Life cycles

IN MEMORIAM

MARVIN PAUL ALTMAN

Marvin Paul Altman passed away on Nov. 22 at the age of 78. Services were held on Nov. 28, 2022 at the Ludvigsen Mortuary Chapel followed by the burial in Memorial Cemetery.

He was preceded in death by parents Goldie (Eisenberg) and Benjamin Altman and brother to Harvey Altman.

Paul was born in St. Louis, Missouri on Nov. 18, 1944. He was loved by so many but held the heart of two, in particular, his first wife Francee Rife Altman, and his second wife Crystal Bahner Altman. Paul became the real-life Mike Brady bringing together the love he had for his personal three boys together with the love he had for his new three children of his new wife’s family. It was a testament to the Godliness of his soul that he was so loved by this combined families as he grew to become the loving parent of Derek and Helen, Andrew and Jill, Brian and Meira Altman, as well as the new father of Diane (Martin) and Jon Wagner along with Mike and Brian Martin. Paul was the loving Grandparent of Moriah and Justin Scamehorn, Shauna and Jeffery Hines, Jeremy, Shannon, and Bryant Wagner, as well as Grant, Jada, Daniel Chi, Yahonaton, and Rachama Altman. Our father also had the joy and love of being the great-grandfather to Malea, Jaida, Corbin, Sofia, Raven, and Alex.

This love for Francee and motivation to start a family and become a father led Paul on his journey to Omaha, Nebraska. There he began his formal career in sales in the family men’s clothing store Stuarts with his father and brother-in-law before beginning his own store named for his two boys at the time DERRANS (Derek and Andrew).

Memorials may be made to the organization of your choice.

LORI KOLNICK

Lori Kolnick passed away on Nov. 24, 2022 in Milford, Nebraska. A private family funeral on Nov. 27, 2022 and was officiated by Rabbi Steven Abraham.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Martin and Betty Kolnick.

She is survived by brother, Stuart Kolnick and sister, Robbi Kolnick; beloved nephew, Seth Kudym; and niece, Molly Kudym.

Israeli coalition deal gives far right’s Itamar Ben-Gvir control over the police

PHILISSA CRAMER

JTA Itamar Ben-Gvir, the right-wing Israeli politician called a “pyromaniac” by his critics because of his penchant for inflaming his country’s deep tensions, will head Israel’s police forces, under the terms of a deal inked with Benjamin Netanyahu early Friday. The deal would expand the ministry of internal security, the old name of the cabinet position in charge of the police, into the ministry of national security and would also give Ben-Gvir authority over border police in Palestinian territories, according to the terms reported in Israeli media. In the role, Ben-Gvir will have the power to carry out some of his long-held wishes, including loosening rules so that officers can open fire on Palestinians who throw stones and expanding the ability of Jews to pray on the Temple Mount, the Jerusalem site that is home to the Al-Aqsa mosque. Ben-Gvir — an acolyte of Meir Kahane, a rabbi barred from Israel’s parliament in the 1980s because of his racism — has ignited conflict by accompanying Jews to pray on the Temple Mount, where Jewish prayer has been strictly limited for security reasons. Twice convicted of incitement in Israeli courts, Ben-Gvir has also called for annexing large parts of the West Bank and for deporting Arabs who are not loyal to Israel.

The agreement between Ben-Gvir’s party, Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), and Likud, Benjamin Netanyahu’s party, does not mean that Netanyahu has finished forming a governing coalition, which he is charged with doing after receiving a majority of parliament seats in Israel’s Nov. 1 election. But it is a crucial step that indicates progress among the parties — and indicates that any who hopes that Netanyahu would not in fact elevate Ben-Gvir and others in his far-right bloc are likely to be disappointed. Some U.S. Jewish groups have expressed discomfort with Ben-Gvir and his allies being installed in government, saying that the rightwing lawmakers’ vision for Israel is at odds with that of Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to supporters in Jerusalem after hearing American Jews; others have the results of the exit polls giving his party 14 seats in the parlia- remained silent, perhaps recment. Credit: Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ognizing that they may have Images to work with a government that includes him. The Biden administration is considering refusing to meet with Ben-Gvir, though his expanded portfolio would likely create more opportunities for such meetings. Netanyahu is still working to finalize an agreement with Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionist party. Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to give Smotrich authority over Israel’s administration of the West Bank, including construction and demolition of both Palestinian and Jewish settlements. But the pair are reportedly at odds over whether Smotrich, who has disparaged non-Orthodox Jews, should get control of the government division that oversees Jewish conversion.

An Arizona man who wished ‘death to all Jews’ killed his professor.

