November 12, 2021

A N AG E N C Y O F T H E J E W I S H F E D E R AT I O N O F O M A H A

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ADL-CRC’s PEW is back Scoops of support Page 5

PAM MONSKY ADL-CRC Assistant Director fter a hiatus due to the pandemic, the ADL-CRC hosted the 34th Annual Promoting Empowerment in Our World (PEW), the anti-bias workshop for high school students across the Omaha metro, on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at Temple Israel. One hundred and ten sophomore high school students with diverse backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, races and cultures from 15 different Omaha metro schools participated in an intensive one-day interactive training. In addition to the students, 25 trained facilitators volunteered their time to lead the students through activities that encouraged them to examine their identities, the identities of others, challenge biases and develop ally skills.

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The Kaplan Book Group’s next book is a conundrum Page 6

L’Chaim with Sivan Cohen Page 12

REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles

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SPONSORED BY THE BENJAMIN AND ANNA E. WIESMAN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND

MARK KIRCHHOFF JFO Community Engagement and Education The 19th Annual Omaha Jewish Film Festival is nearly here, so mark your calendars for Nov. 20, 22, 29, and Dec. 4. All films will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater on the Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus. Tickets for the festival are soon to be available

Here’s what some of the students had to say: “The best part of the day was meeting other people from other schools and becoming friends with them. Also being able to hear their experiences and how they saw things from different perspectives.”

“The best part of the day was meeting new people and having conversations with different perspectives.”

“Thank you so much for putting this event on, it was very enjoyable and I am grateful for the experience!”

“It was amazing!!”

“I thought it was great and I would love to attend again!”

Zoë Riekes, a first-time PEW facilitator, was greatly impacted by the experience. “I learned so much from the kids! They have a voice and they need to be listened to. It was See PEW is back page 2

online at jewishomaha.org for $10 apiece. Also available will be a discounted “festival pass” for the entire series for $36.

THEY AIN’T READY FOR ME The 19th Annual Omaha Jewish Film Festival opens on Saturday, Nov. 20 with the documentary, They Ain’t Ready for Me. Tamar Manasseh, an African American rabbinical student, is incensed with the senseless killings on the south side of Chicago.

This is the ghetto, where poverty, unemployment, addiction and violence are a part of everyday life. In 2015 a young mother was shot and killed while trying to break up a fight. For Tamar, the self-assured mother of two, this was a call to action. She had waited too long for the politicians to do something. Joined by a group of women equally committed to taking

back the neighborhood, they sit on the corner of 75th Street and South Stewart Avenue in the Englewood See Jewish Film Festival page 3

Ruby Platt Allyship Initiative update MURPHY WULFGAR ADL-CRC, Plains States Region Communications Director Mark your calendars for Thursday, Dec. 9 as ADL-CRC’s Ruby Platt Allyship Initiative (RPAI) rolls out its first community-wide, multiday event: Unraveling Racism with Adam Fletcher Sasse. Adam is an historian, speaker and the author of #OmahaBlackHistory: African American People, Places, and Events from the History of Omaha, Nebraska; North Omaha History Volumes One, Two and Three, the editor of North OmahaHistory.com, and the host of the North Omaha History Podcast.

Over four days and nights (Thursday thru Sunday) Adam will guide community members through an immersive myriad of opportunities to learn about historical and present-day racism in the Omaha metro; to help participants challenge their own biases; to facilitate “real-talk” about the impacts of racism on our community (and vice-versa) and garner the tools to become change makers in our social circles.

Gary Nachman, ADL-CRC Regional Director. is thrilled that Sasse accepted the invitation to headline RPAI’s inaugural event. “While being an expert in this area he also brings together other voices of expertise to help folks navigate the important and difficult task of introspection.” Ellen Platt, RPAI Committee Member, also believes Adam is a great fit for the Initiative’s first big event. “I believe we will walk away with new ways to think and examine this difficult and emotional subject.”

Untangling Racism isn’t a single event but a series of events, spanning consecutive afternoons and evenings. It will feature intensive, hands-on workshops for adults and teens, discussions to help participants expand their knowledge and action steps to motivate and uplift those seeking engagement.

“Metaphorically speaking, is there any subject more twisted and knotted up than race and talking about it?” asks Ms. Platt. “There are countless threads to pull when you decide See Ruby Platt Allyship page 2

2 | The Jewish Press | November 12, 2021

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PEW is back

Continued from page 1 a wonderful experience to listen, watch and learn from these students,” she said.

The workshop empowers students to take a stand against bias and bigotry by heightening their understanding of the manifestations of hate and enabling them to recognize and challenge their own biases and biases in their peer group.

The goal of PEW is to have each student who participates return to their schools as advocates for a world in which differences can be appreciated and respected, and to become an active member of the No Place for Hate Committee at their school.

The ADL No Place for Hate initiative is a free school climate improvement framework that provides Pre-K-12 schools with an organ-

izing framework for combating bias, bullying and hatred, creating schools where all students feel welcome and celebrated exactly as they are.

The workshop is free for students and educators. Student selection for PEW is an important part of the success of the day. Each school may bring up a diverse group of up to 10 student leaders or potential leaders who have interest in social justice as well as a willingness to discuss issues of bullying, bias and respect in a mature fashion.

PEW and No Place for Hate are made possible – thanks to the generous support from the Murray H. and Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation, the Fred and Eve Simon Charitable Foundation and the Union Pacific Foundation.

Zohar Weekend at Temple Israel CASSANDRA WEISENBURGER Temple Israel Director of Communications Beit Cafe Concert with Feliza and Or Zohar on Saturday, Nov. 13, 7-9 p.m.

Join us for a casual concert and desserts event with Guest Artist Rabbi Or Zohar and his wife and writing partner, Feliza BascaraZohar. The Zohars come to us from Misgav Israel (central Galilee) to share their original music and unique spirituality. This event is free and open to the community. Join us at Temple Israel or virtually on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/templeisraelomaha.

This event is co-sponsored with Beth El Synagogue and generously sponsored by the Albert and Eleanor Feldman Family Israel Foundation. The Zohars will be at Beth El on Friday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 13 at 10 a.m.

Spirit of the Galilee: Interfaith Music and Stories from the Holy Land on Sunday, Nov. 14, 7-9 p.m.

Rabbi Or Zohar and Feliza Bascara-Zohar will inspire our Tri-Faith communities by interweaving their personal stories, their work

on shared living in the Holy Land and their original music. This portion of the Zohar weekend is graciously sponsored by Speedy and Debbi Zweiback. Join us at Temple Israel or virtually on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/templeisraelomaha.

This event is free and open to the community.

Ruby Platt Allyship Continued from page 1 to really start paying attention.”

Mr. Nachman reflects, “It has been inspirational to watch the (RPAI) committee take shape over the last several months and bring this idea to reality.” Ms. Platt seconds the evolution of the initiative and has great hopes for the future. “My family and I are watching the RPAI take shape with really big, wide eyes full of hope and gratitude. Ruby’s experience and speaking about it was hard. And we know hearing about it and absorbing it was also very, very hard. This community has responded with care and support and interest and energy. Here’s to going forward as change makers ourselves.”

