August 4, 2023

The Jewish Press

The Foundation presents Family Portraits of Giving

AMY BERNSTEIN SHIVVERS

JFO Foundation Executive Director

Are you interested in honoring family members who have inspired your giving practices?

Would you like to develop a more targeted plan for giving in the future?

Do you like making art with friends, family, and community members?

If so, please come to The Foundation’s Living Legacy Workshop: Family Portraits of Giving, led by husband-and-wife duo, Eric Shapiro and Hillary Rubesin.

Hillary will lead attendees in a family-friendly collage project, where participants will create artistic reminders of family members who have inspired their giving practices. Families will create their own collages to take home and will also participate in a larger group collage that will remain on campus to inspire others to give. Good news - no arts-based experience is necessary-- just the desire to create! As we collage, families will have the chance to share stories of their family members with the wider group. The workshop will conclude with a talk from Eric about how we can honor our Jewish values by developing financial plans for ongoing family giving practices.

This event is free for families (3rd grade or older). Bubbe and Zayde, bring the kids!

Art materials will be provided. Participants need to bring in four photocopies of each family member you want to See Family Portraits of Giving page 2

Needed: Shomerim and Chevrah Kadisha members

MARY SUE GROSSMAN

Providing burial in accordance with Jewish law is essential to providing the proper rest for one’s loved ones. Omaha’s Jewish community is fortunate to have the services of the Jewish Funeral Home and the associated Chevra Kadisha to assure one’s loved ones are laid to rest with the appropriate rites and respect.

REGULARS

Spotlight 7

Voices 8

Synagogues 10

Key to the providing of a proper Jewish burial are two sets of individuals. The first are shomerim and the second are members of the Chevrah Kadisha.

The Shomer - A shomer/shomeret is a ceremonial guard over the body of the deceased. This serves to com-

fort the soul, or neshama, of the deceased by having another Jew remain with the deceased during the time

following their passing until the burial. A shomer is present whenever a deceased is on the premises of the Jewish Funeral Home. Both men and women can serve as a shomer.

In commenting on the role of a shomer, Rabbi Steven Abraham said “the task of being a shomer or guard is an incredible way to honor members of our community while at the same time taking part in deeply holy work. Judaism teaches that the See Jewish Funeral Home page 3

JAY KATELMAN

JFO Director of Community Development

From July 14 until July 17, the Omaha Jewish Community had the privilege of hosting Dr. Waffa Bellan, Aya Kagade, and Noya Haimovich. Partnership2Gether (P2G) connects Israeli doctors with local communities. They arrived on Friday and spent the first night with their host families, JFO Board President Mike Siegel and his wife Andrea as well as incoming JFO Board President Nancy Schlessinger and her hus-

band Dr. Joel Schlessinger. Saturday, our visitors attended Beth El Synagogue, where Dr. Bellan spoke about peace and coexistence at the Western Galilee Medical Center. She also shared her personal story. After services, lunch was sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Omaha, and Dr. Joel Schlessinger gave our guests a tour of his practice and Lovely Skin retail store. Then our guests had some time to relax at their host families. On Saturday night, we took our guests See Medical delegation page 3

A Jewish guide to the Women’s World Cup Page 5

Meet Thomas Poretsky Page 6

The US Jewish response to the judicial reform vote Page 12

Newsies at the J

ASHTON KAY

Jewish Press Intern

The Staenberg Omaha JCC Performing Arts Department is excited to announce Newsies the Musical as its next performance! The community theater program is open to members and non members, ages 8-108. Interested in joining the cast? You must register prior to participating.

Based on the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899, this musical tells the story of Jack Kelly, a rebellious newsboy who dreams of a life as an artist away from the big city. After publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raises newspaper prices at the newsboys’ expense, Kelly and his fellow newsies take action. With help from the female reporter Katherine Plumber, all of New York City soon recognizes the power of “the little man.”

Auditions will be held at the Staenberg Omaha JCC on Sunday, Aug. 20. Auditions for ages 8-12 will be from 1-2:30 p.m. Auditions for ages 13+ will be from 3-4:30 p.m. Advanced registration is required to audition.

Rehearsals will be at 2 p.m. on Sundays and will run Aug. 27 through Dec. 10

*No rehearsal on Sept. 3 or 17

Keep an eye out to join the technical side of things! Tech Theater Class coming to you soon. Learn about the behindthe-scenes parts of theater, and then be on the stage crew for the production! Watch out for website updates and emails for more information.

Performing Arts Academy also offers youth acting classes for ages 5-7. Kids will explore the world of performing arts and theater through fun exercises and activities. Class is open to both members and non members. Parents are invited to a final performance on Oct. 29

The Teen Acting Workshop will focus on developing acting skills, exploring characters and technique, and expanding audition and improvisational skills. It’s a great way to boost creative thinking, self expression, and confidence. Parents are invited to a final performance on Oct. 29 Space in programs and classes can fill quickly. The quickest way for members to register is online through Daxko, our new Customer Relations Management Software! If you haven’t already, we strongly encourage you to make an account.

Ashton Kay is the 2023 Jewish Press intern. His position is made possible through the generous support of the Murray H. and Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation.

RBJH Needs

We need your help! The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s mobile book case for Residents is running low. If you have any books to donate (preferably large print and current authors) please contact Christina Caniglia at 402.334.6520 or send an email to ccaniglia@rbjh.com

Continued from page 1 include in the portraits. You are welcome to bring real photographs as well, but we will be cutting these up to use in the collages!

Thanks to our 40th Anniversary SPONSORS: Anything Grants, Foundation Grants Committee – Foundation IMPACT Grants, Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation, Herbert Goldsten Trust, Milton & Corinne Livingston Foundation Fund, Murray & Sharee Newman Supporting Foundation, the Special Donor-Advised Fund, and Sonny’s at Aksarben.

Join us Sunday, Aug. 27, 3:30–5 p.m. in the Gordman Black Box Theater, behind the Alan J. Levine Theater. RSVP to reserve seats for your family at https://tinyurl.com/ Fabat40 email jfof40@jewishomaha. org or use QR code.

See full digital issues: omahajewishpress.com/eedition

Looking for a Tsenter at Etsyon

There are several dozen synagogues in my city of Ra’anana. Most of them have thriving daily morning services, some even have two, and at a few of the larger synagogues there are three: around 6, 7, and 8 a.m. (most of these synagogues also offer daily evening services). Why in tarnation, then, especially now that I am in my year of saying kaddish for my mother, do I find myself at 6:30 a.m. at Etsyon, a synagogue with one single, struggling, morning minyan (“quorum”)? To get you an answer to this question, it will be a good idea to explore the world of morning minyan.

The practice of leaving your home first thing in the morning to go to prayer services is one that typically needs to be ingrained in you from a young age. Once one gets used to praying at home, it won’t be easy to transition to a minyan, even though there are key portions of the service that are only said in a quorum. Besides not having to deal with getting to and from synagogue, an at-home morning prayer service takes only about a quarter of an hour, whereas it can take three times that amount of time at minyan.

