Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
Friedel Graduation
June 5, 2015 18 Sivan 5775 Vol. 95 | No. 38
This Week
A night of fond farewells
Free summer concert at the JCC by SUSAN ROTHHOLZ The Jewish Community Center Theater will be bursting with music when popular Omaha vocalist and cabaret singer Mary Carrick performs with her combo, The Mary Carrick Collective on Sunday, June 14. The 7 p.m. summer concert is FREE and open to the public. Refreshments will be served in the lobby following the performance.
Beauty and the Beast Jr. at the JCC Page 5
Father’s Day and Austro-Hungarian food Page 7
Inside Next Month Senior Living See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press
by CLAUDIA SHERMAN for Friedel Jewish Academy It was a night of heartfelt good-byes at Friedel Jewish Academy’s graduation ceremony on May 21 in the Jewish Community Center Theater. Farewells were offered to the nine 2015 graduates, the former head of school who stepped up to lead Friedel
this past year, and a teacher retiring after two decades at the Omaha Jewish Community Day School. Beth Cohen, the new head of school, and Ron Giller, the interim head of school over the past year, welcomed the student body into the theater. The children paraded into the room in single file to the stage
where they sang the Star Spangled Banner, Hatikvah, and a song about counting the Omer as it was three days before Shavuot, prior to taking seats in the audience. Band and string ensemble students meanwhile took their seats on stage to play You Raise Me Up, directed by Continued on page 2
A celebration of Rabbi Ari
Houston floods inundate Jewish community Page 12
Point of view Synagogues In memoriam
Back row, from left: Gavin Smith, David Kay. Almog Zinman, Danny Denenberg and Matan Shapiro. Front: Becca Denenberg, Abby Kohll, Leora McNamara and Rachel Kricsfeld.
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by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Publicity Chairman Rabbi Ari Dembitzer will be officially welcomed to Beth Israel Synagogue and the Omaha Jewish community during a celebration event on Sunday, June 14 beginning at 6 p.m. at Beth Israel. Rabbi Ari, after serving as the synagogue High Holiday chazzan for the past 13 years, assumed the senior rabbinic position in March of this year. The celebration event will feature a special individual in Rabbi Ari’s life, Luke Weber, a camper from Camp Simcha. Camp Simcha, a program of Chai Lifeline, is for children with cancer and chronic illnesses. Rabbi Ari is the camp’s head boys’ counselor. In a recent article on Camp Simcha in Tablet magazine, Rabbi Ari summed up why the camp is so important to the kids who attend. “A lot of our campers are regularly told what they
Rabbi Ari Dembitzer can’t do,” he told me, “but camp says, here’s a lot of things you can do.” Luke, who celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in the fall and which Rabbi Ari attended, is a teen dynamo who was described in his Bar Mitzvah video as “a super hero” and “the Hulk in the inspirational realm.” He and Rabbi Ari became fast friends when he first attended Camp Simcha over eight years ago. “I can’t wait for everyone to meet Luke,” said Rabbi Ari. “He has an amazing heart and an incredible zest for life. He will make you smile and laugh and will infuse everyone who hears him with an appreciation for
each and every day.” (For a sense of this wonderful young man, check out the Luke Weber Bar-Mitzvah Montage on youtube.com.) Throughout the evening, musical entertainment will be provided by Beth Israel youth. The event committee, chaired by Rachel Shyken and Bonnie Bloch, includes Bette Kozlen, Debbie Kricsfeld, Ann Moskovits and Helene Shrago. “Rabbi Ari puts a smile on the face of everyone he meets,” commented Rachel Shyken. “We hope the community will join us for this special evening to help give him an evening of smiles in return.” The dinner cost is $18 for adults and $12 for students in 4th-6th grades. For reservations, please contact the synagogue office at 402.554.6288 by June 5. The mission of Beth Israel Synagogue is to perpetuate the legacy of Torah Judaism in the modern world and provide a home for those who wish to learn about and observe halacha, Jewish law. Beth Israel Synagogue welcomes all persons of the Jewish faith to join, and accepts the diversity of practice and thought among its members. Beth Israel offers a variety of religious, cultural and social programs throughout the year. For more information, please contact Beth Israel Synagogue’s office at 402.556.6288, or e-mail BethIsrael@ OrthodoxOmaha.org.
Mary Carrick Carrick, a familiar face and voice on area stages who released her debut album, Let’s Fly in 2014, is joined by a dynamite trio composed of J. Gawf, piano; Mark Haar, upright bass; and JB Ferguson, percussion. Together, the ensemble fuses great American standards, jazz, blues, country, and musical theater. With inspired arrangements, they take music in innovative directions with an inviting and embraceable style. Their show will feature music by such celebrated songwriters as Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Dolly Parton, Andre Previn, Barry Manilow, Kander and Ebb, Karen Sokolof Javitch, and more. Carrick, who tours the Midwest, has performed roles with Opera Omaha, the Omaha Symphony, Rose Theater, Omaha Community Playhouse, and as a soloist at the Holland Performing Arts Center. Gawf is the resident music director of Opera Omaha and served as co-producer and lead arranger for Carrick’s album. Haar and Ferguson perform extensively across Omaha and the region. “The Javitch Music Fund is excited to present a free show for the community starring Omaha’s premier vocalist,” says Susan Rothholz, Chair of the Javitch Music Fund. “Her glorious renditions of American songbook standards plus works from wonderful classic and contemporary composers will have our audience cheering. Put this terrific evening on your calendar.” For more information, visit www.marycarrick.com. The concert is made possible by the Javitch Music Fund.
2 | The Jewish Press | June 5, 2015
Friedel Graduation
Above: The Friedel orchestra treated the audience to several songs. Leora McNamara played her last Friedel performance as she graduated this year. Middle: Jack Cohen. Top, right: Aviva Chana Shyken and Eva Cohen. Bottom, right: Graduates Matan Shapiro and Danny Denenberg during the 6th grade skit.
Continued from page 1 instrumental music instructor Jim Misner. The ensemble also played Havah Nagilah to which the audience sang along and responded with enthusiastic applause. Giller recognized Deborah Smith and Debbie Roitstein for their bookkeeping assistance for “many years.” He also acknowledged all Friedel’s general education and Judaic studies teachers as well as the school’s support staff including PTO chairs Gabby Blair and Danni Christensen. Angie Gormley was mobbed by her first and second graders when it was announced that she was named this year’s Nathan and Rose Lillian Fine Teacher of the Year. Third and fourth grade teacher Barbara Sather, who has taught at Friedel for the past 20 years at both the 126th and Pacific Streets location and on the campus of the Jewish Community Center, was bid farewell. Sather, who also taught second grade at one time and served as librarian, “has always been a big proponent of Jewish community schools and has high expectations for her students and all the children at Friedel,” commented Giller. “I’ve worked with a wonderful team,” emphasized Sather. She closed with a quote from Garrison Keillor, author and
host of A Prairie Home Companion heard on public radio, “Nothing you do for children is ever wasted.” Head of School Cohen expressed her gratitude to Giller “who stepped in when we really needed him” as interim head of school. After feigning ignorance of being replaced, Giller and Cohen hugged as he officially handed over the reins of the school to her. Directed by Jewish studies instructors Naama Arzi and Sara Ben Shushan, each grade level presented a musical performance -- all in Hebrew -- focusing on numerous themes from the days of the week to the rivers of Babylon. Then, to the melody of Pomp and Circumstance, the graduates, in blue graduation caps and gowns, strode into the theater. Rabbi Steven Abraham recognized the parents of the graduates and remarked on the graduates’ ability to go out into the world proud of their Jewish values. Addressing the graduates, he said, “We love you and are proud of you.” Presenting the graduation certificates to Daniel Denenberg, Rebecca Denenberg, David Kay, Abby Kohll, Rachel Kricsfeld, Leora McNamara, Matan Shapiro, Gavin Smith, and Almog Zinman were Jeff Zacharia, president of the Friedel Board of Directors; Rabbi Abraham; Rabbi Ari
Dembitzer; Giller; and Cohen who ceremoniously told the graduates to “Move Your Tassels!” In a shared speech emphasizing their Friedel family, exercise, art, science, music, “the absolute best” teachers, Jewish holidays, Jewish studies, and life lessons, the graduates conceded that it’s “time for us to start the next chapter in our lives.” Teachers and staff members gathered on stage to present a vocal tribute to the graduates to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy. In closing, Rabbi Dembitzer addressed the graduates. “Be a light unto the nations,” he advised them. “Give your heart to the world.” A video produced by Sam Kricsfeld, a Friedel alumnus, featuring the graduates from babyhood to middle school initiates and a tribute to the retiring Sather, concluded the ceremony.