Learn more about the Ruby Platt Allyship Initiative and the December event: Unraveling Racism at https://omaha.adl.org/rpai.

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The Jewish Press | November 12, 2021 | 3

Jewish Film Festival

Continued from page 1 section of Chicago, reclaiming the area as a safe place for their children to play. She hasn’t left the corner since.

This inspirational film shows how Tamar Manasseh and the organization she has founded, “Mothers and Men Against Senseless Killings (MASK)”, are proving on a daily basis that something can be done to reduce gun violence when there is the will to do so. Tamar has become a well- known figure in Chicago and she is poised to become a national figure. The story exists within the context of the larger issues – increasing racial tensions, rising inequality levels and a growing sense of alienation. Such alienation does not exist solely on the streets.

As a rabbinical student within the Jewish world, Tamar is often seen as an outsider, someone whose identity is constantly questioned even as her approach to fighting gun violence is lauded. She credits her Judaism as the source of her activism and she claims many Jews as supporters, yet she is kept at arm’s length by the mainstream (white) Jewish community. It is a disturbing fact.

The film strikes at the complacent spirit. If it takes sitting on the corner to combat street gangs, sit on the corner. If it takes forming an organization to give strength to your cause and spread your message, form an organization. If it takes perseverance to pursue your dream of teaching your faith, persevere. The film presents a message worthy of attention.

SYNDROME K The Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) selects one film every year for the Omaha Jewish Film Festival. Executive Director Scott Littky shared, “In choosing a film that deals with a Holocaust topic, it is always the desire of the Institute for Holocaust Education to seize the opportunity to teach and educate on topics that are not always as well known to us.”

This year’s selection is Syndrome K, screened on Monday, Nov. 22. This English language film runs 1 hour 16 minutes. Among the cast members is American actor Ray Liotta, perhaps best known for playing Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams, playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas and voicing Tommy Vercetti in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

The documentary relates that in the fall of 1943, German soldiers in Italy began rounding up Italian Jews and deporting them to concentration camps. Most never returned. But in Rome, a group of doctors at the Catholic Fatebenefratelli Hospital saved at least 20 Jews, diagnosing them with “Syndrome K”, a deadly, disfiguring, and contagiosissima (highly contagious) disease. The disease did not exist at all. It was a codename invented by doctor and anti-fascist activist Adriano Ossicini to help distinguish between real patients and healthy Jewish hideaways. In a 2004 interview with Italian newspaper La Stamp, 96-year-old Ossicini recounted, “Syndrome K was

put on patient papers to indicate that the sick person wasn’t sick at all, but Jewish. We created those papers for Jewish people as if they were ordinary patients, and in the moment when we had to say what disease they suffered?

It was Syndrome K, meaning ‘I am admitting a Jew,’ as if he or she were ill, but they were all healthy. The idea to call it Syndrome K, like Kesserling [a German commander Albert Kesserling] or Kappler [SS chief Herbert Kappler] was mine... The lesson of my experience was that we have to act not for the sake of self-interest, but for principles.” This heartfelt, educational film is sure to move and hopefully inspire the audience to higher levels of knowledge, understanding, and behavior to help one another.

As a film-viewing bonus this year, the Jewish Federation of Omaha, along with numerous communities throughout the country, is participating in a “Hanukkah Film Festival” with Menemsha Films, one of our major film suppliers. New films will be released each of the eight consecutive nights beginning Nov. 28. Eleven films in all will be available for viewing in the comfort of your own home. All ticketing for the Hanukkah Film Festival will be managed directly by Menemsha Films via HanukkahFilmFestival.com, where you can also find the full line-up of films, many of which were screened and recommended by our own local film festival committee. Their standard price will be discounted to $36 for the entire festival if the exclusive code OMAHA is used at the time of checkout.

Further details are forthcoming. Proceeds from ticket sales will be shared between Menemsha and the JFO. This year’s film festival is supported by the following Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation Funds: the Frederick J. Simon Memorial Endowment Fund, the Avy L. & Roberta L. Miller Film Fund, the Samuel & Bess Rothenberg Endowment Fund, the Kenneth Ray Tretiak Memorial Fund, and the Ruth Frisch & Oscar S. Belzer Endowment Fund.

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The Nebraska Jewish Historical Society welcomes new board members

ROBBY ERLICH NJHS Secretary All five new board members bring enthusiasm, experience and goals for the future.

For me (Robby Erlich) I’ve always been interested in history and love the chance to study history and how it has shaped us via film, books, plays, etc. My family and I have lived in Omaha since March Robby Erlich 2019 and we absolutely love Omaha. I am looking forward to contributing to the society and further learning about the wealth of Jewish history in Omaha in my role as secretary.

Stephanie Shakhirev lives on a rural acreage in southwest Iowa with her two youngest sons. In 2018, Stephanie fulfilled her desire to directly tackle Jewish social justice issues and accepted the position of Director of Development for the AntiKelly Kirk Defamation League of the Plains States Region, serving until 2020. A major goal for the coming years is to visit the gravesite of her Jewish great-grandparents in Moldova and Romania.

Seth Shuman and his wife, Amy, just celebrated 20 years of marriage. They have three kids, Eli(14), Sadie(12), and Nora(10). Both of Seth’s parents spent time at the Blumkin home before they passed—their family enjoyed the historical displays during visits; they created wonderful family conversations. While serving on the NJHS board, Seth endeavors to

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inspire others to learn more about Jewish history in Nebraska and why families immigrated here--- that knowledge is important for building an appreciation for our gifts of today and learning empathy for others.

Kelly Kirk has been a lifelong member of the Omaha Jewish community. Her hope as a member of the NJHS board is to help ensure the Susan Witkowski legacy of the Jewish people of Omaha and the surrounding metropolitan area is preserved.

Susan Witkowski has been involved in Jewish life in Omaha for much of her life as well. Susan is a pediatrician and is active in other boards in Omaha. Susan is looking forward to providing guidance and excited to lend a hand on Historical Society projects.

Keep up to date with the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society by visiting the society’s website or by contacting the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society office at njhs@jewishomaha.org.

4 | The Jewish Press | November 12, 2021

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36 years, he has been an adjunct tax professor at Georgetown HOWARD EPSTEIN University Law Center, where he currently teaches and coordiJFO Foundation Executive Director On Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, the 12th Yale Richards Professional nates a graduate-level certificate program in advanced estate Education Seminar was held at the Boys Town Conference and charitable planning.

Center. The seminar was atMr. Beckwith spoke about retended by approximately 95 atcent and pending Federal legtorneys, accountants, financial islation, the impact of that advisors, insurance professionlegislation on estate planning als, and charitable fundraisers and charitable gift planning, from throughout the area. The then offered eleven tax, estate, Jewish Federation of Omaha and charitable gift planning Foundation co-sponsored the ideas for the balance of 2021 event with Boys Town. and beyond.

