October 30, 2015

Endowed by the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Family Fund AN AGENCY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF OMAHA

Global Day of Jewish Learning

October 30, 2015 17 Cheshvan 5776 Vol. 96 | No. 7

This Week

NJHS annual meeting Page 5

Temple ninth grade confirmation trip to New York Page 7

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life The 2015 Global Day of Jewish Learning, presented by the Center for Jewish Life and sponsored by the Klutznick Chair of Creighton University, will be held Sunday, Nov 15 beginning at 1 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center. This year’s theme, Love: Devotion, Desire and Deception, will be the focus of the keynote address and the afternoon breakout sessions.

The Global Day keynote address will be given by Dr. Ron Wolfson talking about his latest book, The Best Boy in the United States of America: A Memoir of Blessings and Kisses (Jewish Lights Publishing). When told the Global Day theme, he commented that it fits perfectly with the book, which he describes as being about the power of family love to shape identity and memories.

“I was raised in the amazing Jewish community of Omaha, and many of the stories in my new book are a love note to the people who make Omaha the best Jewish community in the United States of America,” Ron said.

“I’ve taught all over the world and there is no place like Nebraska, so it will be a very special pleasure to share memories of growing up here

with friends and family.”

Dr. Wolfson is the author of several books, including the widely acclaimed, God’s To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God’s Work on

Dr. Ron Wolfson Earth and Relational Judaism: Using the Power of Relationships to Transform the Jewish Community (Jewish Lights Publishing). He is known as a visionary leader of American Jewry and an inspirational speaker on spirituality and Jewish life. He travels the world telling his true stories to audiences in synagogues, churches and community organizations. He is the Fingerhut Professor of Education at

Rabin assassination: Twenty years later Israeli ex-diplomat is Kenya’s biggest pop star Page 12

Inside Point of view Synagogues In memoriam

Next Week Financial+Business See Front Page stories and more at: www.jewishomaha.org, click on Jewish Press

9 10 11

by BETH EL PUBLICITY The assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by Orthodox Jew Yigal Amir 20 years ago this November remains the single most consequential event in the country’s recent history. This is the premise of a brand new book, Killing a King, by author Dan Ephron.

To mark the 20th anniversary, Ephron will be a guest speaker Monday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m. at Beth El Synagogue. Book sales and a book signing will take place during a dessert reception immediately following his talk.

His appearance is free and open to the entire community.

At the time, Ephron was the Jerusalem bureau chief for Newsweek magazine, and he covered both the rally where Rabin was assassinated and the subsequent murder trial.

“The idea that an Israeli or fellow Jew would take this action was unthinkable for the time,” Ephron said during a recent promotional tour.

“I get asked all the time, ‘Was it

American Jewish University, president of the Kripke Institute and author of many books on Jewish living. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Susie.

The afternoon will begin with a

planned?’ The answer is yes; meticulously, over a two-year period. His assassin stalked him at numerous

Dan Ephron events leading up to the fateful day.”

“The cruel irony is that Israel remains divided today over the very issues Rabin chose to embrace,” he commented.

Ephron posits that Rabin’s assassination fundamentally altered the trajectory for both Israel and the Palestinians.

Killing a King relates the parallel stories of Rabin and Amir over the two years leading up to the assassination, as one plotted political deals he hoped would lead to peace and the other plotted murder.

Writing from the perspectives of Continued on page 3

welcome and introductions by Dr. Leonard Greenspoon, the Klutznick Chair for Jewish Civilization at Creighton University, chair for this year’s Global Day event. “All Jewish learning is exciting and valuable” reports Greenspoon. “It is even more so on this Global Day of Learning when we join together with Jews from throughout the world to study and learn from each other. It is as if

the whole world becomes our classroom, a particularly appropriate image, as we keep in mind that ‘love’ -- which is sometimes spoken of as the power that makes the world go round -- is the topic.”

Following the keynote, the afternoon will continue with several sessions by various local presenters including Dr. Moshe Gershovich, Dr, Halla Kim, Dr. Leonard Greenspoon, Dr. Curtis Hutt, Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan and Marty Shukert. Sessions will be detailed in next week’s Jewish Press.

The Global Day of Jewish Learning brings the Jewish people together to celebrate Jewish texts through community based learning. Global Day was conceived to further the call of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, teacher, philosopher, social critic and prolific author of Let my People Know. The guiding values of the Global Day of Jewish Learning are fostering Jewish unity, empowering individuals through increased Jewish knowledge, and creating meaningful shared experiences. More than 500 communities worldwide will participate in this year’s event and will be the largest Jewish unity event ever to take place, spanning 40 countries on six continents. The Aleph Society, founded in Continued on page 2

A Rabbi’s son returns

by MARY SUE GROSSMAN Publicity Chair After nearly 50 years since last celebrating Shabbat at Beth Israel, Lew Groner, the son of Rabbi Benjamin and Rebbetzin Frances Groner, both of blessed memory, returns to Beth Israel Synagogue for a Scholar-in-Residence weekend, Nov. 13-14. He will share uplifting insights and entertaining anecdotes during a Shabbat entitled, A Rabbi’s Son Returns Home.

Lew will reflect on growing up as the son of a distinguished Orthodox rabbi and an accomplished rebbetzin mother and what being from Omaha has meant to him and his parents and his six siblings.

Rabbi Groner led Beth Israel in the 1950s and 60s when it had the largest membership of any synagogue in the city. He was the first rabbi of the newly constructed shul on 52nd Street. Perhaps the most famous event during Rabbi Groner’s

tenure was the 1957 presentation of Beth Israel’s “Outstanding Man of the Year” award to former President Harry S. Truman at a gala dinner hosted at the shul.

The weekend events are being sponsored by Marty and Iris Ricks. “I had the pleasure of meeting Lew over ten years ago at Friedel’s 40th anniversary celebration,” reports Marty.

“We stayed in touch and I began thinking it would be great to find a way for him return to Omaha for a visit.” Marty continued, “There are so many in the community who remember Rabbi and Rebbetzin Groner, and it seemed a natural fit for Iris and me help make the visit a reality.”

“I’m thrilled to be returning to Omaha and Beth Israel in this capacity,” said Lew, “and I am so honored that Rabbi Dembitzer of Beth Israel and Marty Ricks have invited me home in this fashion. Marty was actually one of the first bar mitzvah boys that my dad taught back in 1955 as a new rabbi in town, so I’m particularly grateful that Marty and Continued on page 3

2 | The Jewish Press | October 30, 2015

Author events begin celebration of Jewish Book Month

by MARK KIRCHHOFF Administrative Assistant, Center for Jewish Life The 42nd year of the Jewish Book Month begins on Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. with an author event featuring Diana Bletter speaking on her 2015 novel, A Remarkable Kindness. Diana’s presentation begins at 6 p.m. at The Bookworm, 2501 S 90th Street and will include the opportunity to purchase Diana’s book and visit with the author. A Remarkable Kindness traces the lives of four American women in their coastal village in Northern Israel who become part of the Chevrah Kadisha, the Jewish burial society, in their kibbutz. In preparing and dressing women for burial, they grow in friendship and marriages, learn to accept death, and come to appreciate the sorrows and wonders of life.

Diana visited Omaha last year as a member of the Partnership2GETHER Visionaries Delegation. The delegation participants collaborated to share knowledge and expertise in various fields of interest. Diana led a writer’s workshop for Friedel Jewish Academy students, met with students at Creighton and UNO and participated in Eye on Israel with Community Shaliach Eliad Eliyahu.

Bletter graduated with distinction from Cornell University, worked at The National Lampoon and The New York Post, and then as a freelance journalist in Paris and Rome. In 1991, Diana made aliyah, direct from a New York suburb to a small beach village in the Western Galilee. There, she and her husband raised their six children as well as an unofficially adopted Ethiopian daughter in a tight-knit blended family. Her first book, The Invisible Thread: A Portrait of Jewish American Women (Jewish Publication Society of America, 1989) was a National Jewish Book Award finalist.

The following week, the annual Jewish Book Month Luncheon will be held Thursday, Nov. 12 beginning at Noon in the JCC Auditorium. Guest author and speaker Pam Jenoff will feature her recent novel, The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach. The novel takes place in 1941 and tells the story of young Adelia Monteforte who flees fascist Italy for America where she is whisked away to the shore by her wellmeaning aunt and uncle. She meets and falls in love with an Irish-Catholic boy and their lives become entwined with the war and a tragedy that hits close to home. New York Times best-selling authors have acclaimed the book as “heartbreaking, authentic and ultimately uplifting,” (Susan Wiggs),

and “The kind of book that absorbs you from the beginning and doesn’t let go,” (Beatriz Williams).

Jenoff, who was born in Maryland and raised just outside of Philadelphia, has a fascinating background. She obtained her education at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and Cambridge University in England. She has worked as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army and also with the State Department, where she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. Following that assignment, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania law school. She worked for several years as a labor and employment attorney. She now teaches in the law school at Rutgers University. Pam is the author of The Kommandant’s Girl, which was an international bestseller and nominated for a Quill award. Her other works include The Winter Guest, The Diplomat’s Wife, The Ambassador’s Daughter, Almost Home, A Hidden Affair and The Things We Cherished. The luncheon cost is $12. Reservations are needed by Nov. 10 by contacting Mark Kirchhoff at 402.334.6463 or mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org. Books will be available for purchase and a book signing will follow the lunch.

Included in the Jewish Book Month lineup is the keynote speaker on Sunday, Nov. 15 for the 2015 Global Day of Jewish Learning. Dr. Ron Wolfson, an Omaha native, a wellknown speaker and popular author, will kick off the afternoon talking about his latest publication, The Best Boy in the United States of America: A Memoir of Blessings and Kisses.

The event begins at 1 p.m. in the JCC Auditorium.