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June 5, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 3
Beth El Torah Study Group by BETH EL PUBLICITY For thousands of years, Jews have been studying in pairs or in groups, respectfully debating each other and learning the stories and legal texts of Judaism. The instruction to study Torah is everywhere we turn in Jewish tradition. Torah study was encouraged not only to sharpen one’s mind, but also to serve as a guide for living a moral life. The logic goes like this: One who takes Torah study seriously will most likely choose the right path in life. The mitzvah of Torah study outweighs all other commandments. The rabbis of the Talmud wrote: “These are the things for which a person enjoys the dividends in this world while the principal remains for the person to enjoy in the world to come. They are: honoring parents, loving deeds of kindness, and making peace between one person and another, but the study of the Torah is equal to them all.” (Talmud Shabbat 127a). You’ll find these learners in Beth El Synagogue’s Marty Shukert, long-time memlibrary at 10 a.m. every ber of the group. Sunday morning, engrossed in their pursuit of knowledge and understanding. A truly unique group of men and women bound by a common interest: the cerebral pursuit of Torah. Beth El’s Torah Study Group is considered by many to be Omaha’s longest, continuous and consistent Torah study group, meeting regularly since 1999. Sixteen years later, they show no signs of slowing down, even after having completed Torah’s five books many times over. Although the group is fluid and welcomes newcomers at any time, there are seasoned veterans, those who have been attending since the beginning. They can, perhaps, be considered the “patriarchs” now, those whose guidance, determination and consistency have kept the group going all this time. Steve Riekes, a longtime champion of Jewish education, serves as the informal coordinator of the Torah study group and shares facilitating duties with other regulars including Dick Fellman, Marty Shukert and Howard Epstein. All are quick to emphasize that group members are encouraged to participate equally, and most volunteer as “discussion leader” on a rotating basis. “Aside from time with family, it’s the most pleasant hour I spend each week,” said Fellman. “Jewish study is about participation -- involving yourself in our history, in the story of the Jewish people,” Riekes said. “We learn from each other, and the intellectual discourse is very high and very fulfilling.” Riekes believes one of their most unique characteristics is that all are community members; there are no clergy involved in their educational pursuit. “We don’t hurry. We have no timetable. Depending on the amount of conversation, sometimes we study one chapter for several weeks. Once, we took two-three years to complete the book of Exodus. Sometimes, we just review a word or debate a sentence until we all feel it’s time to move on.” Time is spent exploring the people, their relationships and their actions, then asking the question, “How do we relate to all of this?” Riekes said. We extrapolate what we learn into contemporary times while still tying it into text study. Recently, Riekes said, they studied the story of Noah’s Ark and chose to debate the role of creativity in the building process. He added that, “What is so interesting is that even though
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we’re studying Torah, people’s own life experiences and happenings around the world come into play. Participants weave relevancy into the study.” “No one arrives just to listen. There is never a dull moment. We have really unbelievably intellectually stimulating conversations. It’s the highlight of my week.” Marty Shukert concurred with Riekes. “I look forward to meeting with these intelligent and creative people. G-d has a lot to learn from us, just as we have a lot to learn from Him. Once, we spent six months on the Book of Daniel, an obscure book to be sure. Part of the allure for us was dissecting it and analyzing its weirdness”
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Many of the participants are shown here When asked what keeps him coming back, Shukert answered, “One, you always see new things in every story so it’s easy to savor the text. Two, the group has been meeting so long that it transcends the different stages of our lives. Three, the group dynamic is phenomenal, and, s four, it’s just a pretty cool thing to do.” Dick Fellman refers to the study group as an “extraordinary thing” and “one of the most joyous hours I spend during the entire week. It is wonderful to know that the book before us has been studied for thousands of years by people no different from us -- some smarter, others not, in every place where Jews have lived.” Fellman appreciates his fellow group members, who come from all walks of life. “There are some really smart people who participate -- lawyers, historians, philosophers, people with real intellectual curiosity. Some know Hebrew as a native language and some don’t know Hebrew at all.” He and Riekes both noted that although everyone appreciates the robust discourse and varied opinions, at the end of Sunday mornings; they all have a healthy respect for what each brings to the table. She calls herself the “newbie” because she’s been attending for “only” eight years, but for Gilda Pieck, the most satisfying aspect of the class is learning what other people have to say about the Torah. “Everyone’s perspective is so interesting. We can go off on tangents, but that’s the best part! We recently discussed building the Ark and Professor Rami Arav was able to give us some historical context outside the confines of Torah.” Newcomers are welcome and an extensive knowledge of Judaism or Torah is not a pre-requisite. Members agree, whatever your level of participation, it’s so interesting to learn what the Torah has to say. Join our ongoing Torah Study group in the Library each Sunday during the year for a lively discussion. No need to know Hebrew to attend, and you don’t have to be a Torah Scholar either. Come for 9 a.m. minyan prior to Torah Study and stay for an enriching, engrossing hour of learning together.
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Jeremy I. Friedman Senior Vice President – Investment Officer 402-445-6480 jeremy.friedman@wfadvisors.com CAR # - 0914-02461 About Wells Fargo Advisors With $1.4 trillion in client assets as of December 31, 2014, Wells Fargo Advisors provides investment advice and guidance to clients through 15,187 full-service financial advisors and 3,852 licensed bankers. This vast network of advisors, one of the nation’s largest, serves investors through locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Wells Fargo Advisors is the trade name used by two separate registered broker-dealers and non-bank affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company: Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (members SIPC). Statistics include other broker-dealers of Wells Fargo & Company. www.wellsfargoadvisors.com Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC.
About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.7 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,700 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 29 on Fortune’s 2014 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories. CAR# 0115-03599
4 | The Jewish Press | June 5, 2015
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The luxury of the Israeli everyday involved in these and other activities come up frequently, but these are the problems that come with power, that come with having a Jewish State. For two millennia Jews as Jews did not have to deal with these problems, but since the founding of the State of Israel these problems have come alive (along with their solutions, of course). Ruth pointed out to me that Israel’s supporters abroad often do not have the luxury to consider the various problems facing contemporary Israeli society. She told me that she simply has no time to consider problems such as whether or not women can pray at the Kotel, whether haredim deface advertisements featuring women, whether Israel should require all plastic bottles to be recycled, whether Israeli ports should be privatized, whether the price of cottage cheese is too high. Ruth has no time for such problems because she has her hands full defending Israel from the anti-Semites (who often pretend to be “just” anti-Zionists). She insists, she says, “on making the evils of Arab society rather than the shortcomings of Israel her subject,” and this does not allow her the time to get agitated about whether or not Israel should legalize civil marriage. Only Israeli citizens have the luxury of worrying about such everyday matters. The truth is that it turns out that Rabbi Hartman was wrong to be so pessimistic: While it cannot be said that Jews as “Halachic Men” (to quote from a concept by Rabbi Hartman’s revered teacher Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik) have been a force in Israeli society, Israeli Jews as Jews confront every aspect of everyday life. And as I learned from Professor Wisse, that is no small accomplishment for the Jewish State. Teddy Weinberger made aliyah in 1997 with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Ross, and their five children. Their oldest four, Nathan, Rebecca, Ruthie and Ezra are veterans of the Israel Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@ netvision.net.il.
