Snapshots from Israel Cantor Alexander’s Trip, part 2
CANTOR JOANNA ALEXANDER
This is part two in a series from Cantor Alexander’s trip to Israel in July. Please see past editions of the Jewish Press for the first part.
You may wonder what makes a Cantor’s trip to Israel different? We don’t just focus on tourism, history, the 7th of October or even the work of shared society (all of which were included on our
Cultivating future Jewish Omaha Leaders
STACY FELDMAN
JFO Impact Leader
The establishment of Jewish Federation of Omaha’s (JFO) Young Omaha Emerging Leaders (YOEL) program marks a crucial step in fostering a vibrant future for the Jewish community in Omaha. By investing in the next generation, the JFO and its leadership team recognizes the need to See Future Jewish leaders page 3
mission). We focus on arts and culture in Israel, and dream of the ways we could partner the arts and culture work of our home synagogues with what is happening in Israel.
SNAPSHOT: RIMON SCHOOL OF MUSIC
In Tel Aviv we were blessed to spend a morning with the Rimon School of Music https://www.rimonschool.co.il/ en/. They are the first music school in Tel Aviv which is not See Snapshots from Israel page 3
Reminder: Thriving With Anxiety
NAOMI FOX
JFO Assistant Director of Engagement and Education
On Sept. 8 and 9, Dr. David H. Rosmarin, renowned psychologist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, will host three different sessions for the community centered around his book, Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You
These sessions empower attendees by reframing anxiety from a
burden into a benefit. Dr. Rosmarin will share insights from his latest book, offering practical strategies for leveraging anxiety to enhance personal and professional growth. Whether you struggle with occasional nervousness or chronic anxiety, these events aim to provide actionable tools to help you thrive.
There are three different events for different audiences in our community. The first is a Teen Workshop See Thriving with Anxiety page 2
Feel Beit
Reminder: Noah Feldman at Beth El
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT
Jewish Press Editor
Goliath: 1 Samuel 17
The Philistine champion Goliath, who makes his biblical appearance in 1 Samuel 17, is well known in popular culture. A few years ago the most widely reported Goliath-related story was the discovery of a pottery shard bearing the name “Goliath” in the region where the Philistines once dwelt. Dozens of stories about this find appeared, almost all of which were appropriately restrained in their claims as to what this inscription could—or could not—prove. As it turns out, no such restraint was exhibited by the headline writers, who produced such winning and clever phrases as Goliath’s Still a Bit Shattered, Giant Israeli Find, and Goliath Find Just Slays Archaeologist
Thank goodness, none of this means that we can’t still have a little fun with all sorts of big creatures named Goliath. For example, there are the fish known as Goliath groupers, each weighing 200 to 300 pounds, off the coast of Tampa Bay, Florida. A protected species, these dwellers of the not-so-deep are described as “huge, lethargic creatures that were easy to catch, easy to spear and good to eat.” “Huge, lethargic, easy to catch” could also describe the Goliath of David’s day, but good taste requires that I not speculate on whether the Philistine also tasted good.
Then there is a deer named Goliath, who “was about two years old, weighed 260 pounds and had 28 points, or antler tips” when he was abducted from a ranch sixty miles north of Pittsburgh. Four years later, DNA testing proved that a somewhat larger animal living 50 miles away, then called Hercules, was in fact the long-lost Goliath. So, happily for the deer, we do not know if he, like Goliath grouper, is good to eat, nor do we know if the deer answers to “Goliath,” “Hercules,” neither or both.
My favorite Goliath, terrestrial and aquatic alike, is Goliath, the world’s tallest horse. A “12-year-old Percheron he stands more than 19 hands high, or 6 feet, 5 inches at the withers. He weighs more than 2,400 pounds.” His diet—”Goliath eats 18 pounds of Pilgrim’s Pride grain, 40 pounds of Coastal Bermuda hay and drinks 20 gallons of water daily”—may rival that of his biblical namesake, and his traveling schedule— “350 appearances nationwide each year”—seems a lot like Samson’s during his prime (that is, his prime on the Philistine show circuit).
As reported in newspapers from around the world, Goliath is a fairly common name in several areas of culture. There have been stories on Donatello’s head of Goliath, Verrochio’s head of Goliath, and Caravaggio’s head of Goliath (all severed, by the way). And then there’s Starving Goliath, a band from Columbus, Ohio, whose high school members, taken all together, probably weighed less than Philistine Goliath, Deer Goliath, or Horse Goliath.
We also hear of two Goliath roller coasters: one, at Montreal’s La Ronde, measures more than 53 meters, or 175 feet, in height, and the other, at Six Flags Over Georgia, is “a steel hypercoaster that stands 200 feet tall, has an initial drop of 170 feet and a second drop of 175 feet. Speeds will reach almost 70 mph.” Don’t look for this Goliath to be replicated at any other theme parks; like its biblical namesake, it is one of a kind.
ORGANIZATIONS
B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS
The award-winning B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS speaker program currently meets Wednesdays via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Please watch our email for specific information concerning its thought-provoking, informative list of speakers. To be placed on the email list, contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com
Tuesday, Sept. 17, renowned Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman will be speaking at Beth El Synagogue. Feldman is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Chair of the Society of Fellows, and founding director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law, all at Harvard University. He will discuss, among other topics, his most recent work: To Be a Jew Today: A New Guide to God, Israel, and the Jewish People The event is open to the entire community and it is not necessary to RSVP. Feldman’s visit is generously sponsored by the Ann Goldstein Fund.
Thriving With Anxiety
Continued from page 1 for ages 14-18 held on Sunday, Sept. 8 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Jewish Federation of Omaha. This small group experience will allow teens to gain some important tools to navigate the stressors in their lives, as well as share what they would like and get support from Dr. Rosmarin. Immediately after this workshop is the Community Event at 7 p.m. in the Goldstein Engagement Venue at the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Dr. Rosmarin will speak to the group, intended for the entire community.
On Monday, Sept. 9, Dr. Rosmarin will hold a Parent Event from 8:30-9:30 a.m. for parents of children ages 0-18. At this event, Dr. Rosmarin will address specific tools for this group of adults and strategies to handle the variety of experiences parenting presents.
Don’t miss this opportunity to explore new perspectives on anxiety and discover how it can be a catalyst for personal growth and fulfillment. Please register on the Jewish Federation of Omaha website or follow the QR code. These series of events are funded by Beth Israel Synagogue, the Jennifer Beth Kay Foundation, and the Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation.
MARC DOLLINGER
“Whatever you learned growing up about
and politics, it’s my job to turn it on its head...”
LEONARD GREENSPOON
Snapshots from Israel
Continued from page 1 for classical music. They offer degrees in performance for instruments and voice, jazz, rock, r&b, but also music production and technology. We were blessed to witness three concerts: one of Balkan music, one of jazz, and one of the a capella chorus class.
These college-age students are the next Grammy winners for Israel. The a capella teacher invited the cantors to do one of her class’s rhythm exercises. As one of my colleagues said, it was a truly humbling experience. Trying to clap and stamp out a 3 against 4 rhythm was mentally taxing and takes a level of bodily coordination most of us were lacking. As a school, they supported students who were serving Miluim (reserve duty) by helping them to complete their studies even when service prevented regular school attendance. They held songwriting workshops for Nova Festival survivors to help process their trauma. They are also helping to support the Mathias family.
sician, the work of musical training, the work of mentoring young musicians... to see that this work breaks down seemingly insurmountable cultural barriers. To know that the 40,000 Arab and Jewish children it has reached since 2006 have had their lives influenced not just by a top-level musical education, but an education in seeing the humanity of the other. These children, some now adults, are leading and will continue to help to lead the way to more healing, more hope, and more humanity for everyone.
