July 21, 2017

thejewishpress AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

this week

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sPonsoReD by tHe benJAMin AnD AnnA e. WiesMAn fAMily enDoWMent funD

Welcome Dana Rabinovich

JU L Y 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 | 2 1 T AMMU Z 5 7 7 7 | V O L . 9 7 | NO . 4 0 | C A nD leli g H ti ng | FRID AY , JU L Y 2 1 , 8 : 3 3 P. M.

Jewish Heritage Day at Werner Park

eMMA HoCHfelDeR Intern, Jewish Press Incorporating Israeli culture into Jewish Day Camps has become essential to ensuring a well-rounded Jewish summer camp experience for all campers. The J Camp is no stranger to that necessity.

Annual Mah Jongg Tournament at Temple Israel Page 4

e

Twenty years of aliyah Page 5

How a 650-year-old French synagogue withstood centuries of anti-Semitism Page 7

MARk kiRCHHoff Community Engagement & Outreach very baseball fan knows the seventh-inning stretch song: Take Me Out to the Ballgame. On Aug. 13, it’s time to head out to the ballpark and root for the Omaha Stormchasers during this inaugural Jewish Heritage Day at Werner Park. The day is presented by the Jewish Federation of Omaha (JFO) as the Stormchasers take on the Iowa Cubs beginning at 2:05 p.m.

August

inside Viewpoint Synagogues Life Cycles

8 10 11

Social Services. We will depart from the Jewish Community Center at 1:30 p.m. to return approximately 5:30 p.m.

Send in reservations with payment to Mainstreeters, c/o Maggie Conti, 323 S. 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154. Make check payable to Jewish Federation of Omaha and send reservation with full payment to Mainstreeters C/o Maggie Conti, 323 South 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154. Deadline for reservations is Monday, July 31.

Luncheon with George and the Juniors: Monday, Aug. 21, at 12:30 p.m. in the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Auditorium. Get ready for a fun-filled energy driven jam band as George and the Juniors perform a variety of music from pop,

events

MAggie Conti Director of Activities and Volunteer Services From big band sound to baseball, Mainstreeters has swinging activities for everyone this August. Mark these dates on the calendar and join the action.

The Jewish Federation of Omaha is sponsoring Jewish Heritage Day at Werner Park on Sunday, Aug. 13 at 2:05 p.m. The cost is $5 per person. Take advantage of the free transportation sponsored by Jewish

In planning for this event, the JFO spoke with other communities who have hosted a Jewish Heritage Day with their local sports teams. They report that such a day has proven to be a great way to bring people together from all parts of the Jewish community for an energetic, celebratory, fun experience. “We believe sponsoring this day will earn our community a significant amount of positive exposure in Omaha and the surrounding see Jewish Heritage Day page 2

rock, country and easy listening. For lunch, choose either a tuna or egg salad sandwich, both served with summer corn chowder, watermelon, potato salad, a challah roll, apple pie for dessert and beverage of your choice. Cost is $10 a plate. Reservations are appreciated by Monday, August 14. Make check payable to Jewish Social Services and send reservation with full payment to Mainstreeters C/O Maggie Conti, 323 South 132 Street, Omaha, NE 68154. For transportation, call Maggie at 402.334.6521.

A Free Afternoon at the Movies: The Zookeeper’s Wife. Friday, Aug. 25, 1 p.m. in the JCC Theater. Complimentary popcorn -warm and delicious -- will be served. No reservations necessary.

Invite a friend. The Zookeeper’s Wife see Mainstreeters page 2

Dana Rabinovich

For years, J Camp welcomed a Shaliach/ Shlicha (Emissary) from Israel to help lead camp. However, for quite a few years, the tradition was halted; just last year the program began again in Omaha. J Camp decided to bring the Shaliach back because they deemed it important, even vital, “to bring Israeli culture to camp,” according to Youth Director Megan Webb.

The culture Megan is referring to encompasses Israeli songs, activies, and just a general sense of community. The international program, coordinated with the Jewish Agency For Israel (JAFI), is designed to bring Israeli culture to Jewish summer camps. It focuses on further intertwining American Jewish youth with the State of Israel through interpersonal relationships.

Not only is the program beneficial for the campers, it also is created to benefit the Shaliach. The program is designed to give post-Army Israelis the opportunity to travel and experience culture abroad. J Camp’s Schlichim live with host families and become fully engulfed in the American lifestyle. This year, the J Camp’s Shlicha, Dana Rabinovich, is spending the summer with numerous generous families, including: Susan and Isaac Witkowski, Heather and Mark Kelln, Caryn and Marc Scheer, Melissa and Matt Shapiro, Silvia and Uriel Sandkovsky, and Shira and Rabbi Steven Abraham.

The selection process for the J Camp in actually choosing Dana was a process.

JAFI screens candidates for specializing and interests. For example, they determine whether the Shaliach would match better with a day camp or a sleep away camp, or specializing in songs or rope courses. The list goes on and on. Then, potential Schlichim go through a four-day training where they learn about United States culture prior to being matched.

The J Camp was searching for someone who was comfortable being the only Shaliach at a camp, independent, and an overall good match for this community and campus. After various Skype calls and a lengthy search, J Camp found Dana Rabinovich. see Dana Rabinovich page 3

2 | The Jewish Press | July 21, 2017

Rabbi Stoller’s first Shabbat service

Over three hundred and fifty people were in attendance at Temple Israel for Shabbat services on Friday, July 7 to welcome Rabbi Brian Stoller and his family to Temple Israel.

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Jewish Heritage Day at Werner Park Continued from page 1 areas,” said JFO Director of Community Engagement & Education, Jennie Gates Beckman. “So in addition to having fun at a baseball game, we will be sharing a community experience and spreading good-will. This is a great opportunity for families to enjoy a day at the ballpark and be a part of something special.”

The idea for the day started when the Federation office was contacted by the Omaha Stormchasers. “We’ve done similar themed games like Lutheran Night, and thought partnering with the Jewish community for a Jewish Heritage Day would be a fun way to get folks out to see our ball team play, as well as experience all the fun activities a modern ballpark like ours has to offer,” shared Ryan Worthen, former Senior Group Sales Executive at Werner Park. Worthen assures us that if you haven’t yet taken in a game at Werner Park, 12356 Ballpark Way in Papillion, you’ve been missing out. In addition to the fun of watching a professional baseball game, Werner Park features the “Centris Family Fun Zone,” a 6,500 square foot area with a jungle gym, inflatables, games and a carousel. The ball field is in full view from the Fun Zone, so you won’t miss a pitch while enjoying the area. A separate section of the park contains a 6-hole mini-golf course where you can try your skills at another sport.

The gate opens at 1 p.m. and about 30 minutes later the crowd will be entertained by the JCC Dance Training Company. Dance and Cultural Arts Director for the JFO, Esther Katz said, “I was excited for this opportunity to feature our dancers. We have never performed in a venue like this. It will be very different for the dancers and a great opportunity to show Omaha what we are all about.”

Those who purchase a ticket before Aug. 1 will have their names placed in a drawing for the honor of throwing out the first pitch (or nominate another community member if you’d prefer). Since it is a Family Fun Day, clowns, a balloon artist, and wildlife encounters will be part of the festivities. Kids will also have the opportunity to run the bases after the game. The JFO is working with Werner Park to provide kosher food options so that all can enjoy a little nosh. Since we want to keep a little mystery to the day – there’s even more! Stay tuned for updates each week leading up to the 13th.

The JFO is coordinating Jewish Heritage Day in partner-

MAINStreeters

ship with our local Jewish institutions, including Temple Israel, Beth El, Beth Israel, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, the Jewish Community Center, BBYO, Jewish Social Service/Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Jewish Family Service, Anti-Defamation League, Institute for Holocaust Education, and the Jewish Press. Megan Webb, Director of Youth Programs for the JCC, is excited about the day and shared, “We are encouraging current and former campers to wear their favorite Camp JCC T-shirt. We’re joining up with PJ Library, and any fan wearing the camp T-shirt can visit the PJ Library information table and receive a coupon for a free bag of popcorn.” Other participating organizations are working on how to add their own fun twist to the day.

There is no doubt that baseball is part of Jewish Heritage. Rabbi Steven Abraham from Beth El Synagogue offered this insight on the connection, “There is an apocryphal story that took place between Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, the Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, and the renowned thinker Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. The men commented that in order to be a success in the American rabbinate you need to be able to talk about baseball. Decades after this conversation took place, and knowing many rabbis who can read Aramaic far better than a box score, baseball remains a constant in the American Jewish landscape. I look forward to joining everyone at the ballpark for Jewish Heritage Day and hope you will consider attending.”

