October 21, 2022

MARK KIRCHHOFF

JFO Community Engagement and Education

The Jewish Federation of Omaha announces the opening of the 20th Annual Omaha Jewish Film Festival to begin Nov. 8 in the Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater in the Staenberg Jewish Community Center. This is the second year for screenings in the new theater, and with the impact of Covid reduced this year, we are anticipating record-breaking attendance. Following the opening, films will be shown on Nov. 22, 29, and Dec. 6. All films begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased through an online link on the JFO website (go to www.jewishomaha.org and click on the sliding banner for the Film Festival.) Tickets may also be purchased at the door. Admission price has remained $10.

New this year is the selection of films sharing a central theme, Views of the World Through Israeli Eyes. The films offer beautiful scenery, deeply personal stories, diversity of ethnicities, ages, religious affiliations, and various family constellations. Along the way, audiences will undoubtedly experience a range of emotions, with joy and laughter at one end – tears and sorrow at the other. The festival is a mirror on life – a mirror with an Israeli prism. Film titles and descriptions will be presented in subsequent articles in the Jewish Press and through the JFO ENews.

As if the films were not enough, the festival will also present accompanying moderated short videos for two of the films. These videos

feature discussions with film actors, writers, and directors. We extend a special thanks to Menemsha Films, source of this year’s showings, for their price concessions in making these incredible additions possible.

The impact of films in our lives is undeniable. They inspire, entertain, inform, provide a bit of a respite from daily life, and with the Omaha Jewish Film Festival, the opportunity for the community to share a common experience and nosh a bit. This year after each film is over and the house lights come up, you will most likely be applauding in appreciation and taking a great experience home with you.

The 20th Annual Omaha Jewish Film Festival is made possible through the generosity of the Lois Jeanne Schrager Memorial Fund; Samuel & Bess Rothenberg Endowment Fund; Ann Woskoff Schulman Memorial Fund; Ruth Frisch & Oscar S. Belzer Endowment Fund; Lindsey Miller-Lerman (Avy L. & Roberta L. Miller Foundation); Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation IMPACT Grant; B’nai B’rith – Henry Monsky Lodge.

Address questions about the Omaha Jewish Film Festival to Mark Kirchhoff at mkirch hoff@jewishomaha.org or 402.334.6463.

Preceding this year’s festival, the Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) will present Escape from Treblinka: The Joseph Polonski Story on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. This movie chronicles the life of Joseph Polonski from a young child in Silvaki, Poland, to the Jewish Ghetto and ultimately to Treblinka, the most rigorous death camp created under See Omaha Jewish Film Festival page 2

Temple Israel Racial Justice Initiative

STEFANIE BAGUIAN Temple Israel Director of Communications

Temple Israel of Omaha begins their next steps with their Racial Justice Initiative, our own Tikkun Olam, and we need you.

In the last year, a group of 12 members partnered with Deitra Reiser, Ph.D., founder of Transform for Equality. Their workshop aimed to dismantle racism by building racial stamina, which includes the opportu-

nity to “engage and persist in conversations and work that furthers racial justice – especially when the work causes discomfort.”

antiracism, and how and why these conversations must take place in our Jewish communities.

If you are interested in learning more about this cause, you can gather more information at our Shabbat Service on Oct. 28. Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin will be giving a sermon that encompasses these themes. You will be able to hear from those who completed the first workshop. From the bimah, they will give a brief synopsis of their thoughts, why they chose to participate, and their biggest takeaways. They will all be available for questions at the Shabbat Oneg following service.

Saul Aaron Kripke

STEVE RIEKES

Saul Aaron Kripke passed away in New Jersey on Sept. 15, 2022, at age 81. Romina Padro, Director of the Kripke Center at the City University of New York (C.U.N.Y.) said that Saul Kripke died of pancreatic cancer. The Kripke Center is an academic institution devoted to collecting, preserving, and studying Saul’s lectures and thinking.

We are looking for new participants to join this eight-week workshop that asks you to look internally to create everlasting change. Topics include intersectional identity, privilege, systems of oppression, the work of

Following the service, we will reach out to those interested in participating to set dates.

Join us for Shabbat Service on Oct. 28, 2022, 6-7 p.m. in person or on Zoom at Temple Israel with Oneg to follow.

According to an obituary in the New York Times, by Sam Roberts, Saul was a “pioneering logician whose revolutionary theories on language qualified him as one of the 20th Century’s greatest philosophers.”

This world acclaimed scholar had many and deep roots in Omaha, and in its Jewish community.

Saul was the eldest child of Rabbi Myer S. Kripke who moved to Omaha in 1946 to become the senior rabbi of Beth El Synagogue, a conservative congregation, and served for almost thirty years. In later life, he was also an important philanthropist. For example, he endowed the Kripke Library at the Jewish Federation of Omaha and the Kripke Center at Creighton University. Saul’s mother was Dorothy Karp Kripke, who was the author of many books for Jewish children.

During Saul’s formative years, the Kripke home was on Happy Hollow Boulevard, only a few blocks from Dundee Elementary School. In second grade, Saul discovered, for himself, certain principles of algebra.

Most teachers recognized and respected Saul’s genius. Among them was Mrs. Croft, an eighth-grade science teacher. She had worldwide experiences. She was a brilliant educator. She immediately recognized Saul’s unique genius status and worked with him. She gave Saul books on mathematics and logic. She let Saul read them on his own, while the rest of the class pursued more conventional study. Later in life, Saul acknowledged Mrs. Croft’s importance to him and his career.

On a lighter side, Saul was at Dundee during the presidential election campaign between Stevenson, the Democrat, and Eisenhower, the Republican. Most students wore manufactured

Saul Aaron Kripke

News

LOCAL | NATIONAL | WORLD

Astros manager hopes matzah ball soup will give his team a playoffs boost

MATT SAMUELS

Jewish Herald-Voice, Houston via JTA

If the Astros make it to the World Series later this month, fans can thank team manager Dusty Baker — along with a fresh baked challah and several quarts of matzah ball soup.