Shachar and Shlomi Mathias met as students at the Rimon school. They were both killed on October 7, 2023, leaving behind three children, including their 15-year-old son who suffered injuries on that day. The Rimon School is using the music of Shlomi to help maintain the family’s legacy and support the remaining family. We were told the story of the day by young-adult sisters, Shira and Shaked. Rimon offers a partnership though Berklee school of Music and also holds summer classes in English.
The final professor we met is Roy Oppenheim, the artistic director and conductor of Revolution Orchestra https:// www.rev-orch.com/home-eng/our-projects/. The creative projects of mixing orchestral instrumentation with other media forms of dance, cinema, and video art was truly revolutionary. It is a dream of mine to find a way to partner with Revolution Orchestra and our own Omaha Symphony someday in the future.
SNAPSHOT: POLYPHONY
Later in the trip, we moved from contemporary styles of music to a much more classical bent. We were welcomed to Polyphony https://www.polyphony-education.com/ and a concert by the Galilee Chamber Orchestra. Polyphony was founded as an opportunity for Arab-Israeli citizens of Nazareth to receive world-class classical music training. Through the years, it gave students a chance to “transcend limiting narratives about ‘the other’ and see the world beyond the boundaries of race, religion, and cultural heritage.”
Within the first decade founder Nabeel Abboud-Ashkar, partnered with Jewish musicians to support the efforts to bring Arab and Jewish children to Israel by offering them equal opportunities in music. Their students become award winners and are accepted to international music schools.
Polyphony is also home for the Galilee Chamber Orchestra, which is the first professional orchestra composed of both Arab and Jewish musicians in Israel. It took nearly 10 years, but now the 35-member orchestra boasts an equal number of Jewish and Arab musicians. As Cantors, it was truly inspiring to see this everyday work; the work of being a professional mu-
Future Jewish Leaders
Continued from page 1 empower young adults with the skills, knowledge, and confidence necessary to lead.
Says JFO President, Nancy Schlessinger, “Through YOEL, young Jewish adults in Omaha are not only being prepared for leadership positions within organizations but are also being equipped to be proactive change-makers who will uplift the entire community.”
On Polyphony’s website is this quote: “[Polyphony] broke all the stereotypes, and it changed my way of thinking and how I behave, how I see things. I see it now differently, I see it now more [like] living in peace”
Mahdi, 18 year old Arab boy.
SNAPSHOT: FEEL BEIT
Our final cultural stop was Feel Beit in Jerusalem https:// feelbeit.com/en/. “This culture house in a place for creating art, expanding perspectives and imagining new ways forward for Jerusalem.” Similar to Lilwan Culture House in Nazareth, this beautiful venue is a mixture of coffee house, artisan spot, performance venue, casual third space, and shared working space. It sits on the crossroads between east and west Jerusalem and is co-owned by an Israeli Jew and Palestinian Jerusalemite (As a reminder Palestinians of Jerusalem are overwhelmingly not citizens of Israel. They have permanent residence status unless they chose to become citizens after annexation). They are motivated in this shared society work by a love of Jerusalem and the diverse people of this place. They are “driven by the conviction that when all else breaks down, art and music must break through.”
Telling us the story of Feel Beit after Oct. 7, owners Karen Brunwass and Riman Barakat shared that they truly did not know if it would survive. They are 50 percent Jews and 50 percent Palestinian workers. Riman shared “We froze right after, as is natural. We needed to look to our own. But there are moments of recognizing each other’s pain, and this was transformative.” Karen said to her Palestinian colleagues, “I cannot unlearn what I’ve learned from you, this shared relationship is stronger than the disagreements and the disbelief.”
It was hard for us to hear some of the stories shared: hearing that Palestinian workers would go home to news denying the events of Oct. 7 or blaming the death toll on the IDF. But we also heard how Palestinian workers chose to attend the funerals of some of the peace activist victims that they knew. Choosing to do so didn’t just help them connect to the Jewish community of Feel Beit, it was also a lesson for their Palestinian families and helped them feel more connected to Israel’s truth.
Watching Karen and Riman speak, they could finish each other’s sentences, they could share each other’s stories with authenticity and intimacy. It did not matter who was the Jew and who the Palestinian; each other’s stories had become their own. The finances were so hard those first months. Karen and Riman did not know if they could survive, but the staff volunteered to work for free. They were committed to each other and committed to home (bayit, beit) that they personally had a hand in creating.
professionals and volunteers in the community.
Be a part of the 2025 YOEL Cohort!
The Jewish Federation of Omaha is gearing up for its third cohort! We are currently recruiting for year three of the program, which will start in January, 2025. For more information on the program, please reach out to Stacy Feldman, Impact Leader, at SFeldman@Jewish Omaha.org. To apply for the program, please visit: https://forms.office.com/r/4wG9KsqEHz
Going into its third year, YOEL not only teaches communication and leadership skills but also emphasizes the understanding and importance of community service, engagement, philanthropy, and strategic thinking. The program also aims to create a strong network among young Jewish adults – encouraging collaboration and connections with one another, and other Jewish
As shared by YOEL cohort #2 participant, Hailey Krueger, “Getting to know the people who are doing the work and have been involved in the Jewish community for years was so beneficial. It set an example of what is possible, how far we have come, and how much more we can do together. For me, meeting others and getting to ask questions and interact helped me realize what I’m interested in and all the moving parts of the Jewish community.”
The long-term vision for YOEL is clear: to cultivate a pipeline of passionate, knowledgeable leaders who will ensure the vitality and continuity of Jewish life in Omaha for generations to come. As more young adults participate and grow through this program, the future of the Omaha Jewish community looks brighter than ever.
Rimon School of Music
UNO Criss Library update
CLAIRE DU LANEY
Criss Library Archives and Special Collections Outreach Archivist
UNO Criss Library Archives and Special Collections is curating monthly case display composed of books from the Kripke-
(JFO), contains a hallmark selection of primarily scholarly Jewish works. With an estimated 36,500 volumes, the special collection is the largest donation of books ever to be received by UNO Criss Library Archives and Special Collections. This month’s case was curated by the Criss Library Archives
BOOK LIST
• The Prophet of the Dead Sea Scrolls
• Secrets of the Cave of Letters
• Archeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls
• The Concept of Time in the Bible & the Dead
• Sea Scrolls
• The Ben Sira Scroll from
• Masada
• The Oxford Handbook of
• the Dead Sea Scrolls
• The Dead Sea Scrolls
• Translated
• The Shrine of the Book
• and its Scrolls
Veret Collection of the Jewish Federation throughout 2024. During the month of August, we are showcasing books about the Dead Sea Scrolls.These are some of the oldest surviving Jewish manuscripts, written between 200 BCE and 70 CE. The Scrolls are composed of religious texts, hymns, prayers, and commentaries, some of which were previously unknown in Jewish traditions and theology. Visit us on the first floor of Criss Library and explore the case to see reproductions of Dead Sea Scroll pages, pictures of the Qumran Caves, and descriptions of the archeological discovery. The University of Nebraska at Omaha Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library became the home to the Kripke-Veret Collection in 2020. The books, donated by the Jewish Federation of Omaha
• The Scroll of the War of
• the Sons of Light Against
• the Sons of Darkness
• The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Full
• History
• Scrolls from Qumran Cave I:
• The Great Isaiah Scroll, the
• Order of the Community,
• the Pesher to Habakkuk
• The Dead Sea Psalms Scroll
• With Letters of Light
• The Treasure of the Copper Scroll: The opening
• and decipherment of the most mysterious of the
• Dead Sea scrolls, a unique inventory of buried
• treasure
• People of the Dead Sea Scrolls
and Special Collections summer intern Chris. Along with the outreach archivist, Chris researched the KVCJF books in the Criss Library catalog, selected the items, and displayed the books in a visually engaging way. You can find the list of exhibit items below. There are many more Dead Sea Scrolls books in the collection than can be displayed in a single case and we invite you to visit the Archives and Special Collections department to learn more. Archives and Special Collections is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. You can find KVCJF books in the library catalog. If you need help searching the catalog, we will provide you with our video guide.
