INSIDE
A Special Birthday Celebration
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT
Jewish
Press Editor
Lorraine Greenspan Levin was born in Omaha, April 19, 1924. You read that right: this past April, she celebrated her 100th birthday. She did so in the company of her children Steve, Chuck (Lynn), Mike and Sharon (Nels), who, along with their mom, all reside in Minnesota. Lorraine is the daughter of Abe and Malvina Greenspan; her mother’s maiden name was Newman. “There were eight Newman siblings,” she said, “who moved from Hungary to Omaha. Their names were Lena Newman Somberg, Andrew Newman, Ethel Newman Berkowitz, Freda Newman Chernis Schwartz, Rose Newman Lipp, Julius Newman, Malvina Newman Greenspan and Berta Newman Stern. Malvina and Berta were the last to arrive, and as far as we know, they came sometime between 1903 and 1908.”
The Newman parents had died young, and all eight siblings were raised by grandparents and aunts and uncles before making the trek to the United States.
Lorraine grew up in the Dundee neighborhood. She attended Dundee School and Central High School; the Greenspans belonged to Temple Israel, where Lorraine was confirmed. At Dundee School, she was a member of the roller-skating club. “I used to skate the eight blocks to school!” she said. “My time at Central was very exciting. I still remember the cheer!”
See My Forever Home page 2
NAOMI FOX
JFO Assistant Director of Engagement and Education
REGULARS
In Intro to Judaism, offered at the Jewish Federation of Omaha, learners are encouraged to ask questions, interact with others, consider multiple perspectives, and discover what is meaningful in Judaism. We’ll explore Jewish holidays and life-cycle ceremonies, beliefs, values, prayer, Jewish texts, Israel and the American Jewish experience.
Intro to Judaism includes opportunities to experience Jewish locations in Omaha, including synagogues and
the Jewish Community Center. You can learn from professionals who deal with a variety of areas related to the religion. The course will culminate with a panel discussion with the community’s rabbis and clergy who will each provide a perspective on Judaism through the lens of their respective congregations.
This 12-session, sequential course is suited for interfaith couples, those raising Jewish children, individuals considering conversion, and anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of Jewish life, no matter faith tradition, cultural background or religious upbringing. Classes meet mostly on Thursday evenings at the Jewish Federation of Omaha beginning Sept. 12.
This fall, instructor Jill Idelman will lead the learning journey for eager students. With a robust professional background in adult education and Jewish education within a local synagogue, Jill brings ideal expertise to the See Intro to Judaism page 3
Kaplan Book Group reads Goodnight Nobody
SHIRLY BANNER
JFO Library Specialist
On July 18 at 1 p.m. the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will gather for their monthly meeting.
Group members have the choice of meeting either in person in the Benjamin & Anna Wiesman Reception Room in the Staenberg Jewish Community Center or via Zoom.
This month they will be discussing Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner.
The Kaplan Books Group is quite familiar with Weiner’s works having read her novel The Next Best Thing and having watched the movie based on her novel In Her Shoes. New participants are always welcome.
the small Connecticut town of Upchurch. The other “super mommies” and their children are perfectly groomed and dressed in designer outfits and fed homemade organic snacks as they congregate at the local playground. Kate, on the other hand, wears oversized comfortable clothes and feeds pre-packaged meals and sugary snacks to her four-year-old daughter and twin three-year-old sons. Nothing Kate
Kaplan Book Group page 3
Kate Klein feels like a fish out of water when she and her husband and three children relocate from Manhattan to
Lorraine Levin
Continued from page 1
While in high school I recall a Founders’ celebration. I can still picture it; we all wore costumes and hats and it felt like the most exciting thing that ever happened.”
Lorraine’s parents expected a boy, whom they planned to call Louis. “When I surprised them by being a girl, they nicknamed me Louie!” She carries that nickname with her to this day. She had two siblings: a sister, Shirley, and a brother, Bud. After high school, Lorraine joined the service. She initially worked at the Glen L. Martin bomber plant, testing octane for the planes, and at 20 years old, enlisted in the U.S. Navy.
“I went to boot camp in New York City,” she said. “It was big, and it was exciting; I was eager to learn all about medicine, so they sent me to a naval training center in Bethesda, Maryland, and from there to Philadelphia.”
My Forever Home
There, she worked with disabled servicemen:
“We treated any soldiers who came back from the war, no matter what their injuries were,” she said. “Some were blind, some deaf, and some had amputations they needed to learn to live with. These were men who gave it all, and at the Navy hospital, we did our part. I loved being there for them!”
In 1946, Lorraine was honorably discharged and used the G.I. Bill to go back to school. By then, Minnesota became her home
where she married Ted Levin in 1947. They built their life together in Minneapolis, where they raised their four children. In 1978, Lorraine and Ted, along with Lorraine’s mother, Malvina, relocated to Dallas, TX. Malvina, who passed away in 1989 was 97. “After 30 wonderful years in Dallas”, Lorraine said, “we moved back to Minneapolis to be with our children”. Ted passed away in 2020 after an amazing 72 years of marriage.
“He was a hardworking man. He was an Army veteran who served in Italy and Germany during the war. His primary goal was to keep his family going.
Her sister Shirley married Morrey Beider and raised three children. Brother Bud married Rosalie Garrop, who was also born in Omaha, raised two sons in Omaha and lived there until five years ago when she moved to Houston, where her son Bennett lives with his wife Robin.” Lorraine continues to be a member of B’nai B’rith Women, Hadassah, and Temple Israel in Minneapolis
“I love Minneapolis and Dallas, but Omaha is my forever home,” she said.
Editor’s note: Do you have a similar story? We’d love to help you write it! Please contact us at avandekamp@jewishom aha.org, or jpress@jewishomaha.org and we will gladly work with you.
Save the Date for Campus Connection
PAM MONSKY
JCRC Assistant Director
The JCRC and the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation are hosting Campus Connection for new and returning college students on Sunday, Aug. 4 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Staenberg Omaha Campus JCC.
The purpose of this program is to equip in coming college students with tools and resources to help tackle antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiments on college campuses. We will feature first-hand accounts from local college students who have experienced protests and antisemitism on their campuses.
Dinner will be provided and attendees will leave with an awesome back to school swag bag including an Uber gift card!
To reserve your spot, please contact Pam Monsky, JCRC Assistant Director, 402.334.6572, pmonsky@jewishomaha.org
Campus Connections is part of JCRC’s Community Conversations, generously funded by: The Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Foundation, Anything Grants from the Staenberg Family Foundation, The Special Donor Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation and The Jule M. Newman Memorial Fund.