Baker stopped by Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen here just before Yom Kippur ended to load up on food to help Jewish star Alex Bregman break the fast.

“He said he wanted to do something really nice for Alex and he bought a substantial amount of food,”

Ziggy Gruber told the JHV. “I thought that was quite noble of him.

“Dusty eats here all the time and said it is one of his favorite places.”

According to Gruber, the Astros manager walked out with enough to feed the entire team.

“He got a round challah, 3 pounds of pastrami, some corned beef, rye bread, potato salad, cole slaw, smoked fish, nova, bagels and — of course — a bunch of matzah ball soup,” Gruber said.

“Oh, and he also loaded up on dessert, with all kinds of rugelach and cookies,” he added.

Later in the day, talking to reporters, Baker said that he also

gave some soup to ailing pitcher Luis Garcia. “I got him some matzah ball soup, so he will probably be well tomorrow,” Baker told reporters. “He’s Venezuelan, so he’s probably never had matzah ball soup or heard of Yom Kippur.”

The Astros began defending their American League Championship with a playoff series at home Tuesday, Oct. 11, against the Seattle Mariners who they beat 11-1.

Bregman, who did play on Yom Kippur, enters the postseason with 23 home runs and 93 runs batted in. The two-time all-star and World Series champion had a bar mitzvah in 2007 at Congregation Albert in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

As to how the extra boost of matzo ball soup will help Houston’s quest for another World Series championship, Gruber didn’t hold back.

“We know they are going all the way — there is no doubt,” Gruber said. “And, if we end up playing one of the New York teams or Los Angeles, it will be good for business.

“I’ve operated delis in New York and Los Angeles, but I’ve been here 23 years and will be wearing Astros colors for sure.”

A version of this article originally appeared in the Jewish Herald Voice (Houston) and is republished with permission.

Omaha Jewish Film Festival

Continued from page 1 the Nazi regime. Keen intellect and some luck allowed Joseph to escape from Treblinka (one of only two known escapees) after which he served as an officer in the resistance, fighting Nazis until the liberation.

After being placed in a DP (displaced persons) camp, Joseph learned electronics in a German ORT School and immigrated to the United States in 1949. With only the shirt on his back and $10 given to him from a distant relative, Joseph built a thriving business and a loving family. This story is a true testament to determination, true grit and the life of freedom he found in America.

Following the movie there will be a talkback with two of Mr. Polonski’s children. The cost of the movie is $5 and can be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/movienov

Address question about the IHE film to Scott Littky at slitt ky@ihene.org or 402.334.6575.

IN THE NEWS

The Old Avoca Schoolhouse in Avoca, Nebraska will be streaming three online Klezmer Tunes for Two Workshops for recorder players, fiddlers, violists, cellists, bassists, and mandolinists.

The Workshops will be on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m., Central Time, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m., and Friday, Nov. 11, 7 p.m. Different tunes will be played at each session.

Each participant will receive a copy of our Klezmer Fiddle Tunes For Two book, arranged for the instrument of their choice.

There is limited enrollment, and pre-registration is required. The fee for each Klezmer Tunes for Two Workshop is $25.

For more information, and to register: https://www.green blattandseay.com/workshops_klezmer.shtml

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Alex Bregman shown with his manager Dusty Baker during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Oct. 5, 2022. Credit: Tim Warner/Getty Images

Saul Kripke

Continued from page 1 buttons to indicate their preference, such as “I like Ike.” Saul, however, made his own button: “Nix on Eisenhower.”

Saul had his Bar Mitzvah at Beth El and he was already very accomplished in Hebrew.

In the fall of 1954, Saul became a freshman at Omaha’s prestigious Central High School. It was ranked among the top public high schools in America. It has several Nobel prize winners among its graduates. In 2001, Saul was awarded the Rolf Shock Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, widely regarded as equivalent to the Nobel Prize in philosophy according to the New York Times obituary.

For generations, almost all the Jewish students in Omaha went to Central. During this time, the Jewish Community Center was right across the street from the school.

J. Arthur Nelson was the principal of Central during this period. He recognized and respected Saul’s genius. He helped line up university professors to work with Saul. He let Saul follow his own path.

A science teacher was absent for more than a month due to an accident. Nelson recognized that some of his science classes had exceptionally bright students, and particularly Saul Kripke. Thus, Nelson decided to hire Saul to take over the class and save some money at the same time. While the science teacher was undone by Nelson’s action, most teachers were overjoyed to have Saul in their class.

Most of the Central students also respected Saul. While Central had very high standards of academic achievement. Saul’s achievements went far beyond that. The best the teachers could do was direct Saul to resources that might challenge him. Most students were in awe of him. Although interchanges were friendly, mostly they let Saul be Saul.

Saul was not adept at mundane things like clothing. For instance, male students at Central were required to take three

semesters of ROTC, and had to wear a uniform three days per week. It was said that Saul was the only person who could lose his uniform while wearing it.

Saul was among the first graduates inducted into Central’s Hall of Fame. He was inducted along with Professor Lawrence Klein who won the Noble Prize for Economics.

Saul attended the 50th anniversary of his Central class of 1958 and was regarded as a superstar.

A few years ago, the University of Nebraska of Omaha held a three-day symposium on the work of Saul Kripke. The last lecture of the symposium was by Saul himself. To a layperson, the very title of Saul’s lecture might well be incomprehensible. Many people from the Omaha Jewish community came anyway. They wanted to hear the great philosopher who grew up in their midst, even though they might not have any idea what he was saying.

Saul came to Omaha frequently to visit his father, who spent many of his later years as a Resident of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. A number of Omahans volunteered to house Saul or transport him on these visits as Saul did not drive.

Saul was a committed Zionist, as were his parents. On occasion, Saul lectured in Israel.

Saul was a liberal in politics. He abhorred the Trump administration’s abuse of the truth such as the use of “alternative facts.”

Saul’s two sisters, Madeline and Netta, preceded him in death. Saul is buried near Madeline.