The event is made possible by the support of the Staenberg Family Foundation Anything Grant and the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation Special Donor Advised Funds. Tickets are available at the reduced cost of $5 and may be purchased online at http://tinyurl.com/yaqzxd n5. Once you make your online purchase, print a copy of your receipt and bring it the JFO on the JCC Campus to obtain your ticket for a reserved seat on the first-base line, or bring the receipt to the “will call” table at Werner Park on the day of the game. For groups of 10 or more wishing to be seated together, contact Mark Kirchhoff, mkirchhoff @jewishomaha.org or 402.334.6463.

Attend this inaugural event so that you may enjoy a fun family outing, celebrate your Jewish Heritage, and be in a position to tell your children, grandchildren, or friends at some time in the future that that you were there for the very first Jewish Heritage Day at Werner Park.

Continued from page 1 from Broadway Show Tunes to Marching Band Music. Made tells the account of keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina, and up of volunteer musicians – both students and members of Jan Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of people and ani- the community – from eastern Nebraska and southwestern Iowa. The Iowa Western mals during the German invaCommunity Band has desion. Rated PG-13 for lighted audiences with eclectic thematic elements, disturbing musical selections in the images, violence, and brief Omaha and Council Bluffs sexuality. The running time is area for over 30 years. The two hours and seven minutes. concert, free and open to the If you’d like to enjoy a Star Deli lunch at the Blumkin Home community and sponsored by before the show, call Maggie the city of Council Bluffs and Conti at 402-334-6521 to reJewish Social Services. serve a table. Lunch is on your Mainstreeters welcomes all own. The Star Deli opens for Jewish residents of the business at 11:30 a.m. For Omaha area age 60 plus. questions call Maggie Conti at Monthly luncheons with great 402.334.6521. speakers and entertainers, Iowa Western Community Band The Iowa Western Commufirst-run movies, live concerts nity Band, JCC Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29. and theater performances are just a few of our diverse activThe band echoes the sound of time-honored Americana ities. You’ll want to be part of the fun in August.

Dana Rabinovich

Continued from page 1 Dana is the J Camp’s summer 2017 Shlicha.

She is from Ness Ziona, Israel, which is near Tel Aviv. Dana grew up with two younger sisters who are four and nine years her junior.

At 22, Dana is freshly out of the IDF as of March of 2016. While Dana served in the military, she partook in the Air Force Band as the lead singer. However, once that chapter in her life closed, she was encouraged by her friends to contact JAFI to become a Shlicha, which is exactly what she did.

Dana’s friends who influenced her to come to the United States persuaded her by emphasizing that being a Shlicha is a “good and unique experience”. Now halfway through her first summer, she has to agree.

When Dana found out her placement was in Omaha, she hadn’t heard about the city in the middle of the Midwest. Yet, a number of her peers had. Prior to departing for the States, she was overwhelmed with the good reviews she had heard about Omaha from others.

Dana thoroughly enjoys J Camp and working with the children. She has even met the challenge of working with mostly non-Jewish staff and campers with flying colors. She continues to be creative and determined in incorporating Israeli culture into the day camp experience.

The J Camp experience has encouraged Dana to return to the States next summer as Shlicha again. She hope to be placed in an overnight camp for summer 2018.

Dana’s future aspirations include staying in the United States on a more permanent basis. After traveling and working again in Israel, she wants to return to the United States for school. She has been accepted into the Berkeley School of Music where she can pursue her dreams on an academic level.

Until then, the J Camp is thrilled to have Dana as Shlicha this summer. She continues to be a wonderful addition to camp and a great presence on campus!

The Jewish Press | July 21, 2017 | 3

W

Order your kosher food for the holidays now

JorDana Kurtzman e are still several weeks away from the High Holidays, but it’s time to place your orders for kosher food from KC Kosher Co-op! As many of Omaha’s Jewish community members know, it has become increasingly difficult to find many kosher products in town; however, KC Kosher Co-op, a company based in Kansas City specializing in providing kosher food at low cost, is once again offering a full line of kosher products delivered to Omaha at significantly discounted prices.

How does the Co-op work? Any community member can go onto the Co-op website at www.kckoshercoop.com to sign up for an account and easily browse, order, and pay for products online. All items are sold in bulk which keeps prices low, but if you don’t think you need an entire case of blintzes (or anything else for that matter) registrants can also choose cases to split with other members. The Co-op carries hundreds of fresh meat/poultry, dairy, dry goods, fish, candy, etc. Once the orders are made, the staff at KC Kosher Co-op processes the order and arranges a delivery to the city. When the order arrives, an unloading crew takes all of the boxes off the truck and makes sure everyone gets what they ordered. Co-op members have a onehour window to pick up their order specially packaged and marked for them.

People who split cases of products can then

food Coming

community

in

Dani Shrago

exchange items and/or money as needed.

This year, KC Kosher Co-op generously donated a $20 gift certificate to Beth Israel for the 4th of July Barbeque, and Dani Shrago was the very happy winner! In addition, KC Kosher Co-op is donating a $50 gift certificate to be auctioned off in November at the Annual Beth Israel Sisterhood Luncheon.

The upcoming High Holiday order deadline is Thursday, Aug. 10 with a delivery at approximately 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at the Jewish Community Center. Visit www.kckosher coop.com to signup and even receive reminders for order deadlines and pickup times. Please contact KC Kosher Co-op at admin@kckoshercoop.com with any questions about products and availability, or contact Jordana Kurtzman at j.kurtzman@cox.net if you need assistance navigating the website or using the split products page.

Sigma Alpha Mu member receives scholarship DaviD alloy The alumni and current active members of Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity, Sigma Omicron Chapter in Lincoln, NE, would like to congratulate recent active member Peter Wen for receiving a Young Scholars Certificate and the Sigma Alpha Mu Foundation’s check in the amount of

$500. The Guller/Young Scholarship is awarded to first semester chapter pledges who achieve a 3.75 GPA (grade point average) or higher. Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity prides itself on high scholastic achievement, and Fra Peter Wen is one example of the pride we take in that accomplishment.

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How to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem Parshat Matos

According to the Talmud, both temples were destroyed because of disunity among the people. The distinction was that prior to the destruction of the First Temple, people spoke ill to each other where before the Second Temple destruction, people spoke ill about each other. When one speaks ill to another, it is possible to fix the situation. One can amend their ways RaBBi aRi when hearing someone express nega- DeMBiTzeR tive feelings. However, if someone Beth Israel Synagogue speaks about me, I may never know how to fix it. The result will be divisiveness that will be hard to overcome.

We have an amazing tool today in social media. Unfortunately, it has become a platform for people to spew negative ideas about others in a safe way. Social media has the ability to connect, however, the insecure among us may use it to disconnect. Let us fix the ways in the past. Let us talk to each other and not about each other. Thus we will create a place where the divine will reside. May this day come soon.

See full digital issues of the Jewish Press:

Annual Mah Jongg Tournament at Temple Israel SCOTT LiTTKy Program Director, Temple Israel Stop by Temple Israel almost any weekday or Tuesday and you will see different groups of people playing Mah Jongg. Almost weekly, we receive calls asking when we will be offering our Mah Jongg classes. Under the guidance of women like Claire Flatowicz, Mah Jongg is growing in interest. On Aug. 6, we will hold our Fourth Annual Mah Jongg Tournament.

The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. with checkin and breakfast. Then promptly at 9:30 a.m. until 11:45 a.m., two rounds of Maj Jongg will be played. This will be followed by lunch and the drawing of raffle prizes. After lunch from 12:45 p.m. until 3 p.m., the final two rounds of Maj Jongg will be played.

When asked about the tournament, Claire Flatowicz said, “The last few years have been so much fun and everyone left so happy, we knew that we would have to continue having the tournament! We have been working hard on getting raffle prizes and will also have Maj Jongg items for sale this year. The tournament is open to the community and we hope to draw people from all over.”

The registration fee for the tournament is $35 and includes a continental breakfast, lunch and one raffle ticket. The deadline for registration is Friday, July 28. To register online, please visit templeisraelomaha.com or call the Temple Israel office, 402.556.6536.

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Scott Littky, Program Director, 402.556.6536.

Left picture: Laura Kirshenbaum inspects Lyla Bogner as Oliver during rehearsal for JCC Theater Camp’s performance of scenes from the Charles Dickens classic. Right picture: Riley Nogg and Tessa Olson rehearse their scene. For one week, aspiring actors

and actresses train intensely, after which they perform in public.

