August 23, 2024

Spirit of FEDERATION

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor

We are pleased to announce Terri Zacharia and Mike Siegel as recipients of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Phil and Terri Shrager Spirit of Federation Award. They will accept their award Sunday, Sept. 22 at our Annual Campaign Community Kickoff Event.

The Phil & Terri Schrager Spirit of Federa-

tion Award is given annually to honor one man and one woman (ages 45 and older) who have demonstrated personal commitment, dedication, and leadership to the Federation and/or its Agencies. The Federation Executive Committee selects the winners, and both recipients receive a stipend to participate in a community mission or national conference.

“Why me?” Terri asked Nancy Schlessinger when she was told about the award. “There are so many deserving See Spirit of Federation page 2

A Life Well Lived

HAL SENAL

You might not know it, but Marcel Kahn, 92, is a superstar of sorts. Well, at least, one might have thought he was on Sunday, Aug. 4, in Grand Island, NE.

There, Kahn, a kind-hearted, charming yet humble gentleman, if there ever was one, attended the world premier of A Life Well Lived - An Account of David Kaufmann

Now, before we skip ahead to Kahn’s big night, many curious readers might be wondering, “Who’s David Kaufmann?”

The 50-minute broadcast-length

documentary film examines the life of German/Jewish immigrant Kaufmann who found success in the United States, starting his journey in New York and eventually making his way to Grand Island.

To be fair, that’s probably how Kaufmann (not one to grandstand when it came to his own philanthropic en-

Register to vote at the Staenberg JCC!

PAM MONSKY JCRC Assistant Director

The Jewish Community Relations Council is hosting the League of Women Voters Omaha Chapter for a voter registration event on Sunday, Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Staenberg Omaha JCC. There will be two locations available to register voters: in the lobby of JCC, in the main entrance, and in Member Services.

When registering in person, please bring your driver’s license. Other ways to register include:

• Register in person at your county election office. You do not need to bring anything with you to register to vote at the county election office.

• Register in person through the State Department of Motor Vehicles when applying for or renewing your driver’s license. Additionally, you can complete an online voter registration through the DMV when you renew or order a duplicate driver’s license.

• You may also register through the State Department of Health and Human Services and State Department of Education at the time of application, review or change of address in connection with public programs.

• An online voter registration application can be printed for your use. You must mail your application to your county election office. Addresses for the offices are listed on the form.

deavors) would have probably preferred it. Discreetly and without fuss he quietly sponsored and saved the lives of approximately 200 Jews desperate to escape Germany before the Holocaust escalated with Kristallnacht in 1938.

“If there's a message, a subtle See A Life Well Lived page 2

• If registering for the first time in Nebraska by mail, please provide a copy of a current and valid photo ID, or a copy of a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document which is dated within 60 days immediately prior to the date of presentation showing the same name and residence address provided on the voter registration application to avoid delays with your registration. See Voter registration page 3

Terri Zacharia

Mike Siegel

Marcel Kahn with his cousins from Denver, all from families sponsored by Mr. Kaufmann. Pictured are Ethan Litvin, left, Jordan Schiff, Lara Litvin, Amy Schiff, Dorothy (Kahn) Resnick, Emma Litvin, Marcel Kahn.

Spirit of Federation

Continued from page 1 women,” she said, “so I am humbled and honored and proud, all of those things!”

Terri was born and raised in Omaha and was involved in most aspects of it somewhere along the way:

“I have such great memories, from going to J Camp in Fontenelle Forest (which I thought then was a long way from home!) to running across the street from Central High School to hang out with my friends at the old JCC. We danced in the basement! I’d come home and pick up the Jewish Press. I was involved with BBG, and I was an AZA Sweetheart. I remember visiting the Sher Home and volunteering at what is now the ELC when my own kids were little. Now, years later, I am helping raise funds for the RBJH’s Quality of Life Campaign, so I’ve kind of come full circle. Thinking of everything I’ve experienced along the way, and how far this building and this community have come, it’s amazing to be a part of that.

From the offices to Friedel Jewish Academy, to the gym and the RBJH, this place is a jewel.”

“Terri is a great example of what a volunteer should be,” Executive Director of Philanthropy & Engagement Jenn Tompkins said. “She solicits for the JFO Annual Campaign year after year, and is always happy doing it. I really admire how respectful and kind she is to everyone and how she uses volunteering to show her love for our community.”

The oldest of three boys, Mike was born on Long Island, NY. He attended Washington University in St. Louis and worked in the buying offices of a St. Louis department store for two years after graduating. He has taken an active role in the Omaha Jewish Community for more than two decades. Initially asked by Sharon Kirshenbaum to be part of JOLT’s Young Leadership Training, he was soon asked to sit on the Jewish Press board. From there, he found himself on the Jewish Community Center board, followed by the JFO board. From 2021 until 2024, he was president of the JFO board: “Mike took on this role six months early, and stayed for an extended period while we transitioned into our new CEO,” JFO President Nancy Schlessinger said. “That is true dedication!”

She also called Mike a never-ending lay leader in our Jewish community and specifically to the JFO.

“He has a huge passion for all things campus wide,” she said, “and is always looking for ways to bring others into the fold of what is happening. He excels at making connections between people and committees/agencies that could work well together. He enjoys seeing the big picture for the Federation and has a wealth of knowledge from his many, many years of volunteer service. He has continued to be an active lay leader

Continued from page 1

past his extended JFO presidency, when it could have been somewhat easier to step away for a while. Mike shows up, continues to lead and is always here when we need him. On a personal note, he inspired me to take on the JFO presidency over the past several years, ‘training’ me in a way while he was still in the role. He spent a great deal of time with me getting comfortable in this role, and I see him inspiring others on our Board to take on leadership roles as well.”

Mike clearly cares about this community: “His commitment and positive energy are immediately recognizable when spending time with him,” JFO COO Phil Malcom said. “He clearly cares about the Jewish Federation and the wider Omaha Jewish community, and there is nothing more inspiring to others than authentic passion. In addition, Mike spearheaded the creation of our most recent strategic plan, which called for an investment in leadership development for our organization. In response, Mike oversaw the creation of the YOEL program, which aims to foster the next generation of leaders for the Omaha Jewish community.”

“Giving back, whether through dollars, time, or expertise, is a core principle of Judaism,” Mike said. “Growing up in New York, I watched my mom give back through her work with the National Council of Jewish Women, and it stuck with me.

Both Mike and Terri are grateful to Terri and Phil Schrager for creating the Spirit of Federation Award.

“Of course, nobody does this work just to get recognition,” Mike said, “but it is nice to be acknowledged and thanked. Mostly, it’s humbling, when you look at all the people who received this honor in the past.”

“Along the way, I’ve watched both the JFO and the community grow and thrive, and I realize it really does take a village to create what we have,” Terri said. “But in order to have this, we have to continue to do the work.”

Save the date for our 2025 Annual Campaign Community Kickoff Event on Sunday, Sept. 22, when Terri and Mike are honored for their volunteer roles. You are all invited! At 5 p.m., we’ll gather at the Pickleball courts in the Alan J. Levine Athletic Facility. It’s a celebratory event, but it is also the start of something amazing: the Annual Campaign, which is how we all come together to keep this community vibrant and robust.

The Jewish Federation of Omaha Staff and Board wish Terri and Mike mazal tov on this well-deserved honor. For more information about how you can follow their example and get involved, please visit www.jewishomaha.org and click the ‘volunteer’ button.

A Life Well Lived

message, something we talk about in Holocaust education, it’s to teach people to be upstanders, not bystanders,” said Scott Littky, Executive Director of the Institute for Holocaust Education whose own interest in Kaufmann’s story helped spark the genesis of an idea for a documentary. “This is a man who acted as an upstander. He had an opportunity to use his resources to make a difference, and that’s what we want to teach everybody to do. Very few people will ever be in the situation to say ‘Oh! I can save somebody’s life,’ right? But there are little things people can do to make a difference.”

This is where Mr. Kahn, the Man of the Hour at the premier in Grand Island on Aug, 4, comes in.

Marcel Kahn was born in Stuttgart, Germany, in December of 1931. He, along with his family, was one of the many German Jews saved by Kaufmann’s heroic efforts.

As a six-year-old from Germany, however, unable to speak English, Marcel had trouble understanding items written on the blackboard by his instructors.

“I couldn’t communicate the first year,” exclaimed Marcel. “And so here’s a total change, too: if a teacher would put something on the blackboard in numerals, I could handle that explanation for that.”

