May 19, 2023

The Jewish Press

Simply amazing, Annette

REGULARS

Spotlight 8

Voices 9

Synagogues 10

Life cycles 11

MAGGIE CONTI

RBJH

Director of Activities and

Volunteer Services

Annette Fettman has been a Resident of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home (RBJH) for eleven years, and at 97, she is not slowing down on her quest to learn and grow. Annette was recently honored in the University of Wisconsin Alumni magazine, stating Annette Sherman

Fettman ‘47 has been nicknamed the artist in residence of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home in Omaha, Nebraska. Fettman’s prolific body of work spans nearly eight decades and encompasses a variety of media, including terra cotta and bronze sculpture. Her work reflects her experiences as a cantor’s wife, as well as her husband’s experience surviving Auschwitz. Fettman has been featured in several shows and public art projects in the Omaha area (on Alumni Class See Annette Fettman page 2

Tribute to the Rescuers

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Jewish Press Editor

Join us for our Awards Night and Annual Meeting, Monday, June 5 from 6-8 p.m. We will gather in the Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater to celebrate our community, and many of our lay leaders. We will invite you to vote for the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s new board slate and discuss the state of our Federation.

Pre- and post-event receptions at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. are hosted by the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

“The Foundation is thrilled to be part of JFO’s Annual Meeting and Awards Night,” Executive Director of the JFO Foundation, Amy Shivvers, said. “In celebration of our 40th anniversary, the Foundation is hosting a pre and post reception, something new to this event. We will enjoy savory and sweet Kosher treats! Plus, you’ll want a good seat in the theater for our video debut, highlighting community voices and stories. The Foundation personally invites you and your family to attend this special event as we honor the amazing lay and professional leaders along with celebrating The Foundation’s 40 years of assuring Jewish tomorrows.”

The 2023 award recipients include Hannah and Natan Schwalb, our JFO Humanitarians of the Year, who will be featured in the May 26 edition of the Jewish Press; Geoff Silverstein, recipient of the Bruce Fellman Memorial Young Leadership Award; Ally See Annual Meeting page 3

SCOTT LITTKY Institute for Holocaust Education Executive Director

The 21st Annual Tribute to the Rescuers Essay Contest Awards Ceremony was held on Monday, May 1, in the Goldstein Community Engagement Venue at the Jewish Community Center.

The contest was inspired by Denmark’s actions to save Jews during the Holocaust.

Threatened by their Nazi occupiers, in 1943 the Danish people organized a national effort to send 7,200 Jews by fishing boats to neutral Sweden. This effort by the citizens of

Denmark resulted in the highest Jewish survival rate of 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 objective of the essay contest is for students to understand the importance of moral courage in connection to the Holocaust and how they can apply this to their own lives, communities, and even conflicts a world away. Each student can work to make a positive change in the world.

The contest is open to high See Tribute to the Rescuers page 2

Showtime at RBJH Page 5

The Rich Brothers Page 6

Spotlight: Photos of what’s happening in the community Page 8

Annette Fettman

21st Annual Tribute to the Rescuers Essay Contest – winners of the contest with the Trustees of the Carl Frohm Memorial Foundation: Harold Mann, Linda Mann, and Kathy McGauvran.

Continued from page 1 Notes, Spring 2023). Even before becoming a Resident of RBJH, she was no stranger to the Jewish Federation of Omaha campus. Her mother was a Resident of RBJH, as was her husband, Cantor Leo Fettman. As mentioned, Cantor was a Holocaust survivor, and Annette was always by his side as he spoke widely about his experiences during the Holocaust. They traveled to countless schools and churches as a team to educate and lecture about his first-hand experiences. They never lost the commitment to education despite all that Cantor endured. Cantor Leo Fettman wrote the book Shoah, Journey from the Ashes, in 1999 and passed away in April 2021 at 96. Annette continues to educate and honor her husband’s legacy through educational opportunities at the Institute for Holocaust Education.

Annette’s motto is to be active and engaged. She certainly doesn’t sit around feeling sorry for herself; even after losing her husband and daughter unexpectedly within months of each other, Annette keeps moving forward. She leads by example and inspires others to try new things – she never says no to learning. She recently painted a large painting for the RBJH auditorium, a larger version to offset the Resident art exhibit area of Opening Mind through Art program

that she participated in with the UNO Gerontology students. Before the pandemic, she participated in the water excise program and Tai Chi at the Jewish Community Center. She played Na’amah, Noah’s wife, in the intergenerational show Noah’s Ark, the Mini Musical with the Friedel Jewish Academy students. Since the Covid restrictions, she has participated online in Tai Chi and keeps up with her synagogue and the community with Zoom lectures. During the Covid lockdown, Annette participated with several pen pals’ volunteers from various places. One pen pal friend from Texas continues to correspond, forming a lasting friendship that they have shared so much; Annette

has received plenty of care packages from this new special friend. She is unafraid of technology as she stays connected to the community and family with her cell phone and iPad, even visiting with her daughter and her family in Israel. She is up for anything that will improve herself and encourages others to join in. She will bake special treats and share them with the staff and Residents. Annette advocates for other Residents as she gives constructive advice, sprinkled with plenty of compliments, on how the staff can improve. She is a patron of generosity and wants to make this world a better place by every fiber of her being. She is simply amazing.

Tribute to the Rescuers

Continued from page 1

school students in Nebraska and parts of Iowa. Top essayists can earn cash prizes. Students are asked to write about an individual or group that demonstrates moral courage: Essays must incorporate three concepts:

1. Include a clear definition of moral courage.

2. Choose two examples of moral courage: one from the Holocaust, the other from a different time and place.

3. Explain why this matters. What should we do now with this information?

During the awards ceremony, Harold Mann, nephew of Carl Frohm and a trustee of the Carl Frohm Memorial Foundation that provides the funding to make the contest possible, spoke about his beloved uncle and the importance of education in making sure that events such as the Holocaust do not happen again.

