ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT
Jewish Press Editor
Recently, the Jewish Press published an article about 14 physicians who traveled to the Western Galilee on a weeklong medical mission organized by Partnership2Gether. P2G is a project of the Jewish Agency for Israel that
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMPWRIGHT Jewish Press Editor
The Pennie Z. Davis Early Learning Center (ELC) is a place where children can develop healthy independence, positive social interactions and
strong thinking skills in a developmentally and educationally appropriate Judaic environment. It’s a place where they can explore and play, and make independent choices while feeling secure and warmly nurtured. They also have a lot of fun: from special summer camp for littles to holiday-related activities, family Havdalah and Shabbat, and don’t forget the red carts that can regularly be seen in our Staenberg JCC. What’s not to like?
However, it’s one thing when the kids have fun at the ELC, but what about the parents? Thanks to support from CRESA, the ELC parent committee was able to organize Parent See Parent Trivia page 3
strengthens ties between American and Israeli communities. P2G’s Central Area (which includes 16 communities in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas, along with Budapest, Hungary) is linked to Israel’s Western Galilee, which includes the Mateh Asher region and Akko; the connection is known as Partnership2Gether Western See An obligation to help page 3
HEIDI HEILBRUNN NEEDLEMAN
JFO Assistant Director of Community Engagement and Education
PJ Library’s Taste of Jewish Omaha series is excited to welcome author and registered dietitian Micah Siva as the featured guest at its next event. On Monday, March 31, parents are invited to a special breakfast with Micah, starting at 8:30 a.m. in the Goldstein Community Engagement Venue. During the
conversation, Siva will share practical tips on how to encourage picky eaters and help children enjoy more fruits and vegetables. In addition, her plant-forward cookbook, NOSH: Plant Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine and her children’s book, 1, 2, 3, Nosh With Me, will be available for purchase. Parents can also interact with Micah at the NOSH Jewish Author and Women’s philanthropy event, and See PJ Library page 2
With the Staenberg Omaha Jewish Community Center celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, we’ve been looking at the archives. The story below is from the Jewish Press, of Jan. 31, 1925 and describes a skit by two community members, as the drive for the first JCC building was happening. We’ve reprinted the part where the two imagine the future.
“Jewish Community Center Must Be Built in 1925.” With this thought in mind two of the young ladies in the community seeing farther yet into the future, have seen the Community Center Building and various members of the community, 20 years hence. Taking their listeners with them, on last Tuesday evening at the banquet honoring the participants in the 1925 Y show, the Misses Agnes Ross and Jeannette Levinson entered the gates of the future and presented “A Scene in the Community Center in 1945.”
Miss Levinson 20 years from now is waiting for Miss Ross in the Community Center Building on 20th and Dodge Sts., and the following conversation takes place:
Jen: Ten to three, and I had an appointment with Agnes at 2:30. My, how that girl has changed in 20 years. When
I knew her, 20 years ago, she was never late for an appointment. Well, at least she is keeping me waiting in pleasant surroundings. Omaha Jewry may well be proud of its Community Center. Oh, there she is now. Hello, Agnes.
Agnes: Awfully sorry to have kept you waiting, but I had lunch with Anne Selicow, the Governor of Nebraska, and we just lost track of time.
Jen: Oh, that’s alright. I’ve been looking around your Community Center, and what I have seen of it has surpassed even my wildest imagination. Tell me, how have you managed to keep it looking so nice for 20 years?
Agnes: But you have only seen the part that was built in 1925; before you leave, I must show you the additional six floors and the annex which was recently built.
Continued from page 1 event the afternoon prior to the breakfast. This breakfast event is part of the ongoing PJ Library Taste of Jewish Omaha series, which continues with two exciting spring programs after the recent success of Shabbat Favorites. On Jan. 26, Ayelet Geiger, a PJ Library parent and kosher caterer, hosted an engaging cooking session at her own home. With homemade chicken soup simmering on the stove, Ayelet guided children of all ages in rolling matzo balls and preparing a delicious apple-blueberry tart. Families socialized, sampled the matzo ball soup, and took home tarts to bake in their own ovens. This event marked the third in the year-long series, designed to foster a love of Jewish traditional foods while connecting families in the Omaha Jewish community.
Looking ahead, on April 6, families are invited to participate in the Model Matzah Bakery, a hands-on experience in collaboration with Chabad of Nebraska. Kids will have 18 minutes to quickly mix and bake their own matzah, just like in the Passover story! While the matzah made during the event won’t be kosher for Passover, Chabad will provide Shmura Matzah for families to sample and enjoy during their own seders.
All events are free thanks to the PJ Library Engagement Grant for Implementing Partners, the Chesed Fund and the Foundation IMPACT Grant from the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. However, registration is required. Be sure to sign up through the QR code provided.
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
Continued from page 1
Galilee. The recent mission brought together doctors from different places and different specialties; in addition to helping out in the hospital, the mission created strong bonds between participants and the GMC staff.
Community member Dr. Samuel Cemaj took part in that mission.
“Since October 7,” he said, “I have had very strong emotions and a knot in my throat about the atrocities committed. I really wanted to help, I felt and still feel it is my obligation to support Israel.”
Dr. Samuel Cemaj is a board-certified general surgeon in Omaha, Nebraska and is affiliated with Nebraska Medicine-Nebraska Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and has been in practice for more than 20 years. Dr. Cemaj joined the Nebraska Medicine Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery in the College of Medicine in 2012 as a Trauma/Critical Care surgeon and as an associate professor.
ment as well as medical library. In addition, the GMC hosts outpatient clinics.
Dr. Cemaj had the opportunity to compare the current hospital to what it was like two decades ago:
“The change is impressive,” he said. “The hospital has grown a lot along with the city, it is almost unrecognizable, it is bigger and very beautiful. The staff, and everybody for that matter, was super nice with us, they allowed me to integrate to the trauma service, and it was a great and meaningful experience.”
Dr. Cemaj quickly obtained a temporary license to practice in Israel, but at that time, there was no immediate need, or if there was, there was no organized path. He contacted a previous head of trauma in the IDF, who gave him contact information for the current head of trauma at Rambam hospital. He wrote him, but received no response. Then, he received an email from Jay Katelman, Jewish Federation of Omaha Director of Development. Jay is the JFO contact person for Partnership2Gether, and tried to spread the call for doctors to join a mission to the Galilee Medical Center. Dr. Cemaj jumped at the opportunity.
It was about 20 years ago that Dr. Samuel Cemaj made a similar trip to Israel.
“It was 2004 or 2005, at the time I went with Dr. Dan Schuller,” he said, “and it was a great experience. However, it was during a time of relative peace, so this time things were pretty different.” A specific difference: he joined friends and visited Kikar Hakatufim on a Saturday night, and joined the crowd there to support and encourage the release of the hostages.
The Galilee Medical Center has a women’s wing and a pediatric department, a surgical wing, an internal medicine division and emergency services, including pediatric emergency medicine. The hospital operates several training centers, hosts robust conferences and has a well-established R&D depart-
He noted that most departments within the GMC have access to state-of-theart knowledge and equipment, and the clinicians are very talented.
“Most impressive was the Oral/Maxillofascial department,” he said. “They are exposed to devastating war injuries, and have developed a way to reconstruct facial injuries, using procedures and techniques that I have not seen often in the US.” Equally impressive were the operating rooms, the Intensive Care Unit and the Emergency Rooms.
“I had the opportunity to teach medical students from Bar Ilan University,” Dr. Cemaj said, “and found them to be knowledgeable, engaged and very interested. I gave lectures and shared hands-on experience with Ultrasound.”