While many Jews brought over to the US by Kaufmann migrated to California to claim their fortunes, Marcel joined the Air Force, where he was stationed at Georgia Air Force Base and eventually rose to the rank of Captain.

He has made Nebraska his home for all these years. This might explain the “Rock Star” treatment Marcel received at the Aug. 4 premiere of A Life Well Lived in Grand Island earlier in the month.

“They treated Marcel like a superstar, while he was there,” exclaimed Howard Epstein, the former Executive Director of the

Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. ”There was a group of people from the Hall County Historical Society (HCHS), who were waiting at the entrance of the theater... I mean, they gave him a royal welcome: second-row seats, reserved for friends and family. They had him stand and wave to the crowd, and they recognized him. I could tell it was very special for him!” Indeed, in addition to the 350-400 people in attendance (due to larger-than-expected crowds), a second showing of the documentary was held, later that same day!

To say that Marcel was surrounded by a whole lot of love would not be an embellishment of the truth.

“Some of [Marcel’s] relatives were there for it, " said Epstein. “The other 390 people at the day show, and probably all of the people from the night show, were all citizens of Grand Island and Hall County, and surrounding areas, really had an interest in it. They got treated to a real story of a guy that not only helped his fellow Jews but really a story of a guy who refused to be a bystander, stood up and said, ‘Hey, I’m going to do something about this! These people are in trouble!’ And if that’s a message that can get out to everybody, and they take it to heart, then it’s all worthwhile!”

Indeed, Marcel recognizes and acknowledges his debt to one man; a man who decided to be an Upstander, not a bystander: David Kaufmann.

“What really surprised me was that they had to put on a second show to accommodate those interested,” said Marcel. “And of course, I wasn’t the calling card. It was David Kaufmann who they have to respect and honor. I’m tangentially involved because of his involvement in my life – in our lives. I’m sure he didn’t just help those families that came after and after and after. I hope there is a special place in Heaven for him. I hope there is.”

Cue the credits.

Voter registration

Continued from page 1

• You must sign your Voter Registration Application before it is returned to your County Clerk/Election Commissioner’s office.

The following are the deadlines to register to vote in Nebraska:

• Mail-in voter registrations must be mailed and postmarked on or before the third Friday preceding an election.

• Registrations completed at the state Department of Motor Vehicles must be completed by the third Friday preceding an election.

• Voter registrations delivered by personal messenger or personal agent must arrive on or before the third Friday preceding an election.

• Individuals may register in person at the County Clerk/Election Commissioner’s office prior to 6 p.m. on the second Friday preceding an election.

You must re-register whenever you change

• Your name,

• Your address, or

• Your political party affiliation.

• Failure to vote in a previous election does not require reregistration.

Greenblatt & Seay proudly announce the 28th ANNUAL SCHOOLHOUSE FIDDLING BEE which will take place on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024 starting at 2:30 p.m., Central Time, streaming the winners on-line via Zoom from the Old Avoca, Nebraska Schoolhouse.

There are two Divisions...

1) Junior Division: for musicians who have played less than 2 years.

2) Senior Division: for musicians who have played 3 years or more.

Each Division will have 3 separate Contests that contestants may enter...

1) Tunes to excite you – one exciting fiddle tune tune played on any acoustic bowed string instrument

2) Tunes to calm you – one calm fiddle tune played on any acoustic bowed string instrument

3) Fee Fi Faux – one fiddle tune played on an instrument that is not an acoustic bowed string instrument

1st Place winners will receive their choice of 3 Schoolhouse Virtual Workshops, or pdfs from our Tunes for Two series. 2nd Place winners will receive their choice of 2 Schoolhouse Virtual Workshops, or pdfs from our Tunes for Two series. 3rd Place winners will receive their choice of 1 Schoolhouse Virtual Workshop, or a pdf from our Tunes for Two series. There is an entry fee of $10.00 per Contest submission. For more information, and to enter the contest by the September 15 deadline: https://www.greenblattandseay. com/schoolhouse_fiddling_bee.shtml

To request a link to view the excitement live on Oct. 13 please e-mail debby@greenblattandseay.com.

Community Wellness Collaborative

DEBORAH DENENBERG

Behavioral Health Connection is a free program of Nebraska Medicine that connects anyone in need to mental health and substance use resources. The innovative program also helps families overcome obstacles to accessing care, such as lack of transportation or lack of insurance. The Noddle family founded Behavioral Health Connection five years ago, and it’s now seeking wider community support.

In 2023, Behavioral Health Connection began operating out of its first satellite office in a tidy brick building in North Omaha. When neighborhood resident Thomas Contreras enters, he knows he won’t be seeing a doctor or nurse. But he knows he will find help.

“Just seeing people makes you feel better,” Contreras explains. “Especially the smile on people’s faces. That’s a lot to get your day started and mind going and feeling positive about things.”

Celeste Akers, Nebraska Medicine lead community services technician, helped connect Thomas with a psychiatrist and community support program, along with finding him transportation to his doctor’s appointments. She’s also helping to make sure his housing voucher is up to date.

“Today is paperwork and making some calls,” Akers explains. “No one has a fax machine at their house, right? Sometimes people just need to do their functional paperwork to keep their benefits and keep their housing vouchers and to fill out applications for things like rental assistance.”

“Many people living in this area don’t have reliable access to the technology that is often required to look things up or to do paperwork and applications on their own,” Akers explains. “Also, we want to regularly offer community education

about mental health care topics to normalize that as part of overall well-being.”

Contreras appreciates having someone right there in his community to help with tasks that can be stressful.

“I feel better,” he says. “I don’t want to be lost and wondering what’s next—I know they are here to help me and not give me the wrong directions.”

“Day after day, Celeste and the Behavioral Health Connection team demonstrate dedication, compassion and expertise in helping consumers navigate the complex behavioral health system in our region,” says David Cates, Ph.D., Nebraska Medicine behavioral health director. “Since initiating this service in 2019, they have fielded over 13,000 calls or in-person visits, representing over 8,000 callers/visitors, some of whom are mental health providers seeking resources for their patients. We are proud of their work and look forward to supporting additional community outreach efforts in the near future.”

Akers has made connections with several people who routinely drop by for help. And she’s ready to help even more.

“It is really rewarding to know that someone came to me for the help that they needed and kept reaching out for help along the way because they saw me as someone who is caring and approachable and capable of helping them make a positive difference in their lives,” Akers says. “It’s often not easy for people to admit they or a loved one need help or to ask for that help, but we want them to know we’re receptive to them calling or stopping in because that’s what we’re here for!”

Behavioral Health Connection is seeking donations from the greater Omaha community. Emily Tiensvold, senior director of development, clinical programs, University of Nebraska Foundation observes, “With additional donations, we can maximize the program’s reach and effectiveness. We are actively working to make sure Behavioral Health Connection is sustainable in the long term.”

To learn more, please contact Tiensvold at Emily.tiensvold@nu foundation.org or 402.502.4107.

To reach the Behavioral Health Connection, call 402-836-9292.

SCOTT LITTKY

Recent additions to the Kripke-Veret Collection

SHIRLY BANNER

JFO Library Specialist

JUVENILE:

Tree of Life by Elisa Boxer

Hope triumphs over fear in this poignant and impactful true story of the Holocaust—a delicate introduction to World War II history for older picture book readers.

During World War II, in the concentration camp, Terezin, a group of Jewish children and their devoted teacher planted and nurtured a smuggled-in sapling. Over time fewer and fewer children were left to care for the little tree, but those who remained kept lovingly sharing their water with it.

When the war finally ended and the prisoners were freed, the sapling had grown into a strong five-foot-tall maple.

Nearly eighty years later the tree’s 600 descendants around the world are thriving... including one that was planted at New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage in 2021. Students will continue to care for it for generations to come, and the world will remember the brave teacher and children who never gave up nurturing a brighter future.

ADULT:

A Death in Cornwall by Daniel Silva Art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon has slipped quietly into London to attend a reception at the Courtauld Gallery celebrating the return of a stolen self-portrait by Vin-

cent van Gogh. But when an old friend from the Devon and Cornwall Police seeks his help with a baffling murder investigation, he finds himself pursuing a powerful and dangerous new adversary.

The victim is Charlotte Blake, a celebrated professor of art history from Oxford who spends her weekends in the same seaside village where Gabriel once lived under an assumed identity. Her murder appears to be the work of a diabolical serial killer who has been terrorizing the Cornish countryside. But there are a number of telltale inconsistencies, including a missing mobile phone. And then there is the mysterious three-letter cypher she left behind on a notepad in her study.