Rounding out the month will be an author event hosted by Beth El featuring author Dan Ephron on Monday, Nov. 30 beginning at 7 p.m. Ephron will talk about his book, Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Remaking of Israel, which relates the parallel stories of Rabin and his stalker, Yigal Amir, over the two years prior to the Rabin assassination. The presentation will be followed by a dessert reception.

Jewish Book Month is funded in part by the Special Donor-Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation and is promoted by the Jewish Book Council.

Omaha’s celebration coordinated by the Center for Jewish Life whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. For additional information, please call 402.334.6463.

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Rose Blumkin Jewish Home Board Room Chairs: Pam and Jimmy Friedlander National Partnership Chair: Zoë Riekes Federation CEO: Alan Potash Travel to Israel this Spring on a community mission to Israel. Jewish Omaha will join together with 13 other Jewish communities to travel the country, visit our partnership region in the Western Galilee, and take part in the P2G@20 Partnership2Gether Mega-Event, celebrating 20 years of Partnership 2Gether.

EXPLORE – LEARN IMAGINE – CELEBRATE Questions? Please contact Julee Katzman at jkatzman @jewishomaha.org or Zoe Riekes at zriekes@me.com or go to http://www.jewishomaha.org/about/israel-andoverseas/partnershiptrip2gether/

Global Day of Jewish Learning Continued from page 1 1988, is the parent organization of the Global Day of Jewish Learning.

The Global Day of Jewish Learning is promoted by the Center for Jewish Life, whose mission it is to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences. For more information, please call 402.334.6463 mkirchhoff @jewishomaha.org.

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October 30, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 3

Experience Cambodia at the JCC

by RICHARD EVNEN In early 2013, when I arrived in Cambodia as a member of the American Jewish World Service Volunteer Corps, I did not anticipate the lasting impact of my experience.

Assigned to a Cambodian NGO in Phnom Penh for three months, I worked alongside my Khmer colleagues in reaching out to rural and urban communities to foster opportunities for neighborhoods and Cambodian youth.

Along the way, I met important leaders in Cambodia civil society and assisted with their preparations for regional conferences with other such leaders in Southeast Asia.

I have returned to Cambodia three more times since my first experience there, continuing to help with English language documents and advocacy. Coincidental with this work, I pulled out my camera and took photographs I saw as reflective of Cambodia and its people. Though I am an amateur photographer, my pictures come from a lifelong interest in photography and a passion for images of people and places.

An exhibition of my work will hang in the Gallery at the Jewish Community Center from November 4 – 29. Twelve traditional color prints, all from markets in Phnom Penh, will be displayed. The photographs convey pride and dignity found in markets, which are intersections of culture, food and commerce.

A reception for the exhibition is Wednesday, November 11 beginning at 6 p.m. Wine and appetizers with an Asian theme will be served.

At 7:30 p.m., a special guest, independent filmmaker Kalyanee Mam, will screen her 2013 film, A River Changes Course, in the JCC Auditorium. Afterwards, Kalyanee will speak with the audience. Her film earned a Grand Jury Award at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Kalyanee has just returned from Cambodia, where she is filming her next feature docu-

mentary about the sacred connections between indigenous people and their environment. The screening and photo exhibition are free and open to all.

Kalyanee, born in Cambodia during the genocide perpetrated by the murderous Khmer Rouge, is a graduate of Yale and UCLA Law School. She turned to documentary filmmaking as a way to share important stories and their spiritual attachments. Her work touches the heart and is visually stunning. A River Changes Course shares the stories of three Cambodian families with intimate looks into their lives and the environs in which they dwell and work. The film is critically noted for its resonance and beauty.

We hope our collaboration in Omaha will reward attendees with evocative information about Cambodia. Our work is not offered as overt advocacy but rather as a means to be informed in a more personal way about life halfway around the world. In coming together for this special evening, we have forged a friendship that is itself an example of how people with different life experiences can find meaningful common ground in pursuit of art and the repair of the world.

There are people, places and activities in every market -some conspicuous, some nuanced and some hidden in dark corners -- that offer opportunities for understanding. My photographs are meant to share such moments. They suggest glimpses into the beauty and depth of Cambodia and its people.

Richard Evnen knows about food in Cambodia and elsewhere. Until five years ago he owned a regional foodservice distributor. Since selling his business, Richard’s time has shifted more toward volunteer pursuits. He is a former Board Chair of the Plains Region ADL Board, is President of the Jewish cemetery in Lincoln, serves as a CASA volunteer and is the Board Chair of Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln. His creative work, he admits, is not a new venture for him but is of increasing personal importance.

A Rabbi’s son returns Continued from page 1 Iris are sponsoring this affair. It’ll be a very special, meaningful and enjoyable Shabbat for all who attend!”

Lewis Groner is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, a $1 billion foundation that distributes annual grants of approximately $70 million. Prior to joining The Foundation, Lew spent 15 years in corporate marketing and advertising working for J. Walter Thompson, an international ad agency, and Experian, an information services company. Lewis graduated from the University of Illinois in Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in political science and Judaic studies and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he did post-graduate work in journalism and advertising.

Activities will begin Friday evening, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. with Shabbat dinner, followed by a presentation entitled Reflections on Life as a Rabbi’s Son. The cost for dinner is $12 for adults, $6 for children aged 4-12 and free of charge for those 3 and under. Reservations are needed by Nov. 9 and can be made through the synagogue website at orthodox omaha.org or by calling 402.556.6288.

Saturday morning, Nov. 13, Lew will give the Shabbat sermon titled The Blessings of Being from Omaha. That evening, beginning at 7 p.m., a reception will be held at the home of

Joel Alperson; Lew’s talk will be Big City Judaism vs. Small Town Judaism.

In addition to Lew Groner’s appearance, the weekend will also include Beth Israel’s hosting of Dr. Lawrence Schiffman at 10 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 15. Dr. Schiffman will give the presentation The Bible and Its Interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Schiffman is the Judge Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University and Director of the Global Institute for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies. He has served as the Chair of the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University and Ethel and Irvin A. Edelman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Between 2011 and 2014, he served as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Judaic Studies at Yeshiva University.

For additional information on these events or any other Beth Israel programming, please call 402.556.6288. The mission of Beth Israel Synagogue is to perpetuate the legacy of Torah Judaism in the modern world and provide a home for those who wish to learn about and observe halacha, Jewish law. Beth Israel welcomes all persons of the Jewish faith and accepts the diversity of practice and thought among its members. Beth Israel offers a variety of religious, cultural and social programs throughout the year.

Rabin assassination Continued from page 1 both Rabin, the statesman and Amir, the murderer, the book cleverly relates the death of Rabin to the Israel of today, from the paralysis in peacemaking to the fraught relationship between current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama.

Rabin, a former general who led the army in the Six-Day War of 1967, embraced his nemesis, Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat, and set about trying to resolve the twentieth century’s most vexing conflict. Ephron reports in detail how extremists on both sides undermined the peace process with ghastly violence. And he reconstructs the relentless scheming of Amir, a 25-year-old law student and Jewish extremist who believed that Rabin’s peace effort amounted to a betrayal of Israel and the Jewish people.

Publisher’s Weekly called Killing a King, “the best account to date of Rabin’s assassination and its aftermath.”

“I like to think of Rabin as a man of firsts,” Ephron said, “He was the first native born Israeli to become Prime Minister, the first Israeli leader to embrace Palestinians and

attempt to resolve their conflict, including shaking hands with Yassir Arafat and, of course, he was the first Prime Minister to be assassinated.”

Washington Post Pulitzer prize winning writer Glenn Frankel said, “Ephron’s authoritative account is both a sharply etched political thriller and a meditation on all that has gone wrong in the Promised Land.”

Killing a King, scheduled for release next month, offers in the author’s own words, “The parallel stories of Rabin’s drive for peace with the Arabs and Amir’s mission to stop him.”

“One can’t help but wonder what Israel would look like today had Rabin lived,” he said.

There is perhaps no better time to examine the recent history of Israel with someone who lived it and now wrote about it. Don’t miss this opportunity to mark a noted anniversary with author Dan Ephron.

Books will be available for purchase at Ephron’s appearance. For more information contact Margie Gutnik, Beth El Synagogue Program Director at 402.492.8550.

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November Community Calendar FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Mainstreeters Movie, 1 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 Shabbat, 9 a.m. at Beth Israel Tot Shabbat, 9 a.m. at Temple Israel Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m. at Beth El SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1 BESTT Sunday Classes, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El Bagels & Beit Medrash, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Torah Tots, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El Baby Brunch for Children Under 1 yr, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel Kibitz with the Clergy, 11 a.m. at Temple Israel Donor Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Beth El Kibbutz Chaverim, 12:15 p.m.

All Community Event (Bernie & Rosie Meyers), 1 p.m.

Performing Arts Academy Class, 2 p.m.

Musical Theater Rehearsal, 3 p.m.

Friedel Presents - Omaha Children’s Museum Program, 3:30 p.m.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2 Teen Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Exploring Judaism: Scott Littky, 7 p.m.

Jewish Press Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

Partnership2gether Mission Meeting, 7 p.m. at RBJH Board TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Mah Jongg Classes, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel The Rabbi Sidney and Jane Brooks Lecture, 7 p.m. at UNO WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4 B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers, noon BESTT Weekday Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El BESTT Hebrew High & Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth El Structure of the Prayer Service, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5 Women’s Class, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Conversations with the Cantor, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Beth Israel Med Center Chabura, 1 p.m. at UNMC Beth Israel Scholar’s Club for Sixth Grade, 3:30 p.m.

Rabbi Dembitzer w/Friedel kids, 3:30 p.m.

Avot U-Banim, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Talmud Learning, 8 p.m. at Beth Israel FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 Beth El Family Shabbaton at Lied Lodge thru Nov. 8 Alzheimer’s Support Group, 10:30 a.m. at RBJH Moshe Gershovich: France and Its Jews, 11 a.m.

Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH BBYO Event, 5 p.m.

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 Shabbat, 9 a.m. at Beth Israel Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m. at Beth El Kids Night Out, 5 p.m.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8 Bagels & Beit Medrash, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El OTYG Board Meeting and Lunch, 12:30 p.m. Temple Israel Performing Arts Academy Class, 2 p.m.

Musical Theater Rehearsal, 3 p.m.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9 Teen Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Exploring Judaism: Scott Littky, 7 p.m.

NCJW Board Meeting, 7 p.m. at RBJH

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 Prejudice Elimination Workshop, 8 a.m. at Temple Israel Eye on Israel with Eliad Eliyahu, noon BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Mah Jongg Classes, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11 B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers, noon Richard Evnen Exhibit and Film, 3 p.m.

BESTT Weekday Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El Finding Sacredness in Cambodia, 5:30 p.m.

Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Beth Israel Richard Evnen Exhibit and Film, 6:30 p.m.

URJ Biennial Reflections, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel BESTT Hebrew High, 6:45 p.m. Beth El THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 Women’s Class, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Conversations with the Cantor, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Jewish Book Month, 11:30 a.m.

Center for Jewish Life Board Meeting, noon Beth Israel Med Center Chabura, 1 p.m. at UNMC Shanghai Lessons, 1 p.m. at Beth El Beth Israel Scholar’s Club for Sixth Grade, 3:30 p.m.

Rabbi Dembitzer w/Friedel kids, 3:30 p.m.

Avot U-Banim, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Talmud Learning, 8 p.m. at Beth Israel FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13 Moshe Gershovich: France and Its Jews, 11 a.m.

Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Temple Israel Shabbat Comes to You at Remington Heights, 4 p.m.

Scholar In Residence: Lewis Groner, 5 p.m. at Beth Israel SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14 Shabbat, 9 a.m. at Beth Israel Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Shabbat’s Cool Gr. 3-7, 10 a.m. at Beth El Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m. at Beth El JCC Dance Party, 5:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15 BESTT Sunday Classes, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El Bagels & Beit Medrash, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Boutique, 10 a.m. at Beth El Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Torah Tots, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El Parent/Toddler Program, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel Beth El Habonim Program, 12:15 p.m.

Global Day of Jewish Learning, 1 p.m.

Performing Arts Academy Class, 2 p.m.

Musical Theater Rehearsal, 3 p.m.

Community Viewing of Campaign Cabaret, 7 p.m.

Keys to Kindergarten, 7 p.m.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16 Mainstreeters Lunch, 11 a.m. at RBJH Teen Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Exploring Judaism: Scott Littky, 7 p.m.

Friedel Board Meeting, 7 p.m. at FJA TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 Omaha Symphony, BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

JCC Board of Directors, 7 p.m.

Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel Mah Jongg Classes, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers, noon BESTT Weekday Classes, 4:15 p.m. at Beth El BESTT Hebrew High & Dinner, 6 p.m. at Beth El URJ Biennial Reflections, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel USCJ Scholar-in Residence Rabbi Chaya Rowen Baker, 7:30 p.m. at Beth El

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 Women’s Class, 9:30 a.m. at Beth Israel Conversations with the Cantor, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Beth Israel Med Center Chabura, 1 p.m. at UNMC Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group, 1 p.m.

Beth Israel Scholar’s Club for Sixth Grade, 3:30 p.m.

Rabbi Dembitzer w/Friedel kids, 3:30 p.m.

Planning & Community Engagement Committee, 4:30 p.m.

Avot U-Banim, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Talmud Learning, 8 p.m. at Beth Israel FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 Alzheimer’s Support Group, 10:30 a.m. at RBJH Moshe Gershovich: France and Its Jews, 11 a.m.

Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Mainstreeters Movie, 1 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21 Shabbat, 9 a.m. at Beth Israel Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m. at Beth El Temple Israel Game Night, 7 p.m. at Spielbound, 3229 Harney St. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22 Babies, Bigger Kids & Bagels, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El BESTT Sunday Classes, 9:45 a.m. at Beth El Bagels & Beit Medrash, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Kibitz with the Clergy, 11 a.m. at Temple Israel TED Talk, 11 a.m. at Temple Israel OTYG Board Meeting, 12:30 p.m. at Temple Israel Performing Arts Academy Class, 2 p.m.

Musical Theater Rehearsal, 3 p.m.

Temple Israel Interfaith Service, 5 p.m.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23 Teen Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Exploring Judaism: Scott Littky, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24 JSS Board of Directors Meeting, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH BBYO Night, 6 p.m.

Mah Jongg Classes, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25 B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers, noon THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26 Thanksgiving Learning & Sports, 9 a.m. at Beth Israel FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27 Beth El Serves Lunch at NE AIDS Coalition, 2723 Q St., 11:30 a.m.

Star Deli, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Temple Israel Shabbat Comes to You at Blumkin Home, 2:30 p.m. at RBJH SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28 Shabbat, 9 a.m. at Beth Israel Tot Shabbat, 9 a.m. at Temple Israel Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. at Temple Israel Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m. at Beth El SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29 Bagels & Beit Medrash, 9:45 a.m. at Beth Israel Torah Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Musical Theater Rehearsal, 3 p.m.

Beth El Cooking/Serving at Stephen Center, 2723 Q Street, 5:30 p.m.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30 JFO Board of Directors, 11:30 a.m. at RBJH Scholar/Author Dan Ephron, 7 p.m. at Beth El Teen Class, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel Exploring Judaism: Scott Littky, 7 p.m.

Call for advertising opportunities in the Jewish Press.

Jessie Wees 402.334.6559 | jwees@jewishomaha.org

All events held at the Jewish Community Center unless otherwise noted. This calendar does not include all community events. For a complete listing, visit the Federation’s website: www.jewishomaha.org (click on calendar). To keep calendar accurate, call Pat Anson at 402.334.8200. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of the above events.

October 30, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 5

Friedel Curriculum Committee strives for quality secular education

by CLAUDIA SHERMAN for Friedel Jewish Academy “We want parents to know that Friedel Jewish Academy can compete with any school in Omaha,” emphasized Jeff Zacharia, President of the Friedel Jewish Academy Board of Directors. In fact, he added, “We are working to identify and incorporate what we need to do to be the top K-through-six school in Omaha! Our kids deserve the opportunity to excel.”

With that goal in mind, a Curriculum Advisory Committee has been established at Friedel to thoroughly review the curricular materials that the school uses for core subjects such as math, language arts (reading and writing), spelling, grammar, science, and social studies. “The committee will be working throughout the year to evaluate our current curricular materials, and to make recommendations for not only the purchase of additional or replacement materials, but also ways to supplement the purchased curriculum,” explained Head of School Beth Cohen. “In addition, the committee will be working to review and formalize the school’s list of year-end expectations by grade level based on state standards,” she said.

Along with Cohen, other members of the newly established Curriculum Advisory Committee are Sharon Epstein, Pam Friedlander, and Amy Friedman. Cohen noted that Friedel’s general studies teachers will be involved in the committee’s work as well. Additional committee members may be added as the committee explores specific content areas.

“We’re thinking critically and evaluating our programs and procedures in a number of areas this year,” Cohen said. “The

Curriculum Advisory Committee is one of those avenues for providing analysis of our school’s operations.”

Over the past 28 years, Sharon Epstein has been an elementary teacher and an instructional facilitator, and is currently the

International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme Coordinator at Millard Public School’s Aldrich Elementary School.

“During these years, I have been fortunate to be introduced to and to use various curriculum and teaching methods.”

Epstein believes that Friedel “is an integral part of Omaha’s Jewish community and has been a strong and vibrant educational option for all of our children. While Friedel students have been getting a quality education,” she continued, “it should never be a problem to evaluate the current curriculum and to determine if there are any changes that can be made to make that quality education even better. Teaching methods, learning techniques and curricula evolve over time, and when properly implemented, those changes will enhance a child’s education.”

A gifted and talented facilitator for Omaha Public Schools for 31 years, Pam Friedlander also thinks it’s “important to keep current on materials to be a cuttingedge school.”

Former 20-year Millard Public Schools Communications Director Amy Friedman considers “the more options the entire Jewish community has for the education of their children, the stronger the community

UNO Religious Studies presents

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will be. There’s so much to take pride in (at Friedel),” according to Friedman, “and also a strong desire to grow and improve.”

Epstein described Friedel as “primarily known as the place to send a child for a good Jewish education in a Jewish environment” among Omaha’s Jewish families. “If Friedel becomes known for its quality secular curriculum along with its fine Jewish studies curriculum, some of those ‘public school’ families may strongly consider Friedel Jewish Academy as a viable alternative to public school.”

“I’m interested in ensuring that the curriculum is up to date,” added Friedman. “It also should include hands-on learning and individualized instruction to engage each student.”

To date, the curriculum committee has met twice. At their most recent meeting, the four members set goals for evaluating and acquiring new materials and discussed how

to communicate the process being undertaken to parents. The first step will be to evaluate the curriculum that is currently being used. “I think it’s important that whatever curriculum is chosen, current or new, reflects best practices for teaching and learning in the 21st century,” stated Epstein.

Cohen will report the committee’s findings and recommendations to the Friedel Board, which will make final decisions to be implemented by Cohen and her teaching staff.

“As part of the school’s mission, we seek to provide the best general studies education to our students, and the work of this committee will help to ensure that we can state unequivocally that we do just that,” explained Cohen who succeeded interim Head of School Ron Giller in March.

“Friedel is a small school,” she said, “which means we can act quickly yet thoughtfully as we explore ways to be innovative with our students’ educational experience.”

