August 24, 2018

thejewishpress AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

this week

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SPOnSOReD By The Benjamin anD anna e. WieSman Family enDOWmenT FunD

2019 Campaign Chairs AU G U ST 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 | 1 3 ELU L 5 7 7 8 | V O L. 9 8 | NO . 4 4 | C a nD leli G h Ti nG | FRID AY , AU G U ST 2 4 , 7 : 5 1 P. M.

Kaplan Book Group to screen Zero Motivation Page 5

Mega Teen Trip: Lillian Cohen Page 6

anneTTe van De KamP Editor, Jewish Press resh off his term as President of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, Bruce Friedlander is ready for his next adventure. This

time, he has company: together with his wife Pam, their children, their spouses and the grandchildren, he will head the 2019 JFO Annual Campaign.

“Those who came before me were very strong,” Bruce said. “I have spent my life trying to give back what I re-

ceived and I question myself every day about my report card. This assignment is not measured in money; it is measured in kindness. And I’m about to ask for help from the entire community with that report card.”

See 2019 Campaign page 2

Counter-Terrorism expert brings JFS # Me Too/‫ ינאםג‬# program is relevant for all a view from Washington

JFO dollars support flying drones and aviation Page 12

inside Viewpoint Synagogues Life cycles

F

Bruce and Pam Friedlander with the Scioli and Friedlander families

8 10 11

KaSey De GOey munity Engagement Center for our Schwalb Center Staff Assistant, UNO first Middle East Forum of the semesThe UNO ter where Ms. Bauer Schwalb Center for will join our other Israel and Jewish Middle East experts Studies and the Jewto answer your quesish Federation of tions about current Omaha are deevents in the region. lighted to host Thursday evening at 7 p.m. in the JewKatherine Bauer, a ish Community former Treasury Center, Ms. Bauer Department official will be giving a preswho specializes in entation on “Follow counterterrorist fithe Money: Tackling nancing and sancTerrorist Financing tions, on Thursday, & Iran” followed by a Sept. 20 for two Q&A session and reevents. Members of the community are Omaha native Katherine Bauer ception. Both events welcome to join the Schwalb Center are free and open to the public.

Omaha native Kate (Weitz) Bauer, from noon-1 p.m. at the UNO Comdaughter of Anne and Arnie Weitz, grew up at Temple Israel and returns to share her global experiences and expertise. She currently resides in Washington, D.C. where she is the Blumenstein-Katz Family Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy in addition to serving as an adjunct associate professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. Ms. Bauer has previously See Counter-Terrorism expert page 3

GaBBy BlaiR Karen Gustafson, Executive Director Staff Writer, Jewish Press and Counselor at JFS explains, “Our goal By now, most have heard of # Me Too at Jewish Family Service is to identify (‫ ינאםג‬# ; or ‘Gam Ani’ in Hebrew). The topics and current issues that we can movement, which was started in 2006 help bring to the forefront of the commuas a response to sexual nity in an effort to eduharassment in the cate and to improve workplace, went viral in lives. The topic, or 2017 in the wake of movement, of #Me Too high profile abuse scanis less about the dals that rocked Hollyspecifics of what #Me wood. The movement, Too means, as much as whose mission it is to it’s about learning what shine a light on sexual ANY “movement” abuse and harassment means from every side that for so long has of the issue. Our guest been tolerated, is one of speaker and program solidarity with those leader, Rabbi Daniel who have been victimBrenner, has a presentaized and is a signal that tion style that is SO enRabbi Daniel Brenner today’s society is no gaging and down to Credit: Bruce Cohen earth that I think every longer willing to turn a blind eye to such behaviors. person in the room will be able to walk In light of this, Jewish Family Service away with an increased knowledge of (JFS), in collaboration with the Antithis topic and an increased ability for Defamation League and Temple Israel, is higher level self-reflection on any ‘movepleased to announce a special one-night ment-topic ‘ that may be encountered.” only program geared towards teenagers Rabbi Daniel Brenner is Chief of Eduin grades 7-12, their parents and the cation and Program for Moving Tradiwider community aimed at addressing the tions, an organization that focuses on challenges we all face today as the rules training educators, clergy, and mentors of society and the rules of acceptable be- to address the challenges facing today’s havior towards others have changed.

See # me Too page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | August 24, 2018

community 2019 Campaign

Continued from page 1 “The decision to become the Campaign chair was not difficult for me,” Pam added. “My children wanted to do it - I was on board 100% knowing we would do this as a family.

I am very proud that our daughter Andee, her husband Anthony, our son Jimmy and his wife Sophie would take this on with their very busy schedules. I hope the youngest among us will see us as role models, helping raise money for the community. My four personal reasons to support JFO are Jack Scioli, Joe Scioli, Will Friedlander and Jonah Friedlander.”

Andee agreed: “Our family is a very close one and we love spending time with each other, so it was easy to agree to volunteer as a family. We look forward to working together and doing our best to assist!”

The Friedlander/Scioli family epitomizes what JFO stands for. Any time we talk about why the Annual Campaign is so important, we remember how no matter what age you are, JFO is there for you: “As a family, we use the many departments of the Jewish Federation on a weekly basis.” Pam said. From the gym, to the CDC and the library and everything in between, the Jewish Federation fulfills many needs. We need to support the JFO, so others will have the chance to use it, too.”

“From Generation to Generation means that we need to lead by example for our children,” Anthony Scioli added, “and we hope they learn the importance of giving back to the community. Without the commitment and generosity of those before us, we would not have the wonderful community we now have. We cannot take for granted the strength of our community, and we want to do our part to assist in its positive development and growth. We hope our children will continue to love the community as much as we love it and want to give back and participate.”

Daughter-in-law Sophie has her own reasons for why she was eager to chair the coming Campaign: “I give to the JFO because the JFO gave to me in a way that changed the trajectory of my personal life,” she said. “Although my mother is Jewish and was raised in a Jewish household, I had almost no exposure to Judaism until I was in grad

school. It was then that I learned that my mother’s parents’ being Jewish meant I was Jewish, too, and so I embarked on a journey to learn what that meant. To make a long story short, I ended up on a Birthright trip, which was funded in part by the JFO, as all birthright trips are. It’s 2019 impossible to describe how much that gift from the JFO changed my life, but suffice it to say that it has drastically influenced how I identify today and how I live my daily life. So I give back, because the JFO gave to me.”

The previous Annual Campaign was a great success, Bruce mentioned.

“Just like the great financial accomplishment in 5778, so will it be in 5779,” he believes.

“I know that to safeguard our community takes a very large sum of money. This community has met their financial responsibility my entire life. I believe the reason for that success is that we truly care about each other.”

“I want my sons to grow up knowing Judaism in a way that I didn’t,” Sophie said, “and so much of what the JFO does makes that possible. Their Jewish identity will be shaped by the books from the PJ library, summers at the JCC pool, attending Challah Tots, visiting relatives at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, going to JFO celebrations for Hanukkah and other holidays, attending the CDC and possibly Friedel, eating at Star Deli, and, hopefully, one day going on a Birthright Israel trip.”

“It is our job, as Jews, to repair the world,” Sophie said. “I know that the Jewish Federation of Omaha uses my dollars to perform Tikkun Olam on a scale that none of us could do alone.”

And so, the entire family is on board (although the youngest ones may not realize it yet) and will continue on a path that was started a long time ago. In a way, they embody the Omaha Jewish community perfectly: at the Jewish Federation, there is a place for everyone, regardless of age. To sustain what we have built as a community, we all have to join in.

“Tikkun Olam means giving of ourselves and making the world a better place,” Pam concluded. “It is important to me to support the Jewish Federation of Omaha because that’s what we do.”

# Me Too

Continued from page 1 teens. In the wake of #Me Too, Brenner and his colleagues at Moving Traditions developed national training events, in partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Camp, to help professionals from more than 90 Jewish summer camps to challenge sexism, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. Rabbi Brenner, who was named by Newsweek Magazine as one of America’s most influential rabbis, has been a driving force behind some of the most creative approaches to Jewish education over the last two decades, leading initiatives for the Birthright Israel Foundation and CLAL – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership.

When asked when and why he began presenting on #Me Too/ ‫ ינאםג‬#, he replied, “One of my areas of work in our organization is training men to mentor teen boys in our Shevet program. I have been developing curriculum and training on issues of sexual consent for the last seven years. In the last three years in particular, my colleague Rabbi Tamara Cohen, and I have been developing healthy sexuality curriculum for high school-aged teenagers in the Jewish community. When #Me Too started to become a news headline it was clear that we had pioneered in an area of education that was sorely being overlooked.”

Talking with families about this topic can be sensitive. Rabbi explains that “some Jewish families openly discuss sex and sexuality.