RON KAMPEAS

JTA A top Jewish community security consultant accused the University of Arizona of ignoring antisemitism as a warning sign in a case that culminated in the shooting death of a professor. “Professor Thomas Meixner lost his life because antisemitism is not being taken seriously enough,” Michael Masters, the CEO of the Secure Community Network, wrote in an op-ed published in the Arizona Republic. Masters said the alleged assailant’s explicitly antisemitic threats should have been a red flag for the campus police, which, Masters said did not aggressively pursue criminal charges, and the Pima County Attorney’s Office, which did not file charges. The assailant in one text to a teacher wished “death to all Jews.” “Too often reported violent antisemitic threats like these are dismissed as a byproduct of poor mental health and are not treated with necessary precautions,” Masters wrote. “More could and should have been done to prevent a senseless murder.” Masters’ group coordinates security for Jewish organizations across the country, and his op-ed comes amid renewed attention to the work of security groups like his. Last week, a local security project in New York City, the Community Security Initiative, provided the tip that led authorities there to apprehend a man who allegedly posted online that he would “shoot up a synagogue”; when arrested, the man had a gun, ammunition and a Nazi armband. Previously, people who have received Security Community Network training have credited it with mitigating attacks, including during the hostage situation at a Texas synagogue last January, and the group says that its tips about online posts have also led to arrests. Murad Dervish, the suspect in the Oct. 5 slaying on the Tucson campus of the University of Arizona, believed Meixner was Jewish and was targeting Dervish because he was a Muslim, according to Meixner’s colleagues. Dervish had received a poor grade and was fired last semester as a teaching assistant, although he was allowed to stay on at the school as a student. Meixner, the department head, was a Roman Catholic, but, according to Eyad Atallah, another teacher whom Dervish threatened, Dervish refused to believe it.

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A Family of Things

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

Jewish Press Editor Sara Jacobson’s shop, A Family of Things, is based in the historic Little Bohemia neighborhood, and surrounded by likeminded, women-owned shops selling independent goods The Chute, Dusk Goods & Gifts, and The Greenhouse. That neighborhood is like an extra actor in the story of Sara’s shop: halfway between dilapidation and gentrification, Little Bohemia occupies that sweet spot where you can see what was, and what will be. There is a vacuum store from the 1950s, and a newly renovated metal work building. Fresh paint and old rust. It’s a landscape full of possibilities. With a Masters in Designed Objects from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sara Jacobson is well-acquainted with the history of design, the process of making, and the value of craft and the creator. When she moved back to Omaha in January of 2020, she knew it would be different from the places she had lived before. However, she was ready for a change. “I finally, after all the travel, felt drawn to home,” she said. “I had had it in mind for a long time.” Sara has a solid design background and describes herself as someone centered on craft, concept and ideation. “The meaning of objects fascinates me,” she said, “and I love the research into people’s behavior, how it is connected to the design of the objects we use every day.” Sara is a big museum person, she said, and found that museums are often a way to decompress. “I began to do that with stores as well. Coming from a design background, objects are never just objects—they are much more than that. Where art and functionality intersect, you gain a different level of accessibility.” Most designers will agree: looking at pretty objects is inspiring, whether that object is an art installation worth thousands of dollars, or a simple soup spoon. Functional art and design is where Sara focused her energy when she began planning her business.

Initially, coming home meant a trial period. She would work on her business plan and ready herself to open a store focused on design objects. Except, “Covid took the decision out of my hands. The shop plans were put on hold. Then, in June of 2021, I found the perfect space and I decided to move forward.”

A Family of Things is a curated shop for considered, wellcrafted art and design objects, and tools for living and creativity. “We source all our goods from makers around the world who are focused on a high level of quality and craft,” Sara said. “Our mission is to support and promote independent makers, designers and manufacturers, and the process, time and intent dedicated to making things. We hope to share things you can make, live or work with for a long time.”

A Family of Things contains a mini-gallery that rotates every month, hosts sidewalk markets (together with the neighbors) and occupies a space between art gallery and shop—like a museum, but everything is for sale. Instead of sneaking a photo on your phone while the guard isn’t looking, you can bring the object of your affection home. It’s, like Sara said, “a much more tangible way to experience art and design.” Each object in the shop has a story. Who made it, what materials were used, where in the world does it come from. “There are regions in Japan where there is this great focus on passing down skills, on the art and craftmanship, and it’s unique—you won’t find it anywhere else. Bringing some of those objects to Omaha is a pleasure.” The shop offers a little bit of everything, from baby gifts to handmade paper, from kitchen utensils to soaps, apothecary products and coffee and tea ware. There are toys and games, art prints and handblown glass.

A Family of Things is located at 1234 South 13th st. #203 and you can check out the website at famofthings.com. It offers curbside pickup; if you don’t have the chance to visit in person (which we highly recommend) you can check out many of the objects online.

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