August 27, 2021

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AUGUST 27, 2 02 1 | 1 9 E LUL 578 1 | VO L. 1 01 | NO. 4 4 | CANDLELIGHTING | FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 7:46 P.M.

100 Days of Impact Akko Life Cycles What we know about Afganistan’s last Jew Page 3

Relief for JFO employees

Poland is ‘reviewing’ changes to Israel’s annual school trips Page 6

SAM KRICSFELD he Akko Life Cycle program, created by the Akko Educators’ Kibbutz, is just one of the programs benefitted by your support of the JFO Annual Campaign. Your support provides the at-risk youth in Akko with a safe space to share feelings and learn all about cycling.

Akko Life Cycles works to empower and mobilize the underprivileged youth in Akko.

At-risk youth are some of the most vulnerable citizens of Akko, and Akko Life Cycles works to help them acquire important life

T

Here’s how the Abrahamic Accords are holding up Page 8

skills, boost confidence and “develop attitudes of individual and community responsibility.”

The name “Akko Life Cycles” is actually a pun – the project provides bicycles to the community. The Life Cycle bicycle maintenance workshop was open 20 times this past year, and 20 free bicycles were fixed, refurbished and provided to Akko community youth. One hundred participants from a variety of ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds come to the workshop to learn about shared responsibility and leadership.

See 100 Days of Impact page 2

NCJW women save the day!

REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles

4 5 6 7

JOANIE JACOBSON This is just the kind of story you love to read.

However, it starts with a bad news email: The budget for Jackson School was cut in half for this year. The teachers are now prioritizing the remaining requested school supplies, as I will not be able to purchase what I have in the past.

Some of the classrooms will only be receiving two to four of the requested items. With Covid, I do not believe it is worth the time of our volunteers to distribute such a small amount.

Harriet Epstein has been chairman of the National Council of Jewish Women’s Adopt-A-School project for Jackson Elementary School for 16 years. A teacher herself, Harriet fell in love with the school on her first visit.

“The students were very well-mannered ... very polite in the classroom ... one child helping another,” she explained. “I love to see the ah-ha moment in students’ eyes when they’ve

just learned something new. I was sure these children would truly appreciate what we were doing.

“I was devastated having to write that email. We weren’t going to be giving the students very much at all this year,” she recalled. “It upset me to think teachers would be paying for supplies out-of-pocket and that Jackson did not have a functioning PTA that could help. So I talked to the principal and we decided to ask the teachers to prioritize their supply lists. Even so, out of 19 items on the original list, we wouldn’t be giving them even half of what they needed.”

Harriet then sent out an e-mail to update NCJW’S former Jackson School volunteers and closed with, ”Hopefully, next year will be more normal and NCJW can have a fundraiser to supply all the needed materials once again!”

About a half hour later, there was a reply: It’s a great school. I would have given to a fundraising campaign just See NCJW saves the day page 3

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Jewish Press Editor “Good morning, campus staff,” a recent email from Alan Potash began. He continued: “I would like to start this communication thanking you for your work on our campus and your resiliency in the face of obstacles.

Your work to help provide services to our community in the midst of power outages at your own homes and even on our own campus in certain instances is nothing short of spectacular.”

Remember that storm? We do, too. Midnight, Friday and it was lights out for most of the metro area. What comes next (we all know, this is not the first time) is monitoring the OPPD app on your phone, hoping you can keep your phone charged, praying it doesn’t last too long. There is brisket in the freezer and milk that wants to spoil.

Unfortunately, for many of us this was a longer one and the contents of many a freezer and fridge ended up having to be tossed out.

There isn’t much that makes you feel better when you have no electricity and on top of it, you have to throw away food. The JFO leadership therefore decided to step in and offer temporary assistance to employees who were particularly hard-hit.

As an immediate reaction to the storm, the JFO HR team identified needs within the staff community and asked the JFO leadership to consider a temporary program to respond to the crisis. The leadership team communicated with each other and quickly created the program.

“We have been monitoring the power outages in Omaha this week and know that many on our staff have had to throw away food and even stay in hotels during these extended outages. The Jewish Federation would like to help out.”

For employees who experienced sustained power outages over multiple days, JFO offered up to $250 for food replacement and up to $250 for temporary lodging (up to $500 total).

Employees with outages lasting longer than five days were eligible for a second round of funding at the same dollar levels. A total of 30 See JFO employee relief page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | August 27, 2021

News LOC AL | N AT I O N A L | WO R L D

100 Days of Impact

Continued from page 2 The workshop is frequented by a group of Arab high schoolers that have been dubbed “the Homies.” Akko Life Cycles considers them some of the project’s biggest partners. The group consists of both Christian and Muslim Arabs from the local neighborhood.

Of course, this past year has been very difficult for Israel. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the Israeli Ministry of Health to enact restrictions on gatherings. Akko Life Cycles, after assessing the situation, moved their workshops outdoors and holds them with masks.

Another massive setback was the uptick in inter-community violence in Akko.

