’s independence.

Israel just marked the monumental occasion of its 75th anniversary. There is much to celebrate: The establishment of the State of Israel is, without doubt, one of the greatest accomplishments of the Jewish people in the last century. The country has provided safety for millions of Jews fleeing oppression, helped revive Hebrew language and culture, and allowed Jews access to our most sacred historical sites.

And there is much to mourn and protest, beginning with the 56-year-old occupation that violates the human rights of Palestinians every single day; the ongoing discrimination against Palestinian citizens of Israel, Mizrahi and Ethiopian Jews, asylum seekers and foreign workers; and, this year, the all-out attack on democracy perpetuated by the current government.

For the last four months, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been in the street every week protesting the efforts by the current government to eliminate the power of the High Court to serve as a check on legislation that violates Israel’s Basic Laws, the closest thing the country has to a constitution. And yet the response by too much of the American Jewish community has been more or less business as usual. While many legacy organizations have issued tepid statements criticizing attempts to destroy the judiciary, these groups have not rallied American Jews to actively oppose this coup or taken actions that would put direct pressure on the Israeli government.

Those of us who care about the future of Israel, and who dream of a state rooted in democracy and human rights, must mark this 75th anniversary by fighting for that vision.

This anniversary comes at an inflection point for the country’s democracy. What happens this year will determine whether Israel has a chance at living up to the values enshrined in its declaration of independence, or whether it becomes a fascist theocracy that codifies discrimination against women, LGBTQ people, Palestinian citizens and other minorities and

accounts, who has the time?

I also question how the vandals feel if their handiwork remains on the building for an extra day. Does it make them happy? Worried? Afraid? Do they care? Do they even know?

The purpose of that spray paint is to sow fear. It’s a way to let us know we are not welcome. The thing is, as far as messaging goes, it’s not very effective. Defacing a building in the dead of night while no one is watching is a bit like stomping your foot when you don’t get your Starbucks fast enough. Midnight vandals: they are the Karens of the alt-right.

Because of that, Rabbi Weiner was right when he used this as a reminder that “these feelings, these perspectives, exist.” It is not so much the one individual wielding a paint can who’s important. Even if we did discover who it was, it wouldn’t change anything. If we were able to silence every single racist and antisemite, would we erase the racism and antisemitism that motivate them? I don’t believe we would.

The problem is, although we feel, notice, experience antisemitism on a regular basis, it is more often than not invisible to others. The current ‘Stand up to Jewish Hate’ blue square campaign received its share of attention online. Among the reactions were two main narratives: one involved people questioning the existence of antisemitism, the second one posed the sentiment ‘What do Jews have to complain about? They control everything.’

that permanently occupies another people.

Many Jewish communities held Yom Haatzmaut events that pretend that nothing is amiss — falafel, Israeli music and dancing, and celebratory visits to Israel. And in June, the Celebrate Israel parade —which bans any political signs — will proceed down New York City’s Fifth Avenue as though nothing is amiss.

I also love a good falafel, but this moment calls for much more.

And there you have it.

Perhaps the real question for some non-Jews is not whether antisemitism exists, but whether it is a bad thing, or something that one can be apologetic about.

Then, seeing it in ugly, harsh spray-painted lettering, placed in the dead of night on an otherwise

Since the new Israeli government took power, I have stood on the street in New York and Washington, D.C., with hundreds of Israeli Americans and American Jews who came out to protest Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich speaking at an Israel Bonds dinner, the (temporary, as it turns out) firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the ongoing attacks on the High Court. As someone who has been working for human rights in Israel for decades, I am thrilled to see more and more American and Israeli Jews join these protests.

But we have not yet seen a call to the streets from most of our legacy organizations or synagogues. Nor has JFNA altered its regular General Assembly programming to instead take 3,000 American Jews into the streets of Tel Aviv — or even host protest organizers or civil society leaders, rather than the leaders of the coup.

Why are American Jews so terrified to protest Israeli actions, even when the country is being taken over by people whose values are anathema to most of ours?

