Sponsored by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Endowment Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA
Klutznick Symposium
October 17, 2014 23 Tishrei 5775 Vol. 95 | No. 5
This Week
Dr. Michael Grodin by LIZ FELDSTERN IHE, Executive Director On Oct. 23 and 24, the Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) will be hosting Dr. Michael Grodin of Boston University to speak on the topic Jewish Medical Resistance during the Holocaust. In just two days, Dr. Grodin will speak five times in Omaha and Lincoln, with
Rabbi Naomi Levy to deliver ‘Spirituality To-Go!’ Page 3
Never a dull moment at the Klutznick Symposium: Jews and Sports, in 2010.
Incredible experiences in Israel Pages 6 & 7
by LEONARD J. GREENSPOON Kutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization Dictionary definitions of the “mishpachah” are quite similar: “Mishpachah is a Jewish family or social unit including close and distant relatives—sometimes also close friends.” As accurate as such definitions are, they fail to capture the vitality of real, flesh-and-blood mishpachahs. These are among the topics that will be addressed in Omaha on Oct. 26 and 27 at the Twenty-Seventh Annual
Klutznick-Harris-Schwalb Symposium, titled Mishpachah: The Jewish Family in Tradition and in Transition. This year’s presentations will kick off with a session at UNO, scheduled for room 201 in the University’s new Community Engagement Center. This session will run from 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., This marks the first year the Symposium has held a session on the UNO campus. The first speaker, Susan Marks, New College of Florida, will deal
with “Uncovering the Ongoing Parental Role in Education in the Early Rabbinic Period.” Marks pays due attention to the dynamics of ritual practice and lived religion to suggest that the question of the son’s relationship with the family in which he grew up is more complicated than previous scholars acknowledge. The second presenter is Charles D. Isbell, Louisiana State University. His presentation is titled, Family Values Continued on page 2
Decorating Sukkahs in Israel Tensions rise in eastern Jerusalem neighborhood after 200 Jews move in Page 12
Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam
Next Week Sports and Recreation See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press
8 10 11
by ELIAD ELIYAHU Community Shaliach This Sukkot the Omaha Jewish community should be very proud of the students from Beth El, Beth Israel and Temple Israel, plus the BBYO teens, for their contribution to decorating special sukkahs in Israel. These youths showed their solidarity for the IDF soldiers by creating decorations for various IDF sukkahs in the Western Galilee region. They also provided decorations for the sukkah of the Central IDF Ministry of Defense and IDF Chief Officer. Many soldiers visited that sukkah during Sukkot and many national ceremonies took place including the honoring of excellent soldiers, lone soldiers and special IDF volunteers. “We Stand with Israel,” “Thank you for taking care of our home,” “Peace and Love,” are examples of the warm thoughts written on the decorations that proudly hung in the soldiers’ sukkah.
Students at Temple Israel show off the decorations they created. The idea of decorating soldiers’ sukkahs came immediately after Operation Protective Edge when many letters and greeting cards supporting the IDF soldiers were received through Partnership2Gether. Partnership has a strong connection to the lone soldiers in the Western Galilee, many of whom fought during the Operation. Decorating the sukkah for that special group was a meaningful initiative for Omaha’s Partnership efforts. Efrat Srebro, the incoming Israeli chair for Partnership’s Education Task Force, was the person who took this initiative to a point person in the
IDF. Once he understood the power of this initiative, it was agreed to also use the decorations from the U.S. to decorate the sukkah of the Ministry of Defense and the IDF Chief Officer. “Blessings and prayers of kids and teens are so touching, and you can feel that it comes straight from their pure hearts,” says Srebro. “The IDF soldiers were very excited with this gesture, and it shows once again the togetherness and unity of our nation from both sides of the ocean.” Omaha, as one of 12 communities who comprise the Central Area Consortium of Partnership2GETHER, a Continued on page 2
three of those presentations open to the public. The IHE is partnering with Creighton University, the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL), and the University of Nebraska – Omaha (UNO) to bring these events to the community. Michael Alan Grodin, M.D., is Professor of Health Law, Bioethics and Human Rights at the Boston University School of Public Health, where he received the distinguished Faculty Career Award in Research and Scholarship, and 20 teaching awards including the Norman A. Scotch Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Grodin is Professor of Family Medicine and Psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine. In addition, he is Director of the Project on Medicine and the Holocaust at the Elie Wiesel Center for Judaic Studies where he is also a senior member of the faculty of Judaic Studies in the Division of Religious and Theological Studies. He completed his B.S. degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his M.D. degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, his postdoctoral and fellowship training at UCLA and Harvard, and he has been on the faculty of Boston University for the past 34 years. Faced with infectious diseases, starvation, lack of medicines, and lack of clean water and safe sewage, Jewish physicians practiced medicine under severe conditions in the ghettos and concentration camps of the Holocaust. Despite the odds against them, physicians managed to Continued on page 3
2 | The Jewish Press | October 17, 2014
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Decorating Sukkahs in Israel Continued from page 1 program of the Jewish Agency for Israel, was the source of inspiration for other communities to participate in decorating those unique sukkahs. Austin, San Antonio, Dayton, Canton, Indianapolis and Toledo also shared their talents with the IDF soldiers. Partnership2gether and the Community Shaliach Program are offered through the Center for Jewish Life whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. For additional information, please contact mkirchhoff@ jewishomaha.org or 402.334.6463. Warm messages were written on the sukkah decorations sent to IDF soldiers by BBYO.
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Continued from page 1 and Biblical Marriage: Spanning the Time Barrier. As he shows, politically motivated calls for a return to “biblical marriage” in modern America appear to be grounded in non-Jewish ideas of marriage rather than in biblical narratives that actually describe the customs of our ancestors. The final presenter in this session is Jennifer Sartori, Northeastern University, whose topic is Modern Families: Multifaceted Identities in the Jewish Adoptive Family. The experiences of Jewish adoptive families, she demonstrates, can shed valuable light on the growing number of Jews and other Americans whose identities span religious, racial, and ethnic lines. The Symposium reconvenes at noon at the Omaha Jewish Community Center for a luncheon that is free and open to the public. As in past years, the Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith is sponsoring this lunch. The second session of the Symposium starts at 1 p.m. and continues until 2:30 p.m. The first speaker is Evyatar Marienberg, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He will be talking about “Sexual Guidance in Contemporary Orthodox Communities.” Marienberg observes that young women and men who are about to be married in Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) communities and in some Modern/ National Orthodox circles are encouraged to meet with a person of the same sex, whose role is to instruct them about the marital act. The second speaker is Pamela Laufer-Ukeles, University of Dayton Law School. Her topic is The Legal and Ethical Dilemmas of Creating Jewish Families through Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Having children is perceived as a halachic obligation for observant Jews and a cultural tradition for many Jews who do not live halachically observant lives. But problems may arise for those who engage in the use of ART. The third session begins at 2:50 p.m. and concludes at 5 p.m. The session’s first two speakers, Gail Labovitz and David Brodsky, are repeat participants in the annual Symposium. Labovitz teaches at American Jewish University; her presentation is titled, It’s Complicated: Halachah and the Status of Relationships Outside Jewish Marriage. In recent times, there have been proposals toward new means of marriage beyond halachic procedures. Labovitz notes that halachic decisors have attempted to assimilate some of these relationships into Jewish marriages while dismissing others as beyond the bounds of system. David Brodsky, Brooklyn College, follows with a paper titled, Mishnah Gittin: Family Relations as Metaphor for National Relations. Brodsky argues that the central theme of Gittin operates simultaneously on the individual and the national level. While divorce was permitted by the School of Shammai only in cases of adultery, the School of Hillel and, later, Rabbi Akiva allowed it any time that the husband and wife were not getting along. Rabbi Joshua Brown, of Temple Israel, is the last speaker in this session. He will talk about Challah with Abba: What Happens When Jewish Mothers Become the Breadwinners and Jewish Fathers the Bread Makers? He focuses on the challenges facing Jewish fathers in the twenty-first century as informed by modern psychology and the potential benefits Jewish tradition has to offer. The final event of the Symposium on Sunday takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the Jewish Community Center’s theater. This year’s keynote presenter is Bernard Dov Cooperman, University of Maryland. His topic is Family Fictions: How Jews Invent Themselves by Talking about Their Parents. Monday’s activities take place on the campus of Creighton University in the Skutt Center Ballroom. Presentations
