Welcome
The Jewish Press
(Founded in 1920)
David Finkelstein
President
Annette van de Kamp-Wright
Editor
Richard Busse
Creative Director
Claire Endelman
Advertising Executive
Lori Kooper-Schwarz
Assistant Editor
Melanie Schwarz
Intern
Sam Kricsfeld
Digital support
Mary Bachteler
Accounting
Jewish Press Board
David Finkelstein, President; Margie Gutnik, Ex-Officio; Helen Epstein, Andrea Erlich, Ally Freeman, Dana Gonzales, Mary Sue Grossman, Hailey Krueger, Chuck Lucoff, Larry Ring, Melissa Schrago, Suzy Sheldon and Stewart Winograd.
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 JFO are: Institute for Holocaust Education, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Social Services, Nebraska Jewish Historical Society and the Jewish Press Guidelines and highlights of the Jewish Press, including front page stories and announcements, can be found online at: www.jewishomaha.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 Kamp-Wright, 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
And...
And suddenly, here it is: the almost-end of 2024. Thanks to the leap year, we have the privilege of a Hanukkah that actually occurs while the rest of the country is taking a breather, of sorts. The kids won’t be going to school smelling of oil.
I’ll be honest: I was hoping the world would look a little better by now. In last year’s Hanukkah message, I wrote: “As much as I would like to twist this into a story of hope, I’m struggling to do so.” Yes, I’m quoting myself, a sure sign all is not well. I am still struggling.
Let’s face it; it’s been a crappy year. There, I said it. So now what? Admitting things are tough, it’s sometimes necessary, but it cannot end there.
We must bring on the “And” statement. As in: “It’s been a crappy year, and...” Because it is not enough to admit that it’s been hard; we have to follow it up. What comes next? What do we do with it? How do we fight this malaise? How do we stay strong? Our story doesn’t end here; it continues. The ‘how’ is up to us. And you know I have a few ideas; I always do.
First of all, we celebrate and don’t talk to me about calories. We’re going to have those latkes with ALL the toppings, the sufganyot and the extra rugelach and the black-and-white cookies. We’ll bring every single Hanukkiah we own and light them all every night, and you know what—when you have finished frying the latkes, you can look around your kitchen and find random other things to fry. Presents? Yes. Prayers and parties and crazy Hanukkah sweaters: yes. Invite your friends and family and laugh until you burst.
Then, we look to the future. What are your plans for next year? My plans are to continue writing. Not only for this paper, but on the side, at any writer’s workshop I can get my hands on. To create a food story book with my colleague and dear friend, Jane Rips. To keep painting, learning, to continue working, to show up at the pickleball court with Jessi and Margie and Rachel and Teresa and Mark, even though I still don’t really understand the game.
We’ll finish our Annual Campaign in a few months, and start planning publicity surrounding the Annual Meeting, the Press Club Campaign, the next Tapestry, and... If I would open the calendar now, I would see an endless list of planned events for the Jewish Community Center, for the synagogues, for religious school, from scholars-in-residence events to visiting authors, Beit Midrash and B’nai Mitzvah, and...
What are your expectations for 2024? Are you having a baby? Getting married? Graduating from high school? Selling your house and downsizing? Retirement? Maybe you are planning a very exciting trip (or two) or maybe you’re finally getting that dog you always wanted. Think about it for a minute, and surprise yourself with the possibilities of new things. That’s your “And.” It may be short, but it can be a very powerful word if we allow it.
Happy Hanukkah,
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Editor, Jewish Press
JBL: Celebrating Broadmoor Development
JAY
KATELMAN
JFO Director of Community Development
Tom Fellman and Howard Kooper have dedicated their careers to changing the area’s rental housing landscape. In 1978, their shared belief that residents deserved more brought them together to create Broadmoor Development. They started as a twoman partnership to develop, build, manage and syndicate real estate. Their journey quickly grew bigger than either of them had dared to imagine. During more than 46 years in business, Tom and Howard have directed Broadmoor to grow tremendously. Today, it encompasses over 7,300 apartment homes, with an additional 1,000 apartments planned over the next five years.
Tom Fellman and Howard Kooper live by their core values of honesty, integrity and compassion. They demonstrate this in their commitment to give back. They believe in Tikkun Olam; it is important to leave the world better than you have found it.
“Tom and Howard are incredibly humble in what they have achieved at the highest level,” Jewish Business Leaders’ Chair Alex Epstein said. “We are excited to hear the story of how Broadmoor started, grew and where it is today and what the future holds and all the business lessons learned along the way. JBL wanted to honor Broadmoor since its inception in 2017, but in Broadmoor’s humble way, they made sure we waited and waited and focused on recognizing other companies and entrepreneurs. Fortunately, the time has come where we get the incredible opportunity and honor of inducting Tom Fellman and Howard Kooper into the Hall of Fame.”
homes and duplexes. In addition, it operated a property management company that included his personal investments, along with retail strip centers of the Newman family. His first large multi-family development, Thomasville, was constructed in 1969. Tom continued to build, manage and sell properties until partnering with Howard in 1978. Tom was the straw that stirred the drink; he was ‘the general that found the next deal.’ There is not a day that passes, where Tom does not have at least ten new deals in his head.
Howard Kooper, also an Omaha native, also attended Central High School. After high school, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Howard entered Creighton Law, but, after a successful first year, decided to switch his career to real estate. Over the next 16 years, Howard gained his real estate acumen at Overland-Wolf, a closely-held Nebraska corporation that invested in real estate, and sold and managed commercial, industrial and investment real estate. Since partnering with Tom, Howard has been in the office at least six days a week, overseeing daily operations, putting together the framework of the next deal, and strategies and foresight for the company’s growth. Additionally, for the last 30 years, Howard has sat on the Omaha Airport Authority board and served as board chair for six of those years.
Once in partnership, Howard and Tom purchased Briarwood apartments as their first joint venture. Since then, they have built or acquired over 35 apartment communities while growing their Broadmoor Family to over 250 employees. They employ hundreds of subcontractors on any given day.
Born in Omaha, Tom Fellman attended Central High School and the University of Oklahoma, where he graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Real Estate and Accounting. He began his career as a staff accountant at Alexander Grant, spending his day breaking Frank Goldberg’s pencils. After one year, Tom started the Tom Fellman Company, which built single family
As their careers flourished, they never lost sight of where they came from. In addition to their extensive involvement in the Jewish community, Tom and Howard have always had giving hearts. They have been major supporters of the Jewish community, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands, University of Nebraska, Creighton University, Make-a-Wish Foundation, See Broadmoor Development page 4
MID-CITY JEWELRY & LOAN
Broadmoor Development
Continued from page 3 Food Bank of the Heartland, Red Cross, Salvation Army, HETRA, Breakthrough T1D, and others.