Dr. Cemaj emphasized the importance of supporting Israel, and supporting the GMC for the remarkable work that is being done both during peace time, and during war. He found Israelis resilient and appreciative:
“Whether you go to Israel on vacation, or to volunteer, people are happy we come. Everybody in Omaha, particularly the Jewish Community, should be aware of what that hospital does. It was built with the idea of being able to fully operate under war situations in their bomb protected areas; in fact, after October 7 they moved all the operations to the underground facilities. They are very well-prepared for mass casualty- or cyberattacks. We should learn from them. Some of the standards for wartime medicine used at the GMC, have served as a model to most other hospitals in Israel.”
For more information about the Galilee Medical Center, please visit gmc.org.il. You’ll be amazed at everything the hospital has to offer.
“At the end of the day,” Dr. Cemaj said, “I can tell you that I gained much more from this experience than what I could ever have contributed.”
The spring 2025 semester has begun at UNO! We invite you to catch up on what’s happening at the Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Center for Human Rights.
2024 Health Disparities and Human Rights
Feb. 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., experts will explore how systemic inequities, social determinants, and policy gaps contribute to unequal health outcomes across communities in Omaha and Nebraska. Dr. Athena Ramos (Associate Professor, UNMC Center for Reducing Health Disparities), Dr. Falah Rashoka (Assistant Professor, Creighton University), and Ms. Shanda Ross (Director of Engagement Outreach and Belonging, Nebraska Medicine) will provide insights into current challenges and innovative solutions that prioritize justice in healthcare access and delivery. Dr. Lana Obradovic (Associate Professor, UNO) will moderate.
Refugees in NE: Somalia, Sudan, and Congo
Feb. 27, 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., members of the Somali, Sudanese, and Congolese refugee communities in Omaha, Nebraska, will share their perspectives and personal stories. The discussion will offer a comprehensive look at these communities, highlighting their rich cultural traditions and the ways they contribute to the local fabric. Panelists will also share stories of seeking refuge, reflecting the challenges and resilience of those who have rebuilt their lives in Nebraska.
Divisible Screening and Panel
March 27, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Divisible, is an award-winning documentary that focuses on the history and current impact of redlining in the United States, focusing on the specific case of Omaha, Nebraska, to show how this practice continually affects and harms people and cities across the nation. The film uses a collection of interviews with individuals who are experts on the topic, either through their profession, their lived experiences, or both. Following the film, a panel featuring three Divisible Governing Board Members, Rev. Dr. Nikitah Okembe-Ra Imani (Professor, UNO Black Studies), Schmeeka Simpson (Policy Fellow, Malcolm X Foundation; Columnist,
Nebraskans for Peace), and Terri Crawford, JD (Community Fellow, UNO Service Learning Academy) will provide additional insights and lead a thought-provoking discussion on the themes explored in the documentary. Audience members will be able to sign up for a free tour of North Omaha. Freedom of Movement as a Human Right: Refugee Communities and Transportation Needs in Omaha and Beyond
April 17, 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.; speakers include UNO faculty, Lutheran Family Services staff, and students in Dr. Laura Alexander’s Religion and Human Rights course, who will be presenting their research on transportation options and how they impact refugee communities in the Omaha area, Nebraska, and cities in our region.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact goldsteincenter@unomaha.edu
Continued from page 1
Trivia Night, an event just for parents of ELC-enrolled students, as well as some alumni parents. Chair of the parent committee is Carrie Epstein, and together with Anna Priluck, Candice Friedman, Rilee Webb, Ali Coyle and Maddie Keeling, she organized this opportunity for parents to hang out and connect in the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Community Engagement Venue
“This was a great initiative,” ELC Assistant Director Amy Dworin said, “because parents tend to see each other during drop-off and pick-up, but they don’t often get a chance to really interact. Especially for families who are somewhat new to Omaha, this was such a good opportunity.”
The committee partnered with the Trivia Mafia Company, which offered questions specific to Judaism and to Omaha, as well as early childhood.
SHIRLY BANNER
JFO Library Specialist
On Feb. 20 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 Conference Room in the Staenberg Jewish Community Center (note: this is a location change) or via Zoom. This month they will be discussing The Auschwitz Detective by Jonathan Dunsky. Dunsky last visited with the group in 2023 via Zoom to discuss his first novel, Ten Years Gone New participants are always welcome to join the book group.
Jonathan Dunsky once again presents his readers with another case for his protagonist Adam Lapid to resolve. This book differs from his other books in the Adam Lapid series in that the mystery is not set in Tel Aviv shortly after the Israeli’s War of Independence, but rather in the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau where Adam barely survived before his liberation and migration to Palestine.
When you are a prisoner in a concentration camp, you don’t exactly say “no” to the Lagerälteste of the camp when he “asks” you to solve a murder for him. This is the situation that Adam Lapid finds himself in at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Yes, Adam was a former Hungarian police detective, at least until Jews were no longer allowed to be a part of the Hungarian police department. Despite his initial hesitancy, Adam is once again given the opportunity to utilize his detective skills. Normally Adam would relish the diversion to his normal camp routine except he has been given only three days to solve the murder of Franz, the young boy in the Lagerälteste company, by someone in
the camp or Adam himself will die. Will Adam be able to solve the murder before the deadline and discover who stabbed young Franz in the throat and why? As with any murder investigation, there are many questions and people to interrogate but when you are not free to move around and inquire wherever and whomever you want, it makes solving the case that much more complicated. Oh, and Adam has no body to examine either. At one point in the investigation, the Lagerälteste believes he knows who the guilty party is but Adam convinces him that the “guilty” party is indeed innocent. Even though by agreeing with this Adam would be let off the hook, his sense of justice does not allow him to have an innocent man punished. However, as readers we have come to understand, based on Dunsky’s previous books, Adam Lapid is not above inflicting punishment upon a guilty person even if it is not for that specific crime. The line between right and wrong, innocent and guilty may be a fine line but it is not one Dunsky’s character Adam will cross no matter what. Please feel free to join us on Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. in person or via Zoom when Israeli author Jonathan will Zoom into the meeting to share his insights with the Kaplan Book Group.
The Dorothy Kaplan Book Discussion Group meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1 pm. New members are always welcome.
The Group receives administrative support from the Community Engagement & Education arm of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. For information about the group and to join in the discussion, contact Shirly Banner at 402.334.6462 or sbanner@jewishomaha.org
The Partnership2Gether International Educators’ Seminar is a five-day immersive experience. Designed to help participants build resilience and show strength in challenging times, it takes place June 812, not including travel time. The seminar offers a unique opportunity to learn, experience and gain insights into the educational system in Israel. It provides a platform to explore enriching, meaningful, and long-lasting global connections while fostering potential twinning relationships for you and your students. Seminar highlights and themes include transforming challenges into opportunities, exploring best practices for instructional technology in the classroom, participation in interactive workshops and visits to K-12 schools in the Matte
Asher and Akko region.
We believe in the power of shared knowledge and experience. Participants are welcome to present successful educational initiatives from their home institutions and facilitate peer-learning sessions in their areas of expertise. The program includes accommodations, ground transportation throughout the program, expert-led tours and lectures, welcome and farewell dinners, and most meals. Participants are responsible for airfare, transportation to and from the airport and health insurance. The seminar will be conducted in English. For more information, please contact our Education coordinator Shiri Erlich at shirie@jafi.org
Appropriately enough, the phrase “In the beginning” begins the Book of Genesis and therefore begins the Bible for both Jews and Christians. And popular culture mavens have been using it ever since, especially when they are trying to present some aspect of life as an initial event. But it often takes a bit of sleuthing (or out-and-out guessing) to determine whether these modern scribes really intend a biblical allusion.