NJHS annual meeting

The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society annual meeting celebrated the 1950s and -60s. “It was really fun to reminisce about that era” said Renee Corcoran, Executive Director. A video created by Sue Friedman Millward, Remembering the 1950s and 60s, was shown to a fascinated crowd depicting a very memorable period in our history. Left: Howard Kaslow, Renee Corcoran, Rocky Stern and Bob Belgrade; right: Ellie Batt and Gloria Kaslow.

Mission Trip

INFORMATION Monday, November 2 MEETING 7PM | Rose Blumkin Jewish Home

“Watching Movies, Seeing Transcendence: Film as a Site of Interfaith Encounter.” by

Prof. John Lyden Grand View University

Tuesday, November 3 7:00 P.M. Community Engagement Center 201/205/209 The lecture is free For more info, contact Staci sgeis@unomaha.edu

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6 | The Jewish Press | October 30, 2015

Ninth grade confirmation trip to New York

by SCOTT LITTKY the Tenement Museum, where we learned more about Program Director, Temple Israel immigrant life. After that, it was back to the airport.

The city that never sleeps provided an amazing experience “When we arrived back home, I noticed that our teens for Temple Israel’s Ninth Grade Confirmation class. Zac were saying their goodbyes with a lot of smiles and laughter.

Arnold, Peyton Blake, Shelby Goodman, Aaron Norton, Leo This trip gave them an opportunity to learn about different Norton, Robert Osborne and Isabella Wright, along with aspects of the Jewish community outside of Omaha. It also Rabbi Josh Brown and Director of Youth and Young Adult allowed them to build long lasting relationships with each Engagement, Aliyah Lasky, left very early on Thursday, Oct. other.

15 to spend the weekend in New York, learning, bonding and having fun.

When asked to describe the weekend, Aliyah Lasky said: “We met at the airport around 5 o’clock in the morning.

Families had the students take pictures together, and you could tell just by Rabbi Josh Brown, left, Peyton Blake, Isabella Wright, Rob Osborne, Zac Arnold, Leo Norton, Shelby looking at our Goodman, Aaron Norton, and Aliyah Lasky. first picture how sleepy and nervous our teens were. As soon “Our teens all had their favorite parts of this weekend. as we arrived in New York, we hopped on the ferry and trav- Peyton loved the play on Broadway and found it really eled to Ellis Island. We had the opportunity to learn the his- funny. Leo thought Ellis Island was interesting because some tory of many of our ancestors and how they arrived in of his family members came to the United States through America for the first time. there. Shelby thought it was interesting how crowded New “Next, we attended the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, York was compared to Nebraska. Robbie found the 9/11 that taught values of individuality, strength, friendship, and Museum very moving and was amazed at how crowded livfollowing your dreams. After the show, we walked around ing conditions were in the tenements of old. Aaron was Times Square. amazed at the Jewish population numbers in New York City.

“The second day, we visited the Today Show, and made Isabella loved comparing all the pictures that were taken signs so the camera could catch us on live television. We over the weekend and Zac said it was the best New York trip also toured Rockefeller Center Plaza, where we went to the he has ever been on.”

“Top of the Rock” and saw a beautiful view of all of New For more information about Temple Israel’s Confirmation York City. We visited the Museum of Tolerance, after which program and trips, please contact Interim Religious School we ate lunch at Central Station. The group attended servic- Director Sharon Comisar-Langdon at 402.556.6536. es at Central Synagogue, which was a great experience.

“Day three, we had a lazy breakfast (New York bagels) and then went to Central Park, where we enjoyed the various street performances and participated in remote controlled Amy and Andy Isaacson of Palo Alto, CA announce the boat races in the park. We also toured the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, where we had the chance to observe and Sept. 8 birth of their twin daughters, Lily Pearl and Miriam reflect. After dinner, we visited Hebrew Union College, Adele Isaacson.

They have a sister, Maya Ruth where we learned more about the rabbinical and cantorial Grandparents are Susan and Michael Isaacson of Encino, programs, as well as the school for Jewish educators. After CA, Andi Willensky of Omaha, and Kitty and David the tour, we observed a Havdallah service at the university.

“On our last day we had a “food tour” on the lower east Willensky of Palm Springs, CA. Great-grandparents are Lenore Ross of Los Angeles, CA side and learned more about the lives of immigrants who lived in the area, pre- and post-World War II. We walked to and Evelyn and William Willensky of Phoenix, AZ

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UNO to host Biblical Archaeology Conference

by KATIE KRESHA The University of Nebraska at Omaha will host the Batchelder Conference for Biblical Archaeology Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 12-14. In its 17th year, the annual conference features biblical scholars from around the world as they unveil their latest findings.

Professor Lawrence H. Schiffman will open the conference Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. with his talk, Archaeology and Text: Khirbet Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Schiffman is a professor at the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and Director of the Global Network for Advance Research in Jewish Studies at New York University.

Professor James D. Tabor from University of North Carolina at Charlotte will deliver the conference’s second featured address Friday evening at 7:30 p.m.: How an Enochian Vision of the Cosmos Took Over the World: Ascent to Heaven, Astral Immortality, and the World to Come in Emerging Judaism and Early Christianity. Tabor is an expert in ancient Judaism and early Christianity and professor in the Department of Religious Studies.

Twelve other scholars will present during the day on Friday and Saturday. For a full conference schedule, check out world.unomaha.edu/bethsaida/conference.

UNO’s Bethsaida Biblical Archaeology project will remain a major focus of the conference this year. Since 1990, UNO has led a consortium of institutions in uncovering and studying artifacts at this site on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is one of the most frequently mentioned towns in the New Testament, and it is purported to be the hometown of five apostles and the site where Jesus performed several miracles. Underlying the Second Temple Period, the excavations revealed that the city served as a capital for the biblical kingdom of Geshur. This kingdom flourished between the 10th and Eighth Centuries BCE. The Batchelder Conference for Biblical Archaeology was named to recognize the generosity of the late Clifton B. Batchelder and his wife, Anne Stuart Batchelder. They are former Nebraska political leaders and longtime trustees of the Omaha community.

The addresses by Dr. Schiffman and Dr. Tabor, as well as sessions all day Friday at Saturday, are open to the public. Pre-registration is not required. The $10 entrance fee includes refreshments. Students are free. All conference events will take place at UNO’s Thompson Alumni Center, 6705 Dodge St., Omaha.

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Publishing Date | 11.20.15 Space Reservation | 11.11.15 Camera Ready Deadline | 11.13.15

Contact our advertising representative to advertise in this very special edition.

Jessie Wees | 402.334.6559 | jwees@jewishomaha.org

October 30, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 7

by OZZIE NOGG Sheen), a prosperous and mature Put these Mainstreeters events on bachelor. This timeless story of your November calendar and say byeBathsheba’s choices and passions bye to boredom. explores Sunday, Nov. 1, comedian the nature Brad Stewart, 1:30 p.m. in the of relaJCC Auditorium. No admission tionships charge. The late Joan Rivers and love -called Brad Stewart, “So talented. A joy to work with!” As a bonus, the opening act features Mary Maxwell, our own YouTube sensation with over 12 million hits for her Prayer For Growing Old. Don’t miss this afternoon of laughs, brought to you free as part of the Joy of Laughter Live Comedy Series sponsored by the Meyers Family Legacy of Laughter Endowment Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Meet Otis XII, the Voice of KVNO: Monday, Nov. 16, The voice of KVNO, Otis XII (aka Doug Wesselmann), will 12:30 p.m. Lunch in the Rose discuss his new book, Tales of the Master, Nov. 16 Blumkin Jewish Home Auditorium. Otis as well as the human ability to overcome XII, aka Doug Wesselmann, has enjoyed a hardships through resilience and persever25-year career as a radio host, keeping the ance. This lush, romantic drama will make fine art of on-air theater alive by recording you swoon. If you’d like to have lunch at the short comedy sketches for weekly broadcast. Star Deli before the show, call Maggie Conti He spent over a decade at Z-92 and later at 402.334.6521 to reserve a table. Lunch is worked at KFAB, CD105.9 and KKAR on your own. The Star Deli starts serving at before being voted into the Nebraska Radio 11:30 a.m.

Personalities Hall of Fame. Otis is also an Mainstreeters’ main goal is to offer activiaward winning fiction writer. At lunch, he’ll ties and programs that give area residents -share his personal story and discuss his new age 60-plus -- the chance to meet new peobook, Tales of the Master -- the story of the ple, exercise their brains, learn new skills Master and his boy disciple who descend and enjoy life to the fullest. According to from the mountains and arrive at “a road, Maggie Conti, Director of Activities and split two ways,” where they discover that in a Outreach Programs at the Rose Blumkin world full of tragedy, miracles still happen, Jewish Home, “We look forward to seeing stories have power, and that the only thing many community members join in our truly eternal on this earth is love. Copies of November activities.”

Tales of the Master will be available at a very Mainstreeters programs are supported in special Mainstreeters price. For this event, part by grants from the United Way of the choose either Baked Salmon with rice pilaf Midlands and the Jewish Federation of or half Hot Turkey Sandwich with mashed Omaha. potatoes and cranberry sauce. Both entrees include matzoh ball soup, seasoned mixed vegetables, challah rolls, lemon bars for dessert, plus beverage of your choice. Cost is $10 a plate. Make checks payable to Jewish David Kay of Integrity ATA Martial Arts Social Services and send full payment to: competed in the Heartland Championships Mainstreeters c/o Maggie Conti, 323 So. 132 in Crete, Nebraska, this weekend. David, Street, Omaha, NE 68154. Reservations are who is working towards his black belt, took appreciated by Monday, Nov. 9. For trans- first place in combat weapon sparring and portation, call Maggie Conti at 2nd place in traditional sparring. Sandy 402.334.6521.