For more information about the JCC Musical Theater program, contact ekatz@jccomaha.org or visit www.jewishomaha.org/jcc /arts-and-culture/view/musical-theater/

JCC Summer Camp has many faces

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Susan Bernard | 402.334.6559 | sbernard@jewishomaha.org

The Jewish Press | July 21, 2017 | 5

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twenty years of aliyah n July 29 we will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of our aliyah. When we first told people that we were moving to Israel, almost everyone was encouraging-aside from the four people who would now have to board a trans-Atlantic flight in order to see their grandchildren. Some friends offered us advice teddy on the order of: Things might be very WeinBerGer hard at first, but keep going and everything will work out. In a variation of this, some people told us: During the difficult period of acclimation, think of your children--think of the great life you are giving them in Israel.

As it turned out, those who fretted about our start here needn’t have worried: Even our first year as new immigrants was a fantastic year. There was more to the words of those who counseled us concerning our kids, though not in the sense that successful aliyah can be predicated upon improving the lives of one’s children. Especially for Americans (who can so easily return to their country of origin), if aliyah is going to last, it has to be as good for the parents as it is for the children. But aliyah does often put parents in a position of following the lead of their children. This should come as no surprise: young people handle innovation and change much better than older generations. Just look at all those teenagers helping their tech-challenged parents and grandparents.

As a proof-text for this column, I turn to Bruce Springsteen’s 2016 autobiography Born to Run (a good book and a “must read” for all fans, though Springsteen, whether out of a lack of interest or ability, omits any discussion of the music of his songs, concentrating almost exclusively upon his lyrics). There are two examples in the book of the older generation dealing with something new called Rock ‘n Roll.

In one case the older generation rejects the new and suffers the consequences: Thomas Appel counsels his son Mike, Springsteen’s manager at the time of his first hit album Born to Run (1975), not to accede to Springsteen’s request to renegotiate his contract. Appel listens to his father, pockets almost all of the several hundred thousand dollars of income from the album, but then loses out on many millions

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when Springsteen severs their professional relationship. In another case, the older generation embraces the new—and profits. Irwin Segelstein, then head of CBS Columbia records, is contacted in 1974 by his son James, who was bowled over by Springsteen’s concert at Brown University.

Subsequently, however, James reads in the Brown newspaper that Springsteen is terribly unhappy about a lack of marketing support from CBS Columbia. James calls his father to complain. Irwin listens to his son, ramps up the publicity for Springsteen, and over four decades later, Springsteen is still with CBS Columbia.

Aliyah was our family’s new thing, and Sarah and I often had to let our children take the lead. We didn’t always get everything right, as when we ordered 10-year-old Nathan home at midnight on Lag Ba’Omer (his friends stayed up all night), or when I forced Ezra to miss a birthday party in favor of his regular judo class (a trauma for which Ezra has not yet forgiven me). But we got a lot right: We al-

Pictured left: taken a little before our first israeli independence day here, which coincided with israel’s 50th and above: taken at my son elie’s wedding at the end of March. lowed our children to choose their secondary schools, we allowed (vertically challenged) Rebecca to choose basketball over track and field, and we supported Ezra’s quest as an under-age youth to milk cows on a kibbutz. In general, our kids went where they wanted, did homework when they wanted (or didn’t), and hitchhiked wherever and whenever they felt like it. While we might have made some of the same decisions in the States, being in Israel made us much more receptive to listening to our children.

Looking back now on twenty years of life in Israel, fittingly, one of my rewards as a parent concerns listening.

When I meet Israelis for the first time, I warn them about my terribly accented Hebrew. I tell them, “Yes, I know that I speak funny, but you should listen to my children.”

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@netvis ion.net.il.

Drawing light from darkness: Tisha B’Av at Beth Israel Mary Sue GroSSMan Beth Israel Synagogue Tisha B’Av, a day of fasting, mourning and repentance, is a day we recall the destruction of the First and Second Temples and other tragic events in Jewish history which took place. Tisha B’Av will the observed at Beth Israel Synagogue the evening of July 31 and throughout the day and evening on Aug. 1.

Rabbi Shlomo Abramovich, Beth Israel’s Scholar-in-Residence, will be leading Tisha B’Av activities. “At this time of the year we mourn the destruction of the Temple, on the 17th of Tammuz and at Tisha B’av,” shares Rabbi Shlomo. “It seems that today it is difficult to relate to those times and to feel that something is missing without the Temple. Coming together on Tisha B’Av is a way to connect and focus on different aspects of the Temple and talk about its holiness and the closer connection to G-d we could have if it were here.”

Rabbi Ari Dembitzer agrees and adds that “The Hebrew months of Tammuz and Av are the time we focus on the pain in our lives. We remind ourselves of the destruction of the Temples that was brought about through in-fighting and sin. This is the time to fix that past and to focus on what unites us, not what divides us.”

The scheduled observance of Tisha B’Av at Beth Israel will

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begin Tuesday, July 31 with Mincha at 8 p.m. followed by a class by Rabbi Shlomo at 9:15 p.m. titled Understanding Eicha - What Are We Really Mourning?. The fast begins at 8:41 p.m. The observance will continue on Wednesday, Aug. 1 with Shacharit at 7 a.m. followed by Kinnot at 8 a.m. A class with Rabbi Shlomo follows at 9 a.m. and Kinnot will continue at 10 a.m. Mincha will begin at 7:30 p.m. followed by Rebuilding the Temple by Rabbi Shlomo. Maariv begins at 9:05 p.m. and the fast ends at 9:19 p.m.

The entire community is invited to join any or all the events. For questions, please contact the synagogue office at 402.556.6288.

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B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers meets weekly on Wednesdays at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home auditorium from noon to 1 p.m. For specific speaker information, please email Gary.Javitch@Gmail.com, Breadbreakers chairman. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

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Standing in the town of my ancestors

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PaM GaNZ the meantime, she and her talented family My name is Pam Ganz and my family have been working with the Lithuanian gov(Sandlovich) has been a member of the ernment to erect a monument in Lithuania Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Lincoln dedicated to our forefathers and the Jewish since 1924. community of Jurbarkas (Yurburg). It is no Aer my father, Stanley Sands, died in minor feat in and of itself to have gotten 2001 we began wanting to learn more about support and permission from the Lithuanour family history since he had not been ian government because it has been only forth coming in sharing much during his quite recently that they have begun open lifetime. rough various documents and correspondence with the Polsky family (my paternal grandmother was Gertrude Polsky), we discovered that my grandfather was born in Jurbarkas, Lithuania.

When subsequently our son, Steve, spent a semester of study in Siauliai, Lithuania in 2013, I went to visit him and we spent two days on a Jewish tour seeing the birthplaces of my ancestors and other important historical sites.

Amazingly, the cemetery in Jurbarkas hadn’t been completely destroyed by the Soviets like most had been in Lithuania. Students from Dartmouth College and local German soldiers and locals watch a Lithuanian synagogue burn, Lithuanian students worked Credit: German Federal Archives hard to restore the cemetery, 9 July 1941. raising the headstones to their upright posidiscussion and acknowledgment of the very tion and cataloguing the names of those dark history of complicity by its citizens. buried there.

However, the project ‘Synagogue Square’ is Words cannot adequately describe what I becoming a reality. felt standing in the town of my ancestors, I imagine there are others in Nebraska looking at the headstones of relatives, knowwho are of Lithuanian descent and quite ing the dark and tragic history of the Jews possibly from Jurbarkas who would want to having been slaughtered at the hands of their support this effort. neighbors and Nazis. is once thriving JewMy cousin, David Zundelovitch, who is ish community was now devoid of Jewish life. leading the creative team is probably best Fast forward…our son, Steve, decided to known for his famous sculpture of the make Aliyah in the spring of 2015. Months statue of Mayor Meir Dizengoff on a horse later I was contacted by JewishGen by that is prominent on Rothchild Blvd in Tel someone in Tel Aviv who said we were reAviv. lated. Her name: Anna Zundelovitch. I got As you might imagine, I am wholeheartgoosebumps as I remembered our guide edly supporting this effort – not only for the pronouncing the names on the headstones Jews who once resided in Jurbarkas, but for in Yiddish, Polish, and Russian where all Jews of Lithuanian descent. I am wanting Sandlovich sounded exactly like Zundeto help this project continue to move forlovitch. Her relatives, she said, came from ward and I figured the best way to begin is Jurbarkas as well. Our son met our Zundeto reach out to our own Jewish community lovitch relatives in Tel Aviv shortly therein Nebraska. I would also welcome any aer and the rest of our family have spent ideas you may have on how to reach out on time with them each time we visit Israel. an even larger scale to Jews throughout the ey are wonderful people! country who may have a passionate interest Anna was as interested as I was in finding in honoring ancestors from Lithuania. out more of our shared family history and I appreciate any help anyone can give. If she has connected with others in the Juryou have any questions, or if you would like barkas Zundelovitch family from the U.S. to more information, please don’t hesitate to South Africa. We are all meeting in August contact me at 402.730.0854. ank you very in Lithuania for a mini family reunion. In much!

