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riod she earned a master’s degree at UNO. HOWARD EPSTEIN When all four of her children were in school Executive Director, Jewish Federation of full-time, Bev returned to teaching. Omaha Foundation o honor the memory of his During her career Bev received numerous wife of 52 years Dick Fellman awards for teaching. The premier honor was established the Beverly Fell- the prestigious Alice Buffett Outstanding man Best French and Best He- Teacher Award which included $10,000. She brew Award Endowment donated this $10,000 prize to the Central Fund at the Jewish High School FoundaFederation of Omaha tion for the purpose of Foundation. Each helping outstanding year the fund prostudents of French vides a $500 college study the language in scholarship to a Cena French-speaking tral High School stucountry. The award dent who excels in established the Best French and plans to French Award Enstudy the language in dowment at the Cencollege and a $500 tral High School scholarship to a Foundation in 2002. Friedel Jewish AcadUpon Bev’s death emy student who exthe remaining funds cels in Hebrew. were transferred from Beverly graduated the Central High from Central High School Foundation to School in 1959 and the Jewish Federation earned a bachelor’s of Omaha Foundadegree with honors at tion. Dick added to Beverly Fellman Omaha University. She the fund and majored in French in college. After gradua- amended it by providing for the Best Hebrew tion she travelled to France, worked at the Award in addition to the existing Best American Embassy in Paris, and studied at French Award. The Best Hebrew Award is for the Alliance Francais. She returned to a Friedel Jewish Academy student who exOmaha, married Dick, and taught French at cels in Hebrew. The award winner will reCentral High. With the birth of her first ceive a $500 scholarship for a Jewish child, Bev retired from teaching to remain summer camp or peer-group Israel trip prior home with her four children. During this pe- See Fellman Endowment Fund page 3
T Turkey’s president invokes Holocaust in slamming France Page 6
On this Jewish dating site, moms get to play the yenta Page 12
ADL-CRC’s Walk Against Hate unveils first sites REGULARS
Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles
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Beverly Fellman Endowment Fund Veterans Day: An opportunity for hope Page 2
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PAM MONSKY ADL-CRC Assistant Director The ADL-CRC’s Walk Against Hate begins Nov. 22 and features an amazing journey into our community’s story of civil rights. Registration is free, but if you want to make a donation, you will receive stylish Walk Against Hate gear (merchandise begins for a
minimum donation of $25). Please visit www.adlplains.com to register. Registrants can also create a team or
Against Hate™ to Omaha and transforming it from an afternoon “walk” into a week-long, COVID-safe “jour-
individual page to raise vital funds for ADL, spread the word about the walk, and actively fight hate for good. Since bringing ADL’s National Walk
ney,” there has been an incredible appetite for this positive community experience. Thanks to inspired See Walk Against Hate page 3
Two shuls, one Rabbi SARAH KELEN On Sept. 1, Lincoln’s congregation B’nai Jeshurun (URJ) and congregation Tifereth Israel (USCJ) welcomed their first jointly appointed spiritual leader: Rabbi Alex Felch. Rabbi Felch was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Conservative Seminario Ra-
Rabbi Alex Felch
binico Latinoamericano (Rabbinical Seminary of Latin America). Rabbi Felch was most recently the spiritual leader of congregation B’nai Tikvah in Deerfield, Illinois. Prior to that he served congregations in Connecticut and Puerto Rico. He has also lived in Israel and Northern Europe for extended periods. Rabbi Felch’s life experiences in five countries and his work with diverse Jewish communities position him well to initiate Lincoln’s new collaborative model of rabbinical leadership. Lincoln’s two congregations are not alone in seeking creative solutions to the challenges of being a smaller Jewish community. Rabbi David Fine of the Union for Reform Judaism consults with URJ communities considering structural or organizational transitions. Rabbi Fine observed that the decision to move forward with a shared hire “speaks to the strength in the community, the trust in the community.” The leadership and members of both congregations were able to express their “willingness to do things differently,” in service of “a vision of having a stronger Jewish community in Lincoln, Nebraska.” Mindy Gordon, Synagogue Consultant for the Central Region of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism noted that there are other USCJ-affiliated congregations involved in partnerships between Conservative and Reform communities, and that “collaboration in smaller and not so small communities is a trend that is mutually beneficial.” Rabbi Felch was drawn to this position when it was advertised, because he has “always felt passionate about the concept of k’lal Yisrael, the entire Jewish People being an am echad, one people.” As the See Two shuls, one rabbi page 2
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Two shuls, one Rabbi
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Veterans Day: An opportunity for hope MARY SUE GROSSMAN for Beth Israel Synagogue Veterans Day is recognized Nov. 11 of each year. Veterans Day, originally called Armistice Day, was established in November 1919 when President Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.” In 1954, it evolved from a remembrance of those who died in World World I to a day to honor all American veterans. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs describes the day’s purpose as “a celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.” Today, outside of the military and veterans’ groups, and a few, mostly older citizens, the day is rarely remembered by the majority of the population other than a notation on a calendar and seeing a news story. This is most unfortunate. With the help of Major Matt Cohen—an Orthodox Jewish U.S. Army officer, combat veteran, and member of Beth Israel Synagogue—the Omaha community can observe Veterans Day in a unique fashion. Major Cohen invites the community to join him on Sunday evening, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. in the Beth Israel Zoom Room for a special presentation. Matt will be giving a middot class showing a tie to the character traits of military personnel, both people with whom he has served and historic mili-
tary figures, to tenets emphasized in middot. Middot are Jewish values or virtues, the study of which is a cornerstone in Judaism. Character develop-
will ameliorate worries of health and politics and can truly provide everyone something positive on which to focus.” He added that offering the class just five
ment is stressed in the Torah with the goal of always striving to become a better person. Living middot will help a person to live as a mensch. While middot are uniquely Jewish, anyone, Jewish or not, can and should follow middot because they are universal virtues. “Through serving in the military for over 14 years, I have seen others exemplify the values and virtues that make good, strong leaders and soldiers,” shares Cohen. “During the class, I will talk about those who have demonstrated exceptional characteristics and traits under some of the most challenging circumstances,” he continued. He commented that this has been a difficult year on so many levels for everyone. “Focusing on developing one’s own self
days after the election should give hope to everyone, no matter the outcome. “Improving and deepening our relationships with our Creator and those around us is far bigger than any of the partisan debates in the political arena,” he says. After attending the United States Military Academy, more commonly known as West Point, Matt has served three overseas and five stateside postings. He, his wife Jenny, and their four children moved to Omaha in the summer of 2019 and are active Beth Israel members. Major Cohen’s class will be live on Beth Israel’s Zoom Room at tinyurl. com/bizoom. For any questions, please contact the synagogue office at 402.556.6288 or via email to bethisrael @orthodoxomaha.org.