I was won over to morning minyan in the 7th grade. Going to minyan was part of being a good student at the Yeshivah of Flatbush, and I wanted to be a good student. I made sure to get to minyan on time, though I had to take two subway trains and then walk 10 blocks to school. Rabbi Russ was always using my example to berate tardy students who lived just a few blocks away. While I don’t think that this endeared me to many of my friends, it did cause me to get the minyan award at the 8th-grade graduation ceremonies.

As an adult, I used to frequently wonder at my commitment to morning minyan. I am not a strong believer, and yet rain or shine, I am there. It all goes back to my early education. I was raised to think and feel that this is how a Jewish man should

Medical delegation

start his day. When I come back from minyan, it’s also important for me to do some stretching/yoga or some other physical activity, but first, always, there is minyan.

If one has a choice of minyans, different people will privilege different factors; key factors for me are: distance from my home, length of service, physical space, and a “word of Jewish law” at the end. While Etsyon scores well for me on these parameters (medium speed, 8-minute walk from my home, sanctuary is not too large, and there is a “dvar halacha”—too legally conservative for my tastes but better than nothing), I have discovered another factor at Etsyon that causes me to put up with the anxiety of being in a minyan that sometimes struggles to get a “tsenter” (“tenth”): I am needed there. There is a camaraderie among the guys and many know me by name. When people have a yahrzeit (and given that I have brought down the average age this is not an infrequent occurrence), they bring in cake and whiskey and drink a l’chayim for the elevation of the dead one’s soul (a process known as a “tikkun”). Eitan, the gabbai, has been going to Etsyon for 45 years; his brother Motti, and another man named Aryeh, take turns leading the services. I can’t let Eitan, Motti, and Aryeh down, can I?

I had mistakenly thought that waiting for a minyan was a “galus” (“diaspora”) phenomenon. I was wrong. Even in Israel it can happen. There were a few times this winter when we were at 9 and had to put in a call to Danny to get him up to make our minyan, and once we were too far from a quorum to even bother Danny. With no rain in sight until October, we have reached smoother ground. Nevertheless, there are still certain times when I realize, as I walk in, that I am the tsenter, which feels very good indeed.

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.

Continued from page 1 out to dinner and the host families met us out for a special dessert afterwards.

Sunday, we brought our visitors to the beautiful campus of the Jewish Federation of Omaha and hosted a special Eye on Israel event with our community shlicha, Sivan Cohen. During an in-person as well as Zoom presentation, Aya spoke about the hospital system in Israel, and Dr. Bellan spoke about her experience at the Western Galilee Medical Center.

Nancy and Dr. Joel Schlessinger invited our visitors over for a special lunch. Afterwards, they explored the Old Market

Jewish Funeral Home

Continued from page 1 deceased’s soul remains in the body until burial, so we are responsible, as their friends, family, and community members, for never leaving them alone until that time.”

When considering the role of a shomer, many people will immediately react negatively to the thought of being with a deceased. It is important to note the shomer does not sit by the casket but rather remains in a separate area. While it is preferred that at least 50% of the shomer’s time is spent reciting psalms, Torah learning, or other Jewish-oriented meditative activities which provide merit to both the shomer and the deceased, these activities are not required. Other activities such as reading, internet usage, etc., are acceptable; however, it is asked that activities are done quietly to keep a sense of peace out of respect for the deceased. The role of the shomer is a paid position and the shomer space includes a recliner, a mini kitchen, and a bed that is used for overnight shifts. The shomer schedule is coordinated by the senior shomer with coverage needed the entire time a deceased is present at the funeral home, including overnight shifts. The length of shifts varies, depending on the availability of the individuals.

The Chevrah Kadisha - Members of the Chevrah Kadisha, which literally means “Holy Society,” are volunteers who per-

and ended the night at the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge. Noya returned to her host family early that night as she was invited to meet the Siegel’s extended family for dinner. We are grateful for the time we were able to spend with our Israeli Medical Delegation, and our community and especially our host families will never forget this experience. It is because of Partnership2Gether that we can experience these one-on-one connections and programming. It’s a blessing, and I hope that we see the community continue to embrace these visits in the future. Our guests enjoyed Omaha as much as we enjoyed having them. They now understand why it is our home and why it is so special to us!

form the final rites for the Jewish deceased, which is considered a sacred duty. The volunteers perform the “tahara” that includes the washing of the body with water and clothing it in a plain white shroud, during which prayers for the deceased are read. The volunteers treat the body with the highest respect, uncovering the body only as necessary. Only women perform the tahara on women and men for men. The tahara takes approximately one hour to complete. The Chevrah Kadisha women’s and men’s group each has a coordinator who contacts the group members to schedule the tahara.

“Chevra kadisha is called “holy” because one does it without seeking recognition,” shares Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. He added

“it is also considered ‘chesed shel emet’ or loving kindness, because one does not expect to ever be thanked for one’s action. It’s a true mitzvah with eternal reward.”

These positions are critical to the Omaha Jewish community, and everyone reading this article is asked to please consider becoming part of one, or both, of these groups, providing the dignity and respect for the deceased of Omaha’s Jewish families. If interested or in need of additional information, please contact Liora Herskovitz at lherskovitz@orthodoxomaha.org or 402.556.6288. The Jewish Funeral Home, which is managed by Beth Israel Synagogue, is located at 4415 Cuming Street.

TEDDY WEINBERGER

Sound of Freedom has found fans among believers in QAnon conspiracies

SHIRA LI BARTOV

JTA

While Barbie and Oppenheimer have hogged the headlines, an unlikelier blockbuster swept the box office this month: Sound of Freedom, a thriller about a federal agent rescuing children from sex traffickers.

Among those who are boosting the movie are believers in QAnon, a conspiracy theory about an elite child sex trafficking ring that, scholars and watchdogs say, has antisemitic roots. The film’s star, actor Jim Cavaziel, is a proponent of QAnon who has floated antisemitic theories in interviews promoting the film.

Despite the film’s low budget and independent distributor, Sound of Freedom has made over $100 million in its first few weeks, going toe-to-toe with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny since it opened on July 4. The release date aligned with its patriotic Christian undertones, captured by the protagonist’s solemn line, “God’s children are not for sale.”

In real life, Caviezel has openly embraced QAnon. His character is based on Tim Ballard, who worked in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before founding the anti-trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad.

Caviezel is best-known for playing Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, which stirred accusations of antisemitism when it was released in 2004 — a controversy compounded by Gibson’s antisemitic tirades following its release.

The QAnon movement is largely based on a conspiracy theory that a cabal of progressive elites controls world events and runs a child trafficking ring, harvesting the hormone adrenochrome from children. According to QAnon lore, former President Donald Trump sought to defeat this operation. Sound of Freedom was filmed in 2018, before QAnon gained widespread momentum, and the film never mentions the movement. The story’s traffickers are common criminals, seemingly not part of a shadowy global cabal. Nonetheless, the movie has been celebrated in QAnon message boards for awakening “normies” to the conspiracy.