Macron condemns anti-Zionism

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PARIS | JTA Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lays a wreath at the Vel d’Hiv Memorial in Paris last Sunday.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned anti-Zionism as a form of anti-Semitism at the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Vel d’Hiv deportations: “We will never surrender to the expressions of hatred,” Macron said. “We will not surrender to anti-Zionism because it is a reinvention of anti-Semitism.” Credit: Edgar Asher/ASHERNET

The Jewish Press | July 21, 2017 | 7

community How this 650-year-old French synagogue withstood centuries of anti-Semitism Cnaan LiphShiz CARPENTRAS, FRANCE | JTA he synagogue in this Provence town is Western Europe’s oldest functioning Jewish house of worship -- and one of the prettiest on the continent. e Synagogue of Carpentras, which this year is celebrating its 650th anniversary, has a Baroque-style interior and a gold-ornamented hall with a blue domed ceiling. e rabbi’s pulpit is, unusually, on a balcony that overlooks the pews and the Torah ark — the work of the non-Jews who built the synagogue in a Christian style in the 16th century atop its earlier structure, which was first established in 1367.

Most impressive of all is that the synagogue is housed within a larger building that once functioned as an ancient Jewish community center of sorts. e space boasts spectacular facilities, including a 30-foot-deep ritual bath, or mikvah, fed by turquoise waters from a natural spring, another heated bath, a kosher abattoir and a bakery with large ovens that burned year round.

Yet the architects did their best to conceal the building’s splendor. e small, wooden front door is but a drab opening in a simple facade that unlike Europe’s other majestic synagogues does not even hint at the bling inside. e juxtaposition between the majestic interior and basic exterior is the result of French Jewry’s long-held desire to celebrate its greatness without attracting too much attention. e Synagogue of Carpentras is, to French Jews today, a testament to that conflicted sentiment and tangible proof of their deep roots in a country where many of them nonetheless feel they are treated as outsiders.

“At a time when on some streets in France people are shouting ‘Jews, get out, France is not yours,’ the Synagogue of Carpentras and its 650th anniversary are proof of just how deep our roots run here,” Carine Benarous, the communications officer of the Fleg Jewish Community Center in Marseille, 80 miles south of Carpentras, told JTA last week.

Benarous was referring to a slogan that shocked many in France in 2014, when the media reported its use at anti-Israel protests in several cities.

In May, the chief rabbi of France, Haim Korsia -- whom many French Jews treat with the kind of adoration typically reserved for rock stars -- traveled more than six hours from Paris to spend Shabbat with the Carpentras Jewish community of 125 members. Alongside a regional archbishop, an influential imam and other rabbis from across the Provence region, Korsia also attended a ceremony marking the 650th anniversary.

“Here we acknowledge how deeply our history and our roots are anchored in the soil of France,” he said, noting that a Jewish presence has been documented in Provence since the first century.

In his speech, Korsia recalled a different slogan — one used several times by France’s former prime minister,

Manuel Valls, following a wave of terrorist attacks on Jews.

Valls had said that without Jews, “France isn’t France.” e Synagogue of Carpentras, Korsia said, “is proof of that.”

“I still have goose bumps from his speech,” said Françoise Richez, a Carpentras Jew who gives tours of the synagogue.

But Carpentras, she added, is also a testament to the “long and, unfortunately, unfinished history of anti-Semitism.”

Carpentras was one of only four locales in present-day France where Jews were allowed to stay even aer the Great Expulsion of French Jewry, decreed by King Philip IV of France in 1306, according to Ram Ben-Shalom, a historian and lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem specializing in the Jewry of Provence.

Jews were allowed to live in closed, guarded and crowded

community center, making maximum use of the limited space allotted to them thanks to partitions, underground passages and interior courts that offered facilities for every aspect of Jewish life. e synagogue complex even had a special matzah bakery.

Gilberte Levy, another member of the Carpentras Jewish community, is among the many local Jews who can trace their lineage nearly to the year that the synagogue was established. “ey call me the community’s Brontosaurus,” she said, laughing.

To Richez, whose husband is descended from a Jewish family forced to convert to Christianity in Spain during the Inquisition, the Carpentras synagogue “shows that despite everything, we prevailed,” she said.

Women from the Jewish community of Carpentras chatting while preparing for Shabbat at the town's synagogue, July 7, 2017.

Credit: Cnaan Liphshiz

Meyer Benzecrit, the president of the Jewish community of Carpentras, delivering a speech at the town's synagogue, May 28, 2017.

Credit: The municipality of Carpentras

ghettos, known as “carrieres,” in Carpentras, Avignon, Cavaillon and L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue because these locales in Provence were on lands owned by the pope, who took in Jews in exchange for payment. Additionally, he said, Jews were made to wear distinctive clothing, oen a cape.

As for the synagogues serving the carrieres, they were designed by Christians because the Jews were only allowed to work as traders or moneylenders, according to Yoann Rogier, a guide at the Synagogue of Cavaillon, which was built in 1494 but now functions as a museum of the town’s historic Jewish population, its door frames lacking a mezuzah.

As such, in both Carpentras and Cavaillon, congregants must turn their backs to the Torah ark if they want to face their rabbi, and vice versa. (In most synagogues, the rabbi’s pulpit sits on a bimah, or platform, situated in front of the ark or in the middle of the sanctuary.) To read from the Torah, the rabbis of both synagogues had to carry the Torah scroll up to their balcony. e Cavaillon synagogue still has a portable ark with wheels for this purpose.

Despite the imperfect circumstances, the Jews of Carpentras ingeniously turned their synagogue into a labyrinthine

Yet Carpentras also is symbolic of more recent struggles for French Jews.

In 1990, it saw one of the worst cases of anti-Semitic vandalism in France aer the Holocaust: Neo-Nazis smashed dozens of tombstones in the ancient graveyard. e incident predated the current wave of anti-Semitic violence that is causing many thousands of Jews to leave France and was particularly shocking.

Today, Carpentras is one of the few active synagogues in France without army protection. Unlike most French synagogues, visitors may enter without first undergoing a security inspection. While this is good for tourism, “the important thing is that the tourism stops at 6 p.m. and this returns to being an active Jewish synagogue,” said Richez, a mother of two. “We don’t want to end up with just a museum, like in Cavaillon.” ere used to be more incidents, “anti-Semitic shouts and such around the synagogue,” Richez added, but matters improved aer the municipality closed the synagogue’s street to vehicles.

“All in all,” she said, “I think we’re pretty privileged here.”

8 | The Jewish Press | July 21, 2017

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The Blacklist

ANNETTE vAN dE KAmP-WriGHT Editor of the Jewish Press t’s a dangerous and exciting term: Blacklist. First and foremost, it evokes memories of McCarthyism, the period when politics took on Hollywood, resulting in a battle that rivaled the best of movie scripts.

Communists! In the movies! Although it is, nowadays, no longer a cause for shame, nobody at the time wanted to find his or her name on the career-ending entertainment industry blacklist.

Blacklist means “A list of persons who are disapproved of or are to be punished or boycotted,” according to Webster’s Dictionary. The question is, disapproved by whom?

In the case of Hollywood’s midcentury drama, those who disapproved of the alleged communists themselves often didn’t have such clean hands. When history retroactively labels the House Un-American Activities Committee members as witch hunters, our understanding of the term itself changes.

We get to do that: we’re not there, as it happens; we learn about this blacklist decades later and we no longer feel the urgency, we don’t truly grasp how scary and intimidating this must have been for those on the wrong end of that list.

We watch Jon Bokenkamp’s television show by the same name and lose ourselves in fiction: Blacklist means binge watching, enjoying how good James Spader is at being bad because he chases guys even more evil than he is. The eighties may be over, but Spader is still cool. This, too, involves a blacklist no one wants to be on. If you’re on this list, you die. But: it’s fiction, it’s great acting, it’s fantastic writing, it’s exciting and there are no real life consequences. It is the writer/director putting the term back where it belongs: in entertainment, rather than against it.