INFORMATION SESSION
Thursday, July 25th
6:00-7:00 pm
Jewish Federation of Omaha
Benjamin & Anna E. Wiesman
Family Reception Room 333 S. 132nd Street
RSVP to Jay Katelman at jkatelman@jewishomaha.org or 402-334-6461
VIEW TRIP DETAILS AT www.jewishomaha.org or scan QR code
Lorraine Levin
132nd Street Taskforce update
PHIL MALCOM AND MICHAEL MILLER
It’s been some time since we last wrote about the land the Federation purchased just north of our campus. In the months since we last updated everyone on this, quite a bit has happened! We commissioned a taskforce to make recommendations to the Federation board for the best use of this land. We solicited community input on potential programs to be housed on this site. We hosted a town hall. We analyzed reports from previous committees and surveys, including the massive 2017 community study, and we administered new studies to understand the needs of our community today. We commissioned a survey of the land from an engineering firm and a market study from a leading market research firm. We gathered information from other communities about their own projects, including site visits to New Jersey, St. Louis, and Phoenix, as well as visits to multiple facilities in Omaha. We also had numerous one-on-one conversations with engaged community members, eager to share their ideas and passion for the future growth of our campus.
land into one or more housing facilities to accommodate the needs of seniors and adults with intellectual disabilities. Specifically, the recommended next step would be to issue a Request For Proposal (RFP) to several developers with the proposed programming requirements so that they can use their creativity to suggest the future facilities that best fit the needs of the organization and the demand of the market. The taskforce will then meet with those developers, review their proposals, and make a further recommendation to the board to begin development with one of them.
The board approved the motion from the taskforce, and we are now preparing this RFP.
We will be drawing on the professional experiences of both our own community members and other Jewish communities with similar projects to develop this RFP, and we plan to have it issued by the end of the summer.
Our taskforce met several times over the last 18 months to gather and share this data, to analyze and debate. Our charge was to return to the Federation board with a recommendation for the future programming use of the combined parcels. This process took some time, but this is a generational opportunity, and we wanted to ensure that we were thorough in our approach.
We are pleased to announce that at the May board meeting, the 132nd Street Taskforce provided a recommendation to the board to begin the process of developing the newly-acquired
Kaplan Book Group
Continued from page 1 does seems to be up to the Upchurch moms’ high standards; she is basically frowned upon by them. When Kate is invited to Kitty Cavanaugh’s house because Kitty believes “we have a friend in common”, Kate is thrilled. When she and her children arrive, no one seems to be home and the visit is cut short by Kate’s discovery of Kitty’s bloody body in the house. All this is drama and angst is packed into the first chapter of Weiner’s novel. While Weiner’s novel is an engaging murder mystery, it also is a search for finding one’s self-worth.
Feeling like she and Kitty could have been friends, Kate begins an unofficial investigation in this quiet suburb where people moved to avoid the crime of big city life to find out who killed Kitty. Relying on her skills as a quasi-tabloid journalist, Kate begins her quest to solve the murder by attempting to find out just who Kitty Cavanaugh was. Kate is aided in this quest by her best friend from Manhattan, Janie Segal who works as a journalist – even though she is the daughter of “Sy Segal, the Carpet King” and doesn’t need to work. Also helping Kate is a former wannabe boyfriend, Evan McKenna, who broke her heart years ago when she and Janie lived together in Manhattan. As a longtime free-lance investigator, Evan is a logical person to help. Kate and Evan reconnect when Evan’s name comes up as the mutual friend Kitty alluded to.
Weiner tells the story of the relationships of Kate, Jane, and Evan using a two time period style. Some chapters relate their connection and background in New York. These are contrasted with chapters dealing with their lives in the present in which the crime investigation is taking place. Kate’s investigation is both suspenseful and amusing considering the escapades that Jane and Kate get themselves into. You can imagine the results when Janie accidentally gives Ecstasy to
It’s important to note that our next steps will be detailed and complicated, and the proposals from developers may end up impacting the final programming intended for this space. As things develop and potentially change, we’ll keep the community updated.
We’d like to take a moment to thank all of you for your patience, input, and creativity as we’ve navigated this complex process. We’d also like to thank the dedicated members of the 132nd Street Taskforce, who have committed countless hours in meetings, conversations, and research over the last 18 months. The strength of our community lies in the passion of our people, and we are so proud to partner with all of you in the next phase of our growth.
an opera Diva (Kate’s mom) during a neighborhood Christmas party thrown by Kate to try and win over her neighbors.
While solving the mystery of Kitty’s death is forefront in Weiner’s novel, it is also a study of the bond of friendship and self-discovery. Through the book, Weiner relates that no matter the town, a mother should be more than a “Stepford” wife; she has to have a purpose to validate her being.
Please feel free to join us on July 18 in person or via Zoom. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. New members are always welcome.
The Group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For information about the group and to join in the discussion, contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org
Intro to Judaism
Continued from page 1
Intro to Judaism course. Her deep knowledge and warm personality make her the perfect choice to teach the fundamentals of Judaism at the Jewish Federation of Omaha.
Scan here for more information and to register!
With questions, email Naomi Fox, Assistant Director of Engagement and Education or at 402.334.6424.
www.honeymanrentall.com
A Wedding or A Wedding*?
If your daughter marries her girlfriend, is it a wedding or is it a wedding with an asterisk next to it; in other words: is it a real wedding? Since my daughter Rebecca is set to marry her fiancé Shir in August, I am very much interested in the answer to this question, especially since yours truly is helping fund the 300-person shindig in a big Tel Aviv hall (when I tried telling Rebecca, "Hey, if you girls are okay with going down the non-normative path, why not go all the way and have a funky pot-luck affair for a few dozen people in our backyard," she just stared at me). Amidst the multiple fittings and errands connected to a double-brided wedding, I managed to sit the girls down to discuss this matter. Rebecca and Shir speak about the different paths leading to their romance. Rebecca, 35, immigrated from Miami at the age of 8, and she was raised within a religious framework in the relatively small town of Givat Ze’ev. Rebecca says that during her childhood “I thought that I was on the normal path like everyone I knew; I was on the path for many years, and I Iiked the path--it was easy for me to get guys and so that was not an issue for me.” What did become an issue for Rebecca in high school was halakha (Jewish law, which, interestingly, translates as “the way”). While Rebecca says, “I am connected to my Judaism,” the Orthodox religious life in which she was raised proved too restrictive for her and she left it in her late teens, though she knew that in this she would be disappointing her parents and teachers. In hindsight, Rebecca says that this process delayed her coming to terms with her sexuality. She says: “to go off the derekh [path] was hard--you don’t know, you are afraid. And so now I am going to go off the derekh in this?” Even though Rebecca was surrounded by women basketball players who had “come out,” she kept brushing that option aside: “When I was 20, I thought, ‘okay I will get married at 26,’ and I would just push off that age as each year went by. But around when I was 25, when I was truly open to myself, I saw that there was another option.” Rebecca thus sees her life as a path that includes not one but two “comings out”: first religion, then sexuality. Shir, 25, comes from a secular family, and, like Rebecca, she is one of five children. Growing up in the city of Ra’anana, Shir (the word means “song” in Hebrew) was flagged for her basketball talent early on, and beginning at the age of 14, she made it onto all of Israel’s national teams. Shir went to a secular public high school in Ra’anana, where she knew kids who had “come out” and where conversations about gender fluidity took place.