100 Years on South Street: The Nefsky Family and the Nefsky Torah
SARAH KELEN
The year 2024 marks the centennial of Lincoln’s South Street Temple. Congregation B’nai Jeshurun was founded in the late nineteenth century. The current building was dedicated in 1924 after the previous Temple building on 12th and D was destroyed in a fire. To commemorate this anniversary, members of some longstanding Temple families are sharing memories about the building and the Temple’s history.
When the Temple’s ark is opened, congregants can see three Torahs, one smaller than the other two. This is the Nefsky Torah, in use by the congregation since 1981 and formally donated by the Nefsky family in 1985. The Torah’s origin in the Nefsky family is not definitely known, but it is believed that it came into the possession of David (Dave) Nefsky sometime in the 1880s.
freund, Charles, Rae Nefsky DeButts, Tillie, and Ruth Nefsky Goldfein. That generation had six children among them.
Dave Nefsky was the first member of the Nefsky family to come to Lincoln, originally arriving in 1881 from Russia. He stayed in Lincoln a short time and sent for his wife, Bella, and their son, Simon, who joined Dave by 1883. Simon, who died in 1970, was the father of Leon, who died in 1987. Leon, in turn, was the father of William (Bill), now living in Georgia, Robert (Bob), z’’l, who remained in Lincoln as a Temple member until his death in November 2023, and Frances, now living in Omaha.
From 1883-1887, Dave Nefsky homesteaded in Dakota Territory, near what is now Mitchell, South Dakota. The settlement was a Jewish agricultural colony organized by Adolph Cremieux . Upon the failure of the colony, the Nefsky family, which then included two daughters born on the farm, moved to Lincoln permanently. The family eventually numbered seven children -- Simon, Anne Nefsky Nathan, Fanny Nefsky Seelen-
Until Bob’s death, the Nefsky family was the Lincoln Jewish family with the longest continuous history in Lincoln. Five generations of the Nefsky family are buried in Lincoln, including Dave’s parents, Harris and Pessie. Dave Nefsky was a founder of Lincoln’s orthodox congregation in the early 1890s (now Congregation Tifereth Israel), and the family joined Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in approximately 1900. The family was in the retail men’s clothing business, with Leon Nefsky running Guarantee Clothing Company in downtown Lincoln until its sale in 1985. Guarantee Clothing finally closed in 1988 after more than 100 years of operation. Bob Nefsky, Leon’s son and Dave’s great-grandson, commissioned the repair of the Torah as a gift to the Congregation in memory of his father. According to Dr. Eric Ray, the scribe (sofer) who repaired the Torah, it was probably written in Silesia (modern Germany/Poland), given the relatively low quality of the parchment, which was the only kind available to the Jews of this area. The Torah is written on 42 lines to the page, a convention which was adopted after 1850. The rollers (eitzei chaim), which are carved ivory, are probably older, probably from before 1850. They came either from Russia or Southern Germany. Given the various styles in which the Hebrew was written, Dr. Ray hypothesized that the scribe who wrote it was probably trained in Southern Germany, although his work bears traces of the Czech style. Due to its small size, and relatively inexpensive way in which it was made, it was probably first used as a teaching Torah. Congregation B’nai Jeshurun is honored to preserve this Torah as an ongoing memorial to a longstanding Temple family.
The Nefsky Torah (on the right) in the South Street Temple ark.
Israel perspective
Shared from WesternGalilee.org
Kim Goldberg came for a week of volunteering in the Western Galilee. Kim led fifteen artists from the region and fifteen employees of the Galilee Medical Center in a unique painting workshop using India ink and watercolors, and they created beautiful works. The group of artists continued the project independently and plan to create an exhibition of the works. Many thanks to Kim for the exciting initiative and special thanks to Maureen Nachmani from Moshav Bustan Hagalil and the International Relations team of the GMC who helped organize the project.
“I couldn’t stay away,” Kim said, “and I don’t want to leave. These past weeks, making art alongside the residents of the Western Galilee, have been some of the most meaningful of my life. I want to continue. To continue to create spaces that are calming, creative, full of joy and empathy. Creative endeavors are as powerful to our internal systems as healthy eating and exercise. I could see and feel the positive impact these workshops brought to the participants, even if just for a short time. We created islands of peace, together. I’m grateful for the opportunity. Thank you to Noa Friedman Epstein, Avital Ben Dror, Aya Kagade, Daphne & the Galilee Medical Center staff, Jane Cynkus & Mate Asher Community Center, Noa Tene, Maureen Nachmani, Sisi Roden, Tony Ziv, Avi and Tami Hatchuel, Koby & Yael & Nuri Sibony, Ahmed Samniya, Efrat Srebro... Yochanan & Golan - next time we will visit!”
Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Life & Legacy Program with Ari Axelrod
STACIE METZ
Program and Stewardship
Administrator, JFO Foundation
On Thursday September 12 at 7 p.m., the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation will celebrate the milestone 10th anniversary of our Life & Legacy program. Our community has greatly benefited from our partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and we are excited to mark this occasion with a special event.
We welcome performer Ari Axelrod as he brings his internationally acclaimed show, A Place For Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway, to the Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater at the JCC. A Place For Us is a tribute to Jewish culture, celebrating the songs and stories of Jewish composers and their significant contributions to the American Musical. While many stories highlight Jewish suf-
fering, A Place For Us shines a light on Jewish life, vitality, and how we have not only survived but thrived.
Ari Axelrod shared, “Our history is not
only about how we survived, but also about how we thrived, and A Place For Us highlights this in its exploration of Jewish Broadway.”
The Life & Legacy program is about preserving our Jewish tomorrows. We are fortunate to have over 680 commitments that ensure the traditions and institutions that mean so much to us today will exist for future generations. By making a legacy commitment today, we can look forward to financial stability for generations to come.
During this celebration, our goal is to secure 10 new Life & Legacy commitments. We look forward to celebrating with you!
For more information about becoming a Life & Legacy donor, to RSVP for this free event, or for any questions, please contact Stacie Metz at smetz@ jewishomaha.org or 402.334.6485.
SBMLC Exhibition reception invitation
Please join us on Thursday, Sept. 12 from 4-6 p.m. for a reception celebrating the spring exhibition, After the Storm: Identity & Repair, at Samuel BakMuseum: The Learning Center. We ask you to RSVP by Sept. 12 through our website at unomaha.edu/samuel-bak-museum
The current exhibition, After the Storm: Identity & Repair is on display through Dec. 22, 2024. The show explores how Samuel Bak reconceived his Jewish identity after the Holocaust (1941-1945) through a set of guiding principles. Through his friendships and conversations with other survivors, he created in his art a world after disaster that mourns the undeniable loss of mil-
lions yet attempts to mend itself through the act of Tikkun, or repair. Experience the newly opened exhibition and enjoy light refreshments and drinks. Free street parking is available in
Ari Axelrod
front of the Museum on 67th Street. Free surface lot and free garage parking are available in the back of the Museum. The Samuel Bak Museum is located at 2289 South 67th Street, Omaha, NE.
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
Top, above, right and below: Welcome back to Friedel! Left and below: Chana Tenenbaum having fun at the Children’s Museum.
Below: Ethan Finkelstein, left, is ready for paratrooper training in the IDF.