And in the meantime, our concept of the very word itself changes. Language works like that: how and when we use certain words shapes our emotional reaction.

So what are we to make of the recent brouhaha surrounding the blacklist of rabbis? In a nutshell, the Israeli nonprofit organization Itim received the list from a representative of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. On the list were the names of 160 rabbis whose opinions on the eternal “who is a Jew” should not be trusted. All rabbis on the list are from the diaspora; they are in Germany, the Netherlands, India, the United Kingdom, Chile, Guatemala, the Ukraine, Argentina and Bel-

gium, among others. The longest list of names, however, was of American rabbis from all three major denominations. Itim obtained the list as part of a freedom-of-information request made in 2015, according to JTA. Needless to say, this did not go over well.

Should we, as Diaspora Jews, be concerned?

Yes, says Itim director Rabbi Seth Farber, who calls this mess “a manifestation of a systemic failure of the rabbinate, and in fact of Israel, to address the significance of the Jewish part of the Jewish State for the Jewish world.”

No, says Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau, who claims he was “shocked” at the list’s release. He claims the release was done without his knowledge or agreement. In fact, he “didn’t even know the list existed.” Also, he says

it’s not a blacklist.

Moshe Dagan, director general of the rabbinate, said the list was based on individual proof-of Judaism letters that were rejected for a variety of reasons. He claims these documents were questionable, not the rabbis themselves.

That of course does not explain why the list only had rabbis’ names, rather than those documents. What’s even stranger: one of the names on the list is that of Yehoshua Fass, executive director of Nefesh B’Nefesh, which facilitates aliyah for hundreds of diaspora Jews each year.

It’s all very bizarre.

“After having spent a lifetime working on behalf of and for the good of the Jewish people, to have been placed on a blacklist by the corrupt Haredi rabbinate seems like a badge of honor,” writes Rabbi Morris Allen of Mendota Heights, Minnesota.

“Today, too many of us are willing to write off too many others who are fully engaged in the ‘game’ as being no longer welcome on the playing field. The unhealthy and unwise relationship between a state and a particular stream of Judaism is destroying the contours of the Jewish people. There can be no possibility of restoring the glitter and joy of being Jewish when an official state religion dices and slices our people apart.”

Whether it’s seen as a badge of honor, the a sign of a serious rift between Israel and the diaspora, or whether we treat this entire episode as a storm in a teacup, the very concept of a “blacklist” has no place in Judaism. Let’s face it: a “blacklist” implies some of us are not good enough. And that is heartbreaking, unnecessary and destructive to our very soul. It widens the very gap we should try to bridge.

Why three Jewish women were banned from a Pride Month march EmmA HocHFEldEr Intern, Jewish Press On Saturday June 24th, the city of Chicago celebrated Pride Month with the annual “Dyke March” in the Little Village Neighborhood. The Dyke March is designed to be a more inclusive event than the larger Chicago Pride Parade. It is supposed to have a stronger focus on social justice issues and intersectionality.

The turnout was roughly 1,500 individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies.

Yet, it was only three individuals that have made national headlines.

Three Jewish women were kicked out of the event because of their choice of flag. Each of the women proudly held a rainbow pride flag that was adorned with a white star of David in the center.

On the surface, the mere act of their removal sounds incredibly anti-Semitic. Well, the march organizers are singing a different tune. In a comment made by a Dyke March organizer they explain, “some folks say they are Jewish Pride flags.

But as a Collective we are very much pro-Palestine, and when we see these flags we know a lot of folks who are under attack by Israel see the flag as a threat, so we don’t want anything in the [Dyke March] space that can advertently or inadvertently express Zionism”.

So the Dyke March organizers don’t claim to be anti-Jewish, just anti-Israel. Let’s break that argument down a bit.

Why is anti-Zionism such a hot-button issue for the LGBTQIA+ event? (LGBTQIA+; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and all other terms under that umbrella).

Many of the people who support the organizers’ decision to be anti-Zionist claim “pinkwashing”.

Pinkwashing is a term used around the LGBTQIA+ community meaning “the practice of presenting something, particularly a state, as gayfriendly in order to soften or downplay aspects of its reputation considered negative.”

In this instance, the organizers were referring

to pinkwashing as the LGBTQIA+ community being paraded proudly in Israel when the state has very different interactions with those in Palestine. The claim of pinkwashing not only undermines the progressive nature of the Israeli government on such issues, but discredits all of

From JTA original source: A view of the San Francisco Pride Parade, June 30, 2014.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons those in the LGBTQIA+ community in Israel.

When the three Jewish women in the march were asked whether or not their views aligned with Zionism one explained: “Yes, I do care about the state of Israel but I also believe in a two-state solution and an independent Palestine.”

This answer and the flags themselves were conveyed as “triggers” and made some people in attendance “feel unsafe.” According to a statement made after the removal, “the Chicago Dyke March Collective is explicitly not anti-Semitic, we are anti-Zionist. The Chicago Dyke March Collective supports the liberation of Palestine and all oppressed people everywhere.”

First and foremost, it is important to reiterate that the flags themselves were not Israeli flags.

They merely had a star of David, which has represented the Jewish faith prior to the modern State of Israel even existing. Each of the Jewish women had marched with these flags for a decade and never received such outlandish responses. Laurel Grauer, one of the women

evicted from the march, elaborated on the importance of the flag for her saying “ [the flag] celebrates my queer, Jewish identity”.

Clearly, the women were celebrating their intersecting identities. The multiple groups that define them on various levels. They were labeling themselves as what they are: both Jewish and queer, not one over the other.

The march organizers reiterated that “antiZionist Jews are welcome”. To me, cherry picking the type of Jewish people you allow doesn’t sound intersectional or inclusive. How could an event for one marginalized group benefit by alienating another marginalized group?

After the backlash, it begs the question: what would the reaction have been to a pride flag with the Islamic crescent and star or a Christian cross?

Would they get kicked out? Would they be issued an apology if they were asked to leave?

Despite the national outcry accusing the actions of the organizers as anti-Semitic, the organizers still stay steadfast in their choices to evict.

The three Jewish women have not been issued an apology by the organizers. Instead, the Dyke March of Chicago’s Facebook page is rampant with articles and commentary defending their actions to remove the women from the march.

The Dyke March of Chicago claims to be intersectional. Intersectionality is defined as “the theory that the overlap of social identities contributes to the specific type of oppression and discrimination experienced by an individual”.

The organizers cannot claim to be intersectional if they hand-select the type of identities they support. It is not inclusive, especially when queer women are simply marching with a Jewish inclusive pride flag.

The organizers of the Dyke March did not act in an inclusionary way towards the Jewish community. They removed three queer Jewish women who were proudly bearing two of their intersecting identities. Their removal was not anti-Zionist, their removal was anti-Semitic.

The Jewish Press | July 21, 2017 | 9

Here’s how we can preserve the dignity of aging Holocaust survivors Todd morgaN aNd mark WilF JTA Nazi death marches crippled Mr. Cohen’s knees. The 94year-old who survived Auschwitz now felt defeated trying to climb the stairs to his walk-up condo. He and his wife of 66 years used to be highly active in the Holocaust survivor community and frequently spoke at schools, but the onset of her dementia, and his now frequent falls, have stopped him in his tracks.

But thanks to a grant from the Jewish Federations of North America’s Center for Advancing Holocaust Survivor Care and the commitment of his local federation, Mr. Cohen’s Jewish family service agency hired a nurse to come to the couple’s home. While the nurse could help Mr. Cohen bathe and dress, she struggled to understand why putting on his special compression stockings and shoes made him so anxious.

With further help from the JFNA grant, the nurse received training in Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed (PCTI) care, which helped her to better understand the unique psychological and emotional sensitivities of Holocaust survivors and adapt her care accordingly. Through the training, she came to understand how important Mr. Cohen’s feet were to him — the feet that carried him miles and miles through snow and mud.

Now that his nurse knows to take special care with his feet, Mr. Cohen no longer struggles to leave his home. He can remain part of the community and avoid social isolation.

The Cohens’ story is one of over 8,000 success stories made possible by JFNA’s Center for Advancing Holocaust Survivor Care and local federations. Powered by a federal grant and money raised by federations across the country, JFNA’s program is revolutionary both for its national reach and its use of PCTI techniques. PCTI care promotes the dignity, strength and empowerment of trauma victims and helps caregivers respond to Holocaust survivors in culturally appropriate ways. Since the program’s launch, it has trained 2,000 professional caregivers in PCTI techniques

and supported 300 family caregivers.

