Update from Mike, Phil & Ben

It’s been a while since we have given the community an update on the progress of the Milton Mendel and Marsha Kleinberg Jewish Omaha Heritage Center. Eisterhold Associates, the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society (NJHS), and the JFO have been working diligently on putting together all of the content – the text narratives, artifacts, and images – that will be placed on walls and in multimedia throughout the museum space. NJHS recently completed a very thorough set of narratives to be utilized throughout the space. These are both the blocks of texts you frequently see throughout museums as well as the overall content that guides the placement of artifacts, photos, and other materials. In addition, we’ve identified the major artifacts and photographs to be used throughout the museum, including bringing back the Riekes exhibit.

Our next step will be to gather community representatives to read through the narrative material and provide feedback to make sure we are telling a compelling and complete story about our Jewish community. These contributors are being organized in the next week to provide a final review of our content.

Simultaneously, Eisterhold is working on developing oral histories for the exhibit. NJHS has sent them a sampling of their collection, and Eisterhold is editing them down to find compelling narratives and pairing that with related images to add additional context. Think of these as “short documentaries” which will be accessible from a searchable touch screen in the museum space. Eisterhold has also completed detailed drawings of the architectural, electrical, and lighting requirements of the space so that, over the fall and winter, a contractor can build the extra walls needed for the final product.

Finally, Jon Meyers, Ben Justman, and Phil Malcom recently traveled to St. Louis to select a fabricator who will complete all the fine details of the installation (wall graphics, casework, A/V, mounting artifacts, etc.). The fabricator we chose (Icon Design) is the company that is working on the new Holocaust museum in St. Louis, and we had the opportunity to visit their shop and see their work up close. We were very impressed and think they will be a great partner when we are ready to begin the final installation.

We are still on target for the timeline we sent out to the community this spring, meaning the Kleinberg Heritage Center should be complete next summer. We want to be sure to stress that this project has not fallen by the wayside. We have design and content meetings with Eisterhold every other week, and we’ve been actively working through the content to make sure we are telling the most compelling story possible. We have committed to having everything installed by August 1, 2023, if not earlier. You should start to see some more activity in that space soon as we build out the new walls!

Shabbat Shalom,

Mike Siegel
JFO President

Phil Malcom
Interim CEO

Ben Justman
NJHS President

Update from Phil Malcom

In June of 2018, my wife and I packed up a rented RV and hit the road for a truly epic road trip. More than five thousand miles, eleven national forests, and five national parks all across the Western United States. Coming along with us on this trip were Laura’s mom, aunt, and uncle. Five people in a five-person RV for eleven days. What could go wrong?

We planned our routes and stops carefully; we planned our meals equitably to ensure everyone had the opportunity to go to the places they wanted to go; we even brought a giant poster with ground rules for conversation and a buzzer to keep everyone civil. No politics, no family drama, be nice. Only fun memories and the Beach Boys allowed.

Well, the ground rules lasted about two hours. My wife’s uncle Brian hid the buzzer for several days because he was tired of being buzzed. We all argued about speed limits. We argued about politics. Brian and I debated the merits of paper maps vs. Google Maps ad nauseum (hot take: Google Maps is much better). I got more frustrated than I’ve probably ever been trying to coordinate the parking of a 25-foot RV in a tiny parking lot in the Redwoods.

And we also had more fun than we’d ever had. We made memories on that trip that will last a lifetime. We met interesting people and saw truly breathtaking sights. We experienced new places, new foods, new friends. And sharing the journey with our loved ones was what made it so special. We regularly talk about how amazing that trip was. We joke about the arguments. It was messy; it was complicated; it was at times chaotic. It was family.

Your family is both an inherited and a created thing. You are born into (or married into) a family, and yet each day you make choices that actively build that family’s dynamic. I’m a fairly reserved person, and I prefer to sit back and observe; yet over the years I’ve learned it’s best to lean into the most complicated parts of our relationships. That’s how you build a family.

Building a community is no different. It’s filled with rapturous moments of shared vision and mired with conflicts and disagreements. Sometimes we feel that we can conquer any challenge together, and sometimes we wonder if we can agree on what color the sky is. We succeed, and sometimes we make mistakes. Yet all of this is how you create relationships. A community that doesn’t experience all of this isn’t a community. There’s a phrase I sometimes use with our staff: lean into your hardest customer. Sometimes you find that that hardest customer can become your most engaged partner down the road. If we all do this enough, we find that the community we sought to preserve grows even further beyond what was laid before.

We are blessed to have a rich and varied history in Omaha. (In fact, I would encourage you to hear more about that history at the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society’s 40th Anniversary event on Sunday.) None of us built that; we inherited it. But despite this rich history, every day we make the choice anew whether we will build a community or tear it down, whether we will tend to this garden or let it become overgrown.