Trunk Show November 4 - 10 By private appointment
Continued from page 1 spiritual leader of two congregations, Rabbi Felch points out that “we all may have different ways of belief, perhaps prefer different streams of Judaism or just may have a problem with faith, but we also embrace the idea that we are a Jewish family, together, and that we share a common destiny and love for our people.” This commitment to unity despite diversity was apparent to the congregational leadership and search committee in the hiring process. Seth Harris, president of Tifereth Israel points to the Rabbi’s time leading Congregation Shaare Zedeck and JCC in San Juan, Puerto Rico as the sole Rabbi and Jewish professional leader serving a diverse Jewish community in Puerto Rico: “That was exactly the model and experience we were looking for when we came up with our slogan “two congregations, one community.” Anne Rickover, search committee co-chair, said the committee felt that “Rabbi Alex is right for us because he is so enthusiastic about the job and the idea of a ‘big tent’ for Jews.” Sharing a Rabbi between two small congregations has the “obvious advantage” of being more financially sustainable for each congregation, but Rickover identified as an equal advantage, “bringing people from both congregations together, whether it be at services, classes, or social events. Zoom is fine for now, but the process will be so much better when we can get together in person to share in simchas and tsuris and plain old schmoozing.” Search committee co-chair Ken Bloom echoed that idea of togetherness in looking to the future: “Our joint rabbi hire has brought us together in spirit and purpose. Hopefully soon we can be together in person for the many milestones and celebrations that lie ahead of us.” Given the constraints of the pandemic, the search process unfolded remotely by Zoom, and in the time since Rabbi Felch and his wife Iryna have arrived in Lincoln, both congregations are still worshipping remotely. Nevertheless, they are getting to know the congregations’ families through services and events, and Rabbi Felch is also getting to know the younger generation through the Lincoln Jewish Community School and working with students preparing for B’nai Mitzvah. As he has gotten to know the congregants and the community, Rabbi Felch has been impressed by the ruach of this small community: “My number one WOW moment that I sensed since day one, has been the harmonious desire by all to work through all challenges together. I am in awe of the amount of respect, collaboration and sincere desire to learn together, do mitzvot together, innovate with a creative spirit embracing all thoughts and ideas.”
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Winter session of Exploring Judaism classes MARK KIRCHHOFF Community Engagement and Education The winter session of Exploring Judaism begins on Monday, Dec. 7, 2020 and continues on subsequent Mondays through March 15, 2021. Classes are from 7-8:30 p.m. and will be presented virtually using Zoom. These classes are designed for those in the process of conversion, those interested in refreshing their knowledge of Judaism or those with a general interest in Judaism and a desire to learn more. Now that the class is available online, it’s also a great way for parents raising children in the Jewish community to expand their own knowlScott Littky edge without having to leave the house around bedtime. This is the second of two sessions in 2020-2021. The next session will be in the fall of 2021. Exploring Judaism is taught by Scott Littky, an experienced Jewish educator. He began his career in Jewish education in 1985
as a religious school teacher. From 1988 until 1997 he served the Bureau of Jewish Education of Omaha as a Community Teacher. He taught at Friedel Jewish Academy in addition to afternoon religious school programs. Scott served 17 years as a Director of Education beginning at Beth El Synagogue in Omaha, followed by Beth Israel Synagogue in Ann Arbor, MI and Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, VA. During the summer of 2014, Scott returned to live in Omaha where he served for three years as the Program Director at Temple Israel. Scott is currently the Executive Director for the Institute for Holocaust Education. Registration is currently open by going to the Jewish Federation website (jewishomaha.org), selecting the “Exploring Judaism” sliding banner at the top of the page. You will be taken to the page for registration. A class syllabus is also available on that page. You also register by calling 402.334.6463 or emailing mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org. The fee for the series is $180 per person. The Jewish Federation of Omaha (JFO) presents the class as a gift, free of charge, to current contributors to the Annual Campaign of the JFO, to those who are active congregants of an Omaha synagogue, to those who are being guided in a conversion process by the clergy of one of the synagogues and to JFO employees. You can register and arrange for payment by calling Mark Kirchhoff at 402.334.6463 or emailing mkirchhoff@jewish omaha.org.
Fellman Endowment Fund Continued from page 1 to high school graduation. Both awards are based on merit rather than need. After Bev returned to teaching at Central she was selected chair of Central’s International Language Department. She served as president of the Central High Alumni Association and was an original member of the Central High Foundation Board of Directors. In 2007 she was honored with induction into the Central High Hall of Fame. She led many student summer trips to France. One summer she spent the entire vacation on a fellowship in southern France. Another summer she received a National Endowment for the Humanities Award to live for two months in the city of Caen in northern France and study French collaboration with the Nazis during World War II. Governor Ben Nelson appointed her to membership on the Nebraska Educational Television Board where she served a term as chair. Bev was a member of the Board of Beth El for many years
and served a two-year term as president of the Synagogue. She served on the Friedel Board of Directors in its early and formative years when all four of her children attended what was then known as the Jewish Day School. Bev’s pride and joy were her four grown children and their families which include eight grandchildren. The Beverly Fellman Best French and Best Hebrew Award Endowment Fund at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation pays tribute to Bev’s memory and many accomplishments in her career in education and community service. In this way Beverly continues to touch and inspire the lives of many students who excel in French and Hebrew. The establishment of a fund at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation is a meaningful and lasting way to honor those you love. If you are interested in establishing a fund at the Foundation, contact Howard Epstein at 402.334.6466 or at hepstein@jewishomaha.org. Howard will be happy to help you create an endowment that honors the lives of the important people in your life.