begin at 8:30 a.m., with the conclusion at 1 p.m. The first session of the day starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 10 a.m. Joshua J. Furman, University of Maryland, starts things off with Parents of the Book: Identity Politics in American Jewish Baby Books after World War II. During the post-World War II baby boom, Americans increasingly turned to childrearing authorities such as Benjamin Spock and Arnold Gesell. Jewish parents relied on these same volumes, but also used Jewish baby books. All of this, Furman observes, reflects a broader desire by Jews to blend seamlessly into American life while simultaneously making efforts to maintain Jewish distinctiveness. Following Furman’s presentation is a paper offered by John D. Loike, Columbia University: Creating Human Embryos through Cloning: A Jewish Perspective. One such biotechnology is known as “somatic cell nuclear transfer.” An advantage of this technology is the capacity to use nonsperm cells of infertile men to generate a healthy embryo. Yet, from a Jewish legal perspective, this technology raises many issues, which Loike addresses. After a brief break, session five begins at 10:05 a.m. It runs until 11:30 a.m. The first presentation of this session—Ancient Israelite Families in Context—will be presented by Cynthia Shafer-Elliott, William Jessup University. The home was where the average ancient Israelite family lived out their lives. Utilizing household archaeology and textual evidence from the Hebrew Bible, Shafer-Elliott illustrates how the average ancient Israelite family lived within its physical environment, the home, within the Iron Age. Sarah Imhoff, Indiana University, Bloomington, and Hillary Kaell, Concordia University, will jointly offer the next presentation. It is titled, Theological Families: Jews, Messianic Jews, and the Meaning of Lineage. With rapid advances in genetic testing and internet-enabled ancestry tracking, why and how does family lineage and DNA testing matter religiously? Imhoff and Kaell look first at so-called messianic Jews. They then investigate how Jews, more traditionally defined, use ancestry websites and DNA testing to craft personal and family narratives. This presentation uses interviews, media analysis, and history. Immediately following this presentation, there will be a deli lunch. This lunch is free and open to everyone. After lunch, at 12:15 p.m., Haim Sperber, Western Galilee College, offers the Symposium’s final presentation Chained Women’ [Agunot] and the Modernization of the East European Jewish Family. His presentation contains an analysis of this phenomenon and its effect on the family in Jewish Eastern Europe. Relations between the agunot issue and immigration and changes in the role of rabbis will be discussed as well. Sperber’s presentation concludes at 1 p.m. The co-hosts of the annual Klutznick-Harris-Schwalb Symposium are the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University, the Harris Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the Schwalb Center for Israel & Jewish Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Along with them are Creighton University’s Kripke Center for the Study of Religion and Society, Creighton’s Committee on Lectures, Films, and Concerts, and the Jewish Federation of Omaha. From within the Jewish community, the Ike and Roz Friedman Foundation, the Riekes Family, the Center for Jewish Life, the Henry Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith, Gary and Karen Javitch, and the Dr. Bruce S. Bloom Memorial Endowment also provide generous support. For further information, contact Colleen Hastings: by phone at 402.280.2303, or via email at ColleenHastings@ creighton.edu. Additional information can be viewed at http://www. creighton.edu/klutznick.
October 17, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 3
Rabbi Naomi Levy to deliver ‘Spirituality To-Go!’ by JILL BELMONT will speak during Kabbalat Shabbat services Beth El Publicity Friday, Oct. 24; her topic will be Life Under Rabbi Naomi Levy, recognized as a unique Construction: Healing Ourselves, Healing and passionate voice in the contemporary Our World. Services will be followed by a Jewish world, will share congregational Shabbat dinner. her wisdom with the For dinner cost and reservation Omaha community information, visit www.bethelwhen she serves as Beth omaha.org. El’s scholar-in-residence On Saturday, Oct. 25, during from Oct. 24 to 26. Her 9:30 a.m. morning services, she visit is rescheduled from will present the D’var Torah, this past February. entitled, Sometimes a Single The founder and spiriStep Can Cause Seas to Part: tual leader of Nashuva, a Finding the Power to Push Jewish outreach organiForward. A Kiddush lunch will zation based in Los follow services. Angeles, Rabbi Levy lecA special ‘Women’s Havdalah tures widely on topics of Salon,’ featuring Rabbi Levy as Rabbi Naomi Levy revitalizing faith, spirituguest speaker, will take place on ality, healing and prayer. Through Nashuva, Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at the home of Sally she has helped to connect unaffiliated Jews Zipursky, 1408 No. 127th Circle. The rabbi with a Judaism that is soulful, committed to will lead a conversation about Talking to social justice, meaningful, relevant and fun. God: Finding Our Own Voice in Prayer. All In addition to appearing on NBC’s Today women in the Jewish community are invited show and on Oprah, the rabbi has been fea- to join the conversation; RSVP to Zipursky tured in Parade, Newsweek, Redbook, The at salzipur sky@gmail.com, or Boston Globe, and The Los Angeles Times. 402.445.0802. She is also the best-selling author of To Finally, the rabbi will lead the synagogue’s Begin Again, Talking to God , and Hope will Sunday Scholars Series attendees on Oct. 26, Find You. 11 a.m.; there is no charge to attend, and the The Jewish Forward has listed Rabbi Levy entire community is invited to participate. as one of the 50 most influential Jewish leadThis Shabbat weekend is dubbed ers in America, and Newsweek recognized “Spirituality To-Go!” because the Naomi her in its Top 50 Rabbis in America. In addi- Levy experience doesn’t end when she’s tion, she holds the distinction of being in done speaking. It stays with you. It feeds the first class of women to enter the Jewish your soul. And, you can take it home! Theological Seminary’s rabbinical school Rabbi Levy’s visit has been made possible and was the first female Conservative rabbi by the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s to head a pulpit on the West Coast. Herbert Goldsten Trust and the Shirley and During her visit to Beth El, Rabbi Levy Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation.
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Expert on Medical Resistance in the Holocaust to Visit Omaha Continued from page 1 supply public health education, enforce hygiene protocols, inspect buildings and latrines, enact quarantine, and perform triage. Many gave their lives to help fellow prisoners. Based on archival materials and featuring memoirs of Holocaust survivors, this topic focuses on an array of both tragic and inspiring studies of the sanctification of life as practiced by Jewish medical professionals. More than simply a medical story, these histories represent the finest exemplification of a humanist moral imperative during a dark hour of recent history. IHE Executive Director Liz Feldstern notes that “People often focus on the gruesome medical experiments that took place during the Holocaust. We are thrilled to have Dr. Grodin visit Omaha to talk about the ways Jewish doctors were able to help their fellow human beings despite the conditions and in direct defiance of the Nazi regime.” On Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m., Dr. Grodin will speak at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) City Campus Union on “Health and Human Rights The Inextricable Link.” This talk is cosponsored by UNL’s Forsythe Family Program on Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs and is open to the public.
On Thursday, Oct. 23 at 8:30 a.m., Dr. Grodin will give a breakfast talk at the University of Nebraska – Omaha (UNO) on “Jewish Medical Resistance in the Ghettos and Camps during the Holocaust: The Case of the Vilna Ghetto.” To be held in the Community Engagement Center, this talk is co-sponsored by the Sam and Frances Fried Fund for Holocaust and Genocide Education, the Natan and Hannah Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies, and the Spirituality, Public Health and Religious Studies program (SPHRS), and is open to the public. Also on Thursday, Oct. 23, Dr. Grodin will hold two talks with UNMC faculty, staff, and medical students. On Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m., Dr. Grodin will lecture at Creighton University’s Harper Center on “Jewish Medical Resistance in the Ghettos and Camps during the Holocaust.” The talk is co-sponsored by the Center for Health Policy and Ethics (CHPE) and the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization. This event is open to the public; however, reservations are required. For more information go to chpe.creighton.edu or call 402.280.2021. For more information on any of Dr. Grodin’s events or the work of the IHE, contact info@ihene.org or 402.334.6576.
