October 28, 2022

The new B’nai Israel Part 1 “The Past”

There’s a sweet and lovely story Being told across the river, Just a little north of Broadway Where resilience sings her song. A synagogue still standing After years of faithful service Feeling every bit as relevant And every bit as strong.

It was historian/activist Dora Franklin Finley who said, “You can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.” That’s been the inspiration—the guiding light for what has become a spirited restora-

tion and repurposing of B’nai Israel Synagogue in Council Bluffs.

“It is our hope that as a living history and working synagogue, it can add context and understanding to the present while helping us appreciate our culture, ideas and traditions into the future,” said Mary Beth Muskin, co- chair of the project along with Janie Kulakofsky. “Knowing the history of the Jewish migration to the Midwest helps to understand that we as a people have endured, preserved and reinvented our religion and culture over generations in order to survive within a wider world,” Muskin added. “History builds empathy and understanding See The new B’nai Israel page 3

The 20th Annual Omaha Jewish Film Festival: What’s Coming?

MARK KIRCHHOFF

JFO Community Engagement and Education

The 20th Annual Omaha Jewish Film Festival opens on Nov. 8 in the Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater at the Staenberg Omaha Jewish Community Center. Three additional films follow on Nov. 22, 29 and Dec.

All films begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased online by going to www.jewishomaha.org and clicking on the sliding banner at

Kitty Williams: A true woman of valor

SCOTT LITTKY Institute for Holocaust Education Executive Director

“It’s with you. It haunts you forever. You try not to, but somehow the older I get, the more I think about it.”

– Kitty Williams

the top and following the link. Tickets may also be purchased at the door. This year’s festival follows the theme “Views of the World Through Israeli Eyes,” and the first film, A Lullaby for the Valley, is exemplary of that

theme and what is to come throughout the festival. Artist Eli Shamir paints the view from his studio balcony - fields stretching to the horizon, ancient oak trees, and a generation of farmers that is disappearing from the vistas of the Jezreel Valley. His large oils are treasured by collectors worldwide. It was director Ben Shani’s encounter with one of Shamir’s works that spawned the idea of documenting the artist at work. Filmed over the course of ten years, A Lullaby for the Valley focuses on the fascinating artist and his paintings. As time passes, like the endless fields of the valley, they are transformed before our eyes.

The second film of the festival to be shown on Nov. 29, The Museum, is a film that observes, examines and ponders Israel’s most important cultural institution, the Israel Museum.

Jewish Film Festival page 2

Every so often you meet a person who immediately leaves their mark on you. Kitty Williams, a member of our Holocaust survivor speaker’s bureau who died on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, was just that type of person. A few years ago, Kitty, who was of course still driving well into her 90’s, was in a car accident. No one was hurt but there was damage to both cars. As she and the other driver were exchanging information, Kitty told the other driver part of her survivor story. As a result, Kitty and the other drive became friends. She was just that type of a person. The type who was always looking forward and has a positive outlook on everything.

Kitty Williams was born in Sarand, Hungary, in 1924. She spent a short time in a ghetto before being transported to Auschwitz. Kitty was later moved to the Allendorf work camp where she was forced to work with toxic chemicals and to chisel powder out of undetonated bombs. Kitty and two of her sisters survived Auschwitz, one sister survived the Budapest Death March and two of her brothers made it out of forced labor camps. Unlike her siblings, who wouldn’t broach the subject, Kitty was forthcoming about the family’s Holocaust ordeal. Still, she remained cautious. The Council Bluffs resident kept a low profile, making a new start in the States. She married, she bore children, she worked. Other things crowded out the Holocaust. But in 1982 she went back with two sisters and her daughter, Pam. In 1991, Kitty and her son Mark went for a reunion of the

JOANIE JACOBSON

Kitty Williams Credit: Kaplan

Jewish Film Festival

Continued from page 1

The film follows the visitors, observes the observers, listens to the speakers and descends to the storerooms, labs and conference rooms. For about 18 months director Ran Tal collected footage of the daily routine of the museum that seeks to both reflect and mold the Israeli legacy and culture.

In Search of Israeli Cuisine is a portrait of the Israeli people told through food. It puts a face on the culture of Israel. Profiling chefs, home cooks, farmers, vintners, and cheese makers drawn from the many cultures that make up Israel today – Jewish, Arab, Muslim, Christian, Druze – a rich, complex and human story emerges. This film will be shown on Nov. 29

The film festival concludes with the showing of Kiss Me Kosher on Dec. 6. During a stay in Israel, German biologist Maria Müller falls in love with Israeli bar owner Shira Shalev. When the two want to marry, Shira’s Jewish grandmother Berta is anything but enthusiastic. For her, a marriage between an Israeli and a German is an impossibility. Neverthe-

Kitty Williams

Continued from page 1

Allendorf survivors. She then gave her first extensive Holocaust accounting for the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Project. Her videotaped testimony was more a memorial to her father, killed shortly after their arrival at Birkenau, than a chronicle of her own experience.

Kitty Williams was a true Woman of Valor. She told her story of survival to thousands of people over the years. I know that each and every person who heard her testimony was affected by it. One of Williams’ consistent themes in her presentations was that despite what happened in the Holocaust, there are still more good people in the world than bad. Further she would say, “My fear is that history is repeating itself, and I don’t

less, wedding preparations are in full swing. Meanwhile, Berta is secretly seeing her Palestinian lover Ibrahim. This is a comedy, but much more. The challenges of relationships in various arenas are presented to view and ponder.

You’re invited!

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 festival to Mark Kirchhoff at mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org or 402.334.6463.

like the signs of today. I don’t like the division in our country.

I am very fearful about our future.”

Kitty did, though, have faith in young people. “You have to start with the kids,” she would say. “I have all my hope in today’s children, who seem to be very informed, eager to learn and very articulate. I’m really very impressed with today’s children. At the same time, I want to give credit to the teachers who are really opening their eyes. They are the ones that really deserve the credit.”

May Kitty Williams’ memory may always be for a blessing and may we take her testimony of survival to learn from her experience and to teach the importance of the lessons learned from the understanding of, Never Again.