“The movie is for normies. Done in a way not to be revolting and push newbies away,” said one member of a message board called Great Awakening.

Mike Rothschild — who researches QAnon — said he was not surprised that the film took off with QAnon supporters, who see a global cabal of child snatchers as funded by Jewish money.

“It plays on the same fears and conspiracy theories embraced by that community — that child trafficking is rampant and massively underreported, that the traffickers have connections to high-level people, and that only a few brave patriots are willing to stand up to it,” Rothschild, author of The Storm is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Caviezel attended a QAnon-affiliated conference in 2021.

During the event, he said that Ballard could not join because he was “saving children as we speak, because they’re pulling kids out of the darkest recesses of hell right now, in dumps and all kinds of places. The adrenochrome-ing of children.”

The adrenochrome theory has roots in a blood libel canard leveled at Jews since the Middle Ages, said Rothschild. The myth that Jews use the blood of Christian children in rituals was used to justify the torture, imprisonment and murder of Jews for centuries, even taking a role in Nazi propaganda, before it was adopted by QAnon.

Caviezel has also appeared on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast several times, calling QAnon a “good thing” and indulging in antisemitic conspiracies while promoting the film.

In one circuitous interview with Bannon, he said, “It’s like an octopus with arms, many, many arms, but you got to go after the head of the octopus. Who is it? The central banks, the [International Monetary Fund], the [European Central Bank], the Rothschild banks? We have a Rothschild pope.” Rothschild, who is unrelated to the Jewish banking family, said these claims line up with QAnon conspiracies that posit that the Rothschild family owns all of the world’s central banks and controls the Vatican.

“These are conspiracy theories based on centuries of myths and hoaxes about the Rothschilds, which have been shared by some of the most prominent thinkers in the right-wing conspiracy world,” he said.

Ballard, who abruptly exited Operation Underground Railroad shortly after Sound of Freedom premiered, has also been scrutinized for his organization’s claims and practices. In 2020, a Vice News investigation found a gap between OUR’s operations and claimed successes, reporting “a pattern of imageburnishing and mythology-building, a series of exaggerations that are, in the aggregate, quite misleading.” According to a Foreign Policy report, after a 2014 OUR sting operation in the Dominican Republic, 26 rescued girls did not receive aftercare and were released in less than a week.

In Utah, the organization was investigated by the Davis County Attorney’s Office for alleged communications fraud, witness tampering and retaliation against a witness, victim or informant, according to Deseret News. The two-year investigation was closed without charges in March.

Ballard has also flirted with conspiracy theories, once entertaining the false viral notion that children were being trafficked through Wayfair, an online furniture retailer.

“I want to tell you this: children are sold that way,” he said in a 2020 video.

Regardless of these controversies, Sound of Freedom has found no shortage of high-profile promoters. Donald Trump shared its trailer on his Truth Social platform and hosted a screening of the film on Wednesday. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has pushed QAnon rhetoric online, both praised the movie. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said on Twitter, “Wow. Wow. Wow. GO SEE #SoundOfFreedom.”

Meanwhile, Twitter owner Elon Musk encouraged the film’s free promotion on his website, tweeting at its distributor: “I recommend putting it on this platform for free for a brief period or just asking people to subscribe to support (we would not keep any funds).”

Jim Caviezel stars in Sound of Freedom. Credit: Screenshot from YouTube

Author and conspiracy theory expert, Mike Rothschild

Trade scholarships available for the 202324 academic year

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

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

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

ORGANIZATIONS

B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS

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

INFORMATION

ANTISEMITIC/HATE INCIDENTS

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

A Jewish guide to the Women’s World Cup

JACOB GURVIS

JTA

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is underway, with 32 teams from around the globe competing in the quadrennial tournament, co-hosted this year by Australia and New Zealand.

It has been an exciting year for Jews in men’s soccer: In the Men’s World Cup in the winter, two Jewish players, goalkeeper Matt Turner and defender DeAndre Yedlin, played for the United States. And in the FIFA under-20 World Cup in May, Israel enjoyed a shocking run that ended with a third-place finish in its first appearance in the competition.

Now it’s time for the women’s tournament. Here’s a Jewish guide to the Women’s World Cup, which started Thursday and concludes Aug. 20.

Across 32 teams each with 23 players — a total of 736 women — there are no known Jewish players in this year’s Women’s World Cup. Israel has never competed in the tournament.

For Yael Averbuch West, a former star player who is now the general manager of the National Women’s Soccer League’s NJ/NY Gotham FC, the lack of Jewish representation in professional women’s soccer is disheartening.

“At the highest levels, there are not a lot of elite Jewish women playing soccer,” Averbuch West told the Jewish Tel-

egraphic Agency.

Averbuch West said she is not aware of any Jewish players in the American NWSL, either. She and former teammate Camille Ashton (née Levin) are both general managers in the league, and the NWSL’s commissioner, Jessica Berman, is also Jewish.

“I do think that representation is important,” Averbuch West said. “And because of the lack of representation, I think that that affects up-andcoming Jewish players. I’ve had people say to me, “Oh my gosh, you’re my favorite player, because we’re Jewish and we don’t see any Jewish players out there.’”

Averbuch West added that with the recent growth of the NWSL — which is up to 12 teams as of 2022 — the idea that there may be no Jewish players is “quite disturbing.”

This hasn’t always been the case. When the U.S. team won the 1999 Women’s World Cup, Jewish defender Sarah Whalen was on the team. She would go on to win a silver medal with the team at the Olympics the following year.

Telemundo’s lead play-by-play voice, the Emmy award-winning Andres Can-

tor, is back in the booth for the Women’s World Cup. The Argentine-Jewish announcer is best known for popularizing long goal calls in the English-speaking world (including a memorable call when his country won the 2022 World Cup on home soil).

Cantor will once again be joined by one of his mentees, two-time Emmy nominee Sammy Sadovnik, who has been with Telemundo since 2007 and covered sports since 1989. He’s a proud Jew from Peru who visits Israel every year. Despite this male tandem, networks are working to center the voices of women in soccer broadcasts at this World Cup.

Read more at www.omahajewishpress.com.

Yael Averbuch in action with the U.S. Women’s National Team against New Zealand in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 30, 2013. Credit: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

JCRC Community Conversations

PAM MONSKY

Jewish Community Relations Council Assistant Director

Meet Thomas Poretsky

LONNY GOLDSMITH AND JACOB GURVIS ELKO NEW MARKET, Minn. | JTA via TC Jewfolk

Thomas Poretsky is six years away from being behind the wheel of a street-legal car and is too young to drive bumper cars at the State Fair. This is ironic as he stands in the shadow of Elko Speedway in a firesuit and holds his racing helmet, waiting to take his Bandolero race car onto the track to get some practice laps in.