Thanks to the PCTI model, more Holocaust survivors are receiving the care and support they need, like the 80-yearold man in California who is discovering the wonders of yoga for relaxing his mind and easing his back pain. Or the survivors in Kansas who are spirited away to happier times with concerts of old Yiddish songs. Or the man in Florida who, thanks to the therapy he received, was able to recog-

Holocaust Survivors at the Flatbush Jewish Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., remain active and engaged in their community through dance.

Credit: Stephen Shames/JFNA nize that his anxiety attacks were being triggered by fears that his declining vision left him vulnerable to capture by wartime enemies. PCTI care can help survivors deal with the triggers associated with aging.

Innovative programs supported by the center, shared with a vast social service network, are also helping people beyond our community. Besides Holocaust survivors, PCTI techniques can help other aging traumatized peoples such as veterans, refugees and victims of abuse.

Though we celebrate the center’s tremendous impact over its first two years, we dare not rest. As co-chairs, we are deeply aware that for every survivor we help, there are

How an anxious Jewish mother became a free-range parent Carla NaumBurg Kveller via JTA I am not built to be a free-range mother. I am anxious and overprotective by nature, and my years of experience as a social worker have only increased my awareness of everything that could happen to my daughters, from sexual abuse to traumatic brain injuries.

If I had my way, my girls wouldn’t leave the house without a GPS tracking device, a helmet, a cellphone and a Taser Jr. And so I was as surprised as anyone when I realized I had started free-range parenting my daughters, ages 7 and 8 1/2. The girls will spend weekend afternoons running to the neighbors’ house, and then sometimes the other neighbors’ house, and eventually either my husband or I end up texting the other parents on the block to figure out where they are.

We recently went on a Shabbaton with the girls’ day school. We spent the weekend on the grounds of a Jewish summer camp with a bunch of other families, and from Friday night to Sunday morning, I wasn’t entirely sure where my daughters were unless they were eating, sleeping or playing in the lake.

Spending the weekend drinking coffee and chatting with other parents rather than hovering over my kids got me thinking: How exactly did I become a free-range parent?

And if I, the Mother of All Anxious Jewish Mothers, can do it, can’t anyone?

The answer is, well, sort of, but not for the reasons you’d think. Despite what a variety of parenting experts and opinionators would have you believe, the ability to freerange parent has relatively little to do with the actual parent. Our individual desire or commitment to letting our kids off the leash is one relatively small factor in the grand scheme of things.

Rather it’s almost entirely a combination of good timing, good luck, community support and a hefty dose of privilege.

First, my girls are now old enough, healthy enough and generally reliable enough to be allowed to wander. Before this year they just were too young to play alone, as I couldn’t necessarily count on them to make safe decisions or get

dozens more who need these services. Of the 100,000 to 130,000 survivors in the U.S., many are in their upper 80s or older and one in four lives in poverty. As a group, survivors are at a significantly higher risk for depression, social isolation, declining health and the negative outcomes associated with institutionalization where unfamiliar showers, uniforms, accents and regimented schedules can trigger traumatic experiences.

The center’s proven effectiveness in helping survivors is why Congress recently approved funding for a third round of grants guaranteed to keep this work going for another two years -- but it isn’t enough. And thrilled as we are that federations have successfully met the preliminary $45 million fundraising goal, it must only be the beginning. Holocaust survivors in poverty need food, medical help, dental care, hearing aids and housing assistance, none of which the federal grant is authorized to provide. And as survivors grow older, their needs grow greater with each passing day.

As Jews, we are charged with respecting the elderly and caring for the most vulnerable. Especially with Holocaust survivors, who have known unfathomable cruelty, it’s on us to let them know they will never be forgotten or abandoned. Each of us has something to contribute.

Contact your local Jewish family services or nursing home for volunteer opportunities to work with Holocaust survivors. We know that for many survivors, nothing makes their day like a visit or a phone call from a friend. Contact your local federation or family service agency to learn about your community’s Holocaust survivor fund, or consider donating to the Center for Advancing Holocaust Survivor Care. The center is currently accepting applications from local service providers.

These heroes deserve to live with dignity. It’s up to us to act quickly.

Todd Morgan and Mark Wilf are the co-chairs of the Jewish Federations of North America National Holocaust Survivor Initiative.

means that if strange adults see my children alone, they’re far more likely to not only help them but to give my husband and me the benefit of the doubt.

Sadly, the same isn’t necessarily true for families of color, immigrant families, or those facing poverty or other economic hurdles, who are far more likely to face significant consequences should they leave their children unsupervised.

Some of these factors — such as my children’s age (both developmental and physical), the color of their skin and their health status — are beyond my control. Fortunately, the most important element isn’t.

The reality is that my daughters’ independence, and my ability to free-range parent them, is entirely dependent on the other adults in our community and the extent to which we trust each other to watch out for our kids. In fact, in many communities across the spectrum of experience, parents are able to overcome the burdens of modern life by banding together and keeping an eye on each others offspring.

So the next time you doubt yourself for being too overprotective or concerned about your child’s independence, Credit: iStock remember, it’s not entirely about you. The ability to freerange parent requires a delicate combination of factors that that required a 911 call from the school, which definitely are, to some degree or another, beyond your control. Even set us back a year or two. (Nothing makes a mom tighten a hyper-anxious Jewish mama can free-range parent under the leash more than the possibility that her kiddo might the best of circumstances, which means it’s incumbent suddenly stop breathing.) upon each of us to do what we can to support our fellow In addition, all of their independent wandering happens parents who are also doing their best to raise happy, indein the context of our community, either in our neighborpendent kids. hood or at school events. We’re lucky enough to live in an Carla Naumburg, Ph.D., is a clinical social worker and unusually safe town, the girls attend a small Jewish day writer. She is the author of two books, Parenting in the school where most of the families know each other and feel a sense of responsibility for each other, and our home Present Moment: How to Stay Focused on What Really is on a densely populated street where the houses are just a Matters [Parallax, 2014] and Ready, Set, Breathe: Pracfew feet away from each other. The girls don’t have to go ticing Mindfulness with Your Children for Fewer Meltfar to feel as though they’re on their own, and even when downs and a More Peaceful Family [New Harbinger, they’re out of my range, I trust my friends, neighbors and 2015]. fellow parents to keep an eye on them.

Kveller is a thriving community of women and parents Underlying all of this, of course, is our privilege, a reality who convene online to share, celebrate and commiserate that cannot, and should not, be underestimated. We are their experiences of raising kids through a Jewish lens. white Americans with enough money to live in the town of Visit Kveller.com. our choosing and send our daughters to day school. This my husband or me if things went wrong. They’re also young enough that I’m not yet worried about drunk driving or date rape; peak elementary school really is the sweet spot for independent play.

I’m also lucky to have kids who can usually be trusted, who look out for each other and who are healthy enough to be on their own. This last point is an important one; my older daughter had an asthma attack back in kindergarten

10 | The Jewish Press | July 21, 2017

synagogues B’naI Israel synagogue

618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 712.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

BeTh el synagogue

Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Street Omaha, NE 68154-1980 402.492.8550 bethel-omaha.org

BeTh Israel synagogue

Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154 402.556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

ChaBad house

An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646 402.330.1800 OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

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

offuTT aIr forCe Base

Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123 402.294.6244

rose BlumkIn JewIsh home

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154

Temple Israel

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive Omaha, NE 68144-1206 402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com

TIfereTh Israel

Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org

B’naI Israel synagogue

Please join us for our upcoming events: Annual Membership Meeting, sunday, aug. 27, 11 a.m.

Shabbat Service, sept. 1, 7:30 p.m. led by Shayna Kurland and Ben Cohen in honor of their wedding weekend.

Erev Rosh Hashanah, wednesday, sept. 20, 7:30 p.m.

Curtis Hutt, UNO Schwalb Center.

Rosh Hashanah, Thursday, sept. 21, 10:30 a.m. Anna Mosenkis, New American.

Kol Nidre, friday, sept. 29, 7:30 p.m. Leonard Greenspoon, Creighton University.

Yom Kippur, saturday, sept. 30, 10:30 a.m. Karen Gustafson, Jewish Family Service.

Our High Holiday services are led by Jeff Taxman.

Shabbat Speakers Series resumes on friday, oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. led by Larry Blass.