Gabriel soon discovers that Professor Blake was searching for a looted Picasso worth more than a $100 million, and he takes up the chase for the painting as only he can—with six Impressionist canvases forged by his own hand and an unlikely team of operatives that includes a world-famous violinist, a beautiful master thief, and a lethal contract killer turned British spy. The result is a stylish and wildly entertaining mystery that moves at lightning speed from the cliffs of Cornwall to the enchanted island of Corsica and, finally, to a breathtaking climax on the very doorstep of 10 Downing Street.

Supremely elegant and suspenseful, A Death in Cornwall is See Kripke-Veret Collection page 5

This year you can send your greetings through these very special ads that will run in our annual Rosh Hashanah issue. Each ad can be personalized with your name, the names of your children or your grandchildren. Just fill out the form below and send or bring it to the Jewish Press office. But hurry; these ads will only be accepted through August 27, 2024

Institute for Holocaust Education Executive Director On Thursday, Sept. 19 at 11:30 a.m. by Zoom the next IHE 3rd Thursday Lunch & Learn will feature Dr. Adina Newman. Her topic will be, L’Dor V’Dor: Using DNA to Reunite Holocaust Survivors. We know the power and potential of DNA testing to find family and uncover long buried family secrets. The DNA Reunion Project at the Center for Jewish History is using DNA technology to help reunite Holocaust survivors with living relatives and their history. In this presentation, Dr. Adina Newman shows how genetic genealogy benefits the Holocaust survivor community, with examples of how DNA has provided closure and led to heartwarming reunions.

Dr. Newman is the founder and director of At My Family Genie, (myfamilygenie.com). Dr. Adina Newman assists clients with research and blogs about genealogy. She is also the co-founder of the DNA Reunion Project, and is a professional genealogist, specializing in Jewish genealogy, genetic genealogy and social media. She has received international social media attention for her research into the genealogy of celebrities. For more information or to receive the Zoom link for the program, please contact, Scott Littky, IHE executive director at slittky.ihe.ne.org

JEWISH PRESS READERS

If you do business with any of our advertisers, please tell them you saw their ad in the Jewish Press. It really helps us!

Adina Newman

Snapshots from Israel: Cantor Alexander’s recent trip

CANTOR JOANNA ALEXANDER

Temple Israel

On July 19 at 4 a.m., my family and I landed in Newark, NJ. We just arrived stateside from our trip to Israel. I had been there for a total of 20 days and my husband and three kids joined me for the second half.

While in Newark, my husband, Jacob, shows me a headline on his phone: Houthi drone hits Tel Aviv.

I said, thank God we weren’t there; I cannot imagine if the kids felt that while we were there. After more information came out we discover this was about five blocks from where we were staying the night before in Tel Aviv. We would surely have heard or felt it.

While I was in Israel, I never once felt unsafe, I never needed to go into a shelter, I never needed to duck and cover. There were very few signs that I was in a country at war, or at risk. Yet, I was surrounded by signs of those still held captive. Memorials to those who were murdered. And we were constantly thanked for coming at all.

local community.

Maoz showed us a wall; it looks like a regular wall, a barrier between the sidewalk and a piece of property, but it has “white wash” paint on it. Maoz told us that this wall always has the story of the Nakba written on it, but frequently, the municipal government will whitewash it. The story always gets re-writ-

As I wrote while still on my Cantors Mission, the dichotomy of standing blissfully with my feet in the Mediterranean, knowing that less than a hundred miles to the north whole Israeli cities and towns are evacuated and there are hundreds of rockets launched by Hezbollah every day, and the land is literally on fire. Less than 50 miles to the south lies the wreckage of Gaza, two million people displaced, at risk, and living in ruin. Whole families are dead.

I looked up the distance between Tel Aviv and Gaza City. It is a little less than the distance from Omaha to Lincoln. Can you imagine Lincoln being an entire world away?

On my Cantors Mission, we visited and studied with and learned from so many people, I hope to give you some snapshots of my experiences, the lessons I learned, and the confusion I’ve returned with.

SNAPSHOT: MAOZ INON - JULY 3, 2024

On the 3rd day of our mission, we went to Nazareth and were given a tour of the old city by Maoz Inon, who is an Israeli entrepreneur. He focuses on backpack travel tourism within the area and greatly focuses on shared society through sharing narrative in the area.

We learned that despite Nazareth’s importance to Christians (even having the Pope visit 20 years ago) its old city is run down, has had gang problems, and corruption including from the Police, and did not have a single hotel or hostel for visitors to this holy place. Maoz, an avid hiker and backpacker, decided to change this and 15 years ago set up the first guest house in partnership with a local Arab family.

As we walked from street to street and store to store, Maoz knew everyone. He knew the story of all the shops and shop owners. He knew who had opened after covid and reclosed because of the war. Most of the shops are owned by women and sell local artisan product. Every shekel spent benefits the

Kripke-Veret Collection

Continued from page 4

Daniel Silva at his best—a dazzling tale of murder, power, and insatiable greed that will hold readers spellbound until they turn the final page.

In That Sleep of Death by Jonathan Dunsky

Not even murder can keep this secret buried. Israel, 1952 – A man lies dead in a city park, his head bashed in. No witnesses. No clues.

ten. However, since the 7th of October the community has left the whitewash and not re-written the story. They know that leaving the mess of whitewash, showing their story being covered over, is a powerful message in itself.

Moaz then brought us to the beautiful Liwan Culture Shop. It is a coffee shop, library, and artisan store combined. Dedicated “to preserve Palestinian cultural identity and share it with the many visitors who come to Nazareth.” One of the owners shared with us the dream that started the shop, the fight against local gangs to see it open safely, and the impact it has had by making space for other local shops to open, selling artwork and artisanship from Palestinians from around the country.

MAOZ INON LOST BOTH HIS PARENTS ON 7TH OF OCTOBER.

Maoz told us his childhood home, where his parents still lived in Netiv HaAsara, was set on fire by a mortar attack. The community had 20 residents murdered, yet were among the fortunate communities. They were behind a wall (not a fence) and were invaded by six Hamas militants by hang glider, five of those six were killed by the community and Netiv HaAsara did not suffer from a second or third wave of attack. The community only suffered for roughly 30 minutes but both Bilha and Yakovi Inon were killed in that time. (Bilha’s body was only positively identified on Aug. 8, 2024, but the family had sat shiva (without a funeral) for Bilha along with their father Yakovi.)

Maoz credits his father for teaching him the optimism and hope that have been his comfort through this terrible year. His father, a farmer, would say over dinner, “Next year, I will, once again, sow wheat, for the coming year will be better.” Maoz is dedicated to sowing peace, sharing the truth of his neighbors’ stories, and committed to showing a different way, to breaking a cycle of revenge and to a belief that we must try another way.

This article is a multi-part series. Look to future editions to keep reading about Cantor’s trip.

It seems like an impossible case. The police have given up. But private investigator Adam Lapid is determined to catch the killer.

Hired to investigate the murder, Adam begins digging into the victim’s life. He learns the dead man was a Holocaust survivor, and that he may have had knowledge of a terrible crime that happened in pre-WWII Poland. A crime that is still claiming victims in Israel more than a decade later.

To solve the mystery, Adam must use all his wits and courage. And he must work quickly. Because the killer is already hunting for the next victim.

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

call 1-800-521-0600, ext. 2888 (US) or 01-734-761-4700 (International) www.il.proquest.com

Omaha Performing Arts announces five new events

TARA MCNAMARA

Omaha Performing Arts has added five new events to the performance calendar:

An Evening with Pretenders US Tour 2024 comes to the Orpheum Theater on Wednesday, Aug. 21, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $49.50 and go on sale Friday, Aug. 9, at 10 a.m. through ticketomaha.com

Trippie Redd comes to Steelhouse Omaha on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $49.50 and go on sale Friday, Aug. 9, at 10 a.m. through steelhouseomaha. com

The Rocky Horror Picture Show 49th Anniversary Spectacular Tour comes to the Orpheum Theater on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35 and go on sale Friday, Aug. 9, at 10 a.m. through ticketomaha. com

Daughtry brings the Adrenaline Gone Ballistic Holiday Tour to Steelhouse Omaha on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $45 and go on sale Friday, Aug. 9, at 10 a.m. through steelhouse omaha.com

cast and audience participation! Plus, a memorabilia display with artifacts and an actual costume from the movie, a costume contest, and more!