Upon graduating high school, Shir (like Rebecca) was awarded “outstanding athlete” status, meaning that for her two years of military service she would be able to continue playing basketball. However, while Rebecca combined service in a school with playing for Jerusalem’s professional team, Shir gave up her athletic status so as to have a demanding military position (she was a traffic controller in the Air Force).
Shir and Rebecca first met about four years ago as team-
Proverbial Wisdom
As many of you know, I have an abiding interest in comic strips that combines the entertaining with the educational. In a classic Peanuts strip, Charlie Brown tries to motivate his recumbent canine Snoopy by quoting from the Book of Proverbs: “Love not sleep lest thou come to poverty” (20:13). Snoopy’s response: “I stayed awake all day yesterday but was still poor.”
In today’s world, such proverbial wisdom is widespread. And there are few areas of daily life to which reporters, columnists, and headline writers cannot apply (or misapply) the practical insights of the authors of Proverbs, who were the Dear Abbys of the biblical world. The first reference we locate in the Book of Proverbs is found in verse 19 of chapter 1: “Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.” It is found in an article in the Calgary Herald, titled Save us, Harry, that details biblical parallels to the Harry Potter stories. Citing this proverb, the paper asks: “What magical building in Harry Potter has a similar warning engraved on its silver doors?” Alas, I have no idea, and the story didn’t reveal the answer, although I am sure any seasoned Potterite will know.
Several writers discuss the relevance of Proverbs to today’s business world. A feature in the Syracuse, New York, PostStandard on using “religious principles in making investment choices” asserts that “the book of Proverbs talks about dollar cost averaging, the theory that savings add up over time.” The report states, “King Solomon refers to this as
mates on Tel Aviv’s professional team. Shir had returned to basketball after her two-year hiatus in the military, and for the first time she would not be playing in Raanana, whereas by that time Rebecca was a veteran of several teams in the league. Shir says: “At the beginning we were really only teammates, and Rivkah came to the team with a lot of ‘distance,’ because she was older than most of us.” The relationship began, says Shir, as “good friendship,” and the two girls would go to dinner after practices. Rebecca had already “come out” and Shir knew this, though she says that “I didn’t know that it was possible for me.” Rebecca for her part was cautious: “I was 31 and I was thinking of the long term.” Shir says: “I didn’t think of that option until I was with Rivkah. I was with guys throughout. I was on that traditional path. When I met Rivkah, I was immediately attracted to her very strong and powerful personality. I was curious about her. I was interested in her; I felt that this is it. So I made the move. I listened to my heart rather than to my mind-- there was no decision, I just went with my heart.” Before each of our children’s weddings, Sarah and I took the young couple out to a nice restaurant where we would give them our tips on zoogiyoot (spousal relationship), and we had a chance to do this with Shir and Rebecca toward the end of June. The girls told us the story of their engagement, which Rebecca had orchestrated to take place on a classic trek overlooking the Dead Sea. The girls said that after Rebecca took out the engagement ring and proposed, and after Shir accepted, they both went quiet. They said that they had this eerie feeling there in the midst of the Judean desert; they kept marvelling and telling themselves: “Wow, we really did it!” You don’t have to have a doctorate in theology to understand that what Rebecca and Shir both felt at their engagement was a sense of the holy breaking unexpectedly into their lives. Will their wedding be a real wedding? That quiet moment on the Daraja trail speaks wonders.
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.
steady plodding brings prosperity”—an apparent reference to Proverbs 21:5: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance.” Unfortunately, the good king did not consistently follow his own advice.
A happier note is struck by references to Proverbs 15:15: “For the merry heart, life is a continual feast.” As reported in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a study on nuns and aging found that “positive emotions and a merry heart may be the secret to a longer, happier life.” In general, the elderly come off well in the biblical text. So, it is not unexpected that another story on projections of increased lifespans quotes Proverbs 16:31, “grey hair is a crown of splendor.”
Most of the examples thus far are fairly lighthearted or at least benign. But a few of the frequently cited verses from Proverbs have grimmer consequences. These include 13:24 (“He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him”), 22:15 (“Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it from him”), and 29:15 (“The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to itself disgraces its mother”). In story after story, from Great Britain, Canada and the United States, these passages are used as arguments by some church-related schools to permit corporal punishment.
Most reporters simply list these passages as they would sections from contemporary legal documents. They rarely attempt to interpret what they meant in antiquity. To remedy this, allow me, humbly and of course with consummate self-control, to urge reporters and editors to apply this bit of Proverbial wisdom to themselves: “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom [and also perhaps increased circulation and Pulitzer Prizes] for the future” (Proverbs 19:20).
TEDDY WEINBERGER
Rebecca and Shir
LEONARD GREENSPOON
Profiles in service
LINDA POLLARD
JFO Foundation Endowment Assistant/ Staff Writer
The Foundation’s mission is to ensure the ongoing and future sustainability of Jewish Omaha by managing donor assets and distributing funds. These funds are instrumental in providing support for scholarships, grants, special projects, programs that benefit both Jewish Omaha and secular and Jewish charitable organizations near and far chosen by our donor-advised participants. Your support enriches Jewish Tomorrows.
We take great pride in our dedicated board members, each of whom plays a vital role in advancing our mission. Throughout the year, we will be spotlighting members to recognize their valuable time, talents, and contributions to making our community stronger.
What about being on The Foundation Board inspires you?
I am inspired by the generosity of our community.
What do you see as the strengths you bring to the board?