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

BeTh el synagogue

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. frIday: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. saTurday: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:30 p.m. weekday serVICes: Sundays, 9:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. sunday: Morning Minyan, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.

Nebraska AIDS Luncheon, friday, July 28, 11:30 a.m.

Volunteers are needed each month to make desserts for the lunches we serve at the Nebraska AIDS Coalition. If you can help, contact project chairman Joan Marcus.

A Wing and A Prayer, friday, July 28, 5:30 p.m. Join us for a PreNeg followed by Kabbalat Shabbat services as we nourish your body and your soul. No charge to attend but please RSVP. Dinner at the Stephen Center, sunday, July 30, 5:30 p.m. at 2723 Q St, Omaha. Join as we again cook and serve dinner at the Stephen Center. If you are interested in helping, contact M'Lee Hasslinger.

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

BeTh Israel synagogue

Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. frIday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Friday Learning with Rabbi Shlomo, 11:15 a.m. at the JCC; Mincha/Ma’ariv & Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m.; Candle Lighting, 8:34 p.m. saTurday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Insights in the Weekly Torah Reading, 7:30 p.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 8:15 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:40 p.m. sunday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels & Beit Medrash, 9:45 a.m. monday: Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Tamudic Tales with Rabbi Shlomo, noon.

Tuesday-wednesday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

Thursday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Shlomo, noon.

ChaBad house

Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. wednesday: New Tanya Series -- The Anatomy of Your Soul: Who Are You?, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Mendel Katzman.

Thursday: Advanced Talmud Class, noon with Rabbi Mendel Katzman.

Summer is here and there's no better way to spend it than with Chabad at Camp Gan Israel! Register today for camp!

Summer Camp Registration is OPEN! Give your child an amazing experience this summer with Chabad!

All programs are open to the entire community.

CongregaTIon B’naI Jeshurun

frIday: LJCS CAMP ISRAEL, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at TI. Kosher lunch and snack provided; Shabbat Evening Service, 6:30 p.m. led by Sarah Kelen; Oneg, 7:30 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:34 p.m. saTurday: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Matot-Masei; Game Night and Potluck Dinner, 6 p.m.; Havdalah (72 Minutes), 10:03 p.m. sunday: Jewish Book Club, 2-4 p.m. at Scooters on 84th

St. in Lincoln and will discuss A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell.

Thursday: Trope Class, 6:15 p.m. with Michael Boekstal; High Holidays Choir Rehearsal, 7:30 p.m. If you want to be involved and aren't on the current choir member list, contact Elaine Monnier (402-327-9212 or emonnier@allophone. com), Holly Heffelbower (hheffel@inebraska. com), or ‘like’ South Street Temple High Holy Days Choir on Facebook.

Join us for a Concert featuring Erik Higgins (double bass) and Marie Sønderskov (flute), saturday, July 29, 7:30 p.m. at SST. Program will include Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances, as well as Icelandic, Scandinavian, Japanese and Syrian folk songs.

Admission gratis; Free-will donations accepted. annual Back-to-school supplies drive: South Street Temple continues its tradition of providing supplies to students and teachers at Saratoga Elementary School. Eighty-six percent of Saratoga’s students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, double the average for Lincoln Public Schools. The school is specifically in need of the following items: Crayons, especially the twistable kind, Glue sticks, Pencils - mechanical and wooden (No. 2), Boxes of tissues, Hand Sanitizer, Sanitizer wipes, Pocket folders (2 pockets), Erasers and Composition notebooks. Please drop all donations in the totes labeled “Saratoga School Supply Drive” in the social hall by aug. 11. Thank you!

Angels Play Writing Collective, featuring the writing of Brian Bornstein, the acting of Elaine Monnier, and the stage managing of Barb Barron!, July 19-29 at UNL’s Studio Theatre, First floor of the Temple Building, 12th & R Streets in Lincoln. Admission is $15 per Flight or $25 for a Festival pass. Tickets available online and at the door. For information or details, visit www.angelscompany.org or call 402.474.2206.

offuTT aIr forCe Base

frIday: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.

rose BlumkIn JewIsh home

saTurday: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Renee Kazor and Zach Bram.

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

Temple Israel

frIday: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. saTurday: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Services, 10:30 a.m. Torah Reader: Denise Blake; Pizza, PJs & Prayers at Temple Israel!, 5 p.m. You’re invited to join Temple Israel and PJ Library for an evening of food and fun! We will say goodbye to Shabbat with a Havdallah service, enjoy dinner together, create our own havdallah sets, and more! We welcome all families with young children, young couples, or anyone wanting to meet new people at Temple Israel. • Wear your favorite PJ’s! • Make your own havdallah sets • Pizza Dinner • Havdallah • Stories and Shema. RSVP required. sunday: Rosh Chodesh Kick-Off Event, 4-6 p.m. Please join Temple Israel’s multi-generational women’s group for our kick-off event! Join us poolside for wine, apps, and chats as we welcome Karen Flayhart, wife of Rabbi Brian Stoller, into our community! RSVP required.

Tuesday: Holy Smokes Cigar Smoker with Rabbi Brian Stoller, 7 p.m. We look forward to this men’s only (21+) evening featuring cigars, spirits, beer and philosophical discussions of men’s issues and perspectives from Jewish texts.

Friday Shabbat TiYPE Night (21+), friday, July 28, 6 p.m.

Join TiYPE for Shabbat services as Temple Israel, followed by dinner at Hector’s! Appetizers are on us! RSVP to Aliyah Lasky, alasky@templeisraelomaha.com, by Monday, July 24.

New Member Family Ice Cream Social, sunday, July 30, 4-5:30 p.m. at home of Rosie Zweiback & Mace Hack. Thank you for joining our Temple Israel Family! Rosie Zweiback, President of Temple Israel, and her husband Mace Hack invite you to a relaxing Sunday afternoon with ice cream and conversation.

This will be a chance for new congregants who have joined in the last two years to get to know our Board of Trustees, the Membership Committee, the Temple Israel Staff and Clergy, including Rabbi Brian Stoller and his family. Please RSVP to Temple Israel at 402.556.6536 or rsVp@templeisraelomaha. com, by wednesday, July 26. Questions? Please contact Program Director Scott Littky.

Mah Jongg Tournament, sunday, aug. 6. Registration fee is $35 and includes breakfast, lunch and one raffle ticket. The registration deadline is friday, July 28. To register, please call the Temple Israel office, 402.556.6536.

Jewish Heritage Day at Werner Park: Omaha Storm Chasers vs Iowa Cubs, sunday, aug. 13, 2:05 p.m. The Jewish Federation of Omaha is sponsoring a day at the ballpark! Join the entire community for this family-friendly baseball game featuring the Omaha Stormchasers vs. the Iowa Cubs. Details about purchasing discounted tickets will be available closer to the big day. If you want to be part of the team planning this event, please reach out to JFO Director of Community Engagement & Education.

Temple Israel Golf Outing, monday, aug. 14, noon at Shadow Ridge Country Club. Please contact the Temple Israel office, 402-556-6536, to sign up.

TIfereTh Israel

Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: monday-friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. frIday: Services, 6:30 p.m. saTurday: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. There will be no Kiddush lunch this week. note: If you have difficulty hearing during services, we encourage you to try out a system which will be installed on a trial basis for Shabbat services this morning. Please come and see if this is something that you can benefit from. We have grant money available to purchase this system if our congregants would make use of it. sunday: Jewish Book Club, 2-4 p.m. at Scooters on 84th St. in Lincoln and will discuss A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell. monday: Join your Tifereth Israel friends for a solar eclipse viewing party hosted by Seth Harris at his home at 15049 S. 46th St., Roca, NE 68430. A potluck lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m. Bring a comfy chair or blanket. RSVP to Nava in the office!

We will gather on monday, July 31, 8:45 p.m. to commemorate Tisha B'Av, the day of national mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem (586 b.c.e. and 70 c.e.). We will hear a chanting of the Book of Lamentations, Eicha, as well as have a discussion about the return to Zion during the time of Ezra and Nehemia and the modern day importance of Israel today.

Two Israeli police officers killed in Jerusalem attack JTA news sTAff Two Israeli police officers were killed and another one was injured by Arab Israelis of Palestinian origin who opened fire on security forces in Jerusalem’s Old City.

At least three armed terrorists were killed in a gunfight with security forces July 7 at the Lions’ Gate, which is situated directly northeast of the Temple Mount compound, the Israeli Broadcasting Corp., or IBC, reported.