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the iconic little movie that conquered Hollywood. The hit movie stars Tim Curry as the devious and fabulous Frank-N-Furter; Meatloaf; Barry Bost-

Molchat Doma Tour 2025 comes to Steelhouse Omaha on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35 and go on sale Friday, Aug. 9, at 10 a.m. through steelhouse omaha.com

Catch an electrifying performance from Pretenders in Omaha! Chrissie Hynde’s iconic vocals and the band’s timeless rock hits are a must-see for the unparalleled energy and passion.

Pretenders rose out of London’s late-’70s punk/new wave scene, effectively bridging the gap between that world and the Top 40 with a series of lean, spiky singles that were also melodic and immediately accessible. Released in 1980, their first album topped the U.K. charts and is widely considered one of the greatest debuts of all time. Their initial run yielded a clutch of smartly written, successful singles like Brass in Pocket, Back on the Chain Gang and Middle of the Road.

As the ‘80s wore on, the death of two original members and a succession of replacements essentially turned Pretenders into Hynde’s project, though her semi-autobiographic songwriting and distinctive vocal phrasing continued to define their sound. 1984’s Learning to Crawl and its 1986 successor, Get Close, went gold on both sides of the Atlantic and 1994’s Last of the Independents yielded a perennial rock ballad in I’ll Stand by You. In the 21st century, Pretenders’ output slowed, though records like 2008’s Break Up the Concrete and 2016’s Alone continued to perform well on the U.K. charts and Hynde’s songwriting never lost its bite and vitality. Those attributes were in full effect on their 12th album, 2023’s Relentless

One of the most versatile and creatively daring artists in hip hop today, Trippie Redd makes music that’s both wildly experimental and massively appealing. Since delivering his debut mixtape A Love Letter to You in 2017, the multi-platinum-selling, chart-topping rapper, singer/songwriter has continually defied genre boundaries, embedding his melodic take on rap with frenetic elements of rock and roll and heavy metal. And with his penetrating lyrics and nuanced but hardhitting vocal performance, the 23-year-old Ohio native matches that endless ingenuity with a powerfully raw emotional impact.

Racking up over 30 billion streams to date and having seven consecutive projects land in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, Trippie Redd has evolved from budding Soundcloud rapper to a global powerhouse. Not only has he collaborated with some of today’s biggest names in music, including Drake, Future, Travis Scott, XXXTENTACION, Juice WRLD, Travis Barker, Illenium, Marshmello and more, but he also made his acting debut during an episode of Lil Dicky’s critically acclaimed DAVE, followed by an appearance on Machine Gun Kelly’s Good Mourning. His 2021 album, Trip At Knight, including the single Miss The Rage featuring Playboi Carti, brought a No. 1 debut on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and went on to amass over three billion streams. His Mansion Musik mixtape followed, landing a No. 1 debut on the same chart. Named one of the Top 50 Most Streamed Rappers on Spotify, Trippie Redd plans to continue to break boundaries and cement his status as one of the best in the game.

At The Rocky Horror Picture Show 49th Anniversary Spectacular, join the original Brad Majors, – Barry Bostwick – for a screening of the original unedited movie with a live shadow

wick and Susan Sarandon as everybody’s favorite nerdy couple, Brad and Janet; and the film’s creator Richard O’Brien as Riff Raff. The film has become one of the longest weekly showing movies in the world.

Daughtry, one of the most visible and best-selling rock bands of the 21st century, has sold out concerts across the globe. Their debut album, the self-titled Daughtry, was the top-selling album of 2007 and was the fastest-selling rock debut album in Soundscan history. The record was nominated for four GRAMMY® Awards and won four American Music Awards, alongside seven Billboard Music Awards, including Album of the Year. Subsequent albums, Leave This Town (2009), Break The Spell (2011) and Baptized (2013) have all gone Platinum, with Cage To Rattle (2018) certified Gold.

In 2021, the band released their record Dearly Beloved, with singles World On Fire, Heavy Is The Crown and Changes Are Coming all cracking the Top 10. Following yet another Top 10 success with their 2023 smash cover of Journey’s Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) featuring Halestorm’s Lizzy Hale, Daughtry ushered in a new sonic era with their debut Big Machine Records single, Artificial. The return to their rock roots scored the band their first No. 1 single in the Active Rock format, laying the groundwork for their new EP, set to release this fall. Molchat Doma (translated as Houses Are Silent), founded in 2017 in Minsk, Belarus, stands at the intersection of postpunk, new-wave and synth-pop. Dark yet danceable, and with a heavy dose of goth ethos, their music is reminiscent of the masters that predate them, but make no mistake: Molchat Doma creates a sound and meaning that is immediately recognizable as all their own.

The band is comprised of Egor Shkutko, who sings the Russian lyrics in his deep monotone; Roman Komogortsev on guitar, synths and drum machine; and Pavel Kozlov on bass and synths. They self-released their first album, S krysh nashikh domov (From The Roofs of Our Houses) in 2017 and later released their second album, Etazhi (Floors) in 2018. After gaining popularity worldwide, they signed to American independent label Sacred Bones Records in 2020, which reissued their albums, marking their first releases in North America. Their third studio album, Monument, was released in 2020.

About O-pa: Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) is steward of the Orpheum Theater and the Dick & Mary Holland Campus, comprised of the Holland Performing Arts Center, Steelhouse Omaha and Tenaska Center for Arts Engagement (opening spring 2026).

O-pa presents a wide spectrum of performing arts and entertainment, including Broadway, jazz, dance, comedy, family, popular entertainment and live music. With a commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility, O-pa serves a growing audience in Omaha and the region through a broad range of education and engagement opportunities. As Nebraska’s largest arts institution, O-pa is recognized as a leader both locally and nationally. For more information, visit o-pa.org

About Steelhouse Omaha: Steelhouse Omaha is part of O-pa’s art and entertainment campus near the Holland Center in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The live music venue opened in May 2023 and has an open and flexible space with a capacity of 3,000. Steelhouse is expected to have a transformational impact on the regional music scene, as well as the ongoing redevelopment of the city’s urban core and riverfront. Steelhouse Omaha is located at 1100 Dodge Street between 11th and 12th Streets and Dodge Street and Capitol Avenue.

Top, above and below: RBJH Residents and staff channeled their inner Parisian flair for a fun French-inspired Fun Day called Berets and Brushes! The day started with French Bingo, as Sabine Strong made crepes throughout the morning. Art tables were set up throughout Main Street with canvases for all to paint their impressionist masterpieces and berets of every color to inspire the artist within. Special thanks to the generous donation of the Staenberg Family Foundation Anything Grant of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

SP O TLIGHT

PHOTOS

FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS

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

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

Above, below and bottom: Huge thank you to The Jack E. Cohen Memorial Fund for sponsoring a great top golf session for the teens and seed guys before they go back to school!

Above: Sharon Comisar-Langdon and Michelle Johnson celebrate their retirements from their respective positions with the JFO.

Below: Kansas City Chronicle Editor Sam Kricsfeld and Chronicle Assistant Editor Lacey Storer in Nashville at the AJPA conference.

Below: Beth Israel teens are cleaning up yards this week in the Jewish Community after the recent storm. It’s great to see our teens helping out community members!

Voices

The Jewish Press

(Founded in 1920)

David Finkelstein

President

Annette van de Kamp-Wright

Editor

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David Finkelstein, President; Margie Gutnik, Ex-Officio; Helen Epstein, Andrea Erlich, Ally Freeman, Dana Gonzales, Mary Sue Grossman, Hailey Krueger, Chuck Lucoff, Larry Ring, Melissa Schrago, Suzy Sheldon and Stewart Winograd.

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

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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.

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The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf.

Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de Kamp-Wright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450.

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Here for Good

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

Jewish Press Editor

These past weeks, we’ve started publishing Annual Campaign stories, and we’re all looking forward to seeing you at the Kickoff event in the Staenberg Omaha JCC on Sept. 22. We will gather at the Pickleball courts in the Alan J. Levine Athletic Facility at 5 p.m.

Sometimes, it feels like a lot. This community has come through year after year and jumped into action for Ukraine, for Israel, and I know many of you are going the extra mile in your personal lives as well. Helping friends and family after yet another weather event (can it stop already?) and cooking meals for neighbors who need assistance, walking someone’s dog, picking up mail, sharing rides and grief and simchas. We give with our time, our effort, with our energy and with our dollars.

