October 18, 2019 by Jewish Press

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Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus Transformation Project Page a12

Artist feature: Benjamin Kushner Page B1

Visiting artist brings Jewish Pop Art to Omaha Page C1

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Symposium on Jews and Gender

LEonaRD GREEnSPoon Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization, Creighton University his year’s Symposium presenters come from as far away as Israel and as close as Omaha. They teach at a variety of academic institutions from large public universities to small liberal arts colleges. Some are graduate students; others senior professors. What brings them all together is their knowledge of and enthusiasm for the topic of this fall’s 32nd Annual Symposium on Jewish Civilization, Jews and Gender: Tradition and Change. This event will take place on Sunday, Oct. 27, and Monday, Oct. 28. With three venues—University of Nebraska at Omaha on Sunday morning, the Jewish Community Center of Omaha Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus on Sunday afternoon and evening, and Creighton University on Monday morning and afternoon—there are ample opportunities for members of the Jewish community to hear and interact with scholars from throughout the world. (A complete program of Symposium activities will appear as an insert in next week’s Jewish Press.) Two of the presentations place primary emphasis on the Hebrew Bible and the ancient world. Jay Caballero, University of Texas at Austin, will speak about An Ironic, Subversively Feminist Reading of the Daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers 27 and 36. The biblical book of Numbers, in chapters 27 and 36, recounts the request by Zelophehad’s daughter to receive his inheritance, since he left no sons. In Caballero’s view, the priestly author of this material intended these two accounts as an ironic commentary on male leadership. Such an interpretation constitutes a new feminist reading. The title of the presentation by Cynthia Shafer-Elliott, William Jessup University, is The Heroines of Every Day Life: Ancient Israelite Women in Context. Schafer-Elliott begins by observing that the Hebrew Bible often ignores the average ancient Israelite woman. Her presentation illustrates how archaeology can provide a glimpse into the lives of such women. Moreover, she explores how learning about the physical reality of ancient Israelite women helps us to hear their voices within the biblical text. See Klutznick Symposium page a3

Telling the story

SHIRa aBRaHaM One thing was clear to me when I moved here eight years ago: everyone has a story of how they ended up in Omaha. People were - and are - so welcoming, and were eager to share

Roni Bar Iev

Lawrence Baron

Emmanuel Bloch

Matthew Brittingham

Jay Caballero

Mara Cohen Ioannides

Jeannette Gabriel

Joel Gereboff

David Guillota

Joseph Hodes

Hannah Kehat

Gail Labovitz

Susan Marks

Samantha Pickette

their story. Stories from “native” Omahans telling their history of tradesmen and butchers who established the Jewish Community, stories of David Rosenberg who sponsored so many people and saved them from the fate of the Holocaust, to Shirley Goldstein and how she made this community a beacon for Russian Jewry. I even found comfort in that first year, talking to many young families who had grown up or lived elsewhere but had found their way home to Omaha. It seemed that no matter where we were in our own journeys, the common thread we shared was that we all came here. See Telling the story page a2

Cynthia Shafer-Elliot Margaret Gurewitz-Smith

Bemis Center Artist-in-Residence Guy Goldstein

Guy Goldstein; Freigendank (Free Thinker), 2017; Multichannel sound and video installation; 20 custom made chairs, 20 radio sets; Dimensions variable Credit: Guy Goldstein cial support, technical/administrative asGaBBy BLaIR Staff Writer, Jewish Press sistance, and opportunities for intellecFor more than three decades, Bemis tual discourse about contemporary art Center for Contemporary Arts has prothrough free public programs, such as vided artists from around the world with panel discussions, lectures, and knowldedicated time, space, and resources to edge-sharing workshops. Nearly 900 conduct research and to create new work. artists have participated in Bemis resiAccording to Davina Schrier, Bemis dency programs.” Communications Director, Bemis Center One of this year’s newest fall resiis “frequently cited as one of the top indents is Tel Aviv based Artist and Musiternational residency programs, offering cian, Guy Goldstein. Goldstein is talking artists private live/work studios, finanSee Guy Goldstein page a4

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community

Telling the story

Continued from page 1 That is why I am so excited that the In[HEIR]itance project is working in Omaha this year: they are telling the story of how so many different people came to call Omaha “home.” The In[HEIR]itance project is a national theater group that practices an open artistic process to spark authentic community conversations about shared inheritances. It was created by two friends of mine, Jonathan Ross and Chantal Pavageaux, who created The in[heir]itance Project with the goal of making plays with interfaith and multiethnic communities around the country to democratize access to the artistic process, foster a sense of ownership of sacred texts, and expand the definition of community. In 2019 The in[heir]itance Project team has been working with the Omaha community to create an original piece of theater. I have known Jon since our days as campers at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and had known that he was working with sacred texts to drive community devised theater. When Steven and I saw him at my nephew’s Bris in New York and told him about the “Welcoming the Stranger” initiative that Beth El had done in sponsoring a family fleeing Syria, Jon started talking to us about The Exodus Plays. The in[HEIR]itance Project had already created the first Exodus Play in

Jewish Business Leaders Hall of Fame Breakfast

GAbby blAir Staff Writer, Jewish Press he Jewish Business Leaders (JBL) are pleased to announce the induction of Ted Seldin, Stanley Silverman, of blessed memory, and Seldin Company at the third annual Hall of Fame Breakfast on Wednesday Oct. 23 from 7:30-9 a.m. at the Happy Hollow Club (1701 S. 105th Street).

Harlem, utilizing the text to explore the narratives of formerly incarcerated people’s experiences returning to their lives as a story of exodus. I had connected the work we were doing as Jews to fulfill the commandment in Exodus to “welcome the stranger for you were once strangers in a strange land, too,” but I hadn’t thought about Fatima and Ahmed’s journey as their own Exodus. This slight yet significant change in my own thinking has opened my own understanding of our shared sacred texts. I think the most beautiful part of the In[HEIR]itance Project’s work in Omaha is it allows all people to share their story. Just like all those stories I heard from our community of how they got to Omaha - it is important to share those stories, and even more important

to hear these stories. What I love about this project is that it allows us to zoom out, and share multiple perspectives and to look at our city not only from our vantage point, but to look at Omaha itself as a city of refuge. To further support the refugee population, all proceeds from the performances in November will go back into our community, specifically supporting local refugee artists. In this way, The in[HEIR]itance Project work is just the beginning of yet another story, and another conversation. The goal is that we continue to share our stories of where we came from and how we got here. To hear the stories of our neighbors, and even of strangers, to better understand our community and our city. See telling the story page A5

An initiative of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, JBL strives to bring Omaha’s Jewish businesses together to highlight the entrepreneurs, founders and change makers in our community while creating opportunities to connect, teach and leverage relationships to build a stronger Jewish Omaha. The thoughtful investments of Seldin Company into not only the Jewish Community, but into the neighborhoods of greater Omaha, are just a few examples of what makes the Jewish Federation of Omaha and the JBL proud to name Ted Seldin, Stanley Silverman (Z’L) and the Seldin Company as the 2019 Jewish Business Leaders Hall of Fame inductees. Please join us as we celebrate this iconic homegrown Omaha business. This event is free for JBL members; $30 for non-members. Please contact Michelle Johnson to RSVP or if you would like more information on JBL membership at 402.334.6430 mjohnson@ jewishomaha.org.

The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | A3 PEOPLE WHO READ NEWSPAPERS ARE

STUDENTS WITH BETTER GRADES It all starts with Newspapers

Klutznick Symposium

Continued from page A1 Another three speakers will take the opportunity to look at Jews and Gender from the perspective of the classical rabbis: Susan Marks, New College of Florida, on betrothals; Joel Gereboff, Arizona State University, on emotions; and Emmanuel Bloch, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, on modesty. The title of Marks’s presentation is Constructing Gender Bride by Bride. As she notes, the Mishnah on betrothals begins, “By three means is the woman acquired....” Marks establishes the fact that the rabbis concerned themselves not with acquiring, but “acquiring correctly.” Through her examination of parallels in Roman law, she concludes that the rabbis intended to present a vision of acceptable gender roles and of a holy Israel to which an unacceptable partner must not be joined. Gereboff ’s presentation is titled, Gendering Emotions in Genesis Rabbah. Genesis Rabbah, a rabbinic midrash from the fifth century CE, is a commentary on the biblical book of Genesis, which it often augments by filling in background information about motivations and character traits. Among other issues in his analysis, Gereboff explores whether certain emotions are more commonly associated with female characters than with males. He also asks whether male characters are criticized for exhibiting certain emotions that are routinely identified with females. Bloch looks at The Halachic Dress Codes for Women: Sources and Significance. The Talmudic rabbis addressed the concept of Tsniut [modesty]. In contemporary Jewish religious discourse this has become a popular theme. For the first time, Tsniut is being applied as a form of dress code for women, a process Bloch characterizes as the creation of a new halachic genre. To illuminate this development, he looks at the considerable rabbinic creativity that provided some of the building blocks for these halachic dress codes. Another two Symposium participants feature developments in Chasidism and mysticism. Roni Bar lev, Shalem College, Israel, titles his presentation, Winds of Feminism in Early Chasidism. Bar lev first describes the scholarly debate over whether or not a feminist revolution, albeit hidden, took place within Chasidism that brought equality, opportunity, and new avenues in social and religious life for women. In his understanding, “Chasidic Feminism” does indeed represent an extraordinary religious phenomenon, integrating conservative religiosity side by side with a groundbreaking radical new spirituality. Margaret Gurewitz Smith is from Bellevue University. In her presentation, titled ‘Male and Female, a Single Mystery’: Sex and Gender in the Zohar, Smith focuses on the Zohar within the real-world thirteenth century communities that created and studied it. Seen from this perspective, both the Zohar and medieval Jewish society approved of sex and sexuality, while nevertheless constructing passive and minor roles for women in those relationships. Thus, the Zohar, in addition to being a mystical work, was also firmly rooted in its earthly environment. American Jews and Judaism, especially in the Midwest, are the focus of another three Symposium presentations. In Locking Up Al Levy: Jewish Masculinity in the Early Civil Rights Movement, Jeannette Gabriel, University of Nebraska at Omaha, introduces us to Levy, a Jewish soldier in World War II. He was targeted after raising concerns about the treatment of African-American soldiers at Lincoln Airbase in 1943. He was court martialed for his involvement in an entrapment case. Gabriel examines how this experience both challenged and strengthened concepts of Jewish masculinity. The presentation by Mara W. Cohen Ioannides, Missouri State University, is titled, Jewish Homesteader Memoir: A Woman’s Story. In it, she explores the three homesteading memoirs written by Jewish women in the Midwest. Cohen Ioannides explores what they teach us about how Jewish farmers, men and women, in the American hinterland both maintained and broke traditions about gender and gender roles. This in turn can inform us about the Americanization process of Jews in the Midwest. In his presentation, Matthew Brittingham, Emory University, provides a close analysis of Jewish Women and a Changing America in A. D. Oguz’s Di fraydenker (1922). Oguz, a popular Yiddish writer, was among the immigrant male Jewish writers who projected their fears and dreams about assimilation, acculturation, and social change onto immigrant

Jewish women. In this novel, Oguz focused on three immigrant families. As Brittingham demonstrates, Oguz used these family dramas to have a wider conversation about the future of Jewish identity in America. Two other Symposium speakers place special emphasis on developments within the State of Israel. Hannah Kehat, Givat Washington Academic College, Israel, titles her paper, The Gender Revolution and Judaism as a Choice. In 1998, Kehat founded “Kollech,” the leading Orthodox feminist movement in Israel. In this role, she sometimes faced the fierce opposition of the religious establishment. In response, Kehat envisions not the abandonment of the Jewish religion, but a supreme effort to reintegrate into it and to reinterpret traditional and halachic Judaism, which will contain new identities and new halachic requirements. Joseph R. Hodes, Texas Tech University, titles his presentation, Golda Meir and the Struggle for Gender Equality in Israel. In Hodes’s analysis, it took Golda Meir to actualize Zionism’s claim to offer gender equality. She was the first female minister of foreign affairs in the Western world, and in 1969 she became Israel’s first, and until now only, female prime minister. Hodes discusses how Golda Meir, through immense struggle, paved the way for women to play leadership roles in Israel, turning Zionist ideals into reality. Another three presentations highlight the world of entertainment. The title of the presentation by Lawrence Baron, San Diego State University, is The Pioneering American Jewish Women Directors: From Elaine May to Claudia Weill. As an outgrowth of developments in the 1960s, significant Jewish women directors emerged in the 1970s, who imbued their films with a Jewish and/or feminist perspective. The three women Baron features had to overcome institutional sexism to direct films that challenged the gender stereotypes of Jewish women and men as they had been portrayed in mainstream American movies. Samantha Pickette, Boston University, explores ‘When You’re a Funny Girl’: Confirming and Complicating Accepted Cultural Images of Jewish Femininity in the Films of Barbra Streisand. During the height of her film career, Streisand subverted the categorization of Jewish women as entitled, unattractive, and uninteresting. Her protagonists were the heroines of their own stories and proud of being Jewish. Yet her films were ultimately conservative: each protagonist is punished for not conforming to expectations and subsequently loses “the love of her life.” In this sense, her films both challenged and upheld traditional cultural images of Jewish women. David Gillota is from University of Wisconsin, Platteville. His presentation is titled, Schlemiel Feminism: Jewish Humor and Activism on Broad City. Gillota observes that until recently nearly every famous schlemiel character was male. Female comedians are now utilizing this character to explore Jewish femininity. Gillota focuses on Abbi and Ilana, two women who identify as Jewish and feminists in the series Broad City. As schlemiels, though, they often fail to live up to their feminist ideals. For Gillota, this results in “schlemiel feminism.” Gail Labovitz is this year’s Symposium keynoter. Labovitz, Professor of Rabbinic Literature at American Jewish University in Los Angeles, has given this title to her presentation: Poskot in the Palace of Torah: A Preliminary Study of Orthodox Feminism and Halachic Process. The co-hosts of the annual Symposium on Jewish Civilization are the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University, the Kripke Center for the Study of Religion and Society 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 the Jewish Federation of Omaha and Creighton’s Committee on Lectures, Films, and Concerts. From within the Jewish community, the Ike and Roz Friedman Foundation, the Riekes Family, the Henry Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith, the Javitch family, and the Drs. Bernard H. and Bruce S. Bloom Memorial Endowment are among those who also provide generous support. For further information, contact Colleen Hastings: 402.280.2303, ColleenHastings@creighton.edu. Additional information can be viewed at http://www.creighton.edu/ klutznick.