The following phrases probably pass muster: “In the beginning there was country music” (The New York Times), “In the beginning there was Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins” (Scotland on Sunday), “In the beginning there was the Beatles” (The Washington Post), “In the beginning there was Sean Connery” (The Evening Post [Wellington, New Zealand]), “In the beginning there was Milton Berle” (the San Francisco Chronicle).
The next group more clearly conveys the writer’s intent to connect their text with the Good Book: “In the beginning, there was Shonen Knife [a female Japanese band] ...After that came the deluge, of sorts” (the Los Angeles Times); “In the beginning there was Disneyland. Then came its spiritual brother, Disneyworld, and a host of followers ...Now the greatest story ever told is to get its own theme park—Bibleworld” (Scotland on Sunday); “In the beginning was the word, and for Billy Wilder
there’s where it always ended, too” (the Montreal Gazette).
“In the beginning, there were Nick and Eddie in 48 HRS They begat Eddie and Judge in Beverly Hills Cops. And so it went, even unto the days of Jackie and Chris in Rush Hour. I’m leaving out a few begats” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
“In the beginning, there was See How They Run. And the television moguls saw that it was good. See How They Run begat Fame Is the Name of the Game, which was also good. They begat The ABC Movie of the Week, which was sometimes good, and sometimes not” (San Diego Union-Tribune).
Clearly entertainment writers sense an affinity between the origins of their product and the beginnings of the universe. Not surprisingly, sports aficionados detect a similar connection: “In the beginning God created baseball. God saw what he had done, and it was good. Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God has made. He said to the woman, Did God really say, You may not play any sport but baseball?” (St. Louis Post Dispatch) “In the beginning Roone Arledge created Monday Night Football, as ABC’s prime-time lineup was without form, and there was a void in the ratings, and darkness was upon the brow of network executives” (the Baltimore Sun).
If all of this is working up a thirst in my readers, they might consider: “In the beginning, there was an idea and it was good: ‘A microbrew to complement the Jewish American Experience.’ So goes the label of HE’BREW Genesis Ale” (the San Francisco Chronicle).
PAM MONSKY JCRC Assistant Director
On Feb. 4, 2025, over 50 Jewish community members and state legislators gathered in Nebraska’s state capital for the 3rd Annual Jewish Day of Action, a dynamic event designed to foster connections between constituents and their state legislators. This powerful day of advocacy brought together members of the reform, conservative and orthodox communities in Omaha and Lincoln united by a shared commitment to civic engagement within the Jewish community.
“As you get older, you realize that life is short. In a fanciful way, you could say that Life & Legacy provides the only way to become time travelers. It provides the opportunity to extend our reach into the future after our death. This wonderful Omaha Jewish community has given us so much. We are happy to help ensure it continues to grow, prosper, and provide vital services and programs long after we are gone.”
SANDY FRIEDMAN
Our Jewish community is built on a foundation of generosity, vision, and commitment to the future. Through Life & Legacy, we have the unique opportunity to ensure that the programs and services we cherish today continue to thrive for generations to come.
From early childhood education to the compassionate care provided by the Blumkin Home, and everything in between, Life & Legacy supports the full cycle of Jewish life. By making a commitment, you are not only preserving what exists but also fueling innovation and growth to meet the evolving needs of our community.
Now is the time to act. Join Sandy and Amy Friedman and others who have chosen to leave a lasting impact by completing a simple Letter of Intent. Your after-lifetime legacy gift—no matter the size—will help secure a vibrant Jewish future.
Be a time traveler. Make your mark on tomorrow.
To learn more about how you can participate in Life & Legacy, contact Brad Abramson, Life & Legacy Coordinator at babramson@jewishomaha.org or 402.334.6485.
Participants had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with lawmakers, including state senators and their staff members, Lt. Governor Joe Kelly, and Governor Jim Pillen, discussing important issues such as religious freedoms, voting rights, and community support. The event highlighted the significance of Jewish values in public service, emphasizing the role of grassroots organizing in shaping state policies.
This year, the JCRC also welcomed students from Freidel Jewish Academy, who learned about the legislative process with Senators John Fredrickson and Jana Hughes. The students strengthened their involvement in statelevel politics, speaking with multiple senators on the issues that mattered to them personally.
A kosher lunch was provided by the UNL catering service from their new kosher kitchen. On the menu was lemon chicken, Israeli couscous, salad, hummus, cookies and baklava.
The Day of Action not only allowed for valuable face-to-face interactions but also served as a reminder of the collec-
tive power of communities affecting change. Participants left the event inspired and empowered to get involved in local and state legislation.
Each annual Jewish Day of Action
January 21-24, 2025 - Evanston, IL:
Programs & Partnerships Manager for
and Andi (Gutnick) Kaufman, Midwest and Canada Regional
rector for Moving Traditions, staffed their respective booths (next to each other) in the exhibitor hall of a conference bringing together over 300 educators and Jewish communal professionals associated with the Reform movement.
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
STACIE METZ
Beth El Engagement Coordinator
Agam Berger, an IDF soldier known as the “Mystery Braider” was freed from captivity on January 30. During her time in captivity, Agam’s legacy of braiding fellow hostages’ hair became a powerful symbol of strength and resilience.
To honor Agam’s spirit, Beth El Synagogue invited members to join us in our kitchen for challah braiding. The challahs will be used at Beth El and designated with markers honoring Agam.
If members couldn’t join us in person, we encouraged participation at home through two meaningful acts: braiding your hair or braiding a challah and asked to share solidarity through posting photos with the #bringthemhome.
JFO Foundation Executive Director
The Foundation is pleased to announce the arrival of our Spring Grant Cycle! Applications will be accepted until April 1, 2025, for the following granting entities – Anything Grants, Albert & Eleanor Feldman Family Israel Foundation, Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation, and Special Donor-Advised Fund. These grant committees will meet between late April and mid-May to make allocation decisions. Additional information on each is shared below:
The Anything Grants, generously sponsored by Michael Staenberg and the Staenberg Family Foundation is back for 2025 and welcomes co-sponsor, The Kiewit Companies Foundation. This program continues to offer a wide range of support for Jewish organizations and synagogues in the Omaha, Lincoln, and Council Bluffs communities. Grant awards will range from $1,000 to $5,000. Component parts of larger projects are eligible for Anything Grants. Securing matching funds remains a requirement.
The purpose of the Albert and Eleanor Feldman Family Israel Foundation is to implement and enhance the relationship of Metropolitan Omaha area Jewry with Israel; to bring Omaha Jewry closer to their homeland and to recognize how important Israel is to the preservation of the Jewish People.
Suzie Somberg
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups leeks, diced
1 1/2 cups celery, diced
1 1/2 tsp. tarragon
1/2 tsp. thyme
5 cups vegetable broth
2 1/2 cups potatoes, diced
1 Lb. spinach, rinsed, stems removed, 1/8 inch slices
1/2 cup heavy cream.
Directions:
In a soup pot cook butter, leeks, onion and celery to the pot. Cook over low heat for 15 min or until wilted. Add tarragon, thyme, salt and pepper. Add vegetable stock and potatoes. Cover and simmer 20 min until potatoes are tender. Add half of spinach. Simmer for 1 min. Remove soup from heat. Puree half of the soup in the food processor. Return to pot. Place the pot over low heat. Add remaining spinach and cream. Heat through stirring well. Don’t boil. Serve after adjusting the seasonings. Serves 6.
Editor’s note: this recipe was altered to make it kosher dairy.
The Feldman Family Foundation will provide funds and subsidies for programs, initiatives, activities, and operations all pertaining to Israel.
The Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation was created in 2003 to provide services for Jews from the former Soviet Union, to support medical research,
human rights, rescue and relief, education, kidney transplant and related diseases, projects and programming for Jewish children and adults through the Jewish Federation and synagogues. The Goldstein Foundation will accept grant applications in the amount of $8,000 or less for consideration.
The Special Donor-Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation has just one requirement – that the application(s) should result in a benefit to the Omaha metropolitan area Jewish community.
Please apply via the online universal grant application. Please watch for your emailed invitation to apply. Should you have any questions, please contact Diane Walker (402.334.6511/dwalker@jewishomaha.org) for the Anything and Special Donor-Advised Grants, or Laurie Peatrowsky (402.334.6439/lpeatrowsky@jewishomaha.
“Four Generations of Breakfast: First Generation: Bagel and lox with a glass of tea. Second Generation: Bagel and lox with a cup of coffee. Third Generation: Bagel and Nova Scotia salmon with a cup of espresso. Fourth Generation: Two croissants, omelette aux fines herbs, and a glass of skim milk.” from RABBI JOSEPH TELUSHKIN Jewish Humor, 1992
AUNT MARILYN’S BANANA BREAD
Judy Josephson
Ingredients:
1/3 cup margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3 mashed bananas, ripe 1/2 cup nuts, optional
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Stir in, alternating flour/baking soda and bananas. Add nuts, if desired. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for approximately 1 hour. Turn out and cool. Wrap in foil. Let sit for 24 hours or freeze.
BANANA BREAD
Barbara Kirkpatrick
Ingredients: 3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3 cups Bisquick
3/4 cup walnuts
1 cup banana, mashed
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar, egg, milk and Bisquick. Mix vigorously for 30 seconds. Stir in walnuts and bananas. Pour into a well greased loaf pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool before slicing.
(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
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.
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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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The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer. The Jewish Press will not publish letters that appear to be part of an organized campaign, nor letters copied from the Internet. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf.
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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.
ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT
Jewish Press Editor
With everything going on in the world, it can be easy to forget we have the coolest holidays. Tu B’Shevat began at sundown on February 12, and erev Purim arrives March 13. That’s really soon—remember how boring January felt, at the beginning of the calendar year? And here we are. I don’t know about you, but both these holidays always remind me that spring is coming. Since everything in Judaism always has a double, triple, quadruple meaning, maybe that’s part of the holiday experience: a sense that better days are ahead. Hope is something we can always use.
This year, Purim lands on Shabbat, which means we get a double dose of joy. And it’s probably one of the most joyous holidays already, with costumes, hamantaschen, spiels and parties. Plus, you get to make noise! And the birthday of trees, what’s not to like? Plant something new, imagine its growth, blossoms, it’s a great reminder that warmer days are ahead.
But while a holiday can serve as a distraction from the evening news, that’s not its main function. When we remember Queen Esther and read the Megillah, we first and foremost read about how the Jews were under threat. Just like during Pesach and Hanukkah, our lives were threatened before the tide turned. First pain, then victory. It’s a common theme for us, and rather than distract from the current situation, it confirms what we have always known. There are those who want us gone for good. They always lose, we always win, but is that really some-
thing worth celebrating? Would we celebrate being alive, if it wasn’t something we as a people have to struggle for? I’m not so sure. Our freedom is hardfought, perhaps that makes us more appreciative in the long run. But it just as likely makes our enemies hate us even more. From Haman to Amalek, from the Inquisition to the Shoah, from Hamas to college campuses, they just keep coming. What was that I said about needing hope? Oh, right.
There is a passage in the Book of Numbers where the Israelites are kvetching about the food. Everything in Egypt was better (fleshpots!), they say, and they’ve forgotten about the bad parts of slavery. Moses has had it:
“Why have You brought this evil on your servant?” Moses tells G-d. “Why have I failed to find favor in Your eyes, that You have placed the burden of this whole people on me? Did I conceive this whole people? Did I give birth to it, that You should say to me, Carry it in your lap as a nurse carries a baby? … Where can I find meat to give to this whole people when they cry to me saying, Give us meat to eat? I cannot carry this whole people on my own. It is too heavy for me. If this is what You are doing to me, then, if I have found favor in Your eyes, kill me now, and let me not look upon this my evil.”
If Moses broke down, how are we supposed to keep it together? Of course, Moses didn’t always feel this way; it was a temporary meltdown, but still. And he’s not the only one. There has been many a prophet who felt despair instead of hope, even King David had his moments, and I imagine Queen Esther didn’t always feel complete optimism. How could she?
But they stuck with it, and we should too. When we (against our better judgment) open that news app, or turn on the television, and see that parade of bad news, rather than despair, we should remember this will get better. We must believe that.
And the best way to do that is by celebrating in the midst of crisis. Celebrate for ourselves, but also for our children, the ones still learning and the ones on college campuses. We do it for the hostages, for the Jews in the desert who were so sick of manna they wanted to go back to Egypt, for the Jews in Persia who didn’t see a way out, for Hannah’s sons. This, what we as a people are experiencing right now, is so much bigger than us. Tu B’Shevat and Purim are not just holidays; they are marching orders. So: what’s your costume going to be this year?
LA Jews are all mourners now — experiencing both the grief and hope our tradition understands
RABBI NICOLE GUZIK
LOS ANGELES | JTA
As the wildfires devoured our neighborhoods and people’s homes, schools, businesses, sanctuaries, and lives went up in flames, we celebrated our eldest’s bat mitzvah. Amidst unimaginable and horrific destruction and tragedy befalling our beloved city and the community we care for; it was not the date we would have chosen.
And yet, as both a rabbi to a Los Angeles community and a mom, I cannot imagine my daughter having any other date. The miracles of humanity gave me a bird’s eye view into the capacity of human strength, resilience, and hope.
The first window into human beauty came during the days leading up to Annie’s bat mitzvah. We received hundreds of messages — messages from congregants and friends that were unsure of whether they would have a home to return to and many for whom, their homes are now no longer. The messages read: Rabbis, we hope that you will make room for your daughter’s moment, for your joy is our joy.
And as services commenced that Saturday morning, I looked out into the sanctuary and saw several families whose homes were completely gone. I was shocked. How did they have the capacity to come celebrate? I asked one of them, “Why are you here?” They answered with smiles as tears ran down their face, “This is exactly where I need to be.”
The second window of light involved witnessing congregants from our sister congregation, Kehillat Israel, show up to celebrate one of their community member’s bar mitzvahs. KI is in the Palisades. Miraculously, the synagogue still stands. However, the homes of their rabbis and hundreds of their congregants have completely burned to the ground. It was impossible for KI to host their planned bar mitzvah because of continued evacuation notices and safety concerns. While our daughter’s bat mitzvah was taking place in one sanctuary, down the hall, KI’s bar mitzvah took place in another. Even through their personal tragedy and horror, joy was honored.
A final lesson came from a congregant, Dr. Alisa Bromberg. Alisa is a prominent pediatrician in the Palisades. Her home and office are completely gone. One of her most cherished gifts from her own bat mitzvah was a necklace of a dove — a reminder as a teenager that even through the despair of the world, one must always have hope in a world renewed. She had bought a dove necklace for my daughter. The necklace must have melted somewhere within the ashes of her home.
However, without the physical necklace, she gave us an even bigger gift. She explained to me that in the Palisades it is a common sight to see wild green parrots flying through the bright blue skies. She and her neighbors have been bereft, wondering if the parrots had died. But on Monday morning, one neighbor looked up and there was an entire flock of bright green parrots flying across the ashen, gray sky: a symbol to the Palisades, and a sign that there is room to hope again.