“Many properties and streets in Akko were vandalized and set on fire, including [Dror Israel’s] ‘Jam in Akko’ performance space,” said Grant Manager Mirit Sulema. “However, these events only redoubled our conviction to continue meeting and strengthen coexistence and community in Akko.”

Akko Life Cycles aims to provide a space where participants can share their feelings and learn ways to deal with the violence that happened in Akko. “The Homies” gathered for a talk about their feelings about the violence in Akko and after the recent bout of violence between Israel and Gaza. The teens were loyal to the program, believing it was necessary because of its communitybonding aspect and diversity.

“After the heartbreak and disappointment of seeing so much property destroyed in our city and people beaten on the streets, this group of kids really lifted our spirits and hope for the future of this mixed city,” Sulema said.

In addition to the workshops, the bicycling is a significant aspect of the program.

Safety is important, so the participants work with the program coordinator to de-

A Shot before Shabbat: L’Chaim is here to stay!

GABBY BLAIR Jewish Press Staff Writer During the summer of 2020, Omaha Chabad found many innovative ways to bring community together even as we were physically apart.

One such program is ‘Shot before Shabbat,’ a 10-15 minute Zoom session designed to keep people engaged and connected in spite of the pandemic.

“While we are thankful and excited to be able to welcome the community back into the Chabad House in person, our weekly pre-Shabbat virtual L’Chaim is here to stay!” explains Rabbi Katzman.

Attendance has expanded over the past year to include 20+ people who enjoy raising a glass of their choosing from the comfort of their own homes while listening to a few words of Torah and inspiring thoughts before welcoming in Shabbat together.

“It was an innovative way to keep people connected. Today we have people joining in from around the country- friends and families in Omaha and those who have since moved away. Shot before Shabbat is a quick and easy way to celebrate Shabbat. With the uncertainty of the continuing pandemic, it is our duty to make sure no one is isolated regardless of what the future holds. Our community thrives on coming together and this is yet another way Chabad is ensuring our friends and community members know they are not alone.”

A Shot before Shabbat is currently being held at 6 p.m. on Friday afternoons and lasts just about 10-15 minutes in order to conclude before candle lighting. As days get shorter and Shabbat arrives earlier, this time will be adjusted.

This week, plan on raising a glass with friends, family and community members far and wide at 6 p.m. by visiting //O chabad.com/Academy to join the weekly Zoom. L’Chaim!

JFO employee relief velop methods to teach bicycle and road safety to those who receive a refurbished bicycle. A club for youth interested in buying bicycles and learning how to maintain and service them is in the works.

Akko Life Cycles’ program facilitator sits on a municipal working board who aim to make Akko a more bicycle-

friendly city. The program is also receiving donations of helmets to provide for its budding bicyclists.

Your support in the JFO Annual Campaign makes a difference not only in local and national lives, but also in the lives of Israelis. Thank you to the donors who have supported the campaign.

Continued from page 2 people were able to get a little relief through this program.

“Our employees have stood with us through a long year of pandemic, building renovation and a number of other changes,” Executive Director of Operations Phil Malcom said. “They’ve had our back, and we want them to know that we have theirs. Hopefully programs like this help our teams have one less thing to stress about during a chaotic time. We know that this program couldn’t alleviate all of the suffering people endured from the storm and subsequent power outage, but we hope that we were able to in some way ease their burden.”

The Jewish Press | August 27, 2021 | 3

What we know about Afghanistan’s last Jew women, and their plight is seen as a major point of gender inCNAAN LIPSHIZ JTA equality in Orthodox Judaism. In recent years, Orthodox rabAmid the Taliban’s total takeover of Afghanistan, some had bis have invested effort to address the issue. specific concerns about one person: that country’s last re- He’s had problems getting along with others before. maining Jew, 62-year-old Zebulon Simantov.

“He’s something of a disgruntled old man,” said Ferris-RotSimantov, who has in recent man, who communicated with years lived in Kabul’s only synSimantov in Russian, which he agogue, said earlier this year does not speak very well. that he would leave before the Simantov, whose main lanTaliban arrived, possibly for Isguage is Dari, the Afghan dirael. He has also said that the alect of Persian, also speaks Taliban jailed him during the broken Hebrew. fundamentalist Muslim group’s Simantov had a famously last hold on power in bad relationship with Kabul’s Afghanistan, and that they other remaining Jew, Ishaq tried to convert him and reLevin, until Levin died in 2005. gard him as an infidel.

Speaking about Levin to The Days after the Taliban Guardian, Simantov said: “The takeover, Simantov’s whereold man was crazy,” screwing a Zebulon Simantov reads a prayer book before celebrating finger against his temple to ilabouts remained unclear.