Don’t forget to sign up for the Nov. 13 (m)Eat the Press event, in the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue from 2-4 p.m. This event is co-hosted by JFS and PJ Library, and will feature kosher food (some of it featured in our 2022 Rosh Hashana edition) including salami, fried kreplach and Margie Gutnik’s famous cinnamon challah. Cost is $36 per family, and story time for our youngest community members is included! We have an array of Jewish food-themed PJ Library books waiting, and our volunteer readers include none other than Gail Veitzer, Scott Littky and Mike Siegel.

We ask that, in addition to signing up, participants bring donations for the JFS food pantry. Specific needs are high protein items like canned tuna, chicken, corned beef, sardines, salmon or roast beef; nutritional shakes and bars; canned nuts and liquid and powdered laundry detergents.

Sign up through the link at www.jewishomaha.org or go direct: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/2ity6w? vid=uoak7

This event is made possible through the generosity of the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation. We can’t wait to see you!

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

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor

The new B’nai Israel

Continued from page 1 through learning about the lives of our ancestors.”

The first Jewish settler in what was then the Iowa Territory in 1833 was Alexander Levi,who was also the state’s first naturalized citizen. Fearing economic and political unrest, more Jewish settlers, most of them Reform Jews, came from Germany and Bohemia. They, in turn, urged others from their homelands to settle in this western Iowa town on the edge of the Missouri River.

With the passage of the Homestead Law and the building of the Union Pacific Railroad in the late 1800s, the population of Jewish immigrants in the area grew every year.

Having fled the pogroms in Czarist Russia, a new wave of refugees arrived from Eastern Europe, many of them Orthodox.

In 1881, twenty-five charter members established the Congregation of Bikur Cholim. There was no rabbi or synagogue so they rented a building for services and meetings. Their first purchase was a cemetery east of the city that was divided into two sections, one to be used by the Reform Jews and the other by the Orthodox.

From these beginnings, the Chevra B’nai Yisroel Congregation was organized and incorporated in 1903 with a membership of 14 men. The former Temple Emanuel had to close its doors and donated its Sefer Torah and $900 to Chevra B’nai Yisroel. The cornerstone for the new synagogue was laid on June 19, 1904, at 618 Mynster Street in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and it served the Jewish community for almost 25 years.

Immigrants from Europe

Built a synagogue for worship And to gather with their families In a land where they were free. A modest place of worship, Still a treasure nonetheless ‘Til the night brought on a sadness That no one could foresee.

March 5, 1930. A date that every B’nai Israel congregation from then on would never forget — the day the wood frame building on Mynster Street burned to the ground. A neighborhood boy, seeing the first flames on the roof, called the fire department to the scene in the middle of the night. Three Jewish women who lived nearby heroically rescued the Torah and carried it to safety. A short time later, these women went in again to save some religious items and valuable books from the ruins.The loss was estimated at $15,000. The insurance covered only $3,000. But this is not the end of the story.

Services were held in homes while funds were being raised to rebuild the synagogue. In less than a year, the congregation

had raised the money and construction was underway. The original cornerstone was found among the ruins and became part of the new structure, considered one of the most modern in the region.

The Congregation made a number of changes. It shed some of its Orthodox traditions for those of the larger Conservative movement, added the use of English in its services, and allowed for gender-integrated seating. In November, 1953, the congregation changed its official name to B’nai Israel.

By the mid-1960s, the congregation began to decline. It lost its full-time rabbi, the Talmud Torah and Sunday school had closed, and plans were made to disband the congregation and auction off the synagogue. Once again, this is not the end of the story.

The membership came together to recruit young families and new members. They decided to adopt a more contemporary approach to Judaism, one that was more progressive in religious and social philosophy, and in 1989, the congregation hired its first Reconstructionist rabbi, a female.

Throughout its history, notable men and women belonged to B’nai Israel — Maynard S. Telpner, lawyer and community leader who served as mayor in the early 60s; Shirley Gershun Goldstein, who spearheaded the rescue of hundreds of Soviet Jews in the 70s; Leo Meyerson, founder of World Radio; Norman Cherniss, noted journalist and sportswriter; and Jack Edward Brown, lawyer and candidate for Congress.

In the late 1990s, B’nai Israel faced yet another challenge. Jewish families were leaving the community and synagogue attendance was declining. President of the congregation, Dr. Allen Kurland said he remained optimistic about the synagogue’s future.

Dr. and Sandra Kurland, along with Bonnie and Martin Leiserowitz established a Speaker Series in the small chapel for prayer and lecture followed by an Oneg in the social hall. Thanks to the efforts and dedication of the Kurlands, Leiserowitzes and Bleichers, B’nai Israel Synagogue in Council Bluffs, Iowa, is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places by its original name — Chevra B’nai Yisroel.

It’s a story of resilience Being told across the river

With a history worth repeating And a dream to carry on.

A synagogue still standing With more years of faithful service Every bit as relevant And every bit as strong. Learn more about the synagogue and upcoming programs at https://www.cblhs.org/

World War II letters inspire new play

LILY SUGHROUE

When a young Nebraska soldier encountered the challenges of World War II, his letters home gave people the chance to share his experiences. Now, a new play from BLIXT brings his stories to life. Commissioned by History Nebraska, Not Too Far Distant by Becky Boesen explores the personal accounts of Staff Sargent Clarence Williams and his journey as a soldier in World War II. The production will debut Nov. 3 at the Alan J Levine Performing Arts Theater at the Jewish Community Center in Omaha. Lincoln will host the production Nov. 4 at the Nebraska History Museum in downtown Lincoln.

While the play honors the experiences of the American soldier, Not Too Far Distant also connects the present to a past that will soon no longer include first-hand accounts of World War II and the horrific events of the Holocaust. Beth Dotan, creator of Nebraska Stories of Humanity, shares how the story of one Nebraskan became the catalyst for the play.

“Not Too Far Distant is a collaboration I could not have even dreamed about over 20 years ago when Clarence Williams’ son, Dr. Tom Williams, shared the precious collection of his father’s personal letters with me,” says Dotan. “Williams’ carefully documented and descriptive letters provide the innocence of a young Nebraska couple whose lives together are interrupted by war and a historical account of the movement and experiences of the 42nd Rainbow division. This hidden

story continues to live through the partnership of so many incredible Nebraska organizations!”