Today, Howard and Tom are surrounded by loved ones and friends. Their business partnerships with many of you have evolved into close friendships, and they hold their philanthropic partners close to their hearts. Family means the world to them.
“Jewish Business Leaders is incredibly excited to honor Tom Fellman and Howard Kooper,” Alex Epstein said, “and finally induct them into the Jewish Business Leaders Hall of Fame.”
The next Jewish Business Leaders event is scheduled for Friday Dec. 20, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. It will be held at Happy Hollow Club,
Epstein continued: “Howard and Tom really inspired me to start Jewish Business Leaders in the first place. I wanted the stories and success of companies like Broadmoor to be passed down from generation to generation and create an outlet for our community to be able to meet and interact with our business leaders. I have to thank Tom and Howard for inspiring the next generation of community leaders and seeing their involvement taught all of us the importance of carrying the torch forward.”
Please visit our website at www.jewish omaha.org to renew your JBL membership for 2025, or reach out to Jay Katelman at 402.334.6461 or jkatelman @jewishomaha. org
The Kaplan Book Group finds love in Paris is not always a bed of roses
SHIRLY BANNER
JFO Library Specialist
On Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. the Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group will gather for their monthly meeting. Group members have the choice of meeting either in person in the Benjamin & Anna Wiesman Reception Room in the Staenberg Jewish Community Center or via Zoom. This month they will be discussing A Jewish Girl in Paris by Melaine Levensohn. New participants are always welcome. Levensohn’s novel is set in three seemingly unrelated cities (Paris in 1940-1941; Montréal in 1982 and Washington, D.C. in 2006) but Levensohn skillfully weaves their connection into her novel.
Paris in 1940 is under German occupation. While working in the library, a young Judith Goldemberg meets, befriends and falls in love with Christian Pavie-Rausan. All is not easy for the young couple because while Judith is Jewish, Christian is the son of a wealthy banker and Nazi sympathizer. Despite Christian’s distain and in defiance of his father, Christian generously provides Judith and her mother with much needed provisions necessary to survive in Paris as the Nazis continue to take over Paris and the persecution of Jews intensifies.
Montréal in 1982 finds Jacobina Grunberg returning to the death bed of her father Lica
who confesses to her that she has an older half-sister named Judith. Lica divorced Judith’s mother and remarried when he returned to his native Romania where he met Jacobina’s mother. He subsequently lost touch with Judith as the Nazis took control in Europe. Judith promises her father that she will find out what happened to this long-lost sister. Unfortunately, Jacobina does not act on this promise for almost 25 years where she is living in Washington, D.C. a bitter, aged and destitute woman.
Washington, D.C. in 2006 is where we are introduced to a French woman named Béatrice Duvier who works for the World Bank. After a frustrating day at work, Béatrice is recruited by the founder of Sunset Aid, an organization that tries to help take care of the elderly in the area. She decides to volunteer some of her time for this worthy cause. Béatrice is assigned to bring food to an elderly woman who turns out to be Jacobina. The two woman become friends and Béatrice decides to help Jacobina fulfill her long abandoned promise to her father of finding out what happened to her half-sister Judith. At the Washington Holocaust Museum, Béatrice is aided in her research quest by fellow Frenchman Grégoire Bernard who works there. They work together gathering and
piecing together information and records about Jewish detainees and survivors of the Holocaust from France. Following several dead ends and misinformation, Béatrice is finally able to piece together what happened to Judith and uncover long-buried family secrets.
Levensohn’s novel is inspired by true events and will leave you in awe of the resilience of people searching for truths. A Jewish Girl in Paris is about love that is both lost and found, about survival and strength, and about determination to find the truth and ultimately about finding one’s destiny.
Please feel free to join us on Dec. 19 in person or via Zoom. The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. New members are always welcome.
The Group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.
ORGANIZATIONS
B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS
For information about the group and to join in the discussion, contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org
The award-winning B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS speaker program currently meets Wednesdays via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Please watch our email for specific information concerning its thought-provoking, informative list of speakers. To be placed on the email list, contact Breadbreakers chair at gary.javitch@gmail.com
Tibet (1984)
Welcome to our Campus
Our 315,000 sq. ft. Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus is truly a “one-stop-shop.” From preschool to pickleball, from a state-of-the-art theater to author events, we have it all. All this programming happens against a backdrop that is filled with art.
In addition to our Eisenberg Gallery, where work by contemporary artists changes out monthly, we have an impressive permanent collection. This series is meant to tell you more about some of the artworks in our building, as well as the different ways in which we use the space.
Batya Rich is a glass artist from St. Louis, Missouri. Batya’s mezuzot cases can be found on a number of doorways through our building. There’s one at the upper level of the JFO offices. There is another at the lower-level admin offices. A third is at the member entrance to the JCC, a fourth at the lower-level center door to the pool. In total, we have 12 of them. Try to find them all during your next visit!
Mezuzot is plural for mezuzah. A mezuzah is a piece of parchment, called a klaf, that is inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah. The case keeps it safe, and designing these cases has been elevated to an art form; they come in all shapes and sizes.
Batya’s mezuzah cases are made through a process called fusing. The glass comes as a sheet, is cut, decorated with various colored glass pieces and kiln-fired at very high temperatures. Once all the pieces are fused together, it is fired again, this time using a mold so it gets its shape.
The finished mezuzah case containing the scroll is affixed to each doorpost in a Jewish home to fulfill the Biblical commandment to “write the words of G-d on the gates and doorposts of your house.” The exceptions are closets, bathrooms, laundry rooms and spaces too small to qualify as rooms.
A Mezuzah on every doorpost; it’s one more way we know this is our home.
NO ONE SAVES MORE LIVES IN ISRAEL IN TIMES OF CRISIS.
RICH JURO
We had visited China before, so we signed up with the Himalayan Mountaineering Company to tour Tibet. We flew to Lhasa, the 12,000 foot high capital. Since 1951, Tibet was an autonomous province of China, but even in 1984 the national government was sending small numbers of Han Chinese to Tibet. We stayed in the State Guest House, but that’s not really impressive. Sharing the quarters with Joe and Millie, a nice Texas couple, we had to cross their room to get to ours; and Joe and Millie had to traverse our bedroom to get to the bathroom. At least Joe said only once:
“You’ll be the Texas A&M’s fifth man.”
As you’ll see, Lhasa’s State Guest House was very nice compared to the places we stayed in later.