Yeshayahu Leibowitz, a 20th-century Jewish

beautiful and welcoming building, may drive the point home a little more. Antisemitism is not cool, it’s not okay, it’s not something minor. It is dangerous, it is illegal, and it doesn’t belong in the daylight. Certainly not the point the perpetrator intended to make, but, kudos to Rabbi Daniel Weiner, it is a point nonetheless.

thinker, warned of the danger that the nascent state of Israel would become an object of worship. “The state fulfills an essential need of the individual and the national community,” he wrote, “but it does not thereby acquire intrinsic value except for a fascist who regards sovereignty, governmental authority, and power as supreme values.” In a 1991 lecture, he went so far as to call any religious Jews who supported occupation and settlement “descendants of the worshippers of the Golden Calf, who proclaimed ‘this is your God, Israel.’ A calf doesn’t necessarily need to be golden; it can also be a people, a land, or a state.”

In Israel, the religious settler movement that Leibowitz disparaged three decades ago now runs the state, and as he warned its agenda puts the occupation of land first, and the treatment of people second.

Many Jews in the United States find it hard to see that reality because the State of Israel has become an object of worship, rather than a real country where real people live, and where fascist-leaning politicians are working to fundamentally change its government and culture into something unrecognizable and dangerous. American Jewish conversations about Israel too often become conversations about Jewish identity, a slippery slope that makes it easy for criticisms of the State of Israel — a political entity subject to international human rights standards — to be misinterpreted as attacks on Jews more generally. It is easier to celebrate a fantasy with no hard edges than deal with the reality of a beloved, but flawed state.

According to the Torah, Abraham was 75 when he left his parents’ house and set out on his own. At 75, Israel is a strong, modern country, more than able to stand on its own on the international stage and healthy enough for vibrant debate about its future. Real celebration of Israel demands fighting for it to live up to the highest ideals of democracy, dignity and human rights for all.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs is the the CEO of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, an organization that trains and mobilizes more than 2,300 rabbis and cantors and their communities to bring a moral voice to protecting and advancing human rights.

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.

Nebraska Press Association Award winner 2008 American Jewish Press Association Award Winner National Newspaper Association The Jewish Press | May 12, 2023 | 9
Voices
Antisemitic graffiti painted in a fenced-off area of Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle, Washington, on April 16, 2023. Credit: Rabbi Daniel Weiner
We should fight for Israel to live up to its ideals
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, with microphone, speaks at a rally for Israeli democracy by Israelis and American Jews outside Israel's consulate in Manhattan, March 27, 2023. Credit: T'ruah, via Twitter

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

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN

South Street Temple

Union for Reform Judaism

2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797

402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

Capehart Chapel

2500 Capehart Road

Offutt AFB, NE 68123

402.294.6244

email: oafbjsll@icloud.com

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154

TEMPLE ISRAEL

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)

13111 Sterling Ridge Drive Omaha, NE 68144-1206 402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: TIFERETH ISRAEL

Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236

402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org

Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, June 9, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

For information on COVID-related closures and about our historic synagogue, please contact Howard Kutler at hkutler@hotmail.com or any of our other board members: Renee Corcoran, Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Beth Moshman, Mary-Beth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.

B’NAI ISRAEL BETH EL

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON MINYAN SCHEDULE: Mornings on Sundays, 9:30 a.m.; Mondays and Thursdays 7 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Annual Meeting, Six String Shabbat, Awards & Dinner, 5:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades 3-7), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 9:15 p.m. Zoom Only.

SUNDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Hebrew Reading, 11 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman.

TUESDAY: Pirkei Avot, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m.

THURSDAY: Needlework Gang, 1 p.m.; Open Dialogue, 2 p.m. with Rabbi Abraham.

FRIDAY-May 19: Nebraska AIDS Project Lunch, 11:30 a.m.; Young Family Pre-Neg & Tot Shabbat 5:30 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY-May 13: Shabbat Morning Services and Asher Finkelstein Bar Mitzvah, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades 3-7), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 9:20 p.m. Zoom Only.

Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.

BETH ISRAEL

FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:15 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat 10:45 a.m.; Kids Class 7 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv 8 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity 8:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:21 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit 9 a.m.; Daf Yomi 7:40 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:20 p.m.

MONDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:20 p.m.

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Beth Israel Workshop, 6 p.m.; Board of Directors Meeting, 7 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:20 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:20 p.m.

THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Character Development, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:20 p.m.; Parsha Class, 8:40 p.m.