Next, Jane Nesbit, education coordinator, spoke about the winners in the ninth/tenth grade category and then the 11th/12th grade category. First-place winners then presented their essay to those in attendance. In the ninth/tenth grade category, Brendon Mason from Millard North High School spoke about Andre Trocme and John McCain. Kimberly Borgstahl of Omaha Central High School was the winner in the 11th/12th grade category. Her essay was on the moral courage shown by Anton Sukhinski and Joan Trumpeter Mulholland. The Institute for Holocaust Education is grateful for the continued support provided by the Carl Frohm Memorial Foundation and support of the Mann Family as trustees of the foundation. Without their generosity the contest would not be possible.

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 thought-provoking, informative list of speakers. To be placed on the email list, contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com

Upcoming IHE Third Thursday Lunch and Learn Series

SCOTT LITTKY Institute for Holocaust Education Executive Director

The Institute for Holocaust Education is pleased to announce the next three months of our Third Thursday Lunch and Learn Series speakers. The Third Thursday Lunch and Learn Series, presented by the Institute for Holocaust Education, is programming that seeks to educate, engage, and empower the community through discussion, presentations, and informative speakers about topics pertaining to the Holocaust. All Third Thursday presentations are offered via Zoom, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on their respective days.

On June 15 at 11:30 a.m., Łukasz W. Niparko, a Ph.D. cxandidate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a research fellow with the Nebraska Governance and Technology Center, will be our guest. He specializes in mixed-methods research, legal research, and analysis of civil society, democracy, digitalization, and Central/Eastern Europe. Łukasz is an alumnus of St. Lawrence University (SLU), the European University Viadrina (M.A./LL.M. in International Human Rights Law), and the United World College (UWC-USA). He has worked with various NGOs, including Humanity in Action (HIA), where he is currently a member of the Leadership Council, and Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH). Łukasz co-founded the Peace and Liberal Arts Education Center in China, the Anne Frank Project: Poznan in Poland, and the Global Dialogue Center at SLU.

He was the Pat Cox Fellow in the European Parliament and worked with the Delegation Chair to the Korean Peninsula. His interests revolve around the intersection of civil society and democracy, the legal prevention of discrimination, international affairs, and digitalization (Life 3.0).

His talk is titled, The Forgotten Jewish Atlantis: Poznan, Poland. Atlantis, a mythological city-state renowned for its prosperous development, history, and culture, is believed to have perished beneath the sea. Similarly, the vibrant history and culture of the Jewish community in Poznan, Western Poland, was submerged when Nazi occupiers transformed the city’s largest synagogue, the New Synagogue, into a swimming pool. Atlantis is almost all that remains of one of the most important European Jewish gminas (communes) of the sixteenth century, which was once home to renowned figures such as rabbis Akiva Eger and Judah Löw ben Bezalel, the traveler Gaspar da Gama, and is the birthplace of a philosopher of Zygmunt Bauman.

In his work, Łukasz delves into the rich and complex history of the Jewish community in Poznan, which spans over a millennium. Poznan is the capital of the second-largest region in Poland and the birthplace of Polish statehood. Despite the city’s culturally diverse urban landscape, the often uneasy coexistence of different ethnic groups and religions came to an end under totalitarian regimes. Totalitarian ideologies, geno-

cide, war, and modern-day nationalism and antisemitism have scattered Poznan’s cultural heritage.

The author does not shy away from exploring difficult questions, such as when relations between Jews and Christians resulted in persecution or pogroms. In addition, his research also explores the revitalized Jewish community in Poznan and ex-

amines the possibility of bringing Atlantis back to the surface. Poznan’s Jewish heritage and cultural legacy continue to inspire and captivate—serving as a powerful reminder of the importance of preserving cultural heritage and honoring the rich and diverse histories of our communities.

On July 20, at 11:30 a.m. by Zoom, we will have the opportunity to hear from Dr. Chad Gibbs, Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies, Director, Zucker/Goldberg Center for Holocaust Studies, Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program at the College of Charleston. His presentation is titled, To Live and To Tell: Resistance at Treblinka and its Legacies. Trapped behind barbed wire and under the control of vicious SS guards, Jews at the Nazi extermination camp Treblinka II managed to revolt on Aug. 2, 1943. As they fought their way out of the camp with stolen rifles, pistols and grenades, these men and women burned much of the camp and enabled the escape of around 300 prisoners—at least 70 survived the rest of the war. How did they manage such a feat? Once they had finally survived the regime and its murderous war, what were the lasting results of this uprising? These questions are at the core of his ongoing research that began as a master’s student the University of Nebraska. Dr. Gibbs, when asked to be a presenter said, “as a professor at the College of Charleston, it is an honor to join IHE to discuss what these amazing people accomplished and my work to bring those stories to light.”

On Aug. 17, at 11:30 a.m. by Zoom, we will hear from Scott Littky, Executive Director of the Institute for Holocaust Education. His presentation is titled, Reflections on My 2nd Trip to Poland. This July, Scott Littky will be visiting Auschwitz Birkenau again with Creighton Law School and their Nuremberg to the Hague program. Scott has had a year to process his first visit and will reflect upon what a second visit means to him. Further, Scott will also be visiting Warsaw this time and will be sharing what he saw and learned there.

For more information regarding Third Thursday programming at IHE, or to RSVP please reach out to Scott Littky, Executive Director of IHE, at slittky@ihene.org

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 avande

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.

kamp@jewishomaha.org or jpress@jewishomaha.org for more information.

Annual Meeting

Continued from page 1 Freeman, who receives the Lois Jeanne Schrager Memorial Young Leadership Award; Margie Utesch, recipient of the Jody and Neal Malashock Award for Professional Excellence; the Jewish Community Relations Council, who will receive the Jewish Federation of Omaha Community Service Award; Lauren Dolson and Alex Kugler, recipients of the Robert and Ellen Gordman Teen Leadership Award and, finally, the recipients of our Agency Volunteer of the Year Awards. Margie Gutnik and Norm Sheldon, recipients of the Phil & Terri Schrager Spirit of Federation Awards, will be honored at our Annual Campaign Community Event in October of this year.