Dotan’s work on Nebraska Stories of Humanity has created a portal through which the public can find a deeper connection with World War II, the Holocaust, and Nebraska’s connections to those events. Her work to give public access to the letters and artifacts from Holocaust survivors and liberators is key to educating both students and the public. “As educators and others began to envision a central place to access the stories of our community survivors and veterans who formerly visited schools, churches, synagogues, and public events, we began to consider how digital tools might provide an untapped space,” says Dotan. “We seek to tell their stories, preserve their memories, and celebrate their lives rebuilt.” Dr. Ari Kohen, professor of political science at UNL and director of the Norman and Bernice Harris Center for Judaic Studies, says this portal maintains a connection between students and first hand accounts of the war. “When it comes to teaching about the Holocaust, educators have long understood that in-person survivor testimony is the gold standard,” says Kohen. “But with the passing of the generation that experienced the Holocaust, educators have spent years asking how they can continue to make this important connection for students. This resource is an answer to that question.”

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Central High School Hall of Fame

The 23rd Annual Central High School Hall of Fame Dinner and Ceremony was held Thursday, Oct. 20 at Central High School. The CHS Alumni Association is proud to induct 10 individuals whose paths from the halls of Central High School led them to the highest levels of achievement in business and community service. Inductees are selected by the Central High School Alumni Association and the program is presented by the Central High School Foundation.

The CHS Alumni Association held the inaugural Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sept. 30, 1999. Since that time, a ceremony has been held annually and more than 200 individuals have been inducted.

RICHARD FELLMAN, class of 1953.

NORM’S

Fellman left his mark in Omaha political circles as a candidate, office holder, and later an

educator. At the University of Nebraska, he served as editor of The Daily Nebraskan and became a reporter for The Lincoln Star and Associated Press. After graduating from NU’s Law School, he practiced for 44 years.

The Democrat entered politics in the early 1960s and remained true to moderate liberalism as the country moved to the right. He was appointed State Senator, elected to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners (serving as chair), and three times won his party’s nomination for Congress. He finished his career teaching political science at UNO for 13 years, where in 2011 he received an award for teaching excellence. In 2015, he taught in Ukraine as a Fulbright Fellow and became the first American to receive an honorary doctorate from the school. In retirement, he writes. He joins his late wife Bev, longtime CHS French teacher, in the Hall of Fame.

World War II letters

Continued from page 3

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Now, those stories are being brought to life thanks to BLIXT and their partners. “We are thrilled to collaborate with our amazing partners to bring history to life in the new play Not Too Far Distant by Becky Boesen,” says BLIXT Managing Director Petra Wahlqvist. “Live performance is a powerful tool for connection and we can’t wait to share this original work with audiences of all ages across the state.”

oping educational resources for educators, students, and community members in tandem with the performances. Performances have been scheduled at three locations this fall, with the expectation to schedule more across the state.

Tickets for the debut in Omaha are $10 and can be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/ playnov

90th

History Nebraska commissioned the production to bring these stories of Nebraska and world history to younger generations and drive more people to the portal. The Institute for Holocaust Education is assisting in devel-

Not Too Far Distant is made possible through the support of History Nebraska, History Nebraska Foundation, Humanities Nebraska, Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and Art and Chris Zygielbaum.

Richard Fellman

ANNIE brings her positive spirit to the Orpheum

You can thank Jewish musical theater heavyweight Charles Strouse for memorable music from Annie like Tomorrow and It’s a Hard Knock Life. The 94-year-old composer won one of his many Tony Awards™ for his work on the original Broadway version of Annie, first released in 1977.

While that may seem like a long time ago, it’s nothing compared to the origins of the story. Little Orphan Annie was first an 1885 poem, and then a depression-area comic strip. During the 1930s, it became an after-school national radio show starring Shirley Bell Cole. According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Cole used her salary to support multiple immigrant Jewish families in her Chicago neighborhood. At that time, she made about $7,500/year, equivalent to just over $162,000 today.

Despite the decades past, the story of the young redhead with the indomitable spirit remains fresh. Annie has reminded generations of theatergoers that sunshine is always right around the corner. Now a revival of one of the bestloved musicals of all time is on a new national tour – just as you remember it and perhaps just when we all need it most.

The Chicago Tribune calls Annie “one of the best family musicals ever penned.” The current tour is directed by Jenn Thompson, who played Pepper in the original Broadway production when she was just 10 years old. Nebraska native Harrison Drake also stars in the ensemble. He was on the Orpheum stage most recently for Anastasia

Both dogs who play “Sandy” are rescues, so Omaha Performing Arts is partnering with the Nebraska Humane Society to draw attention to and celebrate pet adoption leading up to the show. You can follow along on social media.

Don’t miss your opportunity to celebrate this story of family, optimism, and the American spirit with your children and grandchildren. Including weekend matinees, the Broadway production will be at Omaha’s Orpheum Theater for eight shows from Nov. 8-13, with tickets available at Ticket Omaha.com Annie is the ultimate cure for all the hard knocks life throws your way.

Recent additions to the Kripke Library collection

SHIRLY BANNER JFO Library Specialist

YOUNG ADULT:

The Unfinished Corner by Dani Colman

Jewish mythology has it that when God created the universe, one corner of it was left unfinished. Opinion is divided on why, but everyone agrees that the Unfinished Corner is a dangerous place full of monsters. Twelve-year-old Miriam neither knows nor cares about the Unfinished Corner. She’s too busy preparing for her Bat Mitzvah, wrestling with whether she even wants to be Jewish--until a peculiar angel appears, whisking her, her two best friends, and her worst frenemy off to this monstrous land with one mission: finish the Unfinished Corner

An original graphic novel.

ADULT: The Hunt: A Decker/Lazarus novel by Faye Kellerman Peter and his partner, Detective Tyler McAdams, are thrown into an unsolved case and propelled into action when a body is found in the very woods where a man previously went missing in upstate New York.

But that’s not the only crisis that Peter has to deal with. Teresa McLaughlin, the biological mother of Peter and his wife Rina’s foster son, Gabe, has fled to Los Angeles with her two children in tow, hoping to avoid a court injunction amid a messy divorce. But LA is no escape from her problems—she is found by ruthless men and beaten mercilessly. When she wakes, barely conscious, Teresa discovers that both of her children are gone and frantically calls Gabe for help.

