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Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater Thinking about kindergarten? Visit Friedel... virtually! Page 3
A shot before Shabbat Page 4
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor hen the JCC Theater’s curtain fell for the Musical Theater Community Acting Group’s production of The Addams Family on Sunday, Dec. 15, it was more than the end of a show—it was the end of an era. Thanks to the generosity of former Omahan Alan
W
Art on our walls Page 12
J. Levine, things are about to change and we can look forward to a beautiful new space. “The theater will receive a comprehensive floor to ceiling modernization,” Jewish Federation of Omaha Chief Development Officer Steve Levinger says. “These improvements will include improved handicap accessibility, new seats, new audio/visual technology, better acoustics, lighting, sight See Levine Performing Arts Theater page 2
ADL-CRC’s Walk Against The Kaplan Book Group Hate unveils next sites reads The Immortalists
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Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles
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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 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 Against Hate™ to Omaha and transforming it from an afternoon “walk” into a week-long, COVID-safe “journey,” there has been an incredible See Walk Against Hate page 2
SHIRLY BANNER Library Specialist, Kripke Jewish Federation Library In keeping with social distancing, the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will be using Zoom to meet until further notice. To Join the Zoom Meeting, Contact sbanner@jewish omaha.org for the link and meeting ID. On Nov. 19, the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will be discussing Chloe Benjamin’s novel The Immortalists, a book centering on the lives and fates of the four young Gold siblings Daniel, Varya, Klara and Simon. In New York City’s Lower East Side in 1969, the children decide to visit a fortuneteller who can predict when someone will die. Each child is told his fate which is kept secret from the others. Following their father’s
death nearly a decade later, skeptical and intrigued future doctor Daniel, studious Varya, magician and illusionist-loving Klara and still-searching-to-find-himself Simon are each affected differently by these lingering predictions. Is the psychic’s prediction of each sibling’s date of death having an impact on their future and the lives they live? Written as four separate storylines encompassing the next 50 years, the novel gives us insight into each sibling’s life, the impact their lives and actions have on the others and the decisions they make prior to the predicted day of their deaths. The reader is asked to contemplate if these characters’ fates See Kaplan Book Group page 4
2 | The Jewish Press | November 13, 2020
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Walk Against Hate
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Levine Performing Arts Theater
Continued from page 1 lines, brand new rigging and drapes, a new stage floor, dressing rooms and restrooms, increased stagecraft area and storage.” Joanie Jacobson, who is closely involved with the planned renovations, said: “The JCC Theater remains the single, West Omaha theater venue of its kind and happens to be surrounded by zip codes with expendable income and an ever-growing population. The performing arts -- music, theater, dance, film and comedy, are cultural trademarks of the Jewish people, and we’ve made major contributions to the arts for centuries. “But, our theater was broken -- lighting, sound and rigging equipment were out-of-date and malfunctioning. The stage was built over a slab of concrete that was not ideal for dancers. Curtains were faded and worn. Dressing rooms had become storage rooms for cos-
tumes and props, and the stagecraft area had become storage for set pieces and furniture.” To Alan Levine, this theater is much more than a space, more than bricks: it’s what happens in that space, what it will be used for, that is the real gift. Alan grew up in Omaha and although he has lived in California for 60 years, he has warm memories of the Omaha Jewish community and still reads the Jewish Press every week. “Going to Central High was fantasticthere were so many Jewish students and we all knew each other. There were countless ways to come together and reasons to connect and I have very fond memories of that.” When Alan began thinking about his gift, he felt that he wanted to be part of something that would benefit as many community members as possible in the most positive way.
“I came back to Omaha and met with some of the people involved in the campus renovation, I remember Marty Ricks was there and he asked: ‘What do you really want?’ That’s when it dawned on me. I want something that makes people happy. The theater fits the bill, it’s a living space, it’s vibrant and it allows many different community members, young and old, to stand shoulder to shoulder and connect. In a theater, whether you are a performer or an audience member or otherwise involved with a production, you build relationships with people you might not otherwise meet. “Things are not the same as when I went to Central High, the community is more spread out. A place like the Jewish Community Center is essential for people to connect in addition to the synagogues. There are so many reasons to show up; it’s much more than a room!” See Performing Arts Theater page 5
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Continued from page 1 appetite for this positive community experience. Thanks to inspired 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 the Douglas County Courthouse, Central High School and the gravesites of Logan Fontenelle and Big Elk. 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 tenets 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 and 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.
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The Jewish Press | November 13, 2020 | 3
Thinking about kindergarten? Visit Friedel... virtually!