4 | The Jewish Press | October 17, 2014
Is it Stine or Stein? by ARNOLD GARSON The answer is: Yes and Yes. Louis Stine and Philip Stein were brothers, both born in Austria-Hungary, and both late Nineteenth Century immigrants to America. Louis settled in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he operated first a pawn shop, then a junk business. He and his wife, Hinde, had ten children, eight of them surviving to adulthood. Philip settled in Brooklyn, New York, where he worked as a butcher in a kosher meat shop. He and his wife, Frieda, had three children. The Steins and the Stines tried to stay connected. But the barriers were substantial. The brothers were separated by 18 years in age and 1,300 miles in distance at a time when travel was difficult. Meanwhile, their families grew and the American economy evolved. The descendants of Louis and Philip were drawn to a wide variety of career areas, and they managed to build some lasting businesses. One is the Steel & Pipe Supply Co. of Manhattan, Kansas, which traces its roots back 81 years. Another is Stein Paint Co. of Miami, Florida, founded 74 years ago. In the early years, a few of the Stines would visit the Steins once in a while, and a few of the Steins occasionally reciprocated. But by the 1960s, most of the Stines did not know that the Steins even existed and vice versa. Now, all that has changed. This weekend, a group of about 50 members of the two families will gather for a reunion in Omaha. It will be the first time in 133 years, since the beginning of the Stein/Stine emigration from Austria-Hungary, that the two brothers’ families have gathered as a group. Omaha was selected as the reunion location because of its proximity to the Stine family roots in Lincoln and because the reunion coordinators have connections in Omaha, making it easier to organize the reunion. There are a few Stine descendants living in Omaha. They are: • Ruth Becker Erman, her daughter Dana Erman Kaufman, and Dana’s two children, Abby and Ben. • Bob Goodman; also, his sister, Barbara Goodman Uehling and her sons, Michael and Matthew. • Gigi Garson O’Hara and her children, Sophia and Jack. Ruth Erman, Bob Goodman and Barbara Uehling are greatgrandchildren of Louis and Hinde Stine. Gigi O’Hara is a second-great granddaughter of Louis and Hinde. Lincoln is the home of Louise Goodman Springer, a granddaughter of Louis Stine and one of the senior surviving members of the Stine family. Louise’s nephew, Abe Crable, a great-grandson of Louis and Hinde Stine, also lives in Lincoln with his family. Other members of the Stine family will attend the Omaha reunion from California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nevada, South Dakota and Washington. The prize for the longest distance traveled to the Omaha reunion will go to Beth Schwartz Sroka, a great-granddaughter of Louis Stine, who lives in Hamburg, Germany. Stein family members will attend from California and Florida. Reunion activities, today through Sunday, will be based at !"#$%#&%'(!&)*++'$,!-.-$%/ !"#$%!&'"(%)( (&*+&' O 2 ver
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the Hyatt Place in the Old Market. The activities will include a chartered bus trip to Lincoln to visit sites and locations that were relevant to the Stine family in Lincoln from about 1885 to 1950. One of the stops in Lincoln will be Tifereth Israel Synagogue for a Kiddush lunch sponsored by Steve and Toni Goodman of Ft. Myers Florida. Steve, who grew up in Omaha, is a great-grandson of Louis Stine and a coordinator of the reunion.
Philip Stein in 1933
he was running away from his wife. In this situation, it’s possible that the idea of settling in a remote, sparsely populated place (Lincoln) and taking an uncommon spelling of his name had some appeal. But if that was the case, he made one big mistake. His pawnshop in Lincoln did well and he quickly parlayed that success into real estate. Within a few years, another resident of Louis’s hometown in Austria-Hungary happened to settle in Lincoln and wrote
Arthur Stein with David Ben Gurion
Louis Stine in 1913
Louis Stine was a pivotal figure in the history of Tifereth Israel. He was a co-founder of Congregation Talmud Torah in Lincoln in 1898, about five years before Congregation Tifereth Israel was founded. In 1910, he bought a vacant lot at the northeast corner of 18th and L Streets in Lincoln with the idea of building a synagogue. A short time later, Tifereth Israel and Talmud Torah merged. Louis donated the lot to the merged Tifereth Israel congregation and their first synagogue was built there in 1913. Louis also was a charter member of the trustees of Mt. Carmel Cemetery, the Jewish cemetery in Lincoln. Louis’s wife, Hinde, was an aggressive fundraiser for Jewish causes in Lincoln. She would go door-to-door among Jewish families asking for contributions and generally was not known for understanding the word, “no.” She could neither read nor write English, so she tied the coins she collected in the corners of a kerchief, remembering which corner was from whom. The Stein family also has a rich history for support of Jewish causes. Arthur Stein of Miami, grandson of Philip Stein, was running the family business, Stein Paint Co., in 1948, when the creation of the State of Israel awakened something in him. By the 1960s, he had begun raising money and building support in the United States for Israel. He served as National Liaison Officer for the Jewish War Veterans and made numerous visits to Israel to present the funds he raised. He met with both soldiers and government officials, including several visits with David Ben Gurion. He also raised funds for Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. Now, as for those two versions of the family name, Stein and Stine: No one knows for sure how that happened. Going back to historical records in Galicia, where the family originated, there were many Steins and virtually no Stines. But one thing that is known and may be relevant is that when Louis Stine left Austria-Hungary for America in 1881,
home to tell of the remarkable success of Louis Stine. The letter made its way to Louis’s father-in-law, who immediately booked passage for his daughter to Lincoln. Hinde Mortkowitz Stine showed up on Louis’s doorstep in Lincoln one day in 1885. Their first child, my grandfather, Abe Stine, was born two years later. Arnold Garson is a great-grandson of Louis and Hinde Stine. He grew up in Lincoln and has been researching the Stine family for about 15 years. It was this research that resulted in reconnecting the Stines and Steins. He is a retired newspaper reporter, editor and executive, and is one of the coordinators of the Stein/Stine reunion. He lives with his wife, Lynne, in Sioux Falls, SD.
Engagement LEHMAN/SUNDBY Denise and Howard Lehman of Scottsdale, AZ announce the engagement of their daughter, Allison Lauren Lehman to Dustin Paul Sundby, son of Kris McArdle Sundby and Randall Sundby. The bride-to-be is a teacher She is the granddaughter of Arlene and Jerry Lehman of Scottsdale, AZ, Shirlee Serap of Phoenix, and Deborah and Earl Serap of Las Vegas. Her fiancé is the grandson of Carol and Dennis McArdle of Surprise, AZ, and Donald Sundby of Sioux Falls, SD. A wedding is planned for Oct. 10, 2015 in Arizona.
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October 17, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 5
Beth Israel Sisterhood’s Annual Luncheon by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Beth Israel Synagogue Publicity Chair Plan to spend an afternoon with friends from around the community on Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Annual Beth Israel Sisterhood Luncheon, Style Show and Silent Auction. This year’s theme, “Almost Paradise” will help set the stage for a delightful afternoon of socializing, delicious food and silent auction culminating with a style show featuring fashions from Chico’s. Sisterhood’s Donor Luncheon is a favorite fall event for many in the community. “This is a great way to treat yourself to a relaxed afternoon,” said Bette Kozlen, event committee member. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to catch up with friends, shop the wide variety of items in the silent auction and the Sisterhood Gift Shop. And lunch, catered by Nancy Mattly of Culinary Services, is always delicious.” The buffet lunch will feature a variety of quiches, extensive salad bar, delectable desserts and more. The event will be held at Beth Israel Synagogue, 12604 Pacific Street. The Sisterhood gift shop and the silent auction bidding open at 11:30 a.m. with time to socialize and enjoy appetizers. “Shop for your friends and family in both the gift shop and the silent auction,” encourages Helene Shrago, luncheon committee member. “There will be a wide array of unique items in the silent auction, including giftware, jewelry, housewares,
gift cards and much more. There is always a wonderful selection of gift shop items as well.” The style show will begin immediately after lunch with Beth Israel Sisterhood members modeling the latest fashions. The Chico’s located at One Pacific Place is providing the fashions. Chico’s was founded in 1983 as a small boutique selling Mexican
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folk art and cotton sweaters on Sanibel Island in Florida. Today there are over 700 Chico’s boutiques nationwide at which the associates are described as style experts, ready to help shoppers coordinate, accessorize and build a wardrobe. The luncheon is the annual fundraiser for Beth Israel Sisterhood, providing financial support for Sisterhood projects. Attendees are encouraged to be “donors” at categories from $36 - $108. Each donor category includes one lunch. One may also enjoy lunch for $18. Reservations are needed by Oct. 24 and can be made by calling the synagogue office at 402.556.6288 or by email to jnickels@orthodoxomaha.org.
Governor’s Forum by SCOTT LITTKY a democracy. God and Abraham have a disProgram Director, Temple Israel cussion on what it will take for these cities to Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m., Temple be saved. In the Talmud, the rabbis engage Israel is hosting a Governor’s Forum. Both in debate, back and forth, issue after issue. candidates, Pete Ricketts and Chuck Hassebrook, have been invited to discuss the issues to inform our vote for the next Governor of Nebraska. Currently, only Mr. Hassebrook has accepted our invitation. The public is invited and will have the opportunity to ask questions. As Jews in America, we value our right to our own beliefs, and even as a minority, we understand that our voice matters. Chuck Hassebrook Pete Ricketts The democratic process has always been a central part of a Jewish life. The right to vote is more than our duty; it Even going back to the times of the Torah, is our obligation. Join us at the Governor’s God tells Abraham that He will be destroy- Forum, ask questions, debate the issues, and ing the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. get ready to cast an informed vote this elecWhat then follows is the perfect example of tion.
