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Art on our campus: Connection Point

European synagogues keep on their lights to mark 1938 Kristallnacht Page 7

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor ocated in the green space near the JCC Membership entrance stands a sculpture in steel and bronze, titled Connection Point. Created by internationally renowned artist Jennyfer Stratman, it was placed on our campus by Michael Staenberg as part of the building renovation. Jennyfer is originally from Phoenix, but splits her time between Arizona and Melbourne, Australia. About Connection Point, she said: “It is a three-dimensional line drawing capturing a quiet moment of reflection. The work considers the relationship of oneself to greater humanity. The internal figure represents the self or individual, while the outer molecular structure represents the infinite connections we share with each other and the universe.”

These ideas have been consistent themes in Jennyfer’s work over the last 20 years as a full-time artist.

“Now, more than ever,” she said, “the need for us to ‘connect’ is relevant and necessary. I hope this sculpture can help cultivate this awareness.”

How do you split your time between Australia and the US? What’s your story?

I have studios in both countries and usually make three trips back and forth from Melbourne to Phoenix every year, spending approximately half my time in See Art on our campus page 2

L

Jewish Jeopardy! moments Page 10

Officials predicted violence.

It hasn’t happened — yet.

Page 12

JFS presents Middlescence: The beauty of the Ofrenda, A second adolescence, with the wisdom of the Kaddish wisdom

Middlescence

A second adolescence, with wisdom HOSTED BY

REST & RENEWAL

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Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles

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EXERCISE & NUTRITION

JOY & PASSION FOCUS & GROWTH

GABBY BLAIR Jewish Press Staff Writer Jewish Family Service will be offer-

TIME & ENERGY

Program funded by a grant from The Dennis Schuman Charitable Foundation

ing a Zoom program on Middlescence, a life stage created by longevity patterns of the 21st century, presented by leading expert Barbara Waxman on Tuesday, Dec. 1 from 7-8 p.m.

Middlescence, a term which comes from the combination of the words “middle” and “adolescence,” seeks to change the way middle age has become negatively stereotyped. Waxman refers to Middlescence as a new way of looking at middle age and likens it to a second adolescence but See Middlescence page 2

Credit: J Mndz, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

ANJELICA N. RUIZ When I came out of the mikvah over seven years ago, I joked to someone that I was now a ‘superminority,’ Hispanic-Filipino Jewish woman. As naïve as it seems, at the time I didn’t think about how I would juggle my ethnic identity with my new religion; I simply thought everything would fall into

place. That was very much not the case and to this day, one of the things I continuously struggle with is how to honor my ethnic identity and background with the religion that I chose and love.

I began teaching religious school about a year after my conversion and was assigned to fourth grade. I See Beauty of the Ofrenda page 3

2 | The Jewish Press | November 20, 2020

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Middlescence

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Art on our campus

Connection Point by Jennyfer Stratman

Continued from page 1 each country. It can sometimes be demanding, however, it allows me to maintain an arts practice in each country and of course be with family and friends in both places. As for why Australia... I married an Aussie after traveling through Europe on a university semes-

ter break back in 1995. We lived full time in Phoenix for many years before moving to Melbourne in 2001.

Can you walk us through your creative process?

Inspiration comes to me from many places; nature, science, music, other creatives... but most of all each piece is an

evolution from the work I’ve done previously. My favorite place to be is in the studio, so I never lack motivation to create. I usually get into the studio late morning after a morning walk and computer admin. Lately I have been casting bronze cactus, plants and flowers created by pouring molten bronze onto the ground and then welding it into various shapes. The piece in front of the Jewish Community Center was created by sculpting the figure in clay, molding it and then casting it in bronze. The outer structure was fabricated by welding hundreds of steel rods together into the molecular web-like form. There is a great deal of process in my work, so my days are spent in a hive of activity.

Do you work on multiple things at once or do you stick with one project from start to finish?

I always have multiple projects on the go at the same time and in both countries. It’s partly due to the nature of working in bronze, but also having various deadlines for gallery exhibitions and public/private commissions. There are many steps to creating sculpture that require different techniques and waiting times between processes. For example, I may have created waxes that need to be cast at the foundry. While I am waiting for those to go through that process, which could take weeks, I would be welding, painting, finishing or photographing other works. I sometimes have as many as 20 pieces being worked on at any given time.

How do you balance between putting emotion in your work and having enough left for daily life?

Hmmm, I have never really thought of it that way. I am not sure “workaholic” is the right description of the life of an artist, as it might sound negative. However, See Art on our campus page 4

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Continued from page 1 with the wisdom that comes with years of life experience.

Barbara Waxman is the leading authority on Middlescence and a passionate advocate for aging, wisdom and thriving in midlife. Her mission is to shift cultural norms around aging by establishing Middlescence as a unique life stage. Barbara is the founder of Odyssey Group Coaching LLC and is one of the only gerontologist-coaches in the United States. Her breakthrough coaching has inspired hundreds of individuals and senior leaders with compassion, honesty and a light heart while incorporating cuttingedge research and methodologies.

According to Waxman, “Cultural norms and rampant ageism have labeled midlife as a crisis riddled with stagnation and d e c re pitu d e .

The reality is entirely different and full of potential.”

Barbara is the author of two books examining aging, including, most recently, The Middlescence Manifesto: Igniting the Passion of Midlife. She is an Advisory Council Member for the Stanford Center on Longevity, member of the Executive Board of Advisors for How Women Lead, and a faculty member at Modern Elder Academy. Her work has been featured in multiple media outlets, including CBS’ This Morning, Marin Magazine and Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global. A Wexner Heritage Foundation Fellow, Barbara holds master’s degrees in both Public Administration and Gerontology from the University of Southern California and coaching certifications from the International Coach Federation and The Hudson Institute.

The class is free, but registration is required and can only be completed through the JFS website - www.jfsomaha.com.

Registrants will receive two links via email: One for the Zoom event and another for Waxman’s proprietary “Five-toThrive quiz” which can be completed before the program.

Visit www.barbarawaxman.com for more information about Barbara Waxman and Middlescence.

For more information or questions about the Zoom program on Tuesday, Dec. 1, please contact Jewish Family Service at 402.330.2024.

The Jewish Press | November 20, 2020 | 3

ADL-CRC’s Walk Against Hate begins on Sunday 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 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, we have unveiled the identity of sites included in the Walk. This week, we are excited to announce the Omaha Stockyards, Chinatown and the Great Plains Black History Museum. The remainder of the sites will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 22 on the Walk Against Hate website, www. adlplains.com.