Showing up for each other is simply what we do. And rather than thinking of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Annual Campaign as yet another fundraiser (eyeroll optional), we can understand it is a privilege. We need to, we must, we have to, but also: we get to

I think about the stories that are told of the early years, when those first Jewish settlers arrived in Omaha. Everything that’s happened since the latter part of the 19th century, all that’s been built, the synagogues, the JCC, the grocery stores, the hospitals and the campgrounds. Do you ever wonder how many board meetings and committees it took to get here? How many volunteers and staff to create what we now enjoy? It’s an amazing amount of

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.

work, and it’s an amazing number of people. We wouldn’t have anything if it weren’t for this endless parade of people willing to roll up their sleeves. We have no choice but to join them, and do our part. We get to.

This year, though, everything feels different. While we are all still here with pickleball courts and theater and summer camp and shuls and everything else intact, we all feel, simultaneously, that something is broken. A cloud is hanging over us,

and it’s been there since Oct. 7.

That day something shifted for all of us, whether we realized it or not. Questions about the continued existence of Israel and our existence as Jews in the Diaspora are no longer theoretical. Who we are, what we will become, whether we have a future and what that future looks like, are all issues we have to deal with.

Of course, that makes it all the more important to fight for who we are and for keeping our community strong. We do that by paying it forward and by being present anyway we can. We do it by doing what we have always done: we show up.

For some of you, that may be by sending your kids to the Early Learning Center, for some of you it may come in the form of reading the E-News. Maybe it’s meeting your friends for a yoga class or checking out books from the Kripke-Veret collection. Perhaps you visit family and friends in the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, pledge to the Jewish Family Service Friends Campaign, or have a seat on one of our many advisory boards. Maybe you are here every day, wearing down your membership card. Maybe you only stop by once a year.

Whatever it is, you do your part, we all do our part, and together, we have built and continue to build this phenomenal community.

The JFO Annual Campaign is a big part of that effort. More than a fundraiser, it is also a celebration of hope, resilience, and the power of giving.

Please join us on Sept. 22. Together, we can celebrate what we already have; together, we can continue to grow and build.

I’m thinking about how our greatest threat comes from within.

RABBI DORON PEREZ JTA

When Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, it followed one of the most divisive years in Israel in generations. The debate over judicial reform had become a zero-sum game, with each side fighting for the soul of the country as they saw it and each side prepared to push their agenda no matter what the consequence: two trains on a collision course with neither side prepared to back down.

So deep were these divisions that, according to leading heads of Israel’s security establishment, documents found in the Gaza home of Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar indicate that he and other Hamas leaders saw internal divisions and perceived weakness among Israelis as a significant reason behind the timing of the attack on Simchat Torah.

Similarly, Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah in Lebanon, gloated that Israel risked being torn apart if the government and opposition failed to reach a compromise.

If it was internal strife that contributed to the attacks on Oct. 7, then over 1,000 Israeli families paid the ultimate price that day and during the last 10 months of this war. We are one of them: Our son, Captain Daniel Perez, who fought in the defense of Kibbutz Nachal Oz, was among the 250 hostages taken to Gaza and is now confirmed among the over 1,200 killed on that horrific day. He, along with many others, still await a dignified Jewish burial. There remain 115 hostages still in Gazan captivity.

On Monday evening, when the fast of Tisha B’Av begins at sundown, those unspeakable losses will weigh heavily on the minds of many Jews. At the same time, they will be reminded of the traditional rationale for the destruction of the Second Temple, one of the historical tragedies mourned on Tisha B’Av: sinat chinam, or baseless divisiveness, among the Jews themselves. The rabbis of the Talmud (Yoma 9b) blamed the people’s downfall on Jewish factionalism in the form of senseless hatred which made the community vulnerable to destruction at the hands of the Romans.

One of the most shocking texts I have encountered regarding the extent of Jewish divisiveness can be found in the Jewish-Roman historian Josephus’s account of a strategic military dispute between Roman

military generals and Vespasian — the first-century C.E. head of the Roman Army — who would soon become emperor and be replaced by his son Titus.

His generals argued that the internal strife weakened the Jews and presented an opportunity to attack and destroy the city. “The providence of God is on our side, by setting our enemies against one another,” the generals argued, according to Josephus (Wars of the Jews, Book 4, Chapter 6).

Vespasian’s reply to his soldiers highlights the tragic situation among the Jews and how the best Roman strategy was to simply to sit back and watch the Jews destroy each other without the Romans lifting their weapons:

But Vespasian replied, that “they were greatly mistaken... without considering what was for their advantage, and for their security. For that if they now go and attack the city immediately, they will unite their enemies... But if they wait they shall have fewer enemies; because they will be consumed in their own sedition. God acts as a general of the Romans better than I can do; and is giving the Jews up to us. While our enemies are destroying each other with their own hands, let us sit as spectators, while the Jews are torn to pieces by their civil wars...”

How do disagreements deteriorate into such deep hatred?

In the “War Scroll,” found near the Dead Sea in the caves of Qumran, we find an answer. The text — probably written by the desert sect known as the Essenes — describes its followers as “the sons of light” and all others as “the sons of darkness.”

This changes the rules of discourse. We are no longer debating views or ideas. We are delegitimiz-

ing the other as a person. It’s no longer about right and wrong, but about us and them. All who think and act like us are “good” and bring light and all those who don’t are “bad” and bring darkness.

Even a lengthy siege and threat of annihilation could not bring the Jews together: It tore them apart.

Like the sages in the Talmud, the famed rosh yeshiva of 19th-century Volozhin — the Netziv — points to sectarianism and demonization as the root of causeless hatred:

As a result of the senseless hatred in their hearts that one harbored for the other, they suspected all those who did not follow their path as a God-fearing Jew of being a Sadducee and a heretic.” (Ha’amek Davar, Introduction to Bereishit)

Sectarianism indeed reigned supreme prior to the destruction. There were many distinct sects — Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots and Sicarii — and more sub-factions. If you were part of one ideological group you were accepted. If you were part of a different ideological sect you were scorned and hated. There was no middle ground — either you’re with us or against us.

The parallels between then and now are painfully obvious. We dare not go back to the zero-sum game of Oct 6. Significant issues roil the Jewish people today, as they always have. None of us has the entire monopoly on truth, which, according to our sages, has 70 interpretations. We must deeply commit to our covenant of collective fate while debating respectfully the different understandings of our destiny. When we forget our unshakable bonds of solidarity, others remind us of it.

Vespasian and Titus reminded us then. Sinwar and Nasrallah remind us today. Let us commit this Tisha B’Av never to fan the flames of demonization but to strive for more empathy, understanding and unity. Too much depends on it.

Rabbi Doron Perez is the executive chairman of World Mizrachi and father of Captain Daniel Perez, who fell in battle defending the people of Israel on Oct. 7.

The Arch of Titus in Rome depicts the treasures of the ravaged Temple in Jerusalem being displayed to the Roman people.

Credit: Gunnar Bach Pedersen, via Wikimedia Commons

It’s not just J.D. Vance’s ‘childless cat ladies’: Jewish communities also undervalue people without children

REBECCA J. EPSTEIN-LEVI AND SARAH ZAGER

JTA

Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance recently drew widespread outrage when he doubled down on earlier comments bemoaning the political authority of “childless cat ladies” and argued that people, especially political leaders, who do not have children do not have an “investment in the future of our country.”

The blowback stood out to us because Vance’s sentiments didn’t sound as extreme as many people said they found them. In fact, while they may state it less crassly than Vance’s cruel quip, Jewish institutions, leaders and tradition itself often traffic in very similar sentiments and rhetoric. Procreation is associated with community-mindedness and commitment to the Jewish future; failing to procreate, meanwhile, is framed as the epitome of selfishness and hedonism. Jewish authorities in all the major movements (see here, here and here) have offered some variation on procreation as the “greatest mitzvah.”

As scholars of Jewish ethics who focus on sexual divergence (Rebecca Epstein-Levi) and infertility (Sarah Zager), and as Jewish women whose reproductive lives diverge from Vance’s and other pronatalists’ visions, we have encountered this narrative in professional and communal settings. Yet, in our academic work, we’ve found that the story is much more complex. Jewish texts actually highlight how communities are held together not only by parents, but by a wide range of other relationships. Obscuring these kinds of “investments” in our shared future hurts all of us.

Some key rabbinic texts treat having children as a prerequisite for serving in communal leadership positions. Though their language is much less crass, on first read they might seem to be saying the same thing as Vance: The experience of having children is essential preparation for being a leader. The Mishnah in Ta’anit requires that someone who leads prayers on a fast day have children. In the rabbinic period, these fasts were called in moments of communal need and desperation — suggesting that having children represented the “investment in the future” that might help prayer leaders put themselves in the right frame of mind. Another text suggests that having children is a requirement to serve on a Sanhedrin, the highest rabbinic court.