Meanwhile, Israeli media has Rosh Hashanah in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 18, 2009. Credit: lustrate the point. revealed new information Paula Bronstein/Getty Images The two lived at opposite about the family situation of the carpet dealer and former ends of the synagogue, the report said, and would only exrestaurant owner who grew up in the city of Herat, including change curses. According to stories Simantov has told jourthat for decades he has refused to grant his wife a divorce. nalists over time, each man went to the Taliban to accuse the Here’s what we know right now. other of criminal behavior. He said the two argued so much in Many people are trying to help Simantov — but it’s prison that the Taliban released them both — though the unclear if he wants them to. group kept a Torah that Levin and Simantov had tried to reSeveral Jewish organizations have expressed willingness to cover. help Simantov if he wishes to leave. And Mendy Chitrik, chair One report suggested that Daniel Kurtzer, U.S. ambassador of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, said he has been in to Israel from 2001 to 2005, might also have been involved in contact with authorities in Turkey, where he lives, about Simantov’s divorce diplomacy. But Kurtzer’s recollection sugSimantov. gests that he was likely working on the issue for Simantov’s But an employee of a Jewish group told the Jewish Tele- housemate, Ishaq. graphic Agency that a journalist in Kabul contacted Simantov His fate under the Taliban is unclear.

Sunday, and that Simantov told the journalist he would not Simantov has been a well-known local personality. Journalleave. ists came to him regularly and some taxi drivers already knew Moti Kahana, an Israeli-American businessman, said people where he lives in Kabul, where many of the streets have no interested in getting Simantov out of Afghanistan have names. reached him after the takeover but that he declined, demandThat means the Taliban knows just what he thinks. Unlike ing “personal funding.”

Ishaq, who said he had no quarrel with the Taliban, only with His refusal to divorce his wife has spurred Simantov, Simantov has been outspoken about his disdain for international diplomacy in the past. the Taliban. Ferris-Rotman said that was the case when she Reports about Simantov in the past have noted that his wife lived in Afghanistan, and it was still the case this spring when and daughters moved to Israel in 1998. On Wednesday, reports Simantov conducted an on-air interview. emerged in Israeli media that he has refused for more than 20 For now, the Taliban says Simantov should have no reason years to divorce his wife under Jewish law. (Yedioth to fear. On Tuesday, an Israeli journalist from the Kan broadAcharonoth in 2010 already reported about the attempts of caster asked Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesperson in Doha, Simantov’s wife, who lives in Holon near Tel Aviv and has not Qatar, whether Simantov would be safe under Taliban. been named in the Israeli media, to divorce him.)

Shaheen, who said he was not aware that he was speaking Under Jewish law, a “get,” or rabbinic bill of divorce, is re- to an Israeli publication, said: “We don’t harm minorities. quired for women to be able to remarry. Women whose hus- There are Sikhs and Hindus in the country, and they have their bands refuse to give a get are known as “agunot,” or chained religious freedom.”

NCJW saves the day Continued from page 1 for school supplies! Then a second: I’m happy to donate! And a third: I’d donate, too. What is the amount you need? And many more: Count me in! Wonderful idea. My check’s in the mail.

Proud of everyone, especially Harriet. Look what we can accomplish when we UNITE! Now I know why I belong to NCJW! One by one, email by email, check by check, the money and in-kind donations of school supplies from the women of NCJW met the challenge. The boys and girls at Jackson Elementary School would have all the supplies needed to complete assignments on a daily basis, and teachers would not have to dip into money meant for their families to buy school supplies for their class. The children were so excited to get something new, that was just theirs, and they didn’t have to share.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Harriet said, “people were calling, emailing and sending in contributions of money and pre-purchased school supplies. It was this incredible chain reaction to my email, which was only meant to be an update to those who cared. I could not believe the generosity — the explosion of women wanting to help and who were never asked to give a dime. It was pure amazement for me. and I’m so grateful to the NCJW women who contributed to this project so close to my heart.”

Harriet Epstein wanted to be a teacher since she was in first grade. She moved to Omaha from Houston in the mid ‘70’s with her husband Ron, who was Omaha born and raised. She didn’t know a lot of people and wanted to get involved in the Jewish community. “I chose NCJW because of its mission and the many areas of interest that spoke to me,” she said.

In 2004, the NCJW Board decided to join Omaha’s Adopt-ASchool program and named Harriet as its chairperson. “Knowing I was a substitute teacher in OPS, the Board asked me to do some research and come back with four schools that would need our help.

“I’ll never forget my first visit to Jackson Elementary,” she continued. “I spent a half day there, walking up and down the

halls and visiting classrooms. I saw no backpacks; students brought school supplies in a paper bag. According to the principal, many Jackson School families didn’t have transportation to get their children’s supplies, and teachers bought supplies with their own money. I knew how much teachers made and what a burden that would be to their families. But the thing that was different than any other school? Jackson had a washer and dryer. No child would be in school with dirty clothes. I was sold. NCJW Omaha Chapter would adopt Jackson Elementary.

As a former Jackson volunteer myself, I’ve seen Harriet in action. She’s an incredibly capable leader and an incredibly devoted advocate for Jackson School. Year after year, she’s grown the program. Nothing stops her until all the students have what they need for a successful school year. She’s earned the respect of her fellow volunteers and the sincere appreciation of Jackson’s administrative staff and teachers.

“The thank you notes from the kids make me smile,” Harriet added. They let me know we are truly appreciated for what we do.” And this year, Principal Suzanne Hagen’s note was no exception ...

“THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the supplies. The kids were so happy on their first day of school ... thanks to you and NCJW!”

ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS The Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith is pleased to announce the resumption of its award-winning speaker program via ZOOM. Although the Home auditorium remains temporarily closed, we’ll continue presenting an outstanding lineup of thought-provoking keynoters. For specific speaker information and/or to be placed on the email list, please contact Breadbreakers chair Gary Javitch at breadbreakersomaha@gmail.com or leave a message at the B’nai B’rith JCC office 402.334.6443.

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4 | The Jewish Press | August 27, 2021

Jessica Westerlin said goodbye to her full-time position as Dance and Cultural Arts Assistant Director. Fear not, she will stay on a part-time basis, so we will all still see her. Above: Jessica with Lynn Batten; below: Esther Katz and Jessica.

Above: Friedel parents and students were among the many who have been enjoying the JFO Backyard Concert Series.

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.

Below and right: Amelia and Sophia Rohr spend a leisurely visit in the lobby of the JCC. Amelia was happy to take advantage of the fact that books are easily accessible for someone her height. Sophia had no comment, yet.

Above, below and bottom: It took some careful maneuvering around the broken-up parking lot, but the bus from Sabra managed to drop off the local campers. Welcome back, everyone!

Below and right: The RBJH staff had a fun-filled Friday the 13th with a pizza party.

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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.

Gratitude

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor It’s time for my yearly love letter about the Jewish Federation of Omaha Annual Campaign. I’m not going to be shy about it: everyone should be excited to be part of the Campaign—and I’m not saying that just because I really like all the lay leaders who are involved (although, if you could see the sheer amount of work they are doing, you’d be impressed too).

Sometimes we kvetch. There are many requests for donations. Synagogues, your kids’ and grandkids’ schools and the various Jewish and non-Jewish organizations that somehow added you to their mailing list all want something. It never ends. Let’s acknowledge, for just a moment, that being an active member of our community means a steady stream of pledge cards someone somewhere wants you to fill out.

What if we looked at it in a different way? What if, rather than seeing this as a burden, we approach this with gratitude? What if we see the opportunities to do good, to make this world a little better, help others here and abroad and make ourselves happier in the process?

My oldest child has figured out in recent years that giving presents to others is more gratifying than receiving them. It’s been a fun development to watch; it never ceases to amaze me how teenagers and young adults make these jumps in their thought processes. She’s right, of course; at the same time, the very reason it is more fun to give is be-

cause you get other, less tangible, gifts in return. A gift is really a symbol of the underlying relationship.

Giving makes us feel good about ourselves. It allows us to take pride in communal accomplishments. It reaffirms that we are all part of something; that we continue to build a successful

community only when we do it together. That does not mean we all have to fork over thousands of dollars, although I know some of you do. When we all give what we can, regardless of the dollar figure, this world we’ve built will continue to thrive.

By now we are all tired of hearing how tough life has been since the start of the pandemic. However, tired or not, we are probably stuck having to acknowledge the collective trauma COVID-19 has caused. We’re not out of it yet, we don’t know if we’ll ever be, and we will be mopping up the hurt for years to come. There is a lot to unpack. And it’s funny, how when we are at our most miserable,

doing something nice for someone else helps. Kindness can make us push through, force us to tackle our day and keep us upright. Buy someone flowers at random. Send a text. Bake a cake and drop a piece of it at a neighbor’s house. And yes, sometimes we write a check. Remember when someone close to you loses a loved one, and you don’t know what to say or how to help them? We check the obit and write those memorial checks, because it’s something we can do. And oftentimes it does make us feel better.

There hasn’t been much positivity over the past year and a half. But giving to the Annual Campaign, for me, makes things better. Because it’s not about the money. For me, it’s about this community. I’ve found a home here, a place where I know I belong. A home that has warmth, friends, great schools, welcoming synagogues, robust programming and the best colleagues in the world. I will never take that for granted. I arrived in 1995 with one suitcase and had to start from scratch, building a life, building my friend circle. I remember going to Temple and recognizing no one. Nowadays, I don’t have that problem. I know you; I know your name and your face. I know whom you are related to, I may even know what car you drive and your favorite food. I got lucky and became part of a very strong community.

And: I get to help, in my own small way, to keep it going. If that isn’t a privilege, I don’t know what is.

I know you love this community too. Please join the rest of us in pledging to the 2022 Annual Campaign when that phone call comes.

I feel empowered as an Asian-American Jew — but it took a while JENNI RUDOLPH This article originally appeared on Alma.

I first noticed I was different at my Jewish preschool. I came home with a little bag of crayons and a big question: “Why am I ‘tan’ if all the other kids are ‘apricot’?”

I don’t remember how my mom explained my ethnicity, which today I describe as mixed Chinese and Russian Ashkenazi Jewish, but I remember being unsatisfied with her response. Nonetheless, I felt at home at my preschool, so being a different “color” wasn’t an issue — that is, until I aged out and enrolled in public elementary school.