Yale Richards was a highly reA second guest speaker, Kent spected attorney who encourFrobish, provided an overview aged his clients to consider gifts of recent developments in to charity when preparing their ethics and disciplinary actions. wills. An avid volunteer who As Assistant Counsel for Disciwas generous to the JFO and pline for the Nebraska other charities, he realized how Supreme Court, Mr. Frobish foimportant it is for attorneys, accused on the conduct of countants and other profeslawyers and provided examsional advisors to talk with ples of those who have been their clients about charitable disciplined for misconduct. giving. Mr. Richards was a senThe Yale Richards Profesior partner at the law firm of sional Education Seminar is Marks, Clare and Richards, LLC coordinated by the JFO Founand also served as counsel and dation in cooperation with Executive Director of the Mil- Above: JFO Foundation Board Member Paul Epstein, Attorney Boys Town and a ten-member ton S. & Corinne N. Livingston and JFO Foundation Board Member Steve Bloch, Attorney advisory committee. Myron Foundation for 28 years. The Tom Pansing; below: Omaha Community Foundation Director Kaplan, a member of the adviLivingston Foundation Fund is of Donor Services Kelli Cavey, Trust Officer Scott Berryman, sory committee, is a member now a donor-advised fund at Wealth Advisor Michael Sigmond, JFO Foundation Executive of the Livingston Foundation Director Howard Epstein. the JFO Foundation.

Fund committee, a former exIn recognition of Yale Richards’ valuable service to the ecutive director of the Livingston Foundation, and “of counsel” Omaha Jewish community for over 50 years, the Board of Di- with the law firm of McGill Gotsdiner Workman and Lepp. rectors of the Milton S. and Corinne N. Livingston Foundation Said Mr. Kaplan, “Kent Frobish provided timely reminders established the Yale Richards Professional Education Endow- of ethics requirements for all practitioners. Ed Beckwith has ment Fund in 1998 at the JFO Foundation. The fund provided a remarkable depth and breadth of estate and tax and gift financial support for the seminar. planning knowledge. The seminar provided us with a wealth The seminar featured guest speaker Edward Beckwith from of information, which will be helpful to all who attended as Washington, DC, a partner in the Baker Hostetter LLP Law they do year-end estate and tax planning.”

Firm. Mr. Beckwith is the national leader of his firm’s tax-exThe JFO Foundation regularly collaborates with professional empt organizations and charitable giving practice. For his entire advisors and clients/donors in charitable and estate planning. career, he has lectured throughout the United States and is a The Foundation offers donor-advised funds, endowments, widely published author of numerous professional articles. For charitable trusts and other charitable gift options.

Hanukkah Extravaganza scheduled for Dec. 5 MAREN ANGUS JFO Philanthropy Coordinator The Jewish Federation of Omaha and PJ Library are set to host their annual Hanukkah Extravaganza at the Jewish Community Center of Omaha on Sunday, Dec. 5 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

New to the event this year is LEGO dreidel making with Omaha’s community Shlicha Sivan Cohen. Space will be limited.

The philanthropic part of this year’s event is the Kids Campaign. We will have a coin counter and encourage all youth in attendance to bring in their tzedakah to give to the Annual Campaign.

There will also be a new toy drive. The Federation will launch its toy drive at Hanukkah Extravaganza and donate them to a local organization that provides holiday gifts to underprivileged children.

Similar to years past, the afternoon will include games provided by FUN Services. The event will be a great social and philanthropic event for families of all ages.

The event will be spread throughout the gallery, Community Engagement Venue and Wiesman Room. Masks are

mandatory inside the building.

Chairs for the event are Matt and Kalli Taub, Amanda and Ryan Blumkin, and Emily and Nick Ray. Hanukkah extravaganza is free and open to the entire Jewish community we just ask that you register your family at https://app.mobilecause.com/form/R2XMUQ?vid=n3 b4y.

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The Jewish Press | November 12, 2021 | 5

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Scoops of support

JAY KATELMAN Director of Community Development Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation The Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, in collaboration with the Omaha Jewish Alumni Association, is thrilled to announce that we are eCreamery’s Community Partner of the Month for December. eCreamery will ship a special Holiday 4-pack of homemade ice cream pints to your relatives, friends, business associates and neighbors anywhere in the country.

A 4-pack of pints can be purchased through eCreamery’s website at https://ecreamery.com/jewish omaha. The Foundation/OJAA’s flavor of the month is called Giving Goodness, which is Chocolate Cake Ice Cream with Brownie Bites & Fudge Swirls. The other three flavors in the 4-packs are: Sea Salt Caramel Brownie, Mint Cookie Crunch, and Butter Brickle. Each 4-pack is $49.99 plus shipping, and for every 4-pack sold the Foundation will receive a portion of the proceeds. These 4-packs are perfect for every ice cream lover, and for any Omahan or former Omahan who would enjoy a “taste” of home. They are the perfect holiday gift for your employees and customers.

The Foundation and OJAA will donate the proceeds to the Institute for Holocaust Education to support the great work they do for our community. There will be two ship dates.

For Hanukkah/Thanksgiving delivery: order by noon CST on Sunday, Nov. 14. To receive before Dec. 25: order by noon CST on Sunday, Dec. 12. Place your online orders at https://ecreamery.com/jewishomaha.

For the entire month of December, you can also go into any eCreamery store (convenient locations at 763 North 114th Street or in Dundee at 5001 Underwood Avenue) and pick up a pint of our flavor “Giving Goodness” or buy it by the scoop. The Foundation and OJAA will also receive $1 from every pint sold in store. Dec. 16 will be our ”Scoops of Support Day” where 10% of the total daily sales from both locations will be donated to the JFOF and OJAA for the benefit of the Institute for Holocaust Education. Help us help the Institute for Holocaust Education, and the amazing work they do for the entire Omaha community. Get ahead of the holidays and get your holiday 4-pack orders in today! Then think of us all December long when you are craving an ice cream treat! Order your Holiday 4-pack of ice cream at https://ecreamery.com/jewishomaha.

Visit us at omahajewishpress.com

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Hanukkah at Chabad GABBY BLAIR Jewish Press Staff Writer While the Jewish Holidays always come right on time as scheduled, this year everything seemed to happen earlier than expected. As the days are getting shorter and the air grows chilly, Hanukkah is no exception; the first night arrives on Nov. 28 and the holiday concludes on Dec. 6.

With our festival of miracles and light just around the corner, Omaha Chabad is busily preparing all sorts of fun and festivities for our community and invites all to join them in spreading the light. Covid precautions will be followed at all events hosted by Chabad of Nebraska.

LATKE TRUCK: What’s not to like about food trucks!? Hot delicious food on the go has become so popular, so why not reserve a visit to your home, school, office or Hanukkah party from the Chabad Latke Truck? Available during the week of Hanukkah only, The Latke Truck will bring fresh latkes with traditional accompaniments to you! Contact us at RabbiEli@ochabad.com for more details and to set a date and time. Availability is limited and reservations - requested by Nov. 15- will be first-come first-served. Call today to secure your day and time!