Walk Against Hate
Continued from page 1 collaborators and creative partners willing to open their doors and welcome us, the scope of our event has blossomed. ADL-CRC’s Walk Against Hate™ encompasses a variety of locations (accessible actually and virtually) across the Omaha Metropolitan Area that hold significance to the evolution of civil rights and civil liberties in our community. Every week between now and Sunday, Nov. 22 we will slowly unveil the identity of the first sites. This week, we are excited to announce Boys’ Town, the Tri-Faith Initiative and the Mormon Trail. During World War II, some of the houses on the Boys’ Town campus sheltered Japanese-Americans escaping forced internment on the West Coast. They came here at the urging of legendary Boys Town founder Father Edward Flanagan, who found them jobs on campus or helped them establish new lives in cities outside of Omaha. Tri-Faith Initiative is a unique and ambitious project in the field of interfaith relations in design, scale and scope. It brings together into permanent residency a synagogue, church, mosque and interfaith center on one 38-acre campus in the middle of America’s heartland. Tri-Faith Initiative aims to create a more inclusive culture in which religious pluralism is socially normative. In 1827, 21-year-old Joseph Smith announced that he had unearthed a set of golden plates, inscribed with the tenants of God’s true church. Smith said that he had been directed to the plates by an angel named Moroni, who also had given him
divine tools for translating the ancient inscriptions into English. Important differences between mainstream Christianity and Mormon doctrine quickly emerged, but it was primarily hostilities over land, business and politics that caused Smith repeatedly to move church headquarters. Driven out of Missouri in 1838, the Mormons finally settled along a bend of the Mississippi River in Illinois. There they established a community they called Nauvoo, a Hebrew word meaning “beautiful place.” Sponsors of the Walk include the ACLU of Nebraska, Carol & Steve Bloch, Broadmoor Development, Fraser-Stryker Law Firm, Aaron Weiner and Teresa Vaughn, Tri-Faith Initiative, Rich and Fran Juro, W.H. Ferer Company, and the Board of County Commissioners, Douglas County, Nebraska. The Walk Against Hate Committee includes Tippi Denenberg, Jen Goodman, Erika Kirby, Preston Love, Jr., Sara Rips and Justin Spooner. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) was founded in 1913 “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Now the nation’s premier civil right/human relations agency, the ADL fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all. Locally, the ADL-CRC office was established in 1950. In a unique relationship, the ADL also serves as the Community Relations Committee (CRC) and is the central resource for information on social issues and problems affecting the local Jewish community in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas. The ADLCRC attempts to foster conditions conducive to creative Jewish
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I was stunned. I could not believe it. A RAMI ARAV During the early 1980’s I was a PhD student bishop reciting the Kaddish. at New York University. The fact that New “Were you born in Iraq?” I wondered York is a tremendously expensive city goes “No, I was born in Brooklyn” without saying. My wife worked and I was a “Then your parents must have been born in Teaching Assistant at NYU, Iraq”. but it was not enough to “No, my grandparents survive in the Big Apple. I came from Russia” also worked at the Israeli “I did not know there are Consulate as an InformaAssyro-Chaldeans in Rustion Officer. Serving as a sia?” Captain in the Israeli De“No, there are no Assyrofense Forces probably Chaldeans in Russia. I saw helped me get the job. This the light” work required traveling Something sounded odd. around the state of New “Excuse me, Your Highness, York, giving talks to social I did not get your name,” I clubs, churches and other said. I expected he would say functions. something like Mustafa, One day I was sent to AlZaid, Rafik or another Arab Rami Arav bany, NY to talk on behalf of non-Muslim name. the Israeli Tourists Bureau to a group of pas“My name is Schlossberg” tors. It was a breakfast meeting at a restau- It rang a bell. Schlossberg, I have heard the rant in one of the hotels in town. I traveled name before, where was it? Then I turned to there with two other Israelis, a representative him and said: of the Tourists Bureau and an El Al represen“Mr. Schlossberg” - I stopped calling him tative. His Highness – “Tell me, please, did you ever The Israeli Consulate ordered Kosher food study Aramaic at NYU under Professor for all the pastors, meaning no bacon and Baruch Levine?” eggs. Official Israeli functions are to order “Yes” Kosher food no matter who is attending. “So, I need to tell you. Professor Levine beWe sat around three large round tables and gins every course in Aramaic with your story next to me there was a person wearing a cleri- and says: “Do not take this class too seriously cal collar. Clergy with collars were not only otherwise you will end up like Mr. Schlossberg.” Catholics, but also Episcopalians and some “Listen, what Professor Levine told you was Eastern Orthodox Christian denominations. the DRASH. I will tell you the PSHAT” The man with the collar introduced himself to What a knowledgeable bishop he is – I me as a bishop. What an opportunity – I thought – not only he recites the Kaddish but thought for myself –a bishop honors us to this he knows the Talmudic argumentation system. business meeting. What a thrill. From that This was his story. He was a young Jewish point and on I referred to him as “His Highness.” man in Brooklyn, NY, attending NYU and After a small talk with His Highness the studying Aramaic under Professor Baruch bishop I asked: Levine. While searching for a thesis for his “May I ask you what denomination you are?” Master’s degree, Professor Levine suggested “I am Assyro-Chaldean” he take a tape recorder and go to Younkers, Wow – I thought – I have heard about this NY, tape the priest praying in Aramaic and denomination, but I have never seen any As- perhaps discover a new Aramaic dialect. syro-Chaldean, let alone a bishop. So, he did. Every Sunday he went to the AsThe Assyro-Chaldeans are a Christian East- syro-Chaldean church, read the Pshita, the ern Orthodox denomination living in Iraq. Aramaic translation of the New Testament Similar to many Eastern Orthodox, they con- written in a script called Syriac, taped and dissider themselves the descendants of the an- cussed issues with the priest. Sometime later cient Assyrian and Babylonians. Chaldeans, the priest unexpectedly died, leaving the conthe last dynasty of Babylon. Their king Neb- gregation without a leader. In their search for uchadnezzar II destroyed Jerusalem, ruined a priest, they realized that the young man the Temple and expelled the Jews of Judah to who spent so many hours with the priest perthe Babylonian Exile. In the third century, the haps was the most knowledgeable person on Babylonians converted to Christianity and in their religion they knew. They approached the seventh century they were conquered by him with a proposal and he accepted it. Some the Arab Muslims. years later the bishop died and he was proAfter WWII, the Muslims of Iraq persecuted moted to bishop. this community, very similar to what 21st I was thinking to myself, there are millions century ISIS has done to another Christian of people in the New York State. What are the community in northern Iraq. In the early odds that I meet a person whose name was 1950’s Assyro-Chaldeans were seeking asy- mentioned in my class? One to many millum, so, they turned to the Israeli government lions? There are better chances to die in an elfor help. Ben Gurion was very adamant, evator accident than this encounter. “Those who destroyed the Temple and exProfessor Levine later told me Mr. Schlosspelled our people should not be granted berg invited him to his ordination. “Luckily it aslum in Israel,” he said. They immigrated to was on Shabbat. I told him I cannot go on the USA and settled in Younkers, NY. Shabbat, but I will not be surprised if he will “It is so amazing” I said after a short while be elected as the Patriarch of the church.” “The Assyro-Chaldeans and the Jews are the When the function ended, one of the pasonly people on the face of the earth praying in tors came to me and said: Aramaic”. “The person you were talking to, he is one “Absolutely correct” he said. Without any of your guys.” hesitation he recited the entire Kaddish. Not It made me think. You may convert to the short version, the full Kaddish and con- Christianity, be elevated a bishop in the cluded with “He will bring peace upon us and church, but you will always be called “one of upon all Israel”. your guys.”
ORGANIZATIONS B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS The Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith is pleased to announce the resumption of its award-winning speaker program via ZOOM. Although the Home auditorium remains temporarily closed, we’ll continue presenting an outstanding lineup of thought-provoking keynoters. Brian Kruse, Election Commissioner of Douglas County will speak about What went right and wrong with the election on Wednesday, Nov. 11. For specific speaker information and/or to be placed on the email list, please contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail. com or leave a message at the BB JCC office 402.334.6443.
The Jewish Press | November 6, 2020 | 5
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RESPECT LES KAY RESPECT has been on the forefront of working collaboratively with students, families, schools and communities to help give individuals the information, skills and experiences they need to have healthier and safer relationships and communities for 20 years. Since we started, we have provided programs for nearly 600,000 participants offering educational-theater experiences for audiences pre-school through adult on the topics of bullying, mental health, peer pressure, dating violence, alcohol and drug abuse, child abuse and internet safety. Our catalog includes educational plays paired with talkbacks for large groups, as well as small workshops, artist-in-residences and lunch & learns. Theater is integral to our process because it is easy to get the attention of a large number of students in a motivating way that is flexible and allows them to learn from each other. The format allows participants to practice and adapt while learning empathy and other skills. Through our program evaluations, we find that RESPECT’s interventions improve the mental health and relationships of the thousands of children and adults that we reach in many ways. We teach that mental health problems are medical problems and are nothing to hide or be ashamed of. We offer suggestions of ways to help for people who want to, but don’t know how. We show that it is ok to not know the answer, to try more than once and that the same answer or idea will not work every time. Our mission is to build healthy relationships using theater and community collaboration. We maintain a community advisory committee of 30 partnering organizations as well as donors and other stakeholders who are invested in our work. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have developed new programs which can be offered virtually to address big emotions surrounding the uncertainty of our current lives. It is our hope to return to live performances soon – when it is safe to do so – but we are pleased to have adapted to a remote format so these resources and skills can communicate it to the students who need our help. This article is brought to you by the Jennifer Beth Kay Memorial Fund and the Jewish Press.