We spent the next day acclimating to the altitude. (There was no coca tea like in Cuzco, Peru, but we didn’t have the problems many people had.) Finally, we were ready to go see the Potala Palace: 1000 rooms that served as the political, administrative and religious center of Tibet. The head of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, used the Potala Palace as his winter home (before Tibet was
annexed by China in 1951). The Potala Palace was magnificent! The rooms, the furnishings, and the backdrop of the Himalayan Mountains were beyond words.
After three hours Fran asked the guide if they had a bathroom. The guide said proudly: “Of course we do. Take the left at the far wall, and you’ll be at a WC (Water Closet = bathroom).”
Fran followed his instructions and silently gave thanks for a clean bathroom. She glanced down through the slit and saw people walking far below. Fran hoped that the clearance of her urethra would not cause a problem for the folks way down. When she returned, and she described it, I said “Bombs Away!”
After a few days in Lhasa, we took the bus to Shannan and Shigatse (Xisang) through the Himalayan passes. The only thing I remember is how high they were (17,000 feet) and the “hotel rooms”. The one in Shannan had one male bathroom and one female bathroom for the entire two floors of rooms. And because of the altitude women had their menstrual flow. The one in Shigatse was a converted army barracks, and a basic one.
The Tibetan people were always gracious and polite, even in the hotels.
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Emerge: part 2
JESSICA COHN, ALLY FREEMAN, ELLIE NOVAK AND HILLARY RUBESIN
“Emerge” is an initiative that brings 23 women from Jewish Federations across North America together virtually. Over the past year, the four original JFNA “Emerge” participants— Jessica Cohn, Ally Freeman, Ellie Novak, and Hillary Rubesin— have used the ongoing financial support of the Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation to continue building Jewish women’s leadership initiatives across Omaha. This is part of a series.
A women’s swim night was hosted in conjunction with the JCC Adult swim on July 25, 2024. 141 guests were invited to the event via email and 12 attended the evening event. Guests were offered two cocktails from the poolside bar service and kosher Nothing Bundt Cakes during the evening of conversation and relaxation. This event was focused on community, wellness and Jewish identity. Women practiced self-care and wellness together in the Jewish community, and shared about our various identities. It was especially nice for those of us with “mom” identities to have a relaxing night away from kids! It was also an opportunity to showcase the beautiful JCC pool. The Staenberg Anything Grant and Goldstein Family Foundation Grant were thanked during our evening.
mushroom vegetarian meal was finished with an olive oil cake with seasonal fruit and brownies.
During the dinner, Emerge fellows reminded the attendees of our four goals for the year-long 2023-2024 programming: kehillah/community, wellness/balance, Jewish identity, and leadership. The focus of this final Emerge gathering was leadership. Conversation prompts and questions focused on leadership were scattered around the table to inspire conversation. Guests introduced themselves and shared their motivation for joining the Shabbat dinner. Responses ranged from sharing the names of friends or family members who had encouraged them to attend, celebrating Jewishness with peers, building community and the desire to meet other Jewish women.
Guests were also encouraged to share their thoughts on potential future programming, if new grant funding was secured. The feedback during the event and the days following was very positive. Many guests expressed sadness that this was the final event, as the current Emerge fellows did not apply for additional grant funding, due to limited personal capacity. A few women have approached Emerge fellows since to inquire about the steps to obtain future grants to extend programming in the future.
We returned to Heirloom Fine Foods for a beautiful, culminating Shabbat dinner on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. 141 women were invited via Paperless Post resulting in 55 direct responses. 40 guests responded with a YES well in advance of the deadline, meeting the capacity of the venue, and 15 guests responded that they were unable to attend.
The evening began with cheese, crackers, vegetables and hummus appetizers as well as wine and a French 75 signature cocktail. Guests were led in the Shabbat blessings by Emerge Fellows, Ally Freeman, Hillary Rubesin, Jess Cohn and Ellie Novak. A delicious kosher style meal consisting of challah, salad, matzo ball soup, roasted salmon, and a pan roasted
Emerge is made possible through the generosity of the Shirley & Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation and the Staenberg Family Foundation Anything Grant.
On behalf of the Emerge Fellows, thank you for your generosity and support of our continued programming over the years, and especially over the last grant cycle. We have greatly enjoyed this lay-leader opportunity to create kehillah with our peer group. It has been fun to meet many new women and also to engage those who are unaffiliated both with local synagogues and/or the Federation. We cannot believe we started this Emerge journey in January 2021. We hope our multi-year programming has inspired other Jewish women to take up the leadership helm.
‘Write With Us,’ the recent collaboration between the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society and the Jewish Press, will continue in smaller format in the Fall. New workshops are scheduled for Jan. 16, Feb. 2, March 20 and April 17 from 6-8 p.m. in the Noshery at the Staenberg Omaha JCC. Register by contacting Jessi at jtaylor@jewishomaha.org or Annette at avandekamp@jewishomaha.org. There is no cost to attend, although donations are always welcome. If you have wanted to write your family’s story, that great American novel, or you have always wanted to try your hand at poetry, join us! Maybe you are already an accomplished writer, but you would benefit from being in a room with other writers. Perhaps you have convinced yourself you can’t write at all, but would love to try. Everyone, from absolute beginner to professional, is welcome to attend.
Happy Hanukkah Happy Hanukkah
May the Miracle of Hanukkah bring light and warmth to you, your family and friends this holiday season
please visit our website at www.CareMatrix.net or reach out directly.
Pet therapy at RBJH
SABINE STRONG
RBJH Volunteer Coordinator
We have some wonderful Pet Therapy Volunteers with LOAL – Love on a Leash.
Anne Pane-Ridgway is the site leader for this visit. She brings her dogs Tippy and London.
Mako Jacobs is the other Volunteer with her dog Odin. They love their monthly visits with our Residents. Since 2018, the wonderful group has faithfully come every seond Wednesday of the month to visit our residents. They are an amazing group of people with wonderful dogs.
Clockwise from top left: Anne Pane-Ridgway, Site leader with Tippy, and London; Mako Jacobs LOAL with Odin; plus we have Paws for Friendship Volunteer Kris Weland with Luna.
UNO Criss Library December KripkeVeret Collection Book Display
CLAIRE DU LANEY
Outreach Archivist, Criss Library
Archives and Special Collections
UNO Criss Library Archives and Special Collections is curating monthly displays composed of books from the Kripke-Veret Collection of the Jewish Federation of Omaha throughout 2024. During December, explore books about Jewish folklore and legends with materials on display on the first floor of Criss Library. These books contain stories and scholarly analysis about Jewish myths, legends, religious narratives, folklore and tall tales for adults and children. Find items rooted in ancient Jewish Talmudic and Midrash religious sources, Sephardic heritage, American-Jewish tales, Near East narratives, all ranging from modern to medieval. The holidays can have a magical quality, so take some time to examine new or familiar stories that will thrill and delight.