Just like the dove Alisa wore around her neck as a bat mitzvah and wanted to give my daughter, just like the dove Noah sends from the ark as the flood waters began to recede, even when consumed with the deepest of despair, we need to be willing to open our eyes, see hope fly across the sky and allow hope to root itself again within our hearts.
These unimaginable acts of strength, hope and community, among those experiencing profound loss, blew me away.
In the Jewish tradition, when someone dies, there is a period between death and burial. The period is called aninut, commonly translated as “living in deep distress.” During aninut, the mourner is exempt from daily Jewish commandments. Most of the people that lost their homes are unable to return. The areas are in evacuation sites, the air and the ground are toxic. There is no ability to say “goodbye” to their homes. And so the steps of grief are tossed upside down. These mourners are stuck in limbo. And, therefore, we in the Los Angeles community are learning how to show up in an unprecedented way.
We are sitting with our mourners in this gray area, within a limbo of loss for however long it takes. The communal acts are endless: opening homes to evacuees, donating food and toys to children whose playrooms and pantries are no longer, feeding firefighters, clothing those without, physically embracing those consumed with grief and praying side by side. The essence of community is seeing yourself as responsible to the mourner — no matter how long they exist in this confusing, bewildering, dark and lonely state.
The lessons of this period will last a lifetime. Through our prayers, through our deeds, through our love, through our faith — through the fires, through the peril, through the joys, through the tears of laughter and sorrow — hope will return.
Humanity has a remarkable capacity for witnessing and manifesting resilience and joy even when one’s own world is crashing down. Our souls pivot toward positivity and hope even in the darkest of times. We must show up, mourn together and allow ourselves to feel hope. We will get through this because, no matter how long we exist within this limbo, it is hope and community that will eventually lead us from despair to joy again. 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.
JOSHUA SCHULTHEIS
BERLIN | JTA
Several years ago, the newspaper where I am an editor in Germany made an unusual decision: We would not interview any politicians associated with Alternative for Germany, a political party that was then merely on the far-right fringe of public opinion. It wasn’t a choice we took lightly. The Jüdische Allgemeine is the only Jewish weekly newspaper in Germany, and we strive to represent the entire Jewish community as well as its broad spectrum of political opinions.
But we made an exception for the party, known as AfD, because we wanted to make clear that what it stood for was beyond the pale of acceptable political discourse.
Lately, more and more Germans — including some German Jews — are disagreeing with that assessment.
Over the years, AfD has gained support across Germany. With about a month to go before national elections, it sits second in the polls. And among the party’s expanding base is a contingent of Jewish voters.
They are drawn to AfD’s agenda, which includes ridding the country of immigrants. They believe AfD’s claim that only the right can keep Jews safe during a frightening time.
Now, the richest man in the world and a top adviser to the U.S. president is making the same argument. This weekend, Elon Musk spoke remotely to an AfD rally of more than 4,000 people, telling them that the party is the country’s best and indeed only hope and that “there is too much focus on past guilt” in Germany.
With the entire world looking to Germany, and with some Jews in the United States supporting Musk and his politics, I believe German Jews like myself who have watched the AfD’s rise closely have a perspective worth hearing. And my conclusion is still the same as it was all those years ago: AfD is an antisemitic party, no matter how much it says it’s good for the Jews.
On the surface, AfD positions itself as staunchly opposed to antisemitism. The party claims it is taking on the “real” enemies of Jewish life in Germany – namely, the left and Muslims. They assert that AfD is determined to take action against antisemites in its own ranks, citing the case of Wolfgang Gedeon, a former member of the Baden-Württemberg state parliament whose anti-Jewish conspiracy theories were too much even for the far-right party. It took a few years, but Gedeon was eventually expelled from the party.
In addition, the AfD has always sought to maintain strong relations with Israel, viewing the Jewish state as a bulwark against Islam, though thus far the feeling is not mutual. The former Israeli ambassador in Berlin, Jeremy Issacharoff, described statements
made by AfD politicians as “highly offensive to Jews and Israel.” Representatives of the Jewish community in Germany have adopted a similarly critical tone: In 2018 in a joint statement, numerous organizations, including the Central Council of Jews, called the AfD a “racist and anti-Semitic party” and “a danger to Jewish life.”
Those organizations are right to be cautious.
While AfD doesn’t hesitate to condemn antisemitism on the left, it trivializes or even denies antisemitism on the right. While we don’t have airtight data on what motivates antisemitic acts, one thing is clear: right-wing extremism has always been one of the greatest dangers for Jews. But for AfD, the antiSemites are always on the other side. Anyone who is blind in one eye in this matter cannot credibly stand up for the safety of the entire Jewish community.
In some cases, the bigotry is emanating from the ranks of AfD itself. The party refrains from embracing overt resentment against Jews, but its politicians skillfully employ antisemitic innuendo, with regular talk of the “Great Reset” or the “Great Replacement,” names of conspiracies with antisemitic roots — all orchestrated by “globalists.” A global conspiracy orchestrated by a shadowy elite? It’s all too familiar. AfD also famously seeks to close the chapter on Germany’s reckoning with National Socialism. Its leaders have said things like, “Our ancestors were not criminals,” decried the country’s “stupid coping policy” or described the Nazi era as “a blip in history.” While that historical mindset might resonate with people like Elon Musk, it is incompatible with Jewish life in Germany. In order for Jews to remain in the land of the Holocaust’s perpetrators, the legacy of that atrocity must permanently play a central role in Germany’s self-image. This is also the
meaning of “never again” – a formula that sounds like a mockery when it comes from the mouths of AfD politicians. The threat AfD poses to Jews goes beyond rhetoric. If the party’s ideas on animal protection were to become law, it would become very difficult to keep kosher in Germany. In its 2021 party program, AfD not only rejected kosher butchering itself but also the importing of kosher meat. That would leave two choices for strictly observant Jews: becoming vegetarians or emigrating. In the current program for the federal elections in February, the AfD has weakened its position, now permitting ritual slaughter under anesthesia. But that would still change the status quo in Germany and remain incompatible with Jewish law. What of AfD’s support for Israel? Since Oct. 7, 2023, hardly any other party has commented on the Hamas massacre as hesitantly and cautiously as AfD. The initial silence of the party’s leaders on the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust was broken after four days by co-chairman Tino Chrupalla expressing his grief for “all the war dead.” Chrupalla also recently spoke out against arms deliveries to the Jewish state. And unlike mainstream German parties, which are staunchly pro-Israel, AfD’s platform includes nothing about safeguarding Israel’s security — let alone words like “National Socialism” and “Holocaust.”
Through it all, the party has developed an antagonistic relationship with local Jewish communities and their representatives. Jörg Urban, the leading AfD candidate in Saxony, sees Jewish groups’ criticism of his party as nothing more than “statements of complacency,” adding that they are “all supported with public money.” Another AfD politician said Josef Schuster, the president of the Central Council of Jews, enjoys “the privileges that the Federal Republic of Germany has granted him,” but “nobody takes him seriously anymore.”
Like all authoritarian parties, including the Republicans under President Donald Trump, the AfD values loyalty above all. If you refuse to conform, consequences will follow. AfD offers two options for Jewish people: Either accept that right-wing antisemitism will be tolerated in future, the special relationship with Israel will be abandoned and Holocaust remembrance will be marginalized – or accept internal or external exile.
That’s not a choice German Jews should have to make — or one that we want to see our counterparts in other countries get trapped into making, either.
Joshua Schultheis is an editor at the Jüdische Allgemeine, Germany's Jewish newsweekly.
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.
Over the years I have received notes and cards from my partner with lines from ancient Bedouin love poetry. I always enjoy the soulful stanzas, the emotions conveyed and the rhythmic quality of the poems, but I never really thought much about how these poems, composed in a culture that is primarily oral, came to be preserved and accessible enough to be penned inside anniversary cards.