Gordon, 3rd degree Black Belt and owner of Join Us at the Movies: Far from the Integrity ATA, also competed. She placed Madding Crowd. Friday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. 2nd in forms, first in traditional sparring in the JCC Theater. The film is free, as are and combat weapon sparring. unlimited bags of warm, delicious popcorn.

No reservations necessary. Invite a friend.

Based on the literary classic by Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd is the story of independent, beautiful and headB’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS strong Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Renowned lawyer and activist Seth Siege Mulligan), who attracts three very different discusses how Israel can save the world with suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias its ability to “reclaim water.” (Live from New Schoenaerts), a sheep farmer, captivated by York) on Wednesday, Nov. 4, Noon. For her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy (Tom more information or to be placed on the Sturridge), a handsome and reckless email list call 402.334.6443 or bnaibrith@ Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael jewishomaha.org.

THE 2015 BATCHELDER CONFERENCE FOR BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY UNO’s Thompson Alumni Center

Thursday, Nov. 12, 7:30 pm Lawrence H. Schiffman, Judge Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, Director of the Global Network for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies, New York University “Archaeology and Text: Khirbet Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls.”

Photo by Hanan Shafir

Mainstreeters in November

Friday, Nov. 13, 7:30 pm James D. Tabor, Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, Department of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

“How an Enochian Vision of the Cosmos Took Over the World: Ascent to Heaven, Astral Immortality, and the World to Come in Emerging Judaism and Early Christianity.”

Judea Capta Domitian Coin

More presentations 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov.13 to 14. | All sessions open to the public. $10 entrance, STUDENTS FREE.

world.unomaha.edu/bethsaida/conference Equal opportunity educator and employer. For special needs or assistance: 402.554.3108 or TTY 402.554.3799.

sponsored by T H E M E Y E R S F A M I LY L E G A C Y O F L A U G H T E R E N D O W M E N T F U N D of The Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation

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8 | The Jewish Press | October 30, 2015 Mike brought work ethic, drive, and a genuine desire to be successful. He did so many good things, and was a driving force in making the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home what it is today. What he has created by having food service at the Home, rather than contracting it out, is phenomenal. He is never without a long list of what he wants to accomplish tomorrow, and I will miss his push to always continue growing.

Howard Kooper Mike demonstrated strong operational leadership that will serve him well in his next position. He has been instrumental in making the Home a well-run institution, and his efforts at the Home will be felt for a long time. He will be missed.

Alan Potash

California bound

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor Nov. 6 will mark Mike Silverman’s last day as Executive Director of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. After 13 years, Mike, his wife Mimi, and sons Adam and Jeremy will make their new home in Orange County, California.

Saying he will be missed by many in our community is an understatement. It is perhaps best expressed by a small sample of the layleaders and professionals who worked closely with him.

The community will have a chance to wish Mike and his family well on Nov. 6, at 2:30 p.m. in the RBJH auditorium.

Mike’s professionalism made my time as JSS president a positive one; it was especially gratifying to watch him handle a variety of issues that needed resolving.

To the public, a nursing home like RBJH may look like a smooth operation, but the reality is that unexpected things happen on a daily basis. Mike always manages to respond quickly and effectively. He has extraordinary management skills.

I will miss his sense of humor and his friendship, and wish him and his family all the best with this new endeavor.

Jim Farber

Mike is the kind of boss that everyone wants! He made it fun to come to work with his quirky ways, but what sets him apart from other leaders is his utmost professionalism. He is extremely talented at motivating his flock - to push his staff to work efficiently and step up their game. Something I want this community to know about Mike is his commitment to seniors in this community. The Home’s mission is to fulfill the Mitzvah of “Mipnei Seivah Takem� – You shall rise and show respect to the aged and Mike never wavered from this mission.

His decisions were based on people - not by money or how difficult the situation might be. So many of the seniors that lived in the shadows were taken care of because of his leadership. There are no words to say how much I will miss him.

Maggie Conti

Very seldom do you see such a clever and kind person. How sad I am to hear the news of him leaving!

Lydia Linde Mike is Mr. Customer service. He will go the extra mile to see that residents, as well as their family members are happy and satisfied, thus “let’s think outside the box�. I will miss Mike’s slightly warped sense of humor and his ability to create a sense of family for the residents, families and employees.

Shelley Cash I would like to thank Mike for his exemplary service to the Jewish community. During my tenure as president of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, I had the honor of partnering with Mike as our first CEO. In addition to his ability in areas of management and operations, Mike’s greatest gift to us was his unwavering commitment to Jewish Omaha -- past, present, and future. Mike and I shared a common vision and love for this community and we worked together to achieve our goals every day. I take great pride in all that was accomplished and the great friendship that has endured. I wish Mike and his family the best of everything.

Jody Malashock The very first time I met Mike Silverman face to face was when he met me for lunch to interview me for a position at the Home.

I said: “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Silverman!â€? and he replied: “Please, call me Mike‌only my wife calls me Mr. Silverman!â€? It broke the tension and made me feel comfortable with him.

I knew that the position I was being interviewed for was Director of Food Services, and I knew that the facility was a “Kosher� facility. I had no idea what it meant to keep kosher -- let alone cook kosher. So I researched Kashrut for days in preparation of our lunch interview. You can imagine the confusion on my face, as Mike ordered Crab & Lobster Enchiladas for his meal. He certainly noticed right away that I thought he was testing me, and stated: “Don’t worry, I don’t keep kosher.� So I ordered the same dish.

His enthusiasm as he expressed his plans for a Kosher Food Service was contagious and I really wanted to be part of this evolution; I wanted to work for someone like Mike who was so passionate about his job, his community and his staff!

Mike has been an inspiration for all of us; his fun-loving witty attitude has made the working atmosphere here like no other. You can truly feel how much he loves every one of us and his baby, the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home! Orange County California has no idea the catch they have made by bringing him there. We will miss

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Mike and his family immensely, and I, for one, as I am sure everyone else, wish him only the very best in his new endeavor! Mike, you have been a mentor, a friend and a brother to me and I only have the deepest respect and love for you.

Mike Aparo We have been fortunate to have Mike Silverman in our community, a community that he loved and where he helped build the best nursing home in the country. I thank Mike for his service and wish him and his family only the best for their future.

Bruce Friedlander I feel privileged to have worked with and learned from Mike these past 12 years. He has a unique and creative perspective and great insight. His passion and energy for improving the lives of our seniors is contagious. Mike has never said “no� to a request that would benefit the life of one of our elders, either within the Rose Blumkin Home or for someone living in our community. He has been instrumental in making major changes and improvements that will benefit our community for many years to come. Mike and his family will be missed.

Shelly Fox During Mike’s stellar career at RBJH he guided us to excellence, compassion, and a culture that is unmatched by any other nursing care facility. I cannot think of another administrator I have worked with who is better. He will be truly missed, and we all wish him and his family nothing but the best.

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Mike is a great team builder, and the mutual respect and admiration between him and his staff is palpable. His financial skills and operational acumen have been vital to our Rose Blumkin Home, and allowed it to prosper. I think his work during the Home’s renovation, and the development of Star Deli are his greatest accomplishments.

I don’t think the residents (or the staff) will soon forget his zany sense of humor; he’s put many smiles on their faces. Our community has been fortunate to have Mike and Mimi, and I wish the entire Silverman family all the best.

Steve Nogg

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Mike has an amazing understanding of the hard work it takes to create community. It is obvious, when you get to know the RBJH staff, that Mike’s staff is a family. That doesn’t just happen. His leadership, personality and deep caring for the elderly of our community creates the atmosphere for nurturing these strong relationships. In his 13 years in Omaha, Mike has been a constant presence as a community builder. Creating Friday Deli, building a playground in a nursing home, arranging for residents to attend community events, and on and on, he is a force that will be missed.

Beth Cohen

Working side by side with Mike Silverman since the day he arrived, I watched him grow into a true community leader. He proved to be a creative, compassionate and caring person. Our nursing home resembled a hospital. Mike launched a new era in senior care for the Omaha Jewish Community. The “New Beginning� will be state-of-the-art for many years to come.

Listening to employees first, getting to know their greatest abilities, allowed him to build our outstanding staff. We have many

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Mike is a very compassionate man who created a Jewish Disneyland for us residents.

Ricki Eirenberg

Mike and community leadership has made the Blumkin Home the amazing facility it is today. Together, they had such vision to imagine and build the inviting, welcoming and highly functional facility it is today.

Mike has created a supportive atmosphere among staff at the Home -- we really do feel like family.

He is a creative “outside the box� thinker, and has helped design so many creative solutions to issues at the Home.

He will be sorely missed.

Bert Benson

TRUCK DRIVER WANTED

IT Manager

tenured people because of Mike’s actions. The staff is a family unto themselves and a family to our residents. They will go the extra mile for Mike because of the warm, loving and fun environment he has created. The fun part helps to release the stress that comes with the job.

Members of the community and our residents gather in our synagogue for weekly services, discussion group meetings and other lifetime events. Our auditorium is for many and varied forms of entertainment. Mike made sure that RBJH would draw community members in and show them that our home doesn’t resemble an institution. Our residents and their families are proud to show others where they live.

Mike Silverman has enriched our Jewish community with his forward thinking and by putting his heart into his job. Mike’s tenure here was a gift, and now we pass it on - with regret - to Orange County.

Joanie Bernstein

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October 30, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 9

Point of view

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

The peaceful narrative

by ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor Feeling hopeless about the political climate in Israel is the easiest thing in the world. There is bad news every day about random attacks at bus stops, stabbings, retaliation, incitement and blame. There is always more blame to go around.

That recent upsurge in violence leads to a lot of speculation. Will there ever be any progress towards peace? Does that two-state solution have a snowball’s chance of becoming reality? Is this going to be a third Intifadah? Will the United Nations ever get a clue?(no) It never ceases to amaze me that Israel only makes the news when the rocks are thrown and the missiles are incoming. And, of course, when Israelis retaliate, because: how dare they. Stories about successful start-ups, local peace initiatives that actually work and places where Muslims, Druze, Jews and Christians learn, work and live together are not interesting to the world. And yet, those are the stories that we need to hear right now.