The University of Nebraska at Omaha Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library became the home to the Kripke-Veret Collection in 2020. The books, donated by the Jewish Federation of Omaha (JFO), contains a hallmark selection of primarily scholarly Jewish works. With an estimated 36,500 volumes, the special
collection is the largest donation of books ever to be received by UNO Criss Library Archives and Special Collections. The collection items on display are listed below. There are many more books in the collection than can be displayed in a single case, and we invite you to visit the Archives and Special Collections department to learn more.
The cases are available to view on the first floor of Criss Library MondayThursday 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday noon-10 p.m. Archives and Special Collections is open to the
public Monday - Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
You can find KVCJF books in the library catalog. .
BOOK LIST
1. Seeds from our past planting for the future: Jewish stories and folktales
2. Night tales from long ago
3. Jewish Legends
4. Lights along the path: Jewish folklore through the grades for children age four to twelve
5. On Jewish Folklore
6. Web of life: folklore and midrash in rabbinic literature
See UNO Criss Library page 12
community
Tzedek Teens partner with Access Period to combat period poverty
NAOMI FOX
JFO Director of Community Engagement and Education
On Monday, Nov. 11, 23 Jewish middle and high school students gathered for an evening of meaningful volunteer work, making a direct impact on lives across Nebraska.
Organized by Tzedek Teens in collaboration with the BBYO chapter MZ Yoshanah, the event supported Access Period, a nonprofit dedicated to ending period poverty in the state.
The evening kicked off with dinner, offering the teens— some meeting for the first time—a chance to connect. Members of BBYO joined the effort, creating a welcoming atmosphere for what was both a purposeful and enjoyable night of community service.
After introductions, the group learned about Access Period’s mission: ensuring equitable access to menstrual products for Nebraskans. By partnering with schools, community organizations and free access points, the organization provides essential period products to individuals who might otherwise go without. This educational moment highlighted the real-life struggles caused by period poverty and set the stage for impactful work ahead.
The teens had a clear goal: to pack 150 one-month supply kits to be distributed throughout the state. With their sleeves rolled up and a shared sense of purpose, the group formed an efficient assembly line, unboxing, repackaging, and organizing supplies. Roles were quickly assigned, and work began as the teens collaborated to ensure a smooth process.
Kristin Lowrey, Executive Director and Founder of Access
Period, oversaw the operation and later distributed the completed kits to those in need. In just over an hour, the teens had completed their task, with every kit representing a step toward menstrual equity in Nebraska.
Reflecting on the evening, Juliette Boehm Smith, a teen participant, shared, “I think it’s important for teens to give back to their community because it shows how when you put in some effort you can make a big impact for others. Volunteering gives me a sense of accomplishment knowing we helped so many people.” Juliette went on to share more thoughts about Access Period, “It is a great organization to partner with because it normalizes people’s monthly cycles and removes the discomfort around the topic. They help people not miss work and school each month by providing important products.” The event exemplified the power of community, collaboration, and compassion. Beyond packing kits, the teens left with a greater understanding of the importance of service and the tangible difference they can make.
Tzedek Teens, led by Naomi Fox and Heidi Heilbrunn through the Jewish Federation of Omaha, organizes several service projects annually, empowering Jewish teens to give back as a group. Their next volunteer event is set for Sunday, Feb. 23rd at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge, where participants will prepare and serve a meal for residents undergoing cancer treatment. The afternoon will also include crafts and games, offering not only a meal, but moments of joy and connection between the participants. To learn more about Tzedek Teens and the philanthropic Tzedakah accounts available to open, please scan the QR code or call/email Naomi Fox at 402.334.6424 or nfox@jewishomaha.org
LIGHT THEWAY FORWARD
A Jewish couple created a disco-ball
New Year’s overlap
JACKIE HAJDENBERG
JTA
In 2013, there was the Menurkey, a turkey-shaped menorah, for the highly unusual overlap of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah.
Now, 11 years later, a new holiday-mashup menorah is making its appearance. The Happy Jew Year hanukkiah features a spinning disco ball to mark the rare overlap between Hanukkah and New Year’s.
The menorah is the brainchild of Justin and Michelle Esgar, a New Jersey couple who have made a habit of throwing schticky Hanukkah celebrations complete with holiday staples
402-398-1111
68114 www.wiesmandevelopment.com
like jelly doughnuts and latkes, tailored to an annual theme. Back to the Hanukkah riffed on the movie Back to the Future Alo-Hanukkah featured deep-fried King’s Hawaiian rolls. My Big Fat Greek Hanukkah took things back to the nation whose ancient forebears are traditionally depicted as the Hanukkah story’s antagonist. For Japan-ukkah, the Esgars created a makeyour-own ramen station and Japanese sweet potato latkes. Their local sushi place arranged the rolls in the shape of a menorah. Now, they’re trying to bring their festive spirit to the masses from their home base in Jersey City.
See Disco-ball menorah page 12
Disco-ball menorah
Continued from page 11
“When we realized that Hanukkah this year was going to be over New Years, I was like, ‘There’s something there we can do,’” Justin Esgar said. “So then we came up with the idea of Happy Jew Year, and then this menorah concept where it’s representative of the New Year’s Eve ball drop from New York City.”
Hanukkah merchandise offerings have exploded in recent years, as corporations have realized the size of the marketplace created by an eight-day celebration occurring during the winter holiday season in a society where more and more families include people of multiple faiths. The idea of Chrismukkah — another meeting of two holidays that is also occurring this year — is a mainstay of popular hibernal discourse. But new products for calendar quirks such as the New Years overlap during an unusually late Hanukkah have often been the province of cottage creators who can devote themselves to a single item.
New Year’s Eve is usually not a prime time for Judaica mashups, according to Rabbi Yael Buechler, a creator and selfappointed watchdog of mass-market Jewish products who scours big-box stores’ Hanukkah offerings.
“New Years is a time when more families are away or just returning from vacation. The grownups might have plans, but
UNO Criss Library
Continued from page 9
7. The serpent symbol in the ancient Near East: Nahash and Asherah: death, life, and healing
8. A portion in Paradise: and other Jewish folktales
9. A year of Jewish stories: 52 tales for young children and their families
10. Stories within stories: from the Jewish oral tradition
11. Lilith’s cave: Jewish tales of the supernatural
12. The holy and the profane: evolution of Jewish folkways
13. Jewish Folktales
14. The Phoenix’ nest: a study in religious transformations
15. A book of Jewish curiosities
they are not as synced with kid-based experiences,” she wrote in an email. “I would have loved to see some sparkly NYE/Hanukkah headbands. Maybe they’ll surprise us with a crystal dreidel atop Times Square!”