“I don’t like bumper cars,” he said. “I’m trying to avoid running into things.”

Poretsky, a 10-year-old Prior Lake resident, has been driving cars for nearly half of his life. His No. 8 car is emblazoned with two important pieces of family heritage: an Israeli flag denoting his father’s Jewish heritage, and a flag of the Quechan Nation, the Native American tribe of his mother’s side of the family.

“It means a lot to me,” Poretsky said during a recent practice session. “There’s not a lot of Native and Jewish mixes and it’s just … me. It shows my story.”

The Bandolero looks like a scaled-down stock car. It has a tube frame with a roll cage to protect the driver and is covered by fiberglass panels that can be removed for maintenance.

Poretsky is in his first season driving Bandoleros but has been behind the wheel of cars since he was six.

“Thomas was always quiet and shy and not sure of himself,” said Mary Poretsky, Thomas’ mother. “And one day, he said he wanted to race cars. He and I, we made this deal. He said, ‘Mom, I’ll race as long as you’re there.’ So I said ‘okay.’ And then one thing led to another and then I’m looking for a car.”

Solomon and Mary Poretsky met online in the pre-dating app era, after he answered an ad she placed on Yahoo! Personals.

“He sent me this whole dissertation,” she said.

“It was more of a thesis,” he quipped back.

The car number is for Thomas’ favorite NASCAR driver, Kyle Busch. The white on the bottom features tribal-inspired geo-

metric patterns — the white and green are separated with a thin line of blue, with a diamondback snake over it. The snake is native to the southwest where Mary’s tribe originates.

Poretsky and his father both said a plain, white car was fine. His mother protested.

“No, it needs to be pretty,” she said.

The flags on either side of his name over the windows to the car was the icing on the cake.

“He’s Native American. And he’s Jewish. And we should be proud of that. And we should be proud of him,” she said.

Solomon, who described his family as “gastronomic Jews,” said being a “member of the tribe” has taken on a new meaning for Thomas. In addition to the tribal components of Native American and Jewish culture, the racing community is tightknit, too.

“People have been so welcoming and so kind,” Solomon said.

“I can’t tell you how many people have put their kids in the car, they’ve got a picture of their kids in the car smiling out the window with a Quechan and an Israeli flag. It’s been completely welcoming.”

Please join the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) on Thursday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m, in the Alan Levine Theater at the Staenberg Omaha JCC, for the next in the JCRC’s series of Community Conversations about compelling, current topics impacting the Jewish community of Omaha. Our Torah commands us to welcome the stranger into our midst 36 times (with the most frequently quoted mention in Leviticus 19:34)!

Immigrant Legal Services and Refugee Empowerment Center is working with the City of Omaha to provide refugee resettlement assistance to 40 families from war-torn countries including Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Syria, and Afghanistan, just to name a few.

We are honored and thrilled to launch “Welcoming the Stranger.” This initiative will focus on assisting two or more of the 40 refugee families arriving in Omaha from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Syria between now and Oct. 1. The JCRC is coordinating a Jewish community volunteer effort to help sponsor families, provide furniture and household items and set up apartments.

We will begin by introducing the community to the 2020 documentary film A Home Called Nebraska. A Home Called Nebraska spotlights people who escaped war, torture and persecution. It also introduces the generous Nebraskans who welcomed them, taught them, celebrated with them, and helped them find jobs and houses.

After the film, JCRC board member Lacey Studnicka, Program Director at Habitat for Humanity, will lead a conversation about refugee resettlement and the many volunteer opportunities available to assist in this community-wide mitzvah project.

A reception with light refreshments will follow the program. Lacey will lead the JCRC’s Welcoming the Stranger Committee, assisted by Carol Bloch, Ellie Batt, and Toba Cohen-Dunning. This program will be in-person and reservations are required by contacting Pam Monsky, JCRC Assistant Director, pmonsky@jewishomaha.org, 402.334.6572.

Thomas Poretsky shown in front of his Bandolero car. Credit: Lonny Goldsmith/TC Jewfolk

SP O TLIGHT

PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS

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

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

JCC Summer Camp 2023: How do you transport 196 kids?

In an organized line with a lot of school busses. In addition, there were three other J camps happening simultaneously back at the JCC. Premier ‘Gross and Messy’, ‘Triathlon Camp’ and ‘Mary Poppins, Musical Theater Camp’. Above left: The last bus is loaded with 3rd – 7th grade campers. 224 sack lunches for camp staff and campers to be eaten at Zorinsky. Above right: Meanwhile, we have 20 additional campers in the 1/2 day Premier Camp we call, ‘Gross and Messy Camp’. Below and right: JCC Premier Sports Triathlon Camp lined up to test tire pressure and make helmet adjustments. Getting ready for the first spin around the back acres of the JCC on the asphalt pathway.

Above: The JCC’s second annual ‘Pancake Man’ breakfast was a very successful event.

Above: Omahans at Camp Ramah: Asher Finkelstein, left, Colin Kelln, Ari Finkelstein, Leora Shapiro, Ethan Finkelstein, Levi Weill, Tristan Neuman, Peyton Kelln, and Naama Abrahams.

Above: Henry and Sam Kutler participated in the gaga tournament at the J. Left: Henry with Jake Lenagh.

Below: Rabbi Mendel Katzman, Head Shliach to Nebraska, met President Joe Biden at the House Congressional Picnic following the speech at Congress earlier by Israeli President Issac Herzog.

Above: The Finkelstein Dogs: Maverick, left, and Alphee.

Above and below: A recent visit from the Partnership’s medical delegation, representing the Galilee Medical Center. Left and above: Construction on Friedel Jewish Academy’s new middle school is on track for opening this fall! Head of School Beth Cohen and Board President Ari Kohen donned hard hats to review the updates.

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The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.”

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Silent treatment

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

Jewish Press Editor

Here’s the headline: American Anthropological Association votes to boycott Israeli academic institutions.

“The American Anthropological Association,” Andrew Lapin wrote, “which represents thousands of anthropologists in academia and the professional space, announced Monday that its members had voted to endorse a resolution that forbids the association from collaborating with Israeli academic institutions. The boycott applies only to formal collaborations with the association itself, and it does not apply to individual Israeli academics, so its practical impact is likely to be limited. Still, the resolution is a notable symbol of Israel opposition in academia.” (JTA.com)

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, while we are busy looking the other way, continues to make inroads like these. What’s particularly concerning in academia, though, is how it legitimizes censorship of thought. Imagine for a moment: you’re an 18-, 19-year-old student, eager to start on your academic path, learning all you can--except, your institution tells you what you are and are not allowed to believe. It’s one thing to have a favorite artist boycott Tel Aviv during a concert tour. It’s another thing entirely when your academic institution draws a line in the sand when it comes to Israel. And why anthropology, specifically? I don’t know. Will it make a change in the world, will it help anyone? I doubt it.