Sarah first encountered these texts about six months before being diagnosed with severely diminished ovarian reserve. After her diagnosis, Sarah felt, quite simply, betrayed by these texts and, in turn, by the intense pronatalism that suffused so much of Jewish life. As Sarah doggedly pursued fertility treatments off and on for the ensuing five years, she felt that her experience might also prepare her well to lead prayers, or to be merciful in judgment of others. She felt that if parents made good leaders, then those who struggled to become them

might make good leaders, too.

Other texts suggest that bearing children was a prerequisite for wise leadership. The medieval commentator Rashi writes that an “elder” is prohibited from being a judge on a Sanhedrin because “one who has already forgotten the pain of raising children... will not be merciful.”

Elsewhere in the rabbinic tradition, however, the “pain of raising children” is used as part of a broader discussion of the whole range of the childbearing process, including pregnancy loss and stillbirth. This process, as well as the long road of fertility treatment that is ever more precarious in the current political climate, is also part of the “pain of raising children” — a range of experiences that is ignored by binary comparisons between those who have children and those who don’t.

And if Rashi is right that someone who has forgotten the “pain of raising children” shouldn’t be a rabbinic judge, then we might say that anyone who fails to recognize the pain of those who want to bear children but cannot has also failed to be merciful and does not deserve to hold a position of leadership.

To take this seriously, we have to look for community and leadership in places beyond parenthood. One perhaps unexpected place we can see these often un- or under-acknowledged contributions — what Rebecca, herself a happily childless cat lady, calls “person-shaped holes” in the narrative — is in a series of stories of absent fathers and husbands beginning in Ketubot 62b. Each story involves a sage who spends a long, long time away from his family in order to immerse himself in the beit midrash, or house of study — long enough that when they return, they discover that their absence has caused some sort of problem.

In the first episode in this sequence, the unnamed “son of rabbi” leaves his new bride (his second betrothal — the first woman was struck dead, apparently because she was inappropriately related to her husband) — only to discover upon his return that she has become infertile. In the second episode, Rabbi Hananya b. Hakhinai returns from his term of study to

find that he can neither navigate the changed streets in his hometown nor recognize his own daughter without assistance. When his wife sees him she drops dead from the shock and is resuscitated only thanks to a well-timed prayer on his part. And in the third episode, when Rabbi Hama bar Bisya returns and is greeted by his son, Rabbi Oshaiya, he too fails to recognize him, lamenting that if only he’d been present, his son, too, might have turned out as clever as the young man before him. It falls to his wife to set him right.

Our immediate takeaway from these texts might be that biological parenthood alone does not ensure continuity — though the text itself doesn’t seem sure whether it disapproves entirely of these absent sages. But what we are more interested in are the holes left in the narrative by the absent or cursory mentions of those who kept the community going — or whose absence caused disaster.

Hama might not have educated his son to be the sharp and learned man he so admires — but someone, or several someones, did. Someone, or several someones, maintained and updated the roads in Hananya’s hometown — and someone knew who his daughter was familiar with them, enough to clue him in. And if the someone or someones who presumably kept track of family trees had been adequately consulted prior to the unnamed rabbi’s son’s first betrothal, his first fiancee might have survived.

What we learn when we look to the person-shaped holes in these texts is that without a range of contributions from a range of people, the kind of community that children need to survive and thrive is impossible.

These texts show us, if we care to look below their surfaces, that investment in a community’s future — not to mention its present — requires a wide range of contributions, of which procreation is only one. To take our whole tradition seriously, we need to remember that a commitment to both a Jewish and an American future requires leadership from those who have been childless, as well as those from other kinds of families. And it requires all of us to appreciate that everyone, no matter their reproductive circumstances and choices, can contribute to building and sustaining a community, and a world, where all can flourish.

Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi is Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Gender & Sexuality Studies at Vanderbilt University. An expert on sexual ethics, she uses unconventional readings of classical rabbinic text to study the ethics of sex and sexuality, disability and neurodiversity.

Sarah Zager is Assistant Professor of Religion at St. Olaf College. She also holds rabbinic ordination from Yashrut.

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.

Remembering the three Jewish women fencing champions who defied Hitler

NEIL KELLER

JTA

One of the most intriguing storylines for Jewish fans at the 2024 Paris Olympics has been the resurgence of Jewish excellence in fencing. Of the 20 fencers on the U.S. team, six are Jewish or come from Jewish families, and three have won medals.

The success of gold medalists Jackie Dubrovich and Maia Weintraub and bronze winner Nick Itkin reminded me of a trio of Jewish fencers who medaled at the same Olympics nearly a century ago — at the so-called “Nazi Olympics.” Ilona Elek-Schacherer, Helene Mayer and Ellen Müller-Preis achieved the Jewish trifecta at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany.

At an event overseen by Adolf Hitler himself, these three Jewish Olympians captured the gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively, in women’s foil fencing. As they each ascended the Olympic podium to receive their medals, they did so in front of the fuhrer who would soon set in motion a genocide of their people.

Despite winning the silver medal at the Olympics, Mayer is arguably the biggest story of the three.

Mayer was born in Frankfurt, Germany, to a Jewish father and a Christian mother, and was raised Jewish. She won a gold medal at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, and was favored to win gold again at the 1932 Games in Los Angeles. But Mayer learned during the Olympics that her boyfriend had died in a military exercise, and, distraught, she ultimately finished in fifth place. Entering the 1936 Olympics, Hitler — whose antisemitic manifesto “Mein Kampf” had been published 11 years earlier — allowed Mayer to represent Germany as the country’s token Jew, in an effort to refute claims that he was antisemitic. Though Mayer had left Germany in 1935 to escape the rise of anti-Jewish sentiment, she accepted the Nazi Party’s invitation to represent Germany in the Olympics, in the hopes that the gesture would help protect her family members who had re-

mained in Germany. It was also believed that Mayer appeared on more memorabilia than most German athletes — another sign of the Nazi regime’s efforts to sportswash its antisemitism.

It was strongly rumored that Mayer received assurances that her family would be protected if she won a medal and gave the Nazi salute from the podium, which she did. She ultimately came in second, falling to fellow Jewish opponent Ilona Elek-Schacherer of Hungary.

An official 1936 Olympic card shows the Jewish trifecta on the podium with Mayer performing the Nazi salute. While some might frown at the spectacle, Mayer’s family survived the Holocaust.

After the Olympics, Mayer returned to the United States and became an eight-time champion in fencing. She was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the top 100 female athletes of the 20th century. Mayer passed away in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1953.

Ellen Müller-Preis, the bronze medalist, was born in Berlin

and wanted to fence for Germany at the 1932 Olympics, but Germany refused to allow her on the team due to her religion. Hitler’s election as German chancellor was a year away, but antisemitism was already high in Germany.

Müller-Preis did not let antisemitism stop her from making it to the Olympics: She decided to represent Austria in 1932, and went on to win the gold medal. The German Olympic Committee was reportedly very angry that Müller-Preis won a gold medal for another country.

Due to World War II, there were no Olympics in 1940 or 1944. At the 1948 Olympics in London, Müller-Preis won the bronze medal again while representing Austria.

In 1949, Müller-Preis was named Austrian female athlete of the year. At the age of 44, the ageless wonder competed at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne and finished in seventh place. Her Olympic career, which spanned 1932 to 1956, was at the time the longest of any female athlete.

The gold medal in women’s foil fencing at the 1936 Games went to Ilona Elek-Schacherer. She was born in Budapest to a Jewish father and Christian mother and came from a fencing family. Her younger sister Margit was also active in the sport.

Elek-Schacherer won gold again in 1948 and silver in 1952. She also won 10 gold medals, five silvers and two bronzes at world championships between 1934 and 1956 — the most international fencing titles of any woman in history.

With one raise of her arm, Mayer would overshadow the Jewish stories of the first- and third-place finishers. Nonetheless, all three Jewish fencers ought to be remembered for their achievements, for their courage and the painful choices they made in dangerous times.