Above: Pam Monsky and family visiting the Jewish Press office on Pam’s granddaughter Ari’s first day at the ELC.
Below: Chuck and Makayla Lucoff were at Fenway Park for a dad-daughter trip and ran into Jay Katelman on a Dad’s-son’s trip! There is always an Omaha connection!
Temple Israel’s Youth Learning Programs Faculty Orientation was held on Aug. 11 as they prepared for the first day of YLP. Above: Isa Wright, left, Dani Howell, Naomi Gaca, and Miriam Ginsburg; and below left: Sophia Budwig, left, and Mila Herszbaum-Harding.
Above right: Meet the RBJH Resident Council President, Helen Sweet! Helen welcomes all Residents to attend the monthly meetings.
Below: Looking back to 2022: Friedel Jewish Academy students and staff are getting ‘Ram Tough’ just in time for Rosh Hashanah.
Above: Middle schoolers had a getting-to-know you hour last week to kick off the new school year. Teams wrote down what they had in common on cards, which they then used to build towers.
JCRC Community Conversation with author and journalist Rebecca Clarren
PAM MONSKY
Jewish Community Relations Council Assistant Director
The Jewish Community Relations Council is proud to announce that journalist and award-winning author Rebecca Clarren is coming to Omaha for two programs on Sept. 18 and Sept. 19, 2024. The Community Conversation portion of the program on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. at Staenberg Jewish Community Center will focus on a conversation surrounding her latest book, The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota and an American Inheritance
Rebecca Clarren
A blend of history, journalism and memoir, The Cost of Free Land investigates how 20th-century federal policies that gave her ancestors - Jews fleeing oppression in Russia - free land on the South Dakota prairie and a pathway to the middle class, came at great cost to their Lakota neighbors. The book not only retells this entangled history but grapples with what can be done to reconcile the past.
“Memorable... Fascinating... A deft mix of personal and social
Divine planning
Jewish Community Relations Council Executive Director
Sometimes things in life come together in the most amazing ways, as if there was Divine planning or intervention at work. Forty years ago, I made Aliyah. After a requisite period at Ulpan Etzion, an Absorption Center in the heart of Baka in Jerusalem, I found work in the Jewish Agency’s Project Renewal Department, now known as Partnership2Gether.
It could not have been a better fit in my Aliyah dream, my romanticized version of how I, as a new immigrant, could serve my adopted homeland and connect Jews of the Diaspora to the Israel I loved. I worked on the International Relations team for a small, energetic group of veteran Olim (immigrants) and first-generation Israelis managing the relationships and communications between nearly 90 disadvantaged and impoverished urban neighborhoods, townships and hamlets in Israel with their “twinned” communities, more than 200 Jewish communities across the world. I had the time of my life!
history that recounts the transfer of Native American lands to non-Indigenous settlers, including Jews fleeing antisemitic violence... [The Cost of Free Land], troubling and inspiring, seeks a humane path toward restitution.” — Kirkus (*starred review*)
The following day, Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. in the Wiesman Reception Room at the JCC, Rebecca will hold a Torah study and workshop focusing on the Jewish community in Omaha and the relationship with Native tribes.
Rebecca Clarren’s book, The Cost of Free Land is available from the KripkeVeret Library and local book stores.
Community Conversations are possible thanks to our generous sponsors: The Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation, Anything Grants from the Staenberg Family Foundation, and the Special Donor Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. Both programs are open to the entire community as well as members of Native tribes. Contact Pam Monsky for more information.
While my last visit a few weeks ago was mostly for pleasure, I had two major to-dos on my list of things to accomplish: 1. Bear witness and pay my respects at the site of the Nova Music Festival massacre and visit with relatives from kibbutzim on the Gaza Envelope; 2. Visit and get to know our friends in the Partnership. Bob Goldberg helped make the connections, and before I knew it, I had a full agenda and eight meetings and visits to sites in the area.
From dancing with folks at a Parkinson’s therapeutic
From the Archives:
dance group in Shave Zion, seeing the Galilee Medical Center, meeting Ahmed Samniya of Sheikh Danun, and visiting with Michal in the Lone Soldiers’ apartment lounge on Moshav Regba - not my first Lone Soldier rodeo and a program that will always be extremely near and dear to me – it was an incredible day!
The day ended with a lovely dinner with Kim Goldberg at the home of Sisi Rodan, an artist, museum director, and Partnership volunteer. Partnership staff Noya, Avital, and Heidi filled my day and my heart.
It was such a wonderful fullcircle day, returning to my Project Renewal roots and seeing the love for our Omaha Jewish community, but it was jarring as well. This region is under fire and constant threat, and has been long before October 7, but Hezbollah’s looming proximity is always top of mind and real – especially after the horrific missile attack in the Druze village of Majdal Shams that killed 12 children on a soccer field the day before. Even more jarring were the concerns our partners have, not for themselves, but for US! They are terrified for the welfare of Diaspora Jews and the skyrocketing antisemitism we are facing. They understand that this war is not only about the safety, security and thriving of Israel, but what’s at stake for us Jews “abroad.” The message they all wanted carried back is, “Come! Please stay safe at home, and please come to Israel! We miss you and we need you!” And so, I have fulfilled an unintended mission to bring this message back to our community! They are waiting for us!
Jerome Heyn Champion of Club Golf Tournament
Jewish Press, Sept. 4, 1924
The first championship golf tournament held by Highland Country Club met with success. Jerome Heyn is the club chapion, defeating Ed Kraus in the final match held Sunday afternoon. A. Herzberg defeated Meyer Speisberger in the finals of the director’s flight.
A special stag dinner will be held at the club Friday evening in honor of the presentation of the prizes to the winners. Special arrangements are being made for feature entertainment. The regular Saturday evening dinner dances are meeting
with great success at the club. Many parties are being planned for these dinner dances during the coming fall months. Special parties are also being held during the weeknights, with Tuesday evening as a mah jongg and bridge night. The blind bogey tournament will be held this week under the supervision of Frank Burkhard, club professional.
SHARON BRODKEY
Voices
The Jewish Press
(Founded in 1920)
David Finkelstein
President
Annette van de Kamp-Wright
Editor
Richard Busse
Creative Director
Claire Endelman
Sales Director
Lori Kooper-Schwarz
Assistant Editor
Melanie Schwarz
Intern
Sam Kricsfeld
Digital support
Mary Bachteler
Accounting
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David Finkelstein, President; Margie Gutnik, Ex-Officio; Helen Epstein, Andrea Erlich, Ally Freeman, Dana Gonzales, Mary Sue Grossman, Hailey Krueger, Chuck Lucoff, Larry Ring, Melissa Schrago, Suzy Sheldon and Stewart Winograd.
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Nuance
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor
According to the Israel National News, the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) anti-Zionist group recently came under fire after it instructed members not to pray in Hebrew on Tisha B’Av.
The group’s Tisha B’Av guide states: “Hearing Hebrew language can be deeply traumatizing for Palestinians. Therefore, prayers are best said in English or Arabic, rather than Hebrew. It is not our place to redeem our tradition on the backs of Palestinians. Enough has been taken.”
It’s difficult to know where to start. Do we ignore them because this is the stupidest thing we’ve ever heard, or do we fight back, using up energy and strength we could use elsewhere? Seriously, what do we do with this? It’s insulting, but it’s also just another chapter in self-hatred— even though the presence of actual Jews in this organization is still under debate.
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.
lies have expressed explicit support for terror against Israel or even overt antisemitism.”
What is clear from JVP’s stance is that they have decided, somewhere along the way, that Palestinians are the underdog. While as late as 2007, they
pening without nuance.