It was only years later that I was introduced to the scholar responsible for their preservation, Clinton Bailey. It is thanks to his curiosity, wanderlust, outgoing nature, love of all people and individual foresight that the oral poetry, laws, narratives, rituals and proverbs of the nomadic tribes of Bedouins from the Israeli Negev, Jordan and Sinai Peninsula were preserved for posterity.
On Jan. 5, Bailey, known to his close friends as “Itzik,” died in his home in Jerusalem. He was 88. For more than 50 years, Bailey immersed himself in Bedouin communities, living for weeks on end in the harsh conditions of the desert, traveling by camel with his journal and tape-recorder in hand conducting interviews in the Bedouin dialect of Arabic and befriending elder tribesmen, women and children alike, preserving a culture that was disappearing. With technology starting to seep into the communities and a move towards more urbanization, the traditional culture of the Bedouin was changing beyond recognition.
Bailey was born Irwin Glaser in Buffalo, New York, in 1936 to an upper-middle-class secular Jewish family. As a child he lived just below the family of Seymour (Sy) Gitin, who became an archaeologist and director of the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in East Jerusalem. The two would cross paths again, with their children attending the same nursery in Israel. Glaser changed his name to Clinton Bailey — taking the name of the intersection where his father’s first gas station stood — ostensibly to ease his research travels to the Middle East.
Bailey’s interest in Bedouin culture stemmed from a series of coincidences. While spending a summer studying art in Oslo, he came upon a copy of the Partisan Review which contained the story Gimpel the Fool by Yiddish author Isaac Bashevis Singer, translated by Saul Bellow. It was the first essay of Singer’s to be translated from Yiddish into English and published in a literary journal. Bailey’s curiosity was piqued to dis-
cover that “this, too, was Judaism.”
Later, while posted in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Bailey looked up Singer in the phonebook and gave him a call, asking if the two could meet. The future Nobel laureate was so taken by this Jewish kid in a Navy hat that they wound up meeting repeatedly. Eventually the desire to learn Yiddish led Bailey to a program for studying Hebrew.
His Hebrew teacher was a kibbutznik who opened his eyes to the new country of Israel, then just 10 years old. Bailey
moved to Israel in 1958. After completing his BA at the Hebrew University and then his PhD in Middle Eastern studies at Columbia, he returned to Tel Aviv to look for work. Years later, in another chance encounter, this time on the streets of Tel Aviv, he met Paula Ben-Gurion, the wife of Israel’s founding prime minister. Paula told him that her husband was looking for English teachers to work in his southern Negev kibbutz, Sde Boker. During afternoons in Sde Boker, Bailey would often chat with the retired politician, as they walked about the kibbutz. “He wasn’t into small talk,” he recalled in a 2017 interview with the New York Jewish Week. “If I asked a question, he’d answer.”
Fifty years later, recordings of those conversations became the basis of “Epilogue,” an acclaimed 2016 documentary. Bailey took a job teaching English on the kibbutz and at the same time became an observer of the local Bedouin in the Negev. While jogging and exploring he would often meet Bedouin shepherds and start conversations with them. Bedouins, known for their value of hospitality, would often invite him back to their tents. On his visits he was able to weave together their narratives.
Fascinated by their lives, habits and ways of being, he began interviewing community members about their traditions and laws, which ultimately led to five decades of immersive and intimate research, collecting narrative data and recording oral traditions. He wrote scores of articles and four books, including Bedouin Poetry from Sinai and the Negev and Bedouin Culture in the Bible.
In 2021 he donated his archive of 350 hours of audio tape, photographs and slides to the National Library of Israel.
While on a shiva visit to the Bailey home in Jerusalem, I noticed, among artifacts, photographs, maps, wall tapestries and desert musical instruments collected on his journeys, a letter from Israeli President Isaac Herzog praising Clinton for his life and work, his contributions to both Bedouin and Israeli societies, and to humanity at large.
The shiva house was full of life, with visitors who included the mayor of the Arab Bedouin city Rahat; American and Israeli family and friends; esteemed scholars from around the world; writers; neighbors; children and grandchildren. Reflecting the spirit of hospitality that he received in so many Bedouin tents, the dining room table was filled with treats, drinks, pastries and fruits from across the region, bridging worlds and bringing people together.
Until the very end of his rich life, Bailey was brainstorming what his next project would be. Just this past summer over coffee at a Jerusalem cafe with my partner Aaron, as well as at a lively dinner party he hosted in his home, Bailey outlined the sketch of a book project and invited Aaron, a Near Eastern studies scholar, to collaborate with him. He was fascinated by the idea that the Bedouin lifestyle could reveal how ancient Israel lived and thus illuminate the Hebrew Bible, which he loved. I am saddened that the collaboration will never come to be but I hope that the project will nonetheless be carried forward, enabling Clinton Bailey’s scholarship, legacy and deep love for humanity to continue enriching us. He is survived by his wife Maya; his four sons Michael, Daniel, Binyamin and Ariel; their spouses and nine grandchildren.
Shira Hecht-Koller is an educational entrepreneur, attorney, Jewish educator and the mom of four curious people. She is the author, together with Hanoch Piven, of "Dream Big, Laugh Often and More Great Advice from the Bible" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023)
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
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LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY:
B’NAI JESHURUN
South Street Temple
Union for Reform Judaism 2061 South 20th Street Lincoln, NE 68502-2797
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FORCE BASE
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TEMPLE ISRAEL
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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, Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m. with our guest speaker, Thomas Fohner. 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, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.
SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Services and Bar Mitzvah of Charlie Menin 10 a.m. at Beth El and Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K-12), 10 a.m.; Havdalah, 6:35 p.m. Beth El and Zoom.
SUNDAY: Hamantaschen Bake, 9:30 a.m.; BESTT (Grades K-7), 9:30 a.m.; Hands-On Judaism, 10:30 a.m. with Hazzan Krausman.
TUESDAY: Mishneh Torah, 10:30 a.m. with Rabbi Abraham; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY: BESTT (Grades 3-7), 4 p.m.; Hebrew High (Grades 8-12), 6 p.m.
THURSDAY: PJP Eretz Yisrael Zoom Series — Shay Rabineau, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY-Feb. 21: Pre-Neg & Tot Shabbat, 5:30 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El & Live Stream.
SATURDAY-Feb. 22: Shabbat Morning Services and Bar Mitzvah of Hannah Whyte, 10 a.m. at Beth El and Live Stream; Jr. Congregation (Grades K-12) 10 a.m.; Joe’s Karting (Grades 8-12), 6:30 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:40 p.m. Beth El and Zoom. Please visit bethel-omaha.org for additional information and service links.
FRIDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 5:39 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, 4:45 p.m. with Rabbi Geiger; Mincha 5:30 p.m.; Kids Activity/Laws of Shabbos 6 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:41 p.m.
SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:40
p.m.
MONDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:50 p.m.
TUESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m.
WEDNESDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m.
THURSDAY: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Character Development, 9:30 a.m.; Mincha/ Ma’ariv, 5:40 p.m.
FRIDAY-Feb. 21: Nach Yomi, 6:45 a.m.; Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Candlelighting, 5:48 p.m.
SATURDAY-Feb. 22: Shabbat Kollel, 8:30 a.m.; Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Tot Shabbat, 10:30 a.m.; Youth Class, 10:45 a.m.; Soulful Torah, 4:55 p.m.; Mincha, 5:30 p.m.; Kids Activity/Laws of Shabbos 6:10 p.m.; Havdalah, 6:49 p.m.
Please visit orthodoxomaha.org for additional information and Zoom service links.