There is no need to RSVP and attendance is free. We hope you will mark your calendars and help us celebrate! For more information about the Awards Night and Annual Meeting, please visit jewishomaha.org

Lukasz Niparko Dr. Chad Gibbs Scott Littky

The holiday of milk?

The holiday of Shavuot is known in the Torah as “the day of the first fruits” (Numbers 28.26). Linkage of the holiday with the giving of the Torah is an extrabiblical tradition, and so is the eating of dairy foods on the holiday. As was not the case with any other Jewish holiday, the elite secular kibbutzim followed the bible’s lead on Shavuot; the holiday featured (and still does on some kibbutzim) an annual parade of first fruits—widened to include human “fruits” (i.e., babies) as well as “fruits” of accomplishments during the course of the previous year.

Freedom Farm, the Israeli incarnation of an organization that cares for animals rescued from the food industry, would like to return the holiday to its biblical origins. Last year, Freedom Farm ran an ad campaign under the heading: “Shavuot is the First Fruits holiday,” the wording underneath read: “Stop consuming milk, and save thousands of cows and calves.” Advertisements on the backs of buses pictured cows being transported in cages (painted Egged bus-company green) with the message: “Rides in the morning to a deadly toll, Shavuot is not a holiday of milk at all.”

As part of Freedom Farm’s campaign, this message was also used at the beginning of a television advertisement. Sung as a kind of nursery rhyme, the advertisement opens with a child playing with a plastic toy tractor and wagon. A voiceover continues (to pictures of old dairy television advertisements): “For years and years, the dairy companies have invested tens of millions of shekels so that we would think that the Holiday of First Fruits is the holiday of milk. This year, we are not buying it any longer. We are going to stop consuming animal milk and we are going to stop separating tens of thousands of calves from their mothers” (this last, spoken to a disturbing video clip of a cow running and bellowing as a wagon loaded with

TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS

her calf pulls away from her).

As reported by the Haaretz newspaper last year, however, both the Public Broadcasting Corporation and the Second Authority for Television and Radio refused to run the Freedom Farm advertisement. Kan 11, the public television station, told Haaretz that the ad was “ideologically controversial” and that its “wording and content might have offended the sensibilities of parts of the Israeli public as well as good taste, among other things, by using a children’s song and the way it was used.” I believe that you don’t have to be particularly cynical to understand what happened: Precisely because the dairy companies are indeed major television advertisers, the Freedom Farm ad was rejected.

For me, the first thing to notice here is how in Israel the way a Jewish holiday is celebrated can lead to widespread discussion about a large social and environmental issue, such as the consumption of dairy. The second thing is that since making aliyah, because of the greater proximity of farming communities to cities in Israel, I have become more aware of just what it takes to get milk to my table. My son Ezra, who learned to milk cows from a young age, understands this very well. Though Ezra loves to milk cows, at a certain point he understood how much pain and suffering is daily visited upon milk cows. Ezra is not ready to become a vegan, but he reasoned that if his goal is to reduce animal suffering, then the elimination of dairy from his diet will accomplish more than the elimination of meat. I believe that he is correct. Something to think about this Shavuot in anticipation of the holiday’s signature food. Cashew-cheesecake anyone?

A link to the short Freedom Farm advertisement: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvu43xP71Vc

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

Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Readers can also submit announcements -- births, b’nai mitzvahs, engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at www.omahajew ishpress.com/site/forms/ . Deadlines are normally nine days prior to publication, on Wednesdays, 9 a.m. Please check the Jewish Press, for notices of early deadlines.

TEDDY WEINBERGER

November Community Trip to Israel

JAY KATELMAN

JFO Director of Community Development

We invite anyone interested to attend a free informational session on June 1 at 6 p.m. in the Benjamin & Anna E. Wiesman Family Reception Room. Omaha Jewish Community members are invited on a oneof-a-kind trip to Israel from Nov. 2 -12. Cochairs for the trip are Mike & Andrea Siegel and Kevin & Linda Saltzman. Registration is now open at a special rate, and current donors to the annual campaign receive an early bird price of $3,705 per person, double occupancy, if registered by June 15 ($3,900 afterwards).

Flights must be purchased separately, and the Jewish Federation of Omaha will help identify flight options and help to arrange transfers to the hotel where everyone will meet on Nov. 2

JFO CEO, Bob Goldberg and Director of Community Development Jay Katelman will be on hand to answer any questions and to talk more about the trip. For more information about this session, please contact Jay Katelman at 402.334.6461 or jkatelman@ jewishomaha.org. If you’re ready to register, you can do so today at the following link: igfn.us/form/ouXILg

Now that all the particulars are out of the way, let’s talk about the trip. This is the 75/25 Trip of the Century! We will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Israel and 25 years of our Partnership2Gether with the Western Galilee and Akko. We start the trip in Jerusalem and enjoy tours, markets, museums, and the Kotel (Western Wall). Then we will travel

north to Safed and the Western Galilee. During our time in the north, we will attend a gala to celebrate Partnership2Gether with our friends from the US, Israel, and Budapest.

“For 25 years,” Bob Goldberg said, “Partnership has been the way we activate our Israel & Overseas dollars and our role in Jewish peoplehood. Partnership makes the experience personal. Building friendships is what Partnership does best. For two days, we will be with other Partnership communities, and we’ll see Partnership at its fullest.”

After we spend time in the north, we will head to Tel Aviv where we will see many of the wonderful things this bustling city has to offer. We will be in the capable hands of our tour guide, Shachar, enjoy many meals, guided tours, and stay in excellent hotels. Phil Malcolm, Chief Operations Officer of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, was recently in Israel with Shachar:

“Our trip to Israel was transformative to our understanding of the history and current dynamics of the country,” he said. “Shachar was a huge part of that! He was incredibly knowledgeable, gracious, and fun to be around. Working with him was like having a good friend introduce you to their neighborhood.”