The officers killed were Kamil Shanan, 22, and Hail Satawi, 30, Army Radio reported. The officers were Druze, according to a statement condemning the attack by Naftali Bennett, Israel's education minister. The third officer hurt in the attack is in stable condition.

The attack occurred at around 7 a.m., police told the IBC, when the Temple Mount compound was largely empty. The gunmen fired on the police officers before fleeing into an area housing several mosques before they were shot dead by security forces in pursuit. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, condemned the attack during a telephone conversation he initiated with Israeli Prime Min-

ister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Channel 2 reported.

Attacks rarely occur so close to the Temple Mount compound, which also houses the Haram a Sharif mosque.

The suspected assailants were from Umm al Fahm, the Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet, said in a statement.

The agency identified them as Mohammed Hammed Abed al-Latif and Mohammed Ahmed Mafdl Jadarin, both 19, and Mohammed Ahmed Mohammed Jabarin, 29. They had no previous record of terrorist activity.

Gilad Erdan, Israel’s interior security minister, told Army Radio that the “unusual and severe incident may require Israel to review its security arrangements around the Temple Mount.” And Zeev Elkin, the Cabinet minister responsible for issues connected with Jerusalem, told the radio station the attack was possible because of Israel’s desire to allow freedom of worship to Muslims and others at the site.

The Israel Security Service recorded a total of 94 terrorist attacks against Israelis in June – a 35 percent drop over the previous month. Of those, 21 occurred in Jerusalem, compared to 29 in May.

The Jewish Press | July 21, 2017 | 11

lifecycles BirtHs

riNa viviaN deMBitzer

Laura and Rabbi Ari Dembitzer, announce the May 21 birth of their daughter, Rina Vivian.

She is named for her maternal great-grandmother.

Grandparents are Tzivya and David Dembitzer of Brooklyn, NY, Sharon Klibanow of Chicago, and Marc Klibanow of Riverwoods, Il.

Foster rice MalasHock

Michelle and Ryan Malashock of Bentonville, AR, announce the June 30 birth of their son, Foster Rice.

He is named for his great-grandfathers, Floyd Anderson Jr. and David Rice.

Grandparents are Jody and Neal (Buzz) Malashock and Sheryl and Russell Burhenn of Bella Vista, AR. Great-grandparents are Barbara and Stanley Malashock of Chicago, IL. and Leah Burhenn of Hoisington, KS, the late Esther and David Rice, the late Darlene and Floyd Anderson Jr. and the late Vernon Burhenn.

iN MeMoriaM

Oscar winner Martin Landau dies

JTA news sTAff Martin Landau, a versatile actor who won an Academy Award for the 1994 film Ed Wood and played a spy on TV’s Mission: Impossible in the 1960s, has died.

Landau died Saturday at the UCLA Medical Center of “unexpected complications” from surgery several days earlier, his publicist told media outlets. He was 89.

He won his Oscar for best supporting actor playing the fading horror film star Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood, a Tim Burton film. He had been nominated several times in the same category before snagging the award.

Landau’s career took off after his appearance in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 film North by Northwest. He appeared for three seasons as agent Rollin Hand on Mission: Impossible until 1969, when he and his actress wife, Barbara Bain, left over a contract dispute.

He resurrected his career in 1988 with a role in Francis Ford Coppola’s Tucker: The Man and his Dream, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for best supporting actor, and then starred in Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors in 1989.

Landau reportedly turned down the role of Mr. Spock on the NBC series Star Trek, which went to another Jewish actor, Leonard Nimoy.

Manischewitz to close Newark plant, lay off 169 workers

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JTA news sTAff e Manischewitz Co. said it will close its plant in Newark, New Jersey, cutting the jobs of 169 workers. e kosher food manufacturer’s announcement last week came in the form of a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN notice, that it would be cutting the jobs. According to the notice, which is required 60 days before a mass layoff, the closing and layoffs will be effective as of Sept. 14.

“At a challenging time in the retail and grocery business, we have made the difficult decision to Hot matzah traveling down a cooling belt at the close our Manischewitz facility in Newark, Feb, 4, 2014. plant in Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images Newark,” a Manischewitz spokesman told njbiz.com, a local business news website. “Beginning this fall, our products will be made at more modern New Jersey facilities.”

Manischewitz is working to help the laid-off employees find jobs, the spokesman said. e company’s executives will remain at the current offices in Newark, where they moved in 2006 following a consolidation effort. At the time, Newark Mayor Cory Booker said the company’s presence in his city “makes me the proudest mayor in America. It gives me great nachas.”

In 2014, Sankaty Advisors, an arm of the private equity firm Bain Capital, purchased the purveyor of kosher foods for an undisclosed price. e 129-year-old company calls itself “the nation’s largest manufacturer of processed kosher food products and the No. 1 baker of matzah in the entire world.”

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12 | The Jewish Press | July 21, 2017

worldnews

W

the sound of silence and the sonorous stigma hy do we remain silent? Is it fear of social stigmatization?

Or is there a fear of admitting to ourselves that we perhaps need the support of others? We have high expectations of ourselves. We desire to be the “balabusta” - the strong matriarch in the family. We aspire to be Sarit Hovav, M.D. the “gever” - the man who holds the family up with strength. Or is it guilt?

Aer all, our families have lived through the Holocaust, through wars and crime, through total and complete social upheaval. ey didn’t need medications or a therapist and they did just fine. Or so they say. We may have heard in the past “in my time, we didn’t need all these drugs, all this drugs the doctors are giving are meshuganeh. Do a mitzvah.

Put on Tefillin. Keep Shabbos. Light candles. Do G-d’s commandments and that will fill you with joy.”

And so, we are shamed into silence. We deceive ourselves into thinking these are transient feelings that will dissipate or vanish with time. We hope that we can just wake up the next day and everything will be different, that everything will be “normal”. erein lies the problem. Imagine a 10year-old girl with Diabetes Mellitus who requires daily insulin injections. Is she weak for having a pancreas that isn’t able to produce its own insulin? Of course not.

However, for reasons largely related to stigma, there is an expectation in society that mental health can be improved by having better willpower. Maybe, then, we shouldn't call it mental health? Maybe we should call it what it really is – a powerful brain disease. e brain is responsible for some of the most potent neurotransmitters our body has. When the brain cells become in-

active or hyperactive, it is a biological, not mental, disorder. is is no different than a pancreas unable to secrete insulin.

Stigma is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.” So why is stigma so strongly associated with depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, dementia, and suicide? Why is it so hard to discuss these disorders in the same way we approach talking about high cholesterol, diabetes, or high blood pressure, or arthritis?

When we hear of a suicide in our community, what prevents us from confronting the issue? Why do we so strongly contemplate the words we use?

Credit: Diego7864 We must examine what stigma really means. Stigma can be social or perceived. ere is no doubt that social stigma with associated prejudicial attitude and discriminatory behavior toward those with a psychiatric diagnosis still exists despite the changing world and increased awareness. ere is a commonly held belief that those holding a psychiatric

diagnosis may be dangerous and that it is even self-inflicted.

It is true and disturbing that throughout history, people with mental health problems were treated differently. ey were excluded and at times brutalized, they were pariahs in the community. Even in the modern day, those with severe and persistent mental illness are portrayed as unpredictable and their actions have largely been explained to be a result of a “mental defect”. It is external absurd popularized opinions rather than scientifically-based facts that perpetuated stereotypes and stigma.

It is no surprise that perceived stigma arises. Perceived stigma is the internalization of the perception of discrimination by the sufferer. Stigma has a detrimental effect on outcome and therefore hinders recovery. Self-stigma is correlated with worse employment success, increased social isolation, and a poorer quality of life.

It is up to us as human beings to make the change we want to see in the world. Before we heal the world (Tikkun Olam), we first need to heal ourselves (Tikkun Atzmi). Reach out to friends and family and tell them you are struggling. Be that person who is accepting and willing to listen without placing judgment. Understand that every psychiatric condition is biological in nature, and not self-induced or a manifestation of a bad personality. Let us help our community come together at a time we need most. Break the silence. Strip the stigma.

Stop the shame. And let us say Amen. is is the first of several articles Dr. Sarit Hovav and the Jewish Press will publish on several brain disorders (“mental health”). Dr. Hovav is a board-certified Psychiatrist; she will examine in detail bipolar disorder, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia and others. e goal is to educate ourselves on the biological nature of those illnesses and to try and grasp the internal suffering of those with such disorders. Dr. Hovav can be contacted at 402.334.7404.

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