We have many opportunities for you to engage your community on this campus. I often say that what makes the Jewish Federation of Omaha unique in the city is that we offer services and programs for every stage of life all in one building. If you haven’t been on campus in a while, come on out. Try a new program. Join a committee. Complain about the speed bumps. (Okay, maybe don’t do that one.) However you engage, whether at the JCC or the JCRC, whether on a committee or a basketball team, whether in an RV or a sukkah, I hope you join us as we build and sustain this Omaha Jewish community, now and into the future.

Shabbat Shalom,
Phillip Malcom
JFO Interim CEO

Update from Marty Ricks

Nights finally cooling down, Husker football in the news (good or bad), nine-month hiatus for the JCC Goldstein Family Aquatic Center, High Holy Days upon us, and the kickoff for the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign to be held at Temple Israel is in sixteen days. I hope you have signed up to attend.

For all our Federation agencies, fundraising efforts are put on hold until the Annual Campaign has ended. This is the guideline traditionally followed by the 146 Jewish Federations in North America. By giving to the Annual Campaign, not only are you powering the individual agencies that mean so much to you, you are also helping us care for each other (locally and abroad), educate and engage our community, invest in our youth, and plan for the future.

This transition to the Annual Campaign also means the Community Security Initiative fundraising appeal that we have been working on for the last six weeks must be put aside for four to five months. Our second and final ad for this year is on the back page of this week’s Jewish Press. Consider making a commitment if you can, but know it is of primary importance that we have a successful 2023 Annual Campaign. It is of special importance this year that we increase the amount raised over last year since we are experiencing almost double-digit inflation in 2022.

Phil, Jan and I, along with the Federation Board led by Michael Siegel would like to thank the 43 families that have contributed $133,250 to our Security Appeal so far. A special thank you to the Kooper Fellman Partnership (Howard Kooper, Tom Fellman and Larry Kelberg) for matching the first $100,000 for a total to date of $243,250, or 18.2% of our goal of $1,333,333. As noted before, if we raise an amount equal to our goal, Jewish Federations of North America will add $666,667.

On the subject of transitions, I would like to say a few words about long time Jewish community member Leon Shrago who has left Omaha this week to make Aliyah and join his daughter’s family in Israel. Until a few months ago, I only knew Leon to give Shalom greetings in passing, often at his spiritual home, Beth Israel Synagogue. However, when preparing his application to make Aliyah, he needed a reference from the Jewish community beyond his synagogue and called me asking if I would write the letter. I may not have known him that well personally, but I certainly knew of his sterling reputation in the community and gladly completed the reference letter. Soon thereafter, Leon’s application was accepted and that lead us to meeting in my office and then twice for lunch. Leon and Dani (Z”L) were pillars of Omaha’s Orthodox community and major supporters of Friedel Jewish Academy. For many years, Leon and Dani, in partnership with Leon’s brother Jack (Z”L) and Jack’s wife Helene, operated a successful chain of discount grocery stores, Bag ‘n Save, and frequently donated food where needed in the community. Leon is a renowned Jewish scholar, was a volunteer teacher at Beth Israel, and both Leon and Dani made sure that any family who wanted a strong Jewish education for their children would receive it, no matter the family’s financial situation. I am so pleased I was able get to know Leon over the last couple months. He will be greatly missed in Omaha. Shalom, Leon. Go in peace and have a long, healthy life with family in Israel!

Finally, speaking of pillars of the Jewish community, it occurred to me last week while viewing the portraits of the JFO Past Presidents across from the administrative offices that it is time we highlight each one of these community members in concert with the Jewish Press and the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society. These are 45 lay leaders who cared enough about our Jewish community to become deeply involved in this wonderful organization and lead our Board of Directors in the important work of guiding and growing the JFO for future generations. If you have stories you would like to share about them as individuals, feel free to call me on my cell phone at 402.301.4038.

My next Friday message will be after the High Holidays, so I will take this opportunity wish you all an early happy and healthy new year – Shana Tova!

Shabbat Shalom,

Marty Ricks
Fundraising Consultant

Update from Phil Malcom

We’ve all grown accustomed to negativity in our daily news feed. Violence, divisiveness, rising antisemitism—the list goes on, and we’ve discussed many of these items in our updates over the last several months. Most recently, hatred struck close to home with antisemitic fliers spread throughout the Leawood West neighborhood. This was addressed by our own Jewish Community Relations Council in a community update last week. Moments like these make us question the longevity of civil society, doubt our place in the world, and can drive us inward as a community. It is tempting to use these moments as reasons to despair or to close ranks or to live in fear.