Journal entry from Israel TEDDY WEINBERGER I recently had the good fortune to participate in a two-week advanced seminar of the Tikvah Fund entitled Jews and Power: Literature, Philosophy, Politics. The instructor for our morning sessions was Professor Ruth Wisse, who recently retired from her professorship in Yiddish Literature at Harvard University and who authored a 2007 book titled (not coincidentally) Jews and Power. It was fun being a student again for the first time in 25 years (although I was chagrined to discover that any person in class with a computer laptop in front of them was typically spending some time emailing, Facebooking, or surfing the web). Professor Wisse took us through a series of texts ranging from the Book of Esther to selections from great Yiddish writers such as Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Gimpel the Fool, to classic Zionist texts such as Theodor Herzl’s Old New Land, to a modern Israeli novel called Adjusting Sights by Rabbi Haim Sabato (based on Sabato’s personal experiences as a soldier in the Yom Kippur War). I’m not going to try to summarize in a sentence or two what essentially was the equivalent of a college course. At any rate, something Ruth said to me during an extended conversation in her office is what most stays with me now. I recently wrote about how the late Rabbi David Hartman bemoaned the fact that Judaism in Israel had yet to become a significant influence in contemporary society. Professor Wisse caused me to re-think the situation. She made me realize that the very workings of the State of Israel constitute a kind of marvelous relevance of Jews and Judaism in the contemporary world. Every day (except for Jewish holy days) throughout the State of Israel, mail is delivered, garbage is collected, planes take off, highways are maintained, and children go to school. Problems with government agencies
B’nai Israel Speaker Series On June 12, Marcia Kushner from Lincoln will be the featured speaker at B’nai Israel Synagogue in Council Bluffs. She will reflect back on growing up in Council Bluffs, her experiences at B’nai Israel, crossing the river daily to attend Omaha Central High School, attending the U. Of Nebraska where she met
husband Sheldon Kushner, raising four wonderful children in Hamburg, IA and then Lincoln. You will love hearing from this Lincoln activist. Services start at 7:30 p.m. For more information and directions to the synagogue, please contact Marty Ricks at 402.334.6440.
In the news Alexander Howard graduated from California State University Northridge on May 16, with a B.A. in Cinema, Television and Visual Arts. Adam Howard was confirmed on May 23, at Temple Ahavat Shalom in Northridge, CA. They are the sons of Stephanie and Rodger Howard of Valencia, California, and the grandsons of Sarah and Ted Seldin of Omaha.
Oliver Pollak will present Adventures in Nebraska (Jewish) History at noon on Thursday, June 18. The event is part of the Nebraska Historical Society's Brown Bag History Forum lecture series. Admission is free. The presentation will take place at the City County Building, room 303, 555 South 10th St. in Lincoln. For more information, please call 402.471.3272 or visit www.nebraskahistory.org.
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June 5, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 5
Top: The cast of Beauty and the Best during the Be Our Guest song; Second row, from left: Hannah Goodman as the feather duster; Matthias Walters as the Beast and Grace Titus as Belle; Ella Hanson, Isabella Wright and Laura Kirshenbaum as the Silly Girls; Belle with Sasha Denenberg as Chip; Anna Conti and Tessa Olson as the candlesticks. Left, middle: The opening crowd scene; the Beast attacked by wolves. Above: The Beast becomes a Prince again during the grand finale. Left, bottom: Be our Guest, one of the show’s highlights, included napkins, silverware and china-inspired costumes.
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6 | The Jewish Press | June 5, 2015
Births
Brandon Thomas Scholarship
Shoshy and Scott Susman of Omaha announce the April 9 birth of their son, Adam Orson. He is named for his paternal great-grandfather Bernard Susman and maternal great-granmother Helen Schwartz. Grandparents are Abby and Jim Susman of St. Louis MO, and Dani and Leon Shrago of Omaha.
At Temple Israel’s Senior Send Off, the presentation of the Brandon Thomas Pursuit of Passion Scholarship was made to Madison Eisenberg and Rachel Stoneking. Pictured with Madison and Rachel are members of the Gordman Family.
Claire and Robert Osborne of Omaha announce the Dec. 7 birth of their daughter, Ella Lynn. She is named for her late grandfather Terry Lynn Fredricks. Grandparents are Sally Fredricks of Omaha and the late Terry L. Fredricks, Roger and Pam Osborne of Winthrop, MN and the late Wanda Osborne. Great Grandparents are David and Arlene Fredricks of Omaha, the late Dr. Harry Henderson Jr. and Irma Henderson, the late C. Bernard (Bernie) and Dorothy Osborne, the late Oliver and Hazel Olson, the late Donald (Don) Fladmark, and LaVonne Fladmark of Colton, SD.
Organizations Former Omahan part of Pultizer Prize winning news room Beth Kaiman, daughter of Jerry Kaiman and the late Sylvia Kaiman, has been on the staff of The Seattle Times for many years. She grew up in Omaha, and attended Westside high school. “Back then,” Jerry says, “she was editor of the school paper. Now she has gone on to bigger things.” Bigger things, such as a Pulitzer Prize. Beth is part of the news team that recently flew to New York to be honored for their work during the land slide in Oso, Washington and its horrible aftermath. The disaster took 43 lives when a hillside above the Stillaguamish River collapsed and tore through the Steelhead haven neighborhood. The Seattle Times’ coverage included stories, photos, videos and that graphics revealed the land slide should not have been a surprise. There were warnings for decades about th unstable nature of the area. Winning the Pulitzer in
the breaking news category was a bittersweet moment for the news room, as so many people died. Jerry and Sylvia moved from Glenwood, Iowa and raised their two daughters, Sherrie and Beth, in Omaha. “We came because we wanted to give our daughters a more Jewish life,”
Jerry says. Sherrie Kaiman is retired from working at the U.S. Senate, and now works as a consultant in Washington D.C. Beth continues to live in Washington State, but “They are both really, really good to me, and always rally when I need them,” Jerry says.
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NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN NCJW-Omaha Section Board of Directors Installation and Brunch on Sunday, June 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at One Pacific Place Clubhouse (1365 South 101st Street). Installation is open to all members, so please come join us for brunch to thank our current Board for a great year and welcome our in-coming Board.
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B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS UNO senior, Victoria “Vicka” Mashinson, just returned from her native Ukraine, where she served as a translator at the Russian–Ukraine peace talks, and will speak on Wednesday, June 10 at noon. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@ jewishomaha.org.
