December 20, 2024

WE ALL LIVE HERE

Tuesday, Dec. 3, the Jewish Federation of Omaha took part in Giving Tuesday: 24 Hour Giving Challenge, in support of our Annual Campaign. The event was accompanied by an amazing sponsorship of Cresa. In addition, Eric Rose, designated broker at Cresa, sponsored amazing prizes and matches.

Cresa is the world’s leading global commercial real estate advisory firm, and Eric is located right here in Omaha. The firm exclusively represents occupiers and specializes in the delivery of fully integrated real estate solutions. They believe occupiers deserve a better space to work, create, build and grow a better outcome for their people and organization and a better partner who puts their needs first. In addition, they are supporting

the Jewish community of Omaha by joining our Giving Tuesday: 24 Hour Giving Challenge and sponsoring every single prize, all day long.

Eric is married to Ashley, who works in SaaS tech sales, while Eric works in commercial real estate.

“I was talking with some friends/clients about five years ago,” Eric said, “when I was looking for opportunities to donate time or money to causes I feel strongly about. Through that conversation, I was put in touch with JFO Director of Community Development Jay Katelman, who took me on a wonderful tour of the JCC facilities. Then, Jay sat me down to educate me on all the different areas of impact the Jewish Federation provides within the community, whether Jewish or otherwise. To say I was impressed would be a mild understatement, and I’ve See We all live here page 2

JCRC Advocacy Bootcamp

MORGAN GRONINGER

JCRC Program and Communications Manager

The Jewish Community Relations Council is preparing for the 2025 Nebraska Legislative Session and invites all Jewish community members to be part of an informative and spirited Community Conversation: our second Advocacy Bootcamp. Designed to prepare community members for Jewish Day of Action on Feb. 4, 2025, Advocacy Bootcamp aims to help them understand the Jewish community’s key issues, build advocacy skills, and become more confident and See Advocacy Bootcamp page 3

Alex and the Dinosaur

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Jewish Press Editor

Our community is familiar with Alex Epstein for a number of reasons. He is the Executive Vice President of OMNE Partners and an Omaha native the son of Lisa and Gary Epstein and a graduate of Indiana University-Bloomington. He enjoys serving the community and is currently the chairman for the Jewish Business Leaders of Omaha. Now, we get to know him as something new: the co-author (with Steve Safranek) of a new chil-

dren’s book, Alex and the Dinosaur

When a powerful dinosaur terrorizes an ancient village, every brave warrior tries and fails to defeat it. But Alex, a young villager struggling with self-doubt, discovers that courage isn’t about strength or size—it’s about believing in yourself. Guided by the wisdom of a mysterious teacher, Alex learns to face his fears, love himself, and find inner strength.

“This book came about,” Alex said, “because I wanted to create something to give back to the next generation. Over the past few years, I have experienced and have gone through a lot and learned a lot about myself, life and the human experience. I wanted to put those life lessons in the form of a children’s book that both adults and kids can relate to. It’s a story about self-love, overcoming adversity and the journey of life. I wanted to drive home the understanding that as long as you know who you are, you can get through anything you are experiencing.”

Co-author Steve Safranek is the local author of a self-help book and works as a personal trainer and yoga instructor.

“I read Steve’s books,” Alex said, “and wanted to connect with someone that could help me curate my ideas and story into a children’s book. Steve is very talented, and I love the outcome of our book. It really could be looked at as a book for adults, in a children’s book format. Anyone can learn from it.” See Alex Epstein page 3

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor

Tim Gay

Adam Morefeld, JD

Becky Gould, JD

Dr. Erin Feichtinger

Mixology

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT Jewish Press Editor

On Nov. 21, the Ben Gurion Society came together at One Pacific Place Club House for ‘Mixology,’ a craft cocktail class guided by a professional mixologist from The Thursday Club. The Ben Gurion Society aims to empower young adults to engage with our community and take part in meaningful philanthropic efforts. This is geared towards young adults 21-45, who have donated $1000 or more to the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Annual Campaign.

Abigail and Adam Kutler, who chair the BGS, said:

“We wanted an intimate setting, where people could comfortably talk and enjoy the evening, so we brought together a small group. Participants learned how to create two cocktails: the Concord Grape Gin Sour and the Smoked Apple Whiskey Tonic.

“The first cocktail reminded me of Sukkot,” Abigail said, “with the lemon and thyme garnish representing the lulav and etrog. The second cocktail, the Smoked Apple Cinnamon Tonic, would be perfect for fall and make an excellent addition to a Rosh Hashanah gathering.”

Abigail and Adam take an active role in the Ben Gurion Society, because “It’s important to us to help guide the next generation. We all have to do our part in

WE ALL LIVE HERE

Continued from page 1

been committed to giving in whatever capacity I can since then. It’s been a fantastic opportunity and I look forward to doing more!”

“It has been such a pleasure watching Ashley and Eric’s engagement,” Jay said. “We are grateful to have Cresa’s support, but also really amazed by how dedicated both Ashley and Eric personally are. Whatever is needed, the answer is always ‘yes!’ They really get how community works.”

“Ashley and I both come from humble upbringings with working families,” Eric said. “Her parents were both in the Air Force, and she spent most of her life in Bellevue, while my mother is a social worker, and my father is a former Marine who spent most of his career in carpentry, running house-framing crews in Montana where we grew up. We both had athletic upbringings, as I played baseball at Nebraska in college, while Ashley played soccer at Bellevue University. Prior to deciding to start a family, between 2017 and 2024, Ashley and I spent as much time as possible traveling the world. Since we met, we’ve been to nearly 20 different countries and had some wonderful experiences traveling, but we are excited to settle down and start building our family in Omaha.”

The sponsorship of our Giving Tuesday: 24 Hour Giving Challenge was incredibly generous. Why do they do this?

“Because community support is critical to be able to provide facilities and services for people who need them,” Eric said. “It’s also how a great community like Omaha has come to be, so we’re just trying to do our part. We all live here. We all experience the positives and negatives together. Those of us who are able to donate should understand that it takes a village to create a community the way The Jewish Federation has.”

JEWISH PRESS READERS

If you do business with any of our advertisers, please tell them you saw their ad in the Jewish Press. It really helps us!

LOCAL PRIMARY ELECTION

shaping the future of our Omaha Jewish Community. Events like these keep young adults involved, but they also

serve as a thank you, because they are so much fun!” Kosher desserts were provided by STAR Catering.