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Eye on Israel emerges MARK KIRCHHOFF Community Engagement and Education In March of 2020 when the pandemic began to cause havoc throughout the nation, Community Shaliach Ron Lugasy packed “Eye on Israel” away for safe keeping. We now have experience with masks and realize they do not affect eyesight in any discernable way. We have learned that we can enjoy sharing, discussing, and learning through virtual means. Rabbi Yoni Dreyer from Beth Israel proclaimed – with the concurrence of Community Engagement and Education of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, that it was time to open the cellar door and coax the Eyes Rabbi Yoni Dreyer that had been the basis of a popular series to come out of hiding in order to peer upon Israel once again. It’s alive! The first session will be held on Monday, Nov. 9 from 11 a.m. to noon. This is the second Monday of the month and the only time it will be held on the second Monday. All subsequent sessions will be held on the first Monday of the month, same time – 11 a.m. The Zoom link for “Eye on Israel” will be located on the Community Engagement & Education page of the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s website. Go to jewishomaha.org and click on “Community & Education” in the upper left corner. Through the magic of modern technology you will end up where you need to be. There you will find a registration button for the class. Click on that button and you will receive the link for the
class - it is the only one you will need for all sessions of “Eye on Israel.” If you need assistance with the logistics, contact Mark Kirchhoff at mkirchhoff@jewishomaha.org or 402.334.6463. Rabbi Yoni has chosen the timely topic of Israel’s new relationship with UAE (United Arab Emirates) and upcoming agreements with other countries, for as one agreement was established, others have followed. Rabbi Yoni will help participants evaluate what this means for Israel. What good may come from these international agreements and why hasn’t Israel formed them before this time? Rabbi will also look at these modern times and events from a Jewish perspective and discuss how the history of the Jewish people is alive and meaningful in today's world. Rabbi Yoni brings an active learning style to his presentations. “I’m not someone who likes to stand up (or sit down) and just talk,” he says. “I think learning is better if everyone is actively involved in some way. And that is what I like to do.” Be prepared to flip off your mute buttons. Rabbi Yoni came to Omaha from Israel with his wife, Shiran, and their four wonderful children. They were living in Ariel in Samaria (West Bank), when they decided they wanted to do something special to serve the Jewish people. They looked into shlichut, to live in a community outside of Israel and exchange traditions and knowledge. While they had never heard of Nebraska or Omaha, through the process they spoke with the Abramovich and Nachman families who were on shlichut in Omaha at the time and who had high praise for their stay here. That sealed the deal and the Dreyers decided it would be a good place for them. Rabbi Yoni is an Assistant Rabbi at Beth Israel Synagogue, Shiran is a Hebrew teacher at Friedel Jewish Academy. For emphasis: the first session of “Eye on Israel” is on Nov. 9, the second week of November, at 11 a.m. All subsequent sessions will be on the first Monday of the month, again at 11 a.m.
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Turkey’s president invokes Holocaust in slamming France he said Macron “needs mental treatment” CNAAN LIPSHIZ and called for a boycott of French products at JTA Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in- a meeting of his Islamist AKP party, Le Figaro voked the Holocaust in condemning France’s reported. In response, France recalled its amcrackdown on radical Islam, calling it part of Europe’s history of criminality against members of minority religions. In a speech October 26 in Ankara, Erdogan slammed French President Emmanuel Macron’s recently announced plan to combat radical Islam by banning home schooling and dissolving some nonprofit organizations, among other measures. “The rising Islamophobia Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the official in the West has turned into opening ceremony of Istanbul's new airport, Oct. 29, 2018. Credit: a wholesale attack on our Burak Kara/Getty Images book, our prophet and everything we con- bassador from Ankara over what the French sider holy,” Erdogan said. “Relocations, inqui- foreign minister called an “insult.” In a statement October 26, the president of sitions and genocides towards members of different religions is not a practice that is for- CRIF, the umbrella group of French Jewish eign to Europe. The crimes against humanity communities, urged France to take a firm line committed against Jews 80 years ago, the acts on Erdogan, whom he called “the tyrant of against our Bosnian siblings in Srebrenica just Ankara.” France, Francis Kalifat said, “Must not be25 years ago are still in the memory.” Erdogan’s comments come just days after come the new arena for Erdogan’s follies.”
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An unrelenting campaign of anti-Semitic harassment JOSEFIN DOLSTEN JTA A complaint filed with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights alleges that Jewish students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign “faced an unrelenting campaign of anti-Semitic harassment.” A Friday statement announcing the com-
and pro-Israel students. “We gave UIUC seven months since the complaint was filed to address the ongoing harassment. In the face of continuous stall tactics and almost no action from the university, we decided to publicize our efforts,” Brandeis Center President Alyza Lewin said in the statement.
A view of the entrance to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Credit: Beyond My Ken/ Wikimedia Commons
plaint said that Jewish and pro-Israel students in the past five years “have been subjected to an alarming increase in antiSemitism and anti-Zionism” and that the university did not take adequate action. The complaint was prepared by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP on behalf of Jewish students at the university. It was done in consultation with the Jewish United Fund and Hillel International. A summary of the complaint, originally filed in March, detailed a number of incidents where swastikas were found on campus and Jewish buildings and ritual items were vandalized. It also included events that displayed virulent anti-Israel rhetoric, which it said made campus inhospitable for Jewish
University spokeswoman Robin Kaler told the Chicago Sun-Times that its accrediting organization had found in March that the allegations “do not indicate substantive noncompliance with their requirements and that no further review would be conducted.” Last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that made the Civil Rights Act of 1964 apply to Jewish college students. The order meant that students could now file complaints, such as the one at the University of Illinois, alleging discrimination against them on campus. The executive order was controversial because it was seen as opening up the possibility for the Department of Education to withhold funding from schools seen as fostering an anti-Israel environment, which critics said was antithetical to free speech.
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The Jewish Press | November 6, 2020 | 7
Above and below: Hebrew games at Friedel: Learning another language and having fun at the same time.
Above and below: Friedel Jewish Academy first and second graders put their water filtration systems to the test.
Above and below: Staff dressed in pink for the annual RBJH Pink Out Day for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
SP O TLIGHT PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a photo of a recent Jewish Community event you would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org.
Below: RBJH staff was ready for Nebraska Football (so was Ohio State).
GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY
8 | The Jewish Press | November 6, 2020
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Abby Kutler President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Susan Bernard Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Gabby Blair Staff Writer Michael Ivey Accounting Jewish Press Board Abby Kutler, President; Eric Dunning, Ex-Officio; Danni Christensen, David Finkelstein, Candice Friedman, Bracha Goldsweig, Margie Gutnik, Natasha Kraft, Chuck Lucoff, Eric Shapiro, Andy Shefsky, Shoshy Susman and Amy Tipp. The mission of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to build and sustain a strong and vibrant Omaha Jewish Community and to support Jews in Israel and around the world. Agencies of the Federation are: Community Relations Committee, Jewish Community Center, Center for Jewish Life, Jewish Social Services, and the Jewish Press. Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: wwwjewishomaha. org; click on ‘Jewish Press.’ Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board of Directors, or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, 9 a.m., eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: avandekamp@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in TIF or PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1.402.334.5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: avandekamp@jewishomaha. org. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be single-spaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For information, contact Annette van de KampWright, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly (except for the first week of January and July) on Friday for $40 per calendar year U.S.; $80 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or email to: jpress@jewishomaha.org.
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Post-Sukkot lessons from the etrog ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor During the week leading up to the 2020 election, I need a distraction and so I find myself making etrog jam. As I carefully pull each seed from the etrog, it occurs to me how being in the kitchen ties me to generations of Jews. Every year, we baby that fruit for the duration of Sukkot, we say blessings with it in our hands, only to leave it lying around the kitchen afterwards, where it’s often forgotten. It’s weird; it’s the exact same etrog. It didn’t do anything wrong. This year, I promised myself, I would do something with it. Something that is better than letting it dry out and eventually throwing it in the garden compost. This etrog deserves something better, something special. Many of you have figured that out before me and I’m excited to join your ranks. Also, the picture on the website where I found the recipe looks really pretty. The first step: wash the etrog, slice it thin, remove the seeds and soak it in water overnight. I have to do the same thing with an orange, because apparently, the etrog by itself is too bitter. That knowledge feels like more than a cooking tip: an ingredient that is too bitter by itself is a pretty cool metaphor for people. Also: soak it overnight? So I just wait? Huh. I am not good at waiting. I feel like the etrog is trying to teach me something. Patience, perhaps? Doesn’t it know that’s a lost battle? The bowl with sliced fruit mocks me from the counter-this feels anti-climactic. Ah, second lesson: I cannot speed up the soaking process and I have no control. Nice. That’s okay, because I can totally do other things. Want me to ignore that bowl? Watch me. Luckily, the etrog jam isn’t the only thing on my cooking schedule. I have also made plans to teach
my son to make Nasi Goreng, which is just fried rice but that’s what we call it back home, so that’s what he’s learning. The biggest advantage of homeschooling? Getting an upgrade from his current habits. No one can live off cereal and cold pizza (although my husband recently convinced him that tomatoes can actually be sliced up and added to a sandwich, so that’s a win). “Jewish cooking is a unique synthesis of cooking styles from the many places that Jews have lived throughout the centuries,” according to Jewfaq.com. “Jewish cooking shows the influence of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Spanish, German and Eastern European styles of cooking, all influenced by the unique dietary constraints of kashrut and other Jewish laws.” That’s a fancy way of saying ‘anything is possible.’ It’s not just a diaspora thing; it’s a combination of travel, the fact that the world has gotten smaller and that I can find any recipe from anywhere with the click of a mouse. It’s loving raw vegetables while cooking others until they resemble an unrecognizable mush because I learned that in elementary school; it’s mixing my grandfather’s habits with curled-up recipe cards from my in-laws and the fact that my kids know how to slice an onion perfectly because they went to Friedel. Teaching a 16-year-old recipes in our kitchen is peeling away the layers and telling stories about people and places. Much of what my kids know about my extended family, they know because of food. My grandmother’s carrot, potato and cod stew that is cooked in butter and served with mustard and apple sauce (don’t knock it), my uncle’s
tapas, my mother’s apple pie. Meatballs soaked in dark beer, fried pastries called oliebollen in December and cheese platters on Friday night. That fried rice? You have to have it with leek, sour pickles, a
hot sauce called Sambal Oelek and fried eggs with runny yolks. Trust me. And mixed in with all of that, we introduce new and unfamiliar things, like Korean Malak eggs and etrog jam. There are many stories we can tell about this year. Most of them are not good. And so, to preserve our sanity and remind ourselves that there are other, happier, stories to tell, we spend our time in the kitchen. It’s why half the country went nuts over sour dough bread and why the mason jars are sold out everywhere. Cooking together is an act of hopeful creation in the middle of a worldwide depression. That bowl of etrog slices sitting on the counter does much more than test my patience: it creates hope.
Straight rabbis need to offer LGBTQ Jews so much more than just wedding ceremonies RABBI SALEM PEARCE JTA Like many progressives in America, as soon as Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court Monday night, my social media feeds erupted with anger over the process and fear that her appointment could presage a rollback of marriage equality. I am a rabbi, so my feeds were also full of fellow Jewish clergy promising, come what may, to perform queer people’s weddings. That’s an important impulse. But in this perilous moment, it’s not enough. Queer folks need and deserve so much more than ceremonies from their straight clergy. Five years after marriage equality became the law of the land, it would be easy for Jewish communities to be complacent regarding LGBTQ issues. All progressive rabbinical schools ordain LGBTQ students, and dozens of my queer colleagues lead shuls all over the country. I know spouses of colleagues who have come out as transgender with support of their communities. Interfaith marriage is a more divisive issue than same-sex marriage. And yet complacency would be a mistake, as much more than marriage equality is up for review by the Supreme Court. As the Jewish LGBTQ organization Keshet noted in a statement, the right of healthcare for transgender people and the ability of LGBTQ people to adopt children will be soon be scrutinized. Next week — that is, just days from now — the court will hear a case that could allow private agencies that receive taxpayer-funding (e.g., food banks, homeless shelters and foster care providers) to deny services to LGBTQ people. The human dignity of my beloved friends and colleagues is being threatened. The stakes couldn’t be higher. In rabbinical school I interned at a community organization that helped local synagogues address areas of inclusion. One community leader pushed
back on a suggestion to include a statement on the synagogue’s “About” page that it was a welcoming place for queer people. “We’re a liberal synagogue,” she said. “Isn’t it obvious that we include LGBTQ families?” No, it’s not obvious. It is incumbent upon us as rabbis and cantors to keep saying and doing it.