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Guy Goldstein

Continued from page A1 part in the Bemis Center’s ‘Sound Art + Experimental Music Program’, a special track within the Residency Program for artists working in sound, composition, voice, and music of all genres, which was launched in May 2019. Goldstein will be in residence at Bemis Sept. 18–Nov. 15, 2019. As an artist-in-residence, Goldstein will receive financial, technical, and administrative support, along with dedicated facilities for rehearsing, recording, and performing. According to Schrier, “Goldstein’s Bemis Residency is in partnership with the Joslyn Art Museum in which an artist is invited to engage Omaha and the region through a long-term, two-part project. The first part comprises a two-month live/work residency at Bemis Center during which time Guy Goldstein the artist conducts research and creates new work. The second part is a solo exhibition at Joslyn Art Museum’s Riley Cap Gallery; Goldstein’s is slated for Oct. 3, 2020– Jan. 3, 2021.” While Goldstein has done residencies and shows in New York, Washington D.C. and Texas, this is his first time in the midwest. “ I find Nebraska very interesting and different from the America that I have met before. The facilities for the arts in Omaha, especially through the Bemis program, are simply amazing!” he shares. When asked how he came to be an Artist-in-Residence at Bemis Center, Goldstein explains. “After receiving The Keshet Award for Contemporary Art in Israel, I hosted a solo show at the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Arts in January of 2018. I was working with Louis Grachos, Director of The Contemporary in Austin, Texas at the time. A group of international curators came on Artist Curatorial Trip program to visit Israel and see my show at the museum. There, I met Jack Becker, Director of the Joslyn Museum and Chris Cook, Executive Director of Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. They told me about the program at the Bemis and few months later I got this wonderful offer to come for a residency and have a solo show in The Joslyn Museum a year later.” When asked about his creative plans during his residency, Goldstein shares, “I was invited for the new Sound and Experimental Music program at Bemis, meaning that whatever I create must include some aspects of sound, something easy for me as my work frequently combines sculpture, composition, sound and video. I plan to create four new pieces during my time in Omaha; two videos, one of which will combine music and Yiddish, and one installation that will examine the relationship between audio and visual senses; a theme I have been working on in recent years. As a colorblind artist, I want to explore to the term “Blindness” with all its aspects and metaphors. Especially when considering Israeli society where no community or sector sees the other... also relevant here in the States, where there is a lot of blindness to others.” Guy Goldstein shares the following on his website (guy-goldstein. com), “As both a visual artist and musician, I am fascinated by the transitions between forms - attempts to convert actions from one medium to another, specifically between the visual and sonic. The relationships between sound and image in my work are rarely linear or

teleological, and the process of transition between them is crucial, including chance or human mistake involved. I often employ a cyclical logic, in which each form is an impetus for another kind of form, as a means of investigating the mechanics and emotions of perception. In its malleable shapes, the information at the core of each piece gains

Guy Goldstein; Time Signatures, 2014; Permanent sculptures in OMI International Art Center, Sculpture Park, Ghent, NY; Corten steel. Credit: Guy Goldstein

Guy Goldstein; Theme Tonight 01, 2018; Mixed media wall installation with eight sound channels; Soundtrack: Samuel Beckett’s radio play, Words and Music (1961); Reproduced in Hebrew by Guy Goldstein, 31:07 min; Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Israel; Curator: Louis Grachos. Credit: Guy Goldstein

an essential presence, though it is no longer readable in its original format.” Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts is hosting an Open House/ Open Studios Oct. 19 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. This event is free and open to the public and complementary parking is available. The public is invited to come hear from all current Curatorial and Artists-in-Residence about their art and Bemis Residency experience, visit their studios and view their works-in-progress. Guests can also participate in an all-ages, hands-on art activity and experience the Benefit Art Auction exhibition. Java Daddies Coffee Truck and Kebobs Gyros & Brats (KGB) Food Truck will be on-site at 11 a.m. with beverages and food for purchase. For more information about Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, the Sound Art + Experimental Music Program, or for a full list of all current Artists-in-Residence, please visit: bemis center.org/sound.

Telling the story

The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | A5

Continued from page A2 One of the actors who has been helping bring these stories to life is 24-year-old Sandra was born in Iraq and came to Omaha at age 11 with her family with special refugee status. She explained to me that the special just meant that her mom worked for the US Army as a translator and so she and her family were able to come here as refugees. “What I love most about this In[HEIR]itance Project is that it involves many different parts of the community in the making the art. I have always been involved with theater production or arts projects that were more closed door, but I really enjoyed being able to share my story - my family’s story - and to share our story in a new way of storytelling.” Sandra was a part of the open rehearsals that took place in late September around Omaha, including an evening at Beth El and another at the JCC. Community members in attendance were asked to help shape the scenes, to play roles as they are being formed, to ask questions with the director and playwright in the room so the community is shaping and reshaping content in real time. After one of these sessions I asked Sandra how it felt as an actor to be portraying someone else’s refugee story. “Even though I am acting and playing someone else’s story, a lot of aspects of this play has come from my family’s story as well. Even though the path might be different, the journey is still the same.” Don and Andi Goldstein were in attendance at one of the open rehearsals. Don said, “I know my folks would have been very happy to promote something like this and we are happy to carry it on.” Supporting Human Rights has been important for the Goldsteins as a way to carry on Shirley’s legacy. The intersection of refugee stories with the text of Exodus makes it a conversation about human rights. “The whole purpose of this was to connect the Exodus project with my folks and the human rights that’s why we got involved.” Seeing the In[HEIR]itance Project team at work is to wit-

ness art being formed. They take the stories that are offered from this community and turn it into a unique piece of theater. Watching how they lead a room full of people months ago to choose one word to describe “Exodus” and another to describe “Omaha” and then seeing how those tropes were translated into scenes. Then listening to actors run through a scene and then being asked how that made me feel, what questions I had. In some way, every person who attended a workshop, a rehearsal, an informational meeting about the In[HEIR]itance Project has their fingerprints on this piece of work. It is a true reflection of the story of coming to Omaha. There will be multiple performances of the In[HEIR]itance Project play titled EXODUS: Resettlement. The truly unique artistic process that they brought to Omaha allowed the entire community to be a part of the art making. From open and honest discussions when the team was learning about Omaha, to lending voice as they shaped the play, to speaking up in open-rehearsals, the In[HEIR]itance Project allowed all of Omaha to be a part of the art making process. EXODUS: Resettlement has been created through a unique practice of open artistic process designed to spark a community conversation about refugee narratives, past and present, in Omaha. In[HEIR]itance Project artists have spent the year working with local artists in and out of the refugee community to devise an original play examining the intersections of refugee experiences, Omaha’s history, airport travel and the Book of Exodus. There will be humor, grief, elation, music, dance, and you will be invited to check your baggage at the door. Please note that all box office proceeds to go establish a new grant for refugee artists in Omaha in partnership with Lutheran Family Services Friday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m. at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Sunday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m. at Beth El Synagogue Monday, Nov. 18, 7 p.m. at the Union for Contemporary Art Tuesday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m. at the Union for Contemporary Art Saturday, Nov. 23, 2 p.m. at the Holland Center Saturday, Nov. 23, 7 p.m. at the Holland Center Tickets can be purchased at https://inheiritance.org/ blog/tickets-exodus-resettlement/.

community Jewish Family Service presents and Friedel Jewish Academy hosts...

KAren GustAfson JFS Executive Director ewish Family Service and Friedel Jewish Academy will cohost a program for children 8-12 and their parents, “Building Resilience and the importance of Mindfulness.” Emotional Resilience is one of the greatest indicators of how successful a child will become. We will present the importance of promoting resilience in the early years, the characteristics of a resilient child and protective factors that parents can help instill in their children. We will do an age appropriate mindfulness activity to teach the important concept and will take inspiration from Ashley Spires’ The Most Magnificent Thing, a book about a girl illustrating a child who struggles through a project, wants to quit but ultimately perseveres. Every registered child (8-12) will go home with a copy of the book. Program will be held on thursday, nov. 7 from 6-7:30 p.m. A pizza dinner will be served and babysitting for children younger than 8 is available if reserved ahead of time. The deadline to sign up for the class, the book, dinner and babysitting is on Oct. 31 (so that we can plan accordingly for all resources). To register your family, please call Jewish Family Service at 402.330.2024. This program is a part of our two-year Suicide Prevention programming thanks to a grant from The Dennis Shuman Charitable Foundation.

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A6 | The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019

Above and below: JYE participants at Beth Israel made siddur pointers for Yom Kippur and Sukkot for Sukkot.

Above and below: Shlicha Ron Lugasyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Israeli cooking class regularly brings community members together in the Beth Israel Kitchen.

Above: Never a dull moment at Friedel Jewish Academy; students have the opportunity to practice their chess moves.

Right and below: Residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home enjoyed one of the last hot summer days with music and an ice cream truck during a street party in the JCC parking lot.

SP O TLIGHT PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a photo of a recent Jewish Community event you would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.

Below: With the help of countless volunteers, the Sukkah goes up at Beth El Synagogue.

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The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | a7

the invitation

walked to the street in front of my house and opened the mailbox before I understood what I was about to receive. And I sorted and separated the ads and the political messages and the richard fellman bank statements and the bills from the one small item I wanted to read. What I wanted to read came by U.S. Mail, with an American flag stamp that said “forever” instead of how much it was worth. It wasn’t electronic. Some today called it “snail mail.” But it seemed normal to me, just like what I had been receiving in the U.S. mail all my life, and I took it inside and opened it. I opened it with a silver letter opener given to my wife Bev and me as a wedding present 55 years ago, and we have used it every day since then. That letter opener isn’t old. It’s just comfortable. Before I opened it, I looked at the small envelope. It was off-white. It sort of looked like it could have been a wedding invitation, except it was about half the size of the usual wedding invitation. Inside was a small card with the sender’s name at the top, not engraved but impressed, and not with a sticker from a fundraising group sent in a mass mailing to promote a particular cause with the senders name and address on it. It simply said “Lenora” and her last name. Nothing else. The message was written in her own handwriting, and it began “Dear Dick.” The handwriting was cursive. The letters looked a lot like the old-fashioned chart that was above the blackboard in every grade school classroom I attended. Nothing was printed, nothing was underlined, and it was brief. It began “Just a note to let you know...” And that is what it was. She said she was coming to Omaha for her Central High School 60th class reunion. She referred to herself in the plural and said that “we hope you can join us for breakfast,” and she described when and where. It brought a tear to my eyes as I held her note in my hand, for she was writing about the reunion of the Central High class of 1959 and the small group of about eight “girls” who

were the best of friends. My deceased wife was part of that group. I knew well the other seven, no longer “girls” except to themselves, for they were now all about 78 years old, give or take a few months. I suppose it was what was once called a “clique.” Though that word, just like the letter itself, has probably gone a bit out of style. I kept looking at the letter, holding it in my hand, and thinking to myself, “Certainly, I’ll write her, no I’ll call her, maybe I should email her, and I’ll thank her and say yes, for sure, I’ll meet you for breakfast when you are in Omaha for your reunion.” And I did. Three couples were there, and one woman was alone. The men who were at the table were either bald or balding or had gray hair, but none of the women were gray at all. If I didn’t know better I would have thought something went haywire in the “x and y” gene that controlled their hair color, but I did know better. Sitting at the table my mind began a sort of analysis. Two of the eight woman had died. Two had lost their husbands by death and one by divorce. Two had either remarried or found a partner. Each had children and grandchildren. They had all “married well.” That last statement would have been used to describe their marital unions back in the 60s when the marriages took place, for there were doctors and lawyers, engineers and architects, and accountants as well as proprietors of family businesses among the husbands. None of the women in this group had similar levels of education, since women of their generation were expected to marry and have children, or become teachers or nurses or secretaries, but each of the women in the group could speak of their own daughters and granddaughters obtaining advanced degrees and entering upscale occupations. At the table there was storytelling, and reminiscing, and laughing, and, “Do-you-remembers” galore. I was happy to be with them and thankful that they had invited me. But I couldn’t help wondering what Bev would have been like if she were still alive and having breakfast that morning with her friends from high school. But I didn’t say that to anyone there. And at the end they didn’t even let me buy my own breakfast or pay for any of theirs.

marcy oster JTA A backpack was set alight and left on the steps of a Jewish center in Brooklyn on Yom Kippur. The burning backpack on the steps of the Park Slope Jewish Center was reported at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, the New York Post reported. The New York City Fire Department extinguished the blaze. An unidentified man was seen rummaging through the backpack and setting it on fire, the Post reported citing police sources. A New York Police Department spokeswoman told the newspaper that the incident was consid-

ered a “non-bias incident” and that the Arson and Explosion Squad is investigating. Police throughout New York had increased patrols around synagogues for the Yom Kippur holiday. In addition to the incident in Brooklyn, stickers and posters described as hateful and anti-Semitic were discovered at a Holocaust memorial in suburban New York on the eve of Yom Kippur. The material was found Tuesday at the Holocaust Garden of Remembrance in White Plains, in Westchester County. Writing described as anti-Semitic also was found on a sign outside the garden and inside the park as well, WABC-TV reported.

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Backpack set alight on steps of Jewish center in Brooklyn over Yom Kippur

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Unicameral sen. adam morfeld (District 46), the executive director and founder of a nonprofit organization, Nebraskans for Civic Reform on keeping elections free on Wednesday, oct. 23, noon. For more information or to be placed on the email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@jewishomaha.org.