Update from the Samuel Bak Museum

The Bak Museum is making an impact in our community. Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center has welcomed more than 12,000 visitors since its opening in February 2023. Don’t miss your last chance to visit After the Storm: Identity & Repair that closes on Sunday, Dec. 22

As a free-admission public museum based within the University of Nebraska-Omaha, SBMLC is uniquely positioned to provide robust research-based programming to visitors, offering discovery, conversation, and self-reflection opportunities. SBMLC’s programming includes K-12 field trips and engagement with all regional school districts, university collaborations including academic, faculty lectures and coursework, student led service learning, and numerous community partnerships with local nonprofit organizations. Each Museum exhibition features a “call to action,” and encourages visitors to contribute to a more equitable society. Every interaction at the Museum is meaningful. Samuel Bak’s vast and varied artwork draws out history and his lived experiences of persecution and perseverance. Observing and studying his art and gathering to have important conversations become exercises in hope, offering us a fuller and richer sense of humanity, and helping us embody the ways of compassion and progress as we all work toward a brighter future.

Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center will be closed Monday, Dec. 23, 2024 through Jan. 21, 2025. We look forward to welcoming you back on Jan. 22 to view our new exhibition of War Games

Alex Epstein

Continued from page 1

Steve was also born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, and has more than 30 years in the fitness industry under his belt, establishing himself as a seasoned expert in health and wellness. His “why” is to help people identify their areas of growth and help them align their intention with their behaviors and habits.

Alex never planned to write a children’s book, he said. “I don’t see writing as my new career path, I am still passionate about commercial real estate. This was a passion project and a way to create something for my kids to hold on to. It’s also a way to pass along a story of encouragement for anyone who struggles. I see myself as a resource with life experiences that I could use to help others. I believe the ultimate children’s book is one where the morals of the story relate to both the children and the adults. This fits that picture. Kids and adults in turn will learn a story about being true to yourself and believing in yourself no matter what is

Alex Epstein

going on in your life. Breathe, be you, and it’ll all work out.”

So, what did Alex’ own kids think of it?

“My kids loved the dinosaurs,” Alex said, “and were confused why ‘daddy didn’t have a mustache.’ They call beards mustaches. I had to explain to them the ‘daddy’ in the book was the adolescent version of myself.

Alex and the Dinosaur is now available on Amazon and makes for the perfect present for the young readers in your life, and the vibrant illustrations by Emem Essien will delight younger kids.

Advocacy Bootcamp

Continued from page 1

effective when engaging in the democratic process. Whether you’re new to advocacy or a seasoned veteran, this boot camp will provide valuable tools, insights, and strategies to ensure our diverse Jewish voices are heard in the State Capitol on Jewish Day of Action and all year.

Our expert panelists will dive into the bills that impact Jewish life, values, and needs, based on the most pressing issues of concern that emerged in our 2025 Community Survey. The upcoming 109th Session of the Nebraska State Legislative session promises to bring significant developments that could have lasting impacts on our community, making it all the more crucial that we are prepared to advocate for policies that reflect our interests and priorities.

“We are excited about our third Jewish Day of Action,” said JCRC Executive Director Sharon Brodkey. “We have developed some very valuable relationships in the Unicameral over the past two years, and we look forward to building new relationships with the 17 incoming representatives and continuing conversations with the 36 incumbent members of the Nebraska Legislature in 2025.”

ADVOCACY BOOTCAMP: PANELISTS

BECKY GOULD, JD

Executive Director, Nebraska Appleseed

Becky has been with Appleseed since October of 2001 and has served as Executive Director since 2007. Some of her most notable cases include Mason v. State and Kai v. Ross, which brought awareness to the gaps in cash support and health care programs in Nebraska.

Becky’s determination to ensure that every Nebraskan has access to the resources they need has shaped her career and contributed to the growth and success of Appleseed.

As a community advocate Becky also serves on the board of the Food Bank of Lincoln, the Raymond Central Educational Foundation, the Granary Foundation at the Center for Rural Affairs, and Civic Nebraska’s Advisory Board. DR. ERIN FEICHTINGER

Policy Director, Women’s Fund of Omaha

Dr. Feichtinger has worked on several successful policy initiatives including Omaha’s Rental Registration and Proactive Inspection Ordinance as well as legislation increasing tenant protections and access to justice, increasing access to SNAP and affordable childcare.

Her most recent efforts to secure federal funding for rental assistance and legal representation for tenants in eviction court has resulted in increased housing stability for all Nebraskans.

TIM GAY

President, Catalyst Public Affairs

Tim Gay is President and founder of Catalyst Public Affairs, a public affairs company representing over twenty organizations and companies.

Tim previously worked as Senior Advisor for Husch Blackwell’s Governmental Affairs group where he helped clients navigate complex state and local government issues.

As a former state senator, Tim served as chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, and sat on the Banking, Commerce and Insurance, and Transportation and Telecommunications committees.

ADAM MORFELD, JD

Founder, Civic Strategies, LLC

Adam Morfeld is an attorney who specializes in non-profit administration and development, governmental affairs, election law and policy, ballot initiatives, grassroots local and statewide issues, and policy advocacy. He served as a Nebraska state senator for eight years before he was term limited and founded Civic Nebraska.

He is the founder and managing Partner of Civic Strategies, LLC, a full-service policy, advocacy, and campaign consulting firm that has led and won local races and statewide ballot initiatives. He also has a private law practice that focuses on election law, civil rights, non-profit compliance, online harassment, and defamation claims.

To register for this event use this link: https://www.jew ishomaha.org/inspire-change/jcrc/jewish-day-of-ac tion-and-advocacy-bootcamp/

Beit Midrash brings us together

HEIDI HEILBRUNN NEEDLEMAN

JFO Assistant Director of Community Engagement and Education

Beit Midrash continues to unite the Omaha Jewish community through a series of cross-denominational study sessions, each topic individually chosen by the community rabbis and cantors. Rabbi Steven Abraham of Beth El Synagogue and Rabbi Deana Berezin of Temple Israel Synagogue each offered enlightening conversations rooted in Jewish tradition and liturgy during the first two Beit Midrash of the year.

Close to forty community members gathered for the first learning session led by Rabbi Abraham on Nov. 6.

The day following the Presidential election the discussion eloquently focused on respectful disagreement. Without referencing either party or candidate, Rabbi Abraham displayed examples of rabbinical arguments demonstrating how to acknowledge differing opinions without resolution. The lively study session had participants discussing how disagreements are part of the Jewish experience.

On Dec. 4, Rabbi Berezin spoke on the “magic of ritual.” By reading sections of Torah and Talmud, the group of nearly 40 discussed moments that are divine, sacred and holy. From lighting Shabbat candles to life cycle events, participants shared their own family traditions. The conversation continued with Rabbi asking, “Where does ritual come from?” These Jewish rituals represent a moment of transformation, Rabbi explained, which in turn gives it meaning.