The birth of the Union Stockyards Company in 1884 signaled an important factor in Omaha’s paramount meat packing industry. When South Omaha was young, Greeks had come to the city to be laborers. Hired during tense strikes at the city’s stockyards in the 1890s, the city’s larger western European population became agitated towards the Greeks. Greeks were treated and popularly viewed as inferior, and this combined with a general appreciation for vigilantism led to a huge riot in February.

The On Leon Tong House is a reminder of Omaha’s Chinatown, a 4-block area surrounding 12th and Dodge Streets. Chinese migration to Omaha began during the gold rush of the mid-1800s with “coolies” who came for work on the transcontinental railroad. Despite having begun fruitful lives and busi-

nesses all over the country and Omaha, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 halted immigration and banned citizenship. How different our town might have been if not for this discrimination.

In 1975, Mrs. Bertha Calloway envisioned sharing the rich history of African Americans with the Omaha community.

She founded the Great Plains Black History Museum (GPBHM) to be a resource for the community. The Museum’s mission is “to preserve, educate, and exhibit the contributions and achievements of African Americans with an emphasis on the Great Plains region. To provide a space to learn, explore, reflect, and remind us of our history.”

Sponsors of the Walk include the ACLU of Nebraska, Carol Anne & Alan Cohen

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The Walk Against Hate Committee includes Tippi Denenberg, Jen Goodman, Erika Kirby, Preston Love, Jr., Sara Rips and Justin Spooner.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) was founded in 1913 “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Now the nation’s premier civil right/human relations agency, the ADL fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all.

Locally, the ADL-CRC office was established in 1950. In a unique relationship, the ADL also serves as the Community Relations Committee (CRC) and is the central resource for information on social issues and problems affecting the local Jewish community in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas. The ADL-CRC attempts to foster conditions conducive to creative Jewish living in a free society.

Beauty of the Ofrenda Continued from page 1 wasn’t a natural teacher, having been an only child who never babysat, so my first year was rocky. It wasn’t until my second year that I realized that I could write my own lessons, which is when I decided to teach my class about Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. Well, that was part of the reason; the other part was that I just really disliked the lesson I had been given.

Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday associated with Catholic celebrations of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. I didn’t grow up Catholic, but I’ve been interested in the holiday since reading about it as a child. It has everything that a little kid could ask for: good food, bright colors, and what’s essentially a big party. It’s a way to remember and honor those who have passed by celebrating their life. We remember our loved ones with joy, not with sadness It didn’t take me long to connect the holiday with the Kaddish prayer in Judaism. When I first read the Kaddish prayer in my conversion class, I was struck by the fact that death is not mentioned once. When you look more closely, the prayer says that even though we suffer losses throughout our lives, we still praise God. It was a concept that I had never thought about. When my grandma died, I was ten and being told that she was in a “better place” was not comforting. It only emphasized that she was gone forever, and I couldn’t visit her grave without crying. It wasn’t until the 14th anniversary of her death, when I recited the Kaddish, that I was able to remember her without tears.

In teaching Dia de los Muertos, I wanted to teach the class about other cultures and their customs and to sneak in some Jewish learning. When I told the class that we would be talking about Dia de los Muertos, I could tell that some of the students were confused and one even asked why we were learning about something that wasn’t Jewish. I just smiled and played a short clip about the holiday. Afterwards, I asked them what they noticed about the video, which was brightly colored and used distinctly upbeat Mexican music. From

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there, we read the Kaddish prayer, where they made the same observation that death is not mentioned. I explained that when people we love die, it’s okay to be sad, but it’s also important to remember their life. Judaism gives us a proscribed method of mourning, one that allows us to grieve while also gently pushing us back into our own lives.

Teaching about Dia de los Muertos has become one of my favorite lessons. It’s an unexpected topic in religious school, so it automatically gets their attention, and they learn more about Judaism’s view on death and mourning in a way that makes sense to them. The lesson has also become a way for me to indirectly show the class that our Jewish community is multiracial and diverse, that just because the person next to you may have darker skin or different traditions, that doesn’t make them any less of a Jew. Being able to teach about Dia de los Muertos helps me to honor my ethnic heritage and background in a way that intertwines with my Judaism. I didn’t become a brand-new person when I came out of the mikvah, but I didn’t come out as the same person either. I am fully embracing my superminority status and I like to think that my grandma would be proud.

Anjelica N. Ruiz is the Director of Libraries and Archives at Temple Emanu-El, where she also teaches Judaica to fourth graders on Sunday mornings. She previously worked at the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas in the Center for Jewish Education and the donor services department. She holds an M.S. in library science from the University of North Texas; an M.S. in criminal justice from Texas State University; and a B.A. in criminology from St. Edward’s University.

Anjelica is an alum of the Union for Reform Judaism’s JewV’Nation Fellowship in the 2018 Jews of Color cohort and recently completed Bend The Arc’s Selah Fellowship as part of Cohort 16. She is an alum of the Anti-Defamation League’s Glass Leadership Institute and currently sits on the ADL’s Texoma Regional Board.

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Art on our campus Continued from page 2 I guess that would be a way to describe my life. It is all integrated; everything I do seems to have an artistic element to it. Finding the balance of emotion in my work and for daily life is an ebb and flow. While I put a lot of energy and emotion into my work, the reward of doing something I am passionate about feeds and revitalizes me. So, I guess it’s a closed loop in a way. My work is very meaningful to me and I love it when the stories behind it connect with other people.

Can you talk a little about your workspace? What does your studio look like, do you work only inside or also outside?

As I mentioned earlier, I am fortunate enough to have studios in both Phoenix and in Melbourne. The surrounding environs, however, could not look more different. The Phoenix studio is set on 7 acres of farmland in a hidden pocket of similar allotments not far from downtown. To the south and north I have uninterrupted views of the mountains surrounding Phoenix. The studio has a very farm-like feel, surrounded by a collection of steel, copper and bronze items that have been accumulated over the years and will one day find themselves in a sculpture.

My Melbourne studio, on the other hand, has a much more contemporary and urban feel. It is an extension to our home and not far from the cool cafes, restaurants and bars along the main street of Thornbury (near Melbourne). Both studios are set up for metal fabrication, with welders and various machines and tools required for metal and woodwork. There are also clean areas for waxwork and for finishing pieces.

How has Melbourne changed you and your work?