Throughout Saul Kripke’s entire life, he remained an observant Jew. Saul kept kosher and celebrated the Sabbath and all the Jewish holidays.

As in science and in Judaism, truth is paramount. In Saul’s case, his lifetime commitment to the pursuit of truth has elevated all of mankind.

May his memory be for a blessing.

Jewish NHL players to watch this season

EVELYN FRICK

JTA

October is a busy month for U.S. sports fans. The MLB playoffs get underway, the NBA season begins, the NFL season kicks into high gear and both the women’s and men’s pro soccer leagues start their postseasons, too.

Sometimes another milestone gets hidden under the headlines of it all: the start of the NHL season. The first puck droped on Friday, ironically in Prague, in a match between the Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks. (The first stateside games started on Oct. 11.)

Another phenomenon that hasn’t been widely covered — outside of our roundup least year — is the league’s currently high number of Jewish hockey players. The same remains true of this upcoming season — here’s who to watch.

JACK HUGHES, New Jersey Devils, center

All did not go according to plan last season for the No. 1 pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. After multiple goals in the season’s first game, including an overtime game-winner, Hughes dislocated his shoulder in the next match and was off the ice for six weeks. Then in April, an MCL injury ended his sophomore season early with 13 games left. “I haven’t done a ton in this league just yet,” Hughes told The Hockey News in August.

And yet, there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful that the rising star will reach his superstar potential. In just 49 games played last season, he still managed an impressive 26 goals and 56 points (goals plus assists). He and new linemates Alexander Holtz and Ondrej Palat have such an instant chemistry that they’re already nicknamed H20 (Hughes-Holtz-Ondrej).

Another exciting nugget: there’s the possibility that Jack’s younger brother Luke could join him on the Devils next season. Luke was selected fourth overall by the Devils last year, and while he’s playing out his sophomore season at the University of Michigan, he has already shown himself to be a rising force in the NCAA and on the world stage as a member of the 2022 U.S. team at the international junior championship.

While it’s unclear how the brothers identify these days, Jack and Luke (and older brother Quinn) were born to a Jewish mother and a Catholic father. While their upbringing was mostly secular, the Hughes family celebrated Passover and Jack had a bar mitzvah.

QUINN HUGHES, Vancouver Canucks, defenseman

Is it possible to discuss one of the Hughes brothers with-

out discussing them all? Absolutely not.

Last season, oldest brother Quinn Hughes set a Canucks franchise record for defensemen with a whopping 68 points. Though only eight of those points were goals, Quinn has solidified himself as a premiere playmaker.

His only goal: to take more scoring chances on the ice.

“I want to score more, have more shots on net and create more,” Hughes told press. “I think it’s a mentality and trying to rip it and put it through the net.”

ZACH HYMAN, Edmonton Oilers, forward

After playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs for six years, forward Zach Hyman signed with the Edmonton Oilers last summer and never looked back. The left winger had a stellar 2021-2022 season, recording a career-high 27 goals and 54 points in 76 games, which included 11 goals and 16 points in 16 playoff games.

Of all the Jewish players in the NHL, Hyman is perhaps the most vocal about being connected to his faith and roots. He wears No. 18 for a reason. “I’m Jewish, and in Judaism, 18 is a lucky number; it’s chai, which means ‘life’ in Hebrew,” he told The Athletic last year.

Hyman comes from a Jewish family in Toronto and attended school at the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto. In 2013, he represented Canada at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, where he won a gold medal.

Last Hanukkah, Zach lit a giant menorah with the Edmonton Jewish community and told The Athletic in February that he finds it important to speak up against antisemitism.

ADAM FOX, New York Rangers, defenseman

While Adam Fox wasn’t the best defenseman in the NHL in 2022, the 2021 Norris Trophy winner still had a pretty darn See Jewish NHL players to watch this season

4

Saul Kripke

Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Zach Hyman and Adam Fox. Credit: Getty Images

SNOWBIRDS

Jewish NHL players to watch this season

Continued from page 3 good 2021-2022 season. The New York Rangers D-man scored 11 goals and racked up 74 points over the course of 78 games, including five goals and 23 points in the playoffs.

So far in the preseason, Fox has worn an “A” on his jersey (signifying him as an alternate captain), sparking speculation that he could be in the mix for elevated leadership this season.

Originally from Jericho, New York, Fox grew up in Long Island’s Jewish community, where he attended the nearby Jericho Jewish Center, a Conservative synagogue. He had a hockeythemed bar mitzvah.

“There are a lot Jewish residents on Long Island, so it’s cool for me to represent that community,” Fox told JTA last year. “And, you know, there’s not many Jewish athletes. So to be one of the few and have people who come from where I come from look up to me... I think it’s definitely pretty special.”

JASON ZUCKER, Pittsburgh Penguins, forward

In the words of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jason Zucker, who has a Hebrew tattoo on his left forearm had a “nightmare” 2021-2022 season with the Penguins. He seemed to reaggravate a core injury that had required surgery in 2017; by December he was sitting out of practices and games. He had another surgery in early 2022 and came back in March only to miss a few more games after he took a hit to the boards.

After a summer of rest and rehab, it looks like Zucker might have his redemption arc. On Sept. 25, he helped the Penguins open their preseason by snagging a game-winning goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets, looking fast and healthy on the ice. Though Zucker never had a bar mitzvah, he still engages in Jewish traditions and holidays. “I would do virtual menorah lighting with my family back while I was out of town playing juniors or college,” he explained to the Penguins website.

JAKOB CHYCHRUN, Arizona Coyotes, defenseman

A good way to measure a player’s talent and value is by who lines up to trade for him when he wants out of the team he’s on. Since Chychrun made clear last month that he wants to be traded from the Coyotes to a playoff contender, several teams have shown interest in the 24-year-old former first round draft pick whose stock is still on the rise.

And he clearly wants to win.

“Careers are so short, the time flies by, and

I’m in my seventh year in the NHL. It’s just crazy,” he said. “I don’t want these years to keep going by and be 10, 12 years in and not had a real good chance at not only the playoffs, but winning the Stanley Cup.”