T im Walkoe Comedian Comedian •• Musician Musician •• Woodstock Woodstock Survivor Survivor O u r f i r s t s h o w a t S t e r l i n g R i d g e. Join us for a FREE Comedy Show starring Tim Walkoe, Grand Prize Winner of ABC TV’s America’s Funniest People. This quick-witted comedian & musician will make you think as hard as you laugh! Free refreshments afterwards.

S u n d a y, O c t o b e r 2 0 , 2 0 1 9 / 1 : 3 0 - 3 p m The Heritage at Sterling Ridge 1111 Sterling Ridge Drive, Omaha, NE 68144

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A8 | The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019

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(Founded in 1920) Abby Kutler President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Susan Bernard Advertising Executive lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Staff Writer

Jewish Press Board Abigail Kutler, President; Eric Dunning, Ex-Officio; Danni Christensen, Candice Friedman, Bracha Goldsweig, Jill Idelman, Andy Isaacson, Natasha Kraft, Andrew Miller, Eric Shapiro, Shoshy Susman and Amy Tipp. The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Life, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: wwwjewishomaha.org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishom aha.org. letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jew ishomaha.org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de Kamp-Wright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. 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.

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

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Setting the bar too low AnnETTE vAn dE KAMP-WRiGhT Editor, Jewish Press hether Randy Halprin deserves the death penalty is not for me to say. In December 2000, he was among a group of seven inmates who escaped a Texas prison. The crime spree that followed would leave police officer Aubrey Hawkins dead. One inmate committed suicide; the other six ended up on death row. To date, four of them have been executed; on Oct. 10 of this year, it was Halprin’s turn. Halprin, whose original conviction was for child abuse after "[breaking] a 16-month-old's arms and legs, fractur[ing] his skull and beat[ing] his face until one eye filled with blood,(Dallas News)” is not an innocent victim. “But his attorney,” Robert Wilonksy wrote in the Dallas Morning News, “argued in recent weeks that Halprin, who was raised Jewish in Arlington's Congregation Beth Shalom, was sentenced to death by a bigoted judge whose "anti-Semitic views of Mr. Halprin created an unconstitutional risk of bias." The question is not what Halprin deserves, it is what the Texas justice system deserves—and by extension, all of us. More than what Vickers Cunningham (he is no longer a judge) has to offer, that’s for sure. Cunningham, who unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for Dallas County Commissioner in 2018, has quite the track record when it comes to bias. He set up a trust fund for his children, stipulating they only get money if they marry white, Christian and straight. A 2006 campaign worker (when he ran for D.A.)

said he described criminal cases involving black people as “Typical [N-word] Deals.” That same campaign worker said “he wanted to run for office so he could save Dallas from N***rs, Wetbacks, Jews and Dirty Catholics.” For Randy Halprin, he had additional slurs: a [G.D.] Kike, that F***ing Jew. “As the presiding judge at his 2003 trial, Cunningham

(AClU.org) Vickers Cunningham could have been a character in Misissippi Burning. It’s a terrifying thought that he spent ten years on the bench, deciding the fate of countless alleged criminals- whether innocent or guilty, every human being deserves a fair trial. Yes, even Randy Halprin. It shouldn’t matter that he is Jewish, that he was raised at congregation Beth Shalom, that perhaps he attended Hebrew school, that he might have had a Bar Mitzvah. It should not make a lick of difference- it’s his actions that should count, in life, but especially in the courtroom. Prove what he did, show the evidence; involvement in a cold-blooded murder should still be reason enough to convict someone. Yes, Halprin deserves to be in jail for the actual crime committed, not for his identity. Because here’s what is worrisome: what if it were the other way around? What if Randy Halprin was white, Protestant and had never seen the inside of a shul? What if the police officer killed had been Jewish? Or black, or Hispanic? Would that have changed the narrative, Credit: Justin Elson/Flickr Commons where Cunningham is concerned? Would knew that Halprin was Jewish: his faith came up several he have been so eager to hand down a death penalty, or times during the proceedings. On investigating further, the even a life sentence, if the tables were turned? To a racist attorneys discovered that not only was Cunningham preju- like Cunningham, is the Jew who kills a white Protestant diced against Jewish people generally, but he used antiworse than the white man who kills a Jew? Semitic slurs when talking about Halprin. Moreover, Editorials express the view of the writer and are not according to Tammy McKinney [who attends the same necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish church and moves in the same circles, ed.], ‘He took spePress Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha cial pride in the death sentences of Halprin and his co-deBoard of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a fendants because ‘they included Latinos and a Jew.’” whole.

I’m a rabbi in El Paso. Here’s how our community has started to heal after the deadly shooting

RABBi lEvi GREEnBERG “givers” by giving money to charity every day — tend school recently thanked his principal for hostEL PASO, TEXAS | JTA even a little bit. This was not an appeal for philan- ing the ARK project and shared that, until now, he After Shabbat ended on Aug. 3, I was distraught thropists to write out big checks, but for a grass- was apathetic to the rampant poverty in Juárez. to learn that my quiet hometown of El Paso had be- roots campaign to train us all to become givers. Giving charity every day changed everything, and come the site of one of the worst hate-motivated People are more influenced by the things they do he is now more compassionate and sensitive to the mass shootings in American history. I was distraught than by the knowledge they are taught. Jewish tra- plight of the less fortunate. for the victims and their families and sickened by the dition teaches that whereas big checks get big When someone becomes a giver at a young age, thought of such carnage happening so close to home. things done fast, and must certainly be appreci- it’s hard to hate others so blindly. Encouraging our Although we always hope each mass shootyouth to become givers is perhaps the closest we ing will be the last one, that evening, a mass can get to stemming the tide of such hatred. shooting took place in Dayton, Ohio, and two On Rosh Hashanah, we commemorate the creweeks later, another Texas massacre occurred ation of Adam, the first human, and the day he in Odessa, five hours away. All of this less than crowned God King of the universe, bringing four months after my nephew and two nieces this idea to the forefront of the consciousness survived the hate-motivated shooting at the of every living being and thus illustrating how Poway Chabad on the last day of Passover, and one single person can bring perfection to all 10 months after the Tree of Life shooting in creation. Pittsburgh. Each year we, his descendants, are called upon As a Chabad rabbi and fellow El Pasoan, I to follow in his path. Although the holiday obam involved in the local healing process. The servance and the mitzvah of shofar are uniquely most common and urgent question I hear Antonio Basco greets well-wishers to a public memorial for his Jewish obligations, the spirit of Rosh Hashanah when speaking with families of the victims, wife, Margie Reckard, in El Paso, Texas, Aug. 16, 2019. is relevant to all humanity. fellow El Pasoans and elected officials is, “How Reckard was one of 22 killed in the Walmart shooting in that There is no need to wait for coordinated comcity. Credit: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images munity efforts. Start the new year by affixing a do we stop this madness? Enough!” As a society, we instinctively turn to our govern- ated, encouraged and multiplied, giving frequently tzedakah box prominently in your home, and enment and law enforcement demanding answers and consistently, even in small amounts, trans- courage your family and guests to give daily (beand solutions, as if they can legislate away and up- forms us into givers, helping to ensure that caring sides for Shabbat and the holidays, when our root all hatred and evil. One local politician con- for others becomes central to our lives. charity is meant to be channeled through giving fided to me that relying on the state government Everyone should become a giver — it is within our time and attention instead of physical money). in Austin to save Texas through legislation conveys our reach. But don’t stop with your home. Install a tzedakah a convenient and unsettling falsehood: Regular citAfter sharing this concept with local community box at your workplace, in your conference or waitizens are powerless to do anything other than leaders, we started a citywide project called ARK ing room, and encourage everyone to participate. tweaking things at the ballot box. (Acts of Random Kindness), gifting plastic charity Let’s help tzedakah become the focal point of our He makes a strong point. Every human being can boxes in a shape reminiscent of Noah’s Ark to lives, demonstrating to God that we are worthy of and must participate in healing society and ensuring schoolchildren. They are encouraged to put small His trusteeship to share our means with others. that such hatred and horror does not strike again. amounts of money into their personal ARKs every Kindness is contagious. One positive action can Based on the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s deeply insight- day and, when full, to share the contents with the change the entire world for good. ful prescriptions for society, we can go a long way poor or a charitable organization. Although the Rabbi Levi Greenberg serves as associate rabbi to immunize our nation’s youth from the menace giving happens at home, ARK motivates classroom at Chabad Lubavitch of El Paso. of hatred with a few simple actions. discussions and school projects about kindness. The views and opinions expressed in this article are The Rebbe called to educate people of all ages Proving this thesis, a high school student who those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the and stages, and especially our youth, to become crosses the border daily from Juárez, Mexico, to at- views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | A9

What Bari Weiss misunderstands about America and the Jews PhOebe mALTz bOvy TORONTO | JTA There’s a reason our moment demands a book called “How To Fight Anti-Semitism,” and it’s not just anti-Semitism’s violent global resurgence. American Jews — at least the liberal, pro-Israel majority — are at risk of becoming, as New York Times columnist Bari Weiss puts it, “politically homeless.” Right-wing anti-Semitism is, Weiss grants, the more inyour-face threat to American Jews, extending from the “altright” all the way up to the Trump presidency, which in her view (and mine) has brought once-fringe views into the mainstream. The left poses a danger less due to overt anti-Semitism than from its refusal to take anti-Semitism seriously on account of Jews’ (presumed) privilege, and its wishy-washy response to radical Islam. Weiss makes the point – laughed at on progressive Twitter, perhaps, but valid all the same – that “the vast majority of Jews in the world identify as Zionists,” so anyone who’s fine with Jews as long as they’re anti-Zionist Jews is not, in fact, fine with us. Weiss’s new book was prompted by the tragic 2018 massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, her hometown, but extends into a far-reaching portrait of what she calls “a three-headed dragon—the far right, the far left, and radical Islam,” and a centrist defense of the center-left politics that Weiss believes has the potential to keep us safe. The central conceit of the book is that until 2018 – well into the Trump presidency! – Weiss had believed America loved the Jews, only to have this vision of the nation shattered. Upon further investigation, she realizes just how much antiSemitism has been floating around, from all sides, even earlier, and even in the United States. Frustratingly, she doubles down on American exceptionalism, this despite offering a persuasive case that America is not, in this area, all that exceptional. Weiss is right to describe anti-Semitism as “an ever-morphing conspiracy theory in which Jews play the starring role in spreading evil in the world.” This pinpoints how the issue with anti-Semitism isn’t a specific anti-Jewish stereotype but the notion of Jewish centrality to global affairs. Any explication of anti-Semitism needs to take into account the otherwise divergent ideologies that converge around the idea of Jews being the worst. Because anti-Semitism is shape-shifting, there’s no obviously effective strategy for opposing it. The book’s most curious sentence – “I do not think the best use of any minority’s time and attention is to focus on its haters” – makes sense in this context. For Weiss, the fight against anti-Semitism is only incidentally about Jews, but is actually about saving liberal democracy. Inasmuch as it’s about Jews, “How to Fight Anti-Semitism” is a contemporary update on the age-old genre of Jewish apologetic literature, a template that swings back to ancient history and the Middle Ages to discuss, in sympathetic if historically imprecise terms, the eternal plight of the Jews. Modern Jewish historians (and plenty of American Jews outside academia) frown on dire interpretations of the Jewish past. But increasingly, Jewish studies academics are speaking out against anti-Jewish bigotry in the language of social justice. Though Jews may argue whether its source lies on the

left or on the right, it’s become passé for American Jews to shrug off anti-Semitism as no big deal. If anything, Weiss’s optimism about America as a safe haven is the real throwback. For all her lost illusions, Weiss’s faith in America as the best place outside of Israel for Jews remains intact. Given where the Holocaust occurred, it’s understandable that many American Jews view contemporary European Jewry as mystifying in its mere existence, and that instances of European anti-Semitism merely confirm their preexisting beliefs. But Weiss’s interpretation of European – especially French – Jewish life is far more negative than is merited and at times seriously misleading. In a passage about how the United States differs from France, Weiss refers to America’s role for Jews as “a new Jerusalem,” and cites George Washington’s 1790 letter defend-

A memorial for victims of the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, October 2018. Credit: Matthew Hatcher/ SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images ing American citizenship for Jews. She doesn’t mention that French Jews gained citizenship in 1791, the founding of the modern French nation, nor that French Jews would see France as a new Jerusalem, with France the dream destination for plenty of Eastern European Jews. Instead, she again brings up the Washington letter to contrast the philosemitism of the Founding Fathers with anti-Jewish writing from Voltaire in 1771. She also ignores that for all the talk of Jews leaving France, it’s the country with the third-largest Jewish population. It’s not all terrible for French Jews. Bernard-Henri Lévy, at least, seems to be enjoying himself. While Weiss at times overstates how dangerous Europe today is for Jews, the bigger concern is her insistence on America as haven. If America has been uniquely good for the Jews, it’s been for a mix of reasons, some less savory than others. The three reasons Weiss gives — religious freedom, friendship with Israel and an absence of waves of immigrants from regions unfavorable to Jews — only tell part of the story. She acknowledges that “the greatest shame and injustice in American history was slavery,” but doesn’t see how the centrality of the black-white divide to American life has made things easier for American Jews, who by and large read as white. While anti-black racism certainly exists in Europe (much as anti-Semitism does in the States), Europe’s (roughly) equivalent other has long been Jews. Even when we Jews have been hated in America, we haven’t been most hated, which has, depressingly, been a kind of protection. As Weiss herself admits, U.S. history has been rife with antiSemitism. She traces modern American Jew-hatred from the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank to Hitler’s supporters gathering in Madison Square Garden to synagogue attacks in more recent decades. Other examples come to this reader’s mind: the