SARA KOHEN Director of Advancement, Friedel Jewish Academy It’s not too early to start thinking about kindergarten! Friedel Jewish Academy offers an outstanding education for students in kindergarten through sixth grade and is located right on the JCC campus. Friedel is a state-approved private school that offers a nurturing environment for its students. Friedel students come from a broad cross-section of the community, with families who belong to each of Omaha’s synagogues, Jewish families who are not affiliated with any synagogue and non-Jewish students who graduated from the CDC. Friedel offers an optimal 10:1 student to classroom teacher ratio. Research shows that a low student–teacher ratio like this leads to better educational outcomes, particularly in early elementary grades. Friedel students excel academically. For example, 75% of Friedel students read above grade level, and 98% read at or above grade level. Friedel integrates technology into the curriculum—with 1:1 iPads and SMART Boards in each general studies classroom—and teachers individualize students’ education by customizing the learning for each child. Students also benefit from a cross-curricular and internationallyrenowned immersion language and Jewish studies program, art, music, swimming instruction, engineering and robotics classes and physical education. Friedel is closed to visitors right now but is offering personalized tours via Zoom. Contact Sara Kohen, Friedel’s Director of Advancement, today at skohen@fjaomaha. com to set up a virtual tour.
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Is a hearing aid in your future? Find out how to afford one this year BOYS TOWN NATIONAL RESEARCH HOSPITAL There are a lot of options and prices for hearing aids. Hearing aids are life-changing devices that are worth the effort of determining the best financing option. We talked to the experts at Boys Town National Research Hospital to learn about the most common financial questions that audiologists and billing specialists help patients with Do I need a referral to buy hearing aids? This depends on your major medical insurance plan. Please check with your insurance company. How do I go about getting hearing aids covered by insurance? At Boys Town Hospital, once you have inquired about the desire to get a hearing aid, the patient financial services team checks your insurance eligibility and benefits for the estimated out-of-pocket costs and authorization requirements specific to the payer. They then pass this information on to Audiology. How much out of pocket would I pay for hearing aids?
This depends on two things: 1. When hearing aids are a covered benefit, the amount would be the out-of-pocket liability remaining on your major medical plan. 2. The type and model of the hearing aid needed. How can I pay for my hearing aid(s)? You can pay the entire cost with cash, credit/debit card or through CareCredit (a third-party company that allows you to set up monthly payments). Also, you can use your Health Savings Account (HSA), a tax-free savings account offered by many employers to help you save for health expenses. Does the price include long-term costs like maintenance and cleaning? The price covers adjustments, repairs and check-ups. It also covers for a one-time loss/replacement. If you would like more information on hearing loss or need help determining if a hearing aid is right for you or a loved one, the experts at Boys Town Hospital can help. Contact us at 531.355.0815.
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GABBY BLAIR Staff Writer, Jewish Press Omaha Chabad has come up with a new way for our community to welcome the Sabbath with a weekly virtual L’Chaim! A Shot before Shabbat began this summer as an interactive way to get people engaged and reconnected in spite of being physically apart. Rabbi Blotner shares that attendance has expanded to 20 + people who enjoy raising a glass of their choosing from the comfort of their own homes while listening to a few words of Torah and inspiring thoughts before welcoming in Shabbat together. “It is more important now than ever before to keep people connected. With the continuing pan-
demic keeping us from congregating, it is our duty to make sure no one is isolated. Our community thrives on coming together and this is yet another way Chabad is ensuing our friends and community members know they are not alone.” As the days grow shorter, A Shot before Shabbat is now starting at 4:30 p.m. on Friday afternoons through January and lasts just 10 minutes in order to conclude before candle lighting. This week, plan on raising a glass with friends, family and community members by visiting //Ochabad.com/Academy at 4:30 p.m. to join the weekly Zoom. L’chaim and Shabbat Shalom!
Kaplan Book Group
HEALTH+WELLNESS
Continued from page 1 are sealed or if they are exercising free will to determine their own fates. Sixteen year-old Simon and his sister Klara run away to the West Coast in 1978. San Francisco is wild and carefree and accepting of a closeted Simon. Does Simon realize the consequences of his lifestyle in the emerging AIDS crisis, or is he simply accepting his fate and trying to live his life in the fullest while he can? Klara struggles to perfect her magic and illusions as she awaits her big break. Finally ending up in Las Vegas, Klara is on the edge of realizing all of her dreams and ambitions when her final day arrives. Are her magical talents enough to defy death? Daniel is an Army doctor, post 9/11, struggling with the deaths of his younger siblings and seeking to confront the fortunetelling psychic of his past. Will he succumb to the fate of his siblings or will he break the pattern? Varya researches primates and longevity who tests the boundaries between science
and immortality. She develops an OCD-fostered avoidance to taking risks in hopes of not succumbing to the same fate as her siblings. Sometimes the decisions we make in life can be worse than life itself. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion group meets normally on the third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library, but we will be “meeting” online using Zoom until further notice. New members are always welcome. The group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For information about the group, contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewish omaha.org. 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.”
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 closed, we’ll continue presenting an outstanding lineup of thought-provoking keynoters. Anne Hubbard, MD, Philanthropist and Jess Bell, Public Health expert will speak about Are there more Flint Michigan’s? See how Anne’s $5M gift to UNMC is making a difference on Wednesday, Nov. 18. 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.