Other Jewish families are extremely private about this topic. To discuss #Me Too/‫ ינאםג‬#, we need to talk about negative experiences connected to touch - so it is necessary to be extremely sensitive to the emotions that come up for anyone who has ever felt violated by touch.

But it is also necessary to explore the enormous positives that safe, consensual touch with clear boundaries can provide. Age 14 is the typical age when a teen starts to experience negative touch that is associated in some way with sexuality, so I thought it was an excellent idea to have teens and adults involved in this discussion.”

While it is clearly not always the most comfortable of topics for families to discuss, parents do have a responsibility to educate their children and teenagers need to be able to have open conversations on difficult topics within the safety of their family. “It is very important to have teens and adults involved in this discussion. I work with a wide demographic of the population in schools, camps and synagogues. While I have mainly presented on this topic for educators, clergy and parents, I am looking forward to having teen voices included in the discussion; it is important to include them as they are in the process of becoming tomorrow’s adults.”

Karen Gustafson hopes the program will help open a dialogue between parents and their kids, and within the community. “Knowledge is power and I believe the phrase is: Know better, do better. Let’s all begin to increase our knowledge, from other people’s perspectives... young and old, male and female, in order to help make the world a better place for our sons and daughters.”

Rabbi Brenner’s # Me Too/‫ ינאםג‬# program will take place at Temple Israel (13111 Sterling Ridge Drive) on Wednesday, Sept. 5 from 6:30-8 p.m. This program is free and open to the public. Due to the sensitive nature of the topic, this program is for adults and teenagers in grades 7-12 only.

Questions about the program should be directed to Karen Gustafson, Executive Director of Jewish Family Service at 402.330.2024 or kgustafson@jfsomaha.com.

The Jewish Press | August 24, 2018 | 3

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Mainstreeters September events

Maggie Conti Director of Activities and Volunteer Services, RBJH The scheduled events come with wishes for a good, sweet New Year.

Award Winning Branson Entertainer Bill Chrastil will perform on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 1:45 p.m. in the Silverman Auditorium at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Bill Chrastil is a multi-talented entertainer who has been captivating audiences for over 30 years!

When describing his way of moving on stage, Elvis Presley said, “Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people sway back and forth. I just sorta do ‘em all together, I guess.” Bill Chrastil, will duplicate The King’s moves during a Salute to Rock & Roll Concert. The performance, sponsored by Jewish Social Services, is free and open to the community. Chrastil has been a full-time musician and show-biz personality since 1983, performing at theaters, fairs, casinos, and resorts across the country and abroad. His high-energy show is a salute to music legends Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Tom Jones and The Ventures. The performance includes music from the 50s and 60s, along with Country and Classic Rock hits plus Bill’s original tunes. When Bill was eight years old, his grandmother recognized his musical potential and bought him his first guitar. He began playing for his mother and her sisters as they sang along and yodeled. Today, he’s a whiz on the guitar, piano, bass guitar, drums and harmonica, as well as being a talented vocalist and songwriter. Bill Chrastil is #1 on the Branson Top 20 Artist Countdown. His show is fun and full of energy. You won’t want to miss it. Ice Cream Social following the show!

A Free Afternoon at the Movies: RBG on Friday, Sept. 7 1 p.m. in the JCC Theater. Complimentary popcorn will be served. No reservations necessary and no charge. Invite a friend.

At the age of 84, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. But without a definitive Ginsburg biography, the unique personal journey of this diminutive, quiet warrior’s rise to the nation’s highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans - until now. RBG is a revelatory documentary exploring Ginsburg‘s exceptional life and career from Betsy West and Julie Cohen and co-produced

by Storyville Films and CNN Films. Note: The RBG documentary will be introduced by Carol Bloch, co-chair of Courts Matter Coalition of Nebraska (CMCN). CMCN is a collection of diverse organizations united in their efforts to ensure a wellfunctioning federal judiciary composed of fair-minded, qualified individuals who are committed to upholding constitutional rights for all people. Carol will also give brief remarks about recent Supreme Court cases and the recent nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the high court. The running time is 1 hour and 37 minutes and is rated PG (for some thematic elements and language). Don’t be late for the show! Bring a sweater. Have lunch at the Star Deli (Rose Blumkin Jewish Home) before the show! The Star Deli is open for business at 11:30 a.m.

Jewish Social Services invites you to a Street Party with the

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RPM Legacy provides top notch customer service; especially to our established and potential owners, tenants, vendors, and military personnel and veterans. We also provide 24/7 maintenance support.

Omaha Street Percussion on Thursday, Sept. 27, at 1:30 p.m.

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home South Entrance Parking Lot. There is no admission fee! All are welcome! Omaha Street Percussion infuses drums and dance together to create an upbeat show that is guaranteed to get you clapping your hands and shaking your hips. Household items like pots, pans, buckets, and trash cans are used as instruments to help create an energizing and exhilarating experience that will be sure to get you up on your feet. Audience interaction and participation is a major part of the OSP performance experience. You will truly feel part of the show! Refreshments will be served! In case of inclement weather, the performance will be in the JCC auditorium.

A Free Afternoon at the Movies: Book Club on Friday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. in the JCC Theater. Complimentary popcorn will be served. No reservations necessary and no charge.

Invite a friend. Diane (Diane Keaton) is recently widowed after 40 years of marriage.

Vivian (Jane Fonda) enjoys her men with no strings attached. Sharon (Candice Bergen) is still working through a decades-old divorce.

Carol’s (Mary Steenburgen) marriage is in a slump after 35 years. Four lifelong friends’ lives are turned upside down to hilarious ends when their book club tackles the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey. From discovering new romance to rekindling old flames, they inspire each other to make their next chapter the best chapter. Rated: PG-13 (for sexrelated material throughout and for language). Running time: 1 hour and 44 minutes. Don’t be late for the show! Wear a sweater!

Have lunch at the Star Deli (Rose Blumkin Jewish Home) before the show! The Star Deli is open for business at 11:30 a.m.

Mainstreeters welcomes all Jewish residents of the Omaha area age 60 plus. The group offers a mixed-bag of learning opportunities plus social and cultural events. This New Year season is a perfect time to begin taking part in Mainstreeters’ activities. For information call Maggie Conti, Director of Activities and Volunteer Services at 402.334.6521 or e-mail mconti@rbjh.com.

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Counter-Terrorism expert

Continued from page 1 served as the financial attaché in Jerusalem and the Gulf.

She is a former nonproliferation graduate fellow at the Department of Energy’s National Security Nuclear Security Administration and received her master’s degree from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Please join us for these fascinating events. For more information, please contact Kasey De Goey at unoschwalb center@unomaha.edu, 402.554.2788 or Mark Kirchhoff at mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org, or 402.334.6463.

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4 | The Jewish Press | August 24, 2018

Students awarded Holland Future Scientist prizes

Lisa speLLman UNMC Public Relations Mika Kaplan, center, was among ten undergraduate students from six Nebraska colleges and universities who recently received the 2018 Richard Holland Future Scientist Award from the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures.

The students received cash prizes totaling $5,000 at the annual INBRE (Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence Program) conference on Aug. 7 in Nebraska City.

The awards are named in honor of the late Richard Holland, an Omaha philanthropist and longtime supporter of research. This is the 11th year the Holland Future Scientist Awards have been awarded.

The students were judged for their oral and poster presentations of the research work they conducted this summer as part of the INBRE program.

Visit us at jewishomaha.org

O

A living dinosaur

n a recent trip to New York, I heard a man advocate a Jewish political position that I had assumed had long disappeared from the world. It happened like this: I went with my brother Everett to the University Club in Manhattan. After our work-out, we went to the wet-sauna room, and I TeDDY mentioned what was on my mind at WeinBeRGeR the time (the subject of my previous column): that though our army was the best in the world, we were being defeated by simple kites and balloons. The only other person in the sauna immediately turned to me and said: “Whose ‘our?’” I told the man that in this case it was Israel, as I have dual citizenship. The man said that he didn’t believe in dual citizenship. I said, well, it’s true that some countries, such as Holland, do not allow for dual citizenship, but the U.S. does, and so if he has a problem he should write his Congressman.

It turned out that the man, whom I’ll call Lance, a successful Jewish lawyer in his mid-60s, had no interest in engaging in the legal principles behind dual citizenship; what he did make clear was that his country is America and that all American Jews should put America first. In fact, he said that he is an atheist, an assimilationist, and that he doesn’t support Israel, indicating that it was because of American support for Israel “that we have terrorists flying into the Twin Towers.”

I became very excited because while I had in my former life as a Jewish Studies professor taught about the position being espoused by Lance, I had thought the position extinct.