Born to a Jewish mother and Catholic father, Chychrun told NHL.com that he grew up celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas.

MARK FRIEDMAN, Pittsburgh Penguins, defenseman

After years of fighting for playing time, 2022 could be Mark Friedman’s breakout season. Some of his younger roster rivals seemed to have better shots at a final starting defenseman spot (even though Friedman is only 26) until stumbling this preseason. After playing in only 16 games through his first three NHL seasons, Friedman played in 26 last year and saw some playing time in the playoffs, too.

“I’ve had to fight for (ice time) my whole life,” he told Pittsburgh Hockey Now. “It’s nothing new. So now I’m ready for the challenge.” The Toronto native who loves his bubbe’s cooking grew up attending Hebrew school in his early grade school years.

“It’s nice being in a family that’s Jewish,” Friedman told the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle last year. “It’s different from most of the hockey world. You don’t see too many Jews playing hockey, especially in the NHL. It’s definitely cool when guys ask about it.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Center LUKE KUNIN was traded from the Nashville Predators to the San Jose Sharks in July. He played in all 82 games for Nashville last year, scoring 13 goals.

From 2009-2021, defenseman JASON

DEMERS bounced around to several different teams. However, this year has been looking up; in January, Demers was selected to play for Team Canada at the Beijing Olympics and is currently signed to a professional tryout with the Edmonton Oilers. As of publication, there’s no word as to whether he’ll make the final team alongside Zach Hyman.

Forward NATE THOMPSON, who played for the Flyers last year and converted to Judaism before marrying his now ex-wife, is currently an unrestricted free agent who was just released from a professional tryout with the Los Angeles Kings. Thompson told the Alaska Sports Report that he intends to sign with the Kings’ American Hockey League affiliate, The Ontario Reign, in hopes of still being signed to an NHL team.

Clockwise, from top left: Jason Zucker, Pittsburgh Penguins Credit: Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images; Jakob Chychrun, Arizona Coyotes Credit: Andrew Lahodynskyj/NHLI via Getty Images; Mark Friedman, Pittsburgh Penguins Credit: Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images; Nate Thompson of the Philadelphia Flyers. Credit: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Los Angeles council member also discussed Jews disparagingly

ASAF ELIA-SHALEV

JTA

The woman who resigned Sunday as president of Los Angeles’ city council after an audio clip leaked revealing racist comments she made about Black and Indigenous people also spoke derisively about Jews in the same recording, the Los Angeles Times reported Oct. 11.

Nury Martinez made the comments about a year ago in conversation with two other council members, Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, and a local labor leader. Their revelation over the weekend caused Martinez to step down as president, but she remains on the council. Protestors interrupted Oct. 11 council meeting to demand the resignations of all three council members, a call that U.S. President Joe Biden has joined as he heads to Los Angeles for a four-day tour.

On the recording, Ron Herrera, who has resigned as president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, can be heard speaking about former state Assemblymember Richard Katz, who is Jewish and was at the time serving on a city commission charged with redrawing council district boundaries. Katz was appointed to the role by City Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who is also Jewish.

“I’m sure Katz and his crew have an agenda,” Herrera said. Martinez responded by saying, “Judíos cut their deal with South L.A. They are gonna screw everybody else.” Judíos means Jews in Spanish, and South L.A. is where much of the city’s Black population is concentrated.

The scandal engulfing Los Angeles politics broke out on Sunday and escalated while Jewish institutions were closed and some Jews were abstaining from using electronics in observance of the Sukkot holiday on Monday and Tuesday. Despite the unusual interjection of the U.S. president, it is being overshadowed by a different set of bigoted comments, by rapper Kanye West, who also suggested that he believes Jews possess outsized control and are animated by greed.

In the same audio recording, Martinez can also be heard talking about people of Armenian descent using a stereotype.

ORGANIZATIONS

B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS

The award-winning B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS speaker program currently meets Wednesdays via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Please watch our email for specific information concerning its thought-provoking, informative list of speakers. To be placed on the email list, contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com

US ambassador to Israel responds to allegations over Lebanon gas deal: ‘Ridiculous’

JOTAM CONFINO

TEL AVIV | JTA

Taking aim at claims made by Israel’s opposition leaders, including opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, America’s top diplomatic representative to Israel shot down claims that the U.S.-brokered deal on gas and maritime borders between Israel and Lebanon was a surrender to Hezbollah.

“That is ridiculous,” Ambassador Tom Nides told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in an exclusive interview on Friday. He also rejected arguments by his predecessor, David Friedman, who tweeted that dividends from the disputed maritime gas fields would go “100% to Lebanon and 0% to Israel.”

“I have enormous respect for David [Friedman] and I’m not in any way criticizing him,” Nides said. “However, it’s wrong. In fact, former Prime Minister Netanyahu also supported a very similar deal a few years ago.”

The gas deal, now facing last-minute hurdles, has topped the news in the region in past weeks. Nides and the U.S. administration see it as a “historic deal” that he said “would be good for Lebanon” and “good for the Israelis in particular.” The U.S. ambassador still believes that it is possible to overcome differences and reach a deal, despite last-minute changes introduced by Lebanon and mounting criticism by the Israeli opposition.

“I’m quite confident we will get this done. Obviously, in no way will we ever support something that would create a security risk for the state of Israel or put Israel at a disadvantage,” Nides said.

He stressed that America is playing the role of an honest broker and flatly denied suggestions that the deal now proposed is significantly different than discussed in the past, while Netanyahu served as prime minister.

“It’s not true,” Nides said. “The reality is that the basis is basically the same and ultimately the benefits will be similar to what it would have been several years ago.”

Nides, 61, who took on his post in Israel last December, has a reputation of being open, and at times direct, even within the

diplomatic confines in which he operates. In a wide-ranging interview in Tel Aviv, he took on some of the toughest issues creating friction between Jerusalem and Washington, including religious pluralism in Israel, settlement expansion, growing tensions between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and the upcoming elections in Israel.