“As written, the resolution calls Israel an

Yiddish

NOA BARON JTA

Queer elders can be hard to find. There’s no app I could mindlessly swipe to find a queer mentor. So, for wisdom and guidance on how to live as a queer human, I’ve had to look elsewhere.

I was nicknamed “Bubbe” (the Yiddish word for grandmother) in high school, due to my early bedtime and exceptional affection for sweaters, puzzles and tea. But in college, when I came out as nonbinary, Bubbe no longer seemed to fit: My gender sits somewhere on the spectrum between “bright floral button-downs” and “Bernie Sanders.” Friends soon coined me “theydy,” a gender-neutral play on zeide, the Yiddish word for grandfather. While my affection for puzzles and sensible footwear are certainly theydy–esque, they are not truly the reason that I am fond of this nickname. I love being called a theydy because Yiddish culture has taught me the value of being a little strange, a little out of place and more than a little queer.

Yiddish, the 1,000-year-old language of Central and Eastern European Jews, never quite fit into a culture of American assimilation. At the turn of the 20th century, in a country where most people spoke English, Yiddish was the language to be forgotten (or at least used only when you didn’t want your Americanized kids to know what you were saying). And in the middle of the 20th century, in Israel, where most people spoke Modern Hebrew, Yiddish was never quite considered “good enough,” “academic enough” or even “Jewish enough.”

But before the Holocaust decimated the Jews of Eastern Europe, Yiddish established itself as the language of poets, artists and writers. Queer and gender-bending sensations like Isaac Bashevis Singer’s short story and play “Yentl the Yeshiva Boy” and Sholem Asch’s play “God of Vengeance” were written in Yiddish, and S. An-ski’s drama “The Dybbuk,“ in which a son’s spirit possesses the body of the woman he loves, was popularized in Yiddish.

Yiddish was also the language and culture of bold and fiery activists — people like Rose Schneiderman and Clara Lemlich — who were powerhouses

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.

‘apartheid regime from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.’ It pledges to continue the boycott ‘until such time as these institutions end their complicity in violating Palestinian rights as stipulated in international law,’” Lapin wrote.

I am not yet so old that I don’t remember what it was like to first enter university. I was open to new things, hearing new truths, having a robust identity crisis and feeling like anything was possible. Feeling like there were endless things to learn and experience, places to see, new friends to make. Professors who had led amazing and exciting lives and weren’t shy about pushing us to travel, to experience, to think.

I don’t remember any doors being shut back then, I don’t remember anyone ever pushing back if I shared my Israel experience. Back then, my mom still regularly led tour groups to Israel, and I don’t remember anyone ever frowning on that. I don’t think I’ve repressed anything. I seriously believe that in Europe, back in the early 1990s, you could say the word ‘Israel’ out loud and everyone in academic circles was fine with it. Not because everyone loved Israel, but because they allowed there to be room. Whether that is still the case today, I fear it is not.

When academic institutions or organizations boycott their counterparts in another country, it breaks something precious. It destroys the notion that, no matter who is in power, academia main-

of the early American labor movement.

As queerness is increasingly persecuted in the United States, Yiddish culture has been my refuge: a culture with no country that is well-suited for people being rejected by theirs. Just as queer people build communities out of necessity, grounded in a deep sense of love and care, I have found Yiddish culture to be heimish and warm, welcoming those with and without an ancestral connection to the language.

Today, inspired by the Yiddishists of the past and the present, many queer people of my generation have taken on Yiddish learning and leaned into Yiddish culture. From the Queer Yiddishkayt Facebook group, to the queer klezmer band Isle of Klezbos, to the virtual Queer Yiddish Camp, many queer people are drawn to Yiddish language and culture. Perhaps this is because queer people often especially understand the importance of being counter-cultural. Native Yiddish speakers are few and far between outside of the haredi Orthodox communities of Jerusalem and Brooklyn, and so for queer Yiddishists, the benefits of learning the language are rarely material. Rather, they are political, spiritual, sentimental and communal. In a society that tells us that our value comes from our productivity, learning Yiddish is itself an act of resistance.

My queer Yiddish is deeply intertwined with the fight for a better and more beautiful world for all, “a shenere un besere velt far ale.” I’m the social justice organizer at The Workers Circle, a Jewish social justice organization where we embrace our Yiddish tradition through vibrant cultural expression, Yiddish language learning and bold activism. I’ve been arrested with the Workers Circle three times for nonviolent civil disobedience, fighting for federal voting rights and democracy reform legislation. Each time, as I felt nerves coming on, and my

tains freedom of thought, freedom of expression, the ability to have an honest exchange of ideas where everyone comes out ahead. Instead, students are taught doors can be shut, debate can be avoided. There’s avoidance where there should be interaction, and everyone involved will be poorer for it. It’s the ultimate silent treatment, which is a very passive-aggressive and childish way to act. It’s also a powerplay, which is not an attractive look on anyone.

If you struggle, if you disagree, address it head on. Don’t walk away and refuse to talk; that’s what toddlers do.

and

hands began to sweat, I could hear my queer elder — Yiddish culture — whisper in my ear. I was reminded that I am not the first person to take a stand for what I believe in. I come from a long legacy of people trying to do the same.

Through its defiant perseverance throughout history, Yiddish culture has shown me what resilience really looks like. And through its humor,

food and music, I have learned from Yiddish culture how to lean into the joy of being. Yiddish culture is my queer elder. I am proud to be a theydy.

Noa Baron is the Social Justice Organizer at the Workers Circle.

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.

TO

How

taught me to embrace the joy

defiance of being queer

Two girls wear banners with the slogan “Abolish child slavery” in English and Yiddish, probably taken during May 1, 1909 labor parade in New York City. Credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Students at Tel Aviv University. Credit: Flash90

Tzedakah in Modern America

ASHTON KAY

Jewish Press Intern

A Jewish tradition that I’m currently being taught about during my internship is Tzedakah. I read up on the ladder of Tzedakah, and received my very own Tzedakah box. To me, Tzedakah seems like an important tradition now more than ever. Wealth inequality in the United States is at an all-time high, there's a housing crisis, and a constantly growing homeless population. And yet many Americans detest giving to the poor or helping them in any way. “If you give money to the homeless, they’ll just go spend it on drugs,” and of course nobody can forget the famous, “She used 80 names, 30 addresses, 15 telephone numbers to collect food stamps, Social Security...”

These kinds of warped narratives have reshaped the minds of Americans to become spiteful. Something I see as uniquely American is the idea that if anyone exploits government safety nets, nobody should get them. I think this anomaly spawned from the 80’s laissez faire trickle down fad and has affected not only Americans’ view on welfare, but on how they view the poor.