Though it is true that many Jews assimilate into their respective cultures, it’s rare today to encounter someone who views assimilation as something to be pursued. Things were different about 200 years ago. Beginning in the early 19th century, in response to the granting of legal rights (emancipation), a Jewish philosophical position developed that said that it was now up to Jews to become less particularistic.

The position, taken to its ironic extreme, said that Jews should be so thankful for being granted civil rights that they should cease to have a life that differentiates them from their

gentile neighbors (one reason why Classical Reform nullified Jewish ritual law).

As the 19th century progressed, however, and anti-semitism showed no signs of abating (despite all that Jews were prepared to do concerning their particularity), a more radical assimilationist position developed. Basing itself upon the key Jewish mandate to “choose life” and upon the continued danger posed by anti-semitism, this position urged complete assimilation and was not opposed to conversion to Christianity.

Interestingly enough, Herzl and other political Zionists felt that European anti-semitism would continue as long as Jews resided in “host” countries and that it would only disappear when Jews left to go live in a state of their own. The State of Israel, with its boost to Jewish pride and with its commitment to safeguarding worldwide Jewry, put an end to the pro-assimilation position—or so I thought until I met Lance.

Poor Lance. I told him that he was way behind the times: what with the only child of former President and almost President Clinton being married to a Jew, and what with the current U.S. President’s daughter converting to Judaism in order to marry an observant Jew, it seems that America does not expect Jews to give up on their Jewishness. At this, Lance stormed (saunaed?) out, saying, “Go back to Israel--and I’m glad I won’t have to see you again” (though he immediately returned and apologized for that last remark).

My encounter with Lance in the most Jewish city in the United States introduced me to a secular Jew who is yet nervous about his own Jewishness—so much so that he is willing to give credence to the darkest of conspiracy themes concerning Israel’s involvement in 9/11. Paradoxically, Lance would feel better about himself were he to embrace the Jewish State. To start off, I would recommend that he watch an Israeli television series that has been an international smash-hit on Netflix: Fauda (it was only while in America that I felt compelled to watch the show). My hunch is that after just a few episodes, Lance might even come to feel proud to be Jewish.

Teddy Weinberger, Ph.D., made aliyah in 1997 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 Israel Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@netvision.net.il.

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Kaplan Book Group to screen Zero Motivation ShiRLy BaNNeR Library Specialist, Community Engagement and Education On Sept. 20 the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group is mixing it up a bit from books to film as they screen the film Zero Motivation directed by Talya Lavie. A smash hit in Israel and winner of the Best Narrative Feature Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, Zero Motivation examines the everyday drama of the private lives of young Israeli female military soldiers. It portrays their love and disappointments, their dreams and fears, their friendships and loneliness, and self-discovery of who they are in the realm of Israel’s military. It is a unique, sometimes dark and often hilarious portrait of everyday life for this unit of young female soldiers in a remote Israeli desert outpost. This 2014 film is in Hebrew with English subtitles and will screen in the JCC Theater at 12:30 p.m.

When one thinks about the Israeli army, one often thinks of soldiers in combat. While military service in Israel is mandatory for both men and women at age 18, only a minority of female soldiers see combat. For the majority of the female high school graduates entering the military, those two years are carried out in behind desks and in

front of computers, making coffee for male higherups, swapping boring gossip and waiting for the clock to strike 5 p.m. so they can go home.

Writer/director Talya Lavie wanted to make an Israeli army film about these “jobnikiot,” the Israeli slang term for soldiers who do not see combat, yet who are just as essential to the military efforts as combat soldiers.

All members of the community are welcome to join the Kaplan Book Discussion Group to view the movie, free of charge.

The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion group meets on the third Thursday of every month normally at 1 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library. New members are always welcome. The group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For information about the group, contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org. To view books discussed by the group over the past several years, go to www.jewishomaha.org, click on the “Community & Education” pulldown tab and navigate to “Kripke Jewish Federation Library,” then to “Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group.”

Organizations

BNai B’Rith BReadBReakeRS

Ron Lugasi, Omaha’s new Schaliach (emissary from Israel) will introduce herself to our community on Wednesday, aug. 29, noon. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

The Jewish Press | August 24, 2018 | 5

community Rosh hashanah worship at B’nai israel Synagogue NaNcy WOLf On Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m., Nate Shapiro of The Jewish Federation of Omaha returns to B’nai Israel in Council Bluffs to share his inspirational message Rosh Hashanah: The OS Update for the Soul.

The general theme being that the Days of Awe are for updating one’s “operating system”; your Nate Shapiro soul. You pause, you think about who you are and who you want to be, and then you think about some improvements you want to make for the coming year. Resolutions often made for the secular new year are nice, but often not serious. People do want to make positive changes in their life, and the Rosh Hashanah traditions of prayer and reflection allow a person to approach the goals in a meaningful and serious manner.

Nate grew up in Wayne, Nebraska, served in the IDF in Israel, and now works at their Jewish Federation of Omaha and is an active member of our Jewish Community.

Our worship continues the following morning, Sept. 10, when Lloyd Roitstein will share an inspirational message at 10:30 a.m. with his presentation entitled Finding Your

Mitzvah in Life. Lloyd will expound on his thoughts that volunteering is one of the most fulfilling tasks in life! The satisfaction of “helping others,” along with building a strong family with a loving partner, having a rewarding career, and practicing our faith gives us all a “wonderful life!”

Lloyd has served in a wide variety of Lloyd Roitstein leadership and community volunteer roles in Jewish Omaha, as well as the general community. His career spanned decades with the Boy Scouts of America, culminating as Scout Executive President for the Mid-America Council for 19 years before his retirement in 2011. He has served in leadership roles in several Jewish organizations, including as President of Beth El Synagogue. His volunteering has extended to the greater community as well, with participation in Rotary and First Responders Foundation Board, among others.

Cantorial Soloist Jeff Taxman will be our spiritual leader.

We hope you will join us for Rosh Hashanah services, Sunday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m., and Monday, Sept. 10 at 10:30 a.m.!

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6 | The Jewish Press | August 24, 2018

community Mega Teen Trip: Lillian Cohen

The Omaha Teen Trip to Israel is a collaborative project led by the Jewish Federation of Omaha, Beth El Synagogue, Temple Israel, and Beth Israel Synagogue. The purpose of the mission is to bring Jewish Omaha Teens to Israel to experience the Jewish Homeland, connect with Israelis, and connect with each other. As a way of saying “thank you” to the community, the teens are writing about their experiences and sharing them with the community via The Jewish Press throughout the year.

In addition to being led and financially supported by each Omaha Synagogue and the Jewish Federation of Omaha, The 20172018 Teen Trip was supported in part by The Herbert Goldsten Trust, the Phillip & Terri Schrager Supporting Foundation, the Lois Jeanne Schrager Memorial Fund, the Carl L. Frohm Educational Custodial Fund, the Milton S. & Corrine N. Livingston Foundation Fund, the Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation, and the JFO Foundation Special Donor Advised Funds. Thank you to all who supported this effort.

i

LiLLiAn cohen n fourth grade, my nine Friedel Jewish Academy classmates and I pushed chairs together in rows like airplane seats, wore our tourist hats and t-shirts, and “traveled to Israel” with the help of Eadie Tsabari, who was our Hebrew teacher. We “visited” many important places like the Western Wall, Tel Aviv and the Dead Sea. We went into the bathroom and rubbed some Dead Sea mud on our arms and faces while pretending to be there. Seven years later, eight of us did it again, for real this time, and with 20 other Jewish teens from Omaha. It was so exciting to be traveling with my Friedel class to Israel! All the places we had learned about for so long in school, we finally had the amazing opportunity to visit. Now, we could truly experience the real thing!

One of my favorite parts of the trip was when we had the opportunity to stay with a host family. After learning Hebrew at Friedel, it was very exciting to test my speaking skills once again. It was quite a challenge. The host family had a daughter who was in the army, and a son, Amit, who was our age and showed us around. They invited their grandparents, cousins, and close friends over for a wonderful Shabbat dinner. The mom cooked amazing food, and it was so interesting to listen to every one of them speaking Hebrew to each other and knowing I was having a Shabbat dinner in Israel. Their neighbor-

hood/village was also beautiful and they lived right next to an orange grove. The mom would pack us food and tea to take as a picnic and Amit would then take us to pick oranges.

Something that surprised me about Israel was how beautiful it was. As we were on the bus traveling from place to place, I couldn’t stop staring out the window at the green hills, or how we were in the middle of nowhere in the desert, but the sand was still so pretty. No matter where we were, it was gorgeous. The sky each night never failed to give us a beautiful sunset.

Those two weeks, I saw the prettiest sunsets I have seen in my life. The most exciting part, however, for me was the Dead Sea. It was something I have always wanted to experience ever since learning about it in Friedel. It was amazing to just pick up your feet and then completely float. The hard part was trying to not float and to get your feet back down on the ground again.