1939 turning away of Holocaust refugees on the ship M.S. St. Louis, or the genteel anti-Semitism of Harvard adding a euphemistic “character” requirement to its admissions process to keep down Jewish numbers. Weiss recalls being subject to anti-Semitic taunts as a child in Pittsburgh. I’m 36 and I remember a kindergarten classmate, in Manhattan, announcing “I don’t like Jewish.” Is America safe for Jews, or does it deserve the faint praise of “it’s at least not the land on which we were wiped out en masse?” As in, yes, there’s anti-Semitism, and yes, our institutions are and long have been protected by guards, but at least there aren’t plaques up in front of schools memorializing the children from them killed in the Holocaust, a noble gesture but nevertheless a chilling reminder of what happened right where you’re standing. That things could be worse doesn’t make them fantastic. Things go off course when Weiss draws a line between “anti-Jewish prejudice,” or what’s sometimes called casual anti-Semitism, and anti-Semitism proper, which is, as she understands it, inherently eliminationist. As I see it, anti-Semitism, like every other form of bigotry, exists on a spectrum. If you set the bar for anti-Semitism at the extreme – that is at genocide, real or attempted – you get stuck in a rut of reticence, of wondering whether something is extreme enough to call out. Just as not every racist is looking to reinstate slavery, not every anti-Semite wants Jews dead. In any event, I suspect it’s her belief in a distinction in nature rather than degree between genuine anti-Semitism and mere anti-Jewish bigotry that leads Weiss to an overly upbeat interpretation of American Jewish safety, past and present. Weiss’s practical advice on fighting anti-Semitism comes at the end, and is not far off from what Jean-Paul Sartre suggested in the 1940s: Jewish authenticity, or in Weiss’s framing, positivity. “What is more attractive than people confident in themselves, grateful for their historical legacy, and proud of their culture?” she writes. There’s certainly value in having a positive Jewish identity. But I don’t think likability enters into it. As Weiss herself explains, anti-Semitism is “a shape-shifting worldview that slithers away just as you think you have it pinned down.” If anything, the book’s enumeration of terrible fates that Jews keep meeting — along with its clear illustration of the current political isolation of many Jews — reminds how far the myth of Jewish power is from the truth. Actual Jewish people are powerless relative to The Jews, the fraught symbol. The abstract ideas others decide we represent fall in and out of favor, and we’re either held up as model minorities or collateral. Rather than correcting anti-Semites’ abstract notions of who the Jews are with different ones, better to unlink Jews from The Jews entirely. Better to just stop using Jews as symbols, period. Phoebe Maltz Bovy is the author of "The Perils of 'Privilege'" and holds a doctorate in French and French Studies from NYU. 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. This article was edited for length, ed.

a10 | The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019

synagogues B’nai iSrael Synagogue

618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 712.322.4705

BeTh el Synagogue

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

BeTh iSrael Synagogue

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

ChaBad houSe

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

CongregaTion B’nai jeShurun

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

offuTT air forCe BaSe

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

roSe Blumkin jewiSh home

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154

Temple iSrael

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive Omaha, NE 68144-1206 402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com

TifereTh iSrael

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

B’nai iSrael Synagogue

Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on friday, nov. 8, 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker Steven Wees. Our service leader is Larry Blass, and as always, an Oneg wil follow service. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel! For information on our historic synagogue, contact any of our board members: Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Howard Kutler, Carole Lainof, Wayne Lainof, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf, or email nancywolf16620@gmail.com. Handicap Accessible.

BeTh el Synagogue

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. friday: Sukkot Day 5; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SaTurday: Sukkot Day 6; Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. Yizkor following Torah Service; Shabbat’s Cool (Grades K-7), 10 a.m.; BESTT Shul-In (Grades 3-7), 12:15 p.m.; Sukkah Schmooze, 8:30 p.m. at the Krausmans. weekday SerViCeS: Sundays, 9:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. Sunday: No BESTT School — Stay at home Sunday; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; BESTT Shul-In (Grades 3-7), 10:30 a.m. end time. monday: Shmini Atzeret Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Simchat Torah Celebration, 5:30 p.m.; SimTot Torah, 5:30 p.m. TueSday: Simchat Torah Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. wedneSday: BESTT Classes (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; Ethics of Juvenile Solitary Confinement, 6 p.m.; Teen Israel Trip Meeting (Grades 11-12), 6 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 812), 6:30 p.m.; Beit Midrash Opening Celebration, 7:30 p.m. at the JCC. ThurSday: Brachot and Breakfast, 7 a.m. NE AIDS Coaltion Lunch, friday, oct. 25, 11:30 a.m.– offsite. Joan Marcus serves lunch once a month at the Nebraska AIDS Project, and she needs baked goods for dessert. Contact Joan if you can help by donating baked goods. Kadima Kinnus (Grades 6-8), friday-Sunday, oct. 25-27. Mahjong, Tuesday, oct. 29, 1-3 p.m. We are pleased to have a Mahjong group come to Beth El on Tuesday afternoons. If your Mahjong group is interested in joining the fun, contact Beth El at 402.492.8550.

BeTh iSrael Synagogue

Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer friday: Shacharit, 6:45 a.m.; Mincha/Candle Lighting, 6:21 p.m. SaTurday: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bat Mitzvah of Shalom Beneda; Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion, 5:15 p.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 6 p.m.; Havdalah, 7:20 p.m. Sunday: Hoshanah Rabbah; Shacharit, 9 am.; JYE BI — Succah Hop, 10 am.; Mincha/Candlelighting, 6:20 p.m. monday: Office Closed — Shmini Atzeret — Yizkor; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:20 p.m.; Candlelighting, 7:17 p.m. TueSday: Office Closed — Simchat Torah; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; October Simcha Kiddush, 11 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:20 p.m.; Havdalah, 7:15 p.m. wedneSday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 6:20 p.m. at RBJH; Board of Commissioners Meeting, 7 p.m. ThurSday: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Connecting with Our Faith, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:20 p.m. at RBJH.

ChaBad houSe

Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. friday: Shacharit, 8 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing; Candle Lighting, 6:21 p.m. SaTurday: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Shabbat Ends at 7:18 p.m. weekdayS: Shacharit, 7 a.m. followed by coffee, treats, study and shmoozing. Sunday: Service, 8:30 a.m.; Sunday Secrets, 9:15 p.m. following Minyan; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6 p.m. followed by Rocking Hakafot Celebration — A Torah celebration for all ages; Candle Lighting, 6:18 p.m. monday: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.; Yizkor, 11 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:30 p.m. followed by Kiddush and Hakafot; Candle Lighting after, 7:16 p.m. TueSday: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush

and Hakafot; Holiday Ends, 7:14 p.m. wedneSday: Mystical Thinking, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Introduction to Reading Hebrew, 10:30 a.m. ThurSday: Intermediate Hebrew Reading and Prayer, 11 a.m.; Talmud Class, noon with Rabbi Katzman. All programs are open to the entire community. For more information call 402.330.1800 or visit www.ochabad.com.

CongregaTion B’nai jeShurun

Services conducted by Rabbi Teri Appleby. friday: Erev Shabbat Service, 6:30 p.m.; Oneg, 7:30 p.m.; Candlelighting, 6:23 p.m. SaTurday: Daniel Harris Bar Mitzvah, 9:30 a.m. at Tifereth Israel followed by a Kiddush luncheon sponsored by Seth Harris and Karen Gilbert.— No Services or Torah Study at Temple; Sukkah Crawl begins, 4 p.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 7:51 p.m. Sunday: No LJCS Classes; Adult Hebrew Prayer Class, 11:30 a.m.; Board of Trustees Meeting, 1:30 p.m.; Feeding the Kids at F Street Rec Center, 2:30 p.m. For more information, contact Aimee Hyten at aimee.hyten@gmail.com. monday: Shemini Atzeret; Candlelighting, 7:40 p.m. TueSday: Simchat Torah; Havdalah (72 minutes), 7:47 p.m. wedneSday: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. at TI. Movie Night! The Black Cat & The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Saturday, oct. 26, 6:30 p.m. We’ll provide the popcorn and you provide the riffs. Awww...Meatloaf again?!

offuTT air forCe BaSe

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

roSe Blumkin jewiSh home

SaTurday: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Alan Shulewitz. Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

Temple iSrael

friday: Tot Shabbat, 5:45 p.m.; Shabbat Evening Service, 6 p.m. SaTurday: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Sunday: Erev Simchat Torah Service and Consecration, 6 p.m. Join us in celebrating our kindergarteners as they begin their Youth Learning Programs education. The children will receive a blessing from clergy and join in parading the Torah scrolls around the Community Court. As in past years, there will be music provided by Tuffy Epstein and dancing with our Torah scrolls. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and ice cream will be served. Please note: Grades PreK-6 will be meeting at 4:30 p.m. in lieu of morning classes. monday: Simchat Torah Service and Yizkor, 10:30 a.m. wedneSday: More Than a Joke - A Tri-Faith Symposium God for Grownups: Modern Theologies for Modern Believers (and Skeptics Too), Lunch-and-Learn, noon at Countryside Community Church; Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; Community Dinner, 6 p.m. Menu: taco bar, fruit salad, dessert. Wednesday night dinners are open to the entire community! If you have a child in our Wednesday learning programs, there

will be no cost for your family’s dinner. Cost is $4 per adult and $3 per child (12 and under), which will be billed to your account. Please RSVP to Temple Israel the Monday before; Grades 7-12, 6-8 p.m.; Community Beit Midrash Opening Celebration & Panel Discussion: Giving Jewishly, 7:30 p.m. at the JCC. ThurSday: The Israel Forum, 10-11:30 a.m. Israel native Ron Lugasy, a former IDF soldier now in her second year as the sh’lichah to the Omaha Jewish community, will guide us in conversation about current events, art, music, culture, politics, social dynamics, and other issues pertaining to modern Israel and Jewish life inside and beyond the Jewish state. Pop-Up with Tish this Fall!, friday, oct. 25, 7 p.m. Join other Temple Israel young adults for a Shabbat dinner at Mayne Street Market. Cost is $18 per person or $30 per pair (couple or friends) and includes a festive Shabbat meal, dessert, unlimited wine, and specialty cocktail! Save the date to enjoy this kids-free evening! Tish is a group for Temple-ish people who are 30-ish and 40-ish, single-ish or married-ish, Jewish and Jew-ish. RSVP online: tinyurl.com/popupTish Rosh Chodesh: Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation with Margot Anderson, Tuesday, nov. 5, 6:30 p.m. Hosted by Shelly Fox. Jewish Mindfulness invites us to look inside ourselves, see how the ancient stories of Torah speak to our hearts today, and reflect on Jewish values so we can transform to become our highest self. Lech L’cha is the first time our ancestral “great-grandparents” Abraham and Sarah leave everything they know. It is the first leap of faith. They must go inward first to discern what they are seeing and hearing before they decide what to do. How do we find the courage and strength to know when it is time to change our lives? What processes to we go through as we make major life decisions? How can we remove obstacles such as fear and anxiety when faced with change? Margot Andersen, MSW is passionate about cultivating resilience and spirituality in others. She received her Masters in Social Work from Loyola University. She is a certified Jewish Mindfulness and Meditation teacher through the Institute of Jewish Spirituality and Orot.

TifereTh iSrael

Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: monday-friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. friday: daniel harris Bar mitzvah — Pre-Neg, 6:30 p.m. followed by Kabbalat Service; Candlelighting, 6:33 p.m. SaTurday: daniel harris Bar mitzvah — Shabbat Morning service, 9:30 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon sponsored by Seth Harris and Karen Gilbert; Junior Congregation, 11 a.m. followed by a snack; Havdalah (72 minutes), 7:32 p.m. Sunday: No LJCS Classes. monday: Office Closed; Morning Service, 10 a.m.; Yizkor, 11 a.m.; Erev Simchat Torah, 6:30 p.m.; Congregation and PJ Library "What's the Scoop" Simchat Torah Celebration, 6:30 p.m. March, Dance and Sing with the Torahs. TueSday: Office Closed. wedneSday: LJCS Hebrew School, 4 p.m. at TI

Card of ThankS

Thanks and hugs to all for the cards, calls, treats and flowers, and for being so special. Tevee Turkel

Games People Play stylish event at Beth Israel janeT kohl Beth Israel Synagogue’s Annual Sisterhood Donor Luncheon, Silent Auction and Style Show is Sunday, Nov. 3 at 11:30 a.m. Make your reservations now to enjoy a delicious luncheon, get a sneak peek at fall fashions provided by Von Maur and bid on fabulous items at the silent auction. You also can try your luck at winning $500 in cash by purchasing $10 raﬄe tickets. “You don’t have to be present to win the $500,” says Bette Kozlen, who is co-chairing the event with Helene Shrago. “So if you are unable to attend, don’t forget to purchase a raﬄe ticket ahead of time.”

All members of the community are welcome, as well as their friends and family. Gentlemen are welcome too. e event raises funds for Beth Israel Sisterhood projects, and attendees are encouraged to be donors in the $36, $54, $72 or $108 category, all of which include lunch. Lunch tickets alone may be purchased for $20 each. e menu includes blintz souﬄé, tuna nicoise, fresh fruit, desserts and beverages. Make your reservations by calling the synagogue oﬃce at 402.556.6288 or emailing executiveasst@ortho doxomaha.org. Deadline for reservations is Oct. 23. Beth Israel is located at 12604 Pacific Street.

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

The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | a11

lifecycles in memoriam

felicia schrier

Felicia Schrier passed away on Oct. 10 at age 80. Private family services were held. She was preceded in death by her daughter Jill Folsom, and sister-inlaw, Marlene Landy. She is survived by her husband Stanley Schrier, son and daughter-inlaw, Jeffrey Schrier and Jill Yechout, daughter and son-in-law, Julie and Bennett Ginsberg, and son-in-law Jim Folsom; brother and sister-in-law, Harry and Judy Friedman, brother-in-law, Dick Landy; grandchildren: Isaiah Schrier, Ian Schrier, Elias Ginsberg, Eden Ginsberg, Adam Folsom, Alec Folsom; many cousins, and her beloved dog, Princeton. Felicia was an devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She was extremely dedicated to her family and committed to local charities, such as the Food Bank.