That’s a really interesting question. Melbourne has had very different influences on my work. It is Australia’s most European city and has a long established and very diverse creative arts community. In terms of subject matter, the Australian “bush” is unique and very different to any US ecosystem. This definitely percolates through my work, as does the desert and mountains of Phoenix and the Southwest. Earlier in my career,

the physical separation from my “homeland” deeply influenced the thematic content of my work. I delved into the ideas of isolation, interconnection, separation and up-rooting. This then morphed into ideas of planting seeds and growth, as I moved into a constant “rhythm” back and forth between Melbourne and Phoenix, I have become more interested in ideas of blossoming, transformation and the interconnection of humanity, nature and the greater cosmos.

How does it feel that something in which you put so much of yourself is now thousands of miles away, making complete strangers happy?

It is an honor and feels incredible to know that my work can provoke a positive emotional response in people. Being a fulltime visual artist is a commitment to long periods of solitude, being totally immersed in a studio and constantly feeding the need to create. I guess I am a visual artist because I can better express myself through creating physical “objects” rather than verbal or written dialogue.

To borrow from a passage in The Alchemist: “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation. All things are one. When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

Please stay tuned for more background on the art collection Michael Staenberg is placing in and around campus. For more on Jennyfer Stratman, visit http://stratmanstudio.com/.

Thanksgiving in Israel

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Sarah and I have not been among those Americans who have kept on celebrating Thanksgiving after immigrating to Israel. Even though each of us feels more American than Israeli, there are plenty of Jewish and Israeli holidays to provide us with substitutes for that warm Thanksgiving family feeling—including weekly Shabbat dinners. Our not celebrating TEDDY Thanksgiving does not make us feel WEINBERGER less American, and for us it would seem kind of forced to celebrate it in Israel. Many American Israelis, however, like to keep up the Thanksgiving tradition.

I have asked a brand-new Israeli and my high-school classmate Hannah Bargad why she intends to keep on celebrating Thanksgiving in Israel.

“I made Aliyah on October 20, with Thanksgiving peeking over the horizon. I love the Thanksgiving feast, with all of the time-honored dishes and extended family gathered around the table. Years ago when the children were young, I created rituals and activities such as the ‘Thankfulness Box,’ an empty plastic baby-wipes container covered with construction paper. Each year every guest would be required to write (anonymously) something they were thankful for on a small note and place it in the box. At dessert, we would pass the box around the table and each person would read a note.

Some notes were funny, and many notes expressed gratitude for health and family.

“The children have grown and my siblings now celebrate in their own homes with their family branches, but Thanksgiving still charms me with its creative possibilities. Last year I sent pre-holiday ‘Thank You’ cards to friends, noting specific things about them for which I am grateful. It seemed like a no-brainer: we send New Year’s cards before Rosh Hashanah, so why not Thank You cards before Thanksgiving?

“You may be wondering how I will spend my first Thanksgiving in Israel, where there is no hope of picking up a can of cranberry sauce or pumpkin puree at the local Rami Levi supermarket. I will spend it together with my daughter Carmelle, who made Aliyah seven years ago at the age of 18.

Carmelle has been celebrating Thanksgiving every year in Israel. I asked her why she is so consistent about it. She answered that her fond childhood memories of Thanksgiving with family motivated her to continue the tradition. She would have felt homesick knowing that we were gathering that day without her. So Carmelle has hosted her mostly Israeli friends for Thanksgiving pot-luck feasts. You need to order in advance to obtain a whole turkey in Israel; Carmelle substitutes by using a rotisserie chicken. Other than that, she cooks the traditional fare, including sweet potatoes and apple pie, and friends supply additional dishes. Carmelle has created her own ‘Thankfulness Box,’ and one year she educated her Israeli friends by researching and speaking about the origins of the holiday and some of its customs. She says her friends were really ‘into it’ because they love all things American.

“Each year Hillel in Israel hosts a large Thanksgiving dinner for American and Israeli students, sponsored by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Bruce Kaufman Endowment Fund. This year due to Covid-19, Hillel Israel is planning small gatherings for dinner at volunteer hosts’ homes. The hosts will be provided with the funds to purchase the holiday provisions. Carmelle was involved with Hillel as a student at Tel Aviv University and she has volunteered to host. For those who will it, Thanksgiving is alive and well in Israel.”

Teddy Weinberger, Ph.D., made aliyah with his wife, former Omahan Sarah Jane Ross, and their five children, Nathan, Rebecca, Ruthie, Ezra, and Elie, all of whom are veterans of the Israeli Defense Forces; Weinberger can be reached at weinross@gmail.com.

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Depression: How to support a family member or friend PAMELA FELDMAN, MS, LIMHP, LPC What can you do when someone you know suffers from depression? You may notice the changes such as lack of motivation or enthusiasm, irritability, withdrawal or pervasive sadness. Someone who is depressed already knows they’re down, but they may not be aware that others notice or care. Depression often makes a person feel unwanted and unloved, even though that is not the case. So, it is helpful to talk to them about your concerns in a caring way.

For example, “I’ve noticed Pam Feldman you haven’t wanted to participate much lately which is a change for you. I’d sure like to help if you’re having a hard time.”

Reassure your person that you just want to listen and be there for them. Despite your good intentions, offering suggestions can be shaming. No one accepts depression without trying to get better. People who suffer from depression can do all the right things without relief. Being able to talk about depression without judgment is powerfully helpful.

Treatment consisting of counseling and medication is generally the most effective means of alleviating serious, clinical depression. Other medical conditions may be a factor, so the person’s doctor should be involved. Do offer to help the person find resources or to stay in treatment. It takes time and patience. Offer to check in with them periodically to just listen and give support. It’s okay to just be there without talking.

It is important to ask directly if they have thoughts of hurting themselves or taking their life. If they do, it’s important to seek immediate help at the nearest emergency room or you can call 911. Let them know that you do not want anything bad to happen to them and that you will stay with them until they are safe. Check to see if their home environment is safe from firearms and medications. Make sure they have the 24-hour suicide hotline number at 1.800.273.8255 (TALK).

Doing these things can be intimidatinng. But it may save a life.

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Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, renowned Jewish legal authority, dies at 91 JTA Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, one of the most prominent haredi Orthodox rabbis in the United States, has died. He was 91 years old.

Feinstein served as the head of the Mesivtha Tiferes Yerushalayim on Manhattan’s Lower East Side from the time of his father’s death in 1986 until his own passing on November 6. He also served on the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah, the rabbinical council connected to Agudath Israel, an umbrella organization representing haredi communities. Though the Orthodox community on the Lower East Side has shrunk over the years as Orthodox communities in Brooklyn and other cities became more prominent, Feinstein continued to be a sought-out Jewish legal authority.