There are six remaining opportunities to study with our community synagogues. Beit Midrash happens mostly on the first Wednesday of each month from noon–1 p.m. All sessions are held at the Staenberg Jewish Community Center. Sessions will continue on Jan. 8 with Rabbi Tenenbaum of Chabad of Nebraska, Feb. 5 with Rabbi Sharff from Temple Israel, March 5 with Beth Israel Synagogue, April 2 with Beth El Synagogue, May 14 with Chabad of Nebraska and June 4 with Beth Israel Synagogue. Kosher refreshments will be served.

Registration: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/ xZI8kQ?vid=19eyva

Welcome to our Campus

Our 315,000 sq. ft. Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus is truly a “one-stop-shop.” From pre-school 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.

When you enter the front entrance of the Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus, you walk right past Larry Roots’ work. It’s called Three Sails in Flight, a steel sculpture 96” x 12” x 5.” You can’t miss it. And yet, how often do we stop to admire it? Sometimes, when we ‘see’ something often enough, we stop seeing it entirely.

Larry Roots is a full-time painter and sculptor, who resides in Omaha. He is also the owner/Director of Modern Arts Midtown Fine Art Gallery. He shows his work regionally and nationally, and is included in numerous corporate, public and private collections.

Roots’ inspiration for this sculpture came from the contrast of man’s desire to emulate nature. It has long been man’s quest to harness the wind, and possibly fly.

Early warning signs and symptoms

SAMHSA.gov

Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of a problem:

• Eating or sleeping too much or too little

• Pulling away from people and usual activities

• Having low or no energy

• Feeling numb or like nothing matters

• Having unexplained aches and pains

• Feeling helpless or hopeless

• Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual

• Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared

• Yelling or fighting with family and friends

• Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships

• Having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head

• Hearing voices or believing things that are not true

• Thinking of harming yourself or others

• Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school

TIPS FOR LIVING WELL WITH A MENTAL HEALTH

CONDITION

Having a mental health condition can make it a struggle to work, keep up with school, stick to a regular schedule, have healthy relationships, socialize, maintain hygiene, and more. However, with early and consistent treatment—often a combination of medication and psychotherapy—it is possible to manage these conditions, overcome challenges, and lead a meaningful, productive life.

Today, there are new tools, evidence-based treatments, and social support systems that help people feel better and pursue their goals. Some of these tips, tools and strategies include:

• Stick to a treatment plan. Even if you feel better, don’t stop going to therapy or taking medication without a doctor’s guidance. Work with a doctor to safely adjust doses or medication if needed to continue a treatment plan.

• Keep your primary care physician updated. Primary care physicians are an important part of long-term management, even if you also see a psychiatrist.

• Learn about the condition. Being educated can help you stick to your treatment plan. Education can also help your loved ones be more supportive and compassionate.

• Practice good self-care. Control stress with activities such as meditation or tai-chi; eat healthy and exercise; and get enough sleep.

• Reach out to family and friends. Maintaining relationships with others is important. In times of crisis or rough spells, reach out to them for support and help.

• Develop coping skills. Establishing healthy coping skills can help people deal with stress easier.

• Get enough sleep. Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood and overall health. Consistently poor sleep is associated with anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.

This series is sponsored by the Jewish Press and the Jennifer Beth Kay Memorial Fund.

The Scholarship & Grants Booklet won’t be inserted into the Jewish Press until the Jan. 10 issue. The upcoming Scholarship deadline is March 3, 2025

ORGANIZATIONS

B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS

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

Rabbi Abraham Credit: Mark Kirchhoff

Rabbi Berezin Credit: Heidi Heilbrunn Needleman

New faces at The Foundation

The Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation is excited to announce the addition of two members to our team: Brad Abramson as Development Manager and Jen Goodman as Administrator.

A proud Omaha native, Brad brings a wealth of education and deep connection to the community and to his role. He holds a bachelor’s degree in sports marketing and management with a minor in business from Indiana University and an MBA in organizational leadership and marketing from Creighton University. Brad’s professional background includes more than a decade at Creighton University, where he served as the Director of Ticket and Business Operations. He later transitioned to the healthcare industry as a recruiter with Medical Solutions.

giving back to the community that has shaped him.

As the new Development Manager his goal is to build on the strong foundation of successful fundraising for the Jewish community. Brad aims to deepen relationships with current donors while also forging new connections with individuals who may not yet be familiar with the Foundation's mission, ensuring our impact continues to grow and thrive. Outside of work, Brad is a dedicated husband to his wife, Marissa, and a proud father of three: Dayton, Austin and Berkeley. He enjoys spending his free time on the golf course or coaching his sons on the football field. Brad is excited to join The Foundation, motivated by a deep passion for

Jen, also an Omaha native, brings a diverse professional background and education to the Foundation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas and a master’s degree in Management from Baker University. You may remember her from her previous employment as a religious school coordinator at Temple Israel, or as a communication coordinator within the Jewish Federation at the Institute for Holocaust Education. Jen comes to the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where she promoted Nebraska AHEC, a federally funded program for students to enter underserved and rural areas of medicine upon graduation. Jen enjoys spending her free time with her family, friends and her large St. Bernards. She lives with her husband, Scott, and their daughters, Hannah and Shelby. Her hobbies include knitting, gardening and taking nature hikes. Jen is eager to be part of The Foundation and looks forward to contributing to its growth and success.

We are thrilled to welcome Brad and Jen to our team, confident that their skills, experience and commitment to our community will help us continue to make a meaningful impact.

Update from Ethan Finkelstein

Hi guys; it’s been a few months. I hope everyone is doing well. I wanted to give you a brief update on the past four months. Back in August of this year, I drafted to the paratroopers, specifically the 890th Brigade. Since then, there have been lots of ups and downs. The training was very difficult, but every once in a while there were cool moments.

In early October I received my job within the team: I am a machine gunner. The gun I use is called a ‘Negev.’ It’s an absolute beast and very heavy. We have trained a lot, and every now and then I am called to the West Bank for small things here and there.

The guys in my platoon are amazing people. I could not be luckier with the people surrounding me.

About one month ago, I entered jump school. We spent about two weeks practicing every single thing that could possibly happen when you jump out of a plane. I made my last

jump and officially finished the course, at which time I received my parachuting pin. Today (Dec. 6) the chief of general staff ran a surprise practice simulation with us. What would we do if there were another October 7? Would we be prepared with all our gear? We ended up running it to perfection. Within 50 minutes, my entire platoon was on the way to the helicopter, to take off to the north. Once there, we met up with a commando unit named ‘Duvdevan.’ At this point, I am about halfway through my training.

I’m expected to finish in March of 2025 and receive my red beret. We’ll spend much of the next three months in the field. It will be brutal, but in the end it will be very rewarding.

A Friedel graduate, member of Beth El, and the son of Rebecca Ruetsch Finkelstein and David Finkelstein, Ethan Finkelstein is currently serving in the IDF. Ethan has a twin brother, Ari, and a younger brother, Asher.