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June 5, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 7
Father’s Day and Austro-Hungarian food by OLIVER B. POLLAK My father Wilhelm, Vilem, Hillel, William, Willie pronounced Villie, or just plain Bill would be 112 this year. He was born in Vienna in 1903 and kvelled about its culture, music, especially opera, architecture, amusement parks and the food. The multinational-ethnic-religious Austro-Hungarian Empire included Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Croatia Slovenia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Poland and Yugoslavia, collapsed after the First World War. It became Eastern and Central Europe, then the European Community. Adalbert and Agnes Pollak had five children, two married Christians and with the Nazi takeover of Austria in 1938, the Anschluss, they got divorced. All five children were in England, America or Palestine by 1941. Agnes Pollak, my grandmother, was not so fortunate; she died in August 1942, two weeks after arriving in Theresienstadt concentration camp. My father experienced double food deprivation. War creates food scarcity. Herbert Hoover worked on European famine relief in both world wars. From 1939 to 1954, England rationed food and vital consumer products. American relatives sent care packages. I still like Lipton soup; Spam, not so much. Dad’s dream of coming to America included bacon for breakfast every morning, thankfully never fulfilled, though we ate well. He predictably ordered prime rib when available. Dad cooked occasionally, especially on Sunday, adding to Mother’s German culinary repertoire. Their German accents were as different as their mouthwatering specialties. Viennese classic meals included Wiener schnitzel, pounded, dipped in milk and egg, breaded and pan fried, garnished with lemon, served with dreckige erdapfel, “dirty potatoes,” with parsley, and similarly prepared Dover sole. Gerken salad: cucumber sliced thinly with a knife or veg-
Nazi war criminal dies at 93 by JTA NEWS STAFF MONTREAL (JTA) -- Vladimir Katriuk, a native Ukrainian who avoided deportation from Canada for 64 years after hiding his Nazi past, died in Quebec. Katriuk was second on the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s list of “most wanted” Nazi war criminals. As a member of a Ukrainian battalion serving the Nazis in 1943, he was alleged to have been a key player in the massacre of Jews in a Belaraus village. Although in 1999 Canada’s Federal Court ruled that Katriuk lied about his Nazi past to enter Canada and ordered his Canadian citizenship revoked, he exploited Canada’s lengthy appeal process to stay in the country.
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etable slicer, and sprinkled with salt; squeeze out the water; mix vinegar, mayonnaise or sour cream, finely chopped onion; whisk and add to cucumbers. On Sunday morning Dad made Gehakte eier, chopped eggs with onion, which, according to the late food scholar Rabbi Gil Marks, is an Ashkenazic dish. Fried bread, painet-
zel, rubbed with garlic (knofel) accompanied fried eggs. Hungarian Goulash simmered on the stove; chicken paprikash and oxtail soup also graced the table. Wurst with sempft, sausage with mustard, and sausage in sauerkraut competed with hot dogs (wieners) and baked beans and mac and cheese. Anchovies were a snack or an appetizer. Rolled with a caper in the center of flat anchovies, they were extracted from a tin, and mashed with the broad side of a knife into softened butter, and spread on rye bread. It cut the salt and made the little hairy bones that would otherwise poke into
my upper palate, a little softer. Another mash up: butter and blue cheese on crackers. Schlag or schlagobers, whipped cream, is famously identified with Vienna’s coffee shop culture. It went well on pumpkin pie, strawberries, on coffee, and even solo. Before whipped cream in pressured cans, it started with cream, frequently from the top of a glass bottle of nonhomogenized milk, whisked by hand or beaten with a mixer. A couple of times disappointment, chagrin and recrimination ensued when it was beaten too long, almost into butter. Cream more than bacon shouted out that we were in the land of milk and honey. In Ohio during the mid 1950s, we raised tomatoes never to be equaled in 60 years. Dad made a salad with sliced tomatoes, chopped onion with essig (vinegar), oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. I followed his path, keep sharp knives, and sometimes use Modena balsamic vinegar. Dad did not bake; mother made apfel strudel and linzer torte, though later she purchased it from the supermarket or bakery, especially Viktor Benes at Third and Fairfax in Los Angeles. In summer Dad donned his apron, lit barbeque briquettes to cook viand and kukuruz, Serbo-Croatian for corn, in the backyard. I couldn’t have had a better father. A tool and die maker, he had a prodigious work ethic. Dispossessed by Hitler, he advised his children, “Get a good education, they can’t take that away from you.” I thank my sister Judy Lo and my mother Ruth who visited Dad’s favorite pastry shop, Demel, established in 1786, my wife Karen, and our friend, Joyce Craig, whose parents came from Vienna, for their assistance.
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8 | The Jewish Press | June 5, 2015
Point of view
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Can of worms by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor There are several topics I could have chosen for my editorial this week. I could have written about the JCC Theater this past weekend; it would be easy, and a time-saver: My entire family performed in Beauty and the Beast, I’ve seen the play four times, no research required. That’s a plus, because by Sunday morning I still had a budget spread to finish and about six loads of laundry were waiting for me. Besides, everybody loves hearing about how well the kids did so there’s no worry about backlash. And the cast and crew really did do a fantastic job. Or, if I wanted to look outside the building, there is plenty going on in Nebraska. What would be the Jewish response to the death penalty decision? Or the fact that the dreamers can finally get their driver’s licenses and we no longer have to be embarrassed about being the last state in the nation to allow that? Slightly more research needed, because I don’t want to write about it without having the necessary stats. Also, these are the types of issues that divide us-I’m not so naive as to think there is a standard Jewish response to anything, so I have to be careful in how I choose my words. Give the readers enough information to make up their own minds, without coming off as a know-it-all. I know the drill. And then there’s the story of Tahera Ahmad. If you’re like me, and obsessively check all media push notifications on your phone, you’ve seen it; if not, well, you wouldn’t be alone in thinking: “Who on earth is that?” To summarize, Ms. Ahmad was on a United Airways flight when the attendant refused to give her an unopened can of coke because “she could use it as a weapon.” When she questioned that answer, another traveler turned to her and told her: “You Muslim, you know you would use it as a weapon, so you need to shut the F--- up.” Writing about discrimination is fitting for this paper.
Writing about discrimination against Muslims – I’m sorry to say – is a little trickier. In the media nowadays, all media small and large, we tend to only pay attention when Muslims commit heinous crimes. When they shoot up a synagogue, or attack a marathon, or when they go after cartoonists who dare to portray their prophet. It’s the narrative that’s familiar to us,
and for which we have a context. And most media know their audience, and give us what we want. And then we wonder why we never hear any news stories about moderate Muslims. Tahera Ahmad is one such moderate Muslim. She is a chaplain and the director of interfaith engagement at Northwestern University. The United flight was taking her to Washington for a conference promoting dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian youth. In 2014, the White House recognized her as a leading Muslim female in the United States. The work she does, and
the causes she believes in come at a price: she sparked outrage among conservative Muslim clerics when she became the first woman to recite the Koran at the Islamic Society of North America’s conference in Washington DC. She was born in India, raised in Morton Grove, Illinois and played varsity basketball in high school. Ahmad is a passionate advocate for social justice and works with young adults in the interfaith movement on artistic and athletic projects to help develop a balanced faith identity. She’s organized art shows and open mike nights for Muslim youth, and spoken about what it means to be a Muslim feminist. She has tirelessly worked to advance interfaith dialogue for years and withstood attempts by Muslim fundamentalists to silence her voice. She has solid credentials, and yet, when you Google her today, you will find only news stories about that can of coke. And here I am, writing about her, an accomplished, moderate, feminist Muslim woman, and I, too, only know about her because of that can of coke. Tahera Ahmad is the poster child for moderate Islam; it is people like her who remind us that not all Muslims are terrorists, that not all Muslims are Isis supporters. And we need that reminder, more and more each day. Because if I am really honest, I, even while writing this, worry about getting complaints, since that tends to happen every time I write something positive about the Muslim community. And that’s not right, because I should be able to follow both my heart and my head while sitting behind my computer. I believe in peaceful dialogue. I also believe that peaceful dialogue is one of the biggest challenges of our time. And I think that means that sometimes I must choose the tough subjects to write about, rather than taking the easy way out.