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Friends and Family of RBJH KAREN COHEN. Board Member, AND GRETCHEN RADLER AND LARRY DEBRUIN, Co-Presidents On behalf of the L.O.V.E. Board, we hope that you will join us in a project to uplift our beloved Residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home this Hanukkah. The living spaces at the home are necessarily absent the usual stream of visitors, volunteers and performers to bolster spirits and enliven conversations. While nothing compares to these in-person interactions, we hope to fill the neighborhoods with collections of short video greetings from our community. The video collages will be delivered as a Hanukkah surprise and will certainly be replayed throughout the month of December. Please submit a video recording of 10-60 second duration to rbjhholidaylove@gmail.com by Friday, Nov. 27. If you have a family member or friend living at the home, please identify your relationship to them, so all the Residents might appreciate the connection. Remember to ensure good lighting as well as a clear view of your face(s)... and enjoy the process! Messages can be either a straightforward greeting or as creative and entertaining as you like. Questions? Contact Karen Cohen at 402.321.0711 or Gretchen Radler at 402.612.4383. What better way to celebrate Hanukkah than to share our light with others? Especially during these challenging times, for the Residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, we thank you for helping to brighten the holiday!
Who Am I? 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@jew ishomaha.org if you are able to assist in the effort to preserve Jewish Omaha history.
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Performing Arts Theater
Continued from page 2 JCC Director of Performing Arts Esther Katz is excited about the future. “I can’t think of a better gift to our campus than a brand-new performing space. What Alan Levine is doing for us will affect so many people, from dancers to actors to visiting performers; just think of all the different uses a really well-designed Performing Arts space can offer! We’re incredibly grateful for this generous gift.” Marty Ricks, former Executive Director of the JFO Foundation, has known Alan for over 20 years and although he has been retired for three years, they still talk frequently: “Alan never forgets how great it was to grow up in a vibrant, terrific Jewish community. He keeps in touch and has certainly noticed the continued vibrancy. His goal for supporting a project in Omaha was to find something that would benefit as many Omaha Jews as possible in a fun environment, and the Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater
will be the perfect fit.” “As the only performing arts venue in West Omaha,” Steve Levinger added, “we’re excited to play an active role in expanding the arts and providing access to a greater number of people in our community. It’s very fitting that this gift comes from Alan Levine; he has been a sponsor for the past two years of our Backyard Concert Series…another project that brings our community together and from which people leave smiling.” The best way the community can say thank you for this gift, Marty Ricks said, is by supporting the cultural arts. That, we all know, will not be a hardship. The Alan J. Levine Performing Arts Theater, as Alan mentioned, is more than the sum of its parts. From every three-year-old who first puts on ballet slippers and makes the walk from the Pennie Z. Davis CDC to the classrooms upstairs, every elementary school student, teenager, adult who auditions for a play, the road leads to the stage. How many of us have been in the theater, to
watch our children graduate from preschool, to see our friends perform in musicals or attend the Klutznick Symposium Keynote speaker? How many Annual Meetings, Friedel Jewish Academy graduations, Summer Camp skits, dance recitals and movies have we seen throughout the years? How many times during those years did we mention how the sound ‘could be better’ and we really needed an upgrade? And in spite of that, how often have we shown up anyway? Just think of the memories we’ve made, and the new ones we’ll add in the future. Close your eyes and imagine for a second what it will be like—the way Joanie Jacobson describes it: “We’ll be a jewel of a theater space, poised and ready to become a leading force in the Omaha arts community while pursuing our own rich artistic tradition as Jews and sharing our stage with the arts and business communities throughout the city. Thanks to Alan Levine, it’s ‘Our Turn To Shine’ -- and we’re excited about it!”
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The Tri-Faith Garden
ILENE ARNOLD The Tri-Faith Garden and Orchard is more than just a plot of land to plant seeds or grow fruit trees. This garden grows our understanding of the interfaith community with volunteers from a church, a mosque, and a temple. New friendships grow from fellowship while tending the garden. Volunteers share their gardening expertise so we all learn together
to address food insecurity was a wonderful idea. I love gardening and I know that there must be others who would be thrilled to volunteer. I already knew about HOPE (stands for Helping Omaha’s People Eat) Garden because my wife (a Master Gardener) and I toured it during the Monroe-Meyer Guild garden walk in 2017. If you have never been on one of the Monroe-Meyer Guild garden walks
Some of the volunteers from American Muslim Institute, Countryside Community Church, and Temple Israel of Omaha, Nebraska practicing safe distancing with masks in the garden. I am the one with my left arm up in the middle.
to gain insights and respect for diverse beliefs in our community. If you have the desire to learn, build awareness of the wonders of diversity, and help the food-insecure in our community, then come grow with us in the Tri-Faith Garden and Orchard. When the Social Justice Committee was restarted by Rabbi Berezin with Geoffrey Silverstein at the end of 2017, Rabbi Berezin suggested the idea of a community garden. The idea was approved for funding by February 2018. As part of the Social Justice Committee in 2017 -2018, I thought the idea of a garden
and you love gardens, this is a must-see event, and the entrance fee goes to a great cause. When I retired at the end of last year, it freed me up to spend time in the garden volunteering. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else now. The Tri-Faith Garden and Orchard has planted a seed that has grown inside me, nourished by newly formed friendships that have blossomed in a celebration of our similarities and differences. To learn more about the Tri-Faith Garden and Orchard, please visit www.trifaith.org.