It was so much fun to be there with my friends and experience this beautiful country and all its history. It was more amazing than anything I could have imagined on our little class trip in fourth grade. Thank you to all who made it possible, as it is an experience that will stay with me forever.

The Nation-State Law – A divided heart

MArk kirchhoff Community Engagement and Education While the initial heated discussions from the passing of the Nation-State Law by the Israeli Knesset on July 19 may have cooled somewhat, the strength and diversity of opinions on the topic have not. Rabbi Shlomo Abramovich, PhD, led a discussion on the topic during the Aug. 6 Eye on Israel session. Rabbi Shlomo first examined the text of the Basic Law: Israel – the nation-state of the Jewish people, with a studious eye and an historic perspective. He placed that law in the context of the Israeli Declaration of Independence and Ari Brodkey other Basic Laws.

On Aug. 28, at noon in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library, Omaha native Ariel Brodkey will present A Divided Heart - the clashing principles of Judaism and Democracy at Israel’s core, as a companion program to August’s Eye on Israel. Ari made Aliyah in 2011, and subsequently served in the IDF in an elite Special Forces unit. He served as a combat operator and commander, earning several awards and a citation for his contributions during Operation Protective Edge. Ari is currently completing a degree in government, diplomacy and strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, in parallel researching challenges to 21st century governance and Israel’s potential for innovative leadership. He is a Heseg Foundation merit scholar and an Argov fellow - an academic honors program in leadership and international diplomacy. In his presentation, Ari will focus on three major themes: 1) the definitional challenges of a Jewish state and democracy, 2) the tension of these definitions being at the core of many issues in Israeli society, and 3) how the legislature and the bureaucracy approach these challenges.

The Community Engagement and Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is facilitating this presentation. It is open to the community free of charge with no advanced reservations required. Mark your calendars now so you do not miss this program.

For questions or additional information, contact Mark Kirchhoff at 402.334.6463 or mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.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!

The Jewish Press | August 24, 2018 | 7

Yom Kippur services at B’nai Israel Synagogue nancy WolF On Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m., we are pleased to welcome Professor Leonard Greenspoon to give the D’Var Torah for the Kol Nidre service.

For more than 15 years, Dr. Leonard Greenspoon has been visiting B’nai Israel Synagogue in Council Bluffs with thoughts and wisdom for Kol Nidre services. leonard greenspoon This year he will share inspiring words on the subject The Book of Joshua: How Biblical Accounts of War Offer a Way to Achieve Peace.

Dr. Greenspoon is Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University, where he is also Professor of Classical & Near Eastern Studies and of Theology. The author or editor of almost 30 books, Greenspoon is a specialist in the Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Judaism, Bible Translation, and Religion in Popular Culture.

Continuing with the holiday worship, Jim Fried will be the featured speaker for Yom Kippur morning services on Sept. 19 at 10:30 a.m.. Jim’s remarks will be on Yom Kippur:

Memories and Meaning and are based on his own Yom Kippur experiences through the years in Omaha, and how Yom Kippur remains relevant today.

Jim is a native of Omaha and the first generation of his family born in America. His parents, Magda and Sam Fried, of blessed memory, were both Holocaust Survivors who were each acJim Fried tive in Holocaust Education.

A technology management consultant by profession, Jim currently serves as the Chair of The Anti-Defamation League, Plains States Region, a board member of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, and a Board Trustee at Beth El Synagogue.

We hope you will join us for Yom Kippur services. Our spiritual leader will be Jeffrey Taxman. A Memorial service will follow the morning service after a short break. The concluding service will be held at 5:30 p.m., with a community Break-the-Fast potluck immediately following. All services at B’nai Israel are open to the entire community.

Return to Who You Are – A Guide to Prayer for the High Holidays

Mary Sue groSSMan Executive Director, Beth Israel The High Holidays, the Days of Awe, Jewish New Year. No matter what phrase is heard, these names provide a feeling of anticipation and excitement. For some people, there may also be a slight feeling of frustration in realizing they simply do not feel a connection with the service. The long prayers, the unusual wording, and the English translations that often seem odd and confusing make understanding what one is to feel a challenge.

Rabbi Ari Dembitzer will provide a way to avoid these frustrations during two prep classes that will meet at 10 a.m., Sundays, Sept. 9 and 16. Return to Who You Are: A Guide to Prayer for the High Holidays will give an understanding of how to be truly present during services.

“Connecting with the prayers are how one feels truly linked to G-d during High Holiday services” shares Rabbi Ari. “These Sunday classes will help answer the question of how one engages one’s heart to the service and a schedule that is foreign.

Davening, the Yiddush word used for prayer, is the equivalent of the Hebrew word “aven” which means parent/child connection. Finding the connection to G-d, our parent, will provide a rich new meaning to the High Holiday experience.”

Return to Who You Are: A Guide to Prayer for the High Holidays is free of charge and is open to the community. Classes will meet in the Social Hall and will conclude by 11:15 a.m.

early deadline notice

Sunday morning classes are just one offering in the Beth Israel Beit Midrash. At 7:45 a.m., Monday through Friday, Rabbi Ari teaches Creating a Spiritual Life. Each Monday at noon, Rabbi Shlomo Abramovich leads Jewish History, Your History at noon.

On Thursdays, Connecting to Our Faith by Rabbi Ari meets at 9:30 a.m. Also on Thursdays, Rabbi Shlomo teaches Jewish Etchics at UNMC, beginning at noon. Each Shabbat afternoon, approximately 20 minutes before Mincha/Maariv, Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion is taught by Rabbi Ari. In addition to group classes, the rabbis meet with individuals or small groups throughout the week. Anyone interested in learning is encouraged to contact either Rabbi Ari or Rabbi Shlomo by calling 402.556.6288.

The Jewish Press will be closed on Monday, Sept. 3 for Labor Day, Monday and tuesday, Sept. 1011 for Rosh Hashanah, Wednesday, Sept. 19, for Yom Kippur, and Monday, Sept. 24 for Sukkot. The deadline for the Sept. 14 issue is tuesday, Sept. 4, noon; for the Sept. 28 issue it is tuesday, Sept.

18, 4 p.m. Questions? Call 402.334.6448

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Jewish Senior Outreach Now offering Transportation and Handyman Services Contact Shelly Fox for more information

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Autism Study: Updated

* The Omaha-based non-profit Therapeutics Research Institute (TRI) is in its 3rd year of its Reversing Autism Study with results matching or exceeding the original Harvard/Hopkins-related clinical trial results.

* On average, 90% of participants are responding to the over-the-counter food supplement and are reversing about 75% of their autism behaviors.

The government has funded five other trials nationwide. * TRI’s privately funded Study expands to 200 families August 6th.

* It is the only available Study in Nebraska. There are no fees and no placebos. Email steven.evans@ControlAutismNow.org for a Report.

8 | The Jewish Press | August 24, 2018

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(Founded in 1920) Abby Kutler President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Susan Bernard Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Staff Writer Thierry Ndjike Accounting Jewish Press Board Abby Kutler, President; Eric Dunning, Ex Officio; Laura Dembitzer; Candice Friedman; Jill Idelman; Andy Isaacson; Michael Kaufman; David Kotok; Natasha Kraft; Debbie Kricsfeld; Eric Shapiro and Amy Tipp.

The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish LIfe, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press.

Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: wwwjewishomaha.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.

Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishom aha.org.

Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org.

Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” 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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S

The news is not all bad ANNETTE vAN DE KAMP Editor, Jewish Press ometimes I am tempted to repeat what I’ve heard some of my friends say: “I’ve stopped watching the news. It’s all too depressing.”

Okay, it’s not as if I could stay away, but I empathize with the sentiment. Whether I check CNN or the Omaha World Herald, the local news or the international wire, read about rockets in Israel and the political messes we find ourselves in, floods and hurricanes and really large wildfires, there are days when it takes a little extra courage to stay informed. After all, if it’s bad, it’s oftentimes all the more newsworthy, isn’t it?

What is that tired old saying, ‘if it bleeds, it leads?’

Thankfully, in our community, we have a lot to be grateful for. And it’s nice to be able to look at your immediate surroundings and find a positive counterweight. I was reminded of that recently when I spoke with one of our new Campaign Chairs, Bruce Friedlander. He’s one of those people who makes you feel better, no matter what kind of day you are having, but he does so in a way that forces you to count your blessings. You know, the stuff you should say ‘thank you’ for, the stuff you tend to push away when something doesn’t go as planned or when you’ve just spent half an hour on your news app and you’re feeling discouraged about the state of the world. I hope he doesn’t mind being used as an example.