“He was very much a man of Rabbi Dovid Feinstein the neighborhood,” said Credit: Agudath Israel Jonathan Boyarin, a professor of Jewish studies at Cornell University.

Boyarin spent a year studying at Feinstein’s yeshiva and chronicled the place in his recent book, “Yeshiva Days: Learning on the Lower East Side.”

Feinstein was born in Luban, which was then part of Russia and now Belarus, and came to the United States as a child.

His father became head of the yeshiva when the Lower East Side was a center of Jewish life in New York City, bringing together Orthodoxy, Yiddish secularism and radical Jewish politics in one cramped neighborhood. The elder Feinstein was considered one of the foremost Jewish legal experts and a communal leader in the United States until his death.

By the time the younger Feinstein took over, the Jewish community of the Lower East Side had already begun to decline, though it remained a draw for those shopping for Jewish food and books. Over time, though, the community dwindled further as large Orthodox families decamped for more spacious parts of the city or to newer communities in New Jersey.

Today the yeshiva has an outpost on Staten Island in addition to the Lower East Side building, and many students travel to study at the yeshiva from their homes in larger Orthodox communities elsewhere in the city or New Jersey.

“It gradually became a smaller institution as the Orthodox population of the Lower East Side declined,” Boyarin said.

Still, Feinstein continued to be known as a foremost Jewish legal expert.

“During his lifetime, he certainly was the foremost figure,” Rabbi Dr. J. David Bleich, a professor of Jewish law and ethics at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, said of Feinstein’s stature in the world of Jewish legal decision-making.

Asked what made Feinstein such a prominent figure, Bleich answered simply: “Pure knowledge.”

“He was very much self-effacing, he didn’t seek the limelight,” Bleich said.

Unlike his father, who was also considered a major leader on communal issues affecting the Orthodox community, Feinstein’s authority was confined to the legal sphere — but it was significant.

“The limelight chased him,” Bleich said of Moshe Feinstein.

“Rav Dovid managed to get away from the limelight.”

Feinstein also departed from his father’s manner in that he issued few written opinions, instead answering Jewish legal questions orally.

“It’s very clear that he was reluctant to issue written psak [responsa] in most cases because he didn’t want his psak in a particular case to become precedent for cases where the situation might be different and even he might have ruled differently,” Boyarin said.

Hundreds attended Feinstein’s funeral, which began outside the yeshiva on East Broadway. In Israel, where he was buried, thousands attended his funeral. Two people were arrested at his funeral there, according to The Times of Israel.

Orthodox organizations mourned Feinstein’s death.

“There are no words. We are reeling,” Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, executive vice president of Agudath Israel, said in a statement. “Rabbi Feinstein was a true ‘manhig hador,’ leader of our generation, and ‘posek hador,’ halachic authority for the generation. The entire Jewish world has suffered a terrible blow with his death.”

The Orthodox Union also issued a statement.

“In addition to assuming his father’s role as head of the yeshiva, Rav Dovid was relied upon by the Torah community to succeed his father as a preeminent source of Halachic wisdom,” the O.U. said. “He provided a clear, steady and confident voice of Halachic guidance to innumerable individuals and institutions within the community.”

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

White supremacist who echoed Trump election fraud claims arrested

were arrested last week for allegedly threatening violence at a BEN SALES vote counting center in Philadelphia. In October, two leaders JTA A white supremacist man was arrested for allegedly threat- of the Base, a white supremacist group, were arrested in Michiening to kill Democrats, protesters and members of federal gan. Earlier last month a group of men was arrested for plotlaw enforcement agencies. ting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and another He reportedly made the threats while echoing President man, Alexander Treisman, was arrested for plotting to kill Joe Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election. And he ref- Biden. The 19-year-old Treisman was the son of a prominent erenced “the Jew Senator Jewish attorney who helped from Jew York,” presumably broker the first meeting bereferring to New York Sen. tween a U.S. president and Chuck Schumer, the Senate the Dalai Lama. He alDemocratic leader, who is legedly purchased an autoJewish. matic rifle and traveled to On Tuesday, Nov. 10, the multiple states, and alFBI arrested Brian Maiolegedly had a checklist in his rana, 54, from Staten Island, car whose final item read for a series of social media “execute.” posts in which he advoTreisman has also been cated “extermination of charged with three counts anyone that claims to be of child pornography, acdemocrat…as well as their cording to court docufamily members,” according Brian Maiorana was arrested for threatening to kill Democrats and ments that were obtained to a federal complaint. Most others, based on President Trump's false claims that the election last week by local North of the social media posts was stolen from him. Credit: Screenshot Carolina station WBTV and cited in the complaint were posted in recent days as ballots reported in The Washington Post. The 19-year-old had allegedly were being counted. been discussing committing gun violence since last year. Ac“Soap Box, Ballot Box... that was fraudulently stolen from cording to the court document, he created a note in his phone us, Now Cartridge Box,” he wrote on November 8, in a refer- in October 2019 planning a mass shooting on Black Friday or ence to ammunition. The same day, he posted, “All right think- Christmas. He also downloaded images from video of the ing people need to hit the streets while these scumbags are Christchurch shooting and posted on Reddit about executing celebrating and start blowing them away.” people he hates.

On Nov. 8, he also posted about The Turner Diaries, a novel that describes a white supremacist takeover of the United ORGANIZATIONS States and the killing of minorities. The book has been popular among white supremacists and inspired the Oklahoma City B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS bombing.

The Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith is pleased to announce He had a semiautomatic gun and ammunition at home, acthe resumption of its award-winning speaker program via ZOOM. Although the Home auditorium remains temporarily cording to the FBI. closed, we’ll continue presenting an outstanding lineup of “The Turner Diaries must come to life,” he posted. “We blow thought-provoking keynoters. There will not be a session on up the FBI building for real. All the alphabet agencies assassiWednesday, Nov. 25. For specific speaker information nation will become the new normal now... that the electoral and/or to be placed on the email list, please contact Breadprocess is finished.” breakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com or leave a mesMaiorana’s arrest comes after several recent arrests of exsage at the BB JCC office 402.334.6443. tremists. Two men who backed the anti-Semitic QAnon theory

$23 billion of arms to the UAE

GABE FRIEDMAN JTA Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally notified Congress that that the U.S. plans to sell $23.4 billion of arms to the United Arab Emirates, spurring the Senate to call on the State Department to ensure that the sale will not “diminish Israel’s qualitative military edge” in the region.

The UAE stands to be the only other country in the Middle East besides Israel with certain advanced military technology involved in the sale, including the F-35 stealth fighter jet.