Jewish man slapped and called ‘dirty Jew’ in Brooklyn

marcy oster JTA A Jewish man was slapped in the face and called a “dirty Jew” in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. e incident took place on Saturday aernoon. e Jewish man was attacked by a black male riding a bicycle. He crossed in front of the Jewish man on his bike, slapped him and said “you dirty Jew,” COL Live reported. e Jewish man immediately reported the incident at a local police precinct. e incident is being investigated as a hate crime, police told the news outlet. On Friday night in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, occupants of a car threw eggs at two Jewish men walking in the area. e NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident, e Yeshiva World News reported. The news website reported that there are nearly two dozen extra police oﬃcers patrolling the streets in the neighborhood. During the same weekend, the doors of a synagogue in Grand Rapids, Michigan were plastered with posters described by police as anti-Semitic. Rabbi Michael Schadick of Temple Emanuel discovered the posters on Sunday morning, prior to the start of Sunday School at the synagogue. Local media did not report the contents of the posters. But photos of the posters were disseminated on social media and reported by the Jerusalem Post. One of the posters features an image of Adolf Hitler with the words “Did you forget about me?” A second calls for a “crusade against Semite-led subhumans.” Less than a month ago, swastikas and the symbol of the Nazi SS were painted on the outside of a historic synagogue in the northern Michigan city of Hancock. Cary Fleischer, Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus Grand Rapids chair and member of Temple Emanuel, said in a statement that “it is high time that all of us, as Americans, come together and speak out against these acts of hate, which aﬄict so many of our communities.”

The German synagogue shooter was a far-right extremist

cnaan lipshiz JTA The identity of the German synagogue attacker may have sounded familiar to American Jews, who have endured multiple attacks by far-right extremists over the past year. But the suspect’s identity was more surprising for Jews in Western Europe. The murder of two people in Halle on Yom Kippur was the first lethal anti-Semitic assault in decades in that region by a far-right extremist. Most of the terrorist attacks against Jews there over the past 30 years have been carried out by radical Muslims. In that sense, last week’s shooting represents a tragic milestone for Western Europe, where growing radicalization among both neoNazis and Islamists is leading to what some scholars on anti-Semitism are calling a “perfect storm” — violent anti-Semitism stemming from both the right and the left. The shooting suspect, identified as Stephan Balliet, 27, allegedly filmed himself killing a woman outside Halle’s synagogue after he was unable to shoot his way into the building. He then shot dead a patron nearby at a kebab shop — one of many that have become ubiquitous across Western Europe, and which are often owned and operated by immigrants from Muslim countries. During the assault, the suspect ranted about Jews, feminism and immigration — calling to mind the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter’s social media posts about HIAS, the leading Jewish group that aids refugees. The German federal prosecution office called the attack an incident motivated by “extreme far-right and anti-Semitic” views. Highlighting the emergence of the double threat facing European Jews was an incident days earlier in Berlin, when a man wielding a knife was arrested while trying to climb the fence of a Berlin synagogue. He allegedly shouted “Allah hu akbar,” Arabic for “God is the greatest.” Statistically, there is some debate in Europe over the identity of the majority of anti-Semitic attackers. In France, Holland and Belgium at least, anti-Semitism watchdogs attribute most or all violent assaults to immigrants from Muslim countries or their descendants. In the United Kingdom, they account for about half of the incidents with known or identified perpetrators. However, German authorities last year said that 90 percent of anti-Semitic attacks in their country were linked to the far right — a claim that has been disputed. Researchers told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the German method of categorizing the attacks is flawed: They cited, for example, a synagogue arson attempt by three Palestinians in 2014 that was not deemed anti-Semitic. To some critics of the categorization methods, the process is politically motivated, skewed to bolster the public perception of Muslim immigrants in a country where immigration has been a hot-button topic for years. The attack in Halle could be a sign that European farright extremists are ready to again target Jews for lethal violence. That the Halle shooter perpetrated a terrorist attack on Jews is a sign that “All over the world, far-right, far-left and Islamist fanatics are stoking the flames of Jew-hatred,” Gideon Falter, chief executive of Britain’s Campaign Against Antisemitism group, told JTA. This article was edited for length.

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A12 | The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019

community

Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus Transformation Project

n order to create an engaging campus that meets the needs of its 21st century visitors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha is updating spaces that need re-modeling. We are also re-thinking spaces that could be better utilized and matching the facility with the modern programming Jewish Community Center staff is developing. “We are pleased to announce,” JCC Executive Director Mark Martin said, “that we remain on schedule for the next phase of our never-ending quest to provide you with the best facility possible.” Over the next several months, you can expect to see the following projects take place. Please remember all dates listed are tentative and subject to change. Existing classes and programs held in any of these spaces will be relocated during construction. Please contact the applicable Department Director to confirm the status of your program and where it will be held. Each campus renovation is done in accordance with our mission of building and maintaining a vibrant Jewish community, not only for today, but for generations to come. e start date for the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Room was June 2019; the target completion date is late fall of 2019. e old Auditorium is in the process of being transformed into a fresh and functional space to be used for events, meetings and rentals. e space is made possible by a very generous gi from Kathy Goldstein and Gail Goldstein Raznick. e start date for the Noshery was also June 2019; it is projected to be finished in late fall 2019. Some of the space to the east, behind the new Community Engagement Room, will become a staff commons areas. is space will primarily be used for staff, but will be made available for programs as needed. e renovation of the Front Entrance and Learning Commons Area will begin in December 2019 and is scheduled for

ovation. New Dance Studios are expected to be completed in late fall 2019. e old Social Hall and Community Rooms are in the process of being turned into permanent dance studios to accommodate our growing dance program. All studios will include fully sprung dance floors. ese studios will be part of the Michael Staenberg Arts and Education Corridor. Our goal is to create a West Omaha center for the arts that includes a state-of-the-art theater, visual arts gallery and community engagement and meeting spaces. Starting in December 2019, we are looking forward to the total renovation of our current theater. Target date for Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Room the Alan J. Levine eater is late spring 2020. Everything behind the scenes and in the front of the house will be redone. Audience members can look forward to new seating, new audio, improved sight lines and improved handicap accessibility. In addition, there wil be new A/V lighting, rigging and acoustic systems, new piano and voice studios, as well as updated dressing rooms and restrooms. e space is made possible through a generous gi from Alan J. Levine. Additional extensive renovations to the upstairs level are set to begin this fall. Included in this phase will be the renovation of the Men’s and Women’s Health Spa, a new Pilates Reformer Studio, Multi-Purpose/Party Room and a Physical erapy Studio. e target completion date for Alan J. Levine Theater this project is late Fall 2020. completion in the summer of 2020. is renovation will inRenovation of the health spas will correspond with that of clude a spacious, secure and welcoming lobby area. e new the same gender’s lower level locker room. is work will reLearning Commons space will include a contemporary and quire temporary relocation. Full details will be sent to current informal environment that welcomes people to relax, study, health spa members soon. We sincerely apologize for the inwork independently and meet up. is space will also incor- convenience, but are certain the end result will be worth it! porate significant historical representation of our Omaha For more details on the renovation project, please see the Jewish Heritage. October-December JCC Centerpiece or visit www.jccom June 2019 was also the start date for the Cultural Arts ren- aha.org.

Sunday, October 27 The Klutznick Chair, Kripke Center, Harris Center and Schwalb Center present:

The 32nd Annual Symposium on Jewish Civilization

University of Nebraska at Omaha 6001 Dodge Street College of Public Aﬀairs and Community Service, Room 132D 9–11:30 a.m. | Presentations

Jewish Community Center of Omaha Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus 333 S. 132nd Street Noon–5 p.m. | Presentations 7:30 p.m. | Keynote Speaker

Jews and Gender: Tradition and Change

Gail S. Labovitz, PhD American Jewish University “Poskot in the Palace of Torah: A Preliminary Study of Orthodox Feminism and Halachic Process”

Monday, October 28 Creighton University 2500 California Plaza V.J. and Angela Skutt Student Center Mutual of Omaha Ballroom 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. | Presentations

Learn more at creighton.edu/klutznick

Events are free and open to the public. For additional information, email colleenhastings@creighton.edu or call 402.280.2303.

The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | B1

section2 T H E

artist feature: Benjamin Kushner GaBBy Blair Staff Writer, Jewish Press native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Benjamin Kushner jokes he was a musician from birth. “My mother says I had music pouring out of me since I was in a crib.” As the “way youngest child” in his family, he credits his older siblings and parents for exposing him to wide genres of music from Folk and R & B to Rock n’ Roll and Jazz. “Music has always been part of my life thanks to my musically adventurous family.” Kushner began playing guitar at age 13. “My very best friend moved away and it was pretty devastating. We had done everything together since we were tiny children and when his family moved, I needed to fill the void. I picked up a guitar and put everything into learning to play. It really helped center me- my guitar essentially became my new best friend.” Since then, the music hasn’t stopped for Kushner. In high school, he was heavily involved in musicals, choir and jazz band. He went on to study English Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I really enjoyed studying literature and am glad I had the opportunity to expand my mind and interests. Back when I was in school, studying guitar was not really an option... instead, I filled my musical needs by joining the UW jazz ensemble. That was a really great experience.” Upon graduating, Kushner returned to Lincoln, started playing with bands and hasn’t looked back.

Currently a member of three bands, Kushner finds “that playing music is not only personally satisfying, but it really allows me to connect with others, something I deeply appreciate. I feel really blessed

Benjamin Kushner to have this ability and that music is such a big part of my life.” In 2012, Kushner and Josh Hoyer started up the band Josh Hoyer and Soul Colossal. “I never imagined it would grow like this!” explains Kushner, who is lead guitarist. The band is preparing to record a new album on Eddie Robert’s “Color Red” label out of Denver and is set to go on tour with Robert’s popular English funk band, The New Mastersounds, later this year.

A R T S

Many in our community have likely heard Kushner play at the popular Backyard Concert Series hosted at the end of summer on the campus of the Staenberg Kooper Fellman JCC in Omaha. “I first played the BYCS with the Rock-a-Billy band, The Mezcal Brothers. Since then I have played the venue twice with Josh Hoyer and Soul Colossal. Playing at the Omaha JCC is so much fun! The setting is beautiful, the food is fabulous and we have always been blessed with nice weather. Jeremy, the sound engineer, does an amazing job setting up the stage and the BYCS provides an excellent festival-like setting for families to enjoy live music one would normally only find in nightlife venues.” Playing in Omaha holds deep sentimental value for Kushner as well. “Many of my cousins live in Omaha and I have fond memories spending the holidays with them and attending services... so, playing at the JCC is a kind of homecoming for me.” Kushner is also looking forward to a series of upcoming shows in Omaha; The Mezcal Brothers will be playing at the B Bar (4322 Leavenworth) Oct. 11 and Dec. 20. Josh Hoyer and Soul Colossal will have a repeat performance at the beautiful Jewell Jazz Club in Omaha’s historic Capitol District (1030 Capitol Ave) on Sunday, Nov. 3. Visit https://www.joshhoyer.com or check out The Mezcal Brothers and Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal on Facebook for more information about upcoming shows, and try to catch these hot acts when they are in town... you will not want to miss it!

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B2 | The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019

thearts

Meet a Hebrew-school teacher turned blackjack dealer in Las Vegas jOSefin dOLSten LAS VEGAS | JTA rly Graves doesn’t look twice as a group of friends sits down around midnight at the blackjack table and puts down $1,000. She compliments their shoes and grabs a hook, clasping it underneath the table so one of the women can hang her purse on it. “at’s what you do, you anticipate their needs before they need it,” she explains. Graves, 59, is responsible for monitoring four blackjack tables at Wynn Las Vegas, a five-star hotel and casino on the Strip. She works late-night shis — 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. — five days a week. A former dealer herself, she makes sure the dealers are doing their jobs, that no money goes missing and the customers are satisfied. Graves grew up in the Israeli city of Petach Tikvah before coming to the United States on a college basketball scholarship in 1980. She has been working in the gaming industry on and oﬀ for 20 years. In between, she also worked at a local Jewish day school and two synagogue Hebrew schools teaching Hebrew and Judaic studies. ough the two professions may seem worlds apart, she insists they are not. e Jewish Telegraphic Agency sat down with Graves to learn more about what it’s like to work as a dealer in Sin City. e conversation has been edited for clarity and length. jtA: How did you end up working at a casino?