Without nuance, anything is possible, including conspiracy theories (“Israel was responsible for 9/11”) and the belief that all the money the U.S. sends to Israel would have gone to Black and Native American communities. “In 2015, one JVP speaker stated that the traditional Jewish doctrine that Jews must be a “light unto the nations” should be interpreted as a divine justification for “ethnic cleansing, even genocide.” (ADL.org) I’d like to ask them: what do they think comes next? How would they solve the conflict, besides taking to the streets (thousands of miles away!) to scream and wave signs? Would they acknowledge that there are Israelis who deserve to live in freedom?
From my Boystown days, I learned to ask the question: ‘What is the function of this behavior?’ In this case, I believe the function is to send a signal. They are, in no uncertain terms, telling us who they are. And we should believe them.
“In the weeks following the invasion and brutal attacks on Israelis,” the Anti-Defamation League stated, “JVP chapters have been active on social media and have sponsored or co-sponsored dozens of anti-Israel rallies across the United States. In several instances, JVP or attendees/speakers at its ral-
still felt negotiations could be held between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, they later changed their mind, because, “Look at who has power, and who doesn’t. And side with those who don’t, those who are seeking the rights that others take for granted.”
From seeing all Palestinians as the underdog, it is a small jump to embracing the notion of perpetual victimhood. To JVP and organizations like it, history may be happening in real time, but it is hap-
What about Arab Israelis? Druze? What about Christians, can they live in Israel? Do they really think Hamas wants peace? How do they still not know not all Jews are white? Who do they think should rule Gaza? Is rape ever justified? Is murder?
More than that, I’d like for them to ask themselves those questions. Believing in anything without regularly questioning yourself is unhealthy. I would like to remind them that what seems true on Monday is not necessarily correct on Thursday; things change, people change, times change. Picking a limited but absolute narrative and never asking if the truth is still the truth, it leads to zealotry. If the members of JVP aren’t already there, they will be soon.
I’m a traveling mohel. My colleague’s unprecedented arrest in Ireland has shaken me to my core.
RABBI HAYIM LEITER JTA
“What are these for?” the security guard at the Dubai airport asked as three others inspected my bris kit — the bag of supplies I carry when I perform circumcisions on Jewish baby boys.
Whenever I travel for work and I’m away from Israel for only a short time, I never check a bag, so this can make for interesting encounters at the Xray machines. There are times I’ve lied and said I make jewelry, but since circumcision is a cultural norm in the United Arab Emirates and other Muslim countries, I decided to come clean. “I perform circumcisions,” I replied. They looked at me with blank stares. “You know, the operation done to a baby... on his...” The penny dropped and all three showed their recognition in unison. It felt like I was in a movie.
I have many stories like this, most of them involving my luggage. People love to talk about Israel, Judaism and brit milah, Jewish ritual circumcision, even in the most unexpected places. But as a recent trip approached, the news out of Ireland gave me pause.
Rabbi Jonathan Abraham, a well-respected mohel from the United Kingdom, was arrested in Dublin for performing circumcision despite not being a physician, on the basis that circumcision is a medical procedure. The details of the story are still emerging, but what is known is that the rabbi traveled to Ireland, which he had done many times before, to perform circumcisions for a number of non-Jewish boys.
In the court proceedings, a detective testified that she entered the home to find one baby on a changing mat, who had already been circumcised, while Rabbi Abraham was preparing to circumcise another child. The mohel was refused bail and could be sentenced to five years in prison and perhaps fined up to 130,000 euros ($143,000). The arrest has come as a deep shock, as it had appeared to be settled law in Ireland that circumcision carried out for religious and cultural reasons is not classified as a medical procedure.
For traveling mohels like me, this is a rather disconcerting story. I flashed back to all the brises I had done in the past. I have certification to perform them in Sweden, but no other Jewish community I’ve visited mentioned any legal requirements for being such a practitioner.
My mind has been flooded with questions. The most pressing: Why was this mohel arrested given the understanding of the law in Ireland? Many articles on the arrest quote a 2007 law that requires practitioners to be medical professionals, which this rabbi is not. But it is 2024 and this is the first time this has happened in the region. Could something else be at play?
It goes without saying that the climate for Jews is not good right now. Israel is a hot-button topic all over the world and every day there seems to be more news of a growing wave of antisemitism. Ireland in particular has been an epicenter of anti-Israel sentiment. I hate to say so, but it kind of felt that it was only a matter of time before something like this would happen.
is kept alive in these areas by traveling mohels, like myself, who visit regularly to provide this essential service. It’s quite possible that mohels will be scared off from travel — or at least think twice before going for fear of such reprisals.
And even before the current backlash against Israel and its supporters, Europe had become a hotbed of opposition to ritual circumcision, a ritual important not only to Jews but to Muslims. Some defenders of the ritual say such opposition is a byproduct of xenophobia.
The good news is Rabbi Abraham is a member of the UK Initiation Society, the institution which trains and regulates religious circumcisers. The organization has been on top of this case from the outset. Even though he was originally denied kosher food and tefillin with which to pray, the Initiation Society and local Jewish leaders are making sure that both Rabbi Abraham and our core religious values are safe. But there are no guarantees. The same uncertainty applies for brit milah in Europe and around the world. There are many communities without a local mohel. The practice
As far as I understand it, this is the first time a rabbi has been arrested for performing circumcision since the time of the Nazis. The tension surrounding Israel, and Jews more broadly, does not appear to be subsiding. I pray that next time I’m called on to perform a brit outside of Israel, I will have the strength to do so. I will definitely do diligent research beforehand to lessen the possibility of a run-in with the law. My hope is that Rabbi Abraham will be home with his family soon, and that we mohels can band together to keep our ageold tradition alive.
Rabbi Hayim Leiter is a rabbi, a wedding officiant, and a mohel who performs britot (ritual circumcisions) and conversions in Israel and worldwide. Based in Efrat, he is the founder of Magen HaBrit, an organization protecting the practice of brit milah and the children who undergo it.
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.
A mohel performs a circumcision ceremony in Israel, July 6, 2023. Credit: David Cohen/Flash 90
Messages reading Glory To Our Martyrs and Divestment From Zionist Genocide Now are projected onto the side of a building on George Washington University’s campus in Washington, D.C., Oct. 24, 2023. Credit: StopAntisemitism via X
Thoughts about first-time voting
MELANIE SCHWARZ Jewish Press intern
It’s a very interesting year to be a first-time voter. Some pretty historical events have happened leading up to the 2024 presidential election. I originally thought this election would be terrible to vote in, because it felt like a repeat of the 2020 election. Now, things are different. I have strong feelings that one of the candidates shouldn’t become president; I’m not fully sure about the other one.
It’s an interesting time, because most people have strong feelings about what side they are voting for, and which one they are not. I also think many people are voting against, as much as for, a candidate.
It seems the two sides are complete opposites, which also makes it interesting to look at, because you're hearing two very different sides on everything, coming at you all the time.
Social media has become the place nowadays for people to express their opinions, so it really comes at us from all directions. Politicians themselves have started using social media as well, in order to reach the younger generation.
Overall, it feels like a terrible time to be a first-time voter. Everyone wants you to just pick their side, and expects you to
have a visceral hatred for the other side. I have seen some comparisons online about the presidential debates; candidate Romney and President Obama were still civil to each other while debating some very big issues. Biden and Trump, before Biden dropped out, just insulted each other, while not answering any actual questions. Both lost their trains of thought throughout, because they are both too old to be president. I was happy when Biden dropped out, because I felt like Harris has a better chance at beating Trump, as I’m not a fan.