Because I worked at the Jewish Federation of Omaha, I understand the needs of the agencies and what goes in to so much of the programming on campus. I also have participated on several college scholarship committees and foundations.
What accomplishments of the board are you particularly proud of?
I just completed my first year on the board. I look forward to being impactful in the years to come.
What do you think people should know about The Foundation?
B’nai Israel Monthly Speaker Series
On Friday, July 12 the guest speaker for B’nai Israel Synagogue Shabbat services will be Renee Cocoran. Renee will be talking about the historical timelines of the first synagogues established in eastern Iowa and Nebraska.
Partially because of her extensive track record as Executive Director of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, Renee is the go-to person to speak on the topic.
Since its incorporation in 1982, the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society has helped preserve local Jewish history through the collection of artifacts and documents that show the impact Jews have had in Nebraska and Eastern Iowa since the 1850s.
LOURI SULLIVAN has served on The Foundation board since 2023.
What attracted you to be on The Foundation Board?
I had always hoped to serve on The Foundation Board to be a part of the Legacy of the Omaha Jewish community.
JEWISH PRESS READERS
The Foundation will be here when all of us are gone and will continue to support the needs of the Jewish community. When community members set up an endowment, The Foundation invests the funds and every year, the income is utilized to enrich our community.
If you do business with any of our advertisers, please tell them you saw their ad in the Jewish Press. It really helps us!
Renee will also talk about the upcoming historical installations at B’nai Israel highlighting the first synagogues in our area.
The entire community is invited on Sunday, Aug. 25 to join a bus tour beginning at the Jewish Community Center to go see these
ORGANIZATIONS
B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS
locations and hear a historical talk at each site.
In 2021, the B’nai Israel Board teamed up with Renee Corcoran and Sandi Yoder, Director of the Iowa Jewish Historical Society to assist us with reinvisioning the direction of the synagogue. The result has been exciting and continues to evolve.
“We look back with a deep sense of gratitude for what our fathers did before us. Now we must look forward to what we shall do for ourselves and our children in the name of Judaism,” Rabbi David Korb told B’nai Israel in 1953.
The congregation aims to preserve the regions oldest active synagogue for future generations by keeping it relevant today.
For more information or to schedule a visit, please follow B’nai Israel Council Bluffs on Facebook, visit https://www.cblhs.org, message us through messenger, call us at, 712.322.4705 or join us at our monthly service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!
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
Renee Cocoran
Above: We welcome Max Ruback, our new RBJH volunteer, who is assisting the activity staff with programs and Shabbat Services on Saturday mornings.
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
Nancy
who discussed Martin Sneider, author of Amy
bound, his recent novel. Martin
der grew up in Omaha, graduated from Central High School, and worked for Mrs. B. Christina quickly got Martin’s email and asked him if he could share stories of his childhood with the Residents, which he was happy to do.
GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY
Above: Residents at the RBJH enjoying themselves playing Dominos with their new game T-shirts from Volunteer Patti.
Above: Christina Caniglia was traveling to work while listening to Boomer Radio with Dave Wingert’s interview “Omaha’s favorite Bookworm” weekly guest,
Rips,
Un-
Snei-
Top, above and below: Families from across the community gathered for Family Day at the Zoo with PJ Library Omaha and Friedel Jewish Academy. Kids, parents, and grandparents spent time with friends, met new people, and had snack; while enjoying all the zoo has to offer!
Below: Jewish Press advisory board member Hailey Krueger and Omaha Community Shlicha Mika Mizrahi pose with the Godfather at Project Harmony’s annual ‘Hops for Harmony’ event at Werner Park.
Above left and right, and below: The NextGen Omaha event at Spirit World! Each wine was from Israel, which made it even more special. Thank you to everyone who came out and made the evening so much fun!
Above and below: The Friedel garden is really coming along this summer! We’ve expanded our pollinator garden by adding over 30 native pollinator plants and beautifying the space with butterfly houses, bird feeders, wind chimes, and more! Our edible garden contains a variety of herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. Ms. Coffin says there is even more to do over the summer, so check back soon to watch our garden grow!
Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation Highlights
LINDA POLLARD
JFO Foundation Endowment Assistant/Staff Writer
The Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation is pleased to announce that the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation grants were recently awarded during their Spring 2024 semiannual meeting. The Goldstein Supporting Foundation considers requests for funds that support local projects and programs of the Jewish Federation of Omaha and its agencies, synagogues and Jewish service organizations, where funding is unavailable through their respective annual operating budgets. Programs benefitting Russian Jewry in Omaha, the United States, Israel or the former Soviet Union are supported by the Goldstein Foundation. They also consider applications from local and national Jewish and secular charities in the areas of medicine and medical research, rescue and relief, education and current events of Jewish content, and human rights.
The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) was awarded a spring 2024 Goldstein grant to hold a middle school PEW (Promoting Empowerment in our World) workshop in February 2025. Over the last 36 years the ADL/CRC, now the JCRC has held PEW workshops for high school juniors. The JCRC has been asked by area educators to hold a workshop for middle school students. In the past one middle school PEW was held, but it was not continued due to lack of staff and time. Student responses to this middle school workshop were, “I had so much fun! Thank you for inviting us to the program!” and “Thank you for this amazing opportunity!” The facilitator comments were, “Thank you for the opportunity!!
Was a fantastic day!” “Thank you for the opportunity to impact students in the DEI space.” “All of my gratitude! Thank you for letting me participate!” Clearly this program is wanted by both students and leaders. Now the JCRC is ready to initiate a fullday program for the younger students. According to Pam Monsky, the JCRC Assistant Director, “The curriculum will be adjusted for middle schoolers. We plan on working with middle school educators so that we have an engaging day that is truly interactive and informative.” Pam continued with the rationale they developed for the program, “The Middle School Promoting Empowerment in our World (PEW) equips its participants with an understanding of prejudice and discrimination and the harm they inflict upon individuals and society. It offers an opportunity for students to resolve conflicts, solve problems, share life experiences, develop empathy, think critically and work in diverse teams.”
Pam acknowledged, “The Goldstein Supporting Foundation is crucial to our agency’s success. Our programs are rooted in Jewish values and educating young people about bias and antisemitism is a priority for the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation. It’s a great relationship!”
“This program will bring together 200 middle school students and equip them with an understanding of prejudice and discrimination and the harm they inflict upon individuals and society. PEW coincides with our mission in sponsoring activities that educate young students on principles of equality and fairness, as well as becoming agents of change,” stated Don Goldstein, Goldstein Board President.