Graves: I was a schoolteacher. I loved it. At the time my boyfriend, who is my husband for the last 30 years, he was a manager in a casino. I really didn’t like casinos. I didn’t want to be part of it.

e money for dealing was excellent because you live on your tips. You make minimum wage and then whatever tips you make. e money at this place is phenomenal. I got hired — not for my dealing skills, just for my

Orly Graves, standing at left, chats with customers as she monitors a blackjack table at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel, Sept. 22, 2019. Credit: Josefin Dolsten As a schoolteacher, you struggle. What do you make, 32 or 35 thousand a year? And I was madly in love with the children, it was definitely my passion. So my [now] husband says, “Why don’t you go to dealing school?” I said, “I really don’t want to. But you know what? I’ll try it.” I went for three days and they hired me. So I was a dealer for a couple of years and I was doing both, I was teaching and dealing.

people skills. Because we’re a people business. jtA: Tell me more about why people skills matter in a casino. Graves: It’s like in anything else in life, where you go to a restaurant, you go to a spa, you go to anywhere that you want to be taken care of, you want to be treated special. So the people skill is how to read people, be welcoming to them. You deal with people who can spend $15,

and you deal with people who can spend millions, so that’s where the difference is. You got NFL players, actors, actresses — they all want to be treated very nice, so you gotta know how to do it. jtA: Were you intimidated at first when people would bet large sums of money? Graves: I was very scared in the beginning. It was like, “Oh, $25,000 chips!” But now it’s just a chip. It’s the people — I love when they come back and they look for me. People look for you because they had an amazing experience. jtA: You mentioned how much money you can make working here. What has that money done for you? Graves: I was able to send my daughter to private school from first grade to the end of high school, and that’s huge. It’s a lot of money. It was an amazing sacrifice to make and it paid off. I’m very blessed to have this opportunity. jtA: What types of sacrifice did you have to make? Graves: What I mean is, you make a lot of money here and it can go to your head. You can go spend it all. And I think the sacrifices I made, I went without [spending that money] and I allowed my kid to have a private school. As a schoolteacher, there’s no way you can afford to send your child to a private Jewish school in the U.S. It’s outrageous. So this job allowed me to do so. See Hebrew-school teacher page B3

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The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | B3

How a Protestant New Yorker Smuggled Marc Chagall and Hannah Arendt Out of Nazi France SAfeTy TiPS from nATAlie

Winter Safety Tips

Winter generally runs from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28. In Nebraska winter seems to start the first of October and end in April with summer coming right after. Slips, trips and falls are the main reason for the greatest number of fractured bones when the snow and ice hit the ground before you do. The best Winter Safety Tip is to “Walk like a Penguin”: Bend slightly and flatfooted, point your feet out slightly, keep your nATAlie center of gravity over your feet, take short, oSBorne, rn shuffle-like steps, keep your arms at your Nurse Manager, RBJH sides-not in your pockets, concentrate on keeping your balance, go slowly and most important-watch where you’re stepping! Be sure to have good footwear appropriate for the season, too. When driving, do you have the heater/defroster on? Is it warming up your feet? Well, your shoes get warm, too. When you take that first step out of the car, your warm shoe hits the ice/snow causing some of it to melt just enough to make you slip. Many falls occur getting out of the car! Keep a reused water bottle filled with sand in your car. Before you take that first step sprinkle some sand on the ground. Please feel free to contact me! Natalie Osborne RN, RBJH Nurse Manager & Infection Preventionist. at 402.334-6516 or nosborne@ rbjh.com.

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ZAChAry Solomon In 1994, a man whose later years were spent as a high school Latin teacher was recognized by Yad Vashem as a righteous among the nations. In 1935, it turns out, Mr. Varian Fry traveled to Berlin to report on the German government’s banning of all non-Aryans from military service and the criminalization of homosexuality. He saw Jews beaten in the streets with no interference from the police, and heard chants of “e best Jew is a dead Jew.” He proceeded to spend the war years ingeniously smuggling more than 1,000 Jews out of Nazi-occupied France, including Marc Chagall, Hannah Arendt, Marcel Duchamp, and Claude Levi-Strauss—at great risk to himself. Aer filing one of the earliest reports of Nazi cruelty in American news media, Fry co-founded the Emergency Rescue Committee in opposition to the Immigration Act of 1924, which drastically limited the number of immigrants

allowed entry to the U.S.. Flying to Marseilles in August of 1940, Fry embarked on a 13-month covert mission to help the persecuted flee France. With the surreptitious help from the U.S. Consulate’s vice council, Hiram Bingham IV, Fry provided exit visas both authorized and fraudulent, as well as other forms of aid, to more than 4,000 people. Unfortunately, when Fry returned to the US, he was met not with confetti but scorn. e State Department, bent on keeping immigration down, disapproved of his actions. e “American Schindler,” Fry died at age 59 in 1967, shortly aer the French government named him a Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur. A heralded biography came out a few years later. Good news, though: acclaimed novelist Julie Orringer has her sights on Fry for her next novel. Half a century aer his death, Fry’s star is finally rising.

Continued from page B2 JTA: Going from Hebrew school teacher to blackjack dealer seems like a big change. Graves: It’s the same thing. Working with preschoolers and drunks aer midnight that come to clubs and all that — it’s the same thing, if that makes any sense to you. at’s how I make sense out of it. To me, because it’s such a [change] — education to this. But what you’re doing is you’re educating here, too. A bunch of 21-year-olds don’t know how to behave when they drink, and I say, “Hey guys, what do you think your mom would think about that, pulling your pants down?” JTA: e environments do seem pretty diﬀerent at the same time. Graves: e environments are greatly diﬀerent. Especially

in here, you have a lot of high-end players, people who are going to spend 3, 4, 500 dollars a night on a hotel. How would you like to be treated? Like a princess, right? at’s the bottom line. JTA: I notice you’re wearing a Star of David. Do you wear it to work every day? Graves: Every day. And I get a lot of comments — some positive, some negative. e Jewish people that come in here, they love to see that I’m proud of wearing this and I’m not afraid. And then when the Arabs come — and I understand Arabic pretty well — they say, “She’s Jewish.” And they think maybe I will treat them in a diﬀerent way, and it’s totally the opposite. I want them to feel welcome because I have no issues with them. is is open for anybody as long as you behave.

Hebrew-school teacher

B4 | The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019

Jcc Musical theater

Sen. Lindsey Graham calls troop withdrawal a ‘nightmare for Israel’

A view of a US military base in the al-Asaliyah village, between the city of Aleppo and the northern town of Manbij, in Syria, April 2, 2018. Credit: Delil Soueiman/AFP/Getty Images

The Jewish Community Center’s Musical Theater Acting Group is hard at work preparing for the winter show: The Addams Family! There will be an evening performance Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. and a second show Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets for this show will go on sale Nov. 18 at 9 a.m. Call 402.334.6419 to purchase. Tickets for adults are $10, for students they are $5. Advanced ticket purchase is recommended. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door, until we are sold out. Patron tickets are also available. Please contact Esther at ekatz@jccomaha.org for more details. If this performance inspires you, registration for our spring musical theater production will open Monday, December 16. Musical Theater is open to JCC Members and Non-Members, ages 8 through adult.

We are a community of actors that support each other’s growth. Our Musical Theater group meets once a week for a two- hour rehearsal. During that time we work on general musical theater skills, blocking scenes, learning dances and songs. Members may register beginning at 9 a.m. NonMembers can begin registering at noon. Required audition materials will be posted on our website soon. Registration is REQUIRED to audition. Registration will close at 50 participants. Space fills quickly. Call 402.334.6419 or visit www.jccoma ha.org to register. Support the arts and our wonderful programming here at the JCC Performing Arts Department! Want to do even more? Sponsor our head mics for the shows. This is a sponsorship of $2500. Your generous support of our program is so greatly appreciated by us and the entire community! Contact Esther for more information.

MArcy oSter JTA en. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria will “eventually become a nightmare for Israel.” Graham, one of the president’s staunchest supporters in the Senate, called the move “shortsighted and irresponsible” in a series of tweets. “e most probable outcome of this impulsive decision is to ensure Iran’s domination of Syria,” he tweeted. “e U.S. now has no leverage and Syria will eventually become a nightmare for Israel. “is decision to abandon our Kurdish allies and turn Syria over to Russia, Iran, and Turkey will put every radical Islamist on steroids. Shot in the arm to the bad guys. Devastating for the good guys.” e move came following a phone call be-

tween Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said Turkey would begin a military oﬀensive in the area. “Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into Northern Syria,” a statement issued Monday from the White House said. “e United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the operation, and United States forces, having defeated the ISIS territorial ‘Caliphate,’ will no longer be in the immediate area.” Dennis Ross, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who served as a peace negotiator in the Obama, Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, criticized the move. “Another Trump call with Erdogan, another impulsive decision for the US to withdraw,” Ross tweeted Monday. “Good news for Putin and Khamenei who want the US out of a Syria. Turkey’s deeper move into Syria will mean more refugees, ISIS can re-emerge, and the US betrays those who actually fought ISIS.”

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The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | B5

thearts Great events to add to your schedule

“Our Story” Celebration e Nebraska Jewish Historical Society and the Omaha Section of the National Council of Jewish Women will celebrate the re-opening/refurbishing of “Our Story”, on Sunday, Oct. 20 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the JCC gallery. e exhibit is based on the NCJW book, Our Story. e display shares the recollections of Omaha’s early Jewish community 1885-1925. e event is free and open to the entire community with a dessert reception hosted by the NCJW. Goat Yoga One day only! Goats and yoga unite on the JCC soccer fields. Members are invited for a fun aernoon yoga class, done along side friendly goats. Goat Yoga by JAMS is a special event to be held on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 2-3 p.m. Class will be held outdoors. Participants are asked to bring their own yoga mat, wear clothes that can get dirty, and be ready for a fun encounter! Advanced registration is required. Goat Yoga is for JCC members, age ten and up. Cost is $25. Omaha Jewish Film Festival Join the Jewish Federation of Omaha for the 18th annual Jewish Film Fesitval. Film details and special pre-and postfilm programming information can be found online at www. jewishomaha.org or by calling 402.334.6463. Nov. 4 , 7 p.m. — Shoelaces at Aksarben Cinema Nov. 12, 7 p.m. — Tel Aviv on Fire at Film Streams Ruth Sokolof eater

Gal Gadot to star in film about Polish heroine Irena Sendler

JERUSALEM | JTA Israeli actress Gal Gadot will star as Polish heroine Irena Sendler, who saved 2,500 Jewish children from the Nazis, in a film produced by the actress and her husband. Gadot and her husband Yaron Varsano have formed the production company Pilot Wave. Gadot will star as Sendler in the historical thriller for Warner Bros, and she and Varsano will produce with Marc Platt, Deadline Hollywood first reported. Gal Gadot with her husband Yaron VerGadot, whose Wonder Woman se- sano at the Producers Guild Awards at quel is set to be re- The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif, Jan. 20, 2018. leased early next Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images year, said in a post on Instagram that she and her husband have been “working on this for quite some time and I just CAN’T wait to bring to life all the amazing stories we’re working on with all of our wonderfully talented partners.” “As producers, we want to help bring stories that have inspired us to life. Pilot Wave will create content that promotes the perspectives and experiences of unique people and produce impactful stories aimed at igniting the imagination,” she also wrote. Gadot also will star in a Showtime limited series about Jewish actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr, with she and her husband also serving as executive producers. She also will star in Red Notice, also starring Ryan Reynolds and Duane Johnson, the biggest feature film ever made by Netflix. The action thriller, set for release in late 2020, is centered around the pursuit of the most wanted art thief in the world.

Nov. 18, 7 p.m. — Leona at Village Pointe Cinema Nov. 25, 7 p.m. — e Samuel Project at Majestic Cinema Girls Got Power Monday, Nov. 11 from 6:45-8 p.m., learn about the importance of being strong young women. Girls will experience a fun workout and body positive presentation followed by healthy snacks. is program will be held in the Mind/Body Studio. Registration is required. ank you to Athleta for sponsoring this event! For members and non-members between 10 and 16 years old. Cost for JCC members is $10; for

non-members the cost is $15. Community Hanukkah Extravaganza Join the Jewish Federation of Omaha for the community Hanukkah event at the Omaha Children’s Museum on Sunday, Dec. 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. Recommended for families with children 12 and younger; older siblings are welcome. Admission is $5 per person or $20 per family. Fees include museum entrance and dinner from Star Catering. Please RSVP for this event by Dec. 2nd. For more information contact Louri Sullivan at lsullivan@jewishomaha.org.

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Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens: Look, it’s daybreak, dear, time to sing

Jillian Mayer: TIMESHARE Curated by Rachel Adams, Bemis Chief Curator and Director of Programs

Curated by Sylvie Fortin, Bemis Curator-in-Residence

November 20, 2019–February 15, 2020

bemiscenter.org Sponsored, in part, by Douglas County, Nebraska; Nebraska Arts Council; Nebraska Cultural Endowment; Omaha Steaks; and Security National Bank. Jillian Mayer: TIMESHARE is presented in partnership with UB Art Galleries. Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens: Look, it’s daybreak, dear, time to sing is presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis. Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens thank the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec for their financial support. Left: Jillian Mayer; Vase Prototype 002 (detail), 2019; Epoxy resin, foam, fiberglass, plastic, steel, plant, dirt, enamel, poly pigment; 36 x 13 x 12 inches; Photo: Nando Alvarez Perez; Courtesy of the artist. Right: Richard Ibghy & Marilou Lemmens; Cleaning the Atlantic Puffins, Tufted Puffins, and Common Murres’ Exhibit from the series The Violence of Care (still), 2019; HD Video; Courtesy of the artists.

B6 | The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019

thearts Who by fire: 38,000 tons of bagels burnt in truck days before Yom Kippur

Ben SAleS JTA Midwest Jews may need to find something else to eat when Yom Kippur ends — tons of their bagels are now toast. Some 38,000 pounds of frozen bagels met an unhappy fate on Sunday, just a couple of days ahead of the Jewish Day of Atonement, when they were burnt to a crisp in a truck fire. An Indiana state trooper noticed that a semi heading north on I-65, about 90 miles southeast of Chicago, was smoking

heavily from the rear axle, according to a news release from the Indiana State Police. The trooper pulled over the truck, but it was too late: The fire was spreading to the trailer, and the rear tires exploded, burning the break-fast staple. The driver, a Floridian, was unharmed. A Chicagoarea company owned the truck. The news release did not say where the bagels were from or where they were going, but it’s safe to say that as we approach the holiest day of the Jewish year, some of them have become dust and ashes.