BAGEL MENORAH: There is perhaps no more a quintessential Jewish American food than bagels and a shmear. While fried foods typically draw the spotlight on Hanukkah, dairy is a slightly lesser known holiday food tradition, stemming from Yehudit’s clever use of super salty cheeses to invoke insatiable thirst in the Greek general who was planning a slaughter of the Maccabees. Desperate to quench the thirst brought on by over-indulging in Yehudit’s cheese, the general drank himself into a stupor allowing our heroine to strike him - and his evil plot - down. While nothing so dramatic will happen at Chabad’s event on Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. in Aksarben Village, attendees will enjoy fresh bagels and cream cheese while witnessing the lighting of a giant

menorah frame adorned with... bagels! You’ll have to see it to believe it!

ANNUAL BOYS TOWN MENORAH LIGHTING AND HANUKKAH CAR PARADE: The annual Boys Town Menorah Lighting has become a beloved Omaha Hanukkah tradition. As in years past, Boys Town residents and staff along with Chabad and members of the Omaha Jewish community come together to light the giant menorah on Boys Town’s campus and to learn about and celebrate the meaning of Hanukkah with food, dance and song. This year’s Boys Town menorah lighting will take place on Dec. 6 at 4 p.m., the final night of Hanukkah.

The on-campus festivities end with the beginning of the Hanukkah Car Parade through Omaha along a preplanned route complete with police escort!

For more information, to volunteer or to reserve your Car Top Menorahs and roof protectors, please register at ochabad.com/chanukahrsvp.

HANUKKAH GIFTS FOR THE ELDERLY Small holiday gift packages are available for the elders in our community. The community is invited to submit names and addresses for a special Hanukkah delivery. We are also looking for volunteers to help pack and deliver gift packages.

Please contact mushka@ochabad.com with name requests or to volunteer!

HANUKKAH INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY This was such a hit the past two years, we had to bring it back again! It’s super easy and all you need to do is take a selfie - or eight!- of yourself celebrating Hanukkah and tag @Chabadofnebraska for a chance to win any number of fabulous prizes! There are unlimited entries. Winners will be chosen after Hanukkah and notified via their Instagram account and then contacted for a mailing address or pick up at Chabad. Please be sure to follow our page @chabadofne braska to be updated on all the important details!

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6 | The Jewish Press | November 12, 2021

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US sanctions Israeli spyware companies

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The Kaplan Book Group’s next book is a conundrum SHIRLY BANNER JFO Kripke Jewish Federation Library, Library Specialist On Nov. 18 the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will gather for their monthly meeting. Group members have the choice of meeting either via Zoom or in person in the Benjamin and Anna E. Wiesman Reception Room in the Staenberg Jewish Community Center.

They will be discussing Magpie Murders by author Anthony Horowitz.

Horowitz is well-known for his “mystery within a mystery” writing style.

The Magpie Murders begins with an ominous introduction in which Charles Clover, editor Susan Ryeland’s boss, presents her with the latest and final manuscript of fictitious author Alan Conway’s Atticus Pünd detective series.

Looking back, Susan warns the reader that the book has changed her life.

Horowitz then presents the first six chapters of the Conway work entitled, the Magpie Murders.

Atticus Pünd’s focus is to solve mysteries set in sleepy English villages, much like the characters in Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers’ detective novels. This final Conway mystery begins with the accidental death of Pye Manor housekeeper, Mary Blakiston, in the small English village of Avon-on-Saxon.

Two weeks after Mary’s funeral, Atticus Pünd is prompted to investigate the murder of Magnus Pye, owner of Pye Manor, and the subsequent break-in and theft of a silver collection from Pye Hall within the manor. The manuscript that Susan is reading abruptly ends without the solution of the murder,

as she discovers that the last chapter is missing.

Horowitz then switches back to Susan’s expressing her frustration with not knowing what happened to the missing final chapter and her attempts to solve the manuscript’s mystery. She subsequently learns that Conway is dead of an apparent suicide, based on a letter received in the mail by Charles Clover.

All does not sit well with Susan and she continues her search for the missing chapter, hoping to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the death of Conway.

The reader is now challenged to solve the second mystery in Horowitz’s novel – to discover the circumstances that changed editor Susan Ryeland’s life.

Please feel free to join us on Nov. 18 in person or via Zoom. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. New members are always welcome. To view books discussed by the group over the past several years, go to www.jewishomaha.org, click on the “Community & Education” pulldown tab and navigate to “Kripke Jewish Federation Library,” then to “Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group.”

The group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For information about the group and to join in the discussion, contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org.

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. For specific speaker information and/or to be placed on the email list, please contact Breadbreakers chair Gary Javitch at breadbreakersomaha@gmail.com or leave a message at the B’nai B’rith JCC office 402.334.6443.

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SHIRA HANAU JTA The United States sanctioned two Israeli spyware companies for working with foreign governments that the U.S. accused of using the tools to “threaten the rules-based international order.”

NSO Group and Candira were placed on the list of companies sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Commerce, along with two other companies based in Russia and Singapore on Wednesday.

The department added that the companies provided spyware to actors who used it “to maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics and embassy workers.”

NSO Group is the creator of Pegasus, a spyware that can take over a target’s cellphone and collect data from it. The company was at the center of reporting by a consortium of news organizations, called the Pegasus Project, which detailed the ways in which foreign governments and actors had used the technology to target journalists, activists and others. In 2019, WhatsApp sued NSO Group for allegedly using the app to access the phones of 1,400 WhatsApp users, including journalists and activists.

The sanctions mean the companies can no longer use American technologies, though American customers can still purchase their products.

While the U.S. said the sanctions were limited to the companies and would not take any actions against Israel’s government, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department said the U.S. would conduct “further discussions” with Israel over the matter, according to The Washington Post. Exports of the company’s technology are subject to approval by Israel’s Defense Ministry, as are any weapons exported from the country. Israeli media reported that Israel’s government was notified of the decision to sanction the companies one hour before the announcement was made.

“We look forward to further discussions with the government of Israel about ensuring that these companies’ products are not used to target human rights defenders, journalists and others who shouldn’t be targeted,” said Ned Price, a State Department spokesman.

The U.S. Department of Commerce said the sanctions were part of the Biden administration’s commitment “to put human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy.”

“The United States is committed to aggressively using export controls to hold companies accountable that develop, traffic, or use technologies to conduct malicious activities that threaten the cybersecurity of members of civil society, dissidents, government officials, and organizations here and abroad,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina M. Raimondo, said in a statement.

The Jewish Press | November 12, 2021 | 7

Above and below: Beth El’s Miriam Initiative Opening Night event was held at the Corkscrew at the Blackstone. Welcoming new Miriam Initiative General Chair, Abby Kutler.

Opening Night was Chaired by Caryn Scheer.

Above and below: Attendees at the very successful Yale Richards Professional Education Seminar, hosted by the JFO Foundation at Boys Town.

SP O TLIGHT Top, above, below and bottom: The PJ Elementary event in October, when the weather was still nice!

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.

Above: Vivian Katelman, daughter of JFO employee Jay Katelman and his wife Katrina.