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, 5 p.m. go to ochabad.com/Lechayim to join; Candlelighting, 5:39 p.m.
SATURDAY: Shacharit, 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:40 p.m.
SUNDAY: Sunday Morning Wraps, 9 a.m.
MONDAY: Shacharit 8 a.m.; Personal Parsha 9:30 a.m. with Shani Katzman; 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 Prof. David Cohen.
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. with Rabbi Katzman; Introductory Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 10:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen; Parsha Reading, 11:30 a.m. with Prof. David Cohen.
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-1 p.m. with Rabbi Katzman; Introduction to Alphabet, Vowels & Reading Hebrew, 6 p.m.; Code of Jewish Law Class, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY-Feb. 14: Shacharit, 8 a.m.; Lechayim, 5 p.m. go to ochabad.com/Lechayim to join; Candlelighting, 5:39 p.m.
SATURDAY-Feb. 15: Shacharit 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush and Cholent; Shabbat Ends, 6:40 p.m.
SUNDAY: No LJCS Classes this week; 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; Adult Ed: Intro to Judaism Class, noon at TI. Please contact Rabbi Alex to register or to ask any questions you may have.; F St Rec - Feed the Children 1:30–3:30 p.m.; Jewish Book Club, 1:30–3 p.m. on Zoom and this month will discuss The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict. For more information, please contact Deborah Swearingen at devra60@gmail.com; JIA Network Meeting, 2–4 p.m. at SST.
MONDAY: Offices Closed for Presidents Day
WEDNESDAY: Offices Closed; LJCS Hebrew School, 4:30-6 p.m. at TI; Men’s Lunch Group, 12:15 p.m. at HoriSun, 8055 O St. We meet every other Wednesday. Contact albertw801@gmail.com to join and receive updates. Bring your own lunch and beverage; Jewish Themes Through Jewish Films Movie Night: Lost Embrace, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at SST.
THURSDAY: SST Board Meeting, 6:30–9 p.m. on Zoom.
FRIDAY-Feb. 21: Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:42 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6:30-7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Alex at SST.
SATURDAY-Feb. 22: Shabbat Service, 9:30-11 a.m. led by Rabbi Alex at TI; Torah Study, noon on Parshat Mishpatim led by TBD via Zoom; Havdalah, 6:51 p.m.
LINCOLN JEWISH COMMUNITY: B’NAI JESHURUN & TIFERETH ISRAEL OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE TEMPLE ISRAEL
Services facilitated by Rabbi Alex Felch. All services offered in-person with live-stream or teleconferencing options.
FRIDAY: Shabbat Candlelighting, 5:42 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat Service and Poppy Dishman Bat Mitzvah 6:30-7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Alex at SST.
SATURDAY: Shabbat Service and Poppy Dishman Bat Mitzvah 10 a.m. led by Rabbi Alex at SST; Torah Study, noon on Parshat Yitro led by TBD via Zoom; Lincoln YJI Valentine's Havdalah for Jewish Young Adults, 5:30-7:30 p.m at Tifereth Israel with Child Care: Available. Please RSVP to the YJI Facebook invitation, on GroupMe, or via email at lincolnyji@ gmail.com so we have a headcount; Potluck Dinner and Family Game Night, 6 p.m. at SST. Please bring a dish to share. Adults and kids of all ages are welcome; Havdalah, 6:51 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; 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: No Youth Learning Program.
TUESDAY: Gender Dynamics of the Israel-Hamas War, 7 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, 6 p.m. In-Person; How the Israelites Became The Jews, 6:30 p.m. In-Person.
THURSDAY: The Zohar: Thursday Morning Class 11 a.m. with Rabbi Sharff and Rabbi Azriel — In-Person & Zoom
FRIDAY-Feb. 21: Drop-In Mah Jongg, 9 a.m. In-Person; Tot Shabbat, 5:45 p.m. In-Person; Classic Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. In-Person & Zoom.
SATURDAY-Feb. 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.
To Israel’s far right, Trump’s proposals for Gaza keep sounding ‘better and better’
PHILISSA CRAMER
JTA
President Donald Trump cast his dramatic proposals for the future of Gaza as a boon to Palestinians. But it was the Israeli far right that received them with giddy appreciation.
“When I said this time and again during the war, that this was the solution to Gaza, they mocked me,” Itamar Ben-Gvir tweeted, referring to Trump’s pronouncement that Palestinians should leave Gaza as it is rebuilt into a global city controlled by the United States.
“Now it is clear: this is the only solution to the Gaza problem — this is the strategy for the ‘day after,'” Ben-Gvir added. “I call on the prime minister to announce the adoption of the plan as soon as possible and to immediately take practical steps to advance it.”
Ben-Gvir, as well as far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have repeatedly called for Israel to encourage Gazans to emigrate, and for Israel to build settlements in the enclave. Prior to Trump taking office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not prioritized either idea, and had rejected the idea of Israeli settlements in Gaza.
Likewise, large U.S. Jewish groups have said they oppose any call for Jewish settlement in the enclave.
Ben-Gvir, formerly Israel’s national security minister, quit Netanyahu’s coalition last month to protest Israel’s current ceasefire deal with Hamas, which Trump demanded. He said on the radio on Wednesday that he would return to the coalition if Netanyahu carries out Trump’s vision.
Trump’s call for “all” Palestinians to leave Gaza, and for the United States to take control of it, ex-
ceeds even the dramatic proposals that Ben-Gvir and others on the far right have made. Ben-Gvir has floated “voluntary migration” for Gaza Palestinians, while Smotrich has said he believed half the enclave’s population of roughly 2 million could be “encouraged” to leave within two years.
Forced migration is illegal under international law, and a number of the Arab countries that Trump sees as destinations for Gaza Palestinians have flatly rejected his proposal.
Following Trump’s press conference, Smotrich tweeted a passage of gratitude from Psalms about pilgrims returning to the land of Israel, recited on Shabbat and holidays, along with a picture of Trump and Netanyahu smiling next to each other. Israel. “Thank you President Trump,” Smotrich wrote, “Together, we will make the world great again.”
AVERY ANNE ALLOY HAND
Sarah Anne Alloy Hand and Ryan Hand of Milwaukee, WI, announce the Nov. 20, 2024, birth of their daughter, Avery Anne Alloy Hand.
Grandparents are Roxanne Alloy-McGuan and Terry McGuan of Bonita Springs, FL and Gina and Dave Hand of Milwaukee, WI. Great-grandparents are the late Bette and Sam Alloy of Omaha.
Hannah Whyte, daughter of Michelle and Chad Whyte, will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, at Beth El.
Hannah is a seventh-grade distinguished honor roll student at Liberty Middle School.
Her interests include all things volleyball! Playing club volleyball at Premier Nebraska and cheering on the Huskers volleyball team. She also enjoys cooking and baking, shopping, the beach, her pets and spending time with family and friends. For her mitzvah project, Hannah is participating in a hygiene drive to benefit the local organization, ‘Completely Kids’. By collecting feminine hygiene products and making ‘to-go’ kits, Hannah hopes girls and women will miss less school, activities, sports, and work, due to lack of supplies.
She has a sister, Charlotte Whyte.
Grandparents are Theresa and Tom Gingery of Holmesville, NE and Debbie and Steve Whyte of Port St. Lucie, FL.
PHILISSA CRAMER
JTA
The novelist John Irving is famous for telling stories set in his native New England and in Austria. Now, the two settings will collide in a new novel — one that focuses on a Jewish orphan from Vienna who winds up in Maine before making her way to Israel.The novel, Queen Esther, will be Irving’s 16th when it is published in November. Simon & Schuster recently revealed its cover, which shows a young girl with a suitcase arriving on a snowy night to a light-filled home.