With his mother on the verge of death, Gabe contacts Peter and Rina, as well as his biological father, the notorious Christopher Donatti, a former hit man from a known criminal family who’s now a millionaire in Nevada. By bringing Donatti into the fray, Gabe, Peter, and Rina know they have made a deal with the devil—but they may not be able to recover the kids without him.

As these unlikely allies rally to find the kidnappers before things end tragically, they race headlong toward an explosive confrontation from which no one will emerge unscathed...

Schindler’s List meets The Sound of Music as best-selling New York Post investigative journalist Isabel Vincent delves into pre-World-War-II history to recover the amazing story of two British spinsters who masterminded a plan to spirit dozens of Jewish stars and personnel of the German and Austrian opera to England and save them from a terrible fate under the Third Reich. The plot will resonate with readers of The Nazi Officer’s Wife and The Dressmakers of Auschwitz Europe, 1937. Two British sisters, one a dowdy typist, the other a soon-to-be famous romance novelist. One shared passion for opera. With prospects for marriage and families of their own cut down by the scythe of World War I, the Cook sisters have thrown themselves into their love of music, with frequent pilgrimages to Germany and Austria to see their favorite opera stars perform. But now with war clouds gathering and harassment increasing, the stars of Continental opera, many of whom are Jewish, face dark futures under the boot heel of the Nazis.

What can two middle-aged British spinsters do about such matters? They can form a secret cabal right under Hitler’s nose and get to work saving lives. Along with Austrian conductor Clemens Krauss (a favorite of Hitler, but quietly working with the Cooks) the sisters conspire to bring together worldwide opera aficionados and insiders in an international operation to rescue Jews in the opera from the horrific fate that everyone intuits is coming. By the time war does arrive,

Kripke Library

Overture of Hope: Two Sisters’ Daring Plan that Saved Opera’s Jewish Stars from the Third Reich by Isabel Vincent

don’t know who is alive’: Concern mounts for Jews living in Russian-occupied Ukraine

JACOB JUDAH

VINNYTSIA, Ukraine | JTA

Under a haze of early morning cigarette smoke, two Jewish men from Ukrainian cities in areas occupied by Russia were discussing how much they miss their parents. Neither had seen them for months and in the brief exchanges that they have had with them, they could only say so much without fear of putting them in danger.

“We can’t talk about the war,” says Moshe, who is from Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine that has been occupied by Russian troops since early in the war. “I don’t want to make things difficult for her. I think that people are listening in.”

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Jewish families in southern and eastern Ukraine faced a difficult choice:

flee and become refugees or stay put and protect their homes. Many broke up, as elderly parents refused to or could not leave their hometowns, while their children left with the retreating Ukrainians or took steps to escape the Russian occupation and find themselves back in Ukraine.

“She doesn’t want to leave. It is not because the Russians are there now that she wants to stay,” Moshe says, clearly nervous about giving away too much information to a stranger. “She wants to stay because it is her home.”

Moshe had come to Vinnytsia, a town in western Ukraine, for work two weeks before the invasion. Beside him was Igor from Berdyansk, a town on the Sea of Azov, who smuggled himself across Ukrainian lines after the Russians occupied the city. His decision to leave came after friends were arrested on suspicion of being pro-Ukrainian partisans.

“They occupied the city on March 5,”

he says. “I was able to break out in April. They completely shut down the city for a week after they entered the city looking for soldiers and partisans. They were

It is not known how many Jews are currently living in areas under Russian occupation, although it is believed that a large number have left since the Feb. 24

From the archives

DECEMBER, 1925

The Jubilee Forest in honor of King George V of England was inaugurated today with the planting of 25 trees, one for each year of his reign, atop a high hill opposite the Jewish colony of Nahalai in the hills of Nazareth, with Government officials and Zionist leaders participating in the ceremonies.

Palestine High Commissioner Sir Arthur Grenfell Wauchope placed into the freshly dug soil the oriental cypress tree presented by King George, the only one of its kind in the Windsor Great Park in London and the first tree to be shipped from Britain to Palestine.

The remaining trees, which mark the beginning of the most ambitious of forestation attempt in the Holy Land, aiming to restore to the hills of Nazareth their one-time forest beauty, were planted by Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the World Zionist Organization; Menachem M. Ussishkin, 71-year-old president of the Jewish National Fund; David Ben-Gurion, head of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, and other Zionist leaders. The speeches were broadcast to England.

Sir Arthur stressed the importance of afforestation projects in Palestine and promised to convey to the King the message that the forest expresses British Jewry’s homage to the throne.

Speaking in Hebrew, Mr. Ussishkin emphasized the historical importance of the forest as a future symbol of Britain’s role in Jewish history. Chaim Solomon, member of the Jerusalem Municipal Council, then presented the forest in the name of British Jewry to the Jubilee Committee as a “symbol of loyalty to the throne and a token of gratitude for the freedom the Jews have enjoyed in Britain during the King’s reign.”

sending people to prison, or rather, that was the good way.”

He, too, left his parents behind. “I speak to them when I can,” he said. “There is not always a signal.”

Russia illegally annexed four occupied Ukrainian regions in late September after staged referendums. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency spoke to Jews from all four regions that still had contact with relatives back home. Nobody who spoke to JTA that still had family in Russianheld areas was willing to give their full name for fear of possible consequences.

In territories that had been occupied by Russia but have been reclaimed by the Ukrainians, government and human rights watchdogs have found evidence that people suspected of Ukrainian sympathies were tortured and murdered.

invasion. Many evacuated through humanitarian corridors to Ukrainian-held territory, while others have left through Russia and either made the long trip through the Baltic states, Poland, and back to Ukraine, or gone onto Israel. “You need money to do this,” noted one man.

Israel’s ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, told JTA that Israel did not “directly” have contact with Jewish communities in areas that Russia controls. “We do not deal with the occupied territories at all,” he said.

When asked what support Israel could provide to Jews in occupied areas of Ukraine, he stated: “We do sometimes get requests for humanitarian involvement and we assist on a humanitarian basis, but this is not a general policy.”