Witnessing one more queer person be able to believe that he has a part in and a stake in our textual tradition, I was brought to tears. Here are just some of the promises I want my fellow straight rabbis to make to the queer folks in our communities: We will never stop fighting for your rights, from healthcare to adoption to legal gender affirmation to partner recognition. We will also promote your leadership in our rabbinical schools. We will invest resources in your kids’ access to Jewish educational experiences. We will step back for you to have ownership over Jewish communal spaces. We will support specifically queer Jewish institutions. We will speak up when you are mispronouned in our synagogues. We will celebrate Coming Out Day as a Jewish holiday. We will condemn from the bimah the fact Robin Tyler and Diane Olson are married by Rabbi Denise Eger in that trans folks are targets of state vithe first legally recognized same-sex marriage in Los Angeles olence. We will act on the eternal County, at the Beverly Hills courthouse on June 16, 2008. Credit: truth that queer people are created David McNew/Getty Images b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. This fall I am thrilled to be able to participate in Jewish marriage ceremonies often end with a a weekly online shiur through SVARA: A Tradition- smashing of glass, a reminder of the brokenness of ally Radical Yeshiva. SVARA’s Talmud instruction the world even amidst joy. When performing the “recognizes as crucial the insights of transgender, weddings of queer people, I want for my colleagues intersex, queer, lesbian, bisexual and gay Jews.” In to understand that moment as a call to further and partnership with my chevruta, a gay male rabbi, I deeper action, to build a Jewish community in have been privileged to learn Gemara in SVARA’s which all queer people are able to thrive in a world signature queer-normative community. In the that affirms and celebrates their infinite worth as opening breakout room during the first session last human beings. week, one of my fellow participants shared what Rabbi Salem Pearce is Executive Director of previous SVARA programs have meant to him. He Carolina Jews for Justice, a statewide organizahad long struggled to reconcile his Jewish identity tion fighting for a just, fair and compassionate with his queer identity, he said, and SVARA had North Carolina. transformed his ability to do so. It was hard to overThe views and opinions expressed in this article are state how important the community was to him, those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the and he was so excited to continue learning Talmud. views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
The Jewish Press | November 6, 2020 | 9
I grew up in Orthodox Brooklyn. We must apply the same COVID-19 standards for all — and Jews must choose life. ALAN DERSHOWITZ JTA I grew up in the Williamsburg and Borough Park neighborhoods of Brooklyn. At my Orthodox Jewish day school, I studied the Torah and Jewish law. Our rabbis, many of whom had been trained in the great Talmudic academies of eastern Europe, always focused on the primary role of choosing life. In Hebrew this is called “Pikuach Nefesh.” The biblical commandment is derived from Deuteronomy 3:19-20: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your children may live…” The Torah and the Talmud are filled with rules placing the value of life over nearly every Jewish value, including prayer and communal gatherings such as weddings and funerals. I understand how important these gatherings are to the vibrancy of religious life in these wonderful neighborhoods, but preventing the spread of a highly contagious virus with uncertain long term health implications should be more important. It is shocking to me, therefore, to see so many of my fellow Jews in my old neighborhoods choosing illness and death over life — not only their own but their family members and neighbors — by not taking adequate precautions against the spread of the coronavirus, and by rejecting the advice of public health doctors. The rate of illness in Williamsburg and Borough Park is significantly higher than in the city and state of New York in general. This is not God’s fault. Respectfully, it is the responsibility of those Jewish leaders who have not done as much as they could do to advise their followers and congregants to choose life over communal gatherings. I understand and am sympathetic to the argument that Orthodox Jewish communities are being discriminated against by rules that allow restaurants, protests and other secular public gatherings to go forward, while severely restricting the number of people who can attend synagogues, Jewish weddings and funerals, and other communal religious events. There has been far too much finger pointing at Orthodox Jews by civic leaders who should know better. I’m on your side of
these legal and political arguments. “choose life” over customs – such as large weddings and fuBut the appropriate response is to tighten the rules regard- nerals – that are not mandated by halacha. These life affirming dangerous secular events, not to loosen them regarding ing sources have served us well over millennia of crises. large Jewish gatherings that can become dangerous super Please emphasize those parts of the Torah that deal with spreader events if precautions are not taken. A single standard mandatory isolation of contagiously ill Jews. Please recall the that does not discriminate against Orthodox Jewish events Talmudic wisdom that he who saves even a single human life, and that is based on objective factors is required, but that sin- it is as if he saved the entire world — and its relevant corollary gle standard must prioritize the health of the community. that he who needlessly takes a single human life, it is as if he During times of crisis — and tragically Jews have a long history of dealing with crises ranging from pogroms, to plagues, to the Holocaust, to attacks on Israel – Jewish law and customs have always adapted to the overriding need to choose life. Why is COVID-19 different? Why are so many Jewish leaders refusing to recognize the reality of contagion and of the need for masks, social distancing and limitations on the number of those attending large gatherings? Why am I getting so many emails and phone calls from Williamsburgers and Borough Parkers falsely stating that more people die of the flu than of COVID? I was embarrassed, as a loyal son of Borough The Congregation Yetev Lev D’Satmar synagogue on Oct. 19, 2020 in WilliamsPark, by the burning of masks and spitting at burg. A wedding planned for a grandchild of Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, a grand journalists on the very avenue on which I at- rabbi of the Satmar sect, was ordered to be shut down after authorities were tended yeshiva and shopped for Shabbos and alerted that the event could draw as many as 10,000 celebrants. Credit: Yom Tov food. I realize that the bad acts of a Spencer Platt/Getty Images few Borough Parkers should not be attributed to an entire has destroyed the world. neighborhood, but these acts should have been widely conPlease do not politicize the worst health crisis in the last demned by all good people. 100 years. Instead, choose life. That is the Jewish way and the I know that this is not my Borough Park or that of my very right choice for all people during a worsening pandemic. religious parents and grandparents. But I am sad to say that Alan Dershowitz is an American lawyer and academic. it is not the Borough Park of Jewish halacha, which demands He is a former professor at Harvard Law School. He has a compliance with the valid rules of the state in which Jews are new podcast called The Dershow, and his latest book is citizens, as well as proper behavior towards outsiders. “Guilt by Accusation”. So, with the utmost respect, I urge those Jewish communal The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of leaders who are not satisfying their responsibility to protect the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its life, to prioritize those religious sources commanding us to parent company, 70 Faces Media.
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Synagogues
10 | The Jewish Press | November 6, 2020
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 712.322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE
Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Street Omaha, NE 68154-1980 402.492.8550 bethel-omaha.org
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific Street Omaha, NE. 68154 402.556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org
CHABAD HOUSE
An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 South 120 Street Omaha, NE 68144-1646 402.330.1800 OChabad.com email: chabad@aol.com
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN
South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 402.435.8004 www.southstreettemple.org
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE
Capehart Chapel 2500 Capehart Road Offutt AFB, NE 68123 402.294.6244 email: oafbjsll@icloud.com
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME
323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154
TEMPLE ISRAEL
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive Omaha, NE 68144-1206 402.556.6536 templeisraelomaha.com
TIFERETH ISRAEL
Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Boulevard Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 402.423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org
B’NAI ISRAEL Join us via Zoom on Friday, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m. for evening services. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel! For information on our historic synagogue, please contact Howard Kutler at hkutler@hotmail.com or any of our other board members: Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Mary-Beth Muskin and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.
BETH EL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman. VIRTUAL MINYAN SCHEDULE: Mornings on Sundays, 9 a.m. and Mondays and Thursdays, 8 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m. FRIDAY: NCJW Coat Drive, 10 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. followed by Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year Speeches; Havdalah, 5:50 p.m. SUNDAY: B’nai Mitzvah Meeting for Grade 5 Parents, 10 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.; BESTT (Grades K7), 10:30 a.m.; Baseball: The Jewish Sport?, 1 p.m.; Torah Tots, 4 p.m. MONDAY: Jewish Law with Rabbi Abraham, 8 p.m. TUESDAY: Biblical Literacy with Rabbi Abraham, 11:30 a.m.; Women & Religion with Jeannette Gabriel, 2 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Coffee and Conversations with Rabbi Abraham, 2 p.m.; BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:30 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 7 p.m.; Beit Midrash — In God’s Image, 7 p.m. THURSDAY: Shul Music with Hazzan Krausman, 7 p.m. FRIDAY-Nov. 13: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY-Nov. 14: Veterans Shabbat, 10 a.m. with guest speaker Jacob Millner following services; Havdalah, 5:40 p.m. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.