Russian Cultural Club The Russian Cultural Club took a road trip to the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland to see the exhibit Searching for Humanity: Veterans, Victims, and Survivors of World War II. Donna Walter from the Institute of Holocaust Education was our docent. Following the tour, the participants enjoyed a ride through the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari. This event was sponsored by the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Omaha
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Foundation. Pictured are from right: Mark Rubezhin, Alla Rubezhin, Mark Magalnik, Liza Magalnik, Connie Coco (Jewish Social Services Outreach Bus Driver), Donna Walter, Education Coordinator from the Institute of Holocaust Education, Svetlana Golden, Svetlana Tsymkovsky, Gregory Dubov, Alexander Tsymkovsky, Igor and Anna Mosenkis.
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6 | The Jewish Press | October 17, 2014
Incredible experiences in Israel
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by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Program Coordinator, The Center for Jewish Life Each year, many teens and young adults have the experience of a lifetime, traveling to Israel on a wide variety of programs. The Jewish Federation of Omaha is proud to support these experiences through the Israel Experience Grant program. The Israel Experience Grant is a one-time gift from the Federation for students in grades 9-12 or young adults ages 18 to 25 for an approved Israel experience. The grant is available to anyone in the Omaha Jewish community who meets the following requirements: 1. The applicant must be a resident of the Omaha metropolitan area 2. The applicant, or his/her family, is a donor in good standing to the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Omaha 3. The applicant agrees to provide an article and pictures
of the experience within one month of return to Omaha for publication in the Jewish Press. 4. The applicant will participate in any required preparatory program Applying for an Israel Experience Grant is a simple onepage application. The applications are available on the Scholarships and Grants page of the Center for Jewish Life on the Jewish Federation of Omaha website at www.jew ishomaha.org. Return completed applications to the Center for Jewish Life, 333 South 132nd Street, Omaha NE 68154. Those in need of additional financial assistance can also apply for financial need-based scholarships. Scholarship information, deadlines and applications are also found as explained above. The following articles were written by a teen who participated in a program in the summer of 2014 and was a recipient of an Israel Experience Grant.
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My year in Israel: What an experience! by YOSSI KATZMAN appy Hanukkah”, I said, smiling at the tall, dark fellow in green as I extended my arm. “I’m Yossi from Omaha, Nebraska in the United States”. “Nice to meet you, Yossi.” He beamed with twinkling eyes, with an Israeli accent. “I’m Yossi from Tel Aviv. Welcome!” I knew I was in for an adventure when I signed up for Yeshivat Tzeirei Hashluchim in Tsfat for my high school junior year. A small yeshiva which caters to an international student body, it became the venue for study, personal growth and discovery, and not a little camaraderie and mischief. (Nothing too serious). Nestled in the northern hills, the city of Tsfat whispers timeless tales to anyone who will listen and bears witness to fantastic historic events. The weather-worn pathways and roads casually lead you to discover outstanding personalities who shaped and impacted our lives in more ways than we can imagine and brings them to life. Some examples are the gravesite and mikvah of the Arizal (renowned kabbalist), the shul of Rabbi Yosef Karo (renowned Halachist), and the remains of the study hall of Shem (the son of Noah!) These towering giants left their indelible marks in Tsfat, indeed upon the world. The fragrant pomegranate trees provide great snacks for kids like me, accustomed as I am to reach for some Twizzlers or Jelly Bellies. I cherished “my very own” pomegranate tree for its fruit, as a place for me to relax and contemplate, and for the majestic lookout in its shadow. And the freshly - squeezed juices! At a fruit stand over there, for a few shekels, you can buy yourself a glass of nature’s healthy liquid goodness in the most beautiful colors. Way better than a glass of ice-cold Tropicana Orange juice. Hands down. While everything I experienced was exciting and meaningful, I was hardly prepared for the impact of the modern day heroes I was fortunate to meet. For the first time during the days of Chanukah, a group of kids from our school traveled with a counselor to visit an army base. There we were privileged to visit “Yossi” and dozens of heroes with whom we danced and sang for hours. We kindled the Menorah and shared delectable latkes and doughnuts. These delicious treats were graciously sponsored by Omaha’s most special Mrs. Shirley Goldstein and family. I tried to entertain them with stories from Nebraska in my broken Hebrew. “Yossi from Tel Aviv “and his friends are just a few years my senior. They should be starting college, shooting hoops in the driveway and sharing funny memes on Facebook. Instead, they serve our country and our nation with their lives in the most selfless way possible. These Chayalim - the soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces have earned my deepest respect. My friends and I visited these young men and women at an army base not far from our yeshiva in the rolling hills of Tsfat. They were stationed there to protect Northern Israel in the case of an attack from Lebanon. We arrived to share joy and holiday spirit. It’s possible that we were successful. Yet I feel like I gained more from that experience then I was able to give. Most inspiring to me was the joy and optimism these young soldiers exude, despite the constant fear they live with each day. They seemed to consistently choose to “live in the
“H
moment” and not worry about the future or the past. Many of them have seen firsthand what terror from Jewish enemies can do. They may have lost a neighbor or a relative or a grocer, and most dramatically, even a friend - in one of the
numerous attacks on our people. They are fully aware that the enemy is willing and able to strike at any time. And their lives are on the line. But they choose to be happy. They choose to be content with their lot and count their blessings. They are alive today, so they celebrate today. As an American kid, this made a huge impact on me. We are so consumed with planning our lives – financially, educationally, socially – and we rarely are able to be content with what we have or be “in the now.” The young soldiers reminded me to stop, savor and thank G-d for the gift of today and the hundreds of blessings showered on me at every moment. I have parents, clothes, food, shelter, great friends and wonderful siblings. I am surrounded by love, contentment, and joy. I am blessed. I will try to always remember. Especially during this frightful summer, as rockets rained down on Israel - my heart was with “Yossi,” day and night. In my prayers. In each mitzvah I performed, I thought of him and begged G-d for His protection. Thank you “Yossi” and friends for what you have done. What you do. May peace finally reign and may your jobs become obsolete. Many thanks to the Israel Experience Grant of the Jewish Federation of Omaha which helped make my trip to Israel possible for the amazing experience that will last a lifetime.
October 17, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 7
My Israel experience by TOMER PALMON his summer I took a trip to Italy and Israel. The trip was partly funded by the Israel experience grant and Passport to Israel and sponsored by BBYO. Our group spent two weeks traveling all around Italy, then spent three weeks in Israel. Being able to go on this one-ofa kind trip with 20 to 30 other Jewish teens from all over the US was amazing. Every single one of the teens on the trip, including me, wanted to experience Israel for what it truly was. This is exactly what we got to do. We landed in Israel at about midnight on the 8th of July. Everyone being so groggy from the long plane ride shuffled through the airport going through two different checkpoints, and finally reaching our bags and the other two groups we were going to travel with. We headed for our hotel in Jerusalem, where everyone got to their rooms and instantly fell asleep. I woke up in the morning to the sound of lots of yelling, shuffling, and noise that resembled a tornado siren. It took me and my roommate only a couple of seconds to realize that rockets were coming straight for Jerusalem. We quickly got dressed and ran downstairs, where we found the rest of our group standing in the bomb shelter either in shock or crying out of fear. When the sirens stopped, we all went to a meeting room and had a talk. The staff said we will most likely be moved up north to where it was safer. They also told us that it was the first siren heard in Jerusalem in a while. We then had a discussion with an expert about the events and the political situation. What we found out later was that that siren was the start of the Protective Edge operation. The following day we moved north and spent a week and a half traveling around the Kineret, swimming a lot, doing group bonding activities. We occasionally visited other places such as Tzfat and the Golan Heights. We then traveled down to the south for a week, where we went to Eilat, had a Bedouin experience, went to the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, and climbed Masada. Climbing Masada may have been the best and most memorable part of the trip. Even though it was my second time doing so, it was a completely different experience, partly because I got to do it with my friends. We took the easy Roman path up and spent about half an hour anxiously waiting for the sun to come up over the mountains. During
T
Organizations B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS Speaker to be announced for Wednesday, Oct. 22, noon, at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. An optional buffet lunch costs $11; beverage service only is $3. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.
this time people took the opportunity to take pictures with other people, or just reflect on life while sitting on the rocks. As we saw the first glimpse of the sun, everyone on the mountain including us began to yell and scream in excitement. After the screaming died down and the sun was fully up, we took a tour of the mountain and all the historical sites it offered. After the excitement down in the south and experiencing
Lincoln Temple hopes to make a (Donor) match by SARAH KELEN for South Street Temple On Yom Kippur, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, Lincoln’s South Street Temple, joined dozens of other URJ synagogues around the country in the Reform Action Committee’s Gift of Life Yom Kippur Project. Congregations big and small ran donor drives to encourage congregants and community members to join the public bone marrow donation registry.