The arms package has been negotiated in the wake of Israel’s recent peace deal with the UAE. Before the peace agreement was finished, rumors swirled about a possible sale and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to it.

Late last month, Netanyahu dropped his objections.

“Only after signing the agreement, the Americans told us that the Emirates, which always asks for F-35s, is asking permission from us to consider this thing practically,” Netanyahu said.

“Only yesterday did we give our approval to this deal,” he said on Oct. 24.

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner pledged in September to “do what we can” with the deal to preserve Israel’s qualitative military edge, a standard that was codified in a 2008 U.S. law.

Jewish Democrats have opposed the sale. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz wrote in a Miami Herald op-ed that the F-35 has “unique capabilities that should be reserved only for Israel’s use.”

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.

HEALTH+WELLNESS

Publishing date | 01.15.21

Space reservation | 01.05.21

Contact our advertising executive to promote your business in this very special edition.

SUSAN BERNARD 402.334.6559 | sbernard@jewishomaha.org

The Jewish Press | November 20, 2020 | 7

Foundation update Thanksgiving begins in one week.

Hanukkah begins in three weeks.

2021, a New Year, begins in six weeks.

Year-end financial, tax, and charitable planning begins now.

As 2020 winds down, HOWARD EPSTEIN it is time to plan for Executive Director, what we hope will be a JFO Foundation brighter, healthier, robust future. For some, the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating physically, emotionally and socially. Economically, some have had a very rough year. For others, wages have risen, business has boomed, residential

aid to send their children to the CDC, summer camp, and the Friedel Jewish Academy, and the Jewish Federation of Omaha and its agencies continue their good work and need ongoing financial support. Your charitable dollars will help these and so many other worthy causes.

An endowment fund at the Foundation will perpetually fund the causes most meaningful to you. A donor-advised fund at the Foundation gives you the flexibility to recommend gifts to the charities and causes of your choice at any time you choose.

To fund your endowment or donor-advised fund, gifts of cash, real estate, and appreciated marketable securities are always welcome.

There can be significant tax benefits to gifting appreciated assets, such as marketable securities. See the chart below.

Donate stock

Sell Stock and Donate Cash

$56,000) (16,000) 40,000) 0) 40,000) $14,000)

$56,000) (16,000) 40,000) (9, 520) 30,480) $10,668)

Current Fair Market Value of Stock Less Cost (Purchase Price) of Stock Long-Term Capital Gain Capital Gains Tax & Medicare Surtax (23.8%) Amount Available for Charitable Contribution Income Tax Savings (Contribution x 35% tax rate)

Jenne Vandeveer MEDICARE Insurance Agent

3345 N. 107th St. | Omaha, NE 68134 402-290-1415 | jvandeveer@americanseniorbenefits.com

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.

Total Tax Savings by Donating Stock (instead of cash): Avoidance of Captial Gains Tax Difference in Income Tax Savings Total and industrial real estate values have soared, and the stock market has been strong.

If you are in the latter group, and I hope you are, now is the time to plan your year-end charitable gifts. Now, more than ever, the ADL and Institute for Holocaust Education need to expand their outreach to battle hate, bigotry and anti-Semitism. Jewish families need financial

$9,520) 3,332) $12,852) Everyone’s situation is unique, and we urge you to consult your own tax, legal and financial advisors about the tax benefits of charitable giving.

Please feel free to contact me at 402.334.6466 or by email at hepstein@jew ishomaha.org. We will be happy to help you achieve your charitable legacy.

European synagogues keep on their lights to mark 1938 Kristallnacht caust was the lack of serious action by world CNAAN LIPSHIZ leaders” during the event and afterward, Chief AMSTERDAM | JTA European synagogues kept their lights on Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich of Ukraine wrote on Monday night as part of a campaign that Facebook. His Great Choral Synagogue in Kyiv commemorates the 82th anniversary of the Nazi Kristallnacht pogroms.

Titled “Light Up the Synagogue” and “Let There Be Light,” the lighting initiatives came from the World Zionist Organization’s Center for Religious Affairs in the Diaspora and the March of the Living organization, All the lights are on at the Great Synagogue of Stockholm, Nov. 9, 2020. respectively. “Leave Credit: Ute Steyer the lights on to commemorate the ones that were extinguished on that fateful night, and the light they emit will shine to a distance,” the WZO statement on the campaign read.

On Nov. 9, 1938, Nazis in Germany and Austria un- The glass-stained windows glow at the Great Choral Synagogue in Kyiv, leashed pogroms Ukraine, Nov. 9, 2020. Credit: Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich that killed dozens and wounded thousands had its beautiful neo-Moorish façade lit up following the assassination of a German and glass-stained windows glowing. Sweden’s diplomat by a Jewish gunman. drabber — yet more imposing — Great SynaMany scholars consider it a watershed mo- gogue of Stockholm also turned heads. ment in the history of the Holocaust because “The light that streams out lights up even it was the first large-scale wave of physical vi- the darkest evenings,” Aron Verstandig, chairolence directed by the Nazis against Jews. man of the Official Council of Swedish Jewish “The reason Kristallnacht led to the Holo- Communities, wrote on Facebook.

It’s not just what they know.

It’s who they become.

Primrose School of La Vista 8202 S. 97th Plaza La Vista, NE 68128 402.517.1153 | PrimroseLaVista.com

Now enrolling for the Fall.

Each Primrose school is a privately owned and operated franchise. Primrose Schools is a registered trademark of Primrose School Franchising SPE, LLC. ©2020 Primrose School Franchising SPE, LLC. All rights reserved.

8 | The Jewish Press | November 20, 2020

Above and below: At Friedel Jewish Academy, the best way to learn about static electricity is... with balloons!

Top, above, below and bottom: Residents continue to enjoy the beautiful November weather – yes, those are Hanukah decorations in the background.

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: Scatterjoy Acres brought some cheer to JFO employees in the form of animals.

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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.

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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.

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The Jewish Press | November 20, 2020 | 9

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 meaning of ‘essential’ ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor If there is one word we’ve heard and used often this year, it’s ‘essential.’ We use it for doctors and teachers, for those who put out fires and keep the lights working. We ask ourselves before we leave the house if we’re running ‘essential’ errands, whether we really need what we think we need. But what do we really mean when we use that word?

When is a person or a service truly ‘essential?’ Literally, it means ‘absolutely necessary, extremely important,’ the dictionary tells us. But what is important to one person may not matter all that much to another. And that’s a bit of a problem when we are faced with various levels of lockdown the world over.

We need food and water and we need medical care, I think we can all agree on that. Beyond that, I’m afraid we don’t agree on much; the coming weeks will be interesting as we navigate this strange election season (which doesn’t seem in any hurry of ending).