Mental Health Series: There really is help available My family tires of hearing me say it is always Mental Health Awareness Week. It is imperative that we never allow embarrassment, pride, or confusion to keep us from seeking help. As we all continue to work at re- AVEVA ducing the stigma of SHUKERT, PH.D mental health issues, Licensed that must include an Psychologist awareness of the signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety and other major mental health problems. We must view them as we view any other health problem and realize that while they are not “our fault” or always within our control, we are in control of seeking help. Behaviors to notice are changes in eating and sleep habits, social withdrawal, problems with attention and concentration, in-
creased irritability, loss of interest in pleasurable activities, and thoughts of self- harm. Family history should also be included in conversations with our health care providers. Not only do some symptoms, including abuse and addiction, run in families, but so does response to medication. I continue to remain an optimist, or I would have had a different career. Most reactions to seemingly dire situations do not have to be permanent, even the loss of a loved one. We CAN heal, especially if we ask for help. There are many resources available in the community, including one’s primary care provider. There are also many mental health providers in Omaha. Consult your insurance provider for in-network care; then make the appointment. There is also the suicide hotline 800.273.8255, or if necessary call 911 or go the ER of any local hospital. Please don’t let yourself or your loved ones suffer needlessly. Sometimes support from family and friends is all it takes to seek help.
Camille Metoyer Moten at the Omaha Community Playhouse OCP legend Camille Metoyer Moten makes her highly-anticipated return to the stage for an intimate holiday affair. Experience the wonder and magic of the season in concert. Cozy up in our Howard Drew Theatre and let Camille’s soaring voice warm your heart with beloved holiday classics, contemporary melodies and everything in between! The show runs Nov. 27 through Dec. 20 in the Howard Drew Theatre at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at OmahaPlay house.com or at the OCP Box Office at 402.553.0800. PAID ADVERTISEMENT
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Election days long ago The morning of this year’s election, I awoke not thinking of everything that had gone on the night before while listening to one television newscast after another or even wondering what the results would be when the polls closed. Instead, my mind turned back many years to election mornings long ago when my name was on the ballot and ahead of me was a day of waiting for the RICHARD FELLMAN returns. There were many mornings, far more than I guessed. Then I began to count. Each year I ran for office there were two elections, the primary and the general, altogether ten elections for five different years... Congress in ’66, City Council in ’69, County Board in ’76, Congress in ’80, and, once more and the last time, Congress in ’82. That’s a lot of elections and a lot of election days to anxiously wait for the returns. Altogether I won six of those contests, and I must admit I lost four of them. But in a most important way they were all much the same. Each day was nervous. Each day was full of anticipation. Each day was invigorating, even those years when I lost. And each day was memorable. The oldest was more than 50 years ago, and the most recent was nearly 40 years ago. But as my memory kept going back, each day seemed like yesterday. For the candidate, there really is not much that can be done on election day. The “get out the vote” operation is either functioning or it is not, but it’s too late to make any changes. The
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yard signs in front of every polling place are either up and facing the path voters take to enter and vote, or they are not. The campaign workers who are charged with getting the room ready for supporters who come to wait for the returns are already busy, and they don’t need the help of the candidate. About the only appointment I recall was the request by the newspaper to get a photo of the candidate, which was me, actually voting, and that picture was always supposed to be with my wife alongside of me. This meant we both had to get dressed and look like we had already won. That isn’t always so easy to accomplish first thing in the morning. But I recall meeting the reporters and the paper’s photographers each of those mornings. Then came the big question. What does one do from early in the morning until eight in the evening when the returns will be announced? A nap, which sounded good because of the long hours spent campaigning, never worked. I tried it, time and again, and I think my nerves (and I was always a rather
calm person) kept me tossing and turning. A worker in my campaign, always one I felt closest to, invariably picked me up and we drove from one polling place to another to shake hands with voters waiting in line to vote. I couldn’t go inside since election laws prohibited any political activity within fifty feet of the entrance to the election site. So we drove, and we stopped, and I spoke with voters and shook hands and discovered that while everyone was nice some seemed far nicer than others did. No one was ever discourteous. But it really wasn’t difficult to tell which way someone was voting. Then towards noon, Bev and I picked up a friend who had been a campaign worker and the three of us went to lunch. It was always the same restaurant, one we liked but, most importantly, one where we would see large numbers of friends. Friends stopped by, exchanged small talk, and wished us success. What more could they say? See Elections days long ago page 10
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Above: RBJH Residents are finding new ways to socialize and keep busy by playing the game Mexican Train Dominoes.