Thanks to our partners at Amiel Tours for arranging this wonderful ten-day experience. This trip is sure to broaden your perspective of Israel while being fun, casual, and exciting. Whether you’ve been to Israel many times, or this is your first time traveling there, you do not want to miss out on this trip!

Showtime at RBJH

MAGGIE CONTI

RBJH Director of Activities and Volunteer Services

RBJH had two one-woman shows recently with Cherrie Beam-Callaway: Promise in a New Land about the struggles of being a Nebraska pioneer through the Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Humanities Nebraska (HN) provides significant funding for this program. HN

receives support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Nebraska State Legislature, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and private donations.

The second program was Pippa White: Women Who Changed the World. Pippa White’s One’s Company Productions have taken her to over 30 states and many different venues, performing for a wide variety of audiences. Both programs were captivating performances.

Cherrie Beam-Callaway

Pippa White

The Rich Brothers

GABBY BLAIR Jewish Press Staff Writer

Seventeen year old twins, Alex and Zachary Rich, have been skating since they learned to walk. At age 4, the brothers joined their first hockey team. Today they have dreams of continuing their sport at the collegiate level and have been busy putting in the work to make those dreams a reality.

While most high school athletes receive attention from college sports programs through official high school competition, the path to playing hockey in college can be much different.

For starters, hockey is not sanctioned by the Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA). Not being an official high school sport reduces the chance for aspiring collegiate hockey players to gain high level competition or exposure.

It is estimated that only 25% of high schools nationwide -mostly those in the north and northeast-have sanctioned teams. The reason behind this is primarily a function of space and cost; to build and maintain an ice rink is something out of the budget of most schools. In many states, including Nebraska, hockey at the high school level remains club league. Although many teams bear the names of local high schools, they are comprised of students from various schools around the area.

Secondly, while most college-bound student athletes hope to get a scholarship and continue their educations and sports careers immediately after high school, collegiate hockey programs want athletes to have 2-4 years of experience playing at the Juniors Level before

Save the date:

Sunday Fundays

The Jewish Federation of Omaha invites you to have some fun! The JFO is bringing ‘Sunday Fundays’ to the Kooper Fellman Staenberg Campus. Join us for our third and last event, fun for kids and for the kid in you, and everyone is welcome.

Sunday Fundays are chaired by Rachel and Daniel Grossman.

June 18, from 3-5 p.m., we will have a Father’s Day Cornhole tournament at the Staenberg Omaha JCC soccer fields. Cornhole is popular in North America. Players or teams take turns throwing fabric bean bags at a raised, angled board with a hole in its far end. The goal of the game is to score points by either landing a bag on the board (one point) or putting a bag through the hole (three points). Fatherhood is not required!

Just bring your ability to have fun while tossing a bean bag. All events are free to attend. To register, visit https:// fundraise.givesmart.com/form/8aDwSw?vid=xb7v

IN THE NEWS

The Old Avoca Schoolhouse in Avoca, Nebraska, will be streaming three online “French Fiddle Tunes Workshops” for soprano recorder players, alto recorder players, fiddlers, violists, cellists, bassists, and mandolinists.

The Workshops will be Tuesday, July 11, 7 p.m., Central Daylight Time, Wednesday, July 12, 10 a.m., Central Daylight Time, and Friday, July 14, 7 p.m., Central Daylight Time. Different tunes will be played at each session.

During these workshops, we will play and discuss traditional French bourees, mazurkas, as well as a branle, a farandole, a galop, a schottische, and a tarantella.

We will read, play, and discuss various survival skills for these kinds of pieces. A treble clef version of the sheet music for the tunes being played will be displayed on the screen during the workshop.

they even consider offering a scholarship. In light of this fact, hockey is the only NCAA sport in which the eligibility clock doesn’t start running until an athlete reaches age 21 or 3 years post high school graduation.

See The Rich Brothers page 7

Just as in all of the collections in the Tunes for Two series these books contain the same tunes in the same keys making it easy for you to play with a friend playing another instrument. There is limited enrollment, and pre-registration is required. The cost for each workshop is $10. The cost of each optional book is $15 (includes shipping if ordered with workshop registration).

For more information, and to register: https://greenblatt andseay.com/workshops_french.shtml

Alexander, left, and Zachary Rich

The Rich Brothers

Continued from page 6

Alex and Zach spent years playing competitively at the club level in Fremont during the season and took part in showcases year round. After their youth career ended, their goal was to play for the Omaha Junior Lancers, then Covid hit. They made an Omaha Jr. Lancers reserve team and also played for the Millard North Club team.

“The onset of Covid came at a pivotal time for our family,” explained parents Jonathan and Sheila. “School, other activities and sports the boys normally participated in, summer at Camp Ramah... everything closed down and no one knew when -or if- things would ever return to normal. The one constant through it all was hockey, which continued. This narrowed focus on the sport furthered the desire of the boys to play it at the next level.”

The family utilized services offered by the NCSA (Next College Student Athlete) to promote the boys in the hopes of eventually catching the eye of college recruiters. As they finished their freshman year, full of uncertainties due to lingering pandemic restrictions, their film caught the eye of an AAA Academy Program in New Hampshire.

“Now we had a big decision to make,” explain Jonathan and Sheila. “It was a big step to let our boys live away from home as sophmores in high school. Sure, they were pretty responsible and independent. They had spent months away from home at summer camp over the years, but committing to living in a different state with a host family for the better part of a year was at times overwhelming. They were presented with a unique opportunity to get onto the pathway to college hockey. The boys were excited and wanted to go all in on it, so after a lot of research and vetting of teams and leadership we made the decision to do it. We figured the worst that could happen was they wouldn’t like it and come home, which was better than regretting not trying it at all.”