Brad Abramson

Jen Goodman

Top, above, right and below: Full power P2G, with a visit of Board of Governors’ members of the Jewish Agency for Israel in our Partnership region, where we met with Professor Barhoum, director of the Galilee Medical Center and toured the facilities of the hospital. We visited Gvanim Elementry School in Kibbutz Ein Hamifratz and met with the principal and sixth graders who shared what helps them cope with these difficult days. In the end of the visit we met with Yishai Efroni, the security officer of Matte Asher, who told his personal story as a resident of an evacuated community and how the regional council deals with the current security situation. The day ended with the 30th anniversary of Partnership2Gether where it was wonderful to meet our dear old and new friends and partners together with the wonderful leadership of our Partnership.

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

and

why

Every

year

Top, above, below and bottom: Tzedek Teen project with Access Period on November 11.

Above and below: First and second graders are officially published authors

illustrators!

other

Ms. Coffin’s class publishes a book, and this year the theme is a school garden I Spy. The students worked for weeks on completing all steps of the writing process, exploring our school garden space, and learning

it is so special. Congratulations to Ms. Coffin’s class for all of their hard work and dedication!

Beth Israel Hanukkah Carnival

MARY SUE GROSSMAN

Games, music, food, prizes, face painting, crafts, balloon animals and the inflatable obstacle course will again make Beth Israel’s Annual Hanukkah Carnival

THE place to be on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2025. The always popular inflatable Hanukkah bear, donated several years ago by Janet and David Kohll, will once again welcome everyone and is a fun spot for some great photos.

“The Hanukkah Carnival has become one of our most popular events,” shares Liora Herskovitz, Beth Israel’s Executive Director. “Seeing the kids have such fun makes it a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday. Hosting the carnival this year on the final night will make it extra special. Our son is already excited about the carnival and can’t wait to hang out with his friends.”

Rabbi Mordechai Geiger agrees adding “Will it be noisy? Yes! Will it be a bit crazy? Absolutely. Will your kids and grandkids have a great time? Most definitely! Don’t miss out on this evening to celebrate the Festival of Lights.”

The carnival, held in the Beth Israel Social Hall, will run

from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thanks to the generosity of a long list of donors, the event is free of charge. Registration is requested at orthodoxomaha.org or via the link in the weekly Beth Israel email or Facebook page.

As a reminder, the first night of Hanukkah is Wednesday, Dec. 25, with the final candle lighting the evening of Jan. 1.

For more information on this or any other Beth Israel events, please visit the synagogue website or call 402.556.6288. The board and staff of Beth Israel wishes everyone a Festival of Lights filled with light, laughter, and love.

Happy Hanukkah!

Boost a gift to Chabad with a 25% match

Chabad of Nebraska has two charitable funds with the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.

The Chabad Associate Rabbi Fund was established in 2018 to subvent expenses incurred by Chabad in bringing and keeping a second Rabbi to serve Omaha, Nebraska, and the broader Western Iowa and Eastern Nebraska areas. Expenses include, but are not limited to, the second Rabbi’s salary, benefits, employment taxes, housing, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses for the second Rabbi and his family.

The Anne Cohen Memorial Chabad Education Fund was established by Chabad in 2015 to honor her memory as a teacher. It’s purpose is to fund educational programs and opportunities sponsored by and/or supported by Chabad Lubavitch of Nebraska.

Here’s the good news.

From now until December 31, 2024, the Foundation will match 25% of any new or additional endowment gift up to a maximum of $20,000. A new endowment can be established with a minimum gift of $10,000. Donors can add to an existing endowment with a minimum gift of $1,000.

Working alongside Rabbi Mendel and Shani Katzman, Rabbi Eli Tenenbaum has served as Chabad’s Associate Rabbi since 2021 with his wife Mushka (Katzman) Tenenbaum. “A 25% match from the Foundation is literally a ‘golden opportunity’ for Chabad and a doubly good investment for the donor,” said Rabbi Eli. “Donors make possible the memorable Jewish experiences Chabad offers everyone every day, and their donations grow 25% automatically without owing another dime.”

Rabbi Eli and Mushka have created dozens of new programs, projects, events and all-around good times in their three years in Omaha, Their energy is boundless, their commitment unquestioned and their ability to draw people together as proven inspiring and magnetic.

“Jewish education is at the heart of Chabad,” Mushka

added. “Rabbi and I have been working closely with young families and young adults, and the result has been incredibly positive. Babies, tots and their caregivers gather for ‘Sunday Pod’ for example — coffee, bagels and exploring Judaism through sensory experiences. Participants invite their friends and with each month, we get greater attendance.”

Chabad has been presenting hands-on workshops for over 40 years. The Shofar Factory, Matzah Bakery and Olive Press have been invited — and invited back — to present at Omaha Hebrew and Sunday Schools, public schools and Friedel Jewish Academy.

“The older kids (grades 3-7) can sign up for ‘JewQ’,” Mushka continued, “where they learn foundational concepts of our heritage, participate in a Shabbaton and compete in a game show that tests their knowledge and instills intense Jewish pride to last a lifetime. Ask the two students who got to go last year!”

“What a wonderful year-end opportunity,” noted Rabbi Eli, “one more chance to enrich our community and beyond. Thanks to the Foundation, your donation will be worth 25% more to Chabad. It means we can do even more for the Jewish community and are grateful for every dollar. Matching funds don’t come around every week!”

Whether you choose to give to the Chabad Associate Rabbi Fund or the Anne Cohen Memorial Chabad Education Fund, the ROI is exponential as Chabad continues to serve the Jewish community with compassion, purpose and joy, always reminding us, “Do one more mitzvah.”

For assistance regarding your donation or to learn more about Chabad’s programs and services, contact Ashley at 402.330.1800 or email ashley@ochabad.com. You can establish an endowment or contribute to an existing one with cash, stock, a gift of real estate, an IRA distribution or by check payable to the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation, 333 South 132nd Street, Omaha, NE, 68154 and designate your gift to either the Chabad Associate Rabbi Fund or the Anne Cohen Memorial Chabad Education Fund.

Left: Ben Lopez with his Savta, Mary Sue Grossman at 2023 Hanukkah Carnival

JOANIE JACOBSON

Voices

The Jewish Press

(Founded in 1920)

David Finkelstein

President

Annette van de Kamp-Wright

Editor

Richard Busse

Creative Director

Claire Endelman

Sales Director

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

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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.

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Representation

ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT

Jewish Press Editor

Lately, my Instagram is filled with something new: Jewish athletes. I have to admit I was genuinely excited to see the Aggies’ #39, Sam Salz, actually make it onto the field recently. And I know practically nothing about college football. And then, I found out that Jake Retzlaff, star quarterback at Brigham Young University, closed a sponsorship deal with Manischewitz.