I grew up in Huntington Beach, best known as California’s hotspot for surfing and neo-Nazis. The weather here is perpetually 73 degrees, our last mayor pro tem sold QAnon merch and for some inexplicable reason there just aren’t a ton of Jews here. Switching to public school, I finally met a few other Asian kids, except now I was one of the only Jewish kids, and the culture shock was real. I brought matzah for show and tell and was shocked that no one had even heard of Passover. “Wait, so not everyone is Jewish? Also, who is this Santa guy you speak of ?”

My classmates invited me to church, trying to convert me. After singing exclusively Christmas songs in every local “holiday” concert, I recovered by writing my own Hanukkah songs (plus some nonreligious Christmas songs, as every Jewish songwriter needs in their catalog). I took on these battles proudly, as I loved to remind people that I was Jewish.

Meanwhile, “Asian” was a label that I never chose for myself, yet my face gave it away. My earliest associations with the word “Asian” were microaggressions, so I grew to despise the word and everything it represented. Surprise surprise, growing up Asian American in an image-obsessed, Hollywood-adjacent culture with zero role models of color was the perfect storm for a sneaky bitch called internalized racism.

My immigrant ancestors assimilated for their own survival, rejecting everything that made them “different” to prove their loyalty as Americans. Carrying on that tradition, my mom never learned Cantonese, and I never learned how to use chopsticks.

“Don’t wear yellow, you’re too dark,” my mom would

tell me, projecting onto me what she’d been told as a kid. So I tried scrubbing away my tan in the bathtub, as my white classmates were spraying on theirs.

While my friends were soaking up the golden hour aesthetic and rocking cat-eye winged eyeliner, I was slapping blue filters on my photos to look less “yellow” and googling tutorials on “how to fix my hooded

Credit: Jared Chiang-Zeizel

eyes.” All my insecurities were amplified by comments from my classmates, like the sixth-grader who advised me to bleach my hair and get plastic surgery.

Internalized racism completely distorted my selfimage. I saw myself as a hideous Asian caricature, a jumbled collage of stereotypes and failed expectations. My Asian face didn’t feel like mine.

I resented my own mother for making me Asian.

I sought the approval of my white peers, believing that every white person was inherently superior to me and that I was half-superior to my monoracial Asian friends. White supremacy really had me convinced that my Asianness was a problem for which I needed to apologize.

So instead, I leaned into my Jewishness. Except, without a solid Jewish community, finding my Jewishness was like navigating an abandoned highway at night with no GPS, where my only road signs were stereotypes, vague Holocaust references and occasional words of wisdom from my Jewish grandma.

Whenever anyone called me “Asian,” I’d counter that I was Jewish. As a secular, Asian-presenting, patrilineal Jew, it felt like a lie. I slept in thick plastic curlers every night, waking up to lumpy, lopsided curls that only held for a few hours in my Asian

hair. While my friends were reading “Harry Potter” and “Magic Tree House,” I was maxing out my library card on Holocaust books, which made for some dazzling playground icebreakers such as, “Who is your favorite Holocaust survivor?” and, “Where in your house would you hide from the Nazis?”

If genetics worked like a Build-a-Hair workshop , I’d combine the texture of smooth, silky stereotypical Chinese hair with the volume of big stereotypical Jewish curls and defy all laws of hair physics.

Instead I ended up with a frizzy, inconsistently wavy, unmanageable mess.

“Have you heard of conditioner?” my Asian friends would ask. Or my favorite, “Just brush it!”

Suddenly my Jewishness was another problem to detangle.

It was a vicious cycle: dissecting every inch of my body, comparing myself to two sets of unattainable beauty standards and constantly finding a new insecurity. “Do I have a Jewish nose?” I’d ponder, obsessing over my side profile. (I do, in fact, have a Jewish nose because I’m Jewish and I have a nose.)

One day, all these messy, nuanced feelings spilled out onto a page in my songwriting journal. Digging through these complexities with humor and a profound level of honesty, I wrote “Water & Oil,” a song more genuinely Jewish than any of the Hanukkah songs I’d written as a kid. Twenty-five mixed collaborators helped me bring the song to life, along with a music video shot by fellow Asian Jew Jared Chiang-Zeizel. It was a cathartic opportunity to wear everything I had denied myself — monochrome head-to-toe yellow, winged eyeliner and my hair in its full frizzy glory. We satirized all my insecurities — the blue filters, my vendetta against my hairbrush and my failure to use chopsticks.

Today I feel beautiful and empowered in my Asian-American Jewish identity. I will never let white supremacy define my identity again. Growing into my mixed identity is a lifelong rollercoaster of learning and unlearning, but I’m into it. And hey, that’s pretty damn Jewish.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

Synagogues

6 | The Jewish Press | August 27, 2021

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

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

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

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

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

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

CHABAD HOUSE

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

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN

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

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123 402.294.6244 email: oafbjsll@icloud.com

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154 rbjh.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

B’NAI ISRAEL Join us in-person on Friday, Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m. for evening services. Our service leader is Larry Blass.

Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

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

Handicap Accessible.

BETH EL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

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

FRIDAY: Nebraska AIDS Coalition Lunch, 11:30 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah Lunch to Go Registration Due, 5 p.m.; High Holy Days Babysitting Registration Due, 5 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Bar Mitzvah of Sid Zacharia; Selichot Under the Stars, 8:30 p.m.

SUNDAY: Grape Picking (Grades 3-12), 9 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Dinner at the Stephen Center, 5 p.m.

FRIDAY-Sept. 3: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY-Sept. 4: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Junior Congregation, 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 8:25 p.m.

Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.

BETH ISRAEL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer.

Classes, Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah on Zoom, WhatsApp or Facebook Live. On site services held outside in pergola, weather permitting. Physical distancing and masks required.

FRIDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbos, 7:30 p.m.; Candlelighting, 7:48 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m. with Shiran Dreyer; Daf Yomi, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:40 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:47 p.m.

SUNDAY: Selichot, 1 a.m.; Shacharit/Youth Daven & Donuts, 9 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah Youth Program, 10 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 7:40 p.m.

MONDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:35 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Selichot/Shacharit, 6:40 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 7:40 p.m.

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:35 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Selichot/Shacharit, 6:40 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 7:40 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:35 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Selichot/Shacharit,

6:40 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 7:40 p.m.

THURSDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:35 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Selichot/Shacharit, 6:40 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Character Development, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Elul Kolel, 6:40 p.m.; Daf Yomi, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:40 p.m.

FRIDAY-Sept. 3: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:35 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Selichot/Shacharit, 6:40 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbos, 7:30 p.m.; Candlelighting, 7:36 p.m.

SATURDAY-Sept. 4: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m. with Shiran Dreyer; Daf Yomi, 6:50 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:35 p.m.

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

CHABAD HOUSE All services are in-person. All classes are being offered online at Ochabad.com/classroom. 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, 6 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochabad.com/Lecha yim; Light Candles, 7:46 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:45 p.m.; Selichot, midnight.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Parsha and Coffee, 9:45 a.m.

MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani Katzman; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Virtual Pirkei Avot Women’s Class, 7 p.m.

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

THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Advanced Hebrew Class, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study [Sanhedrin 18 — no advanced experience necessary], noon with Rabbi Katzman.

FRIDAY-Sept. 3: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 6 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochabad. com/Lechayim; Light Candles, 7:35 p.m.

SATURDAY-Sept. 4: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:33 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch.

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

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex and Elaine Monnier, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Candlelighting, 7:48 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Ki

Tavo, noon via Zoom; Selichot, 7:30 p.m. at TI; Havdalah, 8:47 p.m.

SUNDAY: Men's Jewish Bike Group of Lincoln meets Sundays at 10 a.m. rain or shine to ride to one of The Mill locations from Hanson Ct. (except we drive if its too wet, cold, cloudy, windy, hot or humid) followed by coffee and spirited discussions. No fee to join, no dues, no president, no board or minutes taken. If Interested please email Al Weiss at albertw 801@gmail.com to find out where to meet each week; Memorial Service, 10 a.m. at Mt. Carmel Cemetery; Memorial Service, 11 a.m. at Mt. Lebanon, Wyuka; SST Board Meeting, 1:30 p.m.; Backyard Pool Party, 1-4 p.m. at Cindiy Weiss’s home, 6400 Countryview Road. Refreshments will be provided. RSVP to Aimee Hyten at aimeesheer@hotmail.com or Cindi Weiss at cindiweiss@gmail.com; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. at Peterson Park. Everyone is welcome; just wear comfortable clothes and tennis or gym shoes. If you need a paddle contact Miriam Wallick by email at Miriam57@aol.com or by text at 402.470.2393 before Sunday.

TUESDAY: Tea & Coffee with Pals, 1:30 p.m. via Zoom.

THURSDAY: Choir Rehearsal, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY-Sept. 3: Moses Bloom Bar Mitzvah; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex, Moses Bloom and Star CIty Kochavim, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Candlelighting, 7:37 p.m.

SATURDAY-Sept. 4: Moses Bloom Bar Mitzvah; Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex and Moses Bloom at TI; No Torah Study; Havdalah, 8:35 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

FRIDAY: 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.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home‘s service is currently closed to visitors.

TEMPLE ISRAEL

In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Brian Stoller, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin and Cantor Joanna Alexander.

DAILY VIRTUAL MINYAN: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. via Zoom.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. via Zoom or InPerson.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or InPerson; OTYG Kickoff, 4 p.m. at Zorinsky Lake; S’lichot Study Session, 7 p.m. via Zoom or In-Person; S’lichot Serivice, 8 p.m. via Zoom or In-Person.

SUNDAY: Fifth Sunday Breakfast Service — Stephen Center, 8:30 a.m.; Rosh Hashanah Bibliodrama Rehearsal, 5 p.m.

MONDAY: Jewish Law & the Quest for Meaning, 11 a.m. via Zoom.