I’m excited to finally have a vote, because I felt like a bystander in 2016 and 2020. Those final years before turning 21
are an interesting stage to be in, because I was old enough to be very aware of who I did and didn’t agree with, but I couldn’t participate and had no say on who should run the country. When I was in middle school, and then high school, I was old enough to understand who was running for president, and who they were, and what I did and didn't agree with. However, I just had to sit there and watch and see who would win. I remember watching the last one and having a vote at school, but not being able to actually cast it in the real world. Now I can, which I think makes a difference for my opinions. I have to think about it more, because I do get a say.
I have always thought that this would turn out to be a pretty interesting election year, and that continues to come true.
New curveballs are thrown at everyone, every day. My generation has its work cut out for us when it comes to first-time voting and seeing our vision come to fruition.
The opinions in this article are the writer’s and do not represent the Jewish Press, its advisory board, or the Jewish Federation of Omaha.
The Jewish Press Summer Internship is made possible through the generosity of the Chesed Fund (formerly the Murray H. and Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation).
As a Holocaust educator, I’ve grappled with same questions Tim Walz explored — and that’s reassuring
MIKE SOFFER
JTA
In the fall of 2018, Oak Park and River Forest High School — where I had taught history for a dozen years — experienced a spate of antisemitic hate crimes. Swastikas seemed ubiquitous on campus, located in the Chicago suburbs. That November, just weeks after the attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, a student airdropped a swastika onto a thousand phones at an assembly.
It was not the first time we had dealt with these issues. In the 1980s, a longtime custodian at the school was revealed to have been a Nazi camp guard, and the community — and faculty — rallied to his defense. Other issues, and more swastikas, had come and gone as well. In response, I developed a semester-long Holocaust Studies course, which began in August 2020.
On the first day of class, a curious student asked, “Are we going to learn about other genocides?” Another quickly followed up, “Why Holocaust Studies, and not Genocide Studies?”
It is a great question, and one that has occupied scholars in the field for decades. Incredibly, it is also one that occupied the presumptive Democratic nominee for vice president.
When Tim Walz began his teaching career, years before he became Minnesota’s governor, Holocaust education was still relatively new. The initial efforts to bring the Holocaust to public schools in the late 1970s met with significant opposition.
The German-American Committee of Greater New York demanded the curriculum be scrapped because there was “no proof” that the Holocaust had happened. Others complained about a potential for “anti-German prejudice.” And M.T. Mehdi, the president of the American-Arab Relations Council, dismissed Holocaust education as “an attempt by the Zionists” to spread “their evil propaganda.” Some parents simply did not want their children exposed to Nazi horrors. But Walz, a young teacher in Nebraska, developed a passion for the subject and was in the inaugural class of teacher fellows brought in to train at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Over the next few years, the Holocaust became a more common topic in American classrooms. But, watching horrors unfold in Rwanda and Kosovo, Walz grew concerned about the efficacy of that instruction and wondered if teachers should broaden their approach.
In academic settings, too, scholars were increasingly debating whether the Holocaust was “unique,” or should be understood in the context of other genocides. That discourse is more important in the academy than the high school classroom, where these topics might only occupy a two-week unit. Instead, our choice often boils down to a common tension: breadth, or depth?
Breadth, which Walz came to favor, exposes students to a wider range of historical atrocities, allowing them to recognize patterns across genocides. This exposure is key to arming students with tools to make “never again” a reality. On the other hand, Holocaust scholar Lucy Dawidowicz worried that a broader approach risked flattening Nazi antisemitism into more imprecise frameworks — generalized notions of peer pressure, conformity, or discrimination. If students only scratched the surface of complicated historical events, they might misunderstand historical complexities.
When Walz returned to graduate school, he wrote about the subject that had animated much of his teaching career. His 2001 master’s thesis, “Improving Human Rights and Geno-
cide Studies in the American High School Classroom,” worried that Holocaust education was “not leading to increased knowledge of the causes of genocide in all parts of the world.” Walz wrote that students were seeing the Holocaust as inevitable, not preventable. Nazis were portrayed simplistically as “evil,” and Jews one-dimensionally as victims. There was not enough focus on the “social context of anti-Semitism,” he argued, or on Jewish resistance. He wanted to “expand the lessons of the Holocaust to other incidents of human rights
violations.”
His lessons seem to have worked: Back in 1993, his students, analyzing preconditions for genocide, selected Rwanda as being at significant risk. Months later, their concerns were terrifyingly validated.
In part, my decision to focus squarely on the Holocaust was particular to my circumstances. The course was, after all, designed as a response to a series of antisemitic incidents. But it was mostly a decision about depth. Having an entire semester course on one historical subject meant an opportunity for students to gain a level of expertise that is uncommon in secondary education — an expertise in antisemitism, the fragility of democracy, and the intricacies of the Holocaust.
My Holocaust Studies class began with a unit on other genocides. With our proverbial camera zoomed out, we studied the stages of genocide, and students worked in small groups to see how they manifested in a variety of 20th-century atrocities. They needed to know that genocides predated the Holocaust, and continued after, and to gain a sense of the larger structures of genocide. We called the unit, “Never Again?”
But then, we got to dive deep. Instead of having a more typical two weeks on the Holocaust, we could spend two weeks learning the intricacies of antisemitism, another two weeks examining Jewish life before the war, and two more weeks looking at the conditions in the Weimar Republic out of which the Nazis rose to power. We spent two more weeks analyzing Allied responses to Nazi aggression, and examining refugee policies around the world. We did not just talk about “6 million” and “Auschwitz,” but analyzed how the Nazi program of mass murder operated differently across time and location. We studied the impact of liberation on Allied soldiers, and examined life in displaced persons camps. We even had two weeks to simulate a Nazi-hunting investigation — like the one that ensnared our former custodian — beginning with a list of SS guards from Dachau, and a 1975 Chicago phone book.
The larger discourse over how to teach Holocaust and genocide studies remains a challenge in high schools. Teachers face
difficult choices about what to include, knowing that the deeper they dive on one subject, the more they have to cut from another. Despite a significant increase in educational mandates and curricular materials, recent surveys portend a bleak level of ignorance about the Holocaust, especially among younger generations. And in a moment fraught with concerns about antisemitism, these curricular decisions feel uniquely important. If nothing else, it is striking that a potential vice president of the United States used to wake up in the morning thinking about these same questions.
Mike Soffer is a veteran history teacher in the Chicago suburbs, and the author of "Our Nazi: An American Suburb's Encounter with Evil" (University of Chicago Press, 2024).
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.
George Washington U suspends Jewish Voice for Peace chapter
ANDREW LAPIN
JTA
George Washington University has suspended its chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace just days before the start of the new semester.
The private university in Washington, D.C. also suspended Students for Justice in Palestine and put six other pro-Palestinian student groups on probation, in a preemptive move that signals the school expects campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war to resume as students return to campus in the coming days.
The groups were temporarily suspended last fall after pro-Palestinian students projected inflammatory messages on campus buildings weeks after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The school’s chapter of JVP, the anti-Zionist Jewish group, supported that protest and said on social media that it stood behind every message.
The new suspension means that the groups will not receive official university recognition, funding or any other forms of institutional support this semester. In the spring, they will go on probation and will have to seek permission to hold any on-campus events.
Multiple other universities have changed their policies around campus protests over the summer, anticipating future standoffs with pro-Palestinian groups as classes reopen with fighting ongoing in Gaza.
GWU is at least the second major university to suspend its JVP chapter since the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. Columbia University took a similar action last fall and renewed the suspension in the winter, months before it became the epicenter of the pro-Palestinian encampment movement. JVP has been a prominent force in the movement, often providing Jewish representation for a student movement whose calls to divest from Israel have been accused of veering into antisemitism. Read more at
High school students tour the Holocaust Museum LA in Los Angeles, Oct. 26, 2022. Credit: Gary Coronado /Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!