Next Passover, there will be special-edition boxes of Manischewitz matzah with Retzlaff’s likeness. I’m obsessed.

It was Jewish comedian Eitan Levine who thought up the Manischewitz-Retzlaff partnership. Which makes this an even more perfect story. And I predict that come time for Pesach shopping, finding Retzlaff boxes of matzah will give us all a muchneeded boost.

It’s not much, I know. But there are days when being Jewish feels like a non-stop fight, and feeling happy is hard work. It’s not good; we need to focus on the joy it brings us, the joy we spread in return; it’s why we check every bit of ‘fun’ culture for Jewish representation. Jewish Oscar winners, Jewish writers, Jews in sports. “They” may be trying to kill us, but at least we have Nobel prize winners.

I’m hoping for more of this. Jewish Brand ambassadors could be really good for our mental health. And they don’t just need to be limited to Jewish companies either. Imagine Adam Sandler taking over the ASPCA ads? Sarah Silverman replacing that dumb Geico Lizard? Adrien Brody as the face

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.

of Dior? I’m just saying. He would slay.

“Studies have made it clear,” Ketzia Barron wrote for Inheritmag.com, “that how we see ourselves represented has an indelible impact both on how we perceive ourselves and on how others perceive

us. Seeing someone on the page or the screen who looks, sounds, or lives like you is incredibly beneficial, especially if you’re part of a cultural minority.” She followed up by bemoaning that so much Jewish representation descends into stereotyping, which is probably true. Perhaps I shouldn’t be too excited about a Jewish football player on a matzah box. Barron also wrote: “In our own circles, reflect your slice of Jewish life to the people around you.

Yours is a story worth telling,” which is something I can definitely get behind. And no, we are not all writers, artists, filmmakers or even football players; we don’t all have a platform that reaches beyond our immediate circle, but that doesn’t mean we’re not all part of the bigger Jewish story. Whether we’re a paragraph or an entire chapter, we belong in this story. And we know that no one tells it better than we do.

Someday, somewhere, our great-grandchildren will be looking back through history and read about the period after Oct. 7, 2023. I don’t doubt it. What will they learn about how we responded?

What will they hear, how will they view us? Will they think we didn’t do enough? Will they think we stood tall and proud and didn’t give up? What will the story be?

It’s up to us, right now. And I think that story can be about our response to terrorism and hate, but also about Jewish life beyond that. It can be about the hostages and about holidays in-spite-of; it can be about honoring our dead and about Jewish football players. Our story can include standing up to misguided protests and about great food, it can be about Hamas and about Shabbat candles. It can be both bad news, terrible news, and really good news.

The most important thing about our story is that it is as complete as possible. Not merely the lowand the highlights, but the everyday stuff, all the ways in which we didn’t change. After all, our story is one of continuance. We have been here a long time, and we’re not going anywhere.

What the co-chair of Columbia University’s antisemitism task force says people get wrong about the campus protests

ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL

JTA

In October of 2023, weeks after the Hamas attacks on Israel, Columbia University’s brand-new president, Minouche Shafik, asked Nicholas Lemann, dean emeritus of the journalism school, to co-chair a Task Force on Antisemitism. Like elite campuses around the country, Columbia was roiled by campus protests; students and faculty were trading letters about Israel and many pro-Israel students began raising concerns about antisemitism.

Lemann said he felt obligated to say yes as a faculty member and as a Jew who had been engaged in previous campus debates over Israel, countering colleagues who supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel.

“I believe you have an obligation to stand up for what you believe in, even if it’s unpleasant,” Lemann told me in a recent interview.

In the year that followed, the campus environment only got more heated, with a spreading proPalestinian encampment movement, anti-Israel protests on or near the campus and, in late April, a student takeover of the school’s Hamilton Hall that was broken up by the NYPD. Shafik stepped down in August, citing “a period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community.”

The task force (whose other co-chairs are Ester Fuchs, director of the Urban and Social Policy Program at the School of International and Public Affairs, and David Schizer, the Law School dean emeritus) released its first report in March. It detailed the “isolation and pain” experienced by Jewish students and the “particularly terrible treatment” meted out to Israeli students. The report concluded that the university was not doing enough to discipline unauthorized protests.

A second report in September, issued after listening sessions with close to 500 students, said pervasive antisemitism on campus “affected the entire university community.”

“We heard about crushing encounters that have crippled students’ academic achievement,” read the

report. “We heard about students being avoided and avoiding others, about exclusion from clubs and activities, isolation and even intimidation.”

Aggrieved members of the Jewish community welcomed the task force’s conclusions; critics said its report’s definition of antisemitism would stifle legitimate criticism of Israel.

Two more reports are due, including one this month.

While other Ivy League campuses have been convulsed by the protests, Columbia — located in the heart of the country’s largest Jewish community — has become the epicenter of a range of debates surrounding Oct. 7 and the war that followed: how to define and combat antisemitism; whether and how to cap free speech, campus protest and academic freedom; the discourse around political diversity and charges that elite universities have become hotbeds of “wokeness.”

much smaller, much less visible than it was last year. However, the campus is locked, you have to have a valid ID to get into the campus. And when you enter the campus, there’s a lot of private security people all over the place. So the big question is, if you didn’t

Lemann and I discussed these and other issues after his recent appearance at Limmud New York, an all-day festival of Jewish learning held at Manhattan’s JCC on the Upper West Side, where he lives. There he attends Minyan M’at, an egalitarian service that meets at Ansche Chesed, a Conservative synagogue.

Before serving as the dean of Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism from 2003 to 2013, Lemann worked variously as a writer and editor at Texas Monthly, The Washington Post, The Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, where he is a staff writer. He graduated Harvard College in 1976, and wrote about higher education and standardized testing in “The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy” (1999), among other books.

Our conversation was edited for length and clarity. How are things on campus these days? What’s the mood and how heavy are the protests?

It’s been fairly quiet, as it has been at other campuses. Most protest in the center of the campus is

have the campus locked and you didn’t have the private security people, what would happen?

Behind the scenes, or less visibly, there’s a pretty intense disagreement about what the rules for protest are and what body within the university owns them and enforces them.

How do you respond to readers who are inclined to condemn the pro-Palestinian protests on campus, and to condemn the institutions for not doing more to clamp down on threatening rhetoric, or to chalk up the anti-Israel sentiment to a sort of far-left takeover of the liberal arts. What might they be missing?

I have a lot of conversations about this, and I often get some kind of theory about why this issue is playing out in the way it is at Columbia and other elite universities. One that I hear a lot is it’s all about funding from Qatar. Another theory is that it’s all about DEI offices, or post-colonial theory. I See Columbia University Task Force page 9

Protesters at Columbia University on both sides of the conflict over the war in Gaza mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel, Oct. 7, 2024.