Above: Kindergarteners used their five senses to describe popcorn! They listened to it popping and sizzling in the microwave and smelled butter in the air. They each had their own bowl to look at, feel and taste. It was delicious!
Left and above: Shirley Weinstein celebrated her 98th birthday with cake, flowers, balloons and a “window visit” from family and friends. Mazal tov, Shirley!
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.
Above and below: Friedel Jewish Academy joined schools around the country for Red Ribbon Week: a week of age-appropriate educational programs to help kids grow up safe, healthy and drug/alcohol/tobaccofree. Above: Longtime Jewish Press volunteer Dottie Rosenblum holds up a Halloween mobile sent as a gift from the Press staff. Happy Birthday, Dottie! We miss you! Below and right: RBJH Residents are gearing up for Thanksgiving with a craft project of thankful decorations to decorate the neighborhoods.
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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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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.
A strange hobby
widely available online. and suicide in the total tally, puts that number in ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Arthur Butz is an evil man who has a strange the hundreds. Jewish Press Editor To this day, it chills our blood to imagine a situaIt’s not often that Iceland makes the news. A hobby. I cannot begin to explain how someone makes tion so volatile that an incident hundreds of miles small country with a population of less than this his life’s work. Frankly, I don’t really want to. With such a small population, some of whom are away could inspire such hatred and violence. 400,000, it’s mostly known for cold weather, starkAnd, of course, Kristallnacht not only gives but-beautiful architecture and volcanic activus pause for what it was, but for what it anity. I’ve visited Reykjavik a few times and it’s nounced. The Jews who suffered through remarkably pleasant, with stores selling soft Kristallnacht were already living in a powfurs and hand-knit sheep wool sweaters and derkeg. In hindsight, it is impossible to see it a gorgeous landscape. They have reindeer. It’s in isolation. We know too well what hapa part of Scandinavia where on cold winter pened next. nights you can imagine fairy tales are real. We, too, live in a powderkeg. Between the Imagine my surprise when I read that, just rise in anti-Semitic incidents, COVID-19, the in time for Christmas, Arthur Butz’ book The economic fallout, the election and QAnon, Hoax of the Twentieth Century is hitting stores there are several reasons why we look over over there. Someone actually translated it into our shoulder. Icelandic, which very few people outside of Even before COVID, we had become accusthe country speak. tomed to the need for security and no longer Butz, who is a (tenured!) professor in elecsent our children to Sunday school without trical engineering at Northwestern University, anticipating a guard outside the synagogue. published The Hoax of the Twentieth Century: And when, G-d willing, we’ll be able to leave The Case Against the Presumed Extermination our houses again and come together in public of European Jewry in 1976. In it, he argues the settings the way we used to, we will expect a Holocaust was pure propaganda motivated certain level of uniformed security. by Zionism. He also claims ‘no evidence exists’ for the Shoah and that Jews who died Alexandre Buisse. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribu- We’ve adopted a level of hyper-vigilance in simply ran off and lived out their lives else- tion-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 recent years, where we pretend we are okay, but in the meantime expect the worst. In the where. He calls first-person accounts “fantas- Generic license tic concoction and venal or malicious lying.” His children, we can assume Hoax won’t be very widely current climate, someone like Arthur Butz cannot be ignored; even in a small country like Iceland, followers point at his academic credentials as proof sold in Iceland. And the reindeer don’t read. So why should we nonetheless be concerned? where very few people will read his book, there is that his is serious scholarship. Of course, electrical Here’s why. danger. engineering has little to do with history, but hey. Just recently, we marked the 82nd anniversary of Remembering the Holocaust is not limited to His other claim to fame is inclusion on the editorial board of the Journal of Historical Review, Kristallnacht, when over 7,000 Jewish businesses looking at the past and learning from it; it now inwhich had as its main goal — you guessed it— were damaged and destroyed. We still don’t know cludes keeping our eyes wide open in the present, Holocaust denial. The magazine ceased publica- how many people lost their lives: modern analysis, watching the news, paying attention. Because even tion in 2001 but much of what Butz wrote is still which includes victims of post-arrest maltreatment the smallest spark can ignite a destructive fire.