These are the contenders to replace Joe Biden
RON KAMPEAS
WASHINGTON
Calls for President Joe Biden to relinquish his presidential nomination have proliferated since his disastrous debate performance last week.
On Tuesday July 2, for the first time, a Democratic elected official, Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, echoed the demand; Aside from Doggett, most of the appeals have come from a range of liberal-leaning publications and pundits. Biden insists he’s going nowhere, and has sent out campaign surrogates to make the case that the 81-year-old president is up to the job. Nonetheless, chatter about potential successors has only increased. Marianne Williamson, the Jewish self-help author who challenged Biden in the primaries, reopened her campaign this week and called for an open convention.
A few more names are in the mix, from Vice President Kamala Harris to a number of governors and other officials, and they all have Jewish connections. None of them has yet called for Biden to quit the race.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ most obvious Jewish asset is her Jewish husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. His kids, from his first marriage, adopted a Yiddishism to affectionately dub the vice president “Momala.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is a popular governor in a must-win purple state. She is also one of the governors who contended this spring with pro-Palestinian protests roiling
campuses and other venues. Michigan has a sizable and involved Jewish community, and what is believed to be the country’s largest Arab-American population, which spearheaded a campaign to withhold primary votes from Biden.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom survived a recall election in the largest state in the country and has thrived since then. He ventured last year into hostile Fox News territory to take on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a debate — which fueled speculation that Newsom had longshot 2024 ambitions.
Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro brought his sensibilities as a Jewish day school graduate and parent to his successful gubernatorial run in 2022. He aims to project a clean-cut image and was sworn in on a stack of three Hebrew Bibles.
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The Jewish Press
(Founded in 1920)
Margie Gutnik
President
Annette van de Kamp-Wright
Editor
Richard Busse
Creative Director
Howard Kutler
Advertising Executive
Lori Kooper-Schwarz
Assistant Editor
Gabby Blair
Staff Writer
Sam Kricsfeld
Digital support
Mary Bachteler
Accounting
Jewish Press Board
Margie Gutnik, President; Abigail Kutler, Ex-Officio; Helen Epstein; Andrea Erlich; Seth Feldman; David Finkelstein; Ally Freeman; Mary Sue Grossman; Chuck Lucoff; Suzy Sheldon; Joseph Pinson and Larry Ring.
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, Nebraska Jewish Historical Society 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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Can we laugh?
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT
Jewish Press Editor
On Sunday June 23 at 10:30 a.m., Pro-Palestinian activists gathered outside the Adas Torah Synagogue in a heavily Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles. Adas Torah was hosting an Israeli real estate fair; the Palestinian Youth Movement organization called for a protest on social media, circulating the synagogue’s address.
“Video and eyewitness accounts posted online depict skirmishes breaking out among the dueling protests,” Jacob Gurvis wrote. “Multiple instances of pepper- or bear-spray are evident from the footage.” (JTA)
The story has been making the rounds on both mainstream and social media since that day, because this escalation was—apparently—a surprise to some.
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.
Am I the only one who feels life used to be a lot simpler? Funnier, too. And that’s another thing that has changed: over the past nine months, there has been very little to laugh at. Where are the days we could make fun of those who hate us?
watched Seinfeld because it was new and fresh and oh-so recognizable. Remember the Babka Debate?
The Soup Nazi? I’m probably making this up, but it feels like there used to be a time when being Jewish was both funny and socially acceptable. Not only did we make jokes; other people laughed at our jokes.
“LAPD admits it was unprepared for violent protest outside LA synagogue,” Jacob Gurvis and Asaf Elia-Shalev wrote. Their article further stated that “the LAPD was unprepared for the size and nature of the rally. “We did know that Sunday’s event was planned. We did know that people were coming to target that synagogue,” a spokesperson said. “Our estimates of how many, and the level of vitriol that we predicted, were not correct.”
I want to make snarky comments, and I want to ask what rock they have been living under, I want to make fun of the antisemites, but I know better. The world is different these days. It’s harsher, it’s more dangerous and less welcoming.
The other day, someone named mikey_greenblatt bemoaned the seriousness of Jewish Instagram, the sadness, the grief, and wondered whether we could still maintain some joy. “Everything we post is sad and kind of negative. Can’t we start a fun trend,” he asked, “like a circumcision challenge?”
Well.
It reminds me of Sarah Silverman on the Great Schlep, and the early Adam Sandler jokes on SNL. Fran Drescher on The Nanny, Jon Stewart back when he was young, and the times when we all
“For 2,000 years,” Tzippy Shmilovitz wrote for Calcalistech.com, “from Haman, to the Nazis, to the anti-Israel progressives at Harvard, humor has been the best defense.”
And Doree Lewak wrote in the New York Post:
“With antisemitic incidents up 337% in the US in the two-month period since Oct. 7, compared to the same period the year before, according to the Anti-Defamation League, laughing may feel impossible to many. But that’s exactly when we need to apply humor where it (literally) hurts.”
Perhaps. Even during the Holocaust, Jews told jokes—I know that. But I think I’m one of the people mikey-on-Instagram is talking about. I don’t have any jokes. Zip, nada. I want to, though, but there is a difference between the jokes we share with others because they are funny enough to reach beyond our immediate existence, and jokes we only tell ourselves to find comfort. And right now, it is that second type of humor we rely on.
Yet, how defiant would it be if, in spite of everything, we kept laughing? No matter what?
Israelis are getting religion, in spite of a coercive Chief Rabbinate
RABBI KENNETH BRANDER
When the war in Gaza began, hundreds of Israelis volunteered to tie tzitzit for soldiers going to reserve duty. Apparently, the 50,000 pairs of green dress tzitzit that the army had in storage were not enough to meet the demand from thousands of reservists who wanted to wear them when they went into service or battle.
But if you asked many of the non-kippah wearing soldiers who wanted to wear these tzitzit if they would formally identify as “religious,” the answer would be a clear “no.” There are also stories of soldiers unfamiliar with the blessing of Hagomel — recited when one is saved from a dangerous situation — asking their religious soldier mates to recite the blessing with them. Women who did not formally identify as religious are holding challah-baking parties both to feed and support the soldiers and many have also embraced lighting additional Shabbat candles on Friday evenings for the hostages in Gaza. Tel Aviv restaurateurs who prided themselves on not being kosher flipped over their restaurants to kosher so their cuisine could be delivered to the front lines. These are just a few examples of a trend, since the war began, of a small segment of Israelis who would not call themselves “religious” taking on religious customs and mitzvot (though a December survey found that most do not feel closer to religion).