Nides, who grew up in Minnesota as a liberal Reform Jew and went to synagogue only during the High Holidays, is a firm believer in equality at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, known in Hebrew as the Kotel. Recent incidents in which American Jewish families were attacked while celebrating their childrens’ bar and bat mitzvahs did not go unnoticed by the U.S. ambassador.

“I have no tolerance for anyone being hurt or attacked for doing what they believe is their religious belief at the Western Wall. Both on the Orthdodox and Reform side, and for women and men. I think everyone should use this religious site for their own spirituality,” he said.

Nides has been involved personally on this issue.

“I have had the opportunity to spend many evenings with the rabbi of the wall [Shmuel Rabinovich, an Orthodox rabbi]. I go to the Kotel quite often, and I’m respectful, but I make our position very clear vis a vis the importance of observant and non-observant Jews to share this beautiful place,” he said. “I like the rabbi but I disagree with him and some of the people around him on the conditions that should be set up for the non-religious Jews.”

Religious pluralism, a concern that tops the agenda of many Jewish Americans, does not feature significantly in Israel’s upcoming elections, scheduled for Nov. 1. Much of the debate concentrates on the question of including far-right politicians, including Itamar Ben-Gvir, a former Kahanist known inciting violence against Arabs, in a future coalition, if Netanyahu forms the next government.

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

THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE. THE POWER OF COMMUNITY.

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“We love Friedel because of the small school environment. There’s something to be said for the one-on-one learning and extra care. We have family in Israel so it’s important to us that Mara has Friedel’s immersive Hebrew experience as a part of her education as she forms her Jewish identity.”

Your support helps us build meaningful relationships with individuals empowering them to make a lifelong

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“I’ve been with BBYO since the 8th grade and it’s changed my life in many ways. My brother got me into it and I loved it from the start. It’s a unique network where you can meet people from all over the country and the world. There’s just something special about connecting with other Jewish teens.”

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402.334.8200

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Tom Nides, the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Credit: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images

Annual Campaign Community Event

Sunday, October 2, Temple Israel provided the setting for the Jewish Federation of Omaha Annual Campaign Community Event. Almost 300 participants joined for drinks, dinner and schmoozing, as well as a speech by visiting columnist Brett Stephens, and presentations by our campaign chairs Joel and Nancy Schlessinger. Rabbi Steven Abraham and Jeff Kirshenbaum spoke about their trip to the Ukraine border earlier this year, illustrating how Omaha’s campaign dollars help out where it is most needed. To all who attended: thank you! If you have not pledged to the 2023 Annual Campaign, you can do so by visiting www.jewishomaha.org

Row 1: Event Chairs: Sharon Kirshenbaum, Cindy Goldberg, and Dana Kaufman; Judy Zweiback and Nancy Noddle; Margo Parsow and Bret Stephens, speaker; Laura and Phil Malcom; Candice and Dusty Friedman; Marti RosenAtherton, Karen Gustafson, and Gloria Kaslow.

Row 2: Zoë and Steve Riekes, Margie and Bruce Gutnik, Susan Goldsmith; Bernie, June, Joel, Nancy, Daniel, and Steffi Schlessinger; Abby and Adam Kutler.

Row 3: Kim and Bob Goldberg; Jennie Gates-Beckman and David Beckman; Bruce and Sandy Gordon; Dana Kaufman, Louri and Josh Sullivan.

Row 4: Jebb Fish, Sarah Waszgis, Casey Wilson, Tracy Modra, Laura Wine, and Conner Debban; Lisa and Gary Epstein; Cheryl and Richard Diamond; Rabbi Deana Berezin, Cantor Joanna Alexander and Rabbi Batsheva Appel; Esther Katz and Idan Zaccai; Alan and Carol Parsow.

Row 5: Rabbi Berezin and Bruce Friedlander; Shiran Dreyer and Rabbi Yoni Dreyer; Sara and Ari Kohen; Mary Bernstein and Amy Shivvers; Shiri and David Phillips, Ellie Novak, and Ally Freeman; Michael and Melissa Shrago; Terri and Dick Zacharia.

Row 6: Jill and Gus Sideris; Pam and Dennis DePorte; Pat Chudomelka, Janie Kulakofsky, and Keith Wagner; Norm Sheldon and Wendy Raffel; anonymously donated BBYO table: Leora Werner, Ashley Oropeza, and Kris Faier; Elizabeth Brodkey, Lauren Dolson, Adria Tipp, Evan Kugler, Noah Atlas, and Alex Kugler.

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Susan Katzman

Julee Katzman, Jacob Katzman, and Rabbi Ari

Lisa Marcus, Jerry Gordman, and Deborah Platt

The Jewish Press

(Founded in 1920)

Margie Gutnik President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor

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Jewish Press Board

Margie Gutnik, President; Abigail Kutler, Ex-Officio; Seth Feldman; David Finkelstein; Ally Freeman; Mary Sue Grossman; Les Kay; Natasha Kraft; Chuck Lucoff; David Phillips; and Joseph Pinson.

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 JFO are: Institute for Holocaust Education, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Social Services and the Jewish Press

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Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole.

The conversation continues

The 2022 Jewish Federation of Omaha (JFO) Campaign Kickoff Event itself was well-organized and warm. There were positive feelings in the room and people were grateful to be together. This was a good reminder that the personal relationships and formal partnerships that exist in this community are indeed special.

DAN GILBERT Guest Editorial

For me, these good feelings were crushed by a keynote speaker who shared a vision counter to the path of justice and inclusion that our community has committed to pursuing. Judging by the restrained applause after his remarks, I don’t think I am the only one with that reaction.

In his remarks, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens claimed that the discourse around privilege and identity politics were threats to Jewish life. It was astonishing to hear him explicitly dismiss the identities of Jews of Color.

Our community has already acknowledged the reality of white privilege and that Jews who are not white experience racism in our own Jewish institutions.