What do you do when the world tells you your only choice is to hate your neighbor? When incitement rings louder than the call for peace?

If your name is Eival Gilady, you become the Chair of the Israel-Palestinian Chamber of Commerce, and dedicate yourself to promoting development of joint economic initiatives and businesses.

You join the Alliance for Middle East Peace, and you foster reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

If your name is Sara Zoabi, and you are a Palestinian woman who loves her children, you remind the world that, before you are a Jew, a Muslim, a Christian, a Copt or a Bedouin, you are a proud Israeli and Hatikvah is your anthem.

If you are Aziz Aby Sarah, you found Middle East Justice and Development Initiatives (Mejdi), and you advocate for cooperation and reconciliation. You promote dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, and you work towards local economic development of Palestinian small businesses, because pover-

ty feeds dissatisfaction, while economic success fosters peace.

Of course, if you answer to the name Shimon Peres, you start the Peres Center for Peace. You’re famous, so you have more clout, and you may as well use that clout to analyze policies towards peace.

Breaking down walls: the temporary security barrier between Armon Hanatziv and Jabel Mukaber in East Credit: Edgar Asher Jerusalem.

If you are a Palestinian like Ali Abu Awwad, and an Israeli Jew like Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger, you put your heads together and form “Roots.” Your base? The West Bank area of Gush Etzion, where you organize meetings between Israelis and Palestinians who live near each other in the West Bank. You start a dialogue, a women’s group, a summer camp, and you reach out to schoolchildren. You offer language courses and cultural exchanges.

Maybe you are a Reform, Orthodox, Conservative or Reconstructionist rabbi, and you find a place with the Rabbis for Human Rights. You dispatch volunteers to act as human shields when clashes are reported between Palestinian farmers and settlers. You protect the olive pickers, and you do so in response to a request for help from a Palestinian peace

activist.

If you are Yitzhak Frankenthal, and your son Arik is killed

by Hamas, you found the Parents Circle -- Families Forum, which connects Palestinian and Israeli families who have lost immediate family due to the conflict, and are looking to transform their pain and bereavement into a catalyst for coexistence. One of the ways you do this is by bringing Palestinians and Israelis into classrooms, together, to speak to students about tolerance and reconciliation.

If your name is Avi Levi, you become the director of Green Action, which advocates for environmental activism and social change. You travel to the West Bank to work with Palestinian farmers, and you bring fair trade and organic Palestinian olive oil to the Israeli market. Interested? You can find Israeli Fair Trade here: www.peaceoil.net. They also sell za’atar, organic jams and pressed olives.

Then there is Ray Hanania, a Palestinian-American standup comedian, who is married to a Jewish woman. He started Comedy for Peace, a non-political effort that uses humor to build trust, understanding and a vision for peace.

The Hand in Hand organization runs a network of four bilingual schools that serve over 800 students in Jerusalem, the Galilee, Wadi Ara and Be’er Sheva. Half the students are Palestinian citizens, the other half Jewish.

All of this is the tip of the iceberg; the number of places and organizations where Palestinian and Israeli individuals are working together, every day, is staggering. I haven’t even talked about Akko yet (sorry, Eliad).

What do you do when the world tells you your only choice is to hate your neighbor?

You tell the world to take a hike. And no, before you ask, all these positive stories do not make it any easier when innocent people are stabbed. To lose even one life to irrational hatred is too much. But we need to have hope that someday things will improve. We need to have hope that a positive narrative about Israel becomes the norm; that it will some day be the only story to tell.

Amid Israel’s terror wave, African migrants find danger where they sought safe haven

by BEN SALES Ashever told JTA. “It’s hard to tell people it was unintenTEL AVIV (JTA) -- In the days since an Eritrean migrant tional. The State of Israel doesn’t accept you... so people say was shot to death by an Israeli security guard and then beat- it was intentional.”

Despite condemnation from Israeli politicians, including en by a mob at Beersheba’s central bus station, a fellow migrant named Awat Ashever has insisted to other Eritreans Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, some migrants see the killing as part of a larger societhat the killing was just a territal problem. ble mistake.

“Politicians, for years they It’s an uphill battle, as some were making incitement of the 45,000 African migrants against refugees,” said in Israel see the incident as eviGhebrehiwot Tekle, 35, who dence of discrimination they say has existed for years. The came to Israel from Eritrea in episode has also brought home 2007 and now lives in Tel Aviv. the dangers of the terror wave “It influenced some people -sweeping the country where they took the law [into] their they have sought safe haven. hands. [Zarhum] didn’t have The death of Haftom anything in his hands. He didZarhum, 29, followed a terrorn’t have any gun, any knife.” ist attack at the station that Most migrants in Israel hail killed an Israeli and wounded from Eritrea and Sudan and Migrants from Eritrea and Sudan protesting Israel’s 11. A guard mistook Zarhum insist that they are seeking asyrefusal to grant them refugee status outside the U.S. for the terrorist. Several Israelis lum from brutal dictatorships.

Embassy in Tel Aviv, Jan. 6, 2014.

-- including a soldier -- then The Israeli government, howCredit: Tomer Neuberg/Flash90 kicked and beat Zarhum amid ever, labels them economic chants of “Break his head.” On Twitter, Defense Minister migrants who have come to the country in search of work.

Moshe Yaalon called the incident a lynch.

With rare exceptions, it has not recognized them as refugees But Zarhum, who worked in a plant nursery in the south- or given them work visas. ern village of Ein Habesor, had come to Beersheba only to In 2012, Israel built a border fence with Egypt to block extend his conditional release visa, which gives Eritreans illegal migration, and in 2013 began detaining thousands of and Sudanese the right to live in Israel with restrictions. migrants in Holot, a center next to a prison on the Egyptian “People are upset about what happened in Beersheba,” border.

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Migrants have decried these measures, along with harsh rhetoric from Israeli politicians, as mistreatment. On Monday, a crowd gathered outside Holot to protest Zarhum’s death.

But Jeremiah Sunday Diario, a Nigerian pastor who has ministered to migrants in Israel since 2005, saw the incident as isolated. Zarhum was killed, the pastor said, because he was thought to be a terrorist, not because he was Eritrean.

“Any person in that position would do the same thing, when someone comes to kill you,” Diario said.

The migrants have also had to deal with frequent danger in a country where they have sought refuge. Since Tekle arrived eight years ago, Israel has fought three wars in Gaza and suffered periodic waves of terror attacks. The present wave has seen nine Israelis die in dozens of attacks since the beginning of October.

Ashever said that at first, he tried not to get caught up in the tension over the attacks, but found himself facing the same dangers as his Israeli neighbors.

“If you’re in Israel, it affects you,” he said. “But we didn’t think it would affect us. I don’t deal with these things. It’s not my problem. I just came because of the situation in Eritrea.”

Diario has encouraged migrants to take responsibility for their own safety. In the event of a terror attack, he says, he tells migrants to walk fast -- but not run, to avoid being misidentified as an attacker trying to escape.

Before Ashever arrived, he had a vague awareness of the Middle East conflict. But after seven years of attacks and given the government’s hard-line stance on migrants, he says he’s come to expect difficulty in Israel.

“I go from problem to problem,” he said. “My life is like this.”

News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.”

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10 | The Jewish Press | October 30, 2015

Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 618 Mynster Street | Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 |712.322.4705 email: BnaiIsraelCouncilBluffs@gmail.com Join us for our monthly Shabbat Speakers Series on Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker, Bea Karp. She will be speaking about her experiences as a child survivor of the Holocaust, and sharing stories from her book My Broken Doll. Oneg to follow service. Please join us! Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!

Larry Blass will officiate the Speaker Series Service.

For information on our historic synagogue, or to arrange a visit, please contact any of our board members: Mark Eveloff, Rick Katelman, Carole Lainof, Marty Ricks, Sissy Silber, Nancy Wolf and Phil Wolf. Tribute cards for any occasion are available. Contact Sissy at 311 Oak Ridge Ct., Bellevue, NE 68005 or 402.292.8062.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California | Omaha, NE 68154-1980 | 402.492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Services/Minyan in the Round, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10 a.m.; Mini-Minyannaires, 10:45 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6 p.m.

WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; weekdays, 7 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.

SUNDAY: BESTT Classes, 9:45 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; Torah Tots, 10:30 a.m.; Sunday Adult Learning Series, 11 a.m.; USY/Kadima & BESTT Kibbutz Chaverim Social Action Program “Trick or Can”, 12:15 p.m.; B’nai Mitzvah Meeting for Fifth Grade Parents, 12:15 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT Classes, 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High Dinner, 6 p.m.; Hebrew High, 6:45 p.m.

Family Shabbaton, Friday-Sunday, Nov. 6-8 No BESTT Classes, Sunday, Nov. 8, 12:15 p.m.

All classes and programs are open to everyone in the Jewish community.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street | Omaha, NE. 68154 | 402.556.6288 www.orthodoxomaha.org Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer.

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat & Ma’ariv, 6:05 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Torah Parade and Shabbat Classes, 9:45 a.m.; 15 mins after Kiddush -- Mishna L’Neshamah and Teen Class; Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion, 4:45 p.m.; Mincha/Seudah Shlishit, 5:45 p.m.; Havdalah, 7:04 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Bagels and Beit Medrash: Understanding Our Prayers, 9:45 a.m.; Sisterhood Donor Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. Please RSVP by returning the card or by calling the office.

WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: Monthly Kids Learning Chabura (Grades K-2), 3:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Women’s Class, 9:30 a.m.; Scholar’s Club for 6th Grade, 3:30 p.m.; Avot U-Banim, 7 p.m.; Talmud Learning, 8 p.m.