See Concerns for Ukraine page 7

The forest was termed a “symbol binding Jewry to the throne” in an address by Dr. Weizmann. Before the ceremony, the party visited the forest planted in honor of Lord Balfour, British Parliamentary leader who drafted the proclamation making Palestine a Jewish homeland.

Kripke Library

Continued from page 5 the Cooks and their operatives have plucked over two dozen Jewish men and women from the looming maw of the Holocaust and spirited them to safety in England.

Packed with original research and vividly told with suspense, hope, and wonder by award-winning New York Post investigative journalist Isabel Vincent, author of nationally best-selling memoir Dinner with Edward, this singular tale reveals many new details of the seemingly naïve and oblivious Cook sister’s surreptitious bravery, daring, and passionate commitment as the two mount a successful rescue mission that saves dozens of lives and preserves the opera they love for another generation.

A view of a damaged village located in the border of the Kherson region where Ukraine and Russia have traded control amid heavy clashes, Oct. 7, 2022. Credit: Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Concerns for Ukraine

Continued from page 6

“We sometimes get requests from Israeli citizens that their relatives are somewhere in the occupied territories,” he added. “We can make an inquiry. We can also speak via our embassy in Moscow with the Russians about it, as long as it is a humanitarian issue. It is fine.”

The Ukrainian government also told JTA that it did not have direct contact with Jewish communities in occupied areas of Ukraine, explaining that it was dangerous for many to maintain a line of contact with the Ukrainian government. The only rabbi known to remain in Russian-occupied areas, in Kherson, did not reply to a request for comment.

That rabbi, Chabad-Lubavitch-affiliated Yosef Yitzchak Wolff, recently described a grim situation to Chabad.org, the news service of the Hasidic movement. “Nothing has changed in half a year. There’s been no improvement,” he said just before Rosh Hashanah, adding, “We’re still in a war, but we’re making sure everyone is able to have a happy, sweet new year.”

Since Igor left Berdyansk, the messages that he has been getting from his parents paint a picture of a Russian occupation that has become more paranoid and oppressive. “If you are standing around smoking, they come up to you to check your documents and question you. They ask you what you are doing there and why you are hanging around.”

“It is banditism. There is no society,” he explains. “They come and ask you for money and if you do not cooperate, they take your children and demand a ransom.”

A recent investigation by the Associated Press found that Russia has taken thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia for adoption and propaganda and given them Russian passports. Many were taken without consent and told that their parents had rejected them, according to the AP report.

Among all the Jews that the JTA interviewed who had left areas occupied by Russia, there was pessimism that any serious Jewish life could be sustained. “There are maybe around 100 Jews left in Berdyansk,” said Igor. “But they are only old people — all the young ones have left.”

He did not believe that being Jewish in areas now occupied by Russia made any difference. “Nationality doesn’t matter for the Russians. For them, these people are not people, they are animals.”

While Berdyansk was too small to have a full-time rabbi before the war, Mariupol, a city further along the Sea of Azov, did have one. Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance after Ukrainian soldiers held out for almost three months, in a battle that destroyed much of the city.

There is still financial and other support from outside Ukraine that is being provided to Jewish communities in areas under Russian occupation, but few are willing to talk openly about it. It is a crime under Ukrainian law to send money to areas under occupation and there is concern that if the methods used to support Jews in these cities becomes public, fragile networks and people could be put at risk.

“There are a few old people from the community that refused to leave in Mariupol,” said Olga, a teacher who was closely involved with the Jewish community in the city. “They stayed and they are still getting support from the Jewish community.”

Olga said she had made contact with colleagues who have been pressured into taking up work at schools run by the Russians. “They were under pressure. They need to survive,” she says. “They told me that they burned all the Ukrainian books and teaching materials and replaced them.”

The Russian occupation is palpable in every way for those left behind in the city, Olga said.

“Mariupol is totally destroyed,” she said. “It is hard to communicate with people who are there. There is not always internet. They told me that they opened Russian shops with Russian products, but that they can’t afford them. These places are not affordable, because they don’t have money.”

In Luhansk, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting the Ukrainians since 2014, the men of an already depleted Jewish community are living underground for fear of conscription.

I speak to Luhansk every day,” says the exiled rabbi of Luhansk Shalom Gopin, a Chabad emissary who has been based largely

elsewhere since 2015, amid the war that followed Russia’s first, more limited invasion. “It is a very bad situation there and there is a big problem with the men. The men don’t want to leave their homes because they can be conscripted and taken to the army.”

“The Jews don’t go out. If you don’t go out, they can’t come and get you and take you to the army,” said Gopin, who added that a few Luhansk Jews have been conscripted and that a small number have been killed at the front, fighting against the Ukrainian military.

When war erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014, the vast majority of Jews in the two regions that were partially occupied — Luhansk and Donetsk — left for elsewhere in Ukraine. That included Gopin, who left first for his native Israel and then for Kyiv. Those who remained, said Gopin, were either elderly or backed the Russians.

“There is a working community still in Luhansk that prays four times a week,” he added. “But this is not a community. It is old people, sick people, bad people. It is not a living community. It is a very bad community. There is no future.”

In areas of Luhansk that were Ukrainian-controlled before February 2022, the few Jews that lived there have been largely cut off, even though Gopin said he has managed to facilitate the evacuation of some Jews from occupied areas.

“They don’t have water, they don’t have gas, they don’t have internet. There are Russian flags all over the place,” said one woman from Lyschchansk, another city where a major battle was fought between Russian and Ukrainian forces, about her parents who remained there.

“There is no life and there is no prospect of life there,” she added. “They stayed because they would not give up their home and they said that their life was there, and they wanted to stay put. They won’t leave, it is useless trying to convince them.”

She said her parents have been trying to formalize documentation for their apartment, which survived the battle, as many of those who have been rendered homeless have been moved by occupation authorities into houses abandoned by those who fled the city.

“They are making fire with wood, and they cook there. They promised that they would get gas, but that is their life now,”

In Severodonetsk, a city that was occupied after a brutal urban battle between early May and late June, there had been eight Jewish families.