Right and below: ‘Healthy Habits Week’ at Friedel Jewish Academy saw students getting lots of exercise and dressing up in ‘healthy’ costumes.

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

8 | The Jewish Press | November 12, 2021

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

An act of defiance ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor We are headed towards Hanukkah. Sure, it’s not Thanksgiving yet and the time is going fast enough, you don’t need me pointing out it’s almost winter.

But maybe, when we think about lighting those candles this year, we can focus on the light it brings, rather than the fact that the pandemic is still hanging around like an univited houseguest.

It’s all too easy to list the things we still can’t do and let it get us down. In fact, I’m afraid it’s becoming a bit of a habit to focus on how hard life has been and will no doubt continue to be. What do we do? One option we have (and I’m a big fan) is to listen to and take inspiration from what other, smarter people have said that can help us in this situation.

“Since the days of Antiochus in 168 BCE,” Aviya Kushner wrote for the Forward, “Hanukkah has been about roots and holding on to them. We light to remember, to learn and to honor resistance when who we are is threatened. And we light to dedicate ourselves, again, to the labor and responsibility of being free.”

She also calls celebrating the holiday “an act of defiance,” which is something we could use right now. Not in a bad way, not as an ‘I’m-not-going-towear-a-mask’ sort of thing, but as a sign of holding on to hope. Because the way things have been going, simply holding on to hope seems pretty defiant behavior.

According to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, we Jews sort of invented the concept of hope:

“Western civilization is the product of two cultures: ancient Greece and ancient Israel. The Greeks believed in fate: the future is determined by the past. Jews believed in freedom: there is no “evil decree” that cannot be averted. The Greeks gave the world the concept of tragedy. Jews gave it the

Credit: Olga Ernst, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

idea of hope. The whole of Judaism – though it would take a book to show it – is a set of laws and narratives designed to create in people, families, communities and a nation, habits that defeat despair. Judaism is the voice of hope in the conversation of mankind.”

As Jews, he explained, we are part of a story without end. We don’t know the outcome, so anything is possible.

Rabbi Sacks also wrote:

“Judaism is a religion of details, but we miss the point if we do not sometimes step back and see the larger picture. To be a Jew is to be an agent of hope in a world serially threatened by despair. Every ritual, every mitzvah, every syllable of the Jewish story, every element of Jewish law, is a protest against escapism, resignation or the blind acceptance of fate. Judaism is a sustained struggle, the greatest ever known, against the world that is, in the name of the world that could be, should be, but is not yet. There is no more challenging vocation.

Throughout history, when human beings have sought hope they have found it in the Jewish story.”

We are all part of that Jewish story. Right now, that story may be one we don’t necessarily enjoy, but who says things will not eventually get better?

What choice do we have but to believe that, to remain optimistic, to have hope for better and happier tomorrows? Isn’t that why we celebrate Hanukkah to begin with, because we want to remember that light chases away the darkness?

This is why we plan, schedule, mark our calendars and even dare to look forward to things. An awfully large number of events have been canceled these past two years; all the more reason to keep at it.

So get out there and fill your shopping cart with onions and potatoes, check that you have enough candles, polish your Hanukkiahs and buy yourself some new clothes. Order your donuts and if you are able, invite your family.

Light your candles and spread joy, in defiance of the pandemic. This too shall pass; the time for miracles is now.

Sigd is not just a holiday for Ethiopian Jews.

SHULA MOLA JTA I have rarely missed the annual Sigd event in Jerusalem. When I lived in Ethiopia, the holiday was a fixture of the Jewish community, taking place 50 days after Yom Kippur each year and celebrating our connection to Jerusalem. After I moved to Israel in 1984, I fell in love with the holiday all over again, celebrating it in Eretz Yisrael.

This year, however, I am not there not just because of COVID-19, but also because I am here in the U.S. for a postdoctoral year to preserve the heritage of Ethiopian Jewry, creating an oral history project that will educate and be a source of strength for the community.

My last Sigd in Ethiopia was November 1983. The entire village ascended the nearby mountain. Men, women and children all dressed in our best festive clothes for a day of fasting and prayer. I remember the strong feeling that surrounded us all, that soon our dream would come true: to reach Jerusalem. By that year, some of the villages of the Beta Israel had already left to go to Eretz Yisrael, including some of my uncles. I watched from the sidelines as the adults prayed, while at the same time quietly conversing with my cousins, excited that we would no longer have to go up this mountain, because we would soon reach Jerusalem and pray in the Holy Temple.

There are other memories. I can still see a woman sitting on the side and scattering grains of wheat on the ground while lamenting in a whisper and crying. At that time, I did not understand what she was doing. Today I understand that it was part of the observance of Sigd. The Kessim, our religious leaders, read verses from the Torah and prayed for a return to Zion. But our elders also prayed for the release of the souls of the dead, sprinkling grains of wheat or teff, asking the birds to eat the grain and fly their prayers to heaven. Sigd is not only a gathering of the living, but also a day to remember and be reunited with those that have passed.

Once in Israel, Sigd quickly found a place in our community’s life. For as long as I can remember, every year, on the 29th day of the month of Cheshvan, people gathered on the Promenade in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood in Jerusalem, with a breathtaking view of the Temple Mount in the Old

City, reenacting the rituals of our Ethiopian heritage.

My views and practices around Sigd have changed as well. When I first arrived in Israel, I was sent to a girls’ religious boarding school where we did not celebrate or even learn about Sigd. The only concession was that the school took all of the Ethiopian students to the main Sigd event in Jerusalem. We wore festive clothes that we got specially for the celebration. I was so excited not so much for the holiday, but for the reunion, the gathering. Sigd was a meet-

Israeli women from the Ethiopian Jewish community pray during the Sigd holiday from a hilltop overlooking the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel, Nov. 27, 2019. Credit: Gali Tibbon/AFP via Getty Images

ing for so many people from our community who came from all over the country, just like they did in Ethiopia. I was excited to see the uncles and aunts I had not seen for a long time, and my friends who had been sent to other boarding schools. We swapped stories about our new lives in Israel, and the religious elements; the fasting, the praying were secondary.

When my children reached school age, I worked to raise interest in our Sigd holiday at their school.

I volunteered to talk and lead activities. I wanted the school to reflect our presence among the variety of traditions and customs in Israel. I wanted the school to see us.

Yet my activism was tinged with ambivalence. I longed to help my children feel connected to their origins and be proud of who they are. But I chafed at my assumed responsibilities, as the school failed to create space for all children and their cultures.

In those years I served as chairwoman of the Association of Ethiopian Jews. The association’s staff came up with an idea to make the Sigd a national

holiday. Status as a national holiday would mean that community members could take the day off without penalty, and would allow us to pressure educational institutions to include appropriate content about the holiday and the community into the curriculum.

The Knesset enacted a law to designate Sigd a national holiday in 2008. Over time I realized that there is no full integration without recognition, no equality without belonging. The fight for Sigd was an integral part of our struggle.