But the Omaha Jewish community is different. Every day we make the conscious choice to practice tikkun olam—to go down the path of tolerance, peace, and love for our neighbor. The signs all around our campus announce that “Everyone is Welcome,” and even in moments of fear and anxiety, we double down on this philosophy and choose joy over anger. Of course, we are increasing our security and ensuring we are keeping each other safe, but we do this without losing our spirit along the way.

In 2013 the band Alternate Routes wrote a song for Newtown Kindness, a nonprofit formed in the wake of the Newtown school shooting. Newtown Kindness (recently renamed the Charlotte Helen Bacon Foundation) works to carry on the legacy of kindness inspired by Charlotte Helen Bacon, a six-year-old who lost her life in the shooting. This song, called “Nothing More,” captures the spirit of responding to hatred with goodness:

We are love, we are one
We are how we treat each other when the day is done
We are peace, we are war
We are how we treat each other and nothing more

Today is my 36th birthday. I woke up sore and tired and greeted by the usual collection of distressing news stories. Then I took my daughters to the Jewish Community Center’s Early Learning Center and saw the truly unbridled joy that comes from children in an environment where they are loved, supported, and celebrated. Next week I look forward to visiting my grandmother at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Her dementia has progressed substantially, but she absolutely lights up when she hears the musical guests brought in by the Activities team. When I open up the Jewish Press or observe the good work being done by any of our other agencies and partners I see the ways in which we practice tikkun olam in both big ways and small ways each day. While each passing year teaches me that the world is increasingly complex and challenging, it also presents fresh reminders that people have tremendous capacity for goodness.

We practice tikkun olam when we treat each other with kindness. We practice tikkun olam when we welcome the stranger. We practice tikkun olam when we respond to fear with love. And we practice tikkun olam when we make the conscious choice each day to see the good in the world around us, despite its multiple failings. This is the work of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. It is challenging work, and we are not perfect in it. But it is good work, and I am thankful to have all of you with us as we accomplish it together.

Shabbat Shalom,
Phil Malcom,
JFO Interim CEO

 

Update from Jan Goldstein

Going to Israel isn’t just another trip…
…and next year, our Federation will be offering an extraordinary opportunity for our Omaha Jewish Community to explore Israel together, from north to south. We’re calling the trip Meet Me in Jerusalem! and it’s taking place March 15-26, 2023. Information sessions will be held on August 25 and October 6 at 6:00 p.m. in the Benjamin & Anna E. Wiesman Family Reception Room.

According to JFO President Mike Siegel, “Our goal is to enable as many community members as possible to experience their personal connection to the Jewish homeland and travel together as one community. This will be different from simply taking just another trip or vacation. Our journey will be an unforgettable shared experience, whether it’s your first visit in many years, or your first trip ever to Israel. We want our community to learn more about the American/Israel connection and how we are very much a part of it. On the tour we’ll visit our Partnership Region in the Western Galilee, meet members of the local community, immerse ourselves in the tapestry of Israeli culture, and witness how Omaha has invested our local dollars to help build the Jewish nation.”

I want to add a BIG THANKS to the Federation Board under the leadership of Mike Siegel, who understands the importance of Israel to our Federation and has the passion to fully revitalize our long time Missions program, providing the staff and resources to make these kinds of opportunities possible for all ages in our community.

Israel travel has burst wide open in recent months after the pandemic prompted a nearly two-year shutdown. While tourism is now working its way back to its previous 4.8 million visitors per year, trip participants have different expectations than they once did. In response, the JFO aims to provide meaningful experiences and the opportunity not only to see the ancient places of the past, but to understand the history that unfolded around them, including more modern history, such as how the State of Israel came into being. This trip is designed to highlight these various significant aspects for both first-timers and repeat visitors who are in for a surprise at just how much the country has changed over the past decade.

Since I began my professional career over 30 years ago, I have been privileged to make it part of my life’s work to have helped thousands of people visit Israel. I have led over 50 missions and have made many more personal trips on my own. If you were to ask me, “Haven’t you seen it all?” I would tell you, “Absolutely not!” There is so much to experience in this tiny, remarkable country and the world is now taking notice of the way Israel leads and makes a global impact in almost every industry and cultural area it touches.

So, by this point you’ve hopefully figured out WHY an Israel trip is not just another trip, but why do so many go?

There are many reasons. Some have always known they wanted one day to visit Israel. Others decide to go because they’ve heard so much from others who have gone and they see their reactions, or they have sent their kids on a teen trip and saw the effect it had. Maybe they took a biblical or Jewish historical class, or after hearing so much about Israel in the news they just wanted to know more for themselves. And for many, they grew up with parents and grandparents who longed to go, just as Diaspora Jews yearn to return to the Land of Israel. Just as we say at the end of every Passover Seder, “next year in Jerusalem.”