“I spoke to a good friend in Severodonetsk in mid-May,” said Gopin. “Since then, there has been no contact. We don’t know who is alive or what is going on.”

Boys sit in front of a damaged building in Mariupol, Ukraine, Sept. 26, 2022. Credit: Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Above,

celebrates Grandparent’s

Top,

below: Friedel students enjoyed their school’s Sukkah

celebrated Simchat Torah in the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein

Engagement Venue.

Above and below: Scenes from the Sukkah hop, organized by Seth Feldman.

The Jewish Press

(Founded in 1920)

Margie Gutnik

President

Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor

Richard Busse Creative Director Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Staff Writer

Sam Kricsfeld Digital support Mary Bachteler

Accounting

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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.

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ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor

Isn’t it funny, how for weeks we live towards the holidays, only to then find they’ve come and gone and it’s back to majority culture (pumpkins and ghouls and turkeys and Christmas music, anyone?)

I have to be honest, it leaves me strangely unfocused. Rather than exhaling because life might become less hectic, I find it’s actually necessary to focus on something. The highs and lows that make the calendar, like marking posts that make life manageable.

On second thought, maybe I’m just a little tired, which always makes me more susceptible to melodrama.

Simchas and high-stress events are often where our attention falls; the spaces in between are where life actually happens, even if we don’t always notice it. Finding meaning in the ordinary, now there’s a challenge.

We experience this phenomenon in a somewhat less dramatic way by anchoring our week- work days are serious and challenging, while days off are fun and relaxing. Something to look forward to. Even if it’s not always the truth, we frame it that way in our minds.

So how do we live more inclusive lives? How do we notice and appreciate every moment, even the boring and unremarkable ones, the ones we can’t brag about on social media? Can we learn to answer the question “How are you?” by saying: we are good, we are content, for no particular reason?

Rabbi Elyse Frishman frames it as “distinguishing the holy:”

“Our tradition teaches the art of transforming the ordinary into the holy. We don't merely see, we perceive. We don't merely eat, we taste. We don't merely lust, we love. Animals exist in the realm of the ordinary. Angels live in the heavens. Unlike animals or

angels, humans have the capacity to live in both realms, kodesh v'chol, ‘sacred and profane.’ We are the only creatures who can influence both and elevate the ordinary to the holy.” (reformjudaism.org)

G-dly? Is it limited to life cycles, or can we find holiness in the grocery store, or while driving to work? Does ‘holy’ mean it has to make us feel good? Because I think there’s something ‘holy’ about saying Kaddish—and that doesn’t make any of us good— not really. Sometimes, I guess ‘elevating the ordinary to the holy’ must hurt.

“I’ve been wondering what holiness looks like,” then-rabbinical student Elissa Cherney wrote in 2017. “We use the word ‘holy’ often in synagogue. Such as: this is a holy community, or a kehillah kedoshah. We say that G-d is holy and we seek to emulate G-d. And yet, we can’t see holiness. There is no postcard, or snapchat of what holiness looks like. So how does one find holiness? How does one be holy? Dare I ask, how does one teach holiness? Are we seeking something much too elusive to find?”

Cherney discussed ‘holy’ as related to time, as an adjective, as a result of ritual. But she ultimately concludes that:

On Oct. 2, I joined hundreds of Omahans at Temple Israel for the Jewish Federation’s annual fundraising campaign kickoff to celebrate and help improve our wonderful Jewish community.

Normally, I stop myself here. I tell myself I’m not a rabbi, this is not my territory. I stay in my lane.

But what if you and I don’t? What if we accept that power, to “elevate the ordinary to the holy?” It’s both a heady responsibility, and an opportunity. The ability to find holiness in what we normally consider mundane, it opens a lot of doors and creates potential.

An important question is, how do we define the term ‘holy?’ It doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing to all of us. Do we define it as sacred, special,

“I am not claiming to have solved any great puzzle, and I think my own search will continue. But I have learned at least this much: the smallest acts of kindness, showing up as community whether it’s asked of you or not, going the extra mile in helping your children achieve their goals, and leading by example, do matter. In fact, I think this is how we create holiness. Through our actions, by example, we teach holiness.”

That means, if she is correct, we create holiness in how we treat others. In being there, in showing up and in acts of kindness. It sounds too simple (I can hear some of you argue already) but maybe it really isn’t. Maybe, if we think about treating others with kindness as “creating holiness,” we’ll be a little more inclined to follow through. Maybe it will help all of us to be nicer.

I think I can live with that.

Press, whereby he claimed Bret Stephens’ remarks “crushed” him.

Dan stated that, “The intent of our speaker’s comments was to promote Jewish identity, but the impact (emphases are Dan’s) was real harm to real people.” (What exactly did that last phrase mean?)

well. His success was in part due to his evenhanded effort, commenting on the negative extremes exhorting hate from both the left and the right.

Antisemitism is on the rise. Jews have been killed, held hostage, beaten and otherwise harassed in the recent past. Antisemitism is indeed an important subject to discuss.

GARY JAVITCH Guest Editorial

The event provided us with many opportunities: The end of the COVID quarantine and an occasion that finally permitted us to visit and meet new friends in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Besides the chance for renewed camaraderie, the event also provided a serious moment to confront the challenges of financing Jewish “continuity and survival.”

And increasingly -- the scourge of antisemitism.

To address these pertinent issues, the campaign committee carefully chose a speaker: Bret Stephens, a former editor of the Jerusalem Post and a highly-acclaimed writer (his awards include a Pulitzer Prize), who also holds the distinction and respect of both sides of the political aisle in a polarized world.

To me, who had the privilege of introducing him to our Jewish community audience, Bret seemed like the perfect candidate to provide commentary on these very concerning issues.

That’s why I was totally taken aback by my friend Dan Gilbert’s recent guest editorial in the Jewish

Dan goes on to criticize white privilege, white supremacy, and racism... He asks, “Are we serious about fighting racism and fighting for justice? ... Or, will we make excuses to accept racist rhetoric in our community?”

He continues chastising our community: “We are simply not doing enough to end racism in Omaha and in our Jewish organizations. Fighting racism is supposed to be one of the key priorities for this community - but it sure feels like our institutions have just been giving lip service to this idea and have turned our attention elsewhere.”