The fact that Bruce, together with his family, is heading our new Annual Campaign is no surprise. To build and sustain something great, we need people who are willing to go the extra mile. At the same time, they should serve as a reminder that, in order to continue what we have created, we all need to be on board.

I know, I know; there are many requests for our dollars and our time. But here’s the thing: when we all come to-

gether, we can move mountains. We can have this great gym, an impressive waterpark, yoga classes, musical theater programs and a library. We can have backyard concerts and dance classes and book clubs and a thriving nursing home. We can have a state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility, a food pantry, a fantastic day school and our Childhood Development Center. We can have inspiring programs like ‘Eye on Israel,’ we can have our Shlicha and a Mega Challah Bake (Sept. 6!). We can have before- and after school care, kosher Meals on Wheels and Mainstreeters. We can have the best therapists, programs like Young Jewish Giving, BBYO and PJ Library. We can have a Community Relations Committee, the ADL and the Institute for Holocaust Education. We can even send our high school students to Israel every two years. In addition, we can support our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world who need all the help they can get. That is a very long list, and it’s still incomplete.

And maybe you say: “I never go to the pool,” or maybe you’ve never eaten at Star Deli; maybe you wouldn’t dream of sending your kids to summer camp at the JCC. Perhaps you’ve never even been inside the Jewish federation Kripke Library and don’t want yoga classes.But even if all those things are true, you are reading a paper right now that only exists because of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Annual Campaign. Somewhere, somehow, JFO

touches us all. Imagine what our community would look like if the Jewish Federation weren’t here. I know it would be a very, very different place.

Soon, you’ll be receiving your pledge cards, getting a phone call, an email. The organizers of the Kehilla Cup are preparing for the new season and over the next weeks

the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his allies. Most contemporary news reports and even historical accounts offered this idealistic and filiopietistic analysis. The black-Jewish story line of BlacKkKlansman offers a needed challenge to that simplistic historical understanding.

icans in their own social justice movement. He takes an approach similar to Selma director Ava DuVernay, who was unfairly criticized by many Jewish viewers when she did not include an iconic image of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel in her movie.

Lee and his team go a step further in rebalancing the black-Jewish relationship by showing the ways that Stallworth inspired his Jewish colleague to strengthen his own religious identity. When Zimmerman downplays his Star of David necklace, remarking that he did not identify strongly as a Jew, Stallworth pushes back. And when he asks, “Why you acting like you ain’t got skin in the game?,” Zimmerman realizes that his Jewishness matters.

Later in the film, he faces virulent anti-Semitism from members of the KKK when he is told to take a “Jew lie detector test” and to lower his pants to see if he had been circumcised.

Zimmerman’s heritage mattered; it took his African-American colleague to wake him up from his Jewish slumber. My own research has shown how, taking their cues from the Black Power movement, young Jews were indeed inspired to seek a more serious engagement with their ethno-religious identity.

The deepest evidence of this film’s investment in exploring black-Jewish relations comes from the surprising fact that the real detective Zimmerman was not Jewish. Lee and the creative forces who wrote and produced the film, including Get Out director Jordan Peele, took license to frame this story in black-Jewish terms. With this decision, they offer a 21st-century re-creation of the postwar civil rights alliance.

BlacKkKlansman teaches us that in a nation so fraught with racism and anti-Semitism, blacks and Jews offered a model of cooperation built on equity and respect between communities.

In a riveting conclusion — I won’t detail it here for those who have yet to see the film — Lee connects the history of white supremacy and the KKK to the contemporary political climate. With heartwrenching cinematic detail, viewers are left to wonder how much progress has been achieved since the emancipation of African-Americans in the mid-19th century.

See BlacKkKlansman page 9

2019

you’ll be invited to a number of community events. Keep an eye on this paper; we’ll be announcing anything Campaign-related on these pages.

Please, if you’ve done so before, continue to give. Show your generosity in dollars or in time and energy; show you care about this great community. If you haven’t given before, please consider doing so now. Be part of the positive counterweight, be a force for good. There are so many different people and programs you’d be impacting, both here and abroad. Join me in making the world better, one gift at a time. If the world seems like a tough place, what better way to respond than by reaching out and getting involved?

Don’t do it for you or me. Do it for all of us.

BlacKkKlansman recalls the possibilities, then and now, of a black-Jewish alliance MARc DoLLiNGER SAN FRANCISCO | JTA In a dramatic scene, word reaches local officials that the leader of a militant black organization coming to town is intent on stirring up trouble. An undercover operation ensues when an AfricanAmerican attends the event, taking copious notes and reporting his findings back to his Jewish colleague.

In this moment, it seems, the black-Jewish relationship stood strong. Racists and bigots, no matter what side of the racial or religion divide, will face blacks and Jews working together in pursuit of justice.

It sounds like an early scene from Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, when African-American detective Ron Stallworth (played by John David Washington) surveils a speech by Black Power founder Stokely Carmichael. Instead, it’s the true story of a 1959 speech by Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad at a mosque in Newark, New Jersey.

Years before the events in the movie, in which a black detective and his Jewish partner go undercover to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan, the American Jewish Committee joined with African-American civil rights leaders to investigate the threat posed

by Muhammad and his call for black militancy.

Even as Jewish leaders concluded that Muhammad’s speech proved more anti-white than anti-Semitic, the episode painted a picture of black-Jewish cooperation that anticipated the partnership between Stallworth, Colorado Springs’ first black police officer, and the detective who in the film is called Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver).

On the surface, Lee presents a classic tale of black-Jewish cooperation. In this understanding of interracial relations, two historically oppressed groups joined forces to confront the racism and anti-Semitism of the Ku Klux Klan. Jews, committed to the mandates of prophetic Judaism, reached across the divide and leveraged their religious ideals to demonstrate the equality of all Americans, regardless of racial status.

In the civil rights movement that predated the events of the film, Jews comprised a majority of white volunteers and offered generous funding to

Adam Driver, left, and John David Washington in a scene from Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman.

Credit: Focus Features Even as Lee and script writers David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel and Kevin Willmott treat the Jewish detective sympathetically, they are careful not to fall into the trap, so prevalent in much of the historical literature, of moving white Jews into the center of what was a movement created and led by African-Americans. Instead, Stallworth enjoys agency. He is the one who finds an ad in the local paper advertising a meeting of the KKK. Despite the racism within his police department and in the community at large, he launches an investigation, determining its course throughout the film.

In a break from the classic interracial motif of more-powerful Jews helping less-powerful blacks, BlacKkKlansman places Jewish detective Zimmerman, as well as the other white police officers in his unit, in supporting roles. Stallworth, acknowledging white privilege as he impersonates Zimmerman’s voice in telephone calls with the KKK, lobbies his Jewish colleague to impersonate him in face-to-face meetings with Klansmen.

By redefining the black-Jewish relationship in this more Afrocentric way, Lee corrects a historical literature that all too often marginalized African-Amer-

The Jewish Press | August 24, 2018 | 9

If Israel has such bad PR, why does it remain so popular?

ANDreW sIloW-CArroll JTA The first mention in JTA of the Hebrew word “hasbarah” was in 1988, at the height of the first intifada. The article focused on Israelis and American Jews and their deep concern that the media were distorting the unrest and showing the Israeli military in a bad light.

The answer, interviewees agreed, was better “hasbarah” — a Hebrew word, explained the author (OK, it was me), “whose meaning falls somewhere between information and propaganda.”

“Israel has never actually looked at hasbarah as an integral part of policymaking,” said Dan Pattir, a former press secretary to prime ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Menachem Begin.

Fast forward 30 years. Writing last week in the Los Angeles Times, Noga Tarnopolsky makes a convincing case that Israel’s public diplomacy efforts are flawed, unprofessional, scattershot and out of touch. Critics tell her that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu relies too much on social-media videos to defend Israel. They say its military spokespeople are ill prepared to answer questions about controversial events, like May’s deadly riots on the border with Gaza.

“There is... no single authority that coordinates and supervises these various activities,” complains Michael Oren, who is (wait for it) Israel’s deputy minister in charge of public diplomacy.

The critics, however, don’t make a convincing case why any of this matters.

Complaints about Israel’s hasbarah efforts are as regular and ritualistic as the Jewish holidays. Without answers from a strong PR campaign, the theory goes, the litany of anti-Israel charges gains traction.

But among whom? Israel remains hugely popular among the American public. According to Gallup, 64 percent of the U.S. population sympathizes with the Israelis over the Palestinians, and only 19 percent say they sympathize more with the Palestinians. Congress remains firmly pro-Israel. Yes, a Pew survey in January showed a wide partisan divide over Israel, with 79 percent of Republicans and only 27 percent of Democratic sympathizing more with Israel than with the Palestinians. But the poll questions forced respondents to

choose between Israelis and Palestinians (why not both?), and the results may have reflected only the deeply partisan nature of American politics — not anything you can hasbarah away.