As friends prepared to enter their sophomore year of high school in Omaha, the Rich brothers moved to New Hampshire as rostered members of the New England Wolves. “We worked out their educational plans which consist of online classes through University of Nebraska Homeschool and Acellus Academy. We connected with a billet (host) family, and traveled east for as many games as we could. Obviously, we couldn’t make it to all their games but they were always live streamed on HockeyTV, for which we were thankful,” explains Sheila.

The boys returned to Omaha for the summer at the conclusion of their sophomore year and were recruited to a United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) Elite team, the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, for their junior

year. A Tier three Juniors program, the Carolina Jr. Canes practice and train at one of the premier hockey facilities in the Southeast, The Invisalign Arena on the Wake Competition Center Campus, just like their namesake NHL team, the Carolina Hurricanes.

They practice on and off the ice, spending hours conditioning each week in preparation for the season. The hard work of the boys and their teammates was evident this year when they won the 2023 USPHL National Championship, held in Utica, NY, in a tightly contested game, beating the Wilkes Barre Scranton Knights 3-2 in the second overtime! It was the first time the Jr. Canes won their division, nationals and they now hold the team record for most games won in a season.

“While their first year went well with the Wolves, the move to North Carolina was phenomenal for their development,” says Jonathan.

“We had a solid team with a great vibe,” the boys explained. “The training facilities were amazing and our billet family really went above and beyond. We played U20 this past year, on a team comprised of 17-20 year olds and are really looking forward to returning to our team again for our senior year.” Both boys anticipate playing a full four years of Juniors level hockey which will only serve to help them eventually earn a spot on a college roster.

Now home for the summer, the boys are enjoying time with family and friends. They are keeping themselves busy with summer jobs to help offset the costs of their training and plan to be counselors at Kamp Kef and attend USY Spring Kallah. Being self-paced in their studies also allows them to work ahead in their classes. They appreciate the flexibility remote learning offers and both hope to complete high school ahead of schedule. When asked their long term plans beyond college, Alex shared that he plans to become a pilot while Zach is considering construction management.

They continue, “We are so grateful to have this opportunity and to our parents for allowing us to do it. It is really cool to experience different parts of the country. We have met some really great people and play with kids from around the US, Canada, Europe and Russia. We are making connections and enjoying every minute. Hopefully this will help us earn the chance to play in college.”

Omaha Community Playhouse to present Respect

Respect... is the acknowledgment of various influential female recording artists for their valuable contributions to the music industry. Respect is a journey that spans the 1960-1980s music era honoring some of the most iconic women of our time, Tina Turner, Carole King, The Supremes and more. Travel deeper into their stories and learn how their dedication and sacri-

fice paved the way for many who followed in their footsteps and will continue to empower them for many years.

The production runs at OCP on the Hawks Mainstage from June 9–25, 2023. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the OCP Box office at 6915 Cass St., calling the OCP Box Office at 402.553.0800, or visiting omahaplayhouse.com

Rich Family: Zachary, left, Jonathan, Sheila and Alexander

Family Shabbat with the Pennie Z. Davis Early Learning Center! Top: Joan and Charles Shapiro with granddaughter Naomi; above: Jennie GatesBeckman and Walter; below: Sandy, Amy, Dusty, Candace and Asher Friedman; below: Jay Katelman with daughter Vivian; and bottom: Phil Malcom with his and wife Laura’s daughters Amelia and Lily.

Above:

Residents had a marvelous time enjoying the beautiful spring weather at the

Right: As soon as the bike came out of storage for the season, Bob Goldberg tested it out. We’re happy to report it still works.

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

Above and right: Finally: the masks came off at the RBJH.

RBJH

Lauritzen Gardens.

Above and below: Students from Friedel Jewish Academy helped set up their own art show in the JCC Eisenberg Gallery. If you haven’t had a chance to visit the Gallery since the remodel, please come and check it out!

Voices

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Margie Gutnik

President

Annette van de Kamp-Wright

Editor Richard Busse

Creative Director

Howard Kutler

Advertising Executive

Lori Kooper-Schwarz

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Gabby Blair

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Sam Kricsfeld

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Mary Bachteler

Accounting

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Margie Gutnik, President; Abigail Kutler, Ex-Officio; Seth Feldman; David Finkelstein; Ally Freeman; Mary Sue Grossman; Natasha Kraft; Chuck Lucoff; David Phillips; and Joseph Pinson.

The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the JFO are: Institute for Holocaust Education, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Social Services and the Jewish Press Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www.jewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

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

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Groundhog Day

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

Jewish Press Editor

Another day in America, another mass shooting. “The suspect in the shooting [May 6] at a mall in Texas appears to have posted antisemitic, antiLGBTQ and misogynist messages to a social media account,” Ben Sales reported for the JTA.

There is nothing new—except for the victims’ families, and the families of the alleged perpetrator, who are left wondering what went so wrong. Our response, generally, is defeatist and tired. No matter how many journalists and editors hit the keyboard, what is there left to say?

I know one thing: it’s not about the Jews, the gays, the women. It’s not about whomever the alleged shooter hated, or feared, or objectified. Those are just excuses for a much deeper problem.

It’s funny, though; whenever we see a situation like this, where the authorities discover a manifesto after the fact, it’s like we’re checking the boxes. If one hates immigrants, trans people, gays, Jews, you name it, shooting up a mall or an elementary school almost seems like a logical escalation.

I think we have forgotten it is not. Spouting antisemitic, racist, or any other type of hatred online does not logically need to escalate into coldblooded murder. Those manifestos and social media posts do not mean inevitability. And yet, how many times do we look at stories like these, people like these, and tell ourselves: ‘We could have seen that coming.’

When we accept that faulty conclusion, we also lie to ourselves about being able to avoid this in the

DR. MIJAL BITTON AND DR. MASUA SAGIV JTA

Last month marked Yom Haatzmaut, Israel’s 75th birthday, the day on the Hebrew calendar when David Ben-Gurion proclaimed “the natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their own fate” by establishing a Jewish state in the land of Israel. Together with countless Jews around the world, we expressed our gratitude to be alive at this moment in history when the Jewish people have sovereignty and a nation to call their own.