Bone Marrow Registry volunteers Adrian Paslawski, Kitra Monnier, and Sarah Kelen register Peter Mullin, Ryan Bennet (photographed mid-swab), and Leslie Delserone.
one more siren in the city of Arad, we went back up to Jerusalem so we could have the experience we were waiting for. During the first couple of days in Jerusalem we explored all the political sites, such as the Knesset and the Shrine of the Book. We also heard a couple of speakers who talked about Israel and everything that was going on. We then visited Mt. Herzl, some famous graves of political figures, and some freshly dug up ones of soldiers who had just died in the war that was being fought. It was very emotional to see friends, families, and strangers come and cry next to their graves. Some members of my group did the same. Traveling back to the hotel, everyone on the bus was silent and no one really talked for the rest of the day. On our last day in Jerusalem and Israel we visited the Western Wall. We prayed, talked to some soldiers, put notes in the wall, and toured the tunnels under the city. Being at the Western Wall was when I felt most at home. It gave me comfort, and that was the best experience I could have had in Israel. I’m glad I ended our trip to Israel like that.
Birth Jill and Todd Strite of Scottsdale, AZ announce the Aug. 12 birth of their son, Benjamin Edward. He is named for his mother’s uncle, Edward Belgrade. He has a sister, Savannah. Grandparents are Linda and Harold Mann of Omaha, and Leone and Bill Strite of Boise, ID.
Donated bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells can potentially save the life of patients suffering from potentially fatal blood disorders such as leukemia. Unfortunately, the treatment depends on finding a donor whose tissue is a close match for the patient’s. Remarkably, close relatives have such a tissue match only 30% of the time. The majority of bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipients receive their transplant from strangers who are found through a national registry. The more people in the registry, the greater the odds of a life-saving match. Last year’s Yom Kippur project involved thirty-five synagogues, but this year more than eighty Reform synagogues participated, including Temple Israel in Omaha, and the South Street Temple in Lincoln. At the South Street Temple, the registration drive had a vocal supporter in Rabbi Craig Lewis. This year, after more than a decade in the registry, Rabbi Lewis was a match for a young boy with WiskottAldrich Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder. When donor drive coordinator Pam Ganz contacted the Gift of Life organization to get the South Street Temple signed up, the national organization estimated that a small congregation of its size might sign up one or two dozen donors. Ganz was sure that the congregation could be energized to do more. In fact, after the first day of the three-day drive, she contacted Gift of Life to have them send another set of donor kits by overnight express. When all the finished kits were counted, Lincoln’s one hundred family Temple had lined up fifty new registry participants. All of the congregations that participate in the Gift of Life bone marrow registry during the Days of Awe hope that their willingness to donate helps more people be sealed in the Book of Life in 5775.
8 | The Jewish Press | October 17, 2014
Point of view
American Jewish Press Association Award Winner
The ethics of war ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor As surely as summer follows spring, after war comes analysis. When that war involves Israel, it means a free-forall in the opinion department. It also means half-truths and unfounded accusations (Israel killed 1800 civilians, Hamas had ceased all terrorist activity during the past two years, Hamas is no threat to Israel, Israel’s actions were disproportionate) that are repeated indiscriminately. Much of the noise centers on the morality of War. As if there are easy conclusions to be drawn in 800 words or less. The commentary is polarized, and often falls into one of two categories: Israel’s right to defend itself at all cost versus poor Palestinians who are mistreated by a dictatorial government. Israel is beyond reproach, or Israel is guilty and should be held accountable for its war crimes. But where is the middle ground? “Understanding that the world is not on Israel’s side, and that powerful forces work to delegitimize Israel, is essential for Israel’s self-preservation. However, wallowing in self-pity and basking in a comforting sense of righteousness is counterproductive and dangerous,” wrote Shmuel Rosner in the New York Times on October 8 of this year. He continued: “This sort of behavior makes Israelis blind to criticisms that do have merit, and becomes an obstacle to self improvement. It also makes Israelis neglect the need to improve their standing in the world and indifferent to the fact that speeches by the prime minister should aim to have a positive impact.” Although Rosner’s words make me cringe, I don’t want to throw him under the proverbial bus. It is that knee-jerk reaction I have to not listen to any criticism of Israel, especially post-Protective Edge, that gives me pause. I don’t believe that any government, at any point in time, is above criticism. At the same time, as a non-Israeli, I don’t feel I have the right. Besides, why should I criticize Israel? Everyone else is already doing that. So now what? Now, nothing. Israel’s defenders will not change their minds, and neither will those who stand ready to accuse. What does change in all this is the language used in the debate, most noticeably for those who are ready to point the finger at Israel. It’s negative, and it indicates a foregone conclusion. There is no room for doubt, which means no room for compromise. And that is a dangerous thing.
Omaha Reunion What’s maybe most concerning is the return of the swastika; it shows up in protest rallies, and the banners are not just held by Hamas. They are used the world over, on placards, spray-painted on synagogues and monuments and headstones. The sight of an Israeli flag, the Mogen David replaced by a swastika, should give everyone pause. Is it still
paranoia when someone sticks a knife in you and twists it? The most painful aspect of Jewish history is used to put Israel in its place, and it hurts. It’s like a constant reminder that the “Never again” adage is not something everyone believes in. In an August 9 article, the New York Times featured the headline: “Will the voices of conscience be heard?” The subtitle read: The Gaza War, and Israel’s ethical challenge. Its author, Roger Cohen, raises some valid points about how Israel will move towards coexistence, how economic and educational cooperation between Palestinians and Jews may seem insignificant, but are nonetheless important. He is also one of the few authors I’ve read who mentions the immense courage it will take “for Palestinians to engage in open selfcriticism of disastrous choices.” We can talk all day about Israel’s ethical dilemma, but until world opinion starts to demand Hamas and the Palestinian people answer the same tough questions, and work equally hard to create a better future, we’ll be at a standstill. Unfortunately, demonizing Israel is what’s fashionable right now. From there, anti-Zionism, and anti-Semitism. Call me paranoid, but there’s an ill wind blowing. And while everyone is busy accusing Israel, nobody pays attention to the Palestinian civilians. Because, in case we missed it, world opinion doesn’t really care about them. And that is the biggest irony of all.
Bibi is A-OK. Just ask the ZOA by RON KAMPEAS The Zionist Organization of America shoots over an email questioning whether it’s “appropriate” for President Obama to refer to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “Bibi” in a press conference. “It is not likely that President Obama is simply being warm and friendly when he calls the Israel Prime Minister by his nickname, ‘Bibi,’ given the less-than-rosy relationship between the two men,” ZOA President Morton Klein says, and… Well, there’s something about something Nicolas Sarkozy once said, and the Oval Office and a shoe, but gosh, I stopped there, because a year ago in Jerusalem, this is how Netanyahu welcomed Obama:
(Founded in 1920) Andrew Ruback President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Jessie Wees Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Thierry Ndjike Bookkeeper
Jewish Press Board Eric Dunning, President-Elect; Sarah Edelstein, Scott Farkas, Sandy Friedman, Paul Gerber, Sarah Grossman-Lopez, Debbie Kricsfeld, David Kotok, Noah Priluck, Paul Rabinovitz, and Nancy Wolf. The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish LIfe, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www jewishoma
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Mr. President, Barack, it’s a great pleasure for me to host you here in Jerusalem. Via Twitter, Eli Valley also brought up two instances in which the ZOA referred to Netanyahu as … Bibi. Look, I’m sure that the timing of Klein’s “wonder[ing] if calling him ‘Bibi’ is intended as subtle message of disrespect” has nothing at all to do with the to-do over Netanyahu’s lecturing the White House on what is American and what ain’t. But seriously: Calling out Barack Obama for being familiar with Benjamin Netanyahu? Saying it shows “disrespect”? Really?
ha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial
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Letter TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, Thank you for your coverage of the Omaha Jewish Reunion in your Sept. 26 edition. My husband, Alan, and I were so grateful that we were able to attend. For me, the best part of the weekend was returning to my Friedel family roots, both literally and figuratively. Sue Millward, from the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, has been uncovering mysteries about my family; what a thrill it was for me to have her discover the identity of my great-grandfather, Joshua Friedel, son of Moshe Friedel, my great-great grandfather!