Nowadays, wealth has become so intertwined with the modern world that it is the primary factor of one’s societal worth. And yet things necessary to survival such as food and housing (yes, housing is a necessity) aren’t even considered human rights. The streets of every city in America are overrun with homeless people, and the local government's solution to this is to make their lives even harder. And yet there are more empty homes in America than homeless people by over 30 times. The solution is so simple, but to Americans this idea is unthinkable. Life-saving vaccines for diseases cured a hundred years ago are still being profited off of in third world countries. People still die from these curable and preventable diseases because of wealth, and wealth alone. Over and over again, the world values wealth and profits over human lives.

Something that I found interesting about Tzedakah was that

In

it originated from an agrarian society. The wealth that was given to the poor wasn’t money, it was the food they needed to live. Their concept of “wealth” was just the abundance of food. It wasn’t even something they had to think about. These people don’t have food, and I have more than I need. I should

Maimonides’ Ladder of Tzedakah most values donations in which neither the donor nor the recipient know each other. Under that is when the donor knows the recipient, followed by when the recipient knows the donor. This hierarchy seems to most value when the donation does not result in the donor gaining praise or admiration. This falls in line with everything else I’ve learned about Tzedakah, and how it is more like an obligation than a gift or charity.

Tzedakah derives from the Jewish goal to perfect the world. Personally, I can’t imagine that a perfect world would ever exist, but I would assume that the idea is essentially reducing (or ideally eliminating) suffering. If that’s not the end goal of perfecting the world, then it has to at least be a first step. A world where so many people suffer and die from easily preventable causes all because of the arbitrary concept of “wealth”, which at this point is so far removed from its materialistic origins, is hardly perfect. I think that if more non-Jewish people held values similar to Tzedakah, some of these problems may not even exist. So many people see giving to the poor as charity, and in many cases, they think it has to be “earned”. It’s done only for glory or admiration, and they look down on the people they give to. Some rhetoric even puts the burden of poverty on the average everyday people who aren’t poor, but aren’t in the top percentage of wealth distribution either. You can imagine who’s crafting this divisive narrative, which only aims to cause strife.

give them food so they don’t starve. As more modern economies began to develop, the concept of Tzedakah adapted to them, while still maintaining its roots. Giving to the poor didn’t make you better than anyone else, you give to the poor because it's the right thing to do. You give whether you like it or not. Under only business partnerships and loans,

Over and over again, Americans have been manipulated into thinking that some group of people is their enemy. I don’t even need to give you an example, I’m sure you can think of one. In this world which is far from perfect, I think that America could learn a thing or two about Tzedakah

Ashton Kay studies journalism at UNO and is the 2023 Jewish Press intern. His position is made possible through the generous support of the Murray H. and Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation.

Judaism, wisdom is found where the wild things are

RABBI DIANE ELLIOT

JTA

This story originally appeared on My Jewish Learning.

Several weeks ago, I experienced the delights and the challenges of being on retreat in the high desert of New Mexico. Each morning, the sun flooded my cozy straw-bale house. Afternoon winds whipped the fields of tall grass into undulating waves, scattering the few wispy clouds and dusting every surface with a fine orange film of pine pollen. By night, a river of glittering stars flowed across the darkened sky.

For all its raw beauty and breathtaking vistas, the high desert is a harsh environment. I was warned to be on the lookout for rattlesnakes, scorpions and black widow spiders, not to mention the legions of bloodthirsty mosquitoes that appeared at sunset. My gut rumbled and my head ached with the sudden shift from my sea level home to an altitude of 7,300 feet. In the extreme dryness my skin itched, my lips cracked and my nose, irritated by the pollen, ran constantly. To compound my physical discomforts, distresses I’d been repressing for months bubbled up as searing neck and shoulder pain, obsessive thoughts and troubling dreams. I drank a lot of water and breathed deeply, praying that in time my body would adapt and my mind would clear.

Being in the desert especially attuned me to the weekly Torah readings from the Book of Numbers, whose Hebrew name, Bamidbar, means “In the Wilderness.” This Shabbat’s double portion, Matot-Masei, comprises its final chapters. The entire book — and much of the Torah, in fact — unfolds in an arid desert wilderness not unlike the scrublands of northern New Mexico. For 40 years, after narrowly escaping Pharaoh’s pursuing army at the Sea of Reeds, the Israelites roamed this unforgiving land, crisscrossing its hills and ravines, beset by challenges, struggling to find ways to live together and obey the dictates of a demanding, often wrathful, cloud-thundering, flame-throwing God.

Masei opens with a list of 42 spots in the wilderness where the Israelites camped along the way — 42 phases of their epic trek from slavery toward the ever-elusive promised land. Trouble and discord have plagued them every step of the way. Torah scholar Avivah Zornberg describes this wilderness as a space of “bewilderment,” “a quicksand ready to consume human bodies” where “cries and whispers and rages and laments fill the air.” Other voices in the tradition romanticize the people’s extended desert sojourn, nostalgically recalling the spiritual intimacy of those times when God’s voice would pour through Moses and the Torah, like a marriage contract, bound them and all of nature to divinity.

Why is the midbar so central to the Israelites’ mythic journey? What is it about wilderness that both fascinates and repels, excites and terrifies? For me, midbar represents not simply a tract of wild land, but a state of mind. Unbounded, undomesticated, these trackless “deserts of the heart” are those times in my life when I don’t know which way to turn

or what’s coming next, when I’ve lost my internal compass and feel at once overwhelmed, unmoored and wrenchingly vulnerable. And yet the shattering realities of the midbar can also confer a breathtaking sense of freedom, inducing me to wriggle out of old identities like a snake shedding its skin.

A radical teaching attributed to the famous second-century mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai answers the question of why God brings the people the long way around on their way out of Egypt like this: “Only to those who eat manna is it given to really study the Torah.” (Mekhilta Beshalach 1:34) Manna, the food of faith that drops from the sky to feed the Israelites during their desert wanderings, symbolizes their dependence on an invisible power for sustenance. This midrash suggests that only those who face the rigors and incalculable risks of the midbar, trusting they will be provided for, are able to receive the deeper layers of meaning buried in Torah.

During my recent retreat, my mind and body eventually settled. As I leaned into the land, offering up to it my fears, self-judgments and perceived limitations, I began to hear whispers of wise inner guidance and to feel enveloped in a protective, sheltering presence — something akin to what sages and mystics through the ages have referred to as shekhinah, a sense of immanent divinity woven into everything. The Hebrew word for wilderness, midbar, shares a root with the verb l’daber, to speak. The desert spoke to me, fed me, renewed me and softened my heart. I received its teaching as a gift, with humility and gratitude.

Returning home to the city, I faced a challenge similar to what I imagine the ancient Israelites must have faced at the

end of Bamidbar as they prepared to leave behind 40 ragged and majestic years of wilderness strife and holy intimacy: How shall I weave the open spaces, the silence and the words, the struggles, triumphs and raw emotion of that desert time into the daily routines of work, home and relationships? How can

I keep the whispers and visions, the gifts from the wilderness, alive in my soul?

Holding these questions, I find myself listening for the silences, the unbidden voices, and even the doubts and creative confusions that stir just beneath the surface.