On the one hand, this should not be surprising; Israeli society is culturally connected to Judaism. The majority of secular Israeli Jews mark Shabbat in some way: for example, 69% have a special Friday night meal. Over 60% fast on Yom Kippur and over 92% give their sons a brit.
And yet, these stories of “secular” Israelis taking on religious customs stand in sharp contrast to the fierce divisions caused in society by the role of religion, including the ongoing legal battle around whether or not haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, Israelis should serve in the military (or how to find a gentle way for them to serve). This renaissance has not come from rules or guidelines set by the government through the state rabbinate, which has oversight on many matters of religion for the Jewish population, including marriage, divorce, adoption and conversion.
Many Israelis currently feel a disconnect with
state rabbinic authorities, as most of its members are ultra-Orthodox, meaning they often do not serve in the army or have the life experiences of much of the rest of the population.
And the rabbinate’s processes can often be coercive and onerous. For example, a young man I know in the conversion process failed a recent hearing at a state rabbinical court because he was not able to recite by heart the entire long blessing said after meals (which most Jews read from a prayer book or their cell phone). Meanwhile, the court didn’t give him any credit for going to great lengths to wrap tefillin every day while serving in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, simply because they have no context for such an experience. They told him to come back to the court for another hearing in three months. When I officiate a wedding, I must, by Israeli law, ask the bride for a receipt proving she went to a mikvah, or ritual bath, before the ceremony, as commanded by halacha, or religious law. Ideally, I wish this receipt were not required, and that I could just trust the bride to use her judgment; I believe it is enough for me to have spoken with the couple before the wedding about the importance of using the mikvah, and given them contact information for such a facility.
serve Shabbat or fast on Yom Kippur. What we should take away from this thriving of religious practices during these difficult times is how this interest in practice has emerged naturally. There has been the actualization of an idea quoted in the fourth chapter of Psalms: “You freed me from distress” — a spiritual liberation that follows or accompanies trauma.
All of this is telling evidence that religion does better in the free marketplace of ideas, without being coercive. At the same time, both secular politicians and Jewish religious leaders have an obligation to create a context in which Judaism can be nurturing.
When religious authorities are not reflective and don’t appreciate the experiences of the general population, or “amcha,” it affects how all of us view religion and how its institutions serve the people. In too many cases, rather than understanding and seeing non-Orthodox or non-formally religious populations as their equals, the state rabbinate sees them as a weak link in the chain of Judaism — people who need to be told what to do, and how to do it.
This disconnect between the state system and society is why rates of marriages performed via the rabbinate or other religious authorities affiliated with the state are dropping.
It should be remembered that there is no Israeli legal requirement that soldiers wear tzitzit, or that families give their son a brit, or that Israeli Jews ob-
This idea is deeply rooted in our tradition, especially in Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah, the 12thcentury work that seeks to describe all of Judaism’s laws. In “Laws of Kings and their Wars,” Maimonides outlines three mitzvot that Israel is commanded to fulfill upon entering the Promised Land, including appointing a king and waging war to root out pure evil. In the third commandment upon entering the land — to build God’s chosen house — Maimonides’ choice of words is significant: “Seek out His Presence and go there,” he writes. “Seek out” highlights how spiritual or religious life is only effective when it comes from individuals, not from authorities forcing it upon the people.
This is what we see happening today: people seeking out Jewish practice and spirituality. The struggle to eliminate the obvious evil of Hamas See Israeli are getting religion page 9
Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters clash outside a synagogue in Los Angeles, June 23, 2024. Credit: Shay Horse/Nur Photo via Getty Images
A soldier’s prayer book and army-issued tzitzit are seen at a staging area near the border with Gaza, Nov. 15, 2023. Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Vogue Germany’s latest cover model
PHILISSA CRAMER
For its latest cover model, Vogue Germany selected a celebrity who regularly hobnobs with visiting dignitaries and walks the red carpet at film premieres: Margot Friedländer, 102, one of the oldest and most prominent Holocaust survivors in the world. In addition to documenting Friedländer’s impeccable attire and indefatigable spirit, the Vogue article includes her public condemnation of the rise of the political far right in Germany. Friedländer was born and raised in Berlin and hid there after the Nazis rose to power and began deporting and murdering Jews. She was apprehended in April 1944 and sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, where she remained until its liberation a year later. Her entire family had been murdered. Friedländer and her husband, whom she met in Theresienstadt, moved to New York City, where they lived an unassuming life in Queens. But after her husband’s death in 1997, she began writing about her Holocaust experience, ultimately catching the eye of a filmmaker who brought her to Germany over the course of making a documentary about her.
Israelis are getting religion
Continued from page 8
is certainly part of the impetus pushing more people to embrace these customs. But just as Maimonidies outlined, it is only after setting out to destroy evil that the people of Israel will embark on building God’s chosen house, or a spiritual life.
As we hope and plan for better days, as the threats presented by Hamas and others eventually fade, leaders concerned with preserving Israel’s strong Jewish identity need to find a way for religious life to flourish without coercion. In practice, this means offering choices of different types of Jewish education along with more flexible and understanding paths for prayer, conversions and lifestyles. It also requires solving challenges within the religious framework.
One of my goals, and that of the Modern Orthodox institution I lead, is to help give people a more accessible and understanding experience with religion. That is why we discuss with the young generation how they feel about the current system, and instill values like the obligation to respect those different from themselves.
I don’t need to compromise my halachic standards in order
The trip changed her life. She moved back permanently in 2010, at age 89, and quickly became a local celebrity, according to a Forward profile that appeared three years after her arrival.
Margot Friedlander, 102, on the cover of the July/Aug. Vogue Germany edition. At right, she appears during an event at the Bundestag in January 2024. Credit: Michele Tantussi/AFP via Getty Images
to be respectful of others. For example, I have never prayed in an egalitarian prayer space, yet I understand why it is important that, near the current formal Western Wall plaza, the most holy place we have, there be a separate agreed-upon area where men and women can pray together if they choose.
Maimonides and countless Jews for thousands of years were not able to live in the land of Israel, to form a government, to fight evil in the region — much less build a spiritual epicenter here. Now, the spiritual epicenter in Israel is larger than it has been, even in the time of the Second Temple. This spiritual epicenter is essential to our survival, to maintaining our moral compass in the face of Hamas’ evil or our own personal challenges. And it will only happen without coercion, when religion is a welcomed choice.
Rabbi Kenneth Brander is President and Rosh HaYeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone, a Modern Orthodox movement of 32 institutions and programs in Israel.