But on this anniversary, Yom Haatzmaut’s special prayers and afternoon barbecues failed to capture the fraught feelings many of us are experiencing. Jews across the globe in all our different peculiarities and particularities are reeling.

The past few months of terrible turmoil in Israel surrounding the judicial overhaul proposal have shown us how fragile our Jewish state is. While Israel’s history is replete with instances when external forces threatened its people, this moment is unique in revealing internal threats to its democracy and social cohesion. We have seen toxic hatred rising among Israeli Jews, with fears of a civil war at an all-time high.

How are we supposed to celebrate Israel on its 75th birthday? The answer to this question lies at the heart of Jewish history and reveals that now is the moment for a new Zionist revolution led by both Israeli and Diaspora Jews.

Zionism was never just about establishing a Jewish state. It was about defying Jewish history. In 1948, when Ben-Gurion and his fellow Zionist leaders declared Israeli independence, it was nothing less than a radical assault on diasporic Jewish history. It defied the thousands of years of Jews being a minority in other countries, subject to the whims and caprice of other rulers. It defied the image of the weak and defenseless Jew.

For two millennia, Jewish existence was one of vulnerability and victimhood — most often either hiding who we are or suffering for it. The Zionism of 1948 defied diasporic Jewish history by giving Jews power, self-determination and sovereignty to respond to external threats and establish a Jewish state.

Understandably, most of the work of early Zion-

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.

future. We attempt to find behavioral patterns behind the news, we try to find logic and believe that if we simply understand the how and the why, we can stop all of it.

The alleged shooter’s “posts repeated antisemitic conspiracies, using an abbreviation for the ‘Zionist occupied government’ and claiming that Jews have ‘engineered society so that men cannot mate with a woman.’” (JTA) Yes, and they think we have alien DNA and are part lizard. We also rule Hollywood and ALL the banks, and poison the wells. Etcetera, etcetera. Hate is not logical; it’s fantastical and superlative and sometimes downright idiotic. If we try to explain it and try to rationalize, we will find patterns that aren’t there. However, while having right-wing extremist sympathies should not automatically lead to shooting up a public space (some neo-Nazis lead utterly mundane lives), it is true that of those who go through and commit these types of acts, a high percentage shares antisemitic beliefs, whether on social media or to their friends and family. People with a lot of hate don’t automatically grab an assault rifle, but people who grab an assault rifle have a lot of hate.

“The mall shooting, in which the gunman was killed by police, comes a week after another mass shooting in Cleveland, Texas. It also comes roughly a year after another white supremacist shooter killed ten people at a mall in Buffalo and, 10 days later, a gunman killed 21 people in an elementary

ism was focused on mere survival establishing a state, providing safe refuge to the millions of Jews fleeing inhospitable lands and contending with enemy countries sworn to destroy the new nation. It succeeded beyond any of the wildest imaginations of its founders. The first 75 years of Israel, in which it has become a powerful and thriving state, are a testament to the success of Zionism in defying diasporic Jewish history.

But the next 75 years of Zionism present and impose on us a different task: To be Zionists today means we must defy a different chapter of Jewish history, one that might be called sovereign Jewish history.

Historians and educators have pointed out a critically important pattern in the history of Jewish self-rule. There are two pre-modern eras in which the Jewish nation enjoyed sovereignty in the land of Israel: at the end of the 11th century BCE with the Davidic Kingdom and the first Temple in Jerusalem, and in 140 BCE when the Hasmonean dynasty reestablished Jewish independence in Judea. But as each approached their 75th year of existence, each started to disintegrate because of internal strife and infighting. The Davidic reign over a united Israel effectively ended when it was split into the two competing kingdoms of Judea and Israel. The Hasmonean kingdom began to fall apart due to infighting between the sons of Alexander and Shlomtzion, the rulers of Judea in the first century BCE.

Sovereign Jewish history tells us that at around the 75th year, experiments in Jewish self-determination faced the most dangerous threat of all: selfdestruction.

On its 75th birthday, Israel and its supporters face the internal tensions of sovereignty: What does it mean for Israel to be both a Jewish and democratic state and a home to all its citizens? How can Israel be both at home in the Middle East while modeled on Western democracies? How should its leaders balance majority Jewish culture with minority rights?

The concerns of the old Zionism certainly still exist: how to pursue peace even as Jewish vulnerability and safety continue to be threatened. But they take on a new character in this day and age,

school in Uvalde, Texas.”

So how do we respond? Do we go after the gun lobby? Do we try to argue our case (we are not

aliens, we don’t own all the banks, really), do we continue to educate as many people as possible?

Do we pretend it’s not our problem (the vast majority of shooting victims are pretty random), do we remind ourselves that it doesn’t affect all of us? What do we do, when yet another alleged shooter dies while committing his crime, cutting off any possible answers?

I don’t mean to go so dark—but it puzzles me. And it keeps happening. Like this endless loop, a Groundhog Day, but without second chances. Every morning when I open the news apps on my phone, I brace myself for another school, or another mall. I wonder how many victims there will be this time, and whether we will ever hit a tipping point. What if we don’t?

forcing us to ask how we can manage and embrace conflicting visions of Jewishness and Israeliness while nurturing social solidarity and cooperation across deep and painful divides.

This Yom Haatzmaut comes at a moment of rupture. But the current crisis in Israel represents an opportunity – a moment for our generation to ensure this rupture defies the pattern of sovereign Jewish history. The generations before us proved that we can rewrite diasporic history, turning a tale of vulnerability and weakness into one of strength

and power. Our generation and those that follow must likewise defy sovereign Jewish history and prove that we can protect our Jewish state from the internal threats it faces. Our generation’s task is to overcome our divisions and not let fraternal hatred destroy our shared home.

On this 75th birthday, then, let us learn from our past and look forward toward a new future. Let us continue to celebrate the incredible success by writing a new chapter in the magnificent story of Israel and Zionism.