Shabbat Diner honoring the Chevra Kadisha, Friday, Nov. 6, 6 p.m. Please RSVP on the website or by calling the office.

CHABAD HOUSE An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street | Omaha, NE 68144-1646 | 402.330.1800 www.OChabad.com | email: chabad@aol.com Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m SATURDAY: Minyan and Meditation, 9:30 a.m.

SUNDAY: Minyan, 8:30 a.m.

WEEKDAYS: Minyan and Meditation, 7 a.m.

TUESDAY: Dynamic Discovery with Shani Katzman, 10:15 a.m. A class for women based on traditional texts with practical insights and application. RSVP by calling the office.

WEDNESDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Rochi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office; The Development of the Oral Tradition, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman. RSVP by calling the office. In memory of Forrest Krutter -- Efrayim Menachem Ben Avraham Yitzchak.

THURSDAY: Women’s Study at UNMC with Shani Katzman, noon. RSVP by emailing Marlene Cohen at

mzcohen@unmc.edu.

All programs are open to the entire community.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN South Street Temple | Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street | Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 | 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org Services conducted by Rabbi Craig Lewis.

FRIDAY: Sha-ba-ba-bat Family Dinner/Service, 6 p.m.; Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m. with oneg following hosted by Leslie Delserone and Peter Mullin.

SATURDAY: Torah Yoga for everybody, 9:30 a.m. led by Barbara Barron. Bring your yoga mat and any props you need, if you have them. A limited supply of mats and props will be available; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. on Parashat Vayera.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at TI; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at TI; LJCS Grades 1-2 Tzedakah Lunch, noon at TI. WEDNESDAY: LJCS classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

LJCS Family Service and Dinner, Nov. 6, 6 p.m. at TI. Celebrate the consecration of this year’s LJCS Kindergarten class. Note: No services at South Street Temple that evening.

Congregation B’nai Jeshurun/The South Street Temple Annual Meeting, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2 p.m.

President’s Office Hours, Sunday Mornings, 10 a.m.–noon at SST. If you have any Temple business you would like to bring before the Board of Trustees, potential programs, or new ideas, please let us know! Call for an appointment at the Temple or just to chat any time at 402.513.7697. Or if you prefer, just email David Weisser at president@southstreettemple.org.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road | Offutt AFB, NE 68123 | 402.294.6244 FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME 323 South 132 Street | Omaha, NE 68154 SATURDAY: Services, 9:15 a.m. led by Robert Yaffe.

Services will be held in the Chapel. Members of the community are invited to attend.

TEMPLE ISRAEL Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive | Omaha, NE 68144-1206 | 402.556.6536 http://templeisraelomaha.com FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Azriel and Cantor Shermet.

SATURDAY: Tot Shabbat, 9 a.m.; Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Max Zweiback, son of Amy and Tim Zweiback, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah.

SUNDAY: Grades K-6, 10 a.m.; Fifth Grade Parent/

Candlelighting Friday, October 30, 6:05 p.m.

Student B’nai Mitzvah Meeting, 10 a.m.; Baby Brunch for children under one and their parents, 10:30 a.m. This will be a great opportunity to meet other families with babies, schmooze with our clergy and staff. There will be toys and a safe place for your babies to play on the floor. For more information, please contact Interim Religious School Director Sharon Comisar-Langdon, scomisar-langdon@ templeisraelomaha.com or 402.556.6536; Kibitz with the Clergy, 11 a.m.; Zoo Scavenger Hunt for 7th & 8th Graders, 12:30 p.m. Are you looking for a day of adventure, food, friends and fun? OTYG is hosting lunch at Temple Israel and then we’re heading to the Zoo for a scavenger hunt! The cost is $10 and includes lunch, transportation and admission into the Zoo. Drop off will be at Temple Israel at 12:30 p.m.; Third thru Sixth Grade Youth Activity, noon.

TUESDAY: Kol Rina Rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.; Mah Jongg Classes, 7 p.m. Come learn how to play Mah Jongg! Cost is $45 and will include a Mah Jongg card. To RSVP, please contact Program Director Scott Littky, 402.556.6536.

WEDNESDAY: Grades 3-6, 4 p.m.; Chapel for School Service wtih Rabbi Azriel, 4:30 p.m.; Grades 7-12, 6 p.m.; School Dinner, 6 p.m.; Bible Quiz Study with Rabbi Azriel, 6 p.m.; Structure of the Prayer Services, 6:30 p.m. with Cantor Shermet.

THURSDAY: Conversations with the Cantor, 10 a.m. with Cantor Shermet.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard | Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 | 402.423.8569 www.tiferethisraellincoln.org Services conducted by lay leader Nancy Coren. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

FRIDAY: Services, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Morning service, 10 a.m. followed by a Kiddush luncheon.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan through Grade 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon at TI; Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-noon at TI; LJCS Grades 1-2 Tzedakah Lunch, noon at TI. WEDNESDAY: LJCS classes (grades 3-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel.

LJCS Family Service and Dinner, Nov. 6, 6 p.m. at TI. Celebrate the consecration of this year’s LJCS Kindergarten class. Note: No services at South Street Temple that evening.

Join us for a Rise and Shine-PJ Library Event, Sunday, Nov. 8, 3 p.m. at TI. RSVP to the office by Nov. 4.

The Global Day of Jewish Learning, Nov. 15, 10 a.m.- noon at TI. Sponsored by: Tifereth Israel, Bnai Jeshurun and the Lincoln Jewish Federation.

Join Us for the WORLD With No Hate Shabbat Service, Friday, Nov 20, 7:30 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. Bring a guest...a neighbor, friend, or co-worker to share this unique servicefollowed by a special oneg Shabbat. The guest speaker will be Dr. Marilyn Johnson-Farr, Doane College Dwight E. Porter Professor of Education.

A new season for “Our Shabbat Tables”

by BETH EL PUBLICITY The concept is simple: Beth El congregants and friends sharing Shabbat and holiday meals in each other’s homes began two years ago. Our Shabbat Tables was warmly received and many families reported on the hospitable and gracious meals enjoyed by all in attendance.

Last year, about 140 congregants participated and now it returns for a second year with improvements designed to make hosting even easier. “We are looking forward to another round of Shabbat dinners with our Beth El family,” said program creator Caryn Scheer.

Scheer, together with Melissa Shapiro, are co-chairs of the Our Shabbat Tables program. Feedback after the inaugural year was invaluable to both Scheer and Shapiro, so that they could evaluate what worked and what didn’t and make room for improvements.

Beth El will still match interested couples and families for Shabbat dinners four times a year. Food options are still easy, affordable and delicious. “We heard requests for more host flexibility, so this year, there will be more flexibility than ever before. Hosts can invite anyone they would like, either through the program or by including a family who is not yet participating,” Scheer went on, “Hosts will also have the option of picking up a meal cooked by Beth El or they can choose to cook their own. Participants will have this option as well, so everyone’s Kashrut needs are addressed.”

If hosts opt to cook their own meal, Beth El will reimburse for a portion of the meal cost. If they choose to pick up the meal, Beth El will provide the main course, side

dishes and dessert. Guests are asked to contribute wine, salad or fruit, so all a host needs to do is set the table!

But wait, there’s more! Worried that you may not have every Judaica item needed for your Shabbat table? Not to worry. Beth El’s popular “Shabbat in the Box” is available in the synagogue office to further assist your Shabbat dinner planning. Included is a Challah cover, candles and candlesticks, and prayer books, everything you need!

This year the Shabbat dinners are scheduled on Nov. 13, Dec. 18, Feb. 5 and April 1. The cost for Our Shabbat Tables is a one-time fee of $18 for an individual or $36 for a couple or family. The program is made possible with generous support from the Herbert Goldsten Trust of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

The goal of the program is to encourage families to get together and share a communal Shabbat experience.

Scheer added, “We want everyone to feel comfortable although we do encourage everyone to go a little outside their comfort zone, to meet new people and expand their friendship circles. Our Shabbat Tables is a beautiful program, and I am so happy to be involved in it for its fourth consecutive year,” said Scheer.

Another bonus that may spark the interest of those wavering to sign up -- Rabbi Abraham and Hazzan Krausman and their families are always part of Our Shabbat Tables and host meals at their homes. So, here’s your chance to have that one-on-one time with the clergy.

Register to participate at www.bethel-omaha.org or call 402.492.8550.

Pulverent e

October 30, 2015 | The Jewish Press | 11

International Global Shabbat comes to Omaha!

by NATE GENDLER BBYO’s Stand UP initiative empowers teens to identify a Aleph S’gon, AZA Mother Chapter #1 cause that inspires them, and develop their own campaign to The entire community is invited to join Omaha Jewish affect positive change in their local and global community. teens in celebration of BBYO’s Global Shabbat, Friday, Nov. It is a grassroots movement of Jewish teens across the globe 13, 6 – 8:30 p.m. at the JCC Auditorium. to take action and tackle the issues and causes they care Planned, organized, and led by local Jewish teens, the about most.

Rooted in Jewish obligation and BBYO tradition, Stand UP evening includes Shabbat services, led by Aleph Shliach Benjamin Brodkey. Dinner and additional programming is a new understanding of the old practice of Tikkun Olam – repairing the world around us. follows.

By implementing their own The teens will lead a pluralcampaigns at the local, regionistic service similar to a Jewish summer camp experial and international level, ence. After a pasta and salad teens gain invaluable experidinner, Mid America Region ences in the areas of commuAleph Godol Jordan Saag and nity service, philanthropy, and N’Siah Rachel Hockfeld will advocacy, cultivating impormake brief remarks. Aftertant skills to become conwards, what is normally a pritributing members of the vate chapter-only ceremony, greater Jewish community. will be an open celebration in We hope our family, friends which new members are and supporters join us for this inducted into the Aleph truly memorable night! The Zadik Aleph order, a truly Omaha BBYO Council welBBYO’ers enjoying the annual trip to Worlds of Fun in comes donations toward their amazing experience.