FRIDAY-Sept. 3: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. via Zoom or In-Person.

SATURDAY-Sept. 4: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or In-Person; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.

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

Poland is ‘reviewing’ changes to Israel’s annual school trips CNAAN LIPSHIZ JTA Amid a growing diplomatic crisis between Israel and Poland, a senior Polish diplomat said his government is “reviewing” changes to the annual educational school trips from Israel to former Nazi death camps.

Paweł Jabłonski, deputy minister of foreign affairs, called the trips “propaganda” on Monday, Gazeta Prawa reported. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, tens of thousands of Israeli youths annually visited former death camps in Poland as part of programs overseen by Israel’s education ministry.

Israel and Poland have since this weekend recalled their respective ambassadors to each other over a new Polish law that effectively blocks Holocaust-era restitution for Jewish-owned property.

“This propaganda, also based on hatred towards Poland, is seeping into the heads of young people from the early school years,” Jabłoński said. “We are

dealing with various kinds of school trips from Is- the ongoing debate over Polish complicity in the rael to Poland. The way in which these trips take horrors of the Holocaust, a Polish appeals court place is clearly not the right way. We are reviewing overturned a verdict that had ordered two historithis matter and we will make appropriate decisions.”

The current spat follows a similar exchange in 2018, when Poland passed legislation that outlawed blaming the Polish nation for Nazi crimes. Critics, including Israel’s government and Holocaust scholars, opposed the law, warning it would limit research and discourse on the Holocaust.

Polish nationalists have for years sought A participant in the March of the Living at the former to disentangle war crimes by Poles and Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp in Oswiecim, Poland, those committed by the occupying Nazi April 12, 2018. Credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Getty Images forces during World War II. Some call it revisionism ans to publicly apologize for part of their research that removes blame from Poles who collaborated into a Holocaust pogrom. Debates about Holocaust with the Nazis and murdered Jews. history and Nazi collaboration have become comDuring the same week, in a momentous ruling in monplace in Poland.

Life cycles BAR MITZVAH SIDNEY ZACHARIA Sidney Zacharia, son of Renee Zacharia and Jeff Zacharia, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Aug. 28, at Beth El. Sidney is a seventh-grade honors student at Millard North Middle School. He received the President’s Educational Award of Excellence and the Beverly Fellman Best Hebrew Award.

Sidney is interested in basketball and studing torah.

He has a sister, Evie.

Grandparents are Barb and Larry Zacharia of Omaha and Marla Barry and Don Barry.

IN MEMORIAM BERNARD OSTRAVICH Bernard Terry Ostravich passed away on Aug. 8, 2021, surrounded by family at age 83. Services were held on Aug. 11 at Mt. Sinai in Simi Valley, CA. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sarah and Phil Ostravich.

He is survived by his wife, Rita; daughter and son-in-law, Sherri and Mike Cohn, and daughter, Julie Ostravich; grandchildren: Becca, Josh, Benjamin and Paige; and brother and sister-in-law, Allen and Eden Ostravich.

Bernard, was more affectionately known to family as “Gumpa.”

He was fiercely devoted to his family and friends. His laughter was infectious, his humor everlasting, his stories always remembered.

Memorials may be made to City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010 or online at www.cityofhope.org.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The 2021 annual “Out of the Darkness Walk”, sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) will be held on Saturday, Sept. 18 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Stinson Park. Team Jennifer Kay will be walking this year as part of Team Jewish Family Service. Please walk with us for this free event to help bring awareness of suicide prevention and mental health issues out of the darkness. You may contribute by going to afsp.org,

click on community walks, click on donate to a participant and enter Jewish Family Service as the Team. We look forward to you joining us and you knowing that your donations can impact families by bringing light to their darkness.

LES & HELEN KAY AND FAMILY IN MEMORY OF JENNIFER BETH KAY

Yeshiva student shot and killed tim as Shmuel Silverberg of University Heights, a heavily OrPHILISSA CRAMER thodox suburb of Cleveland. Silverberg is scheduled to be JTA A 19-year-old student at an Orthodox yeshiva in Denver was buried in Lakewood, New Jersey, at 1 a.m. Friday, according to shot and killed while standing outside his school building the Lakewood Scoop, an Orthodox news site there.

Yeshiva Toras Chaim in early Wednesday morning, Denver is a 54-year-old outaccording to reports in the post of the Lakewood local and Orthodox media. yeshiva of the same name.

The shooting came Located in the West Colfax shortly after two attempted neighborhood, it is part of carjackings near Yeshiva the historic center of the Toras Chaim. city’s Jewish community and “At this time, it does not also within a block of upscale appear that it was a bias-moeateries and yoga studios. tivated incident, but we are still in the early stages of the StopAntisemitism, an investigation,” a Denver Poorganization that calls out lice Department spokesperantisemitic and anti-Israel son told the Jewish incidents, drew attention to Telegraphic Agency, adding Yeshiva Toras Chaim is located in the West Colfax neighborhood of the murder on its social they were not ruling out the Denver and is part of the historic center of the city’s Jewish commu- media accounts. But nity. Credit: Wikipedia Hamodia, the Orthodox possibility.