Once the law came into effect, the celebration of Sigd flowered. Every school and community center that values multiculturalism invites Ethiopian-Israelis to come talk about Sigd and dedicates a day of learning about the “Ethiopian community,” including the schools in which I worked, and where my children studied. I often spoke on these days, still ambivalent.

Years later, these schools still asked me and my children to participate. I refused, explaining that these schools cannot rely on my family and volunteerism alone, and that Sigd programming must come from the schools as an integral part of their mission.

The heart of Sigd is in the renewal of the covenants between a person and God, a person and the community, and a person and society. The day’s customs reflect and strengthen these bonds: charity, togetherness, singing, dancing, and communal meals. Rabbi Sharon Shalom argues that Sigd was an ancient holiday that was once celebrated by all Jewish communities and subsequently forgotten. Only Beta Israel, Ethiopian Jews continued to celebrate and preserve Sigd.

This year I am away from home again, in residence at the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University. We will celebrate Sigd with friends, far away from Jerusalem’s mountains.

I long for our home in Jerusalem, that, this year, will not be open to all our family and friends who come to us for the Sigd. Hopefully, soon we will return.

Shula Mola is an Israeli civil and human rights activist and educator and a 2021-2022 postdoctoral fellow at the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

The Jewish Press | November 12, 2021 | 9

What NY’s Jewish Museum got right and wrong about looted art

ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL AND BEN SALES JTA An exhibit at the Jewish Museum in Manhattan, Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art, examines the Nazis’ theft of masterworks from the collections of the Jews they persecuted and of others they merely exploited. Andrew SilowCarroll, the New York Jewish Week’s editor in chief, and Ben Sales, a reporter for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, recently visited the exhibit and came away with different impressions. An edited version of their online conversation is below.

ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL: You and I both took in The Jewish Museum’s new exhibit on artworks looted by the Nazis, Afterlives. The critical response to the show has been mixed, and I think you and I disagree a bit about it. Let me start by saying that the show presents an unavoidable challenge for the viewer: Are we there to “enjoy” the works by Chagall, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso and Pissarro that grace the walls? Or is their recovery after the war a reminder of all the human lives lost?

In learning more about “The Monuments Men” and other rescuers of European treasures, are we meant to honor the Allies who fought the Nazis and saved Western culture or lament all the ways the West failed to save actual human beings?

BEN SALES: Those were some of my central questions as well. Afterlives boiled down to a decent art exhibit featuring a range of well-regarded painters from the mid-19th to the early 20th century. But I can get a much better version of that eight blocks away at The Met. The human question also occurred to me. But I will say this: If this exhibit is asking people to accept the premise that art is worth saving, that’s not an unreasonable request in and of itself. At the same time, it would have been nice to acknowledge that the Allies could have, and should have, devoted more energy to saving people than saving art.

ANDY: Dara Horn makes a similar point in her new book, People Love Dead Jews, in her essay about the Holocaust rescuer Varian Fry: “Fry tried to save the culture of Europe and for that he should be remembered and praised. But no one tried to save the culture of Hasidism, for example...,” she writes.

The exhibit’s strength, I felt, was in how its sheds light not just on the Nazis’ assault on Jewish bodies but on “Jewish” ideas. Many of the works on view were seized and condemned

by Hitler as examples of “degenerate” art, which he viewed as

a distinctly Jewish corruption of the noble ideals of classical painting, sculpture and music. (One of the paintings on display, Battle on a Bridge, the 17th-century French artist Claude Lorrain’s weirdly pastoral depiction of a famous Roman battle that established Christianity’s victory over paganism, was a favorite of Hitler’s.) The message may be indirect, but it lands: The Nazi program was a cultural battle as well as a military one, meant to “reclaim” Germany and Europe from its Jewish usurpers.

A view of Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art at the Jewish Museum in Manhattan, Oct. 10, 2021. Credit: New York Jewish Week

BEN: In Fry’s defense, at least he was saving actual people: artists and writers like Marc Chagall, André Breton, André Masson and maybe 2,000 others. But I agree that this was one of the exhibit’s strong points. I also enjoyed the descriptions next to each piece of its provenance and journey. In fact, I may have spent more time reading those than I did actually looking at the art.

But I think visitors would have been better served had the exhibit doubled down on that. Instead of being an exhibit of paintings, it could have focused on Jewish collectors, the ideas that animated them, their relationships with artists, how their collections were looted, etc. with a few representative works.

There could have been a wall, for example, dedicated to the Degenerate Art exhibit of 1937, the works removed from museums by the Nazi government and displayed as the “art of decay.”

ANDY: What did you think of the treatment of the museum’s own efforts of rescue and recovery, before and after the war? On view are antique ceremonial objects sent to New York by communities and individuals for safekeeping ahead of the Nazi invasion of Poland and other countries. Institutions like

the museum, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan made sure they were kept safe.

BEN: I can’t stop thinking of the row after row of Havdalah spice boxes and Torah scroll adornments sitting on shelves behind glass, each affixed with a little tag, each representing one family, or community, that will no longer celebrate Havdalah. In a way, the tags reminded me of Auschwitz tattoos, each cataloging destruction in its own way.

It’s a haunting image and an understated, powerful way of showing all we’ve lost.

ANDY: And I was haunted by a small ledger on display that was kept by a political prisoner at Dachau, containing the names of 3,478 men, women and children, of whom only 11 would survive the camp. It comes at about the halfway point of the exhibit, which begins with a gorgeous painting by the German Franz Marc, The Large Blue Horses, and ends with a clip of the Nuremberg Trials. To me the message came through loud and clear: Between beauty and justice there is unimaginable destruction. Afterlives demands that you hold all three ideas in your head at once.

BEN: But here’s my problem: The bulk of this exhibit was about art that has been restituted, and efforts of the Allies that did bear fruit. But we know, from abundant sources, that a lot of art was not restored to its original owners, which the exhibit notes but does not focus on. The fact that, 80 years after the Holocaust, there are still ongoing disputes about looted art means that this struggle is far from over. My larger problem with that choice is actually the same problem I have with Holocaust movies: Way too many of them have a “happy” ending. It feels weird to even write this, but the Holocaust did not have a happy ending. It isn’t a story of success; it’s a story of failure. This exhibit, too, should have been a story of failure. It was not.

Andrew Silow-Carroll is the editor in chief of The New York Jewish Week and senior editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Ben Sales covers anti-Semitism as well as American Jewish affairs for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Previously, he was JTA’s Israel correspondent, based in Tel Aviv.

This article was edited for length. Please find the full text at www.omahajewishpress.com.

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Synagogues

10 | The Jewish Press | November 12, 2021

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

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN

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

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME

323 South 132 Street Omaha, NE 68154 rbjh.com

TEMPLE ISRAEL

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

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: TIFERETH ISRAEL

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

B’NAI ISRAEL Join us via Zoom on Friday, Nov. 12, 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, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber.

Handicap Accessible.

BETH EL Virtual services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.

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

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

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services with the Zohars, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades 3-7), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 5:40 p.m. Zoom only; Community Havdalah with the Zohars, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel.

SUNDAY: Siddur 101 with Hazzan Krausman following morning minyan; BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10 a.m.