Planning for the future by HOWARD EPSTEIN Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation “Do you ride horses?” “Are your streets paved?” “Are there really Jews in Omaha?” I have been asked when talking with people I meet from some of America’s major centers of Jewish population, especially those from New York, New Jersey and other East Coast locales. Tongue-in-cheek, I tell them, “We let our horses graze in our backyard, and they finally paved Main Street last year.” But I also assure them that we’ve got a vibrant Jewish community in Omaha, describing our three thriving synagogues, the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, the quality education our kids get at the Friedel Jewish Academy, the J.C.C. bustling with activity... the list goes on. And I generally add, “Omaha’s Jewish population is larger than the Jewish populations of the rest of Nebraska, and all of Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wyoming combined. There are about 6,000 Jews in Omaha.” Why “about 6,000”? When I was a teenager, that is the number I heard. It is the same number I have heard my entire adult life, and I’ve not seen anything to lead me to believe otherwise. Omaha’s Jewish community last did a truly comprehensive survey of its population 39 years ago in 1976, and that demographic survey gave an estimated population range of 6,101 to 6,962. There have been four community surveys or population studies since then, in 1991, 1996, 2004, and most recently in 2010. The 2010 study was more of a market analysis than a population study, and the remaining three studies focused on the effectiveness of the Jewish Federation, the priorities of Omaha’s Jewish community, and the community’s perception of the programs and services offered by the
(Founded in 1920) Andrew Ruback President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Jessie Wees Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Thierry Ndjike Bookkeeper
Jewish Press Board Eric Dunning, President-Elect; Scott Farkas, Sandy Friedman, Paul Gerber, Debbie Kricsfeld, David Kotok, Paul Rabinovitz, and Nancy Wolf. The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish LIfe, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishoma ha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’
Federation. Some of the studies relied heavily on national trends and nationally-compiled statistics. All of the studies estimated the size of Omaha’s Jewish community. As a general rule, the estimates ranged from 5500 to 7000. So, “around 6000” Jews in Omaha seems reasonable. It is now time for a new population study. We need to take a new comprehensive census of Jewish Omaha and to learn the answers to the many questions that need to be asked. That population study must be more than a compilation of statistical data. It must accurately define Omaha’s Jewish population, and it must provide the information we need to plan for and maintain a strong vibrant, active Jewish community for decades to come. In 1969, just seven years before the 1976 comprehensive population study, I graduated from Omaha Central High School along with almost 90 other Jewish students. Elkhorn and Yutan were small farming communities where no Jews lived, and most of Omaha’s Jews lived within a three mile radius of each other. Jewish “old people” lived at the Dr. Sher Home for the Aged, Omaha’s Jewish day school was in its infancy, and only a handful of Jewish Omahans lived west of I-680. The current site of the J.C.C. was vacant ground. The University of Nebraska Medical College occupied about one square block near 44th and Dewey Streets, the Old Market was a collection of dilapidated buildings which some entrepreneurs had begun to renovate, and Riverview Park housed Omaha’s zoo. In contrast, the May 22, 2015 edition of The Jewish Press saluted the high school graduating class of 2015, picturing 44 Jewish students from 18 different high schools, including three from Elkhorn South, one from Yutan, and only three from Central. Today, the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home is a top-ranked skilled care nursing home which has been filled
close to capacity much of this year, the Friedel Jewish Academy, with approximately 50 students, has gained a reputation for academic excellence, and the Jews of Omaha reside in almost every part of Omaha, as far east as the riverfront and Old Market lofts, as far west as Elkhorn, Yutan and Bennington, and everywhere in between. The J.C.C. has undergone at least two major expansions and renovations since it was built 40 years ago and there is talk of another major renovation. The Nebraska Medical System occupies almost a full square mile in central Omaha and is now Omaha’s largest employer. The Old Market is a major tourist attraction, and the Henry Doorly Zoo is ranked as the number one zoo in the United States. How has Omaha’s Jewish population changed along with the rest of Omaha? Is the Jewish population still “about 6,000” today? Is it more? Is it less? And whatever the number, what are the demographics? How and where do we find the Jews who live in metropolitan Omaha today? Where do the people work, go to school, socialize? What are their ages? How many men? How many women? Are they native Omahans? Are they new to the city? How are they doing financially? Are they religiously observant? How many households have children? How many are single parent households? How many are inter-married? Are the intermarried couples raising their children in the Jewish faith? What percentages affiliate with synagogues, volunteer for Jewish organizations and causes, contribute to the annual Federation campaign, belong to the J.C.C.? What services and programs are most utilized? Which services and programs are most needed? How does the populace get news about Omaha’s Jewish community? Other Jewish communities have recently undertaken Continued on page 9
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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material and photos to: avandekamp @jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jew ishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.”
sonal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de KampWright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.
June 5, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 9
My message to the man who attacked me at the Kotel by ALDEN SOLOVY against his violence, if that’s even possible, and seek change JERUSALEM (JTA) -- On a sunny morning last month, I in Israeli democracy. But don’t use what happened to me to was swept into the women’s section of the Western Wall in justify hate or prejudice of anyone.” Jerusalem in a flurry of aggression directed at the Women of To my daughters: I’m sorry for the fear this caused. I’ll the Wall, the Israeli group fighting for women’s prayer at continue to participate in the struggle. I promise to do it as Jerusalem’s holiest site. a supporter, a poet, a writer -- but not as a 155-pound One of the group’s male supporters, Charlie Kalech, was untrained middle linebacker. The cause of Women of the strangled and thrown to the ground. I was stomped on in Wall is just. The call to religious freedom is holy. I swear by the stomach by an enraged man. peaceful resistance. Nearly three weeks after this brutal attack, I’ve finally To those who would stomp on Jewish practices not their woken up from the shock and own: Tyranny never survives, horror of fellow Jews inflictbut there are casualties along ing bodily harm on me, on the way. Stop preaching hate. Charlie and on other men. It’s Stop trying to control Jewish time to speak. practice with oppression and Here’s what happened: violence. This will not earn a After we men finished readplace in heaven. It harms us ing the Torah in our simultaas a people. neous service, a woman took To the Israeli government: the Torah through a gate in It’s time to run Jewish relithe mechitzah, the fence sepgious sites equitably and arating the genders. We broke responsibly. We all should be out in spontaneous song and able to pray at the Kotel dance. It was pure joy to according to our diverse and know that Torah -- a gift beautiful traditions. The An Orthodox man scuffling with a supporter of Women of the given by God to all of us -Supreme Court ruling that Wall, a group that advocates for women’s prayer at the would be chanted by women women can read Torah at the Western Wall, April 20, 2015. Credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90 at the Kotel. Kotel should be enforced. The morning continued peacefully for perhaps another 15 To those who’ve given up on the Kotel: Have you forgotten minutes or so. For an instant it seemed as though the vio- how you felt on that day in 1967 when the Kotel was won? lence that had previously marred women’s prayer at the Have you forgotten the day you first touched those majestic Kotel might just be avoided. stones? Have you forgotten that we pray daily for a renewed Then a handful of men showed up. They manhandled us, and rebuilt Zion? There should be thousands of us at the Kotel attempting to get to the gate in the mechitzah, their inten- demanding that the governing authorities at the Western Wall tions unclear but their demeanor aggressive. uphold the law of the land. The Kotel should not be a de facto Charlie and I were near the gate. We tried to hold our haredi Orthodox synagogue. None of our holy sites should be ground against larger men, but the gate was somehow run by any one branch of our great tradition. opened. Charlie called out for the police and was assaulted. Real men stand with women who fight injustice, with I saw an ultra-Orthodox man trying to charge through. women willing to face violence and arrest to claim the rights He appeared violent. In that moment there were no good denied them. When called upon, real men put themselves choices. Let him run through and perhaps hurt someone? on the front lines. But the heroes are the women who have Use myself, my body, as a barricade? fought this fight year in and year out. I wrapped my arms around him and used my body as The fact that I helped is a privilege. I believe that this act dead-weight to bring him to the ground. earned us merit in heaven. If not, so be it. It should. Either On the ground, I felt the headpiece of my tefillin coming way, that’s between me and God. off. My focus shifted to protecting the tefillin from hitting No man has the right to plant his foot in my gut. No man the stone -- an ironic mistake regarding my own safety. I has the right to shove Charlie to the ground. No man has the took the head piece in my left hand, breaking my grip on the right to deny Torah to women. man, who jumped up and stomped on my stomach. On the first of the Hebrew month of Iyyar, in the year To the man who stomped on me: I’m disgusted by your 5775, we stood with our sisters for the sake of Torah. For a behavior. You are the face of sinat chinam, baseless hatred by moment, for a heartbeat, heaven rejoiced. Jew against Jew. I am still injured and in pain. Yet this is Alden Solovy is a Jewish poet, liturgist and teacher. He is what I said in synagogue last Shabbat: “Do not hate the man the author most recently of Haggadah Companion: who stomped on me. Rail against his misogyny, object to Meditations and Readings. Read his work at what he was taught, condemn his behavior, seek justice www.ToBendLight.com.