Perhaps, in the middle of all this political mess, we can agree on one major issue: life is essential.

Saving lives is essential. We are looking (as of this writing,) at 240,000+ deaths in the United States and that is an unacceptable tragedy. One year ago, I could not have imagined writing those words.

Now I don’t even blink when I put on a mask before leaving the house and sometimes it takes me more than an hour before I even read the full daily update from the Douglas County Health Department.

The more the numbers of infected and deaths grow, the more we become numb to this pandemic.

We have to stop and think, really think, about what is happening in the world. It is not something we should only focus on when the topic comes up in conversation, or when the television is on and

Credit: https://www.vperemen.com / CC BY-SA 4.0

the news anchors remind us. It needs to be our main focus all the time, every minute of every day.

Our awareness of COVID-19, although we think it is high, needs to be higher; when we say we take it seriously, we need to mean it. That is not doomsday thinking; we owe it to every single person who lost their life.

As human beings, especially in the western world, we are creatures of habit and convenience.

We don’t like it much when those habits and con-

veniences are disrupted. This virus doesn’t care about that. It doesn’t care about our politics, our yard signs, our religion, our national origin, our gender or our color. All it cares about is how quickly it can wipe us out. It can’t be argued with, it can’t be outsmarted.

Until there is a vaccine, there is not much any of us can do to cure it; we have to leave that to the scientists and doctors.

What we can do is believe those scientists, listen to those doctors. Wear a mask whenever we leave the house. Stay home as much as possible. Wash our hands. Keep our social distance. Do what we have been told by the experts since March of this year. Don’t spread false information, don’t compare this to the flu (and by the way, get your flu shot if you haven’t already!).

And remember: if you didn’t like the outcome of the election, if you loved it but hate the response, if you want to have endless debates pro- or antiTrump, you have to be healthy and alive.

Let’s beat this virus; let’s do it together, let’s save lives. The faster we make the fight against COVID19 an essential one, the faster we can go back to bickering about whatever we want.

President Trump accomplished a lot for Israel. Can Joe Biden do the same?

BINYAMIN ROSE JERUSALEM | JTA American presidents often vie for the designation as the best friend Israel ever had in the White House.

That competition sometimes starts early. Joe Biden first brandished his pro-Israel credentials to me at a Christmas party in December 1981 that he and his wife, Jill, threw in their Wilmington, Delaware, home for members of the Delaware press corps.

Biden and I were not strangers. As news director of WDOV Radio in Dover, the state capital, I had interviewed him many times that year, including after Israel’s surprise attack on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor. Biden, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was disturbed that Prime Minister Menachem Begin acted without giving the U.S. advance warning, but he understood why Begin launched the attack.

That evening in his living room Biden — who knew I was Jewish — thanked me for attending even though it was a Christmas and not a Hanukkah party. Perhaps thinking that I was feeling a bit uncomfortable (I wasn’t), he added: “I want you to know I’m Israel’s best Catholic friend.”

This is the type of quote a journalist never forgets, especially now that Biden was just elected America’s 46th president.

While approximately 70% of Jewish-American voters chose Hillary Clinton in 2016, supporters of Israel found much to celebrate during the Trump presidency. Crass as President Donald Trump could be, when it came to Israel, his actions spoke louder than his words.

Now that Biden has been elected, it’s his turn to prove his friendship with deeds, not just words.

And he has a tough act to follow.

In Jerusalem, there is much trepidation that a Biden administration will be indistinguishable from what a third term for President Barack Obama would have resembled.

While most American Jews voted for Obama, he had a tenuous relationship with the pro-Israel community. His Iran nuclear deal alarmed Israelis of all political stripes, who are unified in the view that Iran poses an existential threat to Israel and will

gladly cheat on any agreement it signs with West- his 12th consecutive year as prime minister, has ern powers. Obama outraged right-wing Israelis never stood on shakier ground. with the cold shoulder he turned to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s trial in a Jerusalem District Court on Benjamin Netanyahu and exasperated the political breach of trust and fraud charges will be in full left for his failure to exert heavy pressure on Israel swing just as Biden takes the oath of office in Janto make sacrifices for peace with the Palestinians. uary and will be a major distraction. And even beIsraelis are enthused over the recent diplomatic fore we turn the page on the calendar year, the breakthroughs with the United Arab Emirates, Knesset faces a Dec. 23 deadline to pass a budget.

Bahrain and Sudan. They were hoping Saudi Arabia Failure to do so means new elections. Recent polls would be the next domino to topple, but that’s showing the right-wing Yamina party led by Naftali looking remote, especially if Biden chooses to soothe tensions with Iran and reassess the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

If Biden tries to roll back the clock to the Obama era in the process of repudiating Trump’s “deal of the century,” this may well deter other Arab nations from reaching agreements with Israel, hindering hopes for a broader, regional peace.

Having said that, Biden and Obama are two different people. Personality matters President Donald Trump, second from right, is joined by Israeli in politics. The chemistry that two leaders Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, second from left, UAE form or fail to form is a critical element in Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, right, and how relations between two nations will Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, left, at the signing ceremony for the agreements on “normalizaprogress.

And Netanyahu doesn’t need an intro- tion of relations” reached by Israel, the United Arab Emirates duction to the president-elect. The Israeli and Bahrain at the White House, Sept. 15, 2020. Credit: The leader opened Sunday’s Cabinet meeting White House/Andrea Hanks/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images in Jerusalem by noting his “long and warm per- Bennett gaining popularity means Israel’s next govsonal connection with Joe Biden for nearly 40 years ernment could swing sharply to the right, obstruct… as a great friend of the State of Israel.” ing any plans that Biden has to prioritize the Obama and Netanyahu never developed such Israeli-Palestinian track. chemistry. I’m not really sure Netanyahu had that During his long U.S. Senate career, and as vice with Trump, either. I’ve covered Netanyahu, in Israel president, Biden has dealt with every Israeli prime and abroad, in meetings with foreign leaders. He has minister from Golda Meir to Netanyahu and undera lot of swagger, but always appeared off-balance in stands Israel’s security concerns as well as any Trump’s presence. Netanyahu may prefer Trump’s American leader. peace plan, but Netanyahu’s cautious nature stood Binyamin Rose is the editor at large of Mishin sharp contrast with Trump’s capricious streak. pacha magazine, the dominant media influAll of this assumes that Netanyahu has more ence on America’s Orthodox Jewish population years ahead of him politically than Biden does. today. Based in Jerusalem, Binyamin has travThere was much scuttlebutt during the campaign eled to 26 countries to interview leading newsthat Biden would be only a one-term president, or makers and politicians worldwide. that health issues might force him to step down The views and opinions expressed in this article are sooner. His debate performance put many of those those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the rumors to rest, but Netanyahu, as he approaches views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

Synagogues

10 | The Jewish Press | November 20, 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 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: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 5:40 p.m.; High School Havdalah, 6 p.m.