I wasn’t surprised by the Halle synagogue shooting

dAnA reGev man Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a COLOGNE, Germany | JTA trade union congress in Nuremberg. hen the breaking news But for us, Jews who live in Germany, from Halle started to pour “shock” is the last reaction that comes to in Wednesday aernoon mind following this heinous attack. In fact, the Jewish community it was just a matter of time until the extreme around the world was still far-right scene in this country would turn in the midst of commemorating the holiest its spotlight back on the true, eternal enemy day of the year in Judaism, Yom Kippur. of both Germany and Western civilization: Equipped with a rifle, ammunition and the Jews. other military gear, the 27-year-old gunman tried to break into a synagogue in the eastern German city and shoot as many Jews as he could during prayers. e shooter, a far-rightist, had every intention to commit a memorable massacre with a “worldwide effect,” according to Germany’s chief federal A man views a makeshift memorial at the entrance to the synagogue in Halle, Germany, Oct. 10, 2019. prosecutor. Credit: Jens Schlueter/Getty Images His attempts failed thanks to the security measures at the en“Jews are the root of all problems,” the trance and the resourcefulness of the wor- gunman, identified as Stephan Balliet of the shippers, helping to prevent a far greater German state of Saxony-Anhalt, could be disaster. Two people lost their lives outside heard saying, among other xenophobic and the compound, but more than 50 Jewish misogynistic statements, while livestreammen and women were inside — dozens of ing his attack on Amazon’s streaming platlives were saved. form Twitch. Prayers and condolences poured in from He even had the temerity to deny the around the world. e attack sent shock- Holocaust, reminding us all that prejudice, waves across Germany that reverberated conspiracy theories and hatred toward Jews around the globe. never really vanished. “I am, like millions of people in Germany, Wake-up call. shocked and dejected by this crime,” Ger- See Halle synagogue shooting page B7

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The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | B7

Halle synagogue shooting Continued from page B6 Some in the Jewish community — albeit not many — were foolish enough to think that the far right in Europe was now occupied with the 2015 immigration wave, mainly from Muslim countries. Some even had the audacity to celebrate the extremists’ rise. In Europe today, many of the attacks against Jews are carried out by Muslims, though there is much debate over the prevalence of such instances. Just a few days ago, a knife-wielding man tried to enter a Berlin synagogue, chanting swears against Israel and shouting “Allahu Akbar” in Arabic — a phrase that means “God is great” and also is oen used by Islamists upon committing acts of terror. He was released from custody less than 24 hours aer the incident and not charged with any crime, sparking concern among Jewish leaders in the country. But celebrating the rise of anti-Muslim extremists because of a few attacks perpetrated by radical Islamists is not only abhorrent but also superbly naive — anti-Semitism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and racism more typically go hand in hand. About 1,800 anti-Semitic crimes were committed in Germany in 2018, a 20 percent increase from the previous year. Violent crimes against Jews specifically rose to 62 from 37 in 2017, according to a report released by Germany’s Interior Ministry earlier this year.

e report showed that anti-foreigner crimes have also increased by nearly 20 percent, to 7,701 incidents in 2018 from 6,434 the previous year. e increase in hate crimes against Jews and mostly Muslim immigrants is no coinci-

e same ideology that leads far-right extremists to believe they should “stop the invasion” of Islam into Germany is the one making them believe in the trite yet dangerous conspiracy theory about a well-coordinated global Jewish cabal.

People mourn at the entrance to the synagogue in Halle the day after a gunman targeted the house of worship in eastern Germany, Oct. 10, 2019. Credit: Jens Schlueter/Getty Images dence. e Halle shooter himself admitted in his 35-minute livestream that he had considered attacking a mosque, but then regretted it, realizing that he had to eliminate the real problem and not just its symptoms, alluding to, who else, the Jews.

In fact, a poll published last year by the German newspaper FAZ showed that 55 percent of the far-right party Alternative for Germany believe that “Jews have too much power in this world.” is is the same party with election cam-

paign billboards that read “New Germans? We make them ourselves!” urging German women not to marry anyone who isn’t German. It’s clear that the far right doesn’t have Jews in mind when they talk about “real” Germans. In August 2018, for example, neoNazis attacked a Jewish restaurant in Chemnitz, hurling stones, using racial slurs and chanting, “Get out of Germany, Jewish pigs.” As was proven in Halle, these dark forces are very much alive and kicking. In a country with nearly 13,000 active violent far-right extremists, who are not only increasingly arming and training themselves for violent attacks, but also managed to infiltrate the police and the army forces, this attempted massacre should hardly come as a surprise. And anyone who thought Jews were somehow out of the picture when it comes to hate crimes on German soil is now forced to face this harsh reality: e far right never really stopped targeting us. Dana Regev is an Israeli news reporter at Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle. e 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.

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B8 | The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019

thearts

like babka? you’ll love this recipe for chocolate kokosh cake

chaya rappoport is recipe originally appeared on e Nosher. f babka is the hip Jewish treat du jour, then kokosh cake is its slightly homelier cousin of yesteryear. But don’t let that description turn you oﬀ because what kokosh cake lacks in razzle-dazzle, it makes up for in the most important of ways: rich, gooey, seemingly endless layers of chocolate. Named aer the Hungarian word for cocoa, kakaó, a kokosh cake is flatter and longer than a babka and made with a yeast dough that’s barely le to rise. e dough is rolled thin, spread with a chocolate filling and then rolled up. According to Jewish food historian Gil Marks, kokosh cake, like Polish babka, wasn’t originally made with chocolate; both chocolate and cocoa were expensive ingredients in shtetl times. Instead, kokosh cake evolved from a simpler version made with poppy seeds, known as makosh (the Hungarian word for poppy seeds is màk), before becoming the primarily chocolate pastry we know it as today. Modern versions of kokosh are oen topped with streusel, an addition I’ll personally never say no to. My kokosh cake also contains two secret ingredients: egg whites in the filling, which ensure its gooey interior, and a touch of espresso powder, which heightens the flavor of the chocolate. Babka, there’s a hot new cake in town — and it’s coming for your crown.

chocolate kokosh cake

Ingredients: For the dough: 1 3/4 cups flour 1 tsp. fine sea salt 1 1/4 tsp. instant dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs 1 egg, whisked, for egg wash For the filling: 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1 cup cocoa powder 1 cup vegetable oil 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt 1/4 tsp. espresso powder 2 egg whites For the streusel: 1/2 cup white flour 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt 1/2 stick room-temperature butter

Directions: Combine the sugar, yeast and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Set the mix aside for 10 minutes to proof, or until it turns bubbly. Add the eggs and oil to the bowl. Mix until fully combined. Add the flour and salt and mix to combine. Switch to the dough hook and knead for 8

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minutes, until a smooth, cohesive dough forms and begins to pull away from the sides of the mixer. Shape the dough into a ball and set it to rise in an oiled bowl, covered, for no more than 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Flour a large piece of parchment paper, then roll the dough out on it, forming a large rectangle. The dough should be thin enough that it’s almost seethrough in places; just don’t let it tear. Combine all ingredients for the filling until smooth. Using an offset spatula, spread filling over half the dough. Fold the unfilled half over the filled half. You will now have a long, folded-over rectangle. Using your spatula, spread more filling over the bottom half of this rectangle.

Credit: Chaya Rappoport

Fold the unfilled half of the rectangle over the filled half. You will now have a package resembling a square. Use a rolling pin to roll and flatten it out slightly. Spread the remaining filling over the top of the square. Roll it up to create a short, flattish log. Using the baking paper, transfer to a baking paperlined loaf pan or cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash. Combine the ingredients for the streusel with your hands until the mixture resembles large, sandy crumbs. Sprinkle it over the egg-washed cake. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the dough is golden brown and the crumbs are lightly colored. Allow to cool before slicing. Serves 10-12.

The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | C1

section3 T H E

A R T S

Visiting artist brings Jewish Pop art to Omaha Gabby blair Staff Writer, Jewish Press Orthodox artist, Yitzchok Moully, brought color and inspiration to many in Omaha last month. A guest of Chabad, Moully’s work is known for “exploring the intersection of spirituality and the material world we live in.” A native of Melbourne, Australia, Moully spent many formative years in Brooklyn, immersed in Hasidism. His life experiences, ranging from his hippie upbringing to his beloved Hasidic culture, merge in his colorful and inspirational works. According to his website (https://moully art.com), Moully is a “Rabbi by training and served as a Youth Rabbi in Basking Ridge, NJ, for ten years before embracing his creative spirit. Dubbed ever since ‘The Pop Art Rabbi’, Moully’s work distills ethereal Chassidic concepts into relatable works of art. This final point is integral, as central to his work is the viewer, or as Moully would like to see it, the collaborator. In many of Moully’s works the viewer is encouraged to interact with the work, to the point where the work is incomplete without the engagement.” Rabbi Katzman says that art holds a very special place in Chabad teachings. “In the same way artwork takes inanimate paints or materials and brings them to life to impart a message, our mission is to find the ‘hidden treasures’ in all forms of material aspects in our lives by using them for beauty, goodness and kindness.” Indeed, his vibrant work was enthusiastically re-

ceived while on display at the JCC Gallery. Tippi Denenberg, who volunteered to set up the display ahead of the opening, shared: “Moully is a beautiful reminder that each of us is born with gifts and talents that can be used for good to elevate and inspire others spiritually.”

Art has to have a meaning... a message.” Moully explained that during a trip to an art gallery in Toronto, he was inspired by abstract pieces on display. “That trip to the gallery helped me break into painting, a medium in which I feel I have great ability for self-expression. It is easy to

While addressing attendees at his particularly well attended gallery opening on Sept. 12, Moully shared how he, as an Orthodox Jew, became an artist. “As a child, I lacked confidence artistically. I was frightened by it because I felt I would do it wrong, so I did not do it at all. When I got a little older, I developed an interest in photography. While I enjoyed this artistic expression, I began feeling restrained by it after a while and moved onto silk screening. It was organized and controlled and comfortable.” The self-taught artist, Moully, continued, “As my confidence and passion for art grew, I began to branch out with the realization that I could convey messages through my work that would allow me to connect with people.

look at me and only see my black hat. It is important to remember that under every black hat is a myriad of color.” Today, Moully uses silkscreen and painting in his process but is careful not to be limited to any one medium; rather he is constantly seeking out new modes of expressions to convey his ideas. He feels very blessed to have the opportunity to share his work with so many and was humbled by the feedback he received in Omaha. During his time in town, Moully worked with BESTT Youth at Beth El’s Wednesday night Hebrew School and presented at a women’s luncheon at Chabad. “A skilled artist reminds each of us that we See Jewish Pop art page C2

C2 | The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019

thearts

Jewish Pop art

Continued from page C1 are responsible to use our G-d given talents and capabilities to brighten the world and the lives of those close to us,” says Mrs Shani Katzman. “This exhibition was in line with our other hands-on programs, such as shofar or candle making, which allow children and adults to explore Jewish traditions through activities with which they have an affinity.” Eadie Tsabari, BESTT Director, was thrilled with Moully’s visit and has received nothing but positive feedback from parents and students alike. “It was such a pleasure to have Yitzchok Moully come in to to do projects with our students. He worked with kids of all ages to create fun, colorful, unique and inspi-

rational pieces that we have been able to share with our whole community. The kids and teachers loved it and I would like to personally thank Chabad for making this visit possible!” Shani adds, “Human expression through art is not separate from the essence of who we are. As Jews, we inherently draw from our connection to G-d. From messages of Jewish unity and community, to expressions of gratitude to Hashem and through mitzvot. Chabad is pleased that Moully’s second visit to Omaha was so warmly received and we plan to continue bringing more fresh, exciting and soulful programs to town to engage our entire community, from our youngest members to our elders.”

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40-year-old music lover and 20-yearold soccer fan identified as victims of Halle synagogue gunman

Laura adKinS tending shows and collecting autographs. JTA Friends and German musical artists on soJana Lange was a dedicated fan of Ger- cial media mourned Lange, recalling her man pop music. Kevin S. was a construc- warmth, humor and dedication to the Gertion worker and decorator who loved man pop music scene.” soccer. Aer killing Lange, the shooter proey have been identified as the two vic- ceeded to a kebab shop, where he shot and tims killed in the shooting by the gunman who tried to enter the Halle synagogue in Germany on Yom Kippur. Lange was 40; Kevin was 20. An unidentified 40-yearold woman and a 41-yearold man were injured in Jana Lange and Kevin S. have been identified as the two victims of the atWednesday’s tack near the Halle synagogue and at a kebab shop. Credit: Twitter attack, according to Der Spiegel. killed Kevin S., who was described as “a While 51 worshippers prayed inside on dedicated worker and avid soccer fan.” the most solemn day of the Jewish year, the During a since-removed livestream on gunman tried unsuccessfully to shoot the platform Twitch, the shooter — identithrough the synagogue’s door. Before she fied as Stephan Balliet, 27 — said in English was shot, Lange reprimanded the shooter that “the root of all problems are the Jews” for being noisy near the synagogue during and began his attack. He had a camera Yom Kippur prayer services. mounted on his helmet during the attack. According to e Times of Israel, “Lange In federal court ursday evening, the acwas unable to work due to a medical condi- cused gunman claimed anti-Semitic and tion, and devoted most of her time to at- right-wing motives for the attack.