Stephens’ views about privilege and identity are directly opposed to the anti-bias work we have been doing as a community locally and the work that the ADL is doing nationally through anti-bias training. A key theme of the ADL’s training is that

to eliminate bias and pursue justice, we must prioritize the impact of our words and actions over our intent.

The intent of our speaker’s comments was to promote Jewish identity, but the impact was real harm to real people. Denying part (or all) of a person’s humanity is precisely the tactic that antisemites and bigots have used as the precursor to astonishing levels of violence that we know too well.

The words “white privilege” and even “white supremacy” make many of us uncomfortable. But that discomfort does not make them untrue. The data is overwhelming - racism plays a role in just about every part of American society including our Jewish institutions.

The truth is that white Jews locally and nationally benefit in our American systems. White Jews do not experience racial discrimination. White Jews do not earn less for doing the same job in any field, do not face discrimination in housing, and are not treated unfairly by law enforcement. People of Color, including Jews of Color, experience these realities.

It is core to Judaism to hold ourselves to the highest levels of accountability. We are simply not doing enough to end racism in Omaha and in our Jewish organizations. It feels like we are at a crossroads. Are we serious about fighting racism and fighting for justice? Or will we tolerate bigotry unless white Jews are the victims?

Are we going to keep actively challenging ourselves to be better? Or, will we make excuses to accept racist rhetoric in our community?

The starting point for fighting racism is to fight it in our own institutions and community. We can all be part of the solution. A step everyone can do is to take the initiative to learn more and push through the discomfort of asking questions. Some resources:

● Read about the diversity of American Jews at The American Jewish Population Project at Brandeis University’s Steinhardt Social Research Institute (https://ajpp.brandeis.edu/)

● Learn more about the Anti-Defamation League’s Challenge Bias Initiatives (https://www. adl.org/what-we-do/challenge-bias)

● To understand more about systemic racism’s impact on Americans, spend time with the data from the Urban League’s State of Black America report (https://soba.iamempowered.com/2022report)

It is going to take more than a handful of voices. As a community we must double our efforts to fight bias and hate in all its forms or we will never find the peace we seek. I urge all Jewish organizations in Omaha to reaffirm a commitment to fighting structural racism locally and nationally.

Dan Gilbert is the Past President of Temple Israel and is a member of the North American Board of the Union for Reform Judaism. The views expressed here are his own.

Editor’s note: in the interest of full transparency, we are working towards having the full text of Brett Stephens’ speech on our website at www.omahajewishpress.com.

How the Gilded Age (the era, not the TV show) created American Jewry

ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL JTA

Mike Hale ruined The Gilded Age for me. After reading his New York Times pan of the HBO series about Old New York — he called it ”a muddled and slapdash portrait... that consistently dips into caricature” — I figured there were plenty of other series worth my time and attention.

He did not, however, ruin the Gilded Age for me — that is, the actual historic period, roughly from the end of the Civil War to the end of the 19th century. Like many others, I am fascinated by the hallmarks of an excessive age: the lavish homes of the “robber barons,” the stultifying cultural codes of the high society “Four Hundred,” the literary treatments by Edith Wharton, Henry James and Booth Tarkington.

I am also appalled by the misery of the period: the abject poverty of the inner city captured in Jacob Riis’ photographs, and the racist terrorism and white supremacist laws that ended Reconstruction.

What I rarely thought about was how Jews fit into this picture. I knew of figures such as August Belmont and the Lehman Brothers, who amassed great fortunes but were treated as arrivistes by the WASP elite. I knew Jewish immigrants from Romania and the Russian empire had begun to pour into New York by the 1880s, but I always felt their story belonged to the 20th century (when, not so coincidentally, my own grandparents arrived). When I read a Wharton novel, my encounters with Jews were both rare and unhappy.

Mendelsohn and Sarna have set out to restore the place of Jews in the post-Civil War period. They have edited the massive, forthcoming anthology, Yearning to Breathe Free: Jews in the Gilded Age (Princeton University Library).

Earlier this month, the American Jewish Historical Society in Manhattan put on a day-long conference, Jews in the Gilded Age, with panels featuring many of the authors who contributed to the new book. The symposium fleshed out a complicated era, especially in describing the seeds it planted for the American Jewish community as we know it today.

One big seed was the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, founded in 1886. Before it became the flagship of Conservative Judaism, JTS was an

attempt by traditionalists to thwart the rise of the intimidatingly liberal Reform Judaism. Only later did it emerge as the “third way” of American Judaism between Reform and Orthodoxy, as Sarna discussed on a panel that included Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik of New York’s Congregation Shearith Israel and the current chancellor of JTS, Shuly Rubin Schwartz.

The enormous economic expansion of the age created enormous opportunities for Jews. Mendelsohn and a fellow panelist, Roger Horowitz of the Hagley Museum and Library, described the conditions that allowed even poor immigrants to get a leg up, from the exploding market for readymade clothing and cheap consumer goods to new industries like vaudeville, sheet music and the movies.

And as these “alrightniks” moved into the management class, Jewish workers began to organize in ways that anticipated the labor movement — and liberal voting patterns — of the 20th century. New wealth also liberated Jewish women from domestic labors; historians Pamela Nadell and Esther Shor discussed how Lazarus and the essayist Nina Morais Cohen used this freedom to defend their fellow Jews from burgeoning antisemitism.

him out. He is also one of the few characters in the series played by a Jewish actor, Morgan Spector (who also starred in HBO’s The Plot Against America)

For Mora, director of programs at the Center for Jewish History, a more honest portrayal of the Gilded Age was Joan Micklin Silver’s 1975 film Hester Street. Set on the Lower East Side in 1896, the

An antisemitic cartoon from Judge Magazine, ca. 1892, shows Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution in Russia and establishing businesses in New York, while America’s “first families” flee west. Oddly, the cartoon also seems to credit the Jews for their “perseverance and industry.” Credit: Cornell University/PJ Mode Collection of Persuasive Cartography

That antisemitism was the inevitable backlash to Jewish success. Yeshiva University’s Jeffrey Gurock spoke about the founding of the American Jewish Historical Society itself, saying that one of its main functions was “apologetics” — that is, chronicling and sometimes exaggerating Jewish contributions to the founding of the United States in order to counter growing antisemitism and antiimmigrant nativism. You recognize that insecure impulse today whenever a Jewish friend forwards a list of Jewish Nobel Prize-winners or the latest “proof” that Christopher Columbus was a Jew.