FRIDAY-May 19: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:22 p.m.

SATURDAY-May 20: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat 10:45 a.m.; Kids Class 7:10 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:10 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 8:40 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:29 p.m. Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.

CHABAD HOUSE

All services are in-person. All classes are being offered in-person and via Zoom (ochabad.com/academy). For more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.com or call the office at 402.330.1800.

FRIDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochabad.com/ Lechayim; Candlelighting, 8:15 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit 9:30 a.m.; One-Hour Service, 11 a.m followed by Kiddush Lunch; Shabbat Ends, 9:21 p.m.

SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps: Video Presentation, 9-9:30 a.m. and Breakfast, 9:45 a.m.

MONDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha, 9:30 a.m.; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 7 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

WEDNESDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 34), noon; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) Class, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY-May 19: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ocha bad.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 8:21 p.m.

SATURDAY-May 20: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 9:29 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL

Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch.

Note: Some of our services, but not all, are now being offered in person.

FRIDAY: Omer Day 36; Sacha Regard Bar Mitzvah and Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex and Sacha Regard and music by Leslie Delserone and Peter Mullin, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Oneg host: The Bensmihen-Regard Family; Shabbat Candlelighting, 8:16

p.m.

SATURDAY: Omer Day 37; Sacha Regard Bar Mitzvah and Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex and Sacha Regard at TI; Kiddush Lunch sponsored by The Bensmihen-Regard Famiy; No Torah Study; Havdalah 9:22 p.m.

SUNDAY: Omer Day 38; JCS Classes, 9:30 a,m,; Men’s Bike/ Coffee Group continues to meet during the winter months, 10:30 a.m. at Rock-N-Joe, just off of 84th and Glynoaks. For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail. com; Community Social Action Committee Meeting, 1:30 p.m. at SST; Pickleball, 3-5 p.m. at TI.

MONDAY: Omer Day 39

TUESDAY: Omer Day 40

WEDNESDAY: Omer Day 41; LJCS Classes, 4:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Omer Day 42

FRIDAY-May 19: Omer Day 43; Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex and music by Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Oneg host: TBD; Shabbat Candlelighting, 8:23 p.m.

SATURDAY-May 20: Omer Day 44; Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Bamidbar; Havdalah 9:30 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

FRIDAYS: Virtual Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month at Capehart Chapel. Contact TSgt Jason Rife at OAFBJSLL@icloud.com for more information.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s service is currently closed to visitors.

TEMPLE ISRAEL

In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Batsheva Appel, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander

FRIDAY: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. In-Person; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom; Pop-Up Shabbat with Tish, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom.

TUESDAY: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m. In-Person; Community Beit Midrash, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Class, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel.

FRIDAY-May 19: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. InPerson; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SATURDAY-May 20: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. InPerson & Zoom.

Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.

American couples caught trying to smuggle Fruit Roll-Ups into Israel

JACKIE HAJDENBERG JTA

At least two American couples have been caught by Israeli customs attempting to smuggle a total of more than 650 pounds of Fruit Roll-Ups into Israel, as the country experiences a dire shortage of the snack due to a TikTok craze.

A video posted on Tuesday by Mako, an Israeli news website, appears to show a customs official at Ben Gurion International Airport sifting through at least three open suitcases each filled with hundreds of the colorful, sugary treats. An Americanaccented voice off screen, in a mix of Hebrew and English, explains that he brought the snacks across the ocean for his family in Israel. When the customs official asks if the man packed clothes for himself, he responds that he has clothes in Israel.

Why did he fill two checked bags with Fruit RollUps? “It has something to do with ice cream,” the man’s voice says.

The man was almost certainly referring to a viral TikTok trend, ongoing since at least March, in which users of the video social network wrap the sweet, sticky roll-up around a small scoop of ice

cream, which then freezes over and becomes hard and crunchy.

“We’ve also fallen into this trend,” says an Israeli in one TikTok video from late March, as he places a box of Fruit Roll-Ups on the counter. “My whole TikTok is exploding with Fruit RollUps and ice cream.”

Israelis routinely ask travelers from the United States to bring back goods that either cost more in Israel (such as electronic devices) or are hard to find on Israeli shelves (Entenmann’s Donuts, for example). But in attempting to import Fruit RollUps to Israel, the American couples were tapping into a real market shortage.