What I learned about teshuvah (and the internet) when I sat down with a repentant white supremacist RABBI AVRAM MLOTEK JTA Before I met him, I saw Benjamin McDowell’s name in the news. Inspired by Dylann Roof, the notorious shooter responsible for the Charleston church massacre, he planned an attack on a synagogue that was thwarted by FBI agents. No lives were lost. No lasting physical harm was done, though the synagogue members certainly felt threatened and terrified. I read the news item online and, though I didn’t yet know the word, doomscrolled onward. I probably wouldn’t have thought much about McDowell again had I not seen a video of him three years later. Rabba Karpov, the rabbi of Jewish Center of Indian Country, Oklahoma, posted a Youtube video uploaded by McDowell in which he expressed remorse for his past behavior. (The video has since been removed, though I don’t know why or by whom). I watched the video and was genuinely moved. Something had happened to Benji while in prison. Here he was, talking about the power of love and light to transcend differences, political and religious, and how we were all part of one larger human family. How many of us have undergone such a profound, public transformation from deadly darkness to hope? How many ex-White Supremacists are out there seeking to amend their past ways? A few nights before I had watched the film Burden, which tells the true story of how a Black minister, Reverend Kennedy, welcomed a former KKK member, Mike Burden, into his home and changed his life forever. Inspired by this radical act of loving kindness on the reverend’s part, I felt compelled to act on the video of McDowell. I reached out to him directly on Facebook. Even though I have invited anti-Semites into my home before, I generally believe it is not the Jewish people’s responsibility to combat anti-Semitism —
in the same way that it is not Black people’s respon- teshuvah indeed could be seen this way. sibility to dismantle systemic racism. Racism, sexHis intentional hateful acts had brought him to ism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia are prejudices this meritorious place of seeking out reconciliation. which plague society, and we as a nation bear a Though our country is engulfed in national turcommunal responsibility towards eradicating them. moil, and we are each convinced of our own politBut a communal responsibility is fulfilled through ical righteousness, McDowell said he was countless individual acts. And I knew that encoun- undergoing a personal transformation. (He told me ters with people from such a polar opposite outlook he doesn’t follow the news much because its toxic can be sacred and potentially profoundly impactful. nature isn’t the most conducive to his emotional After some texting and a phone call, I invited Benji onto my show, A Rabbi And A —– Walk Into A Zoom. I’ve hosted priests, Holocaust survivors, doctors, musicians, actors — even President and Michelle Obama’s speechwriter — but never before a repentant white supremacist. And so, we had our event’s name: A Rabbi And A Former White Supremacist Walk Into Rabbi Avram Mlotek, right, interviewed Benjamin Hoss Mcdowell, A Zoom. What struck me most during our a repentant white supremacist who was caught planning a violent conversation — which took place right attack against a Jewish community in South Carolina. before Rosh Hashanah — was the dissonance Mc- recovery, as he puts it.) Dowell described between his online and real-life exHow many of us have given up on Fox News periences. Online, he was being inculcated with and viewers, or MSNBC viewers, because they are dead reflecting back an ideology centered on the idea that set in their ways? How many of us refuse to engage Black people and Jews are destroying society. But he with someone who says All Lives Matter or Black said that even when he was writing hateful mes- Lives Matter because we are so disgusted by the sages about Black people online, he always treated sentiments we think are motivating them? them fairly when he countered them in real life. If Benji has taught me anything, it is to never be“And Jews?” I asked. lieve the lie that we are conditioned to believe: that He had never met a Jew before. Our conversation, people cannot change. People can. he said, was the first time he had knowingly spoken Rabbi Avram Mlotek was named one of Amerto a Jew. ica's Most Inspiring Rabbis by the Forward in The Rabbis of the Talmud wrote of the spiritual May 2016 and is a founder of Base Hillel, a home potency of teshuvah, a genuine return to one’s self, focused rabbinic ministry now in ten cities worldheartfelt repentance. They wrote that teshuvah has wide. He is the author of Why Jews Do That or 30 the power to transform one’s intentional sins into Questions Your Rabbi Never Answered. meritorious deeds. A preposterous sentiment! This article was edited for length. You can find the However, when speaking with Benji, I saw how full text at www.omahajewishpress.com.
Synagogues
10 | The Jewish Press | November 13, 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
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
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. 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: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Veterans Shabbat, 10 a.m. with guest speaker Jacob Millner following services; Havdalah, 5:40 p.m. SUNDAY: Torah Study, 10 a.m.; BESTT (Grades K7), 10:30 a.m. MONDAY: Jewish Law with Rabbi Abraham, 8 p.m. TUESDAY: Biblical Literacy with Rabbi Abraham, 11:30 a.m.; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7:30 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. 20: Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY-Nov. 21: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 5:40 p.m.; High School Havdalah, 6 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, 4:48 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha, 4:50 p.m.; Havdalah, 5:49 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Jewish Law in Depth, 9:45 a.m. with Rabbi Moshe; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:50 p.m. MONDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom);
Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:50 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. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:50 p.m. WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi — Daily Prophets, 6:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (WhatsApp); Shacharit, 7 am.; Deepening Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:50 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. 20: Shacharit, 7 am.; Mincha/Candlelighting, 4:43 p.m. SATURDAY-Nov. 21: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha, 4:50 p.m.; Havdalah, 5:45 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, 4:48 p.m. SATURDAY: Shabbat Ends, 5:48 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. 20: Candlelighting, 4:42 p.m. SATURDAY-Nov. 21: Shabbat Ends, 5:44 p.m.
LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL Virtual services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. FRIDAY: Candlelighting, 4:51 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, service leaders/music: Rabbi Alex/TBD, 6:30 p.m. from SST. SATURDAY: 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. SUNDAY: LJCS Gan-Gesher, 10 a.m. via Zoom; Tifer-
eth Israel Board Meeting, 1 p.m.; Jewish Book Club, 1:30 p.m. via Zoom; South Street Temple Board of Trustees Meeting, 3:30 p.m. MONDAY: Makers of Jewish Things, 7 p.m. via Zoom. TUESDAY: Synagogue Staff Meeting, 10 a.m.; Tea & Coffee with 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 p.m. via Zoom. FRIDAY-Nov. 20: Candlelighting, 4:46 p.m.; LJCS Family Shabbat Dinner & Service, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY-Nov. 21: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex via Zoom; Torah Study on Parashat Toldot, 11:30 a.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 5:48 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: Camp Shabbat, 6 p.m. Join us via Zoom for a family-friendly service with camp songs, reflections from Omaha campers, and a special Shabbat story from our friends at OSRUI! SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.; Bar Mitzvah of Zachary Kazor, 10:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Youth Learning Programs for Grades PreK-6, 10 a.m.; Book Club, 10:30 a.m. MONDAY: Jewish Law & the Quest for Meaning, 11 a.m. TUESDAY: Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.; Naming and Framing Racism Learning Program, 7:30 p.m. Registration required. 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.; Naming and Framing Racism Learning Program, 7:30 p.m. Registration required. FRIDAY-Nov. 20: Toh Shabbat, 5:30 p.m.; Shabbat Evening Service, 6 p.m. Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.
Israel and overseas The Israel and Overseas Committee is the layrun group of volunteers that is in charge of connecting our community to our Global Partners in Israel, Ukraine, Budapest and beyond. We support the Jewish Federation of North America's (JFNA's) partnerships with the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and World ORT. These agencies ensure that Jews around the world are cared for and inspire a strong Jewish future by sparking a love for Judaism in the hearts of our next generation
with innovative educational initiatives. Our local allocation process allows the Omaha community to go deeper, by building personal relationships with specific communities. JFO has funded disability inclusion in our Partnership2 Gether region, helped feed Jewish school children in the Former Soviet Union through our support of the World ORT Ukraine FREE lunch program, allowed for a teen coexistence between Jewish teens and their Arab neighbors and has made it possible for IDF Lone Soldiers who live in the
Western Galilee to get their laundry done on their weekends off-base. Watch for upcoming opportunities to learn and engage with our programs, including the Nov. 22 virtual tour of the Western Galilee Medical Center. Meet Professor Barhoum, Director of the Galilee Medical Center. Visit the wards and engage with the living tapestry that makes up this hospital doctors, nurses and patients of all backgrounds. For more information, please visit www.jewish omaha.org.
Election days long ago Continued from page 7 Then an even longer time, the afternoon. Visiting polling places was done for the day. The newspaper had its story and its photo. The children were still at school. And that nap, it was still impossible. Evening came. The kids had dinner and were getting dressed. Bev had carefully planned what she would wear and would soon be ready. For me it was simple. A dark blue suit, white shirt, shined shoes, and a striped tie. It had been my uniform. The suits changed as did the colors of the ties, but a uniform it remained. I remember the drives to where the “victory parties” were to be held. Everyone was quiet. There was nothing to say. I had notes in my pocket, one
for winning and one for losing, but they remained in my pocket until they were actually needed. In the big campaigns, those for Congress, there was always a set of rooms away from the crowd where the six of us, Bev and our four children, and a few intimates from the campaign, would wait for the returns. That wait, to this day, seems as if it was forever. Then came the early returns, the discussion of when to speak to the crowd, and then the decision. There was the walk from that room where we were alone to the large ballroom where our supporters were waiting. I recall one year most vividly. I lost. The six of us had to cross a narrow street from where we were waiting to get to the crowd. The three oldest chil-
dren walked with Bev. I took the youngest by the hand, held it tight, said nothing, but walked with him across the street and into the room where our friends were cheering. They knew we lost. The children knew we lost. Bev knew we lost. They said nothing. And I began to speak. Frankly, I remember that walk holding that little boy’s hand and taking him and the family which I so cherished to face that room full of supporters more than I remember what I said. Today, nearly a half century later, those election days seem as real as the morning sun. And that sun shines as brightly today as it did then—and I will never forget those days.