Another highlight of the weekend was taking Joe Kirshenbaum's North 24th Street tour and seeing parts of town where my ancestors lived. My sister, Lynne Friedel Gellman, worked for Joe at Joey's Girls during high school. Imagine my surprise when Joe informed me that as a youngster, he worked for our grandfather, Meyer, at The Fair Store! And most special of all was a visit to the Friedel Jewish Academy. Little did my parents, Leonard and Phyllis Friedel (of blessed memory), know how much of an impact their donation would have on the community....or maybe they did know? Our visit to the school consisted of a Shabbat celebration with K-2 grades, a tour of the school by two sixth graders, an interview with two student newspaper reporters, and the shadowing of a student photographer. All of the students with whom we interacted were happy, kind, confident, knowledgeable, composed, and well spoken. What a fabulous environment in which to educate students! Even though I had a fine education through the District 66 school system, now known as Westside Community Schools, and I chose public education for my own children through the Scottsdale public school system, I found myself asking the following questions: If my children and I would have had an education at a school like Friedel, would we have more confidence? Would we be more comfortable with our Judaism and with others who practice a different type of Judaism? Would we have received a better secular education? Would it be impossible for a good, shy student to fall through the cracks amid all of the other pupils? Would we have had more special relationships with teachers due to more individualized learning and smaller class sizes? And finally, would we be better human beings? The answer, no doubt, to all of these questions is a resounding YES! I strongly encourage all of you with schoolaged children to check out this jewel in the community. Thank you, Mary and all of the countless volunteers, for making this special reunion happen and for providing me with a wonderful opportunity to revisit my roots. Your efforts are very much appreciated! Randi Friedel Jablin Scottsdale, Arizona and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the
professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de KampWright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.
October 17, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 9
U.S. has no clear path back to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations
Behind the headlines RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is talking tough. And Israel and the United States don't seem to mind too much -- or else think their best option at this point is to grin and bear it. Abbas used his Sept. 26 speech to the United Nations General Assembly to accuse Israel of racism and genocide. He and his aides again are raising the possibility of seeking U.N. action to sanction Israel. They appear ready to bypass negotiations with Israel in favor of seeking an international declaration of a Palestinian state -- positions consistently opposed by Israel and the United States. Still, Israeli and U.S. officials have been relatively tepid in their responses. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose dramatic and assertive speeches have become an annual tradition at the General Assembly, offered only a quick rejection of Abbas’ withering speech. Perhaps more telling: Israel no longer seems to be pushing the Obama administration to penalize Abbas. That represents a pivot from Israel’s posture following the breakdown in talks between Israelis and Palestinians in April and before the onset of this summer’s Gaza war. During those months, Israel and its allies in the U.S. pro-Israel community and in Congress were threatening to cut assistance to the Palestinian Authority if Abbas sustained a government of technocrats that was backed by Hamas. But Abbas is smelling a lot sweeter after Israel's war with Hamas, according to a lobbyist who works Middle East issues on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers who wanted to punish Abbas before the war are now backing proposals that would return his Fatah party to authority in the Gaza Strip, where it was ousted by Hamas in bloody fighting in 2007. “Especially with this possible new role in Gaza, Israel may want to keep the Palestinian Authority on life support,” said the lobbyist, who was speaking anonymously in order to be candid. The Obama administration does not want the Palestinian Authority to bring its case for statehood to the United Nations again, but would not say what it was prepared to do to prevent the P.A. from coming before the Security Council. “I won’t comment on hypotheticals,” a senior administration official told JTA when asked about Abbas’ proposal last month at the General Assembly to consider an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, with land swaps, within a limited time period.
“I will say, however, that we strongly believe that the preferred course of action is for the parties to reach an agreement on final-status issues directly,” said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to be candid. “We have long made clear that negotiations are the means by which this conflict will be resolved and that a resolution to it cannot by imposed on the parties.” Translation: The Obama administration wants to try getting the parties back to the table to renew negotiations that collapsed in April before considering how to deal with the latest Palestinian U.N. initiative.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at his address before the United Nations General Assembly in New York in which he called for a Palestinian state, Sept. 26, Credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images 2014. The Palestinians failed ultimately in their 2012 effort to garner Security Council recognition, not just because the United States made clear it would veto any such attempt, hypothetical or not, but because the Palestinians could not acquire the nine votes out of 15 necessary to take up the bid. This time, the Palestinians believe their chances have improved. The Jordanian delegation, currently occupying one of the Security Council’s rotating seats, is circulating a draft resolution that would have a state in place by November 2016, with its capital in Jerusalem. If the Obama administration is not as forthrightly pushing back against the resolution now as it did in 2012, it's because it lacks a viable alternative, said Tamara Coffman Wittes, the director of the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. “The United States does not have a pathway back to negotiations,” said Wittes, a Middle East official at the State Department during Obama’s first term. She pointed out that the Israelis and the Palestinians are at
Lower the age for Birthright and that doing so would indeed provide an opportunity for Birthright Israel to significantly improve by expanding its reach and role in addressing one of the Jewish world’s growROBERT ISRAEL LAPPIN ing crises. SALEM, Mass. (JTA) -- Every fall, Jewish teens arrive on A teen Israel experience before college provides the backcollege campuses unprepared, uninformed and unable to ground and time -- up to two years -- for teens to learn how cope with the hostility and antagonism against Israel and to advocate for Israel, something that Birthright Israel is not Jews that they find there. While Birthright Israel does a fully able to do, given that its trips take place after a young commendable job of bolsteradult’s college experience has ing Jewish student pride and started. community, the program As has been Y2I’s practice for could have a much greater years, local communities can impact if the age of eligibility develop programs that will was lowered to 16. train and equip Jewish teens When Birthright Israel with the skills and techniques started in 1999, anti-Israel necessary to contend with and anti-Jewish activities on anti-Israel and anti-Jewish campus were not the critical activities and sentiments issue they have become. before, during and after their Consequently, teaching college years, but only if the Jewish teens Israel advocacy teens have been fortified with skills and complex approachan Israel experience. The firstes to Israel before they go to hand experience of having college is a new and urgent Taglit Birthright participants visit the Western Wall in the been in Israel, understanding Old City of Jerusalem on August 18, 2014. Credit: Flash90 need. Israel’s role in the world and By lowering the age of eligibility to 16 from the current 18, marveling at Israel’s contributions to every field of human Birthright Israel can continue being the best and possibly only endeavor resonates with teens, making not only Israel advosolution to battle the growing crisis quickly and effectively. cacy effective but Jewish life more readily meaningful. Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of The key to attracting Jewish teens en masse to an Israel the teen Israel experience. Most recently, Professor Steven experience is the adoption of the justly admired Birthright M. Cohen and Dr. Ezra Kopelowitz conducted a study of Israel model: a free 10-day trip. Birthright Israel is the only alumni, aged 18 to 39, of the Lappin Foundation’s Youth to viable entity to meet this new challenge. Israel Adventure (Y2I), a fully subsidized Israel experience If Birthright Israel agrees to lower its age of eligibility to 16 for 16 - and 17-year-old Jews. The recently released findings and the government of Israel helps to fund it as part of its of the commissioned study found that 72 percent of those new initiative, the Jewish world will be well on its way to Y2I alumni have married fellow Jews and of those who are combating campus anti-Semitism and fortifying a proud parents, 90 percent of them are raising their children Jewish. and strong generation of campus Jews. The study suggests that Birthright Israel’s effectiveness Robert Israel Lappin is president of the Lappin would not be diluted by lowering the age of eligibility to 16, Foundation in Salem, Mass.
Focus on issues
considerable odds: Abbas wants to bypass Israel and take his case to the U.N., while Netanyahu wants to ignore the Palestinians altogether and is pushing for peace with other Arab nations first. “It’s a much easier place for the United States to say ‘Don’t worry about that, let’s do this instead,’” said Wittes, describing the circumstances of U.S. diplomacy two years ago, when the administration was able to tell Security Council members that it was cobbling together talks and that a resolution was premature. “It’s much more difficult for the United States to block action in the United Nations” under the current circumstances, she said. “If it doesn’t have that alternative, it’s left with watering down the resolution, trying to moderate it.” It’s not clear how any statehood resolution could be moderated so that it would be acceptable to Israel while also satisfying the Palestinians. The nine months of talks that ended earlier this year did not seem to produce any formula to overcome Palestinian objections to two Israeli positions: recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and for continued Israeli military control of the Jordan Valley. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry may next canvas regional powers next week to see how to advance talks when he attends a conference in Cairo. The gathering is aimed at raising funds to rebuild the Gaza Strip following this summer's war. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is backing bids to fund the Palestinian Authority while underscoring that such funding is conditional on its actions in international arenas. Particularly of concern would be any Palestinian attempt to bring Israel before the International Criminal Court because of its actions in Gaza this summer, an AIPAC official suggested. In an email, the official forwarded language in current U.S. law that would stop funding in case the Palestinians “initiate an International Criminal Court judicially authorized investigation, or actively support such an investigation, that subjects Israeli nationals to an investigation for alleged crimes against Palestinians.” Netanyahu has said that any attempt to bring Israel before the ICC would spell the end of the peace process. And going to the court would also be a red line for Congress, said Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). “U.S. law makes it crystal clear that any attempt by the Palestinian Authority to use the International Criminal Court to castigate Israel will terminate U.S. funds to the West Bank and Gaza, period," Kirk said in an email. "The Palestinian Authority should have absolutely no doubt that the U.S. Congress will enforce this.”