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Planning for the future Continued from page 8 population studies. When done properly, the information gathered has proven invaluable. For example, in 2011, the Cleveland Jewish Federation did an extensive study of the Jewish population of Greater Cleveland. They compared the data to the data collected in a study 15 years earlier. Among the findings: The Cleveland Jewish population had remained stable; an alarming percentage of the community was living in poverty; the connection to Israel was very strong; Jewish Cleveland had more children than older adults; over one half the respondents were born in Cleveland; as a whole, Cleveland remained a strong, highly engaged Jewish Community, yet affiliation with Jewish organizations has sharply declined; and 42% of couples married since 1996 were intermarried. Commenting on the study, Cleveland Jewish Federation President Stephen H. Hoffman wrote, “The data in this report will be used to help our synagogues and agencies chart future courses of services, outreach efforts and organizational goals. The same will be true of the Federation itself.
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June 5, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 9
My message to the man who attacked me at the Kotel by ALDEN SOLOVY against his violence, if that’s even possible, and seek change JERUSALEM (JTA) -- On a sunny morning last month, I in Israeli democracy. But don’t use what happened to me to was swept into the women’s section of the Western Wall in justify hate or prejudice of anyone.” Jerusalem in a flurry of aggression directed at the Women of To my daughters: I’m sorry for the fear this caused. I’ll the Wall, the Israeli group fighting for women’s prayer at continue to participate in the struggle. I promise to do it as Jerusalem’s holiest site. a supporter, a poet, a writer -- but not as a 155-pound One of the group’s male supporters, Charlie Kalech, was untrained middle linebacker. The cause of Women of the strangled and thrown to the ground. I was stomped on in Wall is just. The call to religious freedom is holy. I swear by the stomach by an enraged man. peaceful resistance. Nearly three weeks after this brutal attack, I’ve finally To those who would stomp on Jewish practices not their woken up from the shock and own: Tyranny never survives, horror of fellow Jews inflictbut there are casualties along ing bodily harm on me, on the way. Stop preaching hate. Charlie and on other men. It’s Stop trying to control Jewish time to speak. practice with oppression and Here’s what happened: violence. This will not earn a After we men finished readplace in heaven. It harms us ing the Torah in our simultaas a people. neous service, a woman took To the Israeli government: the Torah through a gate in It’s time to run Jewish relithe mechitzah, the fence sepgious sites equitably and arating the genders. We broke responsibly. We all should be out in spontaneous song and able to pray at the Kotel dance. It was pure joy to according to our diverse and know that Torah -- a gift beautiful traditions. The An Orthodox man scuffling with a supporter of Women of the given by God to all of us -Supreme Court ruling that Wall, a group that advocates for women’s prayer at the would be chanted by women women can read Torah at the Western Wall, April 20, 2015. Credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90 at the Kotel. Kotel should be enforced. The morning continued peacefully for perhaps another 15 To those who’ve given up on the Kotel: Have you forgotten minutes or so. For an instant it seemed as though the vio- how you felt on that day in 1967 when the Kotel was won? lence that had previously marred women’s prayer at the Have you forgotten the day you first touched those majestic Kotel might just be avoided. stones? Have you forgotten that we pray daily for a renewed Then a handful of men showed up. They manhandled us, and rebuilt Zion? There should be thousands of us at the Kotel attempting to get to the gate in the mechitzah, their inten- demanding that the governing authorities at the Western Wall tions unclear but their demeanor aggressive. uphold the law of the land. The Kotel should not be a de facto Charlie and I were near the gate. We tried to hold our haredi Orthodox synagogue. None of our holy sites should be ground against larger men, but the gate was somehow run by any one branch of our great tradition. opened. Charlie called out for the police and was assaulted. Real men stand with women who fight injustice, with I saw an ultra-Orthodox man trying to charge through. women willing to face violence and arrest to claim the rights He appeared violent. In that moment there were no good denied them. When called upon, real men put themselves choices. Let him run through and perhaps hurt someone? on the front lines. But the heroes are the women who have Use myself, my body, as a barricade? fought this fight year in and year out. I wrapped my arms around him and used my body as The fact that I helped is a privilege. I believe that this act dead-weight to bring him to the ground. earned us merit in heaven. If not, so be it. It should. Either On the ground, I felt the headpiece of my tefillin coming way, that’s between me and God. off. My focus shifted to protecting the tefillin from hitting No man has the right to plant his foot in my gut. No man the stone -- an ironic mistake regarding my own safety. I has the right to shove Charlie to the ground. No man has the took the head piece in my left hand, breaking my grip on the right to deny Torah to women. man, who jumped up and stomped on my stomach. On the first of the Hebrew month of Iyyar, in the year To the man who stomped on me: I’m disgusted by your 5775, we stood with our sisters for the sake of Torah. For a behavior. You are the face of sinat chinam, baseless hatred by moment, for a heartbeat, heaven rejoiced. Jew against Jew. I am still injured and in pain. Yet this is Alden Solovy is a Jewish poet, liturgist and teacher. He is what I said in synagogue last Shabbat: “Do not hate the man the author most recently of Haggadah Companion: who stomped on me. Rail against his misogyny, object to Meditations and Readings. Read his work at what he was taught, condemn his behavior, seek justice www.ToBendLight.com.
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Planning for the future Continued from page 8 population studies. When done properly, the information gathered has proven invaluable. For example, in 2011, the Cleveland Jewish Federation did an extensive study of the Jewish population of Greater Cleveland. They compared the data to the data collected in a study 15 years earlier. Among the findings: The Cleveland Jewish population had remained stable; an alarming percentage of the community was living in poverty; the connection to Israel was very strong; Jewish Cleveland had more children than older adults; over one half the respondents were born in Cleveland; as a whole, Cleveland remained a strong, highly engaged Jewish Community, yet affiliation with Jewish organizations has sharply declined; and 42% of couples married since 1996 were intermarried. Commenting on the study, Cleveland Jewish Federation President Stephen H. Hoffman wrote, “The data in this report will be used to help our synagogues and agencies chart future courses of services, outreach efforts and organizational goals. The same will be true of the Federation itself.
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It will help us understand the makeup of our community, as well as the opportunities we have for improvement.” Each week, as the Foundation Executive Director, I have the privilege of meeting with philanthropically-minded folks who want to fund the current and future needs of Omaha’s Jewish community. They want to know that the money they generously contribute will do the most good for the most people, and that there truly is, and will be, a demand for the services, programs and scholarships they wish to fund; that there will be a significant population to serve. Omaha is a dynamic community. Our economy is strong, and our citizens are engaged. It is time for Omaha’s Jewish community to follow the example of the Cleveland Jewish Federation, to undertake a comprehensive population study. It will help us determine what programs and services to provide, and which populations need to be served. It will also help us determine which current programs and services are outdated and no longer needed. The population study will provide the information we need to properly plan for a vibrant and successful future.
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To submit announcements: Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; faxed to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Readers can also submit announcements -- births, b’nai mitzvahs, engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements. Deadlines are normally eight days prior to publication, on Thursdays, 9 a.m. Please check the Jewish Press, for notices of early deadlines.