Credit: Victor J. Blue for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Credit: Manischewitz

Columbia University’s antisemitism task force

Continued from page 8

don’t want to discount any of those completely, but I want to give a somewhat different big picture.

It’s what I call the blind man and the elephant theory of major private universities [in which key players only perceive their own small part of a larger truth]. Universities like Columbia are blessed with a whole bunch of different stakeholders, all of whom do things that help make the university work and are really essential. So the one you hear about from the left is the fabled “Zionist donors.” But that’s only one group, and it’s not that big of a group. Much bigger groups include alumni, parents, staff, students and government officials at all levels. All these folks are crucial players at the university, but they rarely encounter each other directly, and each has quite a different vision of what the university is and what its core mission and values are. This particular conflict really brings that into the sunlight, and that’s one reason why it’s been so divisive.

Why is that? Why did that kind of confluence — and divergence — of all these stakeholders exacerbate what happened after Oct. 7?

Protest is constant at Columbia, but the level of protest we were seeing last year was by far the highest I’ve ever seen in my 21 years at Columbia. Most of the causes that sweep through the university are on the left, and this one is too. But in most cases, these stakeholder groups that I mentioned are pretty much on the same side of the issue — everybody’s against climate change, or supported the post-George Floyd wave, and things like that. In the case of [Israel and Palestine], significant stakeholders or subgroups within the stakeholder groups 100% passionately disagree about the question at hand. That’s uncharacteristic of most of these university protest waves.

That sounds like a liberal consensus on the part of students, faculty, administration and donors broke down over Israel. Does that support or contradict the conservative critique that the Ivies are hotbeds of “wokeness?”

At Limmud I heard you say that colleges have become undergraduate business schools.

At the Ivies, the percent of students majoring in the humanities and the softer social sciences is, in almost all cases, the smallest it’s ever been in the history of these universities. You’ve seen a massive switch in undergraduate interest into predominantly two fields: economics and computer science. I don’t know what the number is. My joke is that if you stop a student on the campus and say, “Can you tell me the starting pay at Google, Goldman Sachs and McKinsey,” they’re going to be able to tell you.

And paradoxically, or maybe naturally, the more diverse these universities get, the more this is going to be true. If mom and dad are multi-millionaires, it’s okay to major in English or history or classics. But if you’re the first person in the family to go to college or your parents are in debt, they want you to do something that’s going to get you a well-paying job right after you graduate.

As a result, the humanities and the less quantitative social sciences feel beleaguered and abandoned and marginalized within the university. They don’t have as many faculty slots as they’d like to have. They can’t accept as many PhD students as they’d like to. They have trouble placing their PhD students after they get their degree. And as a result of that, the faculty in these departments, feeling isolated, tend to move further to the left. That’s an explanation for the humanities faculty moving left: because they are not the heart and soul of the university anymore, they feel abandoned and ideologically in opposition to the rest of the campus. But what about student activists? Is their activism spurred by this sense of marginalization?

It might be that many of the [pro-Palestinian] protesters are themselves pre-business majors. The way I put it is, it’s a long running part of the culture of elite universities, going back to their religious roots, that they see themselves as sort of moral beacons unto the world. You’re trained to think of yourself as an unusually talented person who has a right or an obligation to stand up against injustice and make their voice loud and proud, even though, on many of these issues, they haven’t really studied that particular issue. Some of what happened last year is that many students see this as a morally urgent moment in which Israel is clearly in the wrong, but they couldn’t pass a detailed test on the history of Israel or the conflict. I hear complaints from parents of Jewish students that the university classroom has become a place of indoctrination. There are calls from donors like Bill Ackman at Harvard or anti-antisemitism groups to punish or remove faculty for participating in the pro-Palestinian protests, or for expressing views that were construed as antisemitic or incendiary. On the other side, it’s a bedrock principle among faculty that they should be able to investigate, discuss and teach issues in their field without interference from administrators, boards of trustees, donors or anyone else. Do you see a shift in how universities view academic freedom, and is it even possible? If you ask the average Columbia parent, “Have you ever

heard the term academic freedom?” — I think a lot of them would say no. And a lot who have heard of it couldn’t define it. Meanwhile, and paradoxically, faculty members believe that academic freedom is the core inviolable principle of the university.

Academic freedom and free speech are not the exact same thing. Generally, freedom of speech is uncurated and academic freedom is curated. Freedom of speech means anybody can get up in the public square and say whatever they want. Academic freedom means something different: If you do a tremendous amount of work and cross a lot of bars in your academic field, you’re given the right to teach what you want in the classroom. But that’s not the same as saying any professor can do anything and it’s protected by academic free-

owner of the definition question. What we get from the other side is the charge that any definition that imagines there can be any relationship between anti-Zionism and antisemitism will be used as a pretext to shut down all criticism of the state of Israel on campus. We’ve never been associated with trying to do that. And in my own Jewish life, everybody I know does nothing but criticize the state of Israel, 24/7. So I do think it’s a red herring to say that our real goal is to prevent anybody from being allowed to criticize the state of Israel and its policies.

But at what point do they cross the line?

First of all, our task force’s job is not to solve the Middle East and to come up with Middle East policies. Our job is to think about the campus climate generally, and the comfort level of Jewish students in particular. The university has an existing toolkit for this kind of thing, which is built around the vocabulary of impact and intent.

dom. Academic freedom is about classroom teaching and research. You can’t propagandize in class, or you shouldn’t. There’s a power imbalance. The job of the professor is to get the student thinking, not tell the student what to think. It’s quite possible to articulate that set of values around classroom teaching, but within the university that is quite difficult, because there’s a very, very strong tradition of faculty autonomy in teaching and research.

Has your antisemitism task force addressed the distinction between free speech protection and academic freedom protection?

We said in our last report that was published right before Labor Day that we were going to address what goes on in classrooms in a subsequent report.

Do you worry that Jewish donors and Jewish parents and stakeholders are representing a set of illiberal values that the Jewish community is not usually associated with? Going back to Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Jews have rallied around the idea that their own safety is tied into the democratic idea of free speech and that the cure for bad speech is more speech, or, as Brandeis put it, “the fitting remedy for evil counsels is good ones.” Is putting limits on speech or academic freedom a place Jews want to find themselves in?

I get letters all day from parents and alums who say Professor So-and-So gave a speech, you know, 1,500 miles away from the Columbia campus. And here’s the text, and why aren’t they fired? And my position would be that’s not part of their academic life as a Columbia professor, so they should have some protection.

The best you can hope for is to have very clear rules for how the university works, and to try to create a greater degree of shared understanding than there is now around what are the values of the university. Even if you say “Jewish parents and stakeholders and others should not think these things,” you can’t just turn that off. There’s an educational process that is needed that would take a while and has to be conducted by very senior leadership figures in higher ed.

And does that go both ways — persuading outsiders of the value of academic freedom and telling insiders that it has limits?