Around the country, supermarkets, convenience stores and online retailers have reportedly sold out of Fruit Roll-Ups, driving up the cost of the snack. According to Israeli press reports, enterprising merchants are selling individually wrapped Fruit RollUps for prices exceeding $5 or $6 each. By comparison, a box of 10 Fruit Roll-Ups in the United States typically costs less than $3.

One article in the Israeli daily Israel Hayom jokingly compared those rising costs to the value of a mortgage in Israel’s infamously expensive housing market.

“We bought them for the price of a diamond,” one parent said, according to the article. “I said I would find out how many I could get in exchange for my kidney.”

10 | The Jewish Press | May 12, 2023
A viral TikTok craze has driven Fruit Roll-Ups off the shelves in Israel, leading to steep price hikes and even international smuggling. Credit: Wikimedia

Life cycles

ASHER FINKELSTEIN

Asher Finkelstein, son of Becca and David Finkelstein, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at Beth El Synagogue.

Asher is a graduate of Friedel Jewish Academy and is a seventh grade honor roll student at Russell Middle School. He enjoys playing basketball, riding his bike, cooking, attending Camp RamahWisconsin in the summer and spending time with his friends and family.

He has two older brothers, Ari and Ethan, both age 19. Grandparents are Dianne and Raymond Ruetsch of Columbia, MO, Sharon Finkelstein of Memphis, TN and Barry Finkelstein, of blessed memory.

Trade scholarships available for the 2023-24 academic year

An anonymous donor in our community has created two trade school and/or cosmetology school scholarship opportunities, up to $5,000 each, to go towards the 2023-24 academic year.

Not every student who advances into higher education signs up for a four-year curriculum. Some high school graduates seek job training that lasts a year or two and then places them in the workforce. Such opportunities include, but are not restricted to: Information Technology, Construction, Industrial, Transportation and Horticulture. It is not too late to apply for this upcoming school year!

Qualified students who have unmet needs regarding tuition for either a two-year trade school program or a trade certificate program can contact the Jewish Press at avandekamp @jewishomaha.org or jpress@jewishomaha.org for more information.

IN MEMORIAM

CLIFFORD A LEVITAN

Clifford A Levitan passed away on May 5, 2023 at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 15, 2023, at Temple Israel, 13111 Sterling Ridge Dr. and will be officiated by Cantor Joanne Alexander.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Sara Ann and Harry Levitan.

He is survived by his devoted wife of almost sixty years, Barbara Levitan, his daughters and sons-in-law, Debbie Levitan and Scott Sher and Jennifer and Pierre Cornelius; son, Michael; brother and sister-in-law, Howard and Kazuyo Levitan; grandchildren: Zachary Block, Jacob and Katie Block, Dylan Levitan and Ava Levitan.

Cliff was a former board member of Jewish Social Services, and Omaha Homebuilders Association.

We want to extend a huge thank you to Dawnielle and AsceraCare Hospice and the staff at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home for the kindness Cliff received. Memorials may be made to Parkinson's Nebraska or to the organization of your choice.

INFORMATION

ANTISEMITIC/HATE INCIDENTS

If you encounter an antisemitic or other hate incident, you are not alone. Your first call should be to the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) in Omaha at 402.334.6572, or email JCRCreporting@ jewishomaha.org. If you perceive an imminent threat, call 911, and text Safety & Security Manager James Donahue at 402.213.1658.

SUBMIT OBITUARIES

TO THE JEWISH PRESS:

Email the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; mail to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; or online at online at www.omahajewishpress.com/site/forms/

Before someone offers you alcohol or other drugs, decide what you are going to say.

Having the facts can give you confidence.

For more information, call 1-800-648-4444

NEBRASKA STATEWIDE

ANNOUNCEMENT

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HELP WANTED

FREY PIVOT Service, Inc. is currently looking for an Experienced Center Pivot Tech. We are looking for someone with electrical, welding and mechanical knowledge. We would prefer someone with center pivot and/or agriculture background. Pay range anywhere from $18 - $25 an hour (depending on experience). There is also an opportunity to advance with stock options. Loads of benefits. Call 308-636-2327.