Dr. Mijal Bitton is the Rosh Kehillah of the Downtown Minyan, scholar in residence at the Shalom Hartman Institute and a sociologist of American Jews.

Dr. Masua Sagiv is the Koret Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish Law and Israel Studies at UC Berkeley School of Law, scholar in residence for the Shalom Hartman Institute and a scholar of Israeli law and society.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

The site of the shooting on May 6, 2023. Credit: Screenshot

Multiple efforts in Jewish sovereignty have self-destructed after 75 years.

In this handout from the GPO, David Ben Gurion, who was to become Israel's first prime minister, reads the Declaration of Independence May 14, 1948, at the museum in Tel Aviv, during the ceremony founding the State of Israel. Credit: Zoltan Kluger/GPO via Getty Images

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, Ann 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: 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: 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.

SUNDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Last Day of BESTT Sundae Bar, 11:30 a.m.; Annual Cantor’s Concert with Rick Recht, 4 p.m.

THURSDAY: Tikkun Leil Shavuot: Service, 6 p.m. and Program, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY-May 26: Beth El Office Closed; Shavuot Day One Morning Service, 10 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY-May 27: Shavuot Day Two Shabbat Morning Services and Yizkor will be said, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Havdalah, 9:30 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, 8:22 p.m.

SATURDAY: 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.

SUNDAY: Shacharit 9 a.m.; Yom Yerushalaym 6 p.m.; Daf Yomi 7:50 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv 8:30 p.m.

MONDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Beth Israel Annual Meeting, 7 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Character Development, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Candlelighting, 8:27 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.; Parsha Class 8:50 p.m.; Shavuot Dinner 9 p.m.

FRIDAY-May 26: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:28 p.m.

SATURDAY-May 27: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Kids Class, 7:20 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv 8:20 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 8:50 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:37 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, 8:21 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 9:29 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.; Light Holiday Candles, 8:27 p.m.

FRIDAY-May 26: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Shavuot on the Lawn, 10 a.m. at Chabad; Candlelighting, 8:28 p.m.

SATURDAY-May 27: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 9:36 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 43; Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex and music by Leslie Delserone and Peter Mullin, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Oneg host: TBD; Shabbat Candlelighting, 8:23 p.m.

SATURDAY: Omer Day 44; Shabbat Morning Serv-

US ambassador to Israel Tom Nides resigns

RON KAMPEAS

JTA

Tom Nides, the gregarious U.S. ambassador to Israel, is resigning this summer, at a time of unresolved tensions in the U.S.-Israel relationship he strove to uphold.

An administration official confirmed to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Nides would be gone by this summer. The report first appeared in Axios, which quoted Secretary of State Antony Blinken as saying that Nides wanted to spend more time with his family.

“Tom has worked with characteristic energy and skill to further strengthen the special bond between the United States and Israel, and to advance U.S. diplomatic, economic, and security interests,” Blinken told the online political news site. “We will all miss having him represent us in Israel, but I know he is looking forward to some well-deserved time with his family.”

Nides, a former executive at Morgan Stanley who was a senior State Department official in the Obama administration and who had deep Democratic Party ties, brought an easygoing sensibility to the role, especially to ties between Israel and the U.S. Jewish community.

Nides’ efforts to advance an impression of a con-

flict-free relationship were undercut by tensions stoked after the election last year of the most farright government in Israel’s history, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

ice 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Bamidbar; Havdalah, 9:30 p.m.

SUNDAY: Omer Day 45; Temple Gardening, 8:3010 a.m. Contact Ellin Siegel at ellin.siegel@gmail. com if you have any questions; Last Day of LJCS Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Men’s Bike/Coffee Group meet, 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; Pickleball, 3-5 p.m. at TI.

MONDAY: Omer Day 46

TUESDAY: Omer Day 47

WEDNESDAY: Omer Day 48

THURSDAY: Omer Day 49; Shavuot Candlelighting, 8:28 p.m.

FRIDAY-May 26: Shavuot Day One; Evey Friedman Bat Mitzvah and Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex and Evey Friedman and music by the Star City Kochavim, 7:30 p.m. at SST; Oneg host: The Friedman Familly; Shabbat Candlelighting, 8:29 p.m.

SATURDAY-May 27: Shavuot Day Two; Evey Friedman Bat Mitzvah and Shabbat Morning Service 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex and Evey Friedman at TI; Kiddush Lunch is sponsored by the Friedman Family; No Torah Study; Havdalah 9:37 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.

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

TUESDAY: Holy Smokes, 7 p.m. In-Person.

WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m. In-Person

THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Class, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel via Zoom; A Festival Service, 6:30 p.m. at Beth El; Tikkun Leil Shavuot, 7 p.m. at Beth El.

FRIDAY-May 26: Shavuot Service and Yizkor, 10:30 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 5:45 p.m.; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shavuot Community Celebration, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY-May 27: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom.

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

immediately poured cold water on that prediction.

“No,” Biden said when asked about a potential invitation to Netanyahu, although Israeli prime ministers routinely visit Washington within months of their election. “Not in the near term.”

In addition to concerns about Netanyahu’s commitment to democracy, the Biden administration is also chafing at the makeup of Israel’s coalition, which includes ministers with a record of antiPalestinian activism, and at proposals to advance settlement in the West Bank.

Nides endeavored to keep his public communications positive. A native of the tiny Jewish community in Duluth, Minnesota, he routinely posted short videos and photos of his meetings with U.S. Jewish delegations on his Twitter feed.

“No way I could pass up the chance yesterday to hang out with some fellow ‘frozen chosen’ from Minnesota,” read a typical tweet last month. “It was great to connect with the Minneapolis Jewish Federation on their visit to Israel, love you guys!”