Yes, defining it precisely, and telling people the history, and making the case that this institution they want to be part of is based on academic freedom, so you know you should be careful if you’re against it, and then, on the other hand, the term shouldn’t be used sloppily to mean faculty members have an absolute grant of autonomy in all senses.

One criticism of the second report has to do with how you define antisemitism, and the objection that anti-Israel criticism can be too easily construed as antisemitism. The report says that antisemitism could manifest as “targeting Jews or Israelis for violence or celebrating violence against them” and “exclusion or discrimination based on Jewish identity or ancestry or real or perceived ties to Israel.” How did you try to separate antisemitism from anti-Zionism? Are you satisfied with the definition that you came up with?

Our co-chair, David Schizer, is a lawyer, and he’s been the

The standard in that case is that it’s not just what you meant by a comment — it’s how the person received it.

That’s not the same as saying in all cases that a remark that has a negative impact is absolutely banned. Rather, it is a consideration of the impact that things have on identitybased groups. If a critical mass of people are experiencing something that makes them feel intensely uncomfortable, then we need to talk about it.

Your second report included testimonies from many Jewish students about their experiences of feeling threatened or excluded or discriminated against for their support or perceived support for Israel and Israelis. I am assuming you included that in order to describe and explain that discomfort, and how identification with Israel is a normative aspect of being an American Jew.

It’s a very difficult issue to explain to people. I don’t need to explain to people in my congregation that being Jewish and the state of Israel are not two completely unrelated topics. But a lot of people at Columbia are completely mystified, or pretend to be, by why so many Jewish people think there’s a connection. They don’t know much about Jewish life or Jewish history, or what it means to be Jewish.

Are you still bullish on the idea of the Ivies? I ask this because we’re hearing anecdotally that there’s some erosion within the Jewish community, some of whose members feel the elite schools may not be a home for Jews anymore.

I would say it depends on who you are, what kind of experience you have, and what you expect. Jewish kids come in a lot of different flavors. For some of them, it’s a very, very lightly worn identity. People like that I don’t think would feel uncomfortable at Columbia.

But if you are in another part of the Jewish world where you come from a more observant family, you went to a day school, you had a gap year in Israel, you might say, “I just really don’t want to be around people constantly professing anti-Zionist sentiments.” Maybe you wouldn’t be that comfortable.

On the other hand, [that same kind of person might say], “I love being in an environment where there are a lot of loud and proud anti-Zionists, because I want to fight, not with my fists, but engage with those people and really be part of a big political debate on campus.”

Let me ask you to put your journalist hat on: Is there any story that hasn’t come out that you wish people would know — that, amid all the sound and fury, there’s something on campus that’s just not being reported? It could be good news. It could be bad news.

You know the journalistic maxim: When a plane lands safely, that’s not news. So there’s all sorts of wonderful things happening at Columbia, but they’re what you’d expect. So I’m not advocating that they be news. What I see missing the most goes back to our conversation about the nature of universities. Daily news coverage tends to focus on incidents, and it’s hard to understand incidents if they’re disconnected from each other. So one day, the protesters dump red paint on the Alma Mater statue, so they look bad, and then another day, the police come and haul away the encampments, so maybe the protesters look like innocent victims. It seesaws back and forth, and it’s hard to see how this fits into the context of what a university is. That’s what I see missing the most. Andrew Silow-Carroll is editor at large of the New York Jewish Week and managing editor for Ideas for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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

The pro-Palestinian encampment on the lawn in front of Columbia University’s Butler Library, April 24, 2024. Credit: ProudFarmerScholar, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

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THURSDAY: Hanukkah — Light Two candles, 5:29 p.m. ; Young Jewish Initiative Hanukkah Party, 7pm at SST. Wear your favorite ugly sweater and bring a white elephant gift (less than $25). Adults only (2545). Email lincolnyji@gmail.com with questions.

FRIDAY-Dec. 27: Shabbat Candlelighting, 4:48 p.m.; Hanukkah — Light Three candles, 4:48 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:30-7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Alex at SST.

SATURDAY-Dec. 28: Shabbat Service, 9:30-11 a.m. led by Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parshat Miketz led by TBD via Zoom; Havdalah, 5:53 p.m.; Hanukkah — Light Four candles, 5:53 p.m.

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.

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; Classic Shabbat 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: No Youth Learning

MONDAY: Office Closed

TUESDAY: Office Closed.

WEDNESDAY: Office Closed; No Youth Learning

THURSDAY: Office Closed

FRIDAY-Dec. 27: Office Closed; Shabbat B’yachad Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.

SATURDAY-Dec. 28: Office Closed; 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 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.

House elects Brian Mast, U.S. Amry veteran who assisted Israeli soldiers as a civilian volunteer, to lead Foreign Affairs Committee

RON KAMPEAS

WASHINGTON | JTA

The House of Representatives elected Florida Rep Brian Mast, a zealous pro-Israel Republican who has volunteered with a group that assists the Israeli army, to chair the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mast bested three other contenders to succeed Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, who is term-limited. Insiders say that President-elect Donald Trump lobbied the Republican Steering Committee, which names committee chairs, to choose Mast.

“I have no doubt Congressman Mast — a distinguished combat veteran and experienced member of this committee — will serve the nation well in this role, as he sacrificed in Afghanistan,” McCaul said in a statement.

body, taking a prominent role in this year’s campaign.

Mast is also aligned with Trump’s more isolationist bent, opposing U.S. support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. McCaul and the three other contenders, Reps. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, Anne Wagner of Missouri and Darrell Issa of California, are more aligned with traditional Republican interna-

tionalist principles.

Mast, 44, first endorsed Trump in 2016, when Mast himself was first running for Congress, and has been one of his most loyal defenders in the

Mast, a Christian and military veteran who lost both legs on duty in Afghanistan in 2010, volunteered in 2015 with Sar-El, a group that places civilians from

abroad in support positions with the Israeli army. He has said the experience helped shape him.

A dedicated page on his congressional website describes the experience. “I learned at the Shabbat tables of my hosts just how much each family truly desires peace between every neighbor of Israel, regardless of religion or history,” he said. “We cannot let Israel face its enemies alone.”

Mast wore his Israeli army uniform to Congress in the days after Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas massacred 1,200 people inside Israel and took hundreds hostage.

Mast’s pro-Israel posture has often been pugnacious. California Rep. Sara Jacobs, a Jewish Democrat, last year sought to censure Mast for suggesting that there were no innocent Palestinian civilians in the war Israel was waging against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“I would encourage the other side to not so lightly throw around the idea of innocent Palestinian civilians, as is frequently said,” Mast said at the time. “I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term innocent Nazi civilians during World War II.”