TUESDAY: Mussar, 11:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham at Beth El & Zoom.

WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-10), 6 p.m. at Beth El; Israel Meeting (Grades 11-12), 6:30 p.m. at the JCC; Singing in the Reign, 6 p.m. with Dr. Leonard Greenspoon via Zoom only; Community Beit Midrash, 7 p.m. In-person at the JCC or on Zoom.

THURSDAY: Revisting the Classics, 7 p.m. with Hazzan Krausman.

FRIDAY-Nov. 19: Nebraska AIDS Coalition Lunch, 11:30 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.

SATURDAY-Nov. 20: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El & Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades 3-7), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 5:40 p.m. Zoom only.

Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and 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 pergola, weather permitting. Physical distancing and masks required.

FRIDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbos/Candlelighting, 4:50 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:30 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m. with Shiran Dreyer; Daf Yomi, 4 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:40 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos, 5 p.m. with Rabbi Ari; Kids Activity, 5:10 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Havdalah, 5:51 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Daf Yomi, 4 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:40 p.m.

MONDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 4 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:40 p.m.

TUESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Kids Class, 3:45 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Daf Yomi, 4:20 p.m.

with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:40 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 4 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 4:40 p.m.; Board of Directors Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Character Development, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Daf Yomi, 4 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:40 p.m.

FRIDAY-Nov. 19: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbos/Candlelighting, 4:44 p.m.

SATURDAY-Nov. 20: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:45 a.m. with Shiran Dreyer; Daf Yomi, 4 p.m. with Rabbi Yoni; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 4:40 p.m.; Laws of Shabbos, 5 p.m. with Rabbi Ari; Havdalah, 5:46 p.m.

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

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

FRIDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 4:30 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochabad.com/Le chayim; Candlelighting, 4:49 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 5:49 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Parsha and Coffee, 9:45 a.m.

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

TUESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Emotional Wellness, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Taub in the Goldstein Community Engagement Venue at the JCC. Free and open to the entire community. RSVP at ochabad.com/rsvp.

WEDNESDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Introduction to Hebrew Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen.

THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Advanced Hebrew Class, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study (Sanhedrin 18 — No advance experience necessary), noon with Rabbi Katzman.

FRIDAY-Nov. 19: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Inspirational Lechayim, 4:30 p.m. with Rabbi and friends: ochab ad.com/Lechayim; Candlelighting, 4:43 p.m.

SATURDAY-Nov. 20: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 5:45 p.m.

LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch.

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

FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex, Leslie Delserone and Peter Mullin, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Candlelighting, 4:52 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Vayetzei, noon; Havdalah, 5:53 p.m.

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

shine to ride to one of The Mill locations from Hanson Ct. (except we drive if its too wet, cold, cloudy, windy, hot or humid) followed by coffee and spirited discussions. No fee to join, no dues, no president, no board or minutes taken. If Interested please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail.com to find out where to meet each week; Come learn and play Pickleball, 7-9 p.m. at Peterson Park. Everyone is welcome; just wear comfortable clothes and tennis or gym shoes. If you need a paddle, contact Miriam Wallick by email at Miriam57 @aol.com or by text at 402.470.2393 before Sunday.

TUESDAY: Tea & Coffee with Pals, 1:30 p.m. via Zoom; Jewish Ethical Teachings Class, 7 p.m. with Rabbi Alex.

WEDNESDAY: LJCS Classes, 4 p.m.

THURSDAY: Choir Rehearsal, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY-Nov. 19: Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex with LCJS Students, Nathaniel and Steve Kaup, 6:30 p.m. at SST; Candlelighting, 4:47 p.m.

SATURDAY-Nov. 20: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study on Parashat Vayislach, noon; Havdalah, 5:48 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

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

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home‘s service is currently closed to visitors.

TEMPLE ISRAEL

In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Brian Stoller, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin and Cantor Joanna Alexander.

DAILY VIRTUAL MINYAN: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. via Zoom.

FRIDAY: Shabbat Shira Service, 6 p.m. accompanying the service is Tom Friedman (guitar), and Darci Gamerl (oboe) or David Downing (cello) and drums (TBD) via Zoom or In-Person.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or InPerson; Beit Cafe Concert, 7-9 p.m. with Feliza and Or Zohar at Temple Israel or via Zoom from our FaceBook page.

SUNDAY: Second Sunday Breakfast Service, 9:30 a.m. at the Stephen Center; Youth Learning Programs — Grades PreK-6, 9:30 a.m.; Book Club, 10:30 a.m.; Rosh Chodesh: A Tour of the Great Plains Black History Museum and The Omaha Star, 1 p.m.; Spirit of the Galilee: Interfaith Music and Stories from the Holy Land, 7 p.m. In-Person or via Zoom from our FaceBook page.

MONDAY: Jewish Law & the Quest for Meaning, 11 a.m. via Zoom.

TUESDAY: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Youth Learning Programs: Grades 36, 4-6 p.m.; Community Dinner, 6 p.m.; Grades 7-10, 6:30-8 p.m.; Israel Education for Grades 11-12, 6:30-8 p.m. at the JCC; Community Beit Midrash, 7 p.m. at the JCC. THURSDAY: Thursday Morning Class, 10 a.m. with Rabbi Azriel via Zoom or In-Person.

FRIDAY-Nov. 19: Tot Shabbat, 5:45 p.m.; Classic Shabbat Service: Antisemitism: Ancient Plague, Modern Threat, 6 p.m. via Zoom or In-Person.

SATURDAY-Nov. 20: NFTY MV Fall Chavurah in KC; Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. via Zoom or In-Person.

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

A Thank You message to Lisa’s parents In October of 2020, the Jewish Press ran a story detailing how Lisa Hoberman, daughter of Cookie and Jerry Hoberman, has lived with the diagnosis of PLS (Primary Lateral Sclerosis).

PLS is in the same family as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a type of motor neuron disease that causes nerves in the brain to slowly break down. PLS causes weakness in your voluntary muscles, such as those you use to control legs, arms and tongue.

“My wonderful aunt, Audrey, took the time to contact the Jewish Press in the hopes there would be an article,” Lisa remembers. “It worked. I was

and continue to be joyful my aunt reached out.

Now I hope you will do the same for my parents. If anyone deserves recognition, it is them,” she said.

“Life is not easy. Life is a delicate gift. I recognize and appreciate what life has to offer.

“My parents have given me an anchor for my strength. I wish I could thank them enough for their love, support and continued encouragement.

They are the bright light in my darkness. Cookie and Jerry Hoberman give the words ‘hope’ and ‘love’ an entirely new meaning. I want to tell them: Thank You for always believing in me. The world is a brighter place because of your love.”

Jerry and Cookie Hoberman

Life cycles IN MEMORIAM F.H. (BUD) TURKEL F.H. (Bud) Turkel passed away on Oct. 30, 2021. A private family service was held.

He is preceded in death by his father, Dr. Sam L. Turkel and his mother, Sylvia Turkel Greenberg.