For information about our historic synagogue, please visit our website at www.cblhs.org or contact any of our other board members: Renee Corcoran, Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Ann Moshman, MaryBeth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.
Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.
IN-PERSON AND ZOOM MINYAN SCHEDULE: Mornings on Sundays, 9:30 a.m.; Mondays and Thursdays, 7 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m.
FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.
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WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m.
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MONDAY: Shacharit 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv 7:40 p.m.
TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Kinyan, 7:05 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv 7:40 p.m.
WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 7:40 p.m.
THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Character Development, 9:30 a.m.; Kinyan, 7:05 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 7:40 p.m.; Parsha Class, 8 p.m.
FRIDAY-Sept. 6: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m.; Candlelighting, 7:30 p.m.
JACOB GURVIS
JTA
NBA great Shaquille O’Neal recorded a message for Israeli children whose relatives were killed or taken hostage in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, telling them “I love you” and speaking in Hebrew.
Shaq recorded the video for children at Camp Timberlane, a summer camp in Haliburton, Canada, that, in partnership with the Israeli organization OneFamily, runs a program for “Israeli youth who have been directly affected by terror and war.”
The recording came about when Chen Kraunik — a OneFamily employee and former Israeli professional basketball player whose father Arik was murdered on Oct. 7 in Kibbutz Be’eri — FaceTimed with O’Neal, the organization said in a Instagram post that it later deleted. (A representative for OneFamily said the group took the video off social media because “it’s actually not ours to share. We didn’t take it.”)
“Camp Timberlane! Hello! Shalom! This is Shaquille O’Neal,” the retired hall-of-fame center says in the video, which the camp posted on Instagram last week before also deleting it. “I just wanted to give you guys a shoutout and let you know I love you.”
SATURDAY-Sept. 7: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Tehillim, 6:20 p.m. at the Zivs; Soulful Torah, 6:35 p.m. with Rabbi Geiger; Mincha 7:20 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 7:50 p.m.; Havdalah, 8:28 p.m.
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MONDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha, 9:30 a.m.; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Translating Words of Prayer, 7 p.m. with David Cohen.
TUESDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Translating Words of Prayer, 11 a.m. with David Cohen; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 7 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen.
WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen.
THURSDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Introduction to Alaphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 10 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 34), noon; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) Class, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY-Sept. 6: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: Ochaba d.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 7:29 p.m.
SATURDAY-Sept. 7: Shacharit 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 8:27 p.m.
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Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. All services offered in-person with live-stream or teleconferencing options.
FRIDAY: Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:43 p.m.
SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service with Rabbi Alex, 9:30-11 a.m. at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Re’eh via Zoom; Havdalah, 8:42 p.m. SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes this week; Men’s Bike/
Coffee Group, 10:30 a.m. at The Mill on the Innovation Campus. For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail.com; Pickleball, 3-5 p.m. at TI. Anyone interested in playing or learning how to play can text Miriam at 402.470.2393. If there are enough interested people; we’ll play in the Social Hall.
MONDAY: Synagogue Offices Closed for Labor Day
WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group, 12:15 p.m. at Roberts Park (weather permitting). We meet every other Wednesday. Please contact albertw801@ gmail.com to get on the mailing list. As plans can change the last minute and it is necessary to contact everyone. Bring lunch, a drink and a chair; LJCS Hebrew School (Grades 3-7), 4:30-6 p.m. at SST.
THURSDAY: Scott Severin and Stateleigh Holmes with Ash Sharp Concert, 7-9 p.m. at SST; High Holidays Choir Rehearsal, 7-8:30 p.m. If you are interested in singing with the choir please contact our Music Director, Steven Kaup by email at MusicDirec tor@southstreettemple.org
FRIDAY-Sept. 6: Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at SST; Shabbat Candlelighting, 7:31 p.m.
SATURDAY-Sept. 7: Shabbat Morning Service with Rabbi Alex, 9:30-11 a.m. at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Shoftim via Zoom; Havdalah, 8:30 p.m.
FRIDAYS: Virtual Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month at Capehart Chapel. Contact TSgt Jason Rife at OAFBJSLL@icloud.com for more information.
In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Benjamin Sharff, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander
FRIDAY: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. In-Person; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.
SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom.
SUNDAY: No Youth Learning Program
MONDAY: Temple Israel Office Closed for Labor Day
TUESDAY: Kol Rina Rehearsal, 6 p.m. In-Person; Adult Prayer Hebrew: Level Bet (Part 1), 6 p.m. In-Person.
WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m.; Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m. In-Person; Hebrew High: Grades 8-12 6 p.m. In-Person.
THURSDAY: The Zohar: Thursday Morning Class, 11 a.m. with Rabbi Sharff and Rabbi Azriel — In-Person & Zoom; Building Racial Stamina Cohort 4, 7 p.m. InPerson,
FRIDAY-Sept. 6: Drop in Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m. InPerson; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.
SATURDAY-Sept. 7: Torah Study 9:15 a.m. In-Person & Zoom; Shabbat Morning Service and Bar Mitzvah of Jacob Meyers 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.
kids
O’Neal continued, “To all the amazing children from the OneFamily, I know you came from far, far away. Hope you’re having a good time. We love you
so very much. Thank you for coming. And we’ll talk to you soon.”
He concluded with a string of Hebrew messages one right after the other: “Shalom,” “Baruch Hashem,” which translates roughly to “God bless,” “L’shana tova” (“Happy new year”) and “Shabbat Shalom.”
According to the Canadian Jewish News, Timberlane welcomed 39 campers and staff from Israel this summer, including children whose family members were killed or taken hostage on Oct. 7. A 16-year-old named Niv, also from Kibbutz Be’eri, lost his grandmother and brother in the attack. Another brother was killed in captivity.
O’Neal, who was raised by a Baptist mother and a Muslim stepfather, has expressed interest in Judaism and Jewish culture numerous times, both throughout his playing career and in his current role as a TV analyst on TNT.
O’Neal has danced the hora at a Jewish wedding, spoken Hebrew with Jon Stewart and explained that Sukkot is his favorite Jewish holiday — because “sukkah” translates to “shack.” He also recently struck up a friendship with Jewish NHL star Zach Hyman, whom he calls “Shaq Hyman.” On his reality show Shaq Life, O’Neal’s family has explored the tradition of hosting a Shabbat dinner.
B’NAI ISRAEL
BETH EL
BETH ISRAEL
CHABAD HOUSE
Shaquille O'Neal ahead of the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Nov. 18, 2023, in Las Vegas. Credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Life cycles
IN MEMORIAM
GLORIA VANN
Gloria Vann passed away on Aug. 3, 2024, at age 92 in Los Angeles, CA. Services were held on Aug. 13, 2024, at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, CA and were officiated by Rabbi Joel Nickerson of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Los Angeles. She was preceded in death by husband Donald Vann; son, Bruce Vann; mother, Ida Kohan; and father. Allen Kohan. She is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Martin and Judy Vann of Los Angeles and daughter, Sally Rotenstreich of Atlanta and daughter-in-law Susan Kurtzman of Los Angles; grandchildren: Zachary, Joshua (Scottsdale), Eric, Matthew Rotenstreich and wife Dana, Abby Rotenstreich Lubel and husband Joshua, Michael Vann and wife Berni, Corey Vann (Philadelphia) and wife Allie; and great-grandchildren: Hallie and Brooks.
Gloria grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and graduated from Central High School. She graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln a few years later. She was a substitute teacher and, later, a small business owner. Gloria was a lifelong member of Hadassah and, along with her husband Donald, was a Temple Is-
rael congregant for over thirty years. She was married to Donald for 69 years, and they enjoyed spending time with their Omaha friends. Donald and Gloria spent their last 22 years together in Palm Desert, CA, where Gloria loved to travel, watch tennis, play bridge, and welcome family members for long stays. Memorials may be made to the Profound Autism Alliance, https://www.profoundautism.org/, in support of Gloria's grandson, Zachary of Los Angeles.