AZA and BBG Global September. Back row: Robbie Osborne, left, Ben Raffel, Max programming and there is an Shabbat is a chance for teens to Kohll, Jordan Saag; front row: Nick Davis, Rachel Hockfeld, admission fee for the evening unite as a global Jewish com- Kathleen Kirshenbaum, Julia Brodkey. (adults: $7, teens and children: munity. The teens of BBYO will also be unveiling their Stand $5, under 5: free). For more information and to RSVP, conUp initiative, a community service project they have been tact Omaha Council S’gan Nate Gendler at 402.957.0877 or hard at work planning for later in the year. nrgendler@aol.com. RSVP by Monday, Nov. 8.

JCC winter musical auditions The Jewish Community Center’s winter musical will be Love! At the Café! with music and lyrics by Karen Sokolof Javitch, and script and lyrics by James Spicer Conant. Auditions are Sunday, Nov. 22 at 12:30 p.m. in the JCC auditorium.

There are 13 roles to be cast for experienced actors at least 12 years of age, but this show is designed for adults.

Resumés and Audition Forms are due no later than

Oh! The Places We’ll Go! “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

– Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who All small people (children ages two through five) in the Omaha Jewish community and their families are invited to meet Omaha Children’s Museum’s resident “Seussical Scientist” at Friedel Jewish Academy, Sunday, November 1, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. We will be bringing Dr. Seuss’s classics to life with science experiments and silliness inspired by the legendary books! This larger-than-life program bridges literacy and STEM learning in a fun and engaging way. Snacks will be served. Please RSVP to friedelacademy@fjaomaha.com to let us know you are coming.

Israelis demonstrate

by JTA NEWS STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv against their government and called for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

About 3,000 demonstrators gathered Saturday night in Rabin Square and marched to the Israel Defense Department headquarters at a rally sponsored by Peace Now. They chanted slogans such as “Jews and Arabs don’t want to hate each other” and “Israel, Palestine, two states for two peoples,” according to reports.

Among those on hand were Zehava Galon, leader of the left-wing Meretz party, and Stav Shaffir of the center-left Zionist Union alliance.

“Bibi, you’ve failed,” Galon said. “You’ve failed in providing personal security for the citizens of Israel, you’ve failed in proposing any kind of vision for changing the reality.”

The demonstration comes amid a wave of terror attacks

by Palestinian “lone wolf ” assailants against Israelis in recent weeks that has seen 10 Israelis and 49 Palestinians killed. Israel says that at least 20 of the Palestinians killed were attackers.

Monday, Nov. 16 to the JCC Dance and Cultural Arts Department. Please prepare a song of your choosing.

Bring two copies of your sheet music with you to the audition (one for yourself and one for our Music Director). You may choose to sing a capella or with accompaniment. For more information, visit http:// www.jewishomaha.org/ jcc/arts-and-culture/view/ musical-theater/

Not a bad person?

by JTA NEWS STAFF BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) -- A daughter-in-law of Adolf Eichmann, the late Nazi war criminal who masterminded the near-annihilation of Hungarian Jewry, withdrew her mayoral candidacy in Argentina after defending his actions on television.

Carmen Bretin Lindemann announced Oct. 22 that she was bowing out of the mayoral race of the northeastern village of Garupa after receiving intense criticism for what she said about Eichmann during a television interview that was aired the previous day.

“The history that you know is not the real one, the version that you know from movies and books is written by the Jews, and all the world accepts that history,” she said in the interview for the TN news channel.

“He wasn’t a bad person, he obeyed orders and did not personally kill anyone,” she added, calling Eichmann “grandpa.”

Bretin Lindemann ran as a representative of A New Alternative, a party led by presidential candidate Sergio Massa. But after the interview was aired, she was expelled from the party. In a statement she published on Oct. 22, she wrote: “In order to not hurt my fellow party members in the alliance my immediate resignation is necessary. I want to assure the public that I don’t and never did support the Nazis.”

The trial of Eichmann, who was executed in Israel in 1962 following his conviction of crimes against humanity, led the political theorist Hannah Arendt to write about what she termed “the banality of evil.” She argued Eichmann was an example of how normal individuals will, given the right circumstances, dispassionately carry out atrocities without recognizing them as such.

But Gabriel Bach, a retired justice in the Israeli Supreme Court who acted as prosecutor in Eichmann’s trial, has disputed this assertion, describing Eichmann as an ideologically motivated murderer of Jews who went to extreme lengths to kill as many of them as possible.

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12 | The Jewish Press | October 30, 2015

This Israeli ex-diplomat is Kenya’s biggest pop star

by CNAAN LIPHSHIZ (JTA) -- Zipping between meetings at Nairobi’s five-star hotels wearing a suit and tie, Gilad Millo looks every bit the ex-diplomat he is.

But looks can be deceiving: Though he may be balding and slightly pudgy, Millo is one of Kenya’s hottest pop stars.

He’s so popular, in fact, he’s known throughout the country simply as Gilad, a la Madonna or Prince.

“The word ‘celebrity’ feels strange, but, yeah, people now ask me to pose for selfies with them,” said Millo, the former deputy head of mission at the Israeli Embassy in Kenya, speaking to JTA by telephone from his home in Nairobi on Monday.

Millo made his musical debut in April with the song Unajua (Do You Know) in Kiswahili, one of Kenya’s four official languages.

By May, Unajua, a mellow tune about the lingering attachment of ex-lovers, topped the weekly chart of X FM, a popular Kenyan radio station, and stayed on the top 10 lists of other stations for months. By August, the track received a rave review in the Daily Nation, one of Kenya’s largest newspapers.

In the video, Millo, an Ashkenazi Jew, walks with his bicycle and guitar around the Nairobi neighborhood where the song’s producer lives. A classier indoors set is used for the song’s guest artist: Wendy Kimani, a young Kenyan singer who rose to fame in 2008 as a finalist on the East African version of American Idol.

Kimani -- who recently moved to Amsterdam, where she lives with her Dutch husband -- concedes that Millo does not exactly possess the looks that Westerners would expect for an up-and-coming pop star. But in Kenya, “The masses are still quite rural, so they’re not so much into looks and fashion,” she said.

“For them it’s all about the music,” Kimani said. “If someone has the music, that’s all that they care about.”

Plus, the song topped the charts before the video was released -- so few people knew Millo was what East Africans call “mzungu,” a white man.

“And even after, many couldn’t believe Gilad was really singing because few white people in Kenya speak Kiswahili,” Kimani said.

Gilad Millo Music has always been a major part of Millo’s life. In his 20s, he was a member of a Jerusalem rock band, White Donkey. Millo was planning to become a professional musician rather than follow in the footsteps of his late father, Yehuda Millo, who served as a diplomat for 37 years.

But when Millo’s son was born, his wife Hadas said that “There’s no money in music and we need to find a real job,” Millo recalled in an interview that he gave last month to Israel’s Channel 2.

After working as a journalist, he became a diplomat in 2003. Millo served in Nairobi and Los Angeles before leaving Israel’s Foreign Ministry in 2008 and settling in Nairobi permanently.

“The connection with Kenya was instant,” Millo said. “I’ve never encountered a more open, generous people.”

It was only recently, a quiet afternoon when his wife and teenage kids were away, that Millo called up a music pro-

ducer, M.G., whom he had met through a friend. Millo showed up at the studio with a song he wrote just “to see how it goes,” he recalled.

“We realized we had a hit the second we finished recording,” Millo said.

Thanks to Unajua, he has landed dozens of guest appearances on Kenyan radio and television shows. There he promotes his campaign about farming for the Balton CP Group -- the British firm where Millo works as head of business development and public relations -- which represents mostly Israeli agriculture and communications companies.

“After we establish that I’m white, that I sing in Kiswahili and that this place is home for me, there’s still 10 minutes of airtime, so the interviewers and I often go into other things that I’m passionate about,” Millo said.

Titled “Farming is Cool,” the campaign tries to appeal to the millions of young Africans who swapped their now-aging rural communities in favor of the perceived opportunities of big metropolises like Nairobi and its suburbs and slums, where only a third of about six million residents have adequate sewage systems. The aim is to attract young people to more sustainable and advanced agriculture.

Last month, Millo released his second single, Sema Milele (Say Forever), which the well-respected online magazine Afrika Nmbiu crowned as “the perfect wedding song.” He is working on a third single with a Kenyan artist, 22-year-old HK Gachago.

He may be big in Kenya now, but Millo says he’s not making money from his music -- yet. Still, whatever income his musical career may generate, he hopes to donate.

In addition to hoping to help empower youth through farming, another cause is Israel for Africa, the nonprofit that Millo and his family established in memory of his father that promotes Israeli innovation and culture in Africa.

“Europeans and Americans don’t always get the connection that many Israelis have with Africans,” he said. “But we feel it instantly, every time we crack a joke or slap one another’s back.”

Janine & Charles D. Pulman Philanthropists, community volunteers and passionate advocates for Israel join the Omaha Jewish community for two special engagements Eye on Israel Tuesday, November 10 | noon Kripke Jewish Federation Library

Community Event Four Days On and Under the Israeli Border with Gaza A first-hand account of their visit to Israeli communities along the Gazan border and their experience walking the Hamas terror tunnels.

Sponsored by the Henry and Dorothy Riekes Donor-Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

Wednesday, November 11 | 7 p.m.

JCC Social Hall

Why Israel Matters Israel’s accomplishments, innovations and contributions to the world stage within the context of recent events.

Especially timely for those considering the Spring PartnershipTrip2Gether community mission to Israel.