In a session on depictions of the Gilded Age in movies and television, Hale reiterated his criticism of the HBO series, but also noted the ways Jews in the series are “present by their absence.” The character George Russell is not identified as a Jew, but, as Hale and co-panelist Miriam Mora agreed, is “coded” Jewish by his attempt to break into old line New York society and the WASP characters’ attempts to keep

independent film dared to depict “Americanization as a negative.” Its protagonists are a striving Jewish husband who detests the Old Country, and a wife who is trying to hold on to her traditions.

For many Jews today, the Gilded Age looks like a grainy black-and-white photograph, but instead of a lavish black-tie dinner at Delmonico’s it shows an ancestor standing in front of a store window advertising “full line groceries” and “jobbers of dry goods.”

Learning about the Jewish Gilded Age is like watching that photograph develop in a darkroom.

On the one hand the picture reveals the anxieties that still haunt us: antisemitism, internal divides, the high price of assimilation.

It’s also a portrait of success. As Benjamin Steiner writes in Yearning to Breathe Free, “Hard work, traditions of mutual aid, respect for education, centuries of diaspora experience, structural economic forces tied to capitalism and the fact that most Jews had white skins in a society where Blacks were the principal out-group — all enabled Jews by the middle of the twentieth century to become one of America’s most successful minority groups.”

Synagogues

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

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

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE

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

bethel-omaha.org

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

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

BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

CHABAD HOUSE

An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646 402.330.1800

OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN

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

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

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

ROSE BLUMKIN

JEWISH HOME

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154 rbjh.com

TEMPLE ISRAEL

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

templeisraelomaha.com

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY:

TIFERETH ISRAEL

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

tiferethisraellincoln.org

B’NAI ISRAEL

Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

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

BETH EL

Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

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

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

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation, 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 7:10 p.m. Zoom Only.

SUNDAY: BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; Miriam’s North Omaha Legacy Tour, 3 p.m.

MONDAY: Women’s Book Group, 6:30 p.m. will discuss Eternal by Lisa Scottoline.

TUESDAY: Pirkei Avot, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7:15 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High, 6 p.m.

THURSDAY: Ba’al Tefillah Workshop, 7 p.m. with Hazzan Krausman.

FRIDAY-Oct. 28: Nebraska AIDS Project Lunch, 11:30 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY-Oct. 29: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation, 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 7 p.m. Zoom Only.

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

BETH ISRAEL

FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 6:17 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Tehillim for Kids, 5:30 p.m.; Mincha/Shalosh Suedos, 6 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity 6:30 p.m.; Ma’ariv/Havdalah, 7:15 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit 9 a.m.; Daf Yomi 5:40 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv 6:10 p.m.

MONDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 5:40 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:10 p.m.

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 5:30 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6 p.m.; Board of Directors Meeting, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 5:30 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6 p.m.

THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Character Development, 9:30 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 5:40 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:10 p.m.; Parsha Class, 6:40 p.m.

FRIDAY-Oct. 28: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 6:07 p.m.

SATURDAY-Oct. 29: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat 10:45 a.m.; Tehillim for Kids, 5:30 p.m.; Mincha/Shalosh Suedos, 5:50 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 6:20 p.m.; Ma’ariv/ Havdalah, 7:06 p.m.

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

CHABAD HOUSE

All services are in-person. All classes are being offered in-person/Zoom hybrid (Ochabad.com/classroom). For more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.com or call the office at 402.330.1800.

FRIDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochabad.com/Le chayim; Candlelighting, 6:16 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 7:14 p.m.

SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps: Video Presentation, 9-9:30 a.m. and Breakfast, 9:45 a.m.

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

TUESDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Tanya, 9:30 a.m.; Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Hebrew Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

THURSDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Hebrew Reading, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 18 — No advance experience necessary), noon; Jewish Law Class, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY-Oct. 28: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochab ad.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 6:06 p.m.

SATURDAY-Oct. 29: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 7:05 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL

Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch.

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

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex and music by Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Oneg host TBD; Candlelighting, 7:04 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Bereshit; Havdalah 7:17 p.m.

SUNDAY: LJCS Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Men's Jewish Bike Group of Lincoln meets Sundays at 10 a.m., rain

Are you ready for some football?

LEIGH CHAVES

JFO Israel Engagement and Outreach Director

The Jewish Federation of Omaha invites you to the game! Join GenNow and the Kansas City Young Adult group for a brunch tailgate and KC Chiefs game on Sunday, Nov. 13

The bus leaves the JFO at 7 a.m. and there will be a tailgate/brunch until kickoff at noon

We will return to the JCC Campus by 7 p.m.

Cost: $110 per person; this includes bus transportation, food and drinks during the tailgate and entrance to the game.

To sign up, please visit the JFO website at jewishomaha.org and click on the slider at the top of the page (it’s bright yellow, you’ll see it).

GenNow is open to members of the Jewish community in their 20s and 30s.

Other upcoming events to look forward to include:

• The GenNow fall outing at the Bellevue Berry Farm and Pumpkin Ranch on Oct. 30;

• PJ Library Family Bingo and Pizza Night in the Goldstein Venue on Nov. 1;

• PJ Library and Chabad – Havdalah in Pajamas

on Nov. 12;

• Women Leading a Dialogue, from Nov. 13 through 16;

• Challah Tots with Friedel Jewish Academy on Nov. 17

The Jewish Federation of Omaha’s vision is that every person in Omaha feels welcome on the cam-

or shine, to ride to one of The Mill locations from Hanson Ct. (except we drive if it’s too wet, cold, cloudy, windy, hot or humid) followed by coffee and spirited discussions. If interested, please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail.com to find out where to meet each week; South Street Temple Board Meeting 1:30 p.m.; Candlelighting for Yom Tov at 7 p.m.; Pickleball at Tifereth Israel is on hiatus until after Yom Kippur 5783. In the meantime, everyone is welcome to play at Peterson Park until after Yom Kippur; just wear comfortable clothes and tennis or gym shoes. For more information, contact Miriam Wallick by email at Miriam57@aol.com

MONDAY: Candlelighting for Yom Tov at 7:58 p.m.