Neil Keller is a memorabilia collector who lectures and writes on Jewish politicians, athletes and the Holocaust. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

The three women’s foil fencing champions from the 1936 Berlin Olympics: Ilona Elek-Schacherer, left, Helene Mayer and Ellen Müller-Preis. Credit: Ullstein bild via Getty Images

Credit: Getty Images

Synagogues

B’NAI ISRAEL

SYNAGOGUE

618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766

712.322.4705 www.cblhs.org

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Street Omaha, NE 68154-1980

402.492.8550 bethel-omaha.org

BETH ISRAEL

SYNAGOGUE

Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154

402.556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

CHABAD HOUSE

An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646

402.330.1800 OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY:

B’NAI JESHURUN

South Street Temple

Union for Reform Judaism

2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797

402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org

OFFUTT AIR

FORCE BASE

Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123

402.294.6244 email: oafbjsll@icloud.com

TEMPLE ISRAEL

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

402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY:

TIFERETH ISRAEL

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

Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

For information about our historic synagogue, please visit our website at www.cblhs.org or contact any of our other board members: Renee Corcoran, Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Ann Moshman, MaryBeth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

IN-PERSON AND ZOOM MINYAN SCHEDULE:

Mornings on Sundays, 9:30 a.m.; Mondays and Thursdays, 7 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Nebraska AIDS Project Lunch 11:30 a.m.; Tot Shabbat with Pre-Neg, 5:30 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Havdalah, 8:45 p.m. Zoom only.

SUNDAY: BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.;Produce Swap, 10 a.m.

TUESDAY: Noah Feldman Class 6 p.m. with Rabbi Abraham.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m.

FRIDAY-Aug. 30: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY-Aug. 31: Shabbat Morning Service 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Havdalah, 8:30 p.m. Zoom only. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.

FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.; Candlelighting, 7:52 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Tehillim, 6:45 p.m. at the Zivs; Soulful Torah, 6:55 p.m. with Rabbi Geiger; Mincha, 7:40 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 8:10 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:52

p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Kinyan, 9:40 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv 7:50 p.m.

MONDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:50 p.m

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Kinyan, 7:15 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:50 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Board of Directors Meeting, 7 p.m.; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 7:50 p.m.

THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Character Development, 9:30 a.m.; Kinyan, 7:15 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:50 p.m.; Parsha Class, 8:10 p.m.

FRIDAY-Aug. 30: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit,

7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.; Candlelighting, 7:41 p.m.

SATURDAY-Aug. 31: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Tehillim, 6:30 p.m. at the Zivs; Soulful Torah, 6:45 p.m. with Rabbi Geiger; Mincha 7:30 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity 8 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:40 p.m.

Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.

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

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: Ochabad.com/ Lechayim; Candlelighting, 7:52 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:52 p.m.

SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps: Shacharit, 99:30 a.m., Video Presentation, 9:30 a.m. and Breakfast, 9:45 a.m.

MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha, 9:30 a.m.; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Translating Words of Prayer, 7 p.m. with David Cohen.

TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Translating Words of Prayer, 11 a.m. with David Cohen; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 7 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

THURSDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Introduction to Alaphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 10 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 34), noon; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) Class, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY-Aug. 30: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: Ochaba d.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 7:41 p.m.

SATURDAY-Aug. 31: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:40 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL

Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. All services offered in-person with live-stream or teleconferencing options.

FRIDAY: Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at SST; Federation Shabbat Dairy Potluck Dinner at the Auld Pavillion in Antelope Park. Please bring a side, salad or dessert to share that serve six to eight people. JF-L Board will provide entrees; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:54 p.m.

Community in 1924

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish

Press Editor

It’s an excellent reminder some things don’t change: the Aug. 21, 1924 Jewish Press printed the following headline above the fold: Subscribers Readily Respond for Second Payement (sp) of Pledges to Community Center Campaign

We say it often; this community is extremely generous. If you read Terri Zacharia’s words in the current front page article, it does take a village. It actually has taken a village for many, many years. Sometimes we want to stop and take note of what previous generations have done for us. Let’s read on:

“The results of the first appeal for the payment of the second installment is wonderful,” said Harry A. Wolf. “It shows that the people of Omaha have endorsed the movement with heart and soul and want the building as soon as possible.”

“We must keep up this work and have all the payments in as soon as possible,” said Harry H. Lapidus. “The building will be one of the finest in the central west and will contain all the conveniences, which are adapted in such an institution. It will be the meeting place and the hub of the entire

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service with Rabbi Alex, 9:30-11 a.m. at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Eikev via Zoom; Havdalah, 8:54 p.m.

SUNDAY: SST Gardening, 8:30-10 a.m.; LJCS Classes, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at TI; Men’s Bike/Coffee Group, 10:30 a.m. at The Mill on the Innovation Campus. For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail.com; Pickleball, 3-5 p.m. Anyone interested in playing or learning how to play can text Miriam at 402.470.2393. If there are enough interested people; we will play in the Social Hall at TI.

TUESDAY: Ladies' Lunch, 1 p.m. at Rolling Wok on S 48th St between Normal and VanDorn. If you'd like more information or would like to be added to the group please contact at oohhmmm.barb@gmail.com.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Hebrew School (Grades 3-7), 4:30-6 p.m. at SST.

THURSDAY: High Holidays Choir Rehearsal, 7 p.m. If you are interested in singing with the choir please contact our Music Director, Steven Kaup by email at MusicDirector@southstreettemple.org

FRIDAY-Aug. 30: Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:43 p.m.

SATURDAY-Aug. 31: Shabbat Morning Service with Rabbi Alex, 9:30-11 a.m. at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Re’eh via Zoom; Havdalah, 8:42 p.m.

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

In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Benjamin Sharff, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander

FRIDAY: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. In-Person; Bring Your Own Picnic, 5 p.m. In-Person; Shabbat Under the Stars, 6 p.m. at Gene Leahy Mall.

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

SUNDAY: Temple Israel Blood Drive, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.; Grades PreK-7, 9 a.m. In-Person; Temple Tots, 10 a.m. In-Person; Temple Israel Book Club Meeting, 10:30 a.m. In-Person; Kol Rina Rehearsal, noon In-Person. TUESDAY: Kol Rina Rehearsal, 6 p.m. In-Person; Holy Smokes, 7 p.m. In-Person.

WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m.; Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m. In-Person; Hebrew High: Grades 8-12 6 p.m. In-Person. THURSDAY: The Zohar: Thursday Morning Class, 11 a.m. with Rabbi Sharff and Rabbi Azriel — In-Person & Zoom.

FRIDAY-Aug. 30: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. InPerson; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SATURDAY-Aug. 31: Torah Study 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. InPerson & Zoom.

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

Jewish community.”

“The building will be located on one of the finest corners in the city, directly opposite the Central High School on the northeast corner of Twentieth and Dodge streets.

“The committee on collections, consisting of Harry A. Wolf, Harry H. Lapidus and William Holzman, feel that the Jews of Omaha have responded to their appeal and ask those who have not yet sent in their check for the second payment to please do so at once.”

Granted, in that 1924 edition, there were 22 stories crammed on the front page. There are stories about other Jewish communities around the USA, and noises about what’s happening in Europe, Germany

in particular. In Weimar, defeated General Ludendorf voices that “a new era is coming to pass in the life of the Arian peoples, one which should be entirely freed from Jewish influences and Jewish doctrines.”

There is news about the Wahabis in Jordan (‘the resignation of the Transjordanian prime minister is strongly demanded. by the Arab press’). The Jewish National Fund purchased a strip of land in what was to become the State of Israel. Then, there is the awkward headline stating that Fashionable New York Club has Wealthy Jews. We wouldn’t print that today. Yet, it is that story about how our community came through to build the JCC, right across from Central High, that took up the most space.

B’NAI ISRAEL

BETH EL

BETH ISRAEL

CHABAD HOUSE

Life cycles

IN MEMORIAM

MARCIA L. GALLNER

Marcia L. Gallner passed away on July 21, 2024, in Omaha. Services were held on July 24, 2024, graveside at Temple Israel Cemetery and were officiated by Rabbi Benjamin Sharff. She was preceded in death by her parents, Benjamin and Rosella Civin, (first husband) Robert H. Levine, and (second Husband) David Gallner.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in law, Susan and Marc Romanik; son, Thomas Levine; grandchildren: Dr. Nikki Romanik and Benjamin Martin of Atlanta, GA, and Randall Romanik and Lindsay Bideaux; great-grandchild, Chloe Romanik. Marcia graduated from UNL with an Art and Interior Design

Degree and later received her Elementary Education Degree from UNO.

She served as NCJW President for two years, was a member of S.C.O.R.E, served on the Opera Omaha Board, Omaha Camp Fire Girls Board, worked on the first Omaha City Charter and planning commission, volunteered at the Rose Blumkin JewishHome teaching art and pottery design, was a docent at Joselyn Art Museum and was in two Pillsbury bake-offs.