The Esgars’ menorah is nickel-plated and made by hand. It’s priced at $54 — three times $18, a number that signifies life in Jewish tradition.
Happy Jew Year wasn’t the Esgars’ first idea. They initially considered marking the occasion with sparkler candles — but learned that Hanukkah candles have to burn for at least 30 minutes to be considered kosher.
“Nobody wants a sparkler in their house going off for a half hour,” Esgar said. “That’s a fire hazard.”
Then their thoughts turned to Asher Weintraub, the 10year-old who invented and marketed the 2013 Thanksgiving menorah. “It was a kid who made the menurkey,” Esgar said. “We were kind of thinking about that when we were coming up with this idea.”
While the Menurkey was effectively a single-use object for most buyers — Thanksgivukkah will not happen again until 2070, nearly six decades after the last occurrence — the Happy Jew Year menorah will soon be relevant again. Hanukkah will overlap with New Year’s Eve again in 2027, 2035 and 2043.
16. Types and motifs of the Judeo-Spanish folktales
17. The book of Jewish women’s tales
18. A Treasure of American-Jewish Folklore
19. Magic and Folklore in Rabbinic Literature
The thing about oil
NAFTALI SILVERBERG
The economics of oil strangely mirror the nature of oil itself. On one hand, the political and geo-economic machinations which cause the rise and fall of oil prices are beyond the understanding of the average citizen. On the other hand, we all are strongly affected by the decisions of the powers that be who set the price of a barrel of oil. The price of oil affects energy costs, which in turn affects the cost of basically every product on the market.
This is similar to oil itself: its chemical makeup causes it to rise above other fluids, but also utterly permeates substances which it touches. Make a paper or food wet, and it will dry out after a short while. Pour oil on it, and it will remain oily for good. Remember the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and the incredible damage it caused? New Orleans
See The thing about oil page 15
We asked: What was your most memorable Hanukkah celebration, and why?
HAILEY KRUEGER
My most memorable Hanukkah was just last year. On one of the nights, we joined Chabad in their annual Hanukkah event for a public lighting of the chanukiah. Still feeling rocked by Oct. 7, Alex and I asked if we could hold a vigil for the hostages and they graciously encouraged us to have it during the Hanukkah event. We handed out candles and posters of hostages to each attendee and I stood up on a chair to speak a few words. I remember starting with, “My name is Hailey Krueger and I am a proud Jewish woman.”
Having that followed by cheers was supremely uplifting after enduring my first couple months of losing friends because of my Jewish identity and Zionism. It’s a Hanukkah I’ll never forget and that will stay in my heart for years to come. It was a shock to see on Oct. 7 of this year, that in the same space we held this Hanukkah event, proPalestinian protestors gathered to spread their hateful rhetoric. If there is anything I’ve learned this past year, it’s that we do not let hate win and I am even more encouraged to live a joyful, unapologetic, Jewish life. Putting our chanukiah lights in the window is more vital to me now more than ever, and I look forward to another year of celebrating our resilience and strength.
Chayim
Thanksgiving is ‘our’ holiday. Every year we get together with our 3 daughters and their families to spend the week together. In 2013, Hanukkah fell during the week of Thanksgiving and all of us we were able to celebrate both holidays together.
GAIL VEITZER
A Hanukkah memory that I have, was in 1973, when our children were young, (and so was I.) I was helping my 5-year-old daughter
light the candles on the menorah. I was watching her brother and cousins observe intensely as their eyes sparkled. They were delighted and mesmerized by the flickering bright lights. Afterwards, we ate latkes, brisket, and fruit compote, followed by opening presents, playing the dreidel game and singing, I Have a Little Dreidel. Those were fun days; yes, a little hectic, but fun. When our family got bigger, we couldn’t accommodate everyone in our homes, so we had our celebrations See Hanukkah celebrations page 14
Hanukkah
Hanukkah celebrations
Continued from page 13 in restaurants. It was nice, but not as much fun as it was when we celebrated Hanukkah in our homes.
My son Tim, still carries on this tradition with his wife Kimberly, son, Sam and daughter Sena, in San Francisco. Sometimes, we will FaceTime when they are lighting the menorah’s and I can see my grandchildren’s eyes sparkle. They love eating latkes and playing the dreidel game. Tradition, tradition as Teve said in Fiddler on the Roof!
As I light our Hanukkah candles, I often reflect upon the history of the holiday - how the small amount of oil found lasted for eight days; and what a miracle it was! I am also amazed that the tradition of lighting candles during Hanukkah has lasted for thousand of years, for so many generations!
LEONARD GREENSPOON
I turned 11 in early December 1956. After my father’s death, we had moved from an apartment to a house with a fireplace and mantel piece. It wasn’t as grand as it might sound, since we never actually lit a fire.
I remember as a young child, feeling so grown up as I lit beautiful smooth orange candles with my grandparents, on their antique menorah. I believe they brought it over from Russia as it had no place for the shamas. I wonder if they felt the same joy I felt, watching me light the candles, watching my children and grandchildren light the candles on their menorah? Probably.
As an adult, I still enjoy watching the glow of the lights and seeing them flicker! It’s mesmerizing and relaxing! It takes me back to the memories I shared with my family and our wonderful party in 1973, when we were all young and life was much simpler.
B’nai Israel Synagogue
But I immediately recognized the spot on the mantel piece where all my Christian friends would find their holiday gifts on Christmas morning. Could I dare to hope for the same? I can’t remember how I did it, but somehow or other I managed to buy a trinket filled sock for maybe 25 cents at the neighborhood five and 10 cent store. I can’t imagine that I wanted anyone to know about this, so I’m guessing I looked up and down the aisles before making my purchase.
My family wasn’t especially observant, but for sure ours would have been perceived as a Jewish mantel piece for Hanukkah gelt, not Christmas candy. Not wanting my mother or sister to know of my singularly surreptitious activities, I somehow kept myself up until after the rest of my family had gone to sleep on Christmas eve and then I hung my Santa’s stocking in what seemed to be the place to find it in the morning.
And early morning it was, since somehow or other I got myself up with the sun and then pretended to be absolutely delighted with my mini-treasure trove of candy and maybe a pen and pencil or two. But I couldn’t enjoy myself; It was wrong. I knew it was wrong.