Despite wide publicity and Jewish consternation, the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment movement hasn’t taken root outside the far left. As of June, 25 states have enacted anti-BDS laws.

In fact, the whole point of BDS is that Israel has a positive image that needs to be undermined. You wouldn’t know about BDS if celebrities didn’t regularly include Israel on their world tours.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu understands that Israel’s “hasbarah” can only get the country so far. Credit: Illustration

by Charles Dunst/JTA; photo: Michal Cizek/AFP/Getty The charge of “pinkwashing” — that Israel touts its relatively progressive record on LGBT rights to distract the world from the occupation — targets what the BDS folk think is a positive and effective means of hasbarah — otherwise, why would they bother? And paradoxically, every charge of pinkwashing only reminds the casual reader of Israel’s strong LGBT record.

Two kinds of critics, often overlapping, criticize Israel’s hasbarah.

The first is convinced that the media have in it for Israel.

Such critics also hold the mistaken notion that the media’s role is to tell a story as they would have it told. Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is hardly perfect, and examples abound of stories becoming stories only when Palestinians are the victims, or headlines that ignore cause (a terror attack) for effect (the Israelis’ response). In general, however, Pales-

tinians have a point when they complain that the media often shape the narrative according to an Israeli point of view, depicting Palestinian life with an Israeli gaze. If you want to see what coverage of the conflict would look like otherwise, read a pro-Palestinian website like Electronic Intifada or a far-left Israeli site like +972. It’s nothing like the Israel coverage you see in the mainstream media.

The other kind of critic blames unpopular policy on bad hasbarah. Good hasbarah, they insist, could presumably have forestalled the brouhaha over the Israeli nation-state law (a brouhaha, I’d wager, that most Americans never even heard about). That story got legs not because of a bad marketing rollout, but because the law was a policy decision that fed directly into a perception that Israel’s right-wing government was growing less democratic and more nationalistic.

Passage of the law capped a week in which the Knesset allowed the education minister to bar groups critical of government policies from speaking in public schools, made it harder for Palestinians to win land disputes and blocked single men and gay couples from having children through surrogacy.

More broadly, Netanyahu’s close ties with President Donald Trump may be understandable and justifiable, as is his outreach to European nationalists, but there is a political and PR price to be paid for such embraces.

Netanyahu has good instincts for English-speaking audiences, and sometimes he realizes that a positive pitch can only get you so far. In the past few weeks, left-wing activists have complained that Israeli airport security have detained them and asked specifically about their activism and their political beliefs. On Monday, after the liberal Zionist writer Peter Beinart said he was stopped and interrogated, Netanyahu issued a statement saying it was an “administrative mistake,” adding that “Israel is the only country in the Middle East where people voice their opinions freely and robustly.”

The latter statement is a staple of pro-Israel hasbarah. It’s a terrific policy, as long as it has the added benefit of being true.

But when actions prove unpopular, PR won’t save you. The root meaning of hasbarah is “explanation,” not “alchemy.”

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.

Why a former Israeli military intelligence chief stands with the Druze

AMos YADlIN TEL AVIV | JTA Israel’s new “nation-state” law must be amended. That’s why I was proud to join tens of thousands of Israelis in a peaceful, unifying protest led by the Druze community.

I came to this city’s Rabin Square to stand with the Druze, with whom I fought to protect the State of Israel. But I also came to celebrate Israeli democracy; the public’s commitment to equality and democratic values; our independent media; and our country’s bedrock guarantees for free speech and the right to protest.

In contrast to the ill-advised vote in the parliament two weeks ago, Saturday night’s rally displayed “Israeliness” at its best. Israeli flags fluttered in the square and everyone sang “Hatikvah,” our national anthem, at the end of the rally.

As the initial storm over the new law subsides, any levelheaded assessment reveals that its principal damage has been to stir up negative public discourse — in Israel and abroad.

But make no mistake: The Jewish state’s democratic foundations remain vigorous, deeply rooted and incredibly resilient.

The law touches on sensitive issues that David Ben-Gurion and the founders preferred not to decide. These matters require time, sensitivity and the broadest possible consensus.

They cannot be decided haphazardly, especially hours before a parliamentary recess, and they most certainly should not be decided by the barest of majorities (in this case, 62 Knesset members voted in favor and 55 opposed).

The new law does not go far enough in protecting minority rights and upholding the principle of “equality” of all citizens, although this is enshrined in other legal tenets.

Due to these flaws, the new law does not command legitimacy. It stirs negative emotions and polarizes the public debate.

It alienates parts of the Arab sector and has strained the special bond with the Druze community. Moreover, the law has damaged ties with the Jewish Diaspora, especially in the United States, which Israel can ill afford.

In a world increasingly defined by images, the new law plays into the hands of Israel’s adversaries.

The law must be amended in ways that align it fully with

Israel’s Declaration of Independence, which states that the country “will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture.”

Article 4 must be amended to restore the standing of Arabic as one of the state’s official languages.

Article 6, which deals with ties between Israel and World Jewry, should also be amended to underline the strategic value of these relations and to enshrine the principles of partnership, peoplehood and unity.

But the sky is not falling. Israel’s democratic character is safeguarded through myriad, overlapping mechanisms, including a wide body of quasi-constitutional legislation, an independent judiciary, a vibrant civil society and one of the world’s most free-wheeling media sectors.

Moreover, Israeli democracy is resilient and has flourished despite our country’s long and intense struggle for security and peace. Far lesser security and political challenges have seriously damaged democratic life in other countries, Turkey being just the latest example.

Democracy has many models. The United Kingdom, a well-established democracy, lacks a written constitution. The U.S. has just two political parties and winner-take-all elections. Israel, unique among democracies, has a low electoral threshold and rules that allow even the narrowest of constituencies to gain representation in national politics.

Over many decades, Israel built up a body of quasi-constitutional law that judiciously reinforced and routinized the country’s democratic institutions. The supporters of the new law argued that it was time to further enshrine the state’s Jewish character, and this set off an unfortunate competition among certain factions for narrow, populist political gain.

Although the measure tilts the balance toward the Jewish identification of the state, it does not override the many checks and balances that infuse Israel’s democracy, including the sacred principle of equality.

And don’t think for a minute that some minority political leaders are not using this ill-advised law to grandstand and

pursue their own political agendas. The fallout from the law obscures many new, positive developments, including soaring rates of Arab advancement in higher education and in the workplace, including for women.

There is much more that needs to be done to ensure greater opportunities for peripheral populations -- Arab, Bedouin, Druze and even Jewish -- but this misguided law does nothing to nullify or erase the enormous strides that our society has taken toward a truly shared society.

This was a case of political “friendly fire,” a self-inflicted wound. But the understandable consternation should not be exaggerated or misinterpreted as undermining Israel’s democratic traditions, which remain strong and resolute.

Amos Yadlin, Maj. Gen. (ret.), a former head of Israeli Military Intelligence and one of the country’s best known defense and foreign policy experts, is executive director of the nonpartisan Institute for National Security Studies.

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.

BlacKkKlansman

Continued from page 8 Yet in his crafting of a renewed black-Jewish relationship that demonstrates the ways in which Jews learned, grew and benefited from their interactions with blacks, Lee offers a model of hope. With this reframe, we have a vision for blacks and Jews, as well as for other communities, to rally once again.

Marc Dollinger holds the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibility at San Francisco State University and is author, most recently, of Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing The Alliance In The 1960s.

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.

10 | The Jewish Press | August 24, 2018

synagogues B’nAi isrAel synAgogue

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

Beth el synAgogue

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

Beth isrAel synAgogue

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

ChABAd house

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

CongregAtion B’nAi Jeshurun

South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org

offutt Air forCe BAse

Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123 402.294.6244 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

tifereth isrAel

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

B’nAi isrAel synAgogue

Following a short summer haitus, we will meet again in September: Young Jewish Omaha Shabbat Event, friday, sept. 7, 7:30 p.m. For information conctact Nate Shapiro at nshap iro@jewishomaha@org.

Erev Rosh Hashanah, sunday, sept. 9, 7:30 p.m.

Rosh Hashanah, monday, sept. 10, 10:30 a.m.

Kol Nidre, tuesday, sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

Yom Kippur, wednesday, sept. 19, 10:30 a.m. and Concluding service and Break-the-fast, 5:30 p.m.

Our High Holiday services are led by guest Cantorial soloist Jeff Taxman.

For information on our historic synagogue, contact any of our board members: Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Wayne Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf, or email nancywolf16620@gmail.com.