Reform rabbis nudge ICE on deportations by JTA NEWS STAFF WASHINGTON (JTA) – Reform rabbis are contacting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in an attempt to delay the deportation of undocumented workers. Rabbis Organizing Rabbis partnered with immigration advocacy organizations to ask the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, to exercise discretion when deciding whether or not to deport anyone, according to a statement issued by the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center. While “deportation is an important part of border enforcement, we have learned that too many innocent people are caught in the system,” said Rabbi Peter Berg of Atlanta. “The good news is that ICE legally has the right to use discretion about whom to deport and actually will exercise that discretion – if they hear from enough people.” Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, more than 60 Reform rabbis called or wrote on behalf of Luis LopezAcabal, who is facing deportation back to Guatemala following his involvement in a traffic accident. Rabbi John Linder of Temple Solel in Paradise Valley, Ariz., met Lopez at the church where he has taken sanctuary. If deported, Lopez would have to leave behind his wife, a legal resident of the United States, and two young children including one with autism. “We are called as a faith community to stand against injustice,” Linder said, according to the Religious Action Center release. “The family is a sacred institution that is being violated by tragic separation throughout the country, while desperately needed immigration reform is stalled on Capitol Hill. These families should not continue to be victims due to a lack of political resolve.”
visit us at jewishomaha.org
10 | The Jewish Press | October 17, 2014
Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 |712.322.4705 email: BnaiIsraelCouncilBluffs@gmail.com For information on our historic synagogue, please contact any of our board members. Rick Eveloff, Rick Katelman, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. FRIDAY: Simchat Torah Service and Hakafot, 9:30 a.m. babysitting provided; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Service, 9:30 a.m. with guest speaker, Dr. Leonard Greenspoon; Junior Congregation, 10 a.m.; Mini Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:30 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. SUNDAY: BESTT Classes, 9:45 a.m.; Babies, Biggers and Bagels Playgroup, 9:45 a.m.; Torah Study Group, 10 a.m.; Men’s Club Sukkah Tear-down, 10 a.m.; Strange Customs of the Modern Day Jew class, 10 a.m.; B’nai Mitzvah Grade 5 Meeting, 11:15 a.m.; USY goes to Vala’s Pumpkin Patch, 3 p.m. WEDNESDAY: BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High School, 6:45 p.m. Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Naomi Levy, Friday, Oct. 24Sunday, Oct 26. (see full story on page 3). All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Shacharit followed by Hakafot, Torah Reading, Kid’s Programs and Women’s Class, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:22 p.m.; D’var Torah by Evie Denemark: Rain: Human Involvement in Creation. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Dreams in Jewish Law class, 5:15 p.m. for adults by Jonathan Tavin; Starting for the Beginning class, 5:15 p.m. with Torah Tours for children; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 6:05 p.m. with Ezra-Shimon Rosenfeld and Torah Tour participants; Havdalah, 7:21 p.m. SUNDAY: Talmud Brachot, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Medrash: Understanding Our Prayers, 9:45 a.m.; A Deeper Look at Talmud, 10:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Current Events with Jack Kozlen and Rabbi Ari, 7:45 a.m. TUESDAY: Rabbi Weiss’s Weekly Class, 8 p.m. THURSDAY: Women’s Class: Deepening our connection with God, 9:30 a.m.; UNMC Chaburah, 1 p.m.; Scholar’s Club for grades 4-6, 3:30 p.m. at the Blumkin Home.
CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by Kiddush at noon;
Bat Mitzvah Peyton Taylor Blake, daughter of Denise and Chris Blake, will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Temple Israel. Peyton is an eighth-grade student at Bennington Jr/Sr School. She has received a Girl Scout Bronze Award for community service. Her interests include playing the clarinet in band, being in choir, and girl scouts. She runs cross country and plays soccer for the Bennington Hurricanes. For her mitzvah project, Peyton volunteered with the Nebraska Humane Society and HETRA. For the Nebraska Humane Society, she helped with the Spring agility trials for adopted dogs. For HETRA, she worked with horse trainers who offer therapeutic riding to people with disabilities. She has a sister, McKenna. Grandparents are Marian and Max Groussman, Bonnie and Gary Blake, and Michele Hamilton.
Simchat Torah Celebration, 11 a.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 8:30 a.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office. WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak. THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at mzcohen@unmc.edu. All programs are open to the entire community.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis. FRIDAY: Informal Pizza Dinner, 5:15 p.m. RSVP needed so we know how much pizza to order; Simchat Torah Celebration, 6 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Karen Coulter. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Bereshit; Game Night/Potluck, 6 p.m. All ages welcome. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High Lite and Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.noon at Tifereth Israel.; LJCS Spaghetti Dinner, noon; 130th Anniversary Special Event with Dr. Oliver Pollak, 3 p.m. at SST. TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at Art & Soul; Star City Kochavim Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes, 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel; Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:30 p.m. ADULT EDUCATION TUESDAY: Intro to Judaism, 6:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Lewis.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road | Offutt AFB, NE 68123 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 FRIDAY: Simchat Torah Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg. SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the commu-
Candlelighting Friday, October 17, 6:22 p.m. nity are invited to attend.
TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel and Cantor Shermet. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Joey Kirshenbaum, son of Nikki and Adam Kirshenbaum will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah. SUNDAY: No Religious School TUESDAY: Mah Jongg Mavens are Back!, 7 p.m. They invite anyone who is interested in coming for lessons and tips. Bring friends or make new friends (men welcome too!). $45 per person, includes a 2014 Mah Jongg card. Contact the Temple Israel office to RSVP, 402.556.6536. WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6 p.m.; Family Night, 6 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Torah from the Beginning: Why Torah? Who wrote it? What is my Torah?, 6:30 p.m. with Rabbi Josh Brown and Dan Gilbert. THURSDAY: Music in Transition, 10 a.m. with Cantor Shermet; Candidates for Governor Forum, 7 p.m. (see full story on page 5). Tot Shabbat, Saturday, Oct. 25, 9 a.m. Please contact the Temple Israel office, 402-556-6536 or RSVP@templeisraelomaha.com, to let us know you are coming. OTYG Haunted Havdalah, Sunday, Oct. 26, 4:30-8:30 p.m. at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch. Cost is $15. Please RSVP to Nikki Flatowicz by Friday, Oct. 24.
TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. FRIDAY: The office will be closed; Simchat Torah Service, 8:30 a.m.; Services, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a special Kiddush luncheon sponsored by Toni and Steve Goodman. Everyone is encouraged to come and visit and catch up with the family! SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Tifereth Israel; Hallah High Lite and Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.noon at Tifereth Israel; LJCS Spaghetti Dinner, noon. TUESDAY: Ladies Lunch Group, noon at Art & Soul. Please contact Stephanie Dohner wtih any questions. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew classes, 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Bless the Animals Shabbat Potluck Dinner, Friday, Oct. 24, at the home of Karen and Seth Harris. Please RSVP to Nava in the office no later than Oct. 21.