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.
Synagogues
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766
712.322.4705 www.cblhs.org
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
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, July 12, 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker, Renee Cocoran. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!
For information about our historic synagogue, please visit our website at www.cblhs.org or contact any of our other board members: Renee Corcoran, Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Ann Moshman, MaryBeth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.
Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.
IN-PERSON AND ZOOM MINYAN SCHEDULE:
Mornings on Sundays, 9 a.m.; Mondays and Thursdays, 7 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m.
FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.
SATURDAY: Pride Parade, 8 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Havdalah 9:40 p.m. Zoom only.
SUNDAY: Morning Minyan, 9 a.m. Zoom Only.
TUESDAY: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY-July 19: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.
SATURDAY-July 20: Shabbat Morning Service 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Havdalah, 9:35 p.m. Zoom only. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.
FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Camp JYE BI 2024, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:39 p.m.
SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Tehillim, 7:15 p.m. at the Zivs; Soulful Torah, 7:35 p.m. with Rabbi Geiger; Mincha, 8:30 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity 9 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:47 p.m.
SUNDAY: Shacharit 9 a.m.; Kinyan 9:40 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.
MONDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Camp JYE BI 2024, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.
TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Camp JYE BI 2024, 9 a.m.; Kinyan 8 p.m.; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Camp JYE BI 2024, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.
THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Camp JYE BI 2024, 9 a.m.; Character Development, 9:30 a.m.; Kinyan, 8 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m.; Parsha Class, 9 p.m.
FRIDAY-July 19: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit,
7 a.m.; Camp JYE BI 2024, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:35 p.m.
SATURDAY-July 20: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Tehillim, 7:10 p.m. at the Zivs; Soulful Torah, 7:40 p.m. with Rabbi Geiger; Mincha 8:20 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity 8:50 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:47 p.m.
Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.
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.; Camp Gan Israel—Day 5, 9 a.m-3 p.m.; Campers Bake Sale and Festival, 2 p.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: Ochabad.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 8:39 p.m.
SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 9:46 p.m.
SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps: Shacharit, 99:30 a.m., Video Presentation, 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.; Introduction to Alaphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 10 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 34), noon; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) Class, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY-July 19: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: Ochaba d.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 8:34 p.m.
SATURDAY-July 20: Shacharit 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 9:40 p.m.
LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL
Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. All services offered in-person with live-stream or teleconferencing options.
FRIDAY: Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 8:44 p.m.
SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30-11 a.m. at TI; No Torah Study; Havdalah, 9:53 p.m.
SUNDAY: Young Jewish Initiative (YJI) meet and greet, 10 a.m. to noon at The Mill in the Telegraph District. Email Catherine Petersen at cpetersen06@ gmail.com or Emma Feldman at efeld78@gmail. com with any questions; Men’s Bike/Coffee Group, 10:30 a.m. at The Mill on the Innovation Campus. For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail.com; Pickleball, 3-5 p.m. Anyone interested in playing or learning how to play can text Miriam at 402.470.2393. If there are enough interested people; we will play in the Social Hall at TI.
FRIDAY-July 19: Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 8:44 p.m.
SATURDAY-July 20: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30-11 a.m. at TI; No Torah Study; Potluck Dinner and Family Game Night, 6 p.m. at SST. Please bring a dish to share. All ages are welcome; Havdalah, 9:53 p.m.
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.
In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Benjamin Sharff, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander
FRIDAY: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. In-Person; Shabbat B’yachad Service: Pride Blessing, 6 p.m. InPerson & Zoom.
SATURDAY: Pride Parade, 8 a.m. Downtown InPerson; Torah Study 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom.
SUNDAY: 2nd Sunday Breakfast 9 a.m. at Stephen Center — In-Person.
TUESDAY: Adult Prayer Hebrew: Level Aleph, 6 p.m. In-Person.
WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m.; Jews and Comic(Books), 7 p.m. with Rabbi Sharff — In-Person & Zoom
THURSDAY: The Zohar: Thursday Morning Class, 11 a.m. with Rabbi Sharff and Rabbi Azriel — In-Person & Zoom.
FRIDAY-July 19: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. InPerson; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.
SATURDAY-July 20: Torah Study 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. InPerson & Zoom. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.
More than 10% of US Jews say they were frequently mistreated due to their religion, poll finds
RON KAMPEAS JTA
More than one in 10 American Jewish adults say they were frequently “treated poorly or harassed” due to their religion over the past year, according to a new Gallup poll.
An additional 25% said such treatment happened occasionally. A majority of American Jews, 60%, said they feel uncomfortable sharing their religious affiliation, far more than the 25% of Americans over all who said the same.
In addition, close to half of all Americans view antisemitism as a “very serious problem,” according to a separate Gallup poll, more than five times the proportion of respondents who said so the last time the polling firm asked the same question more than two decades ago.
The poll about harassment confirmed recent surveys by the American Jewish Committee and others of increased insecurity among American Jews. Gallup asked, “How often in the past year were you treated poorly or harassed because of your religion?”
The 11% of Jews who said they had faced frequent harassment was more than any other religious group asked, though Gallup said its survey
sample did not include enough Muslim respondents to report their responses. It did not give a sample size or margin of error for the sample of Jewish respondents it asked.
Among Americans overall, the survey found that 2% said they were frequently harassed and 8% said they were occasionally harassed. Asked whether harassment and poor treatment had increased over the last year, 46% of Jews said it had, as opposed to 10% of Americans overall.
The Jewish responses came from self-administered online surveys conducted in May by 1,588 Jewish adults in Gallup’s survey panel. The margin of error was 3 percentage points.
Following Hamas Oct. 7 invasion of Israel, which launched the current war in Gaza, there have been widespread reports by law enforcement and communal watchdogs of a sharp spike in antisemitism.
In a survey taken last fall by the AJC, largely after Oct. 7, 25% of American Jews reported experiencing an antisemitic incident of some kind in 2023.
In the Gallup poll on antisemitism in the United States, American adults overall were asked the same question they were in 2003: “Do you think that antisemitism, or prejudice against Jewish people, is currently — a very serious problem, some-
what of a problem, not much of a problem or not a problem at all — in the United States?”
This year’s poll found that 49% of respondents say that it is a very serious problem, while 32% say it is somewhat of a problem — meaning a total of 81% who believe it is a problem. Ten percent say it is not much of a problem while 8% say it isn’t a problem at all.