HOME SERVICES

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The Jewish Press | May 12, 2023 | 11
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Jewish institutions awaken to climate crisis

ASAF ELIA SHALEV JTA

For a decade starting in 2002, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi devoted herself to pro-Israel advocacy. After that, the Jewish philanthropist and activist from Annapolis, Maryland, went all in to fight for disability rights, working in the field for the next decade. Now, Mizrahi is focused on climate change.

“Let me put it this way: In 2021, we donated to one climate organization, and in 2022, we donated to 17 of them,” Mizrahi said, referring to the small charity fund she runs with her husband, tech entrepreneur Victor Mizrahi. This year, the couple made their largest climate-related donation yet, sending a group of nine climate reporters to Israel to meet tech startups working on ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Mizrahi and her husband have also begun commercially investing in such startups.

“I was hoping other people would solve it,” she said. “But the pace of the change is not nearly meeting the demand at the moment. I felt that even though I don’t know the subject, I’m just going to have to do it because I have kids and I don’t want this world to fall apart.”

Climate change has long ranked at or near the top of a list of issues concerning Jews in the United States, according to multiple surveys, and Jews have been heavily involved in the wider climate movement. But until recently, the issue had a marginal place on the agendas of Jewish communal organizations, which neglected climate even as the subject took on importance in the activism and policies of other religious communities and in the larger philanthropic world.

Mizrahi’s newfound emphasis on climate is an early example of a larger shift that is underway in Jewish philanthropy, a multibillion-dollar world made up of thousands of individual donors, charitable foundations and nonprofit organizations.

“It’s the beginning of what will become a more widespread

focus among Jewish groups,” said Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, the founder and CEO of the Jewish climate group Dayenu. “We’re seeing an awakening to this as a profoundly Jewish issue, and awakening to the role that the Jewish community has to play in addressing the climate crisis.”

gional climate-related instability.

The last few months have seen a flurry of new initiatives aimed at both greening Jewish institutions and directing collective action on climate.

Meanwhile, many of the most prominent Jewish organizations in the country — representing local federations, Hillel chapters, summer camps, community centers, day schools and nearly every religious denomination — had already joined a new green coalition organized by another Jewish environmental group and were preparing to unveil pledges to do more in the fight against climate change.

The unveiling of the climate pledges happened in March, under the leadership of Adamah, a nonprofit created through the merger of two stalwarts of Jewish environmentalism, Hazon and the Pearlstone Center.

“Climate and sustainability have not been on the list of priorities for the vast majority of Jewish organizations; this coalition and these climate action plans reflect a deep paradigm shift and culture change moving forward,” Adamah CEO Jakir Mandela said at the time.

Scientists say that decisions regarding carbon emissions made in the next few years will affect life on Earth for thousands of years to come. The most recent warning came in March, when leading global experts with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a new report, stating that “there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.”

The large Jewish populations living in the coastal United States are vulnerable to extreme storms, sea-level rise, severe heat and other weather disruptions — a situation dramatized in the recent Apple television series “Extrapolations,” in which a rabbi contends with rising sea waters infiltrating his Florida synagogue. Meanwhile, Israel is experiencing a slew of impacts from drought and floods to security threats tied to re-

The commitments made by members of Adamah’s Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition include sending youth leaders to global climate summits, reducing emissions of buildings and vehicles and lobbying the federal government to pass climate policies.

More than 300 congregations and nonprofits have joined. For Earth Day, Adamah announced a million-dollar fund offering interest-free loans and matching grants to Jewish groups for projects to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

The widespread interest in climate mobilization among Jewish groups comes after years in which the issue languished outside the mainstream.

This story was edited for length. Read more at www.om ahajewishpress.com.

12 | The Jewish Press | May 12, 2023 News LOCAL | NATIONAL | WORLD Senior Living Howard Kutler | 402.334.6559 | hkutler@jewishomaha.org Contact our advertising executive to promote your business in this very special edition. Publishing date | 06.30.23 Space reservation | 06.20.23
Dayenu CEO Jennie Rosenn holds up a banner after addressing the crowd at a rally urging New York State lawmakers to pass the Climate and Community Investment Act in New York, April 7, 2021. Credit: Gili Getz/Courtesy of Dayenu

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