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The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | C3

Stunning finds from the Met’s exhibit on Jewish treasure Josefin doLsTen NEW YORK | JTA here are few remnants of the once flourishing Jewish community of the town of Colmar, in France. Jews were blamed for the outbreak of the Black Death plague there in 1348-49, and many were burned to death. A Roman emperor who then controlled the area later seized their assets. But a few pieces of jewelry that testify to Jewish life in the town miraculously survived aer being hidden in the walls of a house during the 14th century and remaining stashed there for more than 500 years. e items, which were discovered in 1863, all belonged to an unknown family. Some are now on view at the Met Cloisters museum, part of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. As part of the exhibit, the items will be displayed alongside

At left, a gold coin of Louis of Hungary, 1342-53; right, a jeweled silver brooch, second quarter of 14th century, both from the Colmar Treasure. Credit: Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, RMNGrand Palais/Art Resource, NY via Metropolitan Museum of Art

A silver key from the first half of the 14th century, from the Colmar Treasure. Credit: Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, RMNGrand Palais/Art Resource, NY via Metropolitan Museum of Art

A Jewish ceremonial wedding ring, inscribed “mazel tov,” made of gold and enamel, from the Colmar Treasure, circa 1300-1347. Credit: Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, RMNGrand Palais/Art Resource, NY via Metropolitan Museum of Art

related artifacts from the Cloisters Collection, the Jewish eological Seminary and Colmar’s public library. e exhibit opened Monday and will run through Jan. 12. Here are a few of the items from the exhibit that hold more than a little history. A sapphire gold ring from the second quarter of the 14th century, from the Colmar Treasure. Credit: Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, RMNGrand Palais/Art Resource, NY via Metropolitan Museum of Art

C4 | The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019

Why a Christian Japanese-American artist painted a mural of nazi fighter Hannah Senesh JoSefin DolSten JTA Hannah Senesh may seem an unlikely motivation for Japanese-born artist Julie Robertson. But the 35-year-old Christian artist, who just spent four days painting a 30-by-40-foot mural of the late Jewish poet, learned about Senesh earlier this year and was struck by her bravery. A national hero in Israel, Senesh parachuted into Europe to help anti-Nazi forces in 1943. She was captured and killed at the age of 23, but despite being tortured refused to reveal any details of her mission. “To be able to hear the story of such a young girl that had such conviction to do something so dangerous, and then she never gave up information when she was captured, that’s my hero,” she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Wednesday in between finishing work on the mural. “So I really wanted to paint her.” Robertson, who goes by the name JUURI professionally, painted the mural in the East Village neighborhood of San Diego. She learned about Senesh earlier this year while on a trip to Israel organized by Philos Project, a Christian pro-Israel group. She had been to Israel two other times as part of delegations organized by Artists 4 Israel, a group that brings creatives to the Jewish state.e Oklahoma City-based artist says she had always

wanted to go to the Jewish state because “[i]t’s the starting place of my faith.” “I’ve always heard about Israel my entire life, but you can’t really know what it is until you go there,” she said.

“It was a little bit diﬀerent because [of] the soldiers going back and forth all the time,” she said. Robertson, whose mother is Japanese and father is Japanese and American, lived in

Julie Robertson painted a mural of Hannah Senesh in downtown San Diego. As part of the Artists 4 Israel trips, Robertson painted murals throughout the country, including on a wall on the border with Lebanon, an experience she describes as “unique.” It took her seven days to complete the 13-by-30-foot mural, which shows a woman’s face surrounded by horses looking at a dove holding an olive branch.

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Credit: Robertson

Japan until she was 6. She and her family moved when her father was serving in the U.S. Army and was transferred to Kansas. She draws on influences from her native country in her art, oen combining Japanese floral patterns with images of female faces. In the Senesh mural, Robertson juxtaposed flowers from a Japanese kimono on to the

Jewish fighter’s uniform. e mural is part of Ladies Who Paint, a weeklong festival that runs through Saturday and brings 12 female artists to paint murals in San Diego. Robertson wasn’t sure if the organizers would be on board with her idea, since few of the other murals feature historical figures. “But I showed them the design and told them what it was and said, ‘is was the ultimate female empowerment, she was such a hero,’ and they thought it was really cool,” she said. ere’s an added layer of meaning since the mural is only about a half-hour drive from the city of Poway, where a synagogue shooting in April le one dead and three injured. “I want to get a message of hope and beauty here and just encouragement that everyone is thinking about them,” Robertson said. ough the mural does not include Senesh’s name, the figure is wearing a uniform with a British paratrooper insignia. Robertson hopes that her art will inspire both those who get the reference and those who don’t. “I think it just shows goodwill to the city and for the Jewish community, and for everyone else it’s beautiful,” she said. “Even if they don’t know what it means, there’s something about humongous art that gives a big impact on people.”

Picasso painting sold by family escaping the Nazis can remain at the Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, March 1, 2017. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images JTA for $12,000 in order to escape to Switzerland. Picasso painting sold under The Actor, created during Picasso’s “Blue duress by a German-Jewish Period” in 1904-5, was donated to the Met businessman as he escaped the in 1952. The museum acknowledged the Nazis can remain at the Metro- prior ownership of the Leffmann family in politan Museum of Art in New 2011, a year after the family began legal acYork, an appeals court ruled. tion to have the painting returned. The court rejected appeals by the greatLaurel Zuckerman, Leffmann’s greatgrandniece of Paul Leffmann, saying his grandniece, is the executor of the estate of family waited too long to demand the return Leffmann’s wife, Alice. Zuckerman sued for of Picasso’s “The Actor.” It would be unfair more than $100 million in damages for the to force the Met to give it up, the Second Cir- painting. cuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled on The U.S. District Court in Manhattan ruled Wednesday, Reuters reported. in February 2018 that the Leffmann family Leffmann and his family fled Nazi Ger- did not adequately show that the late businessmany for Italy in 1937. The following year, man sold the masterpiece under duress, which Leffmann sold The Actor to two art dealers would have mandated its return to the family.

The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | C5

thearts Belgian politician puts his own swastika painting in window of Brussels art gallery

this on the streets of Belgium, it can be offensive. CNAAN lipshiz JTA Seeing it in the context of rising anti-Semitism, it makes Belgium’s image seem even worse than it’s A local politician placed his Hitler-themed seen locally and international today.” swastika painting in the window display of an art The artist, Benizri gallery in Brussels. added, has a record of Fatmir Limani is an using shocking visuals and artist and the Socialist did not seem to attempt Party alderman in charge to single out Jews, but of cultural affairs in the has nonetheless displayed Brussels-area municipality “bad taste” with the of Koekelberg. swastika painting. His painting, titled God Joel Rubinfeld, presicreated A. Hitler, is scheddent of the Belgian League uled to be featured until Against Anti-Semitism, or Sept. 30 in the prestigious LBCA, told RTBF: “The Bog-Art gallery. The gallery is located 600 passer-by seeing this on yards from the Jewish the street isn’t given the Museum of Belgium, key to decipher the artist’s where four people were meaning,” leading to shock killed in a 2014 terrorist and the potential for mainattack allegedly perpestreaming Nazi symbols. trated by an Islamist. Belgium has seen sevA Belgian politician presented this painting “It’s shocking,” Yohan eral anti-Semitism scanfeaturing a large swastika at the Bog-Art Benizri, president of the dals recently, including Gallery in Brussels. Credit: LBCA CCOJB umbrella group over the inclusion of a representing French-speaking Belgian Jews, told the hooked nose gesture for the word “Jew” in the offiRTBF broadcaster Tuesday. “Seeing something like cial Flemish sign language dictionary.

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c6 | The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019

thearts German city withdraws award to artist over his backing for BDS

joSefIn dolSten teaches at the Cooper Union School of Art. JTA In May, Germany passed a resolution callThe German city of Aachen nixed an award ing the BDS movement anti-Semitic, becomto a Lebanon-born artist after discovering ing the first major European parliament to do that he is a supporter of the boycott Israel so. movement. Walid Raad will not get the Aachen Art Prize due to his political views, the mayor said Monday. The prestigious prize comes with an award of approximately $10,900. “According to research, we have to assume that the A view of the German city of Aachen designated Credit: José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro/Wikimedia Commons prizewinner is a supporter of the BDS movement and has In 2014, Raad signed a letter calling on been involved in various measures for the artists to withdraw from an exhibition becultural boycott of Israel,” Mayor Marcel cause it was being shown at Israel’s Technion Philipp said in a statement, according to Institute of Technology. More than 100 artists ARTnews. and intellectuals signed the letter organized The statement said that the contemporary by the BDS Arts Coalition. media artist had been asked about his supLast month, the German city of Dortmund port for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanc- withdrew a literary award to British author tions Movement against Israel and that his Kamila Shamsie for her support of the boyreply had been “evasive.” cott Israel movement. Raad currently lives in New York, where he

Elegant Lass

How a Guggenheim helped put modern Israeli art on the map

kAren cHernIck TEL AVIV | JTA n 1952, Israel had its third showing at the Venice Biennale, one of the world’s most prestigious art shows, with an exhibition of three painters — Reuven Rubin, Marcel Janco and Moshe Mokady. Israeli contemporary art is “as young as the new Jewish settlement,” wrote Eugene Kolb, director of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and curator of the 1952 Israeli exhibition, in the show’s catalog. “Artists of Israel seek, through diﬀerent individual ways, something that is common to them all, to try to represent the characteristic spirit of their country, nature and people.” Among the visitors impressed by the Israeli showcase was the American Jewish art collector and patron Peggy Guggenheim — daughter of businessman Benjamin Guggenheim, who was killed on the Titanic, and niece of Solomon Guggenheim, who established the eponymous museum in NYC. She would end up giing 16 oil paintings and 20 works on paper to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art — her largest donation to a single museum apart from the gi of her entire collection to her uncle’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation upon her death. e move would help jump-start the Tel Aviv museum’s collection, and more significantly position Israel as a player in the international contemporary art scene. Guggenheim’s home in Venice was already a fixture by 1952, when Kolb accompanied 54 canvases from Tel Aviv’s Rothschild Boulevard along the canals of northern Italian city. Hailing from the es-

tablished Guggenheim and Seligman families of New York, Guggenheim used her inheritance to amass and exhibit a collection of groundbreaking contemporary art. When she made Venice her permanent home in 1947, she was celebrated for bringing cubism and kinetic sculpture to a city heralded for its traditional Titians and Tintorettos. Guggenheim moved to an unfinished 18th-century palace along the Grand Canal, the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, which quickly became an art destination. As of 1951, she opened her palatial home to the public three aernoons a week from April through October. ere they could enjoy the surrealist and abstract paintings, a custom Alexander Calder-designed bed head and an array of sculptures (including Marino Marini’s nude equestrian figure with a detachable penis). is schedule continued until her death in 1979, when the palazzo became an eponymous popular museum operated by the Guggenheim Foundation. And so in addition to ensuring the safe arrival and proper installation of Israeli paintings at the 1952 Biennale, Kolb knew to include a visit to Guggenheim on his itinerary. He went to her palazzo numerous times, and eventually asked the celebrated collector to lend some paintings to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art for an exhibition. “He asked me to lend him a large number of pictures to show there,” Guggenheim later recalled in her autobiography. “I gave him 34, and later some more.” What Kolb had conservatively requested as a loan became, at Guggenheim’s initiative, a substantial gi of 36 artworks. In her See Modern Israeli art page c7

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The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019 | C7

Modern Israeli art Continued from C6 autobiography, Guggenheim downplays the donation as a convenient way to rid her damp basement of an overflow of paintings. But that was likely a way to minimize the weight of this deliberate gesture, which linked Guggenheim with her Jewish heritage. “[Guggenheim’s] harrowing experiences fleeing Europe during WWII and the social discrimination she faced in the U.S. both before and aer the war, as well as what we could call the ‘Jewishness’ or Jewish aspects of the avant-grade milieu of her adult life that included many Jewish artists, patrons and collectors, and her lifelong connections to her Jewish family are all elements that speak to Guggenheim’s Jewish identity,” Jill Fields, a history professor at California State University, Fresno, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. During her lifetime, Guggenheim donated artworks to over 20 institutions, mostly in American cities that lacked access to surrealist and abstract artworks, such as Phoenix, Kansas City and Raleigh. But none other than the Tel Aviv museum were located outside the United States. “Guggenheim made this major gi to an Israeli museum because she was Jewish,” Fields said. “Being Jewish had remained meaningful for her despite her secular adult life amidst the avant-garde art world.” For the Tel Aviv museum, Guggenheim’s gi was of immense institutional importance. It included three Jackson Pollock oil paint-

ings, three Rayographs by Man Ray, and Declaration of the Establishment of the State works by Yves Tanguy, Max Ernst, Hans of Israel a few years earlier, in 1948. Hoﬀman, William Baziotes, Andre Masson “At the time, the museum didn’t have a lot and others. For a fledgling museum with of international works, especially important works by mostly local artists, Guggenheim’s contemporary works,” Sophia Berry Lifschitz, paintings helped launch a collection of inter- assistant curator of modern art at the munational contemporary art. “Your gesture shows real understanding for the needs and troubles of our young institution to get our public acquainted with such important trends of this century’s art,” Kolb said in a 1953 letter thanking Guggenheim now located in the Tel Aviv museum’s archives. To show oﬀ this Peggy Guggenheim at the 24th Venice Biennale in 1948 with Interior, a new boon to the work by her daughter Pegeen Vail. museum’s collecCredit:Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation/Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche tion, Kolb curated an exhibition in 1955 showcasing Guggen- seum, explained to JTA. “It was very imporheim’s gi titled Abstract and Surrealist Paint- tant to show Israeli audiences what was ings. e show was the first of its kind in happening overseas, both in the United States Israel and attracted over 50,000 visitors to the and in Europe, especially with regards to museum’s original building at 16 Rothschild American abstraction and surrealism.” Blvd. e museum was then unaccustomed ough infinitely smaller and narrower in to such crowds, except for when its ground scope, the 1955 exhibition replicated the floor galleries were used as the site of the Venice Biennale in its presentation of art

trends of the moment. “is is an important exhibition,” concluded a review of the show in e Jerusalem Post, “which should not be missed by anyone desiring to know more of the international art situation.” Despite Kolb’s repeated invitations to Tel Aviv, Guggenheim herself remained in her adopted home of Venice. Save for a short stopover in Jerusalem in 1924 as part of a larger Middle Eastern tour, she never visited the Holy Land. “I do not give up hope to see you one day here in Israel,” Kolb exasperatedly wrote Guggenheim in a 1955 letter. “I’m terribly sorry not to see the show,” she replied. “I wish you great success.” is year at the Biennale, which opens May 11, the Israeli showcase is “Field Hospital X,” by Aya Ben Ron. It simulates a health clinic where visitors sit in a waiting room before proceeding to watch videos packaged in “care-kits.” Each video addresses a diﬀerent social injustice through a specific story and contains “second opinions” — commentary by experts in relevant fields. Its artistic team says the project “is committed to researching the way art can react and act in the face of social ills.” e exhibition will tour internationally following the Biennale. So even though Guggenheim never made it to Tel Aviv, her gi — which allowed Israelis to glimpse artistic possibilities that cross borders, boundaries and genres — lives on.

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C8 | The Jewish Press | October 18, 2019