BETH ISRAEL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. Classes, Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah on Zoom, Whatsapp or Facebook Live. On site services held outside in Sukkah, weather permitting. Physical distancing and masks required. FRIDAY: Shacharit, 7 am.; Mincha/Candlelighting, 4:55 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha, 5 p.m.; Havdalah, 5:55 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Jewish Law in Depth, 9:45 a.m. with Rabbi Moshe; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5 p.m.; Veteran’s Day MIddot Class, 7 p.m. with Matt Cohen (Zoom) MONDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5 p.m. TUESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5
p.m. WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deepening Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. (Zoom); Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5 p.m.; Board of Commissioners Meeting, 7:30 p.m. THURSDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 am.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Character Development, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5 p.m. FRIDAY-Nov. 13: Shacharit, 7 am.; Mincha/Candlelighting, 4:48 p.m. SATURDAY-Nov. 14: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha, 4:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 5:49 p.m. Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.
CHABAD HOUSE Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Due to Coronavirus, all services and classes have moved online. For schedules and more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.org or call the office at 402.330.1800 FRIDAY: Candlelighting, 4:55 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Ends, 5:54 p.m. MONDAY: Personal Parsha class, 9:30 a.m. with Shani; Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. WEDNESDAY: Mystical Thinking, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Introduction to Reading Hebrew, 10:30 a.m. THURSDAY: Intermediate Hebrew Reading & Prayer, 11 a.m.; Talmud Class, noon with Rabbi Katzman. FRIDAY-Nov. 13: Candlelighting, 4:48 p.m. SATURDAY-Nov. 14: Shabbat Ends, 5:48 p.m.
B’NAI JESHURUN The Temple office is on reduced hours until further notice and all services and activities are being offered via livestream or teleconferencing. Please call 402.435.8004 or email office@southstreettemple. org for further information or to make an appointment for a visit, if necessary. You may also email board president Nicholette Seigfreid at president@south streettemple.org. South Street Temple’s events can be found at https://south streettemple.org/calendar/. FRIDAY: Candlelighting, 4:58 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex, Steve and Nathaniel Kaup, 6:30 p.m. via Live stream. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. led by Rabbi Felch via Zoom; Torah Study on Parashat Vayera, 11:30 a.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 5:58 p.m. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan-Gesher, 10-11:30 a.m. via Zoom. MONDAY: Makers of Jewish Things, 7 p.m. via Zoom. TUESDAY: Synagogue Staff Meeting, 10 a.m.; Tea & Coffee Time with Temple Pals, 1:30 p.m. via Zoom; Adult Ed: The Whys (Wise) of Jewish Prayer, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Alex. WEDNESDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 4:30-5:30 p.m. via Zoom. FRIDAY-Nov. 13: Candlelighting, 4:51 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex/TBD, 6:30 p.m. via Live stream from SST. SATURDAY-Nov. 14: Shabbat Morning Service,
9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex via Zoom; Torah Study on Parashat Chayei Sarah, 11:30 a.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 5:52 p.m.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE All services canceled until further notice.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home is currently closed to visitors.
TEMPLE ISRAEL
Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Brian Stoller, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin and Cantor Joanna Alexander. DAILY VIRTUAL MINYAN: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. FRIDAY: Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. with scholar Dr. Gary Zola on Profiles in American Jewish Courage. As we begin our year of celebrating Temple Israel’s 150th anniversary, Dr. Zola will demonstrate how our congregation’s history sheds light not only on the significance of Nebraskan Jewish history but also on the lofty meaning of the American Jewish experience itself. SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. with scholar Dr. Gary Zola on Jewish Pioneers in the Cornhusker State. Dr. Zola will introduce us to some of Omaha’s pioneering Jewish citizens who laid the foundation for our city’s Jewish future. Together we will examine a number of historical documents from the American Jewish Archives that shed light on the lives and careers of these Jewish trailblazers who contributed to frontier life in the Cornhusker State. SUNDAY: Youth Learning Programs for Grades PreK-6, 10 a.m.; Temple TED Talk, 11 a.m. MONDAY: Jewish Law & the Quest for Meaning, 11 a.m. WEDNESDAY: Mindful Meditation with Margot, 9 a.m.; Youth Learing Programs: Grades 3-6, 4-6 p.m.; and Grades 7-12, 6:30-8 p.m.; Community Beit Midrash, 7 p.m. THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Discussion, 9:30 a.m. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.
TIFERETH ISRAEL
FRIDAY: Candlelighting, 4:57 p.m.; Zoom Service, 6:30 p.m. from SST via Zoom and Livestream. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. via Zoom from TI; Zoom Torah Study, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex; Havdalah (72 minutes), 5:56 p.m. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan-Gesher, 10-11:30 a.m. via Zoom. TUESDAY: Adult Ed: Mishnah B’rachot: The Whys (Wise) of Jewish Prayer, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Alex via Zoom. WEDNESDAY: LJCS Grades 3-7, 4:30-5:30 p.m. via Zoom. FRIDAY-Nov. 13: Candlelighting, 4:51 p.m.; Zoom Service, 6:30 p.m. from SST via Zoom and Livestream. SATURDAY-Nov. 14: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. via Zoom from TI; Zoom Torah Study, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex; Havdalah (72 minutes), 5:50 p.m. Please visit tiferethisraellincoln.org for additional information and Zoom service links.
Jewish Federation of Omaha Campaign Update Jewish Federation of Omaha & Koolulam are proud to present our 2021 Annual Campaign Community Video! Despite social isolation, Jewish Omaha is still very much TOGETHER. May the faces of our community remind you of the strength of the Jewish people and may our voices raised in song inspire you to support our shared Jewish future. Please find the video on our website at www.jewishomaha.org. The 2021 JFO Annual Campaign theme is “Imagine Tomorrow.” It allows us to dream of Omaha’s bright Jewish future once we emerge from COVID19 and simultaneously focus on the essential work ahead as we respond together to the pandemic. You are a critical piece of our Jewish community and throughout the year, we aim to show you the impact your investment has here in Omaha, in Israel and beyond. National Funders through Jewish Federation of North America will donate $1 to our Annual Campaign for every NEW $2 raised, up to a total of
$60,000. For 118 years, Omaha's Jewish Community has joined together to create one centralized fund (Kupah) to ensure the most vulnerable are supported and communal needs are met. According to Maimonides, this is the highest form of Giving (Tzedakah) because it is respectful & significant to both the donor & the recipient. This ongoing investment in and of our community is what has allowed Jewish communities throughout history to respond rapidly to changing
needs and challenges. Please visit and join us in reaching our 2021 goal. For more information, please contact Jamie Skog by calling 402.334.6440 or email her at jskog-burke@jewishomaha.org.
Life cycles BIRTH SKYLER BAE EPSTEIN Carrie and Cory Epstein announce Oct. 7, 2020 the birth of their son, Skyler Bae. He has two sisters Chloe and Dylan, and brother Asher. Grandparents are Sandy and Paul Epstein and Linda and Murray Evans of Fort Lee, NJ. Great-grandparents are the late Etta and Harold Bae Epstein and the late Helen and Morris Lipp. Sam and Laura Evans, and Helen and Horace Kramer of New York City, NY. YAAKOV HILLEL Dr. Jessica Tugetman and Dr. Noah Kinstlinger of Riverdale, NY announce Aug. 20, 2020 the birth of their son, Yaakov Hillel. Grandparents are Leslie and Dr. Michael Tugetman of Riverdale, NY, and Sharon and Gary Kinstlinger, Ph.D of Teaneck, NJ.