BIRTH
SOLOMON EZRA ROTHBART
Beth Shyken-Rothbart and Chad Rothbart of San Diego, CA, announce the May 23, 2024 birth of their son, Solomon Ezra. He in named for his great-grandfather, Samuel Shyken and his great-grandmother, Edith Rothbart.
He has a five-year-old sister, Myelle Grace.
Grandparents are Susie and Paul Shyken of Omaha and Phyllis and Jay Rothbart of Del Mar, CA.
Burning Man to feature massive tribute to the Nova festival victims and their spirit
JACOB GURVIS
JTA
At 6:29 a.m. on Oct. 7, the Supernova music festival in Israel came to a screeching halt as Hamas terrorists attacked, killing roughly 400 attendees, taking dozens of hostages and launching a bloody massacre across southern Israel.
Next month, attendees of another desert festival for free-spirited music lovers plan to pause one day at 6:29 a.m. to honor the Nova victims and their memory.
This year’s Burning Man, the festival that draws 70,000 people annually to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, will feature an installation and events that aim to bring to life the Nova community’s rallying cry: “We will dance again.”
Burning Man began Sunday and runs through Sept. 2. Already, members of the “Nova Heaven” team, in addition to planning the early morning commemoration, have begun constructing elements of an installation that is to feature a replica of the multi-colored tent that stood at the heart of the Nova festival and has since appeared in the Nova exhibit that has been on display in Tel Aviv, New York and now Los Angeles.
Some of the artists participating in the build — Burning Man famously requires participants to pack in and remove all elements of their installations — have ties to the Israeli trance scene.
Elements and renderings of the
Nova Heaven will also feature a large gate-shaped art piece with the “We Will Dance Again” motto, along with 405 lasercut angels to represent the Nova victims and a spiral staircase with 100 English and Hebrew messages including “love conquers all” and “compassion unites us.”
Organizers have arranged for several of Burning Man’s famous “art cars,” including a fire-breathing dragon and an illuminated zeppelin, to swing by their home base on the desert landscape, known among aficionados as “the Playa.” They have also set up a series of events framed around the motif of angels and “dancing again,” including sets from Israeli DJs, music from handpan musician Noah Katz and “healing sound experiences,” such as a gong performance from David Shemesh.
Nova Heaven’s organizers include producers of the original Israeli music festival; leaders of the Tribe of Nova Foundation set up to support survivors and spread their message, and longtime “Burners” who understand the power of the desert experience.
“To us, ‘Nova Heaven’ is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of profound loss,” the organizers wrote on a GoFundMe page where they have raised nearly $100,000 toward a projected bill of $130,000
“It is a space where participants can connect with memories of those lost, find solace, and draw strength from shared experiences,” they wrote. “This installation is a message of hope and resilience, reminding us all that the human spirit can prevail even in the darkest times.”
The installation’s presence at Burning Man is notable because survivors of the Nova massacre, which some compared to the Holocaust, have expressed frustration that the global trance scene has not more forcefully denounced what happened in Israel.
The group appears to have taken steps to prevent any vandalism or protest of the type that has taken place against some Israelis in the United States since Oct. 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza. The group says it has recruited dozens of “Guardians” who watch over the installation in six-hour shifts around the clock to “ensure meaningful connections are made to the art piece.”
Shahar Peter, who created the phrases for the staircase piece, for example, was born and raised in Sderot, which was attacked on Oct. 7. She was attending a different nature festival in the region on Oct. 7.
Peter has previously attended Burning Man, as have many of the people who are participating in the Nova Heaven installation. The festival has long hosted varieties of ecstatic Jewish experience, including Shabbat services.
“For those who know me, you know how deeply Burning Man is woven into my life. It’s where I married my love, where I was pregnant with my first daughter, and this will be my seventh time returning to the Playa. Burning Man is a part of me,” Tal Navarro, the group’s fundraising chair, posted on Instagram. “But this time, it’s more than that. This time, the Burn is a part of all of us.”
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Nova Heaven Burning Man installation. Credit: Nova Heaven
You think you know about Black-Jewish relations?
PAM MONSKY
Jewish Community Relations Council Assistant Director Marc Dollinger, the author of Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance in the 1960s, will be in Omaha on Sept. 4, 2024, to discuss the re-release of his book.
The event will focus on the complex history of the Black-Jewish alliance during the civil rights era and its evolution. Dollinger, a respected scholar in Jewish Studies, offers a fresh perspective on this topic, challenging many established narratives about the relationship between these communities during the 1950s and 1960s.
“On May 25, 2020,” Dollinger wrote, “Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd, sparking protests in cities and towns across the United States. A national reckoning on race followed, with a broad cross-section of U.S. society pausing, reflecting, learning and then acting to bring an end to systemic racism in the country. Not since the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and -60s, if not the Reconstruction era after the American Civil War, has the issue of racism reached as deep in the national psyche.”
This event in the ongoing Community Conversations series is part of a larger initiative, the Capstone project from the inaugural cohort of the Rekindle program, which is organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). This program focuses on fostering dialogue and understanding be-
tween Black and Jewish communities through structured conversations and collaborations.
Dollinger faced a setback related to the re-release of his book. His original publisher, Brandeis University Press, decided to reject a forward he had written for the new edition.
The forward discussed the ongoing relevance of his book's themes in light of recent events, including the rise of anti-Zionism and its intersection with antisemitism, as well as the complexities of Jewish involvement in racial justice movements.
“Will white Jews make their support for racial equality contingent upon black support for the State of Israel and Zionism?” Dollinger wrote in his intro. “Recent developments on the U.S. social and political scene have also offered an important new pathway for white Jews and Blacks to reengage as partners in a common struggle for social justice. Never before in U.S. history have Jews been shot to death as they prayed, and some people are beginning to question the very notion of American Jewish exceptionalism and the privileges conferred on Jews in the postwar period. White nationalist groups, once on the far margins of U.S. society, have moved to the center, willing to show their faces as they chanted, ‘Jews will not replace us,’ in Charlottesville. [...] A new alliance between white Jews and black civil rights activists can also strengthen the Jewish com-
munity itself.”
The decision to reject the forward has sparked debate about academic freedom and the boundaries of acceptable discourse on these sensitive topics.
Dollinger will address the rejection and the broader challenges within academia and publishing when it comes to controversial subjects related to Israel, race, and Jewish identity. Sharon Brodkey, JCRC executive director, highlighted the significance of Marc Dollinger's upcoming presentation in Omaha. She expressed enthusiasm about how the interactive nature of Dollinger's book and presentation challenge and "debunk a lot of the narrative that the Jewish community uses to describe our commitment to the Civil Rights movement and relationship with the Black community." According to Brodkey, the presentation will offer surprising insights that may reshape attendees' understanding of this history and relationship.
“We are grateful to Dr. Ari Kohen and the Harris Center at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln for bringing Marc Dollinger to Nebraska and helping extend his visit to include Omaha,” Brodkey continued. “When we launched Rekindle earlier this year, we received a very generous grant from the Rekindle Foundation to assist with the program’s operational expenses, which allowed us bring Dollinger to Omaha.”
Admission to the Sept. 4 event at 7 p.m. at the Staenberg JCC is free, but reservations are required. Register via email: pmonsky@jewishomaha.org. Marc Dollinger’s book will be available for purchase at the event.
Community Conversations are also made possible thanks to the generous support from the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Foundation, Anything Grants from the Staenberg Family Foundation, and the Special Donor Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.
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