Rabbi Diane Elliot is a spiritual leader and somatic therapist. She leads retreats, teaches nationally, and works with individuals in spiritual direction. Learn more about her work at www.whollypresent.org.

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.

Kanye West is back on Twitter/X after reportedly agreeing not to post antisemitic content

RON KAMPEAS

JTA

The social media company owned by Elon Musk has once again reinstated Kanye West, the musician and artist whose antisemitic spree last fall twice cost him his account. Accounts that have tracked West’s presence on X, the platform known until last week as Twitter, first noted his reinstatement, disappearance and then reinstatement again on Saturday.

An anonymous source told the Wall Street Journal that West had agreed to the company’s terms for reinstatement: He could not post antisemitic or offensive comment and he would not be allowed to monetize the account. West has yet to tweet since being reinstated. Major Jewish civil liberties

groups denounced West’s return, saying he is unrepentant about the antisemitic invective he unleashed last year and that led to his first and second bans.

The American Jewish Committee said the reinstatement “sends a terrible signal to Jew haters on the platform and everywhere.”

West was banned last October after posts that were interpreted as threatening Jews, reinstated in late November and then banned again in December after he posted a swastika on the account. Musk, the electric automobile mogul, calls himself a “free speech absolutist,” although he has banned accounts that he perceives as having attacked him personally.

Credit: Getty Images

Synagogues

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

618 Mynster Street

Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766

712.322.4705

email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism

14506 California Street Omaha, NE 68154-1980

402.492.8550 bethel-omaha.org

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154

402.556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

CHABAD HOUSE

An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch

1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646

402.330.1800 OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN

South Street Temple

Union for Reform Judaism

2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797

402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

Capehart Chapel

2500 Capehart Road

Offutt AFB, NE 68123

402.294.6244

email: oafbjsll@icloud.com

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154

TEMPLE ISRAEL

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)

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

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: TIFERETH ISRAEL

Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236

402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org

B’NAI ISRAEL

Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

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

BETH EL

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

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

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 9:15 p.m. Zoom Only.

THURSDAY: Certified CPR & Defibrillator Training, 10 a.m.

FRIDAY-Aug. 4: Kabbalat Shabbat 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY-Aug. 5: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 9:05 p.m. Zoom Only. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.

BETH ISRAEL

FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:20 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 8:10 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity 8:40 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:23 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv 8:20 p.m.

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

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

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

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

FRIDAY-Aug. 11: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7:30 p.m.; Candlelighting, 8:11 p.m.

SATURDAY-Aug. 12: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.;

Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/ Ma’ariv 8 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity 8:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 9:23 p.m. Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.

CHABAD HOUSE

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

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochabad.com/ Lechayim; Candlelighting, 8:19 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 9:22 p.m.

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

MONDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha, 9:30 a.m.; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Introduction to Writing Hebrew Script and Vocabulary Practice, 5 p.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.; Parsha Reading, 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-Aug. 11: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ocha bad.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 8:11 p.m.

SATURDAY-Aug. 12: Shacharit 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 9:12 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH

Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch.

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

FRIDAY: Noah Levine Visit; LJCS Registration Ends; Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex and music by Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Oneg Host: TBD; Shabbat Candlelighting, 8:21 p.m.

SATURDAY: Noah Levine Visit; Shabbat Morning Service 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study,

noon on Parashat Eikev; Havdalah, 9:23 p.m.

SUNDAY: Noah Levine Visit; Men’s Bike/Coffee Group meet, 10:45 a.m. at The Mill on the Innovation Campus. We sit outside, facing east. For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail. com; SST Board Meeting, 1:30 p.m.; Social Action Committee Meeting, 1:30 p.m.; Pickleball, 3-5 p.m. at TI. Everyone is welcome.

MONDAY: Federation Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Ruach Committee Meeting, 1 p.m. via Zoom.

THURSDAY: High Holy Days Choir Rehearsal, 7 p.m. at TI.

FRIDAY-Aug. 11: Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex and music by Leslie Delserone and Peter Mullin, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Oneg Host: TBD; Shabbat Candlelighting, 8:12 p.m.

SATURDAY-Aug. 12: Shabbat Morning Service 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Re’eh; Havdalah 9:14 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

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

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL

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 Shira Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Saturday Morning Shabbat Service, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Temple Tots Splash Pad Shabbat, 4 p.m. (RSVP for location).

SUNDAY: Teacher and Madrichim Orientation 10 a.m.; Conversion Class Summer Coffee Series, 11 a.m. at the JCC.

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Israel’s Supreme Court will hear challenge to law

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TEL AVIV | JTA

The Israeli Supreme Court has announced that it will hear petitions challenging a new law that limits its ability to strike down government decisions.

The challenges won’t have their day in court until September, but the announcement paves the way for a possible constitutional crisis in Israel. That’s a scenario that a range of scholars and officials have worried about for months, as Israel’s rightwing government has pursued an effort to sap the power and independence of the Supreme Court amid mass street protests and civil disobedience.

The first piece of that judicial overhaul plan passed on Monday, July 24.

The vote, which was boycotted by the opposition in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, was a landmark moment in a conflict that has consumed Israel since the beginning of the year and drawn the attention and criticism of world leaders and a range of Diaspora Jewish organizations. It is the first measure of the right-wing government’s proposed judicial overhaul — which has aimed to sap the power and independence of the Supreme Court — to be enacted into law.

The legislation bars the Supreme Court from striking down decisions by the government or by minister that it deems “unreasonable.” Supporters

of the law say it curbs inappropriate judicial activism while the law’s opponents say it removes a check on the government and upsets Israel’s separation of powers. Large, disruptive protests coalesced after the law’s passage, with demonstrators blocking highways and lighting bonfires. Dozens were arrested.

On Wednesday July 26, the Supreme Court announced that it would not file an injunction to freeze the law, which took effect that day. But it said it would hear challenges to the law, which were filed by a range of groups, including nonprofits, parliamentary opposition parties and individual citizens.

“We are ready. We will appear at the Supreme Court to defend Israeli democracy and do everything we can to stop the judicial coup,” said Eliad Shraga, head of the Movement for Quality Government, a group that filed one of the petitions, according to the Times of Israel. “We will continue to protest and fight everywhere and from every podium until the threat is removed.”

Israel does not have a constitution and is governed by a set of so-called Basic Laws that have an enhanced status. The measure passed on Monday amends one of those laws, and if the court strikes it down, it would be the first time in its history that

it has negated a basic law.

That potentially unprecedented situation could be a spur for a constitutional crisis, which would

occur if Israel’s governing coalition opts to disregard the court ruling. How that kind of situation may be resolved would be unclear, and such a dispute between two branches of government has been predicted by scholars who worry that it could cause further unrest in Israeli society.