Who Am I?
BAR MITZVAH ZACHARY MADDOX KAZOR Zachary Maddox Kazor, son of Michelle and Stu Kazor, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on Nov. 14, 2020 at Temple Israel via Zoom. Zac is a seventh-grade honor roll student at Buffett Magnet Middle School. He has been on the Honor Roll at school for the last three years. Zac is a Third Degree Level 1 Black Belt In Taekwondo and has won numerous medals in District and National Taekwondo tournaments.. He also plays Soccer with SOFC, and plays the violin. Zac loves to swim, and enjoys gaming, hanging out with his friends, and is a huge fan of Jurassic Park movies and the Carolina Panthers football team. For his Mitzvah project, Zac assisted with a week long Taekwondo camp for children over the summer. He mentored them not only by teaching Taekwondo skills, but by also demonstrating self defense tactics and life skills coaching. He has three sisters, Emily, Elizabeth and Sophie. Grandparents are Louie and Renee Kazor of Omaha, and Bill and Peggy Kolm of Omaha. Great-grandparents are Alice Kwapiszeski and the late Edward Kwapiszeski of Panama, IA, the late Morrie and Mollie Franklin of Omaha, the late Rose and Louie Kazor of Omaha, and the late Mildred and William Kolm of Schuyler, NE. ELI MICAH NATHAN Eli Micah Nathan, son of Erin and Benjamin Nathan, will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on Nov. 14, 2020 at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah in Overland Park, KS. Eli is a seventh-grade student at Overland Trail Middle School in Leawood, KS. Eli enjoys all sports, especially baseball, golf and bowling. At school, he is in band and runs cross country. For his Mitzvah project, Eli is volunteering for The Whole Person, where he will help the blind and visually impaired bowl. He has a sister, Maya. Grandparents are Carol and Ira Nathan of Omaha, Beth and Jeff Dorfman of Leawood, KS, and Randi and Larry Haith of Leawood, KS.
The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society (NJHS) requests help from the community in identifying photographs from the archives. Please contact Kathy Weiner at 402.334.6441 or kweiner@jewishomaha.org if you are able to assist in the effort to preserve Jewish Omaha history.
TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS Announcements may be e-mailed to the Press at jpress@jewishomaha.org; or mailed to 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154. Readers can also submit announcements -- births, b’nai mitzvahs, engagements, marriages, commitment ceremonies or obituaries -- online at www.omahajew ishpress.com/site/forms/. Deadlines are normally nine days prior to publication, on Wednesdays, 9 a.m. Please check the Jewish Press, for notices of early deadlines.
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12 | The Jewish Press | November 6, 2020
News LOC AL | N AT I O N A L | WO R L D
On this Jewish dating site, moms get to play the yenta SARA IVRY On a visit home to Fort Lauderdale back in 2013, Jeffrey Kaplan and his then-girlfriend watched as Kaplan’s mother pulled out her computer to show them the fake JDate profile she’d put together in a stealth effort to help Kaplan’s brother find love. “I remember the drive back to Gainesville, thinking to myself: When you see a person go to absurd lengths to solve a problem that should be easily solvable, there’s opportunity there,” he recalled. “It clicked for me: We need to make a website where Jewish mothers can be the yentas they were meant to be.” That was the germ of the idea for JustKibbitz.com, a unique dating site where fathers, grandparents, friends and — yes — Jewish moms can channel their inner yentas by setting up profiles for their loved ones to try to find them a potential match. The site is meant for Jews of any stripe. Kaplan, 34, and co-founder Mike Ovies launched the site earlier this year after winning $150,000 at an investment capital pitch contest in 2019. Both employees work at a software development company; they spent a lot of their spare time over the last two and a half years doing market research into dating apps, millennial dating behavior, Jewish dating trends and more. On JustKibbitz.com, the yentas do all the legwork — setting up profiles, scrolling through potential matches — and can even pay for the date in advance and determine where it will take place. (Of course, the target of their matchmaking must agree.) Pandemic-era social-distancing limitations notwithstanding, Kaplan thinks now is a great time to launch a dating app of this kind. “Single millennials are spending 10 hours a week on dating apps. They’re online increasing their isolation in coronavirus,” Kaplan said. “So this app feels like a breath of fresh air, an alternative, letting someone who knows you best to set you up.
The pressure is taken out.” Noting the prepaid feature of the dating app, Kaplan said that surveys show that 92% of single millennials would go on a date set up by their parents if it was pre-paid. So far, hundreds of people have signed themselves and their children up, according to Kaplan, proving that the concept works.
Credit: RgStudio / Getty Images
Among them is Theresa Levy, a Jewish preschool director in Jacksonville, Florida. Eager to help her daughter find a partner, Levy recently started sussing out potential matches. She knows that some parents on the site may over-praise their kids and be blind to their shortcomings. Nevertheless she says she sees great merit in the approach JustKibbitz takes. “It’s not going to be a booty call thing,” she said. “If you want that, go on Tinder. This is more of: ‘Hey, let’s meet and get to know each other and our parents know about it.’ There’s a little bit more accountability because parents are involved, and I like that for people like my daughter.” Her daughter, Marie-Claire Levy, 26, is game for her mother’s involvement. “I’m kind of lazy,” said the younger Levy, who works at a Jew-
ish nonprofit in New York. She learned of the site from a friend, thought it was funny (including the over-the-top promotional video), and told her own mother about it. “I don’t care if my mom signs up. It gives her something fun to do, and I’m not the best at putting myself out there.” What JustKibbitz understands is that when you’re dating someone, or when you marry them, the relationship is larger than just two people, said Sheri Jacobs, a a Houston-based actor and author. “You’re also dating this family,” Jacobs said. Jacobs praised the buy-in from would-be daters like MarieClaire Levy that JustKibbitz requires. “You’re not crossing boundaries. If your son or daughter says, ‘No mom,’ you’re not going to do it. But if your son or daughter says, ‘I want your help,’ it paves the way for potential romantic dates, and it paves the way for potential between mothers and sons or fathers and sons or daughters or whatever — it creates a platform for a more authentic dialogue.” It’s “a nice hybrid of tradition and culture,” Jacobs added, “and simultaneously modernizing the dating experience, especially in our pandemic world.” One of the things that makes JustKibbitz unique is its implicit recognition that the parents of those in a relationship will themselves forge a unique bond that may last a lifetime, Kaplan said. With JustKibbitz, they may create those bonds even before the couple does. “No other culture has a word for ‘macheteniste’” — the Yiddish term for the relationship between two sets of in-laws, Kaplan observed. “Even when you’re dating, there’s this anxiety of ‘Are your parents going to like this person you’re bringing home?’ JustKibbitz eliminates that.” This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with JustKibbitz.com, the only Jewish dating site that helps someone you love find someone they'll love. This article was produced by JTA’s native content team.
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