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10 | The Jewish Press | June 5, 2015
Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 |712.322.4705 email: BnaiIsraelCouncilBluffs@gmail.com Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on June 12, at 7:30 p.m. when guest speaker, Marcia Kushner of Lincoln will visit and reminisce about growing up in Council Bluffs. Oneg to follow service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel! Larry Blass will officiate at all of the Speaker Series Services. For information on our historic synagogue, or to arrange a visit, please contact any of our board members: Mark Eveloff, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Services/Minyan in the Round, 9:30 a.m.; Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha, 8:45 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY: Torah Study, 10 a.m. THURSDAY: Shanghai, 1 p.m. Annual Meeting, BBQ and Camp Shabbat, Friday, June 12, 5:45 p.m. Morning Service, featuring guest speaker, Omaha Fire Department Battalion Chief Timothy W. McCaw, Saturday, June 13, 9:30 a.m. All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.orthodoxomaha.org Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; 15 mins after Kiddush -Mishna L’Neshamah; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 8:15 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:40 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Medrash, 9:45 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Teen Class, 7 p.m. THURSDAY: Women’s Class, 9:30 a.m.; Med Center Chaburah, 1 p.m.; Avot U-Banim, 7 p.m.; Jews and Brews Class, 8:30 p.m. at the Shtrobach home.
CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 8:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office. WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak. THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@unmc.edu. All programs are open to the entire community.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following. SATURDAY: Boker Bash – Family Breakfast, 9:30 a.m. and hosted by the Draper-Moore family with a Family Service; Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study,
10:30 a.m. on Parashat Beha’alotecha; Jewish Movie Night, 7 p.m. Havdalah service, potluck dessert, and movie! Jewish Book Club, Sunday, June 14 at the home of Lois Leiter and will discuss The List. Camp Israel 2015, July 13-July 24 weekdays from 9 a.m. 2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Kosher snack and lunch included. Call or email Andrea Halpern at ahalpern1386@gmail.com to sign your child up for this wonderful day camp experience for students entering kindergarten through 7th grade. The Jewish Federation of Lincoln we will be partnering with Camp Israel this summer by subsidizing tuition costs for every child in attendance. Parents will ONLY BE CHARGED $18 per child for two weeks of Camp Israel attendance. President’s Office Hours, Sunday Mornings, 10 a.m.–noon at SST. If you have any Temple business you would like to bring before the Board of Trustees, potential programs, or new ideas, please let us know! Call for an appointment at the Temple or just to chat any time at 402.513.7697. Or if you prefer, just email David Weisser at president@southstreet temple.org.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road | Offutt AFB, NE 68123 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Renee Kazor. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.
TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Services Outside and Picnic, 6 p.m. Summer Shabbat Evening Speaker Sandy Christopherson: Heroes & Mentors in My Jewish Life!
Candlelighting Friday, June 5, 8:36 p.m. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Haftarah Reader: Miles Remer. Summer Shabbat Evening Speaker Justin Cooper: Heroes & Mentors in My Jewish Life!, Friday, June 12, 6 p.m. Come and relax and welcome in Shabbat with services being held in our brand new Amphitheatre. Following services, we will enjoy a picnic Shabbat dinner together. During dinner we will be entertained with the music of George Walker and his band. Second Annual Mah Jongg Tournament, Sunday, June 14, 9 a.m. Registration fee is $35 and includes continental breakfast, lunch and one raffle ticket. The registration deadline is Friday, June 5. Temple Israel Annual Golf Outing, Monday, Aug. 17, noon
TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. FRIDAY: Shabbat Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush Lunch. SUNDAY: The unveiling of the gravestone for Marvin Krout, 10:30 a.m. at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. The congregation is invited to join the family for this special service. Annual Tifereth Israel Meeting, Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m. Please plan to be with us for this not-lengthy, but important, meeting of the congregation. Camp Israel 2015, July 13-July 24 weekdays from 9 a.m. 2 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Kosher snack and lunch included. Call or email Andrea Halpern at ahalpern1386@gmail.com to sign your child up for this wonderful day camp experience for students entering kindergarten through 7th grade. The Jewish Federation of Lincoln we will be partnering with Camp Israel this summer by subsidizing tuition costs for every child in attendance. Parents will ONLY BE CHARGED $18 per child for two weeks of Camp Israel attendance.
Jewish in Turkey by JTA NEWS STAFF ists that left 22 people dead at Istanbul’s Neve Shalom synISTANBUL (JTA) -- For centuries, Turkey served as a agogue, and car bombings in 2003 that left 27 dead -- most safe haven for Jews fleeing anti-Semitism. of them not Jewish -- outside the same synagogue and the The earliest records of Jews in Turkey date back to 220 Bet Israel synagogue. B.C.E., but the area saw a major Jewish influx in the early Today, Turkish Jewry is estimated at 15,000 to 20,000. 14th century, when Jews expelled from elsewhere in Almost all live in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city. Europe migrated here. Turkish Jews grow increasWhen Spain and Portugal ingly uneasy with the hostile expelled their Jews during rhetoric emanating from the the 15th and 16th centuries, mouths of officials in tens of thousands of Turkey’s ruling Islamist AKP Sephardic refugees landed party -- especially President on Turkey’s turquoise shores. Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This displaced elite boosted “Erdogan and AKP use blaOttoman diplomacy, finance tant anti-Israel rhetoric for and literature. The immivotes, and this comes back to grants’ arrival also transus as anti-Semitic hatred,” formed Istanbul into one of said Denis Ojalvo, a Jewish the Jewish world’s most expert on international relaimportant centers, thanks to tions living in Istanbul. a robust community whose “Ordinary Turks are unable creativity and diversity to make the distinction rivaled that of the Golden The Neve Shalom synagogue in Istanbul between Israeli and Jew.” Credit: Anita Gould/Flickr A report this year by the U.S. Age of Spain. It was in Turkey that Joseph Caro compiled the code of Jewish law Commission on International Religious Freedom noted that known as the Shulchan Aruch. The Friday night Lecha Turkish Jews are reporting mounting harassment and are Dodi hymn was composed here by Shlomo HaLevi “increasingly fearful of violence” amid “rising anti-Semitism Alkabes, as was Jacob Culi’s Ladino biblical commentary in society, in the media and in occasional derogatory comMe’am Lo’ez. ments by government officials.” Cefi Kamhi, a former lawAt the end of the 19th century, Turkey also absorbed maker and prominent Turkish Jew, accuses Erdogan of “panthousands of Jews fleeing pogroms in czarist Russia. dering to populism” at the Jewish community’s expense. As a Turkish Jewry reached its population zenith -- 200,000 result, he said, “young Turkish Jews are now planning their members -- on the eve of World War I, according to the future, teaching their children foreign languages, liquidating Society for Research on Jewish Communities. Later, their assets.” Turkey served as a safe passage for at least 15,000 Jews fleeThe shift is a marked change for Turkey’s Jews, who hising the Nazis. torically have maintained a low profile, steered clear of The loss of land following the Ottoman Empire’s defeat conflicts and stayed put despite Turkey’s Islamic drift. in World War I halved the number of Jews living in Turkey. Erdogan’s rhetoric has changed that. Most of those who remained in its borders immigrated to Anti-Semitic rhetoric spiked last summer during Israel’s Israel by 1950, according to Arkadash -- The Turkish war with Hamas in Gaza -- a conflict during which hunCommunity in Israel. dreds of Turkish protesters stormed the Israeli Embassy Despite protection by Turkish authorities, the country’s and the ambassador’s residence in Ankara. Erdogan modern Jewish community suffered two deadly attacks in accused Israel of “Hitler-like fascism” and of perpetrating a the past 30 years: A shooting in 1986 by Palestinian terror- “systemic genocide every Ramadan” against Palestinians.