It seems that Dan heard a speech about race and my friends and I listened to one about antisemitism. The applause that followed Bret’s speech seemed universal and not “restrained.”

I’m not dismissing Dan’s thoughts as unworthy, but I am questioning why he chose the Press forum and this Jewish communitywide event as a springboard to offer a personal discourse on the inequities between Whites and Blacks.

Race, after all, was not the focus of the Stephens’ speech. Bret’s goal in coming here was to offer personal insights on the Jewish condition in America and around the world today.

I thought he accomplished that task extremely

That’s especially true because, the US Department of Justice in 2019, reiterated the Jewish people continue to be the biggest target of hate crime. Indeed, their incident rate is 5.4 times higher than those of Muslims, the second largest targeted group.

So, what should our community focus on? Our spotlight should highlight the needs of our Omaha Jewish community and the concerns of our fellow Jews in Israel and around the world.

Repeating the oft-heard statement by Hillel, the great Jewish sage, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And being only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”

Let us move forward-together, kvelling about this Jewish community’s many shared values and praising the good that’s been accomplished, while continuing to help those in need.

Gary Javitch has volunteered for organizations-nonpartisan and bipartisan - that promote the American-Israel relationship.

Editor’s note: this guest editorial responds to an opinion piece in our 10.21.22 edition. You can find that issue at www.omahajewishpress.com

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.

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

Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker, Dr. Gordon Moshman. 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: Nebraska AIDS Project Lunch, 11:30 a.m.; 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 p.m. Zoom Only.

SUNDAY: BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; The Shabbat Seder, 10 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman at Beth El.

TUESDAY: Pirkei Avot, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham.

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 via Zoom Only.

FRIDAY-Nov. 4: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY-Nov. 5: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream. Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year Speeches following services; Jr. Congregation, 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 6:50 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, 6:07 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m.; Kids Parsha Class, 5:20 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.

SUNDAY: Shacharit 9 a.m.; Daf Yomi 5:30 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv 6 p.m.

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

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, 5:30 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6 p.m.; Parsha Class, 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY-Nov. 4: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 5:58 p.m.

SATURDAY-Nov. 5: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat 10:45 a.m.; Kids Parsha Class, 5:20 p.m.; Mincha/Shalosh Suedos, 5:50 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos/Kids Activity, 6:20 p.m.; Ma’ariv/Havdalah, 6:58 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, 6:06 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 7:05 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-Nov. 4: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 5:45 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochab ad.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 5:57 p.m.

SATURDAY-Nov. 5: Shacharit, 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:57 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, 6:09 p.m.

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

SUNDAY: LJCS Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Men's Jewish

Bike Group of Lincoln meets Sundays at 10 a.m., rain or shine, to ride to one of The Mill locations from Hanson Ct. (except we drive if 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.; 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

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

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Classes, 4:30 p.m

FRIDAY-Nov. 4: Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Alex and music by Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Oneg host TBD; Candlelighting, 6:01 p.m.

SATURDAY-Nov. 5: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parashat Lech-Lecha; Havdalah 7:01 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.; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. Zoom & In-Person.

SATURDAY: 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.

SUNDAY: Fifth Sunday Breakfast Service, 9 a.m. at the Stephen Center; Grades PreK-6, 9:30 a.m.; Trunk or Treat, 3-5 p.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.

FRIDAY-Nov. 4: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9-11 a.m.; Shabbat Shira Service, 6 p.m. Zoom & In-Person SATURDAY-Nov. 5: Torah Study 9:15 a.m. Zoom & In-Person; Shabbat Morning Services and Bat Mitzvah of Erin Wear, 10:30 a.m. Zoom & In-Person. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.

A city’s last Jews watch the ending of an epoch

DAVID I. KLEIN

ANTAKYA, Turkey | JTA

Jews have lived in the city of Antakya, known in ancient times as Antioch, for over 23 centuries.

And the city wants visitors to know that.

A symbol composed of a Star of David entwined with a Christian cross and Islamic crescent has practically become the city’s logo, as it’s plastered all over town, especially on restaurants peddling the southern Hatay province’s patently spicy cuisine.

I was born in Antakya and I will die in Antakya,” said Selim Cemel, a Jewish clothing merchant with a shop in the city’s famed Long Bazaar — a snaking maze of Ottoman Era caravanserais and even older shops, rivaling Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar or Jerusalem’s Arab Shuk. In it, one can find everything from textiles to spices to some of the best hummus in Turkey.

The Star of David imagery is so prevalent that one would be forgiven for thinking Jews were a significant portion of the city’s 200,000-strong population. In reality, barely more than a dozen Jews remain.

The youngest member of the local Jewish community is over 60, and many are talking about joining their children elsewhere in the world.

Like many cities in Turkey, Antakya has been los-

ing its youth of all faiths and ethnicities over the past century to the metropolises of Istanbul and Ankara. Today one in four Turks live in Istanbul.

For Antakya’s Jews, the exodus began in the 1970s, when Turkey experienced a period of partic-

itary coup.

“Some have died, some moved to Istanbul, and the youth left one by one. This is the way they dispersed,” explained Daoud Cemel, a relative of Selim and another Jewish merchant in the Long Bazaar who sells towels and other textiles. Despite his proud statement at the beginning of our discussion, Selim ultimately opened up to explain that he too was considering other options.

“I have three daughters. Each of them are in separate countries. One is in Holland, one in America, one in Canada,” he said. “We have already been thinking about leaving for a long time. We are preparing the foundation.”

Still, the Jewish presence in Antakya has outlived Antiochus and his Seleucids, not to mention the Romans, Byzantines, crusader states, Mamluks, Seljuk Turks, Ottomans and every other empire that ruled over the city in the past two millennia. The Jews who remain are strongly attached to the Jewish traditions they can practice in such a small community.

ular political instability. The first half of the decade saw Turkey embroiled in a civil war in Cyprus, and in the second, a breakout of sectarian violence across the country between Turkish nationalists and Kurdish separatists culminated in a 1980 mil-

Though they do not have enough observant members to make a regular minyan, all of the local Jews have keys to the city’s sole synagogue and stop by often.

Read more about the Jews of Antakya at www.omahajewishpress.com.