Beth el synAgogue

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. fridAy: NE AIDS Coaltion Lunch, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.; Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Levi Lauer on Broken Jewish Myths, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Star Deli; Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Levi Lauer on Uncertainity, the foundation of emuna (faith and trust): Moses, George Steiner and Emmanuel Levinas Part I, 6 p.m. sAturdAy: Shabbat Morning Services, 9:30 a.m. with Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Levi Lauer on Uncertainity, the foundation of emuna (faith and trust): Moses, George Steiner and Emmanuel Levinas Part II; Kiddush Luncheon to follow. weekdAy serViCes: Sundays, 9:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. sundAy: BESTT Pancake Social and Meet the Teachers, 10 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; High Holy Days Pop Up, 2 p.m. at Westroads Mall. tuesdAy: High Holidays are Coming and I’m not Ready, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham; Mahjong, 1 p.m. wednesdAy: High Holidays are Coming and I’m not Ready, 6 p.m. with Rabbi Abraham.

Sushi & Selichot, saturday, sept. 1: Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:45 p.m., Havdalah, 8:30 p.m.; Sushi Making, 8:45 p.m.

Reservations requested; Selichot Services, approximately 9:30 p.m.

Chesed Committee Visits the Blumkin Home, thursday, sept. 6, 2-3 p.m.

Beth isrAel synAgogue

Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. fridAy: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m.; Candle Lighting, 7:52 p.m. sAturdAy: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion, 6:50 p.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 7:35 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:52 p.m. sundAy: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Medrash, 10 a.m.; JYE BI Kickoff Event, 3 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:30 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. mondAy: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Jewish History — Your History, noon with Rabbi Shlomo; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:30 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. tuesdAy: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:30 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. wednesdAy: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:30 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. thursdAy: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Connecting with Our Faith, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:30 p.m. at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

ChABAd house

Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. fridAy: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing. sAturdAy: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. weekdAys: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing. mondAy: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani. wednesdAy: Mystical Thinking, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman. thursdAy: Talmud Class, noon with Rabbi Katzman.

All programs are open to the entire community.

CongregAtion B’nAi Jeshurun

Services conducted by Rabbi Teri Appleby. fridAy: FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE! Shabbat Evening Service, 6:30 p.m. featuring music by the Star City Kochavim; Oneg, 7:30 p.m. hosted by Max Grossbart and Eva and Moses Kelen-Bloom; Candlelighting, 7:52 p.m. sAturdAy: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study on Parashat Ki Tetze, 10:45 a.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 9:21 p.m. sundAy: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m.; Adult Hebrew Class 2, 11:30 a.m.; Board of Trustees Meeting, 1:30 p.m.; Challah Baking Session for Rosh Hashanah, 3:30 p.m. Register at office@southstre ettemple.org or call 402.435.8004; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. All equipment furnished. Wear comfortable clothing. For questions, call or text Miriam Wallick at miriam57@aol.com. wednesdAy: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. at TI. thursdAy: High Holidays Choir Rehearsal, 7 p.m.

S’Lichot Program, saturday, sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m.

offutt Air forCe BAse

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

rose Blumkin Jewish home

sAturdAy: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Marty Shukert.

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

temPle isrAel

fridAy: OTYG Board Retreat, 3 p.m.-saturday, Aug. 25, 5 p.m. Our new OTYG board will be spending the weekend gaining valuable skills and setting goals for the year. Expect great and exciting programs and events throughout this next year from them!; Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. sAturdAy: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Service, 10:30 a.m. Haftarah Reader: Miles Remer; Swartz’s Deli and Religious School Weekend: During this weekend in August, if you dine at Swartz’s Deli and identify yourself as a member of Temple Israel, 10% of the total purchase will come back to our Religious School! sundAy: Caring Committee Baking Day, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; Kol Chokolad Kids Choir, 9:30 a.m.; Religious School for Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; Kindergarten Parents Mini Torah Cover Making, 10 a.m.; Membership Committee Meeting, 10:30 a.m.; Social Justice Committee Meeting, 10:30 a.m.; Temple TED Talk, 10:30 a.m.; Tri-Faith Committee Meeting, noon; OTYG Meeting, noon; Temple Israel #Chesed Pool Party, 4-5 p.m. at the NEW JCC Goldstein Family Aquatic Center! Pack a picnic to stay for a relaxing evening as part of the Backyard Concert Series (5-7 p.m.) featuring the Rex

Granite Band with Sarah Benck. Our students have been invited to sing an opening song at the concert which they will learn during Hebrew school that morning. There will be food trucks, shaved ice, and concessions available at the concert.

Our pool party is in connection with the public school launch of the #bekind initiative aimed at combating bullying within schools. Temple Israel is excited to reinforce the importance of kindness (#Che sed) as we start the school year. RSVP at templeisraelomaha.com. Open to all Temple Israel families with children in our Religious School (siblings of all ages are welcome). No JCC membership required to attend. tuesdAy: Holy Smokes, 7 p.m. Cigars. Beer. Whiskey.

Rabbi Stoller will be leading this men-only evening featuring philosophical discussions of men’s issues and perspectives from Jewish texts. This event is free, and reservations are required. RSVP to Temple Israel, 402.556.6536, by Aug. 24. wednesdAy: Religious School for Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6:30 p.m.; Preparing our Hearts for the High Holidays, 6:30 p.m. taught by Rabbi Brian Stoller. thursdAy: The History of the Jewish People: Slaves to Egypt, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin.

S’lichot Service and Study, saturday, sept. 1, 7 p.m. followed by our annual chocolate oneg. #MeToo ‫גםאני‬# — How We Are All Affected, Sept. 5, 6:30 p.m. taught by Rabbi Daniel Brenner.

JYG’s Great Rosh Hashanah Bake-Off, sunday, sept. 9, 1-3 pm. We are excited to offer a holiday baking experience for our 7th-8th grade students. Students will come home with a Rosh Hashanah inspired dessert that they can share at the family holiday table.

Erev Rosh Hashanah Service, sunday, sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. Remember to pick-up a grocery bag for the High Holiday Food Drive: Fill a Bag, Feed a Family.

tifereth isrAel

Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: monday-friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. fridAy: No Services; Candlelighting, 7:52 p.m. sAturdAy: Shabbat Morning service, 10 a.m followed by a Kiddush luncheon; Havdalah (72 minutes), 8:51 p.m. sundAy: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.; LJCS Gesher, 10 a.m.; Board Meeting, 1 p.m.; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. All equipment furnished. Wear comfortable clothing. For questions, call or text Miriam Wallick at miriam57@aol.com. wednesdAy: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. at TI. Volunteer Opportunities: One or two parent volunteers needed for being parent in charge of PJLibrary synagogue /temple joint gathering on sunday, sept. 2 at 10 a.m. at Hills Orchard for apple picking and three volunteers needed for Pizza in the Hut joint synagogue/temple gathering on wednesday, sept. 26 at 6 p.m. If you are able and interested in helping with any of these activities please let Nancy Coren know as soon as possible. Thank you.

Anonymous entrepreneur restores Jewish cemetery

WARSAW | JTA not enough,” said Dorota Wiewióra, chairman of An anonymous Polish entrepreneur has spent the Bielsko-Biala Jewish community.

Eastern and Central Europe are dotted with hundreds of thousands of zlotys to restore the Jewish cemetery of Żywiec, a small central Polish crumbling Jewish cemeteries and untended mass graves. Last month a town of 32,000 memorial to the residents.

Holocaust victims in e cemetery the central Polish had fallen into town of Plock was ruin following found vandalized, World War II and and swastikas were was among several painted on the fence under the care of of its Jewish cemethe Jewish com- A look at the Jewish cemetery of Żywiec, Poland, in 2007.

Credit: Adam Midor/Wikimedia Commons tery. e following munity of BielskoBiała, which has only several dozen members, day, Plock residents gathered to clean up the cemeWyborcza.pl reported. tery, which also was filled with garbage and overe community, which maintains responsibil- growth, and paint over the anti-Semitic graffiti. ity for a dozen such cemeteries, was unable to pay e Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish for the upkeep of the 19th-century graveyard, Heritage in Poland has said that many cemeterwhich was overgrown with weeds. ies are neglected, “without any marking, without e philanthropist, who asked to remain fences and even without gravestones,” Haaretz anonymous, expects the work to be completed by reported.

September. He hired 10 workers to repair the Last December, Jewish remains were dug up fence and restore tombstones, many of which had and discarded by Polish workers building an electoppled. Some weigh several hundred pounds. trical substation in what the country’s chief rabbi “is man is a great Pole. To say ‘thank you’ is called “a full-out scandal.”

The Jewish Press | August 24, 2018 | 11

lifecycles birTh

evelyn June and Theodore samuel fredricks

Jill and Jeff Fredricks of Omaha, announce the Aug 10 birth of their twins, Evelyn June and Theodore Samuel.