Pulverente MONUMENT CO.
June 5, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 11
In memoriam FRANCES G. KATZ Frances G. Katz passed away peacefully on May 31 at age 91 after a brief illness. Services were held June 1 at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, 42nd and Redick Avenue. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 62 years, Ralph M. Katz; her sisters, Sarah (Berg) Zorinsky and Mildred (Berg) Kayes, and her brother, Nathan Berg. She is survived by her loving son and daughter-in-law, Gordon Katz and Patricia Miller-Katz of Newton, MA, granddaughter, Emily Tess Katz of New York City; nephews, niece, and cousins. She was a life long Omaha resident and a 1941 Central High School graduate. She will be deeply missed by those who loved her. Memorials may be made to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.
Burial set for elderly Jewish couple who died in flooding by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) -- Funeral services were set for an elderly Jewish couple who drowned in the floods that swept through Houston last week. Shirley and Jack Alter, who died when their rescue boat capsized in the rushing floodwaters, were scheduled to be buried Sunday at the Congregation Beth Yeshurun Cemetery in Houston. The boat suffered engine failure before capsizing on May 26, the Houston-based Jewish Herald-Voice reported. The couple -- Shirley Alter was 85 and Jack Alter was 87 - were wearing life jackets but were not strong enough to withstand the strong current. The couple’s 55-year-old daughter was able to float to safety, the Jewish Herald-Voice reported. The Alters were among at least nine people killed in last week’s flooding. The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston is collecting money for a flood relief fund. The Jewish Federations of North America are sending Houston’s Jews $25,000 for urgent assistance. Over the weekend, volunteers and federation staff handed out recovery supplies at the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC. Federation staff also went door to door in flood-struck areas delivering packaged meals. The June 8 Volunteer appreciation event that will be held at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home starts at 2 p.m., not at 10 a.m. as was previously stated in the community calendar. The event will take place in the Silverman Auditorium; the entire community is invited. Reservations are not needed. For more information, please contact Linda Cogen at 402.334.6519 or email lcogen@rbjh.com
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Cop fired for beating Ethiopian-Israeli soldier says he acted properly by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The Israeli police officer who was fired for beating an Ethiopian-Israeli soldier said he acted properly in his attempt to arrest and subdue the soldier, who had entered a closed-off area. Identified by the Israeli news website Ynet as Sgt. Maj. Y., the officer agreed to be interviewed after the soldier, Damas Pakada, filed a lawsuit against him and the Israel Police. The interview was published on Saturday night, May 30. A video of the altercation sparked violent protests by Ethiopian-Israelis and their supporters. The officer told Ynet that he responded on April 26 to a report about a suspicious object under a bench in a Holon neighborhood that had seen several assassination attempts linked to organized crime. Y said he tried to prevent Pakada from walking near the suspicious object, which the officer said had been closed off with a clear barrier. “When I see a civilian in front of me, I don’t see an Ethiopian. The color of his skin, his ethnicity and how long he’s been in the country are of no concern to me,” the officer told Ynet. “I saw a civilian and all I care about is saving lives. There is discrimination against Ethiopians in Israel; those who claim so are right. But those kinds of things never enter my mind.” Y. said he attempted to move the soldier to safer ground by pulling on his bike, at which point Pakada hit him. The officer said his attempt to arrest and subdue Pakada was all according to established police procedure, and he is comfortable with what was captured on a nearby security camera. Y. said he does not believe he has anything to apologize for. “I was aware of the camera and I had no problem with it,” the officer said. “I acted in the same way I would have acted with or without the camera there. What is clear is that the video doesn’t show him walking into the cordoned-off area and you don’t hear me say to him ‘Stop! You can’t go any further.’” The officer said he believes Pakada is being used by government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “When I saw him with Bibi, I felt a sharp pang in my heart because that’s a guy who threw a punch at a policeman, who picked up a rock to throw at him,” Y. said. “And how does it end? He gets his picture taken with the prime minister, at the prime minister’s request, like he’s getting a prize. I’d also like to meet with the prime minister and tell him what really happened there.”
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Houston floods inundate Jewish homes and two synagogues by URIEL HEILMAN our Torahs were higher so they were not (JTA) -- Two synagogues and the homes affected,” United Orthodox’s current rabbi, of countless Jewish residents were damaged Barry Gelman, told JTA by phone. Gelman in the floods that swept through Houston on had to flee his home during the rains as Monday, May 25 and into Tuesday, May 26, inundating homes and businesses, sweeping away cars and leaving at least five people dead. Houston, America’s fourthlargest city and home to more than 40,000 Jews, was paralyzed when many of the canals that run through the city (known locally as bayous) crested after torrential rains soaked the city. Some 8 to 12 inches of water fell in a matter of hours on ground already saturated by heavy rainfall during the last few weeks. One of Houston’s major bayous runs alongside North and Rabbi Joseph Radinsky, rabbi emeritus of United Orthodox South Braeswood Boulevard, Synagogues of Houston, was among those who had to be where two major synagogues rescued from their homes by watercraft after Houston was are located and many of hit with heavy flooding, May 26, 2015. Credit: Robert Levy Houston’s Jews live. Numerous residents had to be evacuated by watercraft, floodwaters rose. including a rabbi emeritus from United “Almost every house in this neighborhood Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, one of sustained serious flood damages -- from 6 to the two synagogues that suffered damage. 8 inches to 3 to 4 feet of water in every The other damaged synagogue was the house,” he said. “This will keep many people Reform temple Congregation Beth Israel. out of their homes for months.” Houston’s JCC also said two of its properThe outpouring of help from the commuties were flooded, including the Merfish nity has been remarkable, Gelman said. As Teen Center, which will require new floor- soon as the rain stopped, crews of volunteers ing, and racquetball courts and a preschool from his 350-family synagogue community gym at the JCC’s Levit campus. went house to house with canoes and rafts to No fatalities or major injuries were report- rescue elderly residents and others stranded ed among the city’s Jews. by the waters. After the waters receded, half “There’s water in every area of the shul -- a dozen Jewish high school boys showed up the main sanctuary, the social hall, the at Gelman’s house to help clean up and docschool wing, administrative offices. Luckily ument the losses. A Conservative synagogue
nearby offered United Orthodox prayer space (though United Orthodox said it plans to use its own social hall until repairs are completed), and another Orthodox syna-
This week marked the first time that Congregation Beth Israel, which was built in the 1960s and has 1,600 members, ever flooded, according to Pat Pollicoff, the syna-
gogue in town offered to do the laundry of affected community members, complete with pickup and drop-off service. “Amid all of this destruction, which is devastating, there is an incredible sense of unity and hope,” Gelman said. “The most important thing is no one got hurt.” The CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, Lee Wunsch, said the community was still assessing the damage but that the Jewish Family Service of Houston would be the point of contact for community members requiring short-term housing or support until their homeowners insurance kicks in. “This is definitely the worst since Tropical Storm Allison 14 years ago, but the protocol for dealing with it is pretty standard,” Wunsch told JTA. “It would be nice if it would stop raining, though. That just adds to the aggravation.”
gogue’s president. More than a foot of water poured into the sanctuary, and air-conditioning and electrical systems in the subbasement were flooded. The water came in the back door, which faces the bayou, she said. The synagogue was able to get remediation crews in overnight Tuesday into Wednesday to pump out water and dry the carpets, which should limit the damage. Pollicoff said the synagogue was still working out the logistics of how to handle several major events scheduled for the coming days, including a graduation ceremony at the synagogue’s Jewish day school, a wedding, Shabbat services and another large event scheduled for Thursday night. “The whole area surrounding the temple was so badly hit,” Pollicoff said. “Many members lost homes and cars. It’s a terrible thing for the entire community.”
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