Joy and Kindness by RABBI ARI DEMBITZER Interim Associate Rabbi, Beth Israel Synagogue Chag Sameach! I am Rabbi Ari Dembitzer, currently the interim rabbi for Beth Israel. I am delighted and honored to be a part of this wonderful Omaha Jewish community. For the past 13 years I have had the opportunity to serve as the High Holiday chazzan for Beth Israel. My fondness for the people here has led me to refer to the community not as Omaha; rather as “Home-aha” for the warmth and welcome I have always received. As the final days of the chagim are here, we each need to remind ourselves to internalize the many messages the holidays had to share. We spend much of the High Holidays intensely working on ourselves in a more serious manner. Sometimes the guilt and heaviness of our mistakes can cause us to lose trust in ourselves and in the world. Along the way we may forget about the beauty found in the world. We then reach Sukkot which has one of my favorite messages. The fundamental mitzvah of Sukkot is that of joy or “vesamachta bchagecha”. During the days of Sukkot we took fruits and waved them in the air. We rejoiced with G-d’s cre-
ations. We sat with friends and family in the sukka, without the protection and security of the steady walls of our homes protecting us. We sat in nature, we trusted the world. The holidays are now nearly concluded with the marvelous joy of Simchat Torah. We sing, dance and celebrate the Torah which binds everyone together in our wonderful faith. When dancing with the Torah, we are each given a very personal connection to G-d, experiencing the perfect “high” to conclude the High Holidays with such joy and happiness. In addition to the work for Beth Israel, I have the privilege of running a summer camp called Camp Simcha. Camp Simcha is for children with cancer and different chronic illness, under the umbrella organization called Chai Lifeline. We provide a happy and magical environment for these children so they can confront their challenges with increased strength and willpower. These children have taught me so much over the years and I have come to realize that they are often much happier than most of us. Somehow their strength and faith overshadows their disability and illness. They Continued on page 11
Pulverent e
October 17, 2014 | The Jewish Press | 11
Penn State students sentenced for vandalizing Jewish frat by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Two Penn State students who pleaded guilty to spray-painting anti-Semitic graffiti on a mostly Jewish fraternity house were sentenced to community service and probation. Eric Hyland, 20, was sentenced last week in Centre County Court to 200 hours of community service and two years probation, and ordered to pay $6,000 restitution. Last month, Hayden Grom was sentenced to 300 hours of community service and two years probation. Last November, Hyland and Grom spray-painted swastikas and anti-Semitic words and images on the Beta Sigma Beta fraternity building, on cars parked outside the house and on a dumpster. Their actions were captured on security cameras. The students were charged with ethnic
Academics oppose Israel boycott by JTA NEWS STAFF (JTA) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; More than 1,350 academics from around the world have signed a petition opposing faculty or student boycotts of Israel. The online petition of the Faculty for Academic Freedom was posted last week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We, the undersigned academics, vigorously support free speech and free debate but we oppose faculty or student boycotts of Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s academic institutions, scholars and students,â&#x20AC;? the introduction to the petition reads. Academics from colleges and universities in countries such as France, Britain, the Netherlands and Russia, as well as the United States and Israel, have signed the petition. An academic boycott â&#x20AC;&#x153;violates the very principle of academic freedom,â&#x20AC;? the petition says. It also states, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The factual record does not support the accusations and narratives of the BDS movement. Many are based on overstatements, cherry picked evidence, outright falsehood, or on disputed or highly biased data.â&#x20AC;? The boycott also harms prospects for the peace it is calling for, according to the petition. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By demonizing and seeking to isolate one of the two parties to the peace process, the anti-Israel BDS movement sets itself apart from the global consensus for peace,â&#x20AC;? the petition says. A petition endorsing a boycott of Israel and its academic institutions has been signed by more than 800 anthropologists from around the world. It was posted Oct. 1 on the website jadaliyya.com.
To Submit obituaries to the Jewish Press: Email to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; fax to 402.334.5422, or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154, or online at the Jewish Federation of Omaha website: www.jewishomaha.org. Click on Jewish Press and go to Submit Announcements.
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Introducing: the Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Room A new support group for men who are currently fighting cancer will meet every third Wednesday of the month from 5-7 p.m. There will be opportunity to ask questions about a variety of cancer-related topics. While there will be no specific medical advice (for that, you must talk to your doctor) the group will provide participants with a safe environment in which to share their personal experiences. Location of the next meeting, which will be held Nov. 19, is Clancyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pub at 114th St. in the Miracle Hills shopping Center. There will be games and door prizes. For more information, please call Connie Stillwell at 402.333.6460.
Joy and Kindness Continued from page 10 teach us how to be happy and how to put a â&#x20AC;&#x153;highâ&#x20AC;? in our days. This year, my Beth Israel family and my Camp Simcha family actually crossed paths. Chai Lifeline/Camp Simcha is supported by communities and individuals throughout the world who are passionate about our cause. This past summer, the children of Liat and Gary Shyken â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Shmuel Aaron, Aviva, Batsheva, Eliezer, Aliza and Yehuda â&#x20AC;&#x201C; set up a lemonade stand. Standing in the sweltering heat, they sold ice cold, homemade lemonade to thirsty passersby. The proceeds of their sales were then donated to Chai Lifeline/Camp Simcha, supporting the wonderful work of the organization. They found a marvelous way to continue the â&#x20AC;&#x153;joyâ&#x20AC;? and theâ&#x20AC;?highâ&#x20AC;? they experienced during last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s High Holidays. As leader of the congregation, I am so proud of their efforts on behalf of children less fortunate than themselves. May we all take the message of the Shyken family to heart as we celebrate these final days with joy. The path to true happiness is through making others happy, helping provide the â&#x20AC;&#x153;highâ&#x20AC;? for both others and ourselves. Chag Sameach!
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Tensions rise in eastern Jerusalem neighborhood after 200 Jews move in by BEN SALES attractions draw about a half-million visitors a year to barricade. One Jewish resident told JTA that the City of JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Jewish and Arab residents of the Silwan. David’s management instructed residents not to speak to the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan disagree on whether the Since 1991, the organization has purchased or built resi- press. neighborhood is historically Jewish or Arab. They disagree dential units for hundreds of Jews in Silwan. Elad is also “I feel like a stranger here,” said Ahmed Karain, a convenabout whether Israeli Jews should be living there. They even hoping to build a multi-story visitors center on the site of a ience-store owner whose family has lived in the neighbordisagree on what to call one of the main streets in the neigh- parking lot purchased a decade ago from Arabs. After the hood for four generations. “What do we have? What servicborhood, a predominantly Arab area just outside the walls of purchase, archaeologists discovered millennia-old archaeo- es do we get? The city abandons us.” the Old City. The Jewish population growth in Silwan is part The approximately 50,000 Arab residents of of a larger Jewish expansion in eastern Jerusalem. Silwan call it Wadi Hilweh Street, after one of the Last week, a project to build more than 2,000 neighborhood’s districts. The 700 or so Jewish housing units in the Givat Hamatos neighborresidents call it Maalot Ir David Street, or “Ascent hood was sharply condemned by the United to the City of David Street,” after the adjacent States and the European Union, both of which archaeological site containing remains of King described the move as harmful to peace David’s Jerusalem. prospects. The dispute over the street name is emblemat“They’re looking to enhance Israeli control of ic of tensions that have existed here since Jews this area,” said Yehudit Oppenheimer, executive first began acquiring property in the neighbordirector of Ir Amim, a nongovernmental organihood more than 20 years ago. But they rose sigzation that advocates for Arab Jerusalemites. nificantly last week after about 200 Jews moved “They are using archaeology for this. Through into 25 apartments in Silwan in the middle of the their activities they want to change the character night. of Silwan and to prevent a diplomatic solution To some Silwan Arabs, the new arrivals are regarding Jerusalem.” infiltrators who disturb the peace with private Orenstein said Elad was not involved in the security guards and aim to deprive Silwan of its purchase of the most recent 25 apartments, Arab character. The Jewish residents see the the which were bought by a company called Kendall neighborhood as a historically Jewish area and Finance. Elad only advised Kendall on how best see no reason why Jews should be restricted from to move tenants into the apartments, Orenstein living there. said, and suggested that residents move in the Israel Border Police confronting a Palestinian man in the Silwan neighborhood of “We’re talking about an area that has tremenmiddle of the night because the move could proeastern Jerusalem where Jews moved into 25 apartments in the middle of the night, dous significance to billions of people all over the voke altercations with local Arabs. Credit: Sliman Khader/Flash90 Sept. 30, 2014. world,” said Zeev Orenstein, the director of interArab residents have contested the legality of national affairs for Elad, the Israeli NGO responsible for logical remains there. some of the sales, and a 2009 report by Ir Amim, citing court much of Silwan’s Jewish population growth. “It’s a place of Orenstein said Jews and Arabs mostly coexist peacefully documents, alleged that Elad acquired property in Silwan identity, of meaning, of faith. For that reason, I would expect in Silwan. Hebrew and Arabic conversation can be heard that was declared absentee property based on false deposipeople to say it’s natural, in Jerusalem, the capital of the State from the windows of adjacent apartments in a quiet section tions. Orenstein said Elad “works with the full accordance of of Israel, that if a person wants to live in this area and has the of the neighborhood that intersects with the archaeological the law.” means to legally purchase a property, that’s something that park. “We look forward to the day where you can move into the should be respected.” But signs of tension aren’t hard to find. Streets are dotted apartment you purchased in the middle of the day,” Elad runs the City of David archaeological park, which with security cameras and a private security company, paid Orenstein said. “Right now, unfortunately, there are extremexhibits the remains of King David’s palace, as well as an for by Israel’s Housing Ministry, conducts patrols. An ists who seek to make an issue of Arabs and Jews living underground tunnel once used to transport water. These Israeli-owned parking lot nearby is shut off behind a metal together.”
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