The police have enlisted the public’s help in finding three news service, reported early Wednesday that people assisting the grieving family were told that police did not think the cars used in the incidents.

Multiple Jewish news organizations have identified the vic- shooting targeted Silverberg because of his religion.

TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.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 -- www.omahajewishpress. com/site/forms/. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements.

The Jewish Press | August 27, 2021 | 7

JEWISH PRESS NOTICES The Jewish Press will be closed on Monday, Sept. 6 for Labor Day; Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 7 and 8 for Rosh Hashanah; Thursday Sept. 16 for Yom Kippur; and Tuesday Sept. 21 for Sukkot. The deadline for the Sept. 17 issue is Friday, Sept. 3, 9 a.m.; for the Sept. 24 issue it is Wednesday, Sept. 15, 9 a.m.; and for the Oct. 1 issue it is Wednesday, Sept. 22, 9 a.m. Questions? Call 402.334.6448.

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8 | The Jewish Press | August 27, 2021

News LOC AL | N ATI O N A L | WO R L D

Here’s how the Abrahamic Accords are holding up.

RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON | JTA While most of the foreign policy world is focused on President Joe Biden’s moves in Afghanistan in the wake of the stunning turn of events there, the first anniversary of another important Middle East development quietly took place last week.

The first part of the Abraham Accords, the historic cooperation agreements between Israel and several of its Arab neighbors, brokered in large part by the United States, turned one year old on Friday. The United Arab Emirates signed a treaty to normalize its relations with Israel for the first time on Aug. 13, 2020, opening up collaboration on tourism, trade, technology sharing and more. Bahrain would soon follow suit, followed by Sudan and Morocco — all of whom never had formal relations with Israel.

The Biden administration did not exactly call attention to the anniversary — in fact, the administration’s spokesmen still won’t even use the term “Abraham Accords.” That’s likely in part because the agreements were a foreign policy win for Donald Trump’s team, and because Biden is prioritizing other initiatives at the moment, such as combating the latest COVID-19 case surge and addressing the fallout in Afghanistan.

“We welcome and support the normalization agreements between Israel and countries in the Arab and Muslim world,” a State Department official said last week, responding to a JTA query about the status of the accords. ”The United States will continue to encourage other countries to normalize relations with Israel, and we will look for other opportunities to expand cooperation among countries in the region.”

The degree to which the normalization agreements are thriving varies from country to country, and for the moment it doesn’t look like there are any imminent new members of the club. But the forecast by experts and peace-brokers is that the deals are here to stay. And Biden deserves some credit for

that, a Trump administration official told JTA. “The country is in a difficult moment in time and pretending that Republicans and Democrats are ideologically aligned right now on much of anything would be foolhardy,” said the Trump official, who asked not to be further identified in order to speak candidly. “And yet, here we stand with peace agree-

An El Al plane flying the flags of Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, and bearing the word “peace” in Arabic, English and Hebrew, arrives at the Abu Dhabi airport from Tel Aviv, Aug. 31, 2020. Credit: Karim Sahib/AFP via Getty Images

ments, all with very intricate, complicated components to them, and they have really thrived in this last year and it’s important to say this administration deserves credit.”

The Trump administration negotiated incentives for three of the four countries that normalized relations with Israel: • The U.S. agreed to sell the UAE state of the art F-35 stealth fighter jets, which some — including ( for a time) former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — believed could weaken Israel’s “qualitative military edge” in the region.

• The U.S. agreed to recognize Morocco’s claim to rule over disputed territory in the Western Sahara.

• The U.S. removed Sudan from listings identifying the country as a terrorism sponsor. Sudan had landed on the list after harboring the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, Osama bin Laden.

• Bahrain, the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and its Central Command, already had a close relationship with the United States and required no apparent incentives.

The human rights community immediately targeted all three of those incentives, lobbying to reverse them. Some supporters of the accords at first worried Biden — a champion for decades of a human-rights-oriented foreign policy — might accede to their demands. There were compelling arguments to reconsider the incentives: • The UAE has acted as a sometimes malign interventionist actor in the region, most recently joining Saudi Arabia in backing the Yemen government in a devastating war against Houthi rebels who are backed by Iran.

• While the government of Sudan rejects everything its predecessors stood for, families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks are still pressing for compensation.

Biden has so far kept all of these intact. At first, he froze the UAE F-35s deal, but then recommitted to it, in part because the pro-Israel community, which had joined the opposition to the deal, dropped its objections. The Biden administration said that reversing the Western Sahara recognition is off the table for now. And Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accepted the terms of the Sudan deal, accepting payment for victims of some acts of terrorism Sudan facilitated in the 1990s and preserving the right of victims of the 9/11 attacks to continue their quest for compensation.

• Recognizing Morocco’s claim to an area it has claimed by force was seen as undercutting efforts to counter other expansionist bids, for instance, Russia’s effective annexation of Crimea.

This article was edited for length. Read the full story at www.omahajewishpress.com.

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