The poll of 1,024 U.S. adults was conducted by phone in May. It had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
Those numbers align in part with a poll of Americans taken in February by the Pew Research Center. That poll found that 82% of Americans said there was either a lot or some discrimination against Jews in society, though only 40% said there was a lot of discrimination.
In 2003, the last time Gallup asked the question, 9% said they believed antisemitism was a serious problem while 48% said it was somewhat of a problem, a total of 57%. At the time, a total of 39% believed it wasn’t or wasn’t much of a problem. Gallup had asked the question in 2003, the firm said, to measure sentiment as Sen. Joe Lieberman mounted an ultimately unsuccessful presidential campaign.
B’NAI ISRAEL
BETH EL
BETH ISRAEL
CHABAD HOUSE
Life cycles
NORM BLEICHER
Norm Bleicher died peacefully on June 23, 2024, in Dallas following a brief illness. A memorial service was held on June 26, 2024 in Dallas at Temple Emanu-El, and he was buried at Temple Emanu-El Cemetery.
He is survived by his wife, Andrea; sons, Zac (Jeff Kruse) and Noah (Marcela Swenson); grandchildren: Simone and Oscar Bleicher; step-daughter, Gabriela Villamizar Jones (Clayton); stepgrandchildren: Sofia and Sam Jones; and siblings, Joel (Sandy), Dan (z’l Line), Paul (Sermsri), Bob (Stacie), Jon (Helen), and Rebecca (Brent Bloom).
The eldest of eight children, he was born Jan. 1, 1944 in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was a clinic doctor; his mother a homemaker and nurse. Norm graduated from Central High School and Creighton University. He worked as a cameraman for a local PBS news station in Detroit and then continued to work in film and video equipment sales for Victor Duncan, Inc. He moved to Dallas in the early 1970s and opened a branch of Keylite Production in the 1980s. After that he started several businesses, including Pro Video & Film and Paragon Homeworks. At a trade fair in West Germany he met Julie Mamolen Bleicher and they married in 1978. They had two children, Zac and Noah, and were together for 27 years. Norm was a consummate doer: fixing old cars while listening to classical symphonies; sailing; making home improvements; and inventing machines and gadgets. He loved to travel
and got to visit all the corners of the globe. He had a passion for films, and his favorite was Amadeus. He was an expert in telling dad jokes and had a great sense of humor. In 2007 he married Andrea Wolf Villamizar, and they lived a happy life together for the past 17 years. In retirement Norm could not sit still and became a Lyft driver, which he enjoyed tremendously because of the wide variety of people he met and conversed with.
Memorials may be made in Norm’s memory to KERA, Edgar Miller Legacy, Temple Emanu-El (Dallas) or the organization of your choice.
BIRTH
EZRA SIMON WILSON
Rachael and Logan Wilson announce the June 24, 2024 birth of their son, Ezra Simon.
He has a sister Ari Rose.
Grandparents are Pam and Henry Monsky and Holly and Bob Wilson.
SUBMIT OBITUARIES TO THE JEWISH PRESS:
Email the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; mail to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; or online at online at www.omahajewishpress.com/site/forms/
ANNOUNCEMENT
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING works! Place your 25 word ad into thousands of Nebraska homes for $225. Contact the Jewish Press or call 1-800-369-2850.
HELLO NEBRASKA! Introducing www.nepublicnotices.com, a new public notice website presented as a public service by all Nebraska newspapers. Free access, fully searchable – because democracy depends upon open government and your right to know.
AFFORDABLE PRESS Release service. Send your message to 155 newspapers across Nebraska for one low price! Call 1-800369-2850 or www.nebpress.com for more details.
FOR SALE - SENIORS
SAFE STEP. North America s #1 Walk-In Tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service. Now featuring our FREE shower package and $1600 Off for a limited time! Call today! Financing available. Call Safe Step 1-877-9330188.
PORTABLE OXYGEN Concentrator? May be covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 855-385-3580.
FOR SALE - INSURANCE
DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insuranceNOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-855-490-4149 www.dental50plus.com/81 #6258
FOR SALE - SATELLITE
DIRECTV NOW. No Satellite needed. $40/month. 65 Channels. Stream Breaking News, Live Events, Sports & On Demand Titles. No Annual Contract. No Commitment. Call 1-855-417-4299.
FOR SALE - UTILITIES
PREPARE FOR power outages today with a Generac Home Standby Generator. Act now to receive a FREE 5-Year warranty with qualifying purchase. Call 1-402-899-2584 today to schedule a free quote. It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move.
HELP WANTED
CRITICAL ACCESS hospital in southwest Nebraska needing a Radiologic Technologist. Must be state and ARRT certified. Day shift with rotating call. Generous PTO package, paid employee BCBS, many other valuable benefits. Visit dchbenkelman.com/ careers. Call 308-423-7009. Email kjessee@dchbenkelman.com.
HOME SERVICES DOES YOUR basement or crawl space need some attention? Call Thrasher Foundation Repair! A permanent solution for waterproofing, failing foundations, sinking concrete and nasty crawl spaces. FREE Inspection & Same Day Estimate. $250 off ANY project with code GET250. Call 1-844-958-3431.
JACUZZI BATH Remodel can install a new, custom bath or shower in as little as one day. For a limited time, waving ALL installation costs! (Additional terms apply. Subject to change and vary by dealer. (Offer ends 6/30/24.) Call 1-888-448-1509.
SERVICES - PUBLISHING
BECOME A Published Author. We want to Read Your Book! Dorrance Publishing-Trusted by Authors Since 1920 Book manuscript submissions currently being reviewed. Comprehensive Services: Consultation, Production, Promotion and Distribution Call for Your Free Author’s Guide 1-877-858-2822 or visit dorranceinfo.com/Nebraska.
Nearly $50,000 in grant funding is being awarded to the following
Beth El Synagogue
Beth Israel Synagogue
B’nai Israel Synagogue
Central High School Foundation
Circle Theater
Friedel Jewish Academy
Institute for Holocaust Education
Thank You
to the Staenberg Family Foundation for providing this funding opportunity
are responsible for matching the grant award amount thereby doubling For
Jewish Family Service
Jewish Federation of Omaha
Rose Blumkin Jewish Home
Rose Theater
Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center
Temple Israel
Pennie Z. Davis ELC
Jonathan Baker
Howard Epstein
Naomi Fox
Justin Spooner
Josh Sullivan, Chair
Alan Tipp
Sonia Tipp
Ben Taxman
Margo Parsow, JFO Liaison
Beth Staenberg Anything Grant Advisory Committee