The ambassador was at the center of one expression of the tensions when he said in March that he expected President Joe Biden to invite Netanyahu to the White House sometime after Passover. Biden, who sees Netanyahu’s planned weakening of Israel’s judiciary as a threat to Israel’s democracy,

He also strove to remain above the political fray, posting friendly encounters with his Trump administration predecessor, David Friedman, on social media. The two ambassadors joined last month to lead the annual March of the Living at Auschwitz, commemorating the Holocaust.

Tom Nides speaks at the Concordia Summit in New York City, Oct. 2, 2015. Credit: Getty Images

Life cycles

MARGARITA LIBOV

Margarita Libov passed away on April 25, 2023. Services were held on April 27, 2023, at Beth El Cemetery.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Mariasya Shusterman; father, Moishe Kulik; and brother, Felix Kulik.

She is survived by husband of 57 years, Mark Libov; son and daughter-in-law, Dmitriy and Marina Libov; daughter and sonin-law, Inessa and Vadim Pesetsky; grandchildren: Jeffrey, Jennifer, James, Julianna, and Josephine.

STEPHANIE LINCOLN

Stephanie Lincoln of San Francisco, California, passed away on May 8, 2023, surrounded in love by Roger and her extraordinary friends. A private service will be held in San Francisco.

She was preceded in death by her father, Sheldon Lincoln; brother, Brian Scott Lincoln; and step-father, Phil Patterson.

She is survived by her mother, Helga Lenk Patterson; brothers, Doug Lincoln and Craig Lincoln (Chris); partner, her beloved Roger; step-brother Craig Patterson (Kristi); step-sister, Camille Cadman (Matt); step-brother, Clay Patterson; step-niece and stepnephews: Nick, Samantha and Jack Patterson and Colby Cadman.

JUDITH KAY STERN

Judith Kay Stern passed away on May 1, 2023, in Omaha, NE. Services were held on May 3, 2023, Beth El Cemetery and were officiated by Rabbi Steven Abraham.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Stern; mother and father, Helen and Clifford Putzier; mother-in-law and father-in law, Lillian Schrager and Harold Stern; sister and brotherin-law, Barbara and Dave Hathaway; brother-in-law, Jeff Stern; and nephews, Matthew Putzier, Brady Putzier and Kevin Hathaway. She is survived by son and daughter-in-law, David and Sunny Stern; daughter and son-in-law, Jeanne and John Katelman; grandchildren: Daniel and Sara Raznick, Mitchell Raznick, and My Linh Stern; step-grandchildren: Josh Katelman, and Jay and Katrina Katelman; great-grandchildren: Cooper and Lila Raznick; step-great-grandchildren: Vivian and Parker Katelman; brothers and sisters-in-law, Bill and Barbara Putzier, and Chuck and Cheryl Putzier; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Cheryl and Ray Stern; sister-in-law, Lolly Stern; and many nieces and nephews.

Judith was a beloved daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, student, teacher, scholar, physician, and friend. She was beautiful, warm, caring, understanding, tolerant,

brilliant, loving, dignified, even stoic, and perhaps most of all, completely dedicated to each and every role in her life. As a young wife and mother, she delayed her college career until her own children were in school, after which she graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, while still acting as full time homemaker, wife and mother. After graduation, she immediately embarked on an eight year career as a High School English teacher and sometime Dance Team coach. (her Richfield, MN, Dance Team won the state championship).Once both David and Jeanne were off to college, Judy then changed gears, and entered Medical School at The University of Nebraska at the age of 38, where she again graduated with honors. After finishing her Residency, she continued on as an Internist for IMA at Clarkson Hospital, where she emerged as a Physician leader. A decade into her career, she was elected President of the medical staff. She was a dedicated physician, but when her husband, Richard fell ill at age 59, she retired from medicine to take care of him. The decade-plus battle could best be characterized as a raging storm, with a few interludes of calm. Judy was completely invested in Richard's recovery and survival, and she naturally fulfilled many roles in the process. By the time of her beloved husband's passing in 2011, the early stages of uncharacteristic forgetfulness had started to appear, but she kept up a brave face and a positive attitude, even after the diagnosis of Alzheimer's had been announced. Even as Judy was robbed of her physical abilities, and even as her remarkable intellect faded over the following 12 years, she remained pleasant, kind, warm, loving, and generous in spirit. She never lost her sense of humor up to the very end. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her, and there were many.

Memorials may be made to Habitat for Humanity or Alzheimer's Association.

BIRTH

ALANA KURLAND COHEN

Shayna Kurland and Ben Cohen of Tustin, CA, announce the April 13, 2023, birth of their daughter, Alana Kurland Cohen. She is named for her Zayda, Allen Kurland. She has a sister, Talia Kurland Cohen. Grandparents are Sandra and the late Allen Kurland of Council Bluffs, and Fran and Harvey Cohen of Denver, CO.

Great-grandmother is Josephine Berg Simes of St. Paul, MN.

Nebraska Jewish American Heritage Month

During May 2023, hundreds of organizations and Americans of all backgrounds joined together to discover, explore, and celebrate the vibrant and varied American Jewish experience from the dawn of our nation to the present day. Nebraska’s Jewish Community Relations Council worked with Sen. John Fredrickson to recognize May 2023 as Jewish American Her-

Ceasefire ends Israel-Gaza conflict after five days

BEN SALES JTA

Fighting between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza ended after five days, as a ceasefire took effect and appeared to hold late May 13.

Over the course of the fighting, 33 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, including civilians and combatants. Two civilians were killed in Israel — a woman in the central Israeli city of Rehovot and a Gaza resident who was working in a town on the Israeli side of the border.

Islamic Jihad shot more than 1,000 rockets at Israel during the conflict; many that were aimed at populated areas were intercepted by Israel’s missile defense systems, and some fell short in Gaza. Israel conducted hundreds of airstrikes in Gaza, killing six Islamic Jihad leaders. Unlike previous rounds of conflict between Israel and militants in Gaza, Hamas, the group that controls the coastal strip and is likewise designated as a terror group by the United States and EU, appeared to remain on the sidelines.

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