I immediately tossed it all in the trash, went back to bed (or
pretended to), and then awakened with the rest of my family to the first of eight days of Hanukkah. The gifts I received then really were a surprise. No more Christmas celebrations for me. And I was much the better because of it. Of that my 11-yearold self was already sure.
LOURI SULLIVAN
My favorite Hanukkah experience is making latkes and having family together and lighting all of our menorahs.
NANCY WOLF
Trying to answer the question as asked is actually quite daunting! The truth is, our memories of Hanukkah are an amalgamation of many, many different years, with the general See Hanukkah clebrations page 16
Wishes the Community a Happy Hanukkah!
National Register of Historic Places A Century of Tradition
618 Mynster Street, Council Bluffs, IA | www.Cblhs.org
You’re always welcome at B’nai Israel!
ROOFING SIDING GUTTERS
The thing about oil
Continued from page 13 has long been dry from Hurricane Katrina, but Prince William Sound is still feeling the effect of the oil spill disaster.
The holiday of Hanukkah is completely oiloriented. The miracle involved the Greeks’ unsuccessful attempt to defile all the oil in the Holy Temple, and the miraculous jug of oil which burned for eight days. We celebrate by lighting menorahs—preferably with oil—and eating oily foods such as latkes and doughnuts. What is the inner connection between Hanukkah and this non-miscible fluid which transcends yet permeates?
An understanding of the Greeks’ objective and the Maccabean victory will allow us to understand why oil is so symbolic of the war, and an appropriate way to celebrate our victory.
As opposed to the story of Purim, when our oppressors wished to physically annihilate our people, the Greeks did not long for our demise. They “merely” wanted us to abandon our obstinate loyalty to our “outdated” mitzvot, and assimilate into the progressive Greek culture. (We apologize if this argument sounds familiar and all too contemporary... we’re just reporting the historical facts!)
There were a fistful of Jews who refused to discard the mitzvot in favor of Hellenism. We owe these heroic people a debt of gratitude: if not for them, our nation would today be as extinct as Hellenism and the ancient Greeks.
What exactly is the nature of these mitzvot which triggered this intense battle?
Mitzvot are the directives which emanate from G-d. Needless to say, directives which originate from a spiritual infinite being can be understood by us physical finite beings as much as an earthworm can grasp E=mc2. Yet incredibly—and much to the ire of the ancient Greeks—these ultra-transcendent
mitzvot permeate every detail of our mundane lives, which they seemingly should transcend. Before, after, and while eating; before, after, and while sleeping; before, after, and while involved in business—the mitzvot affect every area of life.
The merging of the highest levels of divinity with mundane everyday life, a seemingly impossible phenomenon, is made possible by the fact that—to use Kabbalistic lingo—G-d transcends transcendency. He can transcend or permeate, or be both simultaneously. Just like oil!
While munching on tasty oily latkes, let us be thankful to the fledgling Maccabee army who risked their life for the oil. It is to their credit that 2,200 years later we still have the ability to oil our life with mitzvot, thus infusing our humdrum existence with unimaginable holiness.
Rabbi Naftali Silberberg is a writer, editor and director of the curriculum department at the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. Rabbi Silberberg resides in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, Chaya Mushka, and their three children. The content on this page is produced by Chabad.org, and is copyrighted by the author and/or Chabad.org.
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Hanukkah celebrations
Continued from page 14 theme of family and friends weaving through each one. Memories of starting with a five pound bag of potatoes, resulting in a huge platter of latkes and grateful, hungry eaters. In more recent years, with adult children plus spouses, several helpers manning the skillets have made this task more a part of the fun, rather than a chore. But more than the cooking, eating and presents, are the memories of lighting the candles and singing the blessings. Our tradition evolved to have one hanukkiah for each person, so we would have five. The light from the candles would be beautiful! Singing the blessings would elicit a bit of laughter, since our memories wouldn’t always bring up the correct tunes. Typically, the girls in the family would remember best. Once lit, the evening’s celebrations would begin.
Celebrating with family and friends, whenever that would happen, provides the most meaningful memories. There was one time, many years ago when our now 30-something kids were quite small, and the celebration included our good friend, Forrest Krutter, of blessed memory. Forrest held family and Jewish observance quite dear, and seemed to enjoy being with the young children, even though he did not have experience with his own. I remember the busy, yet delightful, chaos of the three kids around the table and in the house. I remember feeling quite anxious about the evening. Will the dinner be okay? Will the kids behave? How will it all turn out?
And, I remember looking at Forrest, and feeling relieved to hear his joyful laugh and see the way his eyes seemed to shine with happiness. He was delighted! Yes, this was the way a Hanukkah celebration should be! People laughing, busy kids chattering away, friends relaxing together.
We should look forward to celebrating together with family and friends and continue to amass many delightful memories!
DAVID FINKELSTEIN
Some of my favorite memories of Hanukkah, when I was growing up, revolved around presence instead of presents. We had several generations living in close proximity in St. Louis, when I was growing up. Every year for Hanukkah, we had a Cousin’s Club at a relative’s house. There would usually be at minimum, three generations represented. We would see cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, that even though we lived close, we never got together with on any regular basis. I was too young at the time to appreciate the full significance of gatherings like these, but as an adult looking back, they are some of my most treasured memories.
ANDEE SCIOLI
My favorite Hanukkah memories were the annual Hanukkah parties at the home of my cousins’ grandparents (Aileen and Leo Eisenstatt). It was a huge, fun family event attended by so many wonderful people - my grandparents, parents, brother, aunt, uncle, great aunts, great uncles, and all my cousins. We opened presents and stayed up late- all the cousins spent the night.
This year’s USPS Hanukkah stamp is a simple menorah with a warm backstory
JACKIE HAJDENBERG
The stamp was designed by an artist whose mother escaped the Nazis on the Kindertransport | JTA
As an art director at the United States Postal Service, Antonio Alcalá has designed stamps honoring Woodstock, the Emancipation Proclamation and Ezra Jack Keats’ children’s book classic A Snowy Day. But this year’s Hanukkah stamp is the first that honors an important piece of his own heritage.
“My mother escaped Nazi Germany on the Kindertransport. Many of her family members did also survive, including my grandparents,” Alcalá told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
He added, “So when I was a child, we would celebrate multiple holidays, including Hanukkah, and as the youngest of three boys, I was the one who always got to light the first candle.”
The postal service has issued Hanukkah stamps since 1996, more than three decades after it first started issuing Christmas stamps. Previous versions have drawn on traditional Jewish art forms — the 2022 stamp drew on a synagogue stained-glass look — included dreidel imagery and depicted a range of menorahs, real and illustrated.