A view of the Israeli Supreme Court in Jerusalem. Credit: Eddie Gerald via Getty Images

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Terror suspects arrested in India had photos of Mumbai Chabad center, police say

JTA

Law enforcement officers in Mumbai found photos of the city’s Chabad center among the possessions of two terror suspects, leading police to boost security at the building that was the site of a deadly attack in 2008.

The discovery of the photos was announced over the weekend by the Anti-Terrorism Squad in the Indian state of Maharashtra, according to Indian press reports. The photos were found a phone belonging to the two suspects, who were arrested on July 18 and are accused of planning a terror attack in another location. According to the Times of India, they are members of Sufa, an Islamist terror group. Officials also reportedly discovered explosive powder among their possessions.

directs the Chabad center with his wife Chaya Kozlovsky, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. He said the center attracts some 10,000 visitors per year and has full-time security. The Kozlovsky family has been in Mumbai for 11 years.

“It’s clear that from moment to moment there are people who wish us ill,” he said. “When they catch them, that feels good. When they don’t catch them, that is the problem.”

Israeli officials have faced threats elsewhere in India. In 2021, a bomb exploded outside the Israeli embassy in New Delhi with no injuries. In 2012, an Israeli diplomat’s wife and her driver were injured when her car was bombed.

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Rabbi Israel Kozlovsky, director of Mumbai's Chabad center, looks out of a window of the center, in front of a wall pockmarked with bullet holes from the 2008 terror attack. Credit: Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The Chabad center in Mumbai was the site of a 2008 terror attack that killed six Israeli and American victims, including Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, the Hasidic emissary couple who headed the Chabad. Their son Moshe famously survived because of the bravery of his Indian nanny Sandra Samuel, who moved to Israel with him after the attack.

The 2008 attack was part of a string of terror attacks in the area by the Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba that killed more than 160 people.

“We feel great, thank God,” Rabbi Israel Kozlovsky, who co-

TEL AVIV | JTA

The Israeli Supreme Court has announced that it will hear petitions challenging a new law that limits its ability to strike down government decisions.

The challenges won’t have their day in court until September, but the announcement paves the way for a possible constitutional crisis in Israel. That’s a scenario that a range of scholars and officials have worried about for months, as Israel’s right-wing government has pursued an effort to sap the power and independence of the Supreme Court amid mass street protests and civil disobedience.

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Chabad centers have also been the subjects of alleged terror surveillance elsewhere. Greek police in March announced that they had arrested two men they suspected of planning terror attacks on Jewish sites, including at the Chabad of Athens and a kosher restaurant it operates. In that case, police said they suspected the men of being part of a network based in Iran, which has in recent years accelerated its efforts to attack Jewish and Israeli targets abroad.

Kozlovsky is not worried that Sunday’s announcement will significantly deter people from visiting the Chabad in Mumbai.

“The reaction every Jew should have is that you expel darkness with light,” he said. “That’s what we always try to do, to increase our activity.”

The first piece of that judicial overhaul plan passed on Monday, July 24. The legislation bars the Supreme Court from striking down decisions by the government or by minister that it deems “unreasonable.”

Supporters of the law say it curbs inappropriate judicial activism while the law’s opponents say it removes a check on the government and upsets Israel’s separation of powers. Large, disruptive protests coalesced after the law’s passage, with demonstrators blocking highways and lighting bonfires. Dozens were arrested.

Read more at www.omahajewishpress.com.

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The US Jewish response to the judicial reform vote

RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON | JTA

For months earlier this year, mainstream American Jewish groups waffled on how much to weigh in on Israel’s internal political debates, something many had studiously avoided in the past.

But that felt like a distant memory after Israel’s parliament approved a law that its authors and critics including many of those American Jewish groups alike said would reshape the country.

Reactions poured in immediately, many of them deeply critical of what Israel’s right-wing government had just done in signing off on a law that diminishes the power of the Supreme Court to review government decisions.

The American Jewish Committee had a statement ready to go as soon as the law passed expressing “profound disappointment” over the passage of the law which removes from the courts the right to judge laws against a standard of reasonableness.

“The new law was pushed through unilaterally by the governing coalition amid deepening divisions in Israeli society as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have taken to the streets,” the AJC said.

The Anti-Defamation League soon followed. “This initiative and other judicial overhaul proposals could weaken Israeli democracy and harm Israel’s founding principles as laid out in the Declaration of Independence,” its statement said.

The Jewish Federations of North America said it was “extremely disappointed that the leaders of the coalition moved ahead with a major element of the reforms without a process of consensus, despite the serious disagreements across Israeli society and the efforts of President [Isaac] Herzog to arrive at a compromise.”

The ADL, the AJC and the JFNA urged the Israeli government and its opposition to continue to seek a compromise even in the wake of the passage of the momentous law. Groups to their left, including the Reform movement, urged

American Jews to step up the pressure on Israel to make changes, and J Street said the Biden administration had a role in leveraging that pressure. The Conservative movement said that the passage of the law “represents a clear and present danger to the country’s independent judiciary, which may still come under further assault.”

branch of Israeli government that has protected the non-Orthodox. American Jews, rattled by perceived antidemocratic tendencies at home, seem more attuned to the threat the same tendencies pose in Israel, according to a poll last month by the Jewish Electorate Institute.

“This is our fight too – and the vast majority of American Jews believe in a Jewish, democratic Israel that lives up to its founding values of equality, freedom, and justice for all,” said Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, a national public policy group, in a statement on Monday.

The Israel Policy Forum, a group with deep roots in the American Jewish establishment that advocates for a two-state outcome to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said the changes in the law risk alienating the Diaspora.

Liberal American Jews, who have taken the lead in the past in protecting the rights of women and the LGBTQ community, have raised alarms about pledges by some of Netanyahu’s coalition partners to diminish the rights of both sectors.

Not all U.S. Jewish groups expressed dismay. Some groups on the right praised the enactment into law of the “reasonableness” bill, the piece of the legislation approved on Monday.

The force of the pronouncements shows how much has changed since as recently as March when some of the same legacy organizations were struggling with how far to go in objecting as Prime Minister Netanyahu appeared ready to ram a package of judicial legislation through with alacrity. A bid to come up with a statement uniting all the legacy Jewish groups nearly collapsed amidst last minute changes.

Speaking out forcefully against an Israeli government has never been a happy place for the legacy groups. For decades, their doctrine had been to let Israelis decide what’s best for them unless it directly impacted Diaspora Jewish communities.

But in recent months, the reluctance to speak out changed, and not just because weakening the courts undermines the

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations maintains under its umbrella groups as diverse as ZOA and the Reform movement. It sounded alarm without weighing in on the specifics of the legislation.

“We must remember the dangers that discord and division can pose to the Jewish people,” the group said in a statement. “We call on Israel’s leaders to seek compromise and unity. Responsible political actors must ease tensions that have run dangerously high.”

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee declined to comment on the legislation.

This article was edited for length. You can find the full story at www.omahajewishpress.com

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People march across the Brooklyn Bridge in a show of support with protesters in Israel, July 23, 2023. Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images