The short description offers clues about her identity, explaining that the book is set at St. Cloud’s, the orphanage (and, later, illegal abortion clinic) operated by Wilbur Larch in The Cider House Rules, released in 1985.
“Larch is younger than you remember him, and the unadopted orphans at St. Cloud’s are a different cast of characters — Esther Nacht, a Viennese-born Jew, among them,” the description says. “The story begins when Esther, not yet four, is abandoned one winter night. At age 14, she is taken in by a philanthropic New England family, becoming both a mystery and a guardian angel to them.”
In keeping with Irving’s famous secrecy about his work prepublication, the description is light on additional plot details, saying only that antisemitism plays a role in Esther’s life, that “Esther’s story is fated to intersect with Israel’s history,” and that the novel ends in Jerusalem in 1981, when Esther is 76. Irving visited Israel in 1981, which was also the year of a deadly attack on a Vienna synagogue by Palestinian terrorists.
Irving said in a statement that while Israel has been in the news because of its war with Hamas, the story was conceived long before the war’s start and does not have anything to do with the current conflict.
“The novel always ended in Jerusalem in 1981. You can’t revise or rewrite history. The construction of this novel long predates the events of Oct. 7, and everything that’s happened in Israel since those terrorist attacks and the hostage-taking,” Irving said. “With hindsight, it’s easy to say that what I saw and heard in Israel in the early 1980s serves as a precursor to what has developed since that time, but this is what historical fiction is for.”
Irving — perhaps most famous for his 1978 novel The World According to Garp — visited Israel last year for the first time since his 1981 trip and made an appearance in Jerusalem in which he explained why so many of his books have Jewish characters.
“I’m not Jewish, but I’ve always been pro-Israel, and I’ve always been pro-Jewish,” he said. “My earliest exposure to Jews were the wrestling teammates I had. And they had a hard time too. But we were all doing the same thing together, so it was natural, or it seemed natural to me, that I sort of stayed with them.”
PARSHAT YISRO
GEIGER
Beth Israel
Often, when people go through challenges or tragedy, questions of faith come to the forefront. This is an understandable reaction, as joy is the safeguard of faith. Yet Agam Berger and her family taught us another option. At the age of 20, on Oct. 7, she was taken hostage by Hamas. Held captive for a year and a half, you and I cannot imagine what this brave soldier went through. And for her family? What every day, hour, and minute, without knowing where she was? Yet, her mother decided that this was the time, more than ever, to observe Shabbat. Then, after 482 days, Agam was released! And she had a message for Israel. “I chose the path of Faith, and through faith, I was returned... Israel, there is no one like you”! Agam had also decided to observe the Shabbat the entire time she had been held hostage.
The Torah tells us that “Yitro heard,” and he joined the Jewish people. What had he heard? Rabbi Moshe Sofer explains he heard of the essence of the Jewish people. He heard that we turned and ran into the water instead of fighting the Egyptians. A nation capable of war decided to flee because they would not fight with a nation to whom they owed a debt of gratitude. Although our stay in Egypt did not end well, we were grateful that they initially welcomed us with open arms so we would not fight them. To be a Jew means to feel grateful even in our darkest moments. Yitro heard this, and Agam lives it. This is Jewish pride.
Shabbat Shalom
As of January 1, 2025, the Jewish Press will charge $180 for the inclusion of standard obituaries, up to 400 words. Photos may be included if the family so wishes. For many years, we have held off on making this decision. However, it is no longer financially responsible for us to include obituaries at no charge. For questions, please email avandekamp@ jewishomaha.org. Obituaries in the Jewish Press are included in our print edition as well as our website at www.omahajewishpress.com
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ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT
Jewish Press Editor
COPD, which stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, also known as emphysema, is a progressive lung disease that makes breathing incredibly difficult, leading to frequent hospitalizations and making it the fourth leading cause of death globally, with over 500 million patients suffering from the disease. Nimrod Bin-Nun and Assaf Gur aim to reduce that number, through an innovative company called RespirAI. Bin-Nun and Gur are the cofounders of RespirAI Pharmaceutical, established four years ago. On a recent visit to Omaha, BinNun and RespirAI’s product manager Jonell Tempero stopped by the Staenberg JCC.
“We’ve searched for a solution to decrease hospitalization and save these patients’ lives that did not previously exist,” he said. Bin-Nun previously worked for Teva Pharmaceuticals, where the drugs developed for COPD and other therapeutic indications were excellent, “but we kept running into a recurring problem,” he said. “When patients had a flare-up, it was challenging to identify it in advance, get them stabilized and keep them at home. They kept coming back to the hospital, because both the patient and the doctors couldn’t monitor what was happening at home in between those visits.”
Bin-Nun and Gur decided to partner and focus on answering this huge unmet need.
“We initially approached universities and research centers globally, and found a very promising solution at the University of Nebraska and UneTech. We met with Drs. Steven Rennard and Jenna Yentes. After reviewing the patent and clinical evidence, we licensed the technology to Israel in 2022, where we received the funding to develop it further by eHealth Ventures and a grant from the Israeli Innovation Authority.” All R&D and trials have been conducted in Israel.
“Some of those trials,” wrote Brian Blum for Israel21C, “were scheduled to happen in the southwest, where the October 7 attacks took place. This, and the reserve callup of some employees and physicians running the trials, has impacted the company’s timeline. The war has also put a damper on foreign investments, but the company has received support and funding from the Israel Innovation Authority.”
The developed platform is based on an innovative algorithm which utilized collected
physiological data from a patient’s smartwatch or other wearable devices. Based on its AI capabilities, it compares the current status of the patient to their baseline, and predicts, at home, when the patient is at risk of developing a flare-up. That data is then immediately communicated to the patient and physician, cutting the reaction time considerably. This allows the clinician to react on time and potentially reduce the severity of the flare-up and save the patient costly hospitalization. To put it simply: when things go wrong, the doctor knows this in real time. It’s a passive system that works through a very basic wearable sensor.
Collaboration with the Mayo Clinic is in the works, and in order to get closer to future patients, RespirAI opened a US company and an office in Omaha.
“We are starting to attract investors,” Bi-Nun said, “and are learning about our target market. When Israeli technology connects with American commerce, we can bring a product to market that really helps patients. From Nebraska to Israel to the global market, this is what can happen when we all collaborate.”
If you would like more information about RespirAI, visit www.respirai.com, or email Jonell Tempero at jonell@ respirai.com
ROBERT FRIEDMAN
The Jewish Funeral Home in Omaha is seeking individuals to fulfill the sacred role of a shomer—an essential and deeply meaningful responsibility in the Jewish tradition. This is a paid opportunity to perform a mitzvah that holds great significance for the departed and their families, as well as for the entire Jewish community.
The role of a shomer is to stand vigil with the deceased, ensuring that the body is never left alone from the time of death until burial. This act of kindness, chesed shel emet—a true kindness for which the recipient can never repay—is one of the highest forms of service in Judaism. It embodies respect for the dignity of the deceased and honors the sanctity of life.
We are looking for individuals who are Jewish by birth or have converted through Orthodox Judaism to join us in this meaningful work. Shifts are flexible, and training will be provided. Whether you are looking for a way to connect with your faith, serve the community, or find spiritual fulfillment, this opportunity allows you to engage in an act of profound significance.
By becoming a shomer, you will play a crucial role in upholding Jewish tradition and supporting families during their time of grief. If you are interested in applying or would like more information, please contact Liora Herskovitz at lherskovitz@orthodoxom aha.org. Join us in this sacred mitzvah and make a lasting impact on the Omaha Jewish community.
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