SUNDAY: Torah Study, 10 a.m.; BESTT (Grades K7), 10:30 a.m.; Virtual Thanksgiving with St. Luke, 6 p.m.

MONDAY: Thanksgiving To-Go Turkey Pickup, 10 a.m.; Jewish Law with Rabbi Abraham, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY: Biblical Literacy with Rabbi Abraham, 11:30 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: Thanksgiving To Go Meal Pickup, 10 a.m.; No BESTT (Grades 3-7) — Thanksgiving Break; No Hebrew High (Grades 8-12) — Thanksgiving Break; Beit Midrash — In God’s Image, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY: Office Closed — Thanksgiving Day FRIDAY-Nov. 27: Office Closed — Thanksgiving Day; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY-Nov. 28: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 5:35 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, 4:43 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha, 4:50 p.m.; Havdalah, 5:45 p.m.

SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Jewish Law in Depth, 9:45 a.m. with Rabbi Moshe; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:40 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); Min-

cha/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); Deeping Our Prayer, 7:45 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Laws of Shabbos, 8 a.m. with Rabbi Ari (Zoom); Shacharit, 9 am.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:50 p.m.

FRIDAY-Nov. 27: 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, 4:39 p.m.

SATURDAY-Nov. 28: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha, 4:40 p.m.; Havdalah, 5:42 p.m.

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

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, 4:42 p.m.

SATURDAY: Shabbat Ends, 5:44 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. 27: Candlelighting, 4:39 p.m.

SATURDAY-Nov. 28: Shabbat Ends, 5:41 p.m.

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

FRIDAY: Candlelighting, 4:46 p.m.; LJCS Family Shabbat Dinner & Service, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: 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.

SUNDAY: LJCS Gan-Gesher, 10 a.m. via Zoom; Intro to Judaism Class, 11:30 a.m. via Zoom; Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, 3 p.m. via Zoom.

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: No LJCS Classes.

THURSDAY: Thanksgiving — Offices Closed FRIDAY-Nov. 27: Offices Closed; Candlelighting, 4:40 p.m.; Erev Shabbat Service, service leaders/ music: Rabbi Alex/TBD, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY-Nov. 28: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m. with Rabbi Alex via Zoom; Torah Study on Parashat Vayetzei, 11:30 a.m.; Havdalah (72 minutes), 5:45 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: Tot Shabbat, 5:30 p.m.; Shabbat Evening Service, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m.

SUNDAY: Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, 5 p.m. All are welcome to join us online for this year’s Omaha Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. In its 25th year, this worship service brings together faith communities across the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian tradition to pray, sing, and reflect together. This year’s theme is Rise in Gratitude as we seek to name all that we lament and that is out of order from this year while also giving thanks for God’s goodness in the midst of it and through it all. The service will be broadcast on Trinity Episcopal Cathedral’s Facebook page at 5 p.m. and also be available on their website (trinityepiscopal.org/video) and YouTube channel. Join us!

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

WEDNESDAY: Mindful Meditation with Margot, 9 a.m.; Community Beit Midrash, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY-Nov. 27: Shabbat Evening Service, 6 p.m.

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

Jewish Jeopardy! moments

nothing to deserve.” He went on to win more than then confessed, “I’m Jewish,” to laughs from her felPHILISSA CRAMER $164,603 over nine episodes and returned the fol- low contestants, the audience and Trebek, who JTA Alex Trebek, the beloved baritone host of Jeop- lowing year to win the 2017 Tournament of Cham- said, “That’s no excuse.” Henkoff went on to win ardy!, died of pancreatic cancer Nov. 8 at 80. pions. Cohen’s Jewish cred extends to his love of $17,300 that day and return for one more game.

In his 36 years as host of the immensely popular deli, his marriage to a rabbi’s daughter and his upAfter Reform Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman heard the game show, Trebek encountered his share of Jewish bringing in a Conservadox synagogue. news about Trebek’s cancer diagnosis last year, he moments. We’ve rounded up a few esquickly hatched a plan for the show pecially notable ones from the last host: an interfaith “prayer service, for decade here. hope and healing and strength,” he Rabbi Joyce Newmark, a Conservatold the New York Jewish Week. tive rabbi from Teaneck, New Jersey, In all, Jewish and Christian clergy won $29,200 during her appearance on representing “at least 11 different rethe show, which aired on the 20th anligious traditions” participated, readniversary of her ordination. Trebek ing prayers, and other participants congratulated her on the milestone sang songs. People from across the and asked her about her experience as country tuned in via Zoom. a woman rabbi.

It shouldn’t have come as a big surA clue in the category “Service orprise: Mitelman — who appeared on ganizations” asked players to name the show in 2016 and runs a site “this Jewish club whose name means called Sinai and Synapses, about the ‘children of the covenant.'” That might ties between religion and science — have stumped many, but one of the wrote an article on his Jewish Apcontestants that day was Joey Gutproach to Being on Jeopardy!. mann, at the time a law student, who Alex Trebek poses on set at Sony Pictures in Culver City, Calif., for the premier of Earlier this year, a day school was wearing a kippah. He got it right the 28th season of Jeopardy, Sept. 20, 2011. Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Im- teacher named Meggie Kwait waages and won the $800. gered $18.

A contestant with a pretty Jewish name became “That was when all the Jews realized I was JewIn her first appearance on the show, Alexandra a sensation by trolling Trebek with some of his re- Henkoff and the other contestants left the category ish,” she told JTA. Kwait, a teacher at Beit Rabban sponses (such as “You aren’t rid of me yet, Trebek”). “Luther’s 95 Theses” for almost last in the first Day School in New York City, was part of this year’s Vanity Fair called Buzzy Cohen “either the game round. After she revealed the first clue, Henkoff Teachers Tournament, filmed shortly before the show’s latest young, charismatic savior or an ob- seemed stuck but answered, “Who is Jesus?” When coronavirus pandemic descended on the United noxious millennial scourge we as a society did she learned she was right, she sighed with relief, States.

Life cycles IN MEMORIAM PHYLLIS JOY (WAXENBERG) SHERMAN Phyllis Joy (Waxenberg) Sherman passed away on Nov. 7 at age 94. A private family graveside service was held Nov. 11.