Alcalá’s stamp also showcases a menorah. But unlike the others that Americans have used to mail Hanukkah cards, his doesn’t feature any candles.
That’s by design. “The flames are shown, but the candles themselves are not present,” Alcalá said. “They’re implied. And to me, that sort of alludes to this sort of aspect of faith that’s both tied to this and also to the larger sort of religious experience.”
The Hanukkah stamp is the only Jewish stamp created by the USPS, which also produces holiday stamps for Christmas, Eid, Kwanzaa and Diwali.
In drafting this year’s stamp (a process that began in 2022), Alcalá began on the computer, and eventually shifted to paper and ink, which he said “conveyed a lot more humanity to it, than sort of more mechanical, perfectly-created geometric illustration.”
His influences included Andy Warhol, the mid-century pop artist, and the illustrations of Ben Shahn, the Jewish artist known for his work in social realism.
“I don’t think it’s anything that I invented, but it was the language that I thought was appropriate,” Alcalá said. “I was really interested in something that was not so sterile-feeling, but also very simple.”
Alcalá also channeled his upbringing in what he said was “a secular Jewish family” in San Diego, California. Designing a Hanukkah stamp, he said, was a “huge thrill” given his background and all his mother went through to continue the family’s Hanukkah traditions.
According to an account written by his brother based on a diary their grandfather kept when fleeing Hamburg in 1941, Alcalá’s German grandparents traveled to the United States on the same ship from Portugal as Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the late leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. Other members of the family were murdered by
the Nazis, and Alcalá’s mother and her siblings went years without direct contact with their parents.
“It’s one of those things where you wish some of your relatives were still around to see that day. But my brothers are still around, and they’ll get to see it,” Alcalá said about designing the Hanukkah stamp.
“I’m very excited,” he added. “It’s a piece of my family history that I get to see distributed across the country.”
This year’s stamp was formally issued at an event free to the public at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 19.
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Synagogues
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
618 Mynster Street Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766
712.322.4705 www.cblhs.org
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
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
Monthly Speaker Series Service, Friday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. with our guest, musician Kyle Knapp. Our service leader is Larry Blass. Everyone is always welcome at B’nai Israel!
For information about our historic synagogue, please visit our website at www.cblhs.org or contact any of our other board members: Renee Corcoran, Scott Friedman, Rick Katelman, Janie Kulakofsky, Howard Kutler, Carole and Wayne Lainof, Ann Moshman, MaryBeth Muskin, Debbie Salomon and Sissy Silber. Handicap Accessible.
Services conducted by Rabbi Steven Abraham and Hazzan Michael Krausman.
IN-PERSON AND ZOOM MINYAN SCHEDULE:
Mornings on Sundays, 9:30 a.m.; Mondays and Thursdays, 7 a.m.; Evenings on Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 p.m.
FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat with the Zohars, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream
SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services with the Zohars, 10 a.m. at Beth El and Live Stream; Escape Room Shabbat’s Cool (Grades 3-7), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 5:35 p.m. Zoom Only.
SUNDAY: Operation Grateful Goodies Baking Day, 9:30 a.m.; BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; A Journey Through The Shabbat Siddur, 10:30 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman; Torah Tots (Ages 3-Pre-K), 10:45 a.m.; Hands-On Judaism, 11:15 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman; USY Board Meeting, noon.
TUESDAY: Mishneh Torah, 10:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4:15 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m.
THURSDAY: Operation Grateful Goodies Drop Off, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
FRIDAY-Dec. 20: Operation Grateful Goodies Drop Off, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat led by USY, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream
SATURDAY-Dec. 21: Shabbat Morning Services, 10 a.m. at Beth El and Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K-12), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 5:40 p.m. Beth El and Zoom; Pre-Hanukkah Dinner & Brass Quintet, 6:30 p.m. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.
BETH ISRAEL
FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 4:38 p.m.
SATURDAY: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit 9
a.m.; Tot Shabbat 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class 10:45 a.m.; Soulful Torah, 3:45 p.m. with Rabbi Geiger; Mincha 4:30 p.m.; Kids Activity/Laws of Shabbos 5 p.m.; Havdalah, 5:43 p.m.
SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Kinyan, 9:40 a.m.; Men’s Spin & Torah, 11 a.m. at the JCC; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 4:40 p.m.
MONDAY: Nach Yomi 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit 7 a.m.; Monday Mind Builders, 4 p.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv 4:40 p.m.
TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:40 p.m.; Kinyan, 5:15 p.m.
WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:40 p.m.
THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 4:40 p.m.; Kinyan, 5:15 p.m.
FRIDAY-Dec. 20: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting,
4:40 p.m.
SATURDAY-Dec. 21: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class 10:45 a.m.; Soulful Torah, 3:45 p.m. with Rabbi Geiger; Mincha, 4:30 p.m.; Kids Activity/Laws of Shabbos 5 p.m.; Havdalah, 5:45 p.m. Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.
Intro to Judaism Class noon at TI; Jewish Book Club Meeting, 1:30 p.m. on Zoom and will discuss Shanda: A Memoir of Shame and Secrecy by Letty Cottin Pogrebin. For more information, please contact Deborah Swearingen at: devra60@gmail.com; SST Annual Meeting, 4–5:30 p.m. at SST.
PHILISSA CRAMER
JTA
The last few years have brought a string of Jewish milestones for Andorra, a tiny, landlocked microstate in the Pyrenees where non-Catholic houses of worship are prohibited by law.
Last year, a Jewish lawmaker joined the legislature for the first time. And this summer, the lawmaker’s brother told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the local Jewish community was negotiating with the government to secure land for a cemetery.
Now, Andorra has gotten its first-ever full-time rabbi — a Chabad emissary named Kuty Kalmenson.
The Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement announced Kalmenson’s appointment on Sunday De-
All services are in-person. All classes are being offered in-person and via Zoom (ochabad.com/academy). For more information or to request help, please visit www.ochabad.com or call the office at 402.330.1800.
FRIDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Lechayim, 4 p.m., go to ochabad.com/Lechayim to join; Candlelighting, 4:37 p.m.
SATURDAY: Shacharit 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 5:41 p.m.
SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps, 9 a.m.; Sunday Pod, 9-11 a.m., text 'Sunday Pod' to 402.215.5240 to RSVP; Olive Press Demonstration, contact Mushka at mushka@ochabad.com for more info; JewQ Test 2, go to ochabad.com/JewQ info for more details.
MONDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Peronal Parsha, 9:30 a.m.; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Translating Words of Prayer, 7 p.m. with David Cohen; Women's Wellness Oasis, contact Mushka at mushka@ochabad.com for more info.
TUESDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Translating Words of Prayer, 11 a.m. with David Cohen; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 6 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 7 p.m. with Prof. David Cohen.
WEDNESDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Mystical Thinking (Tanya), 9:30 a.m.; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Olive Press Demonstration, contact Mushka at mushka@ ochabad.com for more info.
THURSDAY: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 10 a.m.; Advanced Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 11 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Talmud Study, noon; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 6 p.m.; Code of Jewish Law Class, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY-Dec. 20: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Lechayim, 4:30 p.m., go to ochabad.com/Lechayim to join; Candlelighting, 4:40 p.m.
SATURDAY-Dec. 21: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 5:44 p.m.
HOUSE LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL
Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. All services offered in-person with live-stream or teleconferencing options.
FRIDAY: Shabbat Candlelighting, 4:41 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:30-7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Alex at SST.
SATURDAY: Shabbat Service, 9:30-11 a.m. led by Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parshat Vayishlach led by TBD via Zoom; Havdalah, 5:45 p.m.
SUNDAY: LJCS Classes, 9:30-11:30 a.m.; Men’s Bike/Coffee Group, 10:30 a.m. at The Mill on the Innovation Campus. For more information or questions please email Al Weiss at albertw801@gmail.com;
TUESDAY: Ladies' Lunch 1 p.m. at Ollie and Hobbes, 2940 Pine Lake Rd, STE A. If you'd like more information or would like to be added to the group please contact at oohhmmm.barb@gmail.com.
WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group, 12:15 p.m. at HoriSun, 8055 O St. We meet every other Wednesday. Please contact albertw801@gmail.com to get on the mailing list. As plans can change the last minute and it is necessary to contact everyone. Bring lunch, a drink and a chair; LJCS Hebrew School, 4:306 p.m. at TI; Adult Ed Movie Night: Walk On Water, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at SST.
FRIDAY-Dec. 20: Shabbat Candlelighting, 4:44 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:30-7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Alex at SST.
SATURDAY-Dec. 21: Shabbat Service, 9:30-11 a.m. led by Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parshat Vayeshev led by TBD via Zoom; Havdalah, 5:48 p.m.; Potluck Dinner and Family Game Night, 6 p.m. at SST. Adults and kids of all ages are welcome. Please bring a dish to share.
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE
FRIDAYS: Virtual Shabbat Service, 7:30 p.m. every first and third of the month at Capehart Chapel. Contact TSgt Jason Rife at OAFBJSLL@icloud.com for more information.
TEMPLE ISRAEL
In-person and virtual services conducted by Rabbi Benjamin Sharff, Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, and Cantor Joanna Alexander.
FRIDAY: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m. In-Person; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.
SATURDAY: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom.
SUNDAY: Grades PreK-7, 9:30 a.m. In-Person; Temple Tots, 10 a.m. In-Person; Book Club, 10:30 a.m. InPerson & Zoom; Let it Glow, 5:30 p.m. In-Person.
TUESDAY: Exploring Jewish Prayer, 6 p.m. In-Person.
WEDNESDAY: Yarn It, 9 a.m. In-Person; Grades 36, 4:30 p.m. In-Person; Hebrew High: Grades 8-12 Beit Midrash, 6 p.m. In-Person.
THURSDAY: The Zohars: Thursday Morning Class, 11 a.m. with Rabbi Sharff and Rabbi Azriel — In-Person & Zoom.
FRIDAY-Dec. 20: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m. InPerson; Classic Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.
SATURDAY-Dec. 21: Torah Study, 9:15 a.m. In-Person; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. In-Person & Zoom.
Please visit templeisraelomaha.com for additional information and Zoom service links.
JEWISH PRESS NOTICE
The Jewish Press will be closed on Wednesdays, Dec. 25, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2025. The deadline for the Dec. 27 issue is Monday, Dec. 16, 10 a.m. and for Jan 10, 2025 issue is Tuesday, Dec. 31, 9 a.m. There will be no Jewish Press on Jan. 3, 2025 Questions? Call 402.334.6448.
cember 1 at its annual conference for emissaries in Brooklyn, called the Kinus, which drew 6,500 rabbis who are stationed in more than 100 countries.
It said in a news story that he and his family — his wife Rochel and their five children — had until recently been living in Ningbo, China, a city of more than 9 million south of Shanghai, but left because there were no longer Jews living or visiting there.
Their arrival last month increased the number of Jews living in Andorra by perhaps 10%. Locals this summer told JTA that the official Jewish community, which operates a cultural center in an underground office building to sidestep the prohibition on synagogues, had 73 members.
Kalmenson, who will take over leadership at the cultural center, told Chabad.org that he believed
the actual number of Jews living in Andorra to be substantially higher — perhaps 250 among a total population of around 80,000.
In addition to helping locals obtain kosher food, receive Jewish education and fulfill other commandments under Jewish law, Kalmenson’s duties will include serving Jewish travelers who visit the principality, which officially has two heads of state: the French president and the Catholic bishop of Urgell, in the Spanish region of Catalonia. Last year, roughly 10 million people visited Andorra, drawn by its luxury duty-free shopping and ski resorts.
“We hope to bring everyone together — the veteran community members and those who’ve never been involved in Jewish life before,” Kalmenson told Chabad.org
Life cycles
IN MEMORIAM
LYNDA J. MIRVISH
Lynda J. Mirvish passed away on Nov. 23, 2024 in Omaha. Services were held on Nov. 26, 2024 at Beth Israel Cemetery. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Sidney Mirvish and her parents Ruby and Jack.
She is survived by her daughter, Leora Mirvish; son, Daniel Mirvish; daughter-in-law, Rachel Mirvish; and grandchildren, Rebecca, Jonathan, and Miriam Mirvish.
Lynda was born in South Africa. She also lived in Israel before settling in Omaha. Lynda had a long and varied career in advertising, journalism, public relations, public radio, and as baker extraordinaire. Some of the places she worked in Omaha included The Jewish Press The Sun newspaper, Brandeis Department
Store, Mutual of Omaha, KIOS, Creighton University, and Tasty Pizza. A graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg with a BFA, she was a life-long learner taking many history and art history classes at UNO. Friends and family savor her cookbook, and she is credited on many films as a “cookie grip.” She enjoyed her rose garden, Memorial Park and volunteer work. Memorials may be made in her memory to Food Bank of Omaha, New Hearts Transplant Support Group, Live On Nebraska, and the New Israel Fund.
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Happy Hanukkah
May this season of celebration bring you light and joy out of the darkness.