They have two brothers, Henry and Harrison.

Grandparents are Sally Fredricks of Omaha, the late Terry Fredricks, and Jerry and Nan Halvorson of Rapid City SD. Great-grandparents are Arlene Fredricks of Omaha, the late David Fredricks, the late Dr. H. C. Henderson and Irma Henderson, Roma and Bob Halvorson of Waconda, SD, and the late William and Beverly Burtz of Winner, SD.

in memoriam

eve heisler

Eva Heisler, a long time resident of Omaha, passed away on July 24 at age 98 in Chicago, Illinois, where she resided for the last 14 years.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Louis Ben Heisler and siblings, Tony Kuznit and Ann Tilles.

She is survived by her three children: sons and daughters-in-law, Sidney and Sarah Heisler of West Bloomfield, MI and Norman and Alison Heisler of Overland Park, KS, and daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Howard Stein of Skokie, IL; nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.

She was the daughter of the late Nathan and Sonia Kuznit. Her father was the founder of the Pioneer Locksmith Company. During World War II, Eva was employed at the Glenn Martin Bomber Plant and worked on the Enola Gay. She worked in sales at the Nebraska Furniture Mart for many years.

Memorials may be made in her memory to a organization of your choice.

rosalie saylan

Rosalie Saylan passed away on Aug. 7, one day after her 97th birthday.

A private graveside service was held on Aug. 12 at Temple Israel cemetery.

Rosalie lived the last 2 yrs in Lincoln near her daughter. She spent many years as a volunteer in her communities of Omaha and Palm Springs. Rosalie and Milt were very supportive of the Omaha Jewish community (Temple Israel, Jewish FamilyServices , Blumkin Home, and Historical Society).

Please note: The Jewish Press received information from two sources and is publishing the second one in this issue.

cops arrest two in indiana synagogue vandalism

JTA news sTAff Police arrested two suspects in connection with the painting of a swastika on a synagogue in Indiana.

Nolan Brewer, 20, and a co-conspirator who is in custody but was not named. are suspected of painting a black swastika surrounded by a red background and the German and Nazi Iron Cross last month on a wall at Shaarey Tefilla, a Conservative synagogue near Indianapolis with 200-member families.

U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler, the FBI and the Police Department of the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel announced the charges last ursday, Aug. 16.

Brewer is facing a criminal complaint with conspiracy to violate civil rights, WTHR television reported. A conviction could carry a 10-year sentence.

“When a criminal act deprives our citizens of a constitutional right, law enforcement must respond,” said Minkler. e report did not say how Brewer and the alleged accomplice pleaded.

Police say the two were caught on surveillance video purchasing red and black spray paint and bandanas from a WalMart the day before the vandalism. e U.S. Attorney says Brewer may have intended to do more damage than he did. ere is no evidence that Brewer was part of a larger group planning attacks. e Anti-Defamation League offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals. e incident prompted a strong response from local leaders as well as Vice President Mike Pence, who said, “ese vile acts of anti-Semitism must end.”

At the end of the legislative session in January, Indiana remained one of just five states without a hate crime law.

see full digital issues https://issuu.com/jewishpress7

Cannabis-flavored ice cream? This Israeli is helping pioneer the product.

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Gabe friedman JTA The Vaniglia ice cream chain is popular in Israel for offering over 60 flavors. It recently added a notable new one to its roster: cannabis.

The Israeli chain, which has over a dozen locations, has sold the flavor in stores since March.

Sadly for stoners, the ice cream doesn’t contain any THC, the active psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana. The only part of the cannabis plant harnessed in the recipe is ter-

The cannabis ice cream sold in israel is making waves.

Credit: pxhere penes, or aromatic oil that gives the green leafy drug its unique smell. The rest of the flavor comes from a mix of specific herbs and nuts that chain founder Itay Rogozinsky identified by good old trial and error.

“People don’t know what cannabis tastes like because people don’t eat marijuana. To create a cannabis-flavor for ice cream, I studied the marijuana plant and learned about its different terpenes and aromas,” Rogozinsky told the Israeli innovation website NoCamels. “I then created an ice cream that, in my opinion, tastes like the aroma of cannabis.”

He went on to describe the taste as “nutty” and polarizing — customers either love it or hate it.

As Emerald Report points out, Rogozinsky isn’t the only one churning out cannabis-flavored ice cream. Some stores, like The Hop in Asheville, North Carolina, infuse cannibidiol, or CBD oil, into their new ice creams. CBD oil is used in medicines for its calming and other therapeutic effects — without inducing the high that THC produces.

Others, such as the store Drip in Portland, Oregon, and the Cann Eye Dream brand based in California, have gone a step further and added THC into the mixture.

But for those looking simply for the cannabis flavor without the high, Rogozinsky’s iteration seems to stand out.

“I don’t like gimmicks,” he told Emerald Report. “My goal was to create an ice cream that tasted like the aroma of cannabis. I sourced natural ingredients and created a number of blended profiles. … I’m very proud of the product.”

To submiT announcemenTs

Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press at jpress@jewish omaha.org or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154.

Readers can also submit announcements -- births, b’nai mitzvahs, engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewish omaha.org. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements. Deadlines are normally eight days prior to publication, on Thursdays, 9 a.m. Please check the Jewish Press, for notices of early deadlines.

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12 | The Jewish Press | August 24, 2018

worldnews

W

Jewish Federation of Omaha dollars support flying drones and aviation Jim Lodge Senior Development Officer, World ORT orld ORT Kadima Mada runs informal, experiential, after-school programs in science and technology topics for children and teens in the periphery. Some of these activities take place in World ORT Kadima Mada YOUniversity Centers of Excellence and others in school buildings once formal studies are over for the day. All are run

by World ORT Kadima Mada YOUniversity managers with their team of experienced instructors. The YOUniversity program is open to all school students who express an interest in the program; those unable to afford the nominal participation fee receive a scholarship. World ORT Kadima Mada believes that every child should have an opportunity to experience one of its YOUniversity courses and be exposed to experiential, practical, interesting study.

One of the newest and most popular courses is the Flying Drones and Aviation course, where students learn to design, build and fly drones.

With the support of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, World ORT Kadima Mada has introduced this unique and innovative YOUniversity course to 12-13 year old boys in Abir Ya’akov Yeshiva Junior High School in Nahariya. Flying Drones and Aviation Course - YOUniversity at Abir Ya’akov High School 2 The ‘Flying Drones and Aviation’ Course run by World ORT Kadima Mada’s YOUniversity program in Abir Ya’akov Yeshiva Junior High School for Boys took place once a week every Thursday afternoon after school hours during the 201718 school year. Each weekly study session (22 in all) lasted two academic hours and the course was attended regularly by 19 students from Grade 7 (12-13 year olds).

This YOUniversity aeronautical course focused on the design, construction, programming, operation and navigation

of air-flight capable machines. Students learned the principles that enable an object heavier than air to fly in the sky, through the study disciplines of aerodynamics, physics, electronics, photography and electricity. Working individually and in groups, participants learned about the shape and behavior of different flying objects.

Credit: www.menkind.co.uk During the practical, hands-on sessions, students designed, built, programmed and flew drones. They programmed the drones’ “brains” in accord with a variety of options and requirements as determined by the course curriculum. This allowed them to practice different methods of construction and aviation. Some drones included remote navigation control via GPS, and others the possibility of reaching a speed of 200 kms/hour.

The drones were outfitted with advanced telemetry systems that register, measure and transmit data, thus enabling Abir Ya’akov’s young students to fly the drones through the air with the aid of special goggles. Course participants also practiced flying drones using simulators designed specifically for this purpose.

The students were stimulated and excited to participate in this YOUniversity opportunity and looked forward each week to the next study session, whether it was held in the school’s multi-purpose lab or in the open field.

For these boys, this course opened a window to today’s innovative and developing world, while enhancing their selfconfidence, their coordination skills and their decision-making abilities, and they are grateful for this wonderful opportunity.

The project addressed the following needs, both on an Israeli national level and on a local level in Nahariya, by raising awareness in science and technology among young people in accord with the national challenge. It also exposed students from social and geographical peripheries to the exciting world of science and technology, while simultaneously raising awareness about the eventual choice of science and technology tracks in high school and academia.

World ORT Kadima Mada’s YOUniversity course instructor, Yaniv Tal-Or, reported the following responses from some of the youngsters in his Abir Ya’akov Flying Drones and Aviation class: “It’s unbelievable how this thing that we have built can actually fly in the air.”

“It’s great to be able to learn about so many different topics in so many different fields, and through that be able to build drones.”

“The drone is simply a perfect flying machine.”

“I am really pleased to be learning how to build and fly, and it’s now my ambition to work with this in the future.”

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