Olga stands with her husband’s 90-year-old mother, Adile, in Antakya. Credit: David I. Klein

LYUBOV BLYAKHER

Lyubov Blyakher passed away on Oct. 17, 2022 in Omaha. A service was held on Oct. 20, 2022, at Temple Israel Cemetery and was officiated by Rabbi Abraham.

She was preceded in death by husband of 57 years, Aron Blyakher; and son Boris Blyakher.

She is survived by son and daugher-in-law, Michael and Irene of Arad, Israel; and daughters and sons-in-law, Galina and Gregory Kogan of Omaha; and Jane and Gregory Tsyrlin of Omaha; seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Lyubov loved her family above all else. She will be remembered as a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother whose kindness and generosity knew no bounds. She will be greatly missed.

MARVIN F. BORER

Marvin F. Borer passed away on Oct. 6, 2022 in Omaha. A service was held on Oct. 11, 2022 at West Center Chapel.

He was preceded in death by parents, Ralph and Marie Borer; sister, Karen Pelster; and brothers, Ronald, Roger and Cyril Dean Borer.

He is survived by wife, Helen; daughters and sons-in-law, Becky and David Kane, and Sarah and Jon Weber; son and daughter-in-law, Jacob and Sonya Borer; grandchildren: Elisabeth and Justin Spooner, Joshua Kane, Grace and Noah Weber, and Violet Borer; brothers and sisters-in-law, Daniel and Mary Borer, and Sam and Rhonda Borer Jr; sister and brother-in-law, Theresa and Greg Cliffords; and many other family members.

TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Readers can also submit announcements -- births, b’nai mitzvahs, engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- www.omahajewishpress. com/site/forms/. Click on “Jewish Press” and go to Submit Announcements.

MITZVAH

ERIN WEAR

Erin Wear, daughter of Dana and David Wear will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 at Temple Israel.

Erin is a seventh grade student at Westside Middle School.

She enjoys dancing as a member of the Nebraska Dance Company and Squad Teams. Erin is also having fun participating in the Westside Connection Show Choir, and loves animals, especially her two pups Harvey and Hazel!.

For her Mitzvah Project, Erin made fleece blankets for the sheltered animals at the Nebraska Humane Society.

She has a sister, Isla, and two brothers, Kellan, and Bo Wear. Grandparents are Susie and Marvin Cohn, and Maggie and Bob Wear.

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Finding friends in Budapest: Part 1

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

While Jenn Tompkins and Leigh Chaves weren’t 100% sure what to expect when they set off for Budapest, they knew two things: they went there to build relationships, and they would come back with stories. Jenn, for her part, typed 29 (!) pages of notes upon her return. What follows are some of the experiences they had during the Partnership trip.

“I did not think there would be many Jews in Budapest,”

Jenn said, “and I did not think you would be able to say the word ‘Jewish’ out loud in a public setting.”

Turns out, Jewish communal life in Budapest is becoming more robust as time goes by.

There was good reason to host a Partnership2Gether summit in this city: there are kosher restaurants in Budapest. There are synagogues, recognizable as such, with the star of David; they stand tall and they do not have graffiti on them. Most of all, there are people, who are eager to grow and learn and return to where they always belonged.

“After the Holocaust,” Jenn explained, “there was the silent generation. Communism did not allow religion, and besides, Jewish communal life was difficult to maintain after the horrors of the Holocaust. It created a generational gap in Jewish life, both religious and secular.”

“Many Jews hid their Jewish identity for so long,” Leigh added. “Today, many feel comfortable telling people they’re Jewish, but some still watch out for anyone listening.” There are many 20and 30-year-olds, who find out they are Jewish and want to

learn all about Judaism and their Jewish roots. They are hungry for information, for knowledge, and for connections.

The summit, which took place from Sept 10 through the 15th, covered a multitude of topics, including three days dedicated to the past, the present and the future. Approximately 90 particpants joined, from the U.S., Israel and Hungary. There were many guided tours, one of which took participants past

years. You are walking everywhere and eating healthier foods except for the chimney cakes, hmmm. You have to be proactive to find ice. You learn to save your airplane boarding pass to Apple wallet because otherwise you are standing in the Munich, Germany airport not being able to access the wifi and you can’t get through the security gate without your boarding pass.”

Leigh added: “I was very surprised that no one looked twice at us for speaking English. In fact, every local I came in contact with (at stores, on the street, etc.) spoke English very well. They would start out speaking Hungarian (I met a young woman under an awning as we waited out a heavy rain storm) and then as soon as I said ‘English?’ they were all ‘oh yeah, sure, no problem.’”

“This experience absolutely reinforced how fortunate, lucky, blessed we are in Omaha,” Jenn. said. “It drives home how we have leaders who have come before us who knew when and how we needed to move the JCC from downtown Omaha to 132nd and Dodge. How leaders knew we needed to move the synagogues out west to where the community was moving. Even today we have leaders who are thinking ahead to 50 years from now and what needs to happen today to keep us vibrant in 50 years.”

a memorial site that left a deep impression.

“The shoes on the Danube Memorial,” Jenn wrote in all caps in answer to the question of what she found a particularly difficult experience. The memorial is made up of artist renditions of shoes, standing abandoned at the river’s edge, symbolizing those who were murdered, drowned in the Danube after being told to take their shoes off. Shoes were valuable, when people were not.

“Traveling internationally opens your mind to new ways of thinking, eating, experiencing, walking and planning,” she said.

“You are in buildings that are much older than the United States. You are listening to stories of history that go back thousands of

It is important that the Jewish Federation of Omaha allocates money to Jewish Federations of North America, Jewish Agency for Israel and Jewish nonprofits all over the world.

“Every Jewish community is in a phase of a life cycle,” both Leigh and Jenn believe. “Inception, growth, maturity, renewal or decline. Some communities need help and others can provide help. Help can come in the form of financial, leadership, labor, spiritual or providing hope. Our Jewish community is in a position to help. When everyone gives a little bit, collectively we can make a big impact for those communities who need us. They appreciate us, are grateful that we care and strive to make life better for families and communities.”

Above: Jenn Tompkins and Leigh Chaves; right: shoes on the Danube Memorial