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Kathy Turkel; daughter, Kim Platt; two grandchildren, two great-grandchildren; sister and brother-in-law, Randi Turkel Nanfito and Joseph Nanfito; nieces, and nephews.

Memorials may be made to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, 323 S. 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Four Jewish friends were in a cafe. One exclaimed, “oy.” The second sighed, “oy vey.” The third moaned, “oy veyzmir.” The fourth said, “if you fellas don’t stop talking about politics, I am out of here!”

While many claim to be worn out by discussions of “politics,” that attitude may be obscuring attention from an issue of vital importance - the destruction of our democratic system of government. This issue is not about “politics.”

Our national capitol was attacked by a violent mob incited by the loser of the 2020 election. That was not about “politics.”

Violent threats have been made against officials and their families from congress to school boards to election workers, this is not about “politics.”

Cultish conspiracy theories maintain that the government is replacing white people with minorities. Hence the cry “Jews will not replace us.” All of this is not about “politics.”

I believe that every citizen should feel it is their duty to defend our democracy. I further believe that Jews have a special obligation in this regard. Our long historical experience demonstrates that we have flourished under democracy and have catastrophically suffered under autocracies. The echoes of the fascist takeover of democracies in the 1930s are getting louder every day.

The universal values of Judaism oppose those of our former President and the obsequious members of his party. For example, no leader is entitled to claim he possesses “The Truth,” such as “I alone can fix it.” This truth is God’s province. Likewise, no leader is entitled to our absolute loyalty. That loyalty is also God’s province.

What we ought to expect from our leaders is hope instead of fear, unity instead of division, compassion, honesty and judgment instead of anger, hate and revenge. Edmund Burke observed “that the only thing necessary for evil to exist is that good people remain silent.” Fascism is again on the march. The alarm bell is ringing. Are we listening?

Steven J. Riekes

Visit us at omahajewishpress.com

Israel approves national budget ASAF SHALEV JTA In what was seen as a crucial test in Israel’s longstanding governing crisis, the country’s lawmakers managed to approve a national budget for the first time in more than three years on Thursday.

A failure to do so by a Nov. 14 deadline would have meant the collapse of Israel’s new government and a fifth national election since 2019.

The approval of the fiscal framework marks a victory for the coalition led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett over his predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, who sought to undermine parliamentary negotiations as more than 700 individual budgetary provisions came up for a vote.

The passage of the $195 billion budget for 2021 will allow Israel’s governmental offices to resume long-range planning and other routine functions after a hiatus imposed by Netanyahu.

Many are seeing hope for an end to the political chaos that has engulfed Israel in recent years.

“A holiday for the State of Israel,” Naftali Bennett said in a tweet. “After years of chaos, we formed a government. We overcame [the delta variant]. And now, God bless, we have brought a budget to Israel.”

Bennett is governing on the slimmest of majorities, an arrangement of 61 odd bedfellows — including parties from the right, center, left and Arab sector — in a parliament with 120 seats. A single defection would have scuttled the budget.

Netanyahu tried to break up Bennett’s alliance by disparaging the proposed budget as friendly to the rich, and highlighting provisions he characterized as handouts to the only party in the coalition representing Arab Israelis. He reportedly approached lawmakers in the coalition with offers of senior roles in a future right-wing government if Israel went to election again.

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

The Jewish Press | November 12, 2021 | 11

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12 | The Jewish Press | November 12, 2021

News

L’Chaim with Sivan Cohen

LOC AL | N AT I O N A L | WO R L D

Jazz at the J presents: The Arbeiter Trio featuring Karly Jurgenson GABBY BLAIR Jewish Press Staff Writer Enjoy the smooth sounds of the Arbeiter Trio featuring singer Karly Jurgensen at an all-ages show held at the Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater at the Staenberg Omaha JCC on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets ($20) are on sale now! Buy online at https://www.jccomaha. org/performing-arts/specialevents/ or by calling 402.334.6403.

Tickets will also be available day of performance at the door from 6-7:30 p.m.

The second in the four-part Jazz at the J Series held in the newly remodeled Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theatre, The Arbeiter Trio has performed in clubs throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Matthew Arbeiter spent the past 15 years working as a professional musician in Nashville, Tennessee and in New York City. The Bellevue, Nebraska native along with his wife, Alissa, also of Omaha, moved back home in 2020 to be closer to their respective families.

Karly Jurgensen is an Omaha native who, as a youth, worked as a summer sports camp assistant at the JCC. She went on to study piano, voice and songwriting at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She loves all things jazz and is honored to be a part of this new musical series at the JCC. JCC Theater Director Scott Shinbara is thrilled to be offering the Jazz at the J Series and hopes it is just the first of many notable offerings that will launch the Adam J. Levine Theater as a destination for the performing arts.

“The JCC is uniquely positioned to offer a top notch professional venue for the performing arts in west Omaha thanks to the recent renovations and upgrades to our fabulous theater,” explains Shinbara.

“While the JCC has long hosted community-based dance,

theater and musical productions, we hope to expand offerings to include professional performances to the entire Omaha community.”

This year’s Jazz at the J series features locally-based talent with plans for the season finale to showcase high-caliber jazz ensembles from area high schools. “This will provide a special end-of-year performance opportunity for these highly skilled and dedicated young musicians on a professional stage.”

Interested in volunteering at this or future theater events!?

Email Scott Shinbara at sshinbara@jccomaha.org for more information. Please note that volunteers may be required to undergo a brief training and background check. Volunteers will also receive one complimentary ticket for the event they sign up to work.

MAREN ANGUS JFO Philanthropy Coordinator Community shlicha Sivan Cohen hosted the first night in her L’Chaim, Israeli Spirit series on Tuesday, Nov. 2 at Spirit World in Aksarben Village.

Cohen, who is a connoisseur of Israeli spirits, featured Milk & Honey Levantine Gin. Milk & Honey is a distillery in Tel Aviv and Levantine Gin is made from 100 percent pure malted barley and botanicals including juniper, origanum syriacum, lemon peel, orange, chamomile, verbena, cinnamon and black pepper.

The botanicals rest for 48 hours and then the gin is distilled for a third time.

The sold-out event crowd was welcomed with a twist on the traditional gin and tonic. Alzuri, Spirit World Manager, added a dash of apricot brandy to complement the botanicals in the gin.

Those in attendance were then ushered into a private room where a spread of cheese, crackers, nuts, bread and spreads were placed on the table and then Alzuri began his presentation.

Cohen and Alzuri provided a tasting of the gin by itself and a gin take on a mule. The drink was made of Levantine Gin, ginger liqueur and lemon.

Overall, the night was a success and Cohen is excited to host another night of L’Chaim. Stay tuned to the JFO Facebook page to find out when and where the next event will take place.

SNOWBIRDS

Please let the Jewish Press know in advance when you are leaving and when you are returning. Sometimes several papers are sent to your “old” address before we are notified by the Post Office. Every time they return a paper to us, you miss the Jewish Press and we are charged! Please call us at 402.334.6448, email us at jpress@jewishomaha.org or see our website at omahajewishpress.com.