She was preceded in death by her husband Irvin; daughter Jeanne Louise; parents, Leo and Zelda Waxenberg; brother Sheldon Waxenberg; and sister Marsha Feinhandler.

She is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, Michael and Patty, Stephen and Gaye, Mark Sherman and Ellie Batt, Daniel and Usha; grandchildren: David Sherman, Alison Sherman, Emma and Bryan Sayler, Augie and Alexa Sherman, Micah Sherman, Ben Sherman, Sarah and Evan Halpain, and Max Sherman; great-grandchildren, Isaac and Noah Sherman, Aaron Sherman, Abraham and Lewis Halpain, and two babies due 2021.

Phyllis was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, greatgrandmother, friend, artist and community volunteer. Her family played a multi-generational role in Omaha’s meatpacking indus-

The Jewish Press | November 20, 2020 | 11

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BLANCHE WISE Blanche Wise passed away on Nov. 9 at age 89. A private family service was held on Nov. 11 at Mt. Sinai Cemetery.

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Shirley’s Kitchen: Italian Spaghetti

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Ingredients: 1/2 chopped onion 1 clove garlic 2 cans tomato paste Allspice Salt Pepper Paprika Chili Powder Oregano Sugar Baking soda 1 lb hamburger Mushrooms Directions: Brown 1/2 chopped onion and 1 clove garlic in fat or oil in skillet.

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to thin sauce if too thick. Serve with spaghetti or your choice of pasta (ed. note: the recipe did not include instructions on how to cook pasta).

Shirley’s Kitchen: Tamale Pie From Shirley Goldstein I made this up and was so impressed!

Usually served when having people over, especially New Year’s Eve This was always served along with Onion Pie, a cheese platter and salmon dip when entertaining (with cheesecakes for dessert!). Tamale pie was the first time I ever used cornmeal for something. I can remember Ma saying she thought it tasted like “mush,” but that didn’t deter me!

TAMALE PIE

Ingredients: Cornmeal 1 lb. hamburger 1 Onion Crushed tomatoes (medium can) Spices Chili powder Garlic powder Sliced black olives Directions: Line pan with cornmeal and hot water to make crust (See directions on cornmeal package).

Make mixture of chili by browning hamburger and onions, add crushed tomatoes and spices.

Season with chili powder and garlic powder.

Add sliced black olives.

Pour into crust, sprinkle with cornmeal.

Bake 350° for 45-60 minutes.

To serve, have bowls of grated cheese, extra olives and chopped onions available to add as desired.

Serves 6-8.

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12 | The Jewish Press | November 20, 2020

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

Officials predicted violence. It hasn’t happened — yet.

BEN SALES JTA Leading up to Election Day, security specialists feared violence in the streets. The country’s atmosphere, they said, was primed for unrest and ideological attacks, born of a worsening pandemic, a possibly uncertain election outcome, increasingly popular extremist ideologies and a president who trumpets conspiracy theories and casts doubt on the democratic process.

The FBI set up a special command post tasked with addressing civil unrest. Jewish communal officials told synagogues and community centers to be especially on guard, given the recent history of lethal anti-Semitic attacks.

But more than a week after Election Day, significant violence had not come to pass.

The Secure Community Network, which coordinates security for Jewish institutions nationwide, received no reports of threats or attacks on Jewish communities on Election Day. But it and other groups caution that far-right activity is still a threat.

“I am cautiously optimistic, but we are remaining vigilant,” said Alex Goldenberg, lead intelligence analyst for the Network Contagion Research Institute, which studies online hate. He added, “We’re still not out of the woods and we have a long way to go before we can safely say things have calmed down, but I think the fact that the press in this country has announced a president means there’s some sense there will be a future.”

Security analysts all stress that while violence hasn’t happened yet, it still very well could, especially if leaders continue to sow doubt about the democratic process. And there have been some worrying signs.

Two armed men were arrested last week in Philadelphia after allegedly threatening a building where ballots were being counted. They had driven from Virginia in a Hummer adorned with bumper stickers supporting the pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory, which is rooted in anti-Semitism. And a Staten

Island man was charged Tuesday with threatening to “exterminate” Democrats including New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, whom he called “the Jew Senator from Jew York” on social media.

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which tracks hate and extremism online, reported that leading up to Nov. 3 there were 200,000 posts a day on social media about voter fraud.

There were 400,000 such posts on Election Day, and a high of two million on Nov. 5.

Supporters of President Donald Trump demonstrate at a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally in front of the Maricopa County Elections Department office in Phoenix on November 7, 2020. Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Trump supporters appear to be abandoning Twitter for Parler, a social media platform that does not append notes to disinformation about politics. According to NBC News, Parler’s user base has grown from 4.5 million to 8 million in the past week. These shifts are happening while Trump has fired the leadership of the Department of Defense and appointed his own allies instead. The outgoing defense secretary, Mark Esper, had clashed with Trump earlier in the year on deploying the military at civilian protests in the United States.

“There’s no threat until there is a threat,” said Ryan Greer, the ADL’s director for program assessment and strategy. “We may see someone who doesn’t get stopped, and there is vio-

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lence. And that very well could happen. We’re a little less concerned than we were that there could be more widespread violence or widespread threats, but we do think there’s still a pretty high threat of a few individuals in a few places that could become a more tangible threat.”

Security officials say that the drawn-out vote counting — which they feared could lead to uncertainty and chaos — actually defused tension. Had the race been called on Tuesday night, they say, people may have protested a hasty outcome.

The delayed result made people wait a few days and kept both sides optimistic, which may have cooled heads.

Of course, there is a substantial subset of Trump supporters, including the leaders of the Republican Party, who have either bought into or are indulging specious claims of election fraud.

And though that has led to vague discussions of violence in online extremist spaces, Masters said, it has yet to coalesce into a concrete threat of violence.

That online chatter could pose more of a present danger if and when Trump’s lawsuits against the election result are dismissed, said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. One far-right group with a history of violent clashes, the Proud Boys, is —as of this writing— planning a protest in Washington, D.C. And as the Biden presidency takes shape, right-wing extremists may become even more violent, though analysts also said that Biden’s response to right-wing extremists will likely be more robust and forceful than it was under the Trump administration.

“I’m worried about the militias who feel that their guy has gone down and socialism is coming for their guns,” she said.

“I just don’t see how people who have that political worldview that they’re being replaced by Jews or by minorities are going to sit quietly, because they never have.”

This article was edited for length. Please see the full story at www.omahajewishpress.com.

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