B’NAI ISRAEL

BETH EL

BETH ISRAEL

CHABAD HOUSE

Rep. Brian Mast wore an Israeli army uniform when he arrived for a House Republicans' caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol complex, Oct. 13, 2023. Credit: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Life cycles

IN MEMORIAM

CAROL

JOAN (ZEMPSKY) GENDLER

Carol Joan (Zempsky) Gendler passed away on Dec. 6, 2024 in Omaha. Services were held on Dec. 10, 2024 at Beth El Synagogue and were officiated by Rabbi Abraham.

She is survived by sons, Dave Gendler of Irons, MI and Steve Gendler of Philadelphia, PA, and daughter Amy Gendler of Golden, CO; four granddaughters; and one great-grandson.

Carol Zempsky was born in New Haven, CT, and earned a BA from Wellesley College. After marrying H Lee Gendler in 1952, they moved to Omaha for Lee to join the family business that ul-

timately became Marathon Realty. Carol earned an MA in history at UNO. She served as director of the Douglas County Law Library for 14 years before starting her own business, Legal Information Services (LIS), with a partner.

Carol was active on the boards of the Omaha Public Library, Heartland Family Service, Lauritzen Gardens, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, and Humanities Nebraska; and the Joint Committee to Study the City-County Merger.

Memorials may be made to Beth El Synagogue, Heartland Family Services or Lauritzen Gardens.

Despite ceasefire, residents of northern Israel are wary of return

URIEL HEILMAN

JTA

Driving the northernmost spur of Israel’s Road 886, it’s hard not be astonished by just how close Israelis and their Hezbollah foes lived to one another before the war that began 14 months ago.

In the panhandle known as the Finger of the Galilee, Road 886 runs south-to-north along the Ramim Ridge, a 3,000-foothigh range in the Naftali Mountains dotted with small Israeli towns and kibbutzim that overlook Israel’s lush Hula Valley to the east and a smattering of Lebanese villages to the west. The road terminates at Misgav Am, a storied Israeli kibbutz right on the border fence that’s closer to the Lebanese village of Udaysah than to any town in Israel.

When I drove the length of this road several days after the announcement of Israel’s ceasefire with Hezbollah — and shortly before Israeli troops entered nearby Syria after the fall of the government there — signs of war were everywhere.

At one clearing in the woods, spent artillery canisters and detritus left behind by soldiers were scattered on the ground. Trees scorched from fires sparked by incendiary exchanges between the two sides were bent at odd angles. The road, chewed up by tanks and heavy military equipment, is full of large potholes and tread marks. Concrete berms stand at points where the military fashioned makeshift routes into Lebanon. A roadside picnic area is a mess of mud, the vestige of a staging ground for military vehicles.

announced on Nov. 27, the northern Israeli communities that emptied out due to the war are still ghost towns. There are no schools open, banks are mostly closed, health clinics aren’t operating, and there’s hardly any place to buy food. The government is still paying for evacuees to live elsewhere, and many families with children already have made clear they won’t move back until the end of the school year in six months, at the earliest.

The fall of the Assad regime this month in Syria only adds to the uncertainty. While the Israeli military has conducted an extensive bombing campaign to degrade the offensive capabilities of any future Syrian army, the turmoil in Syria and the fall of Damascus to an Islamist militia is a reminder that threats to the border region of northern Israel are never far away.

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At Kibbutz Manara, where in better times tourists can ride a gondola down the steep ridge to a base station just outside the Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona, Road 886 is flush with the border. The kibbutz is so close to Lebanon that a Hezbollah fighter could theoretically hear an Israeli baby in Manara crying in their bedroom crib less than 100 yards away.

When I stopped to take some photos, I heard a U.N. vehicle turn on its ignition at a UNIFIL post on the Lebanese side of the fence.

The only reason I didn’t feel like I was risking my life was because there were still Israeli soldiers on the Lebanese side. Under the terms of the current ceasefire, Israel has 60 days to move its troops out of the country. The Lebanese villages near the border remain unoccupied and, in many cases, largely in ruins, and the Israeli Defense Forces has warned Lebanese residents that they cannot yet return.

There is no such order in place for Israelis, who for the first time in more than a year can return to their homes in the northern Galilee without the threat of imminent attack from Hezbollah drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), rockets, antitank fire or infiltrations.

But the Israelis who live here for the most part haven’t come back.

“There’s lots of things people don’t know,” Shani Atsmon of Kiryat Shmona said of Hezbollah. Atsmon has been living at a hotel and hasn’t yet returned to the city. “At any second they can come into Israel with paragliders like Hamas did on Oct. 7. Maybe there are tunnels. They’re still at the fences. I don’t want to risk my life. It can come from anywhere — Lebanon or Syria. It’s scary.”

Unlike in southern Lebanon, where roads were jammed with returning residents almost as soon as the ceasefire was

“We still don’t have a feeling of security,” said Revital Gabay, a nurse who evacuated from Kiryat Shmona and is living at a hotel outside the city. “I was home on Friday for five minutes to get something and I heard army artillery fire. We know Hezbollah is on the other side of the fence, watching us. We’ll have another two years of quiet and then at some point there’ll be a war and we’ll be sent back to the stone age.”

Read more at www.omahajewishpress.com

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Miri Ben Shaanan, left, and Shani Atsmon, right, are among some 100 Kiryat Shmona evacuees living at the Yarden Boutique Hotel near Yesod Hamaala. Credit: Uriel Heilman

IRA Rollover Opportunity

Make Your Year-End Gift

Thank you for your generous support of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Because of your kindness, we can provide a safety net for our most vulnerable and strengthen our community now and for generations to come.

As the days get shorter and we approach the end of 2024, distribution from your IRA directly to the 2025 Annual Campaign is a great way to further your support of the JFO and our beloved community.

BENEFITS OF AN IRA CHARITABLE ROLLOVER:

• Avoid paying taxes on IRA withdrawals when gifted directly to the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

• Satisfy your minimum distribution (RMD) without increasing your income taxes.

• Your tax-free rollover gift will be excluded from your gross income. This will lower your income tax obligation because it is not reported as income on your tax return.

REQUIREMENTS FOR AN IRA CHARITABLE ROLLOVER

• The donor must be at least 70 ½ at the time of distribution.

• Maximum distribution is $105,000 total each year, per individual.

• A donor must make the gift by December 31st to receive the tax benefits in that calendar year.

• Distributions must be made directly from the IRA to the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

• While other tax-deferred retirement plans, such as a 401(k) or 403(b), do not qualify, one may be able to roll such a plan into an IRA and then make a charitable rollover gift.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE A GIFT?

• Contact your IRA plan administrator for their specific transmittal form.

• On the form, specify the amount to be transferred to the Jewish Federation of Omaha at 402-334-6498.

THANK YOU for your generous support of the 2025 Annual Campaign which empowers us to address the most vital needs of our community.