Life cycles IN MEMORIAM MAUREEN L. BORDEN Maureen L. Borden passed away on Nov. 2, 2020 at age 76. A private graveside service was held on Nov. 4 at Beth El Cemetery. She was preceded in death by parents, Murray and Bess Borden; grandparents, Abraham and Esther Cooper, Henry and Hilda Borden. She is survived by brother, Howard David Borden; cousins and friends. Memorials may be made to Beth El Synagogue or the organization of your choice. STEVE FISCHER Steve Fischer passed away on Oct. 24, 2020, from Alzheimer's. A private service was held for family. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Melinda Graham. He is survived by his wife Jan Fischer; son and daughter-inlaw, Jon and Laura Fischer of Sioux Falls, SD, and son-in-law, John Graham; grandchildren: Allison, Harrison, Benjamin, and Caroline all of Sioux Falls, SD, and Delaney Graham; sister and brother-in-law, Corky and Jeff Bleaman; nephew and niece, David and Ilona Bleaman and their two children all of Scottsdale, AZ; niece and nephew, Stacey and Alex Hammer and their two children of Rockville, MD. Memorials may be made to the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. BENJAMIN GRABER, MD Benjamin Graber, MD, passed away on Oct. 31, 2020 at age 76. A graveside service was held on Nov. 2 at Beth El Cemetery. He was preceded in death by parents, Lewis and Cecile Graber; and brother, Sam Graber. He is survived by wife, Cynthia Graber; sons and daughter-inlaw, Patrick and Teresa Williams, and Matthew and Rachel Williams; grandchildren: Lauren, Blake and Mason Williams; and nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimers Association or the Department of Psychiatry at UNMC.
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UN again ignores Jewish ties to Temple Mount
CNAAN LIPSHIZ JTA A United Nations committee resolution again ignored Jewish ties to the Temple Mount holy site in Jerusalem, mimicking a pair of UNESCO resolutions that sparked controversy in 2016. Out of 193 countries that are members of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, 138 voted Wednesday in favor of seven resolutions involving Israel and the Palestinians. They denote Israel as an oppressive occupying power and agree to stand for greater aid for Palestinian refugees. One of the resolutions, titled “Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem,” mentions the AlHaram al-Sharif holy site without ever calling it the Temple Mount, as it is also known to Jews, who revere it as the site of ancient biblical Jewish temples. The resolution contains no reference to Jews or Judaism but mentions the “significance of the holy sites, and the importance of the City of Jerusalem for the three monotheistic religions.” Only the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel and three Pacific Ocean island nations voted against the resolution. All European countries supported it except for Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia and Belarus, which abstained. Another of the seven resolutions, titled “The occupied Syrian Golan,” says it “deplores the violations by Israel of the Geneva Convention” and was co-signed by Syria’s Bashar Assad.
CORRECTION In our Nov. 6 issue, the story “Respect” was given an incorrect byline. The story was authored by Patricia Newman and Ilana Weiss. The Jewish Press regrets these errors.
The Jewish Press | November 13, 2020 | 11
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12 | The Jewish Press | November 13, 2020
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LOC AL | N AT I O N A L | WO R L D
Art on our walls, part II
college, I had certainly accumulated my ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT proverbial 10,000 hours of practice. I Jewish Press Editor When you ask David Patterson about kept painting, mostly for friends and his paintings, the overwhelming re- family, until about ten years ago a friend sponse is joy. David loves art, loves talking about art and loves it when his creations make others happy. This is good for us, because, thanks to Michael Staenberg, two of David’s paintings grace the walls of the Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus. In the hallway off the Sokolof entrance, visitors walk past Static, an acrylic and latex abstract; next to the elevator by the JCC membership entrance, one can find Weiss, a 36” by 42” grey and blue abstract. David began his lifelong love affair with painting in elementary school, Static by David Patterson when he started semi-private art dared me to donate one of my paintings classes with watercolors and oils. “My first teacher was a classically for a fundraiser. Imagine my reaction trained painter who taught in her when an actual bidding war ensued! home,” he said. “I stayed with her After that, commissions began coming through 8th grade. In high school, I took in and it has kind of grown organically every single art class I could get my from there.” It is mind-blowing when people aphands on.” preciate his art, he said. “When people While his earlier work was classical, tell me my art makes them happy, it is with floral elements and a more Monetthe best feeling. I want to create work like style, he met edgier teachers in high that people feel drawn to, want to spend school and college, he said. time with. I want them to feel some“It’s where the texture comes from. I thing and experience—but even if my became braver and started experimentwork hangs in a corporate setting, it ing more. By the time I was done with
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needs to have life, it needs to pop, either with inviting textures or with bright colors. And I really want people to touch my paintings!”
There is enough art out there that is unapproachable, he said. “While that has its place, it’s not what I want. I aim to engage people and for them not to feel intimidated. People who see my art should have just as much fun as I have creating it.” David’s work has been exhibited in art shows, commercial spaces, galleries, and private homes in the region. David lives in Omaha with his wife and three children. For more information and to see examples of his work, please visit www.davidpattersonart.com.