Memorials may be made to the Nebraska Humane Society, 8929 Fort Street Omaha, NE 68134 or visit https://www.nehumane society.org/

Getting to and from Israel has become a costly, often madcap endeavor

JTA

Adi Livne was vacationing in Spain when news broke of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran. Her flight back home to Israel on a European budget airline was among many that were canceled as tensions escalated and skies cleared amid reports of an imminent Iranian retaliatory strike.

Stranded in Spain and scrambling to find a way home, she realized that only Israeli carriers were a reliable option. But Israel’s national airline, El Al, was charging a whopping $1,000 for a oneway ticket from Madrid to Tel Aviv, and she turned it down.

Unable to find a less expensive option, she ended up settling for a similarly expensive ticket with the Israeli carrier Israir.

ing since international carriers began suspending service after the start of the Israel-Gaza war on Oct. 7. It is creating anxiety akin to the feeling during the early days of the pandemic, when public health restrictions constrained travel between Israel and the rest of the world, causing some to worry whether connections between Israeli and Diaspora Jews would be attenuated.

An El Al airplane taxis at the Ben Gurion airport in Israel, Aug. 1, 2024. Credit: Tomer Neuberg/Flash90

Weeks after the assassination and with threats of retaliation still present, travel to and from Israel remains challenging. Many airlines have made cancellations on short notice or suspended routes altogether because of the security situation. United Airlines, one of the main carriers connecting Israel and the United States, has suspended service to Israel indefinitely. American Airlines canceled flights and said it won’t resume service any earlier than April 2025.

The high prices of the scarce tickets available on El Al, which famously flies to its home country even when other airlines do not, has generated resentment among people like Livne, who hoped for different conduct from their national airline.

“El Al is really price-gouging and taking advantage of the lack of competition,” Livne said. “It’s pretty ugly to exploit a crisis like that. It’s not something I would have expected, given the Israeli sense of solidarity.”

El Al appears to have calculated that it’s best to stay quiet for now, reportedly saying it is not granting interviews at this time. But wartime appears to have so far spelled good business for the company, which on Thursday reported record quarterly profits of $147.7 million for the months of April to June. It will take a few months before the company reports its financial performance for the current period, but it appears confident that it will continue to be flying a packed schedule. On the same day, El Al also announced a large fleet addition with an order placed for up to 31 Boeing 737 Max airplanes.

The recent wave of flight cancellations is the most sweep-

Some of those concerns are rearing their heads again now, as scarce flights become prohibitively expensive for many and uncertainty about whether travel plans can be carried out may be scaring off some would-be fliers.

El Al, one of the only commercial airlines with antimissile defense technology aboard, has emerged as the most reliable option, but it offers limited nonstop flights to Israel from U.S. destinations.

Silicon Valley, for example, has traditionally depended on United, the sole airline with direct flights from SFO to TLV. The suspension of flights is a major disruption to commerce between the two tech hubs, said Sharon Vanek, the executive director of the California Israel Chamber of Commerce.

“The lack of direct flights, together with the unstable situation in the Middle East, may lead to fewer face-to-face meetings, which are often crucial for building trust and closing deals, potentially weakening these international business ties,” Vanek wrote in an email to JTA.

Despite the challenges, many American Jews are determined to find a way to get to Israel. For some, that means making it to Europe and then finding the cheapest flight they can on an Israeli budget carrier.

Emily Pagano, for example, landed in Israel on Thursday, after a series of flights that started in Phoenix, Arizona, and passed through Athens. The purpose of her trip is to visit her 22-year-old daughter, who arrived a few days earlier for a volunteer program.

Pagano was determined to come because she wanted to support her daughter for being brave enough to volunteer in a country that news reports suggest could be bombed at any moment.

“It was very scary as a mother, sending my daughter into potential danger, but that’s nothing compared to what’s being faced by the parents whose children are being held hostage in Gaza,” she said.

Rabbis and cantors urge Netanyahu to finalize deal

JACOB GURVIS

JTA

A group of 99 Jewish clergy from across the United States signed a statement calling for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire deal that would free the remaining hostages held by Hamas.

The signatories of the clergy statement include well-known rabbis spanning the country and the Jewish denominational spectrum. The list includes Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Renewal and Secular Humanistic leaders.

The statement comes as a new round of negotiations is set to begin Thursday in Qatar under intense pressure from the United States and other intermediaries to reach an agreement.

“We urgently call upon the Israeli Prime Minister and all rel-

evant parties to finalize the deal on the table — outlined by President Biden and endorsed by Qatar, Egypt, and the UN Security Council — and to bring much-needed relief to those suffering,” the statement reads.

Written in both English and Hebrew under the heading “Bring Them Home Now,” the rabbis’ statement notes that the war has surpassed the 300-day mark and says that “time is running out.” It does not directly call for a ceasefire or mention the Palestinians. It frames the request as an action in support of Israel.

Among the signatories are Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of New York City’s Central Synagogue; Rabba Sara Hurwitz of Yeshivat Maharat in New York; and Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, the former longtime director of UCLA’s Hillel.

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Noah Feldman is coming to Beth El

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor

Tuesday, Sept. 17, renowned Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman will be speaking at Beth El Synagogue. Feldman is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Chair of the Society of Fellows, and founding director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law, all at Harvard University.

Feldman is also a prolific writer; his most recent work is To Be a Jew Today: A New Guide to God, Israel, and the Jewish People (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024).

The idea to invite Feldman came from Marty Shukert:

“I learned about To Be a Jew Today from Rabbi Abraham’s recommended reading list,” Marty said. “It was part of his weekly message to Beth El’s members and a response to other comments I had been reading about an important book that put post-October 7 American Jewish life in perspective. Once I started reading the book, I couldn’t put down. In its beautifully and engagingly written words, I found insights that I agreed with, perspectives that I wasn’t so sure about, but always felt challenged to think in new ways. Mostly, though, I found the book to be a tour led by a thoughtful and friendly guide through the currents and conflicts of contemporary Jewish life, divided into three parts – God, Israel, and People. It’s a book that I wanted other people to read, debate, and struggle with, and thought the opportunity to hear him would add an incredible level of depth and meaning to our Omaha discourse.”

Feldman specializes in constitutional studies, with particular emphasis on power and ethics, design of innovative governance solutions, law and religion, and the history of legal ideas.

A policy and public affairs columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, Feldman also writes for The New York Review of Books and was a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine for nearly a decade. He hosts the Deep Background podcast, an interview show that explores the historical, scientific, legal and cultural context behind the biggest stories in the news.

Through his consultancy, Ethical Compass, Feldman advises clients like Facebook and eBay on how to improve ethical decision-making by creating and implementing new governance solutions. In this capacity, he conceived and architected the Facebook Oversight Board, and continues to advise the company on ethics and governance issues.

Feldman’s other works include: The Broken Constitution: Lincoln, Slavery & The Refounding of America (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021); The Arab Winter: A Tragedy (Princeton University Press, 2020), The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President (Random House, 2017); Cool War: The Future of Global Competition (Random House, 2013); Scorpions:

The Battles and Triumphs of FDR’s Great Supreme Court Justices (Twelve Publishing, 2010); The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State (Princeton University Press, 2008); Divided By God: America’s Church-State Problem and What We Should Do About It (Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2005); What We Owe Iraq: War and the Ethics of Nation building (Princeton University Press 2004); and After Jihad: America and the Struggle for Islamic Democracy (Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2003).

In 2003, Feldman served as senior constitutional advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, and subsequently advised members of the Iraqi Governing Council on the drafting of Iraq’s interim constitution.

Earning his A.B. summa cum laude from Harvard, Feldman finished first in his class. Selected as a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a D.Phil. from Oxford University, writing his dissertation on Aristotle’s Ethics and its Islamic reception. Feldman received his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served as a book reviews editor of the Yale Law Journal. He clerked for Justice David Souter of the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Judge Harry T. Edwards of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“Like Maimonides in Guide for the Perplexed,” Marty Shukert added, “the seminal book that it is loosely based on, Feldman doesn’t provide answers – he presents alternatives that help us address the struggles of faith, identity, and philosophy that we, like him, face as Jews in America. I am so grateful to Rabbi Abraham and the Ann Goldstein Fund for bringing Noah Feldman to Omaha and I hope the community takes full advantage of an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.”

The event is open to the entire community and it is not necessary to RSVP.

The event is generously sponsored by the Ann Goldstein Fund.

MARC DOLLINGER

Author and Endowed Research Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibilty, SFSU

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2024

7-8:30 PM

Shiley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue Staenberg JCC

“Whatever you learned growing up about Jews and politics, it’s my job to turn it on its head...”

Noah Feldman