TUESDAY: Tea & Coffee with Pals, 1:30 p.m. via Zoom; Havdalah, 7:56 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Classes, 4 p.m

FRIDAY-Oct 28: Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex and music by Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Oneg host TBD; Candlelighting, 6:09 p.m.

SATURDAY-Oct. 29: Shabbat Morning Service 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Noach; Havdalah, 7:08 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

FRIDAYS: Virtual Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month at Capehart Chapel. Contact TSgt Jason Rife at OAFBJSLL@icloud.com for more information.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home’s service is currently closed to visitors.

TEMPLE ISRAEL

In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Batsheva Appel, Rabbi Deana Sussmam Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander

FRIDAY: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 5:45 p.m. In-Person; Classic Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. Zoom & In-Person.

SATURDAY: Torah Study 9:15 a.m. Zoom & In-Person; Shabbat Morning Services and Bat Mitzvah of Miriam Ginsburg, 10:30 a.m. Zoom & In-Person.

SUNDAY: Grades PreK-6, 9:30 a.m.; Book Club, 10:30 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m.; Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m In-Person; Grades 7-8, 6:30-8 p.m.; Grades 9-12, 6-8 p.m. at Beth El; Community Beit Midrash, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Class, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel. Zoom & In-Person.

FRIDAY-Oct. 28: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m.; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. Zoom & In-Person

SATURDAY-Oct. 29: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. Zoom & In-Person; Shabbat Morning Services and Bat Mitzvah of Megan Kugler, 10:30 a.m. Zoom & In-Person.

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

pus and is inspired to have a meaningful and relevant relationship with the Jewish Federation of Omaha and its agencies.

If you want more information about any of our upcoming events, please contact me at lchaves@jewishomaha.org or call me at 402.334.6485.

BAT MITZVAH

MEGAN KUGLER

Megan Kugler, daughter of Traci and Lance Kugler will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022 at Temple Israel.

Megan is a seventh grade Honors student at Westside Middle School.

Her interests include Show Choir, tennis, fashion, Camp Sabra, and spending time with friends.

For her Mitzvah Project, Megan volunteered with Special Olympics and Unified Events through Westside Community Schools. She helped with basketball, bowling, movie night, and crafts.

She has a sister, Lauren (20), and brothers, Alex (18), Ryan (15), and Evan (15).

Grandparents are Sandra and Stuart Kutler of Omaha and Cynthia and John Kugler of Omaha.

Great-grandparents are the late Harriet and Lazier Singer, the late Marian and Phil Kutler, the late Frances and Robert Koehler, the late Dale Kugler and Louise Blohm.

CORRECTION

The photo of Joseph Polonski and his wife Bluma, which graced our front page in the Oct. 14 edition, was missing the credit. This beautiful portrait was taken by David Radler. The Jewish Press regrets the oversight.

IN MEMORIAM

BARBARA (LIBERMAN) FROHMAN

Barbara (Liberman) Frohman passed away on Oct. 7, 2022 at age 94. A memorial service was held Oct. 13, 2022 at Temple Israel.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Warner Frohman; son-in-law, Dr. Jay Parsow; and her parents, Dorothy and Charles Liberman.

She is survived by her daughter, Margo Parsow; grandsons, Aaron Parsow and Charles Parsow; her extended family and many good friends.

Memorials may be made to the Dr. Jay Parsow Scholarship Fund at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, 333 South 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154.

KATHERINE E. “KITTY” WILLIAMS

Katherine E. “Kitty” Williams passed away on Oct. 2, 2022 at age 98. Visitation was held on Oct. 6, 2022, at Hoy Kilnoski Funeral Home, 1221 N. 16thSt., Council Bluffs. Family and friends met at the funeral home on Oct. 7 for a cortege from the funeral home to a graveside service at Walnut Hill Cemetery, 1350 E. Pierce St., Council Bluffs.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mor and Anna (Roth) Ehrenfeld; husband, Bill Williams; son, Michael John Peters; siblings: Miklos Field, Joseph Ehrenfeld, Pista Ehrenfeld, Magda Stone, Betty Kasik, and Klari Gray.

She is survived by her son and partner, Mark and Claudio Peters and daughter, Pamela Peters; grandchildren, Amanda Peters and Danny Pullen and Morgan Ehren Peters; great-grandson, Danny Wren Pullen; and nieces and nephews.

She was born Sept. 3, 1924, to the late Mor and Anna (Roth) Ehrenfeld in Sarand, Hungary. She was a Holocaust survivor and spent many years educating people about her experiences.

Local Memoir: In Search of 49th Street

SAM KIRICSFELD Editor, KC Jewish Chronicle

Marshall Widman, having dealt with family members who had Alzheimer’s disease, was inspired to write In Search of 49th Street, a book about a man diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment, a condition that could be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. The settings are based on ones from his childhood in Omaha, Nebraska in the 1950s and 1960s.

In Widman’s novel, Sonny Alport, only 40 years old, longs to return to his childhood in 1950s Omaha after his diagnosis. Alport tries to relive the years

after his bar mitzvah in 1958 by heading to Omaha, and he develops a relationship with a woman, Carol Ann. This book, a combination of Alport’s own words and the perspective of his friend, Bud Lieberman, explores the experiences of growing up, living in Omaha in the 1950s, and the feelings and symptoms of his diagnosis.

In Search of 49th Street is available in hardcover, paperback and e-edition. Marshall Widman currently resides in Overland Park, Kansas; his website is widman publishing.com

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Marshall Widman