I want to tell you a story from my early years as JFO Missions Director when I was asked by National UJA Missions to be one of the lead professional staff on a multi-bus mission. Assigned to my bus was an older gentleman from another Midwestern city who called me because he wanted desperately to go and had signed up, but was concerned that because of his age and some limitations, he might not be able to make it. It was his life’s dream to finally visit Israel, and did I think he could do it? After much discussion I felt he could physically, and equally important, I felt we needed to get him there. He went, and he did fine. The day we were getting ready to leave, he pulled me aside, kindly took my hand and said, “All my life I have been going to Temple, giving to my Jewish Federation, teaching my children and grandchildren the importance of Judaism, and I supported Israel through every decade. I’ve lived a good Jewish life. I always wanted to come to Israel, but I never made the time to do it, and something always got in the way. I am now 89 years old; I didn’t think I was going to get here, but I made it and I am so grateful to UJA Missions and to you. I have peace to have visited this place we call Home. Thank you.”

So, I’m saying to any of you: IF you are thinking of waiting, DON’T! Figure out YOUR reason why a trip to Israel is important to you and make the commitment now so you can discover your story, your history, your truths, and your connections to a place that we say “Journey Home To.” Join us in March on the Omaha Community Trip to Israel. You’ll be glad you did!

Shabbat Shalom,
Jan Goldstein
Programming and Campaign Consultant

Update from Mike Siegel

On behalf of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Board, I am pleased to announce that the Board has unanimously voted to hire Bob Goldberg as the next CEO of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Bob grew up in Omaha and spent many days on the Federation campus. He was an active member of BBYO while attending Burke High School. He received a BS in Speech Communication at UNO and earned a Master’s degree in English from UNO. He began his Federation career in 2008 at the JFO where he was Director of Strategic Initiatives.

In 2013, Bob moved to Fort Worth, TX where he became Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County. Here, he was able to re-establish their Federation’s relevance as the “go-to” organization in the Jewish community. Bob handled all aspects of their business – managing financial resource development, strategic initiatives, community engagement, marketing, and communications. He used his skills to build relationships with donors and community partners. One of his biggest accomplishments in Texas was establishing a lay leadership program which successfully started a pipeline for future leaders.

In December 2020, Bob accepted the role of Executive Director at the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines. In the brief time he has been at Des Moines, he has increased their campaign by 20% year to year as well as introduced innovative events to attract community members to their Federation. Bob was very active in the community where he cultivated relationships with city officials, attended services at all synagogues and elevated Des Moines’ core pillars of Education, Outreach, Community and History. The search committee was very impressed with all of Bob’s accomplishments at Fort Worth and Des Moines.

Bob is returning to Omaha as a seasoned Federation leader, prepared to help the JFO grow to the next level. I am excited to see his many skills in action as he leads the Federation into the future.

Bob’s start date will be January 30, 2023 to allow him to properly transition out of his current position in Des Moines. The Board and search committee are more than comfortable with the temporary leadership system we have in place. Interim CEO Phil Malcom, Jan Goldstein, and Marty Ricks are doing a remarkable job and have agreed to stay on in their current roles until Bob officially joins the JFO. I will thank all three of them more thoroughly in a separate email.

Bob and his wife, Kim have one daughter, Lily, who is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis. All three Goldbergs are looking forward to being back in Omaha. Please join me in welcoming Bob as the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.

Shabbat Shalom,

Mike Siegel
JFO President

Update from Jan Goldstein

It happens every year: As the last beautiful days of summer come to a close, the kids go back to school, the Jewish holidays are upon us with all the preparation of food, family and friends, and we know what’s next… The launch of the Omaha Jewish Federation Annual Campaign, of course!

What? Again? Already? Didn’t we just give to that? 

The reaction is always the same, and yes, it’s that time again.

October 2, 2022 marks the Kickoff Event of our Omaha Jewish Federation 2023 Annual Campaign at Temple Israel. Of course, we hope to see as many of you there as possible. However, if you aren’t able join us to hear about the wonderful things happening today in our community, you’ll still have the opportunity to learn about what’s going on in Jewish Omaha – to step up, get connected, and offer your support.

Year after year, a special group of dedicated men and women who generously volunteer their time (as well as some new additions to this cohort), do the work of contacting our supporters to update them on what’s happening on the Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus and around our community, to explain where their campaign dollars go, and to ask for the critical contributions which enable us to do the business of today. We are extremely grateful to these individuals, and for the hours they devote to contacting and meeting with community members in order to make the heartfelt requests on behalf of all of us who also benefit from the myriad of services and programs we enjoy by living in our generous community. These volunteers also do work on our behalf, by fulfilling Omaha’s commitment as a Jewish community to help other Jews in need, in Israel, and in more than 60 countries throughout the world.

Why do they do it?

They do it because they know that when they are having that Jewish conversation, it’s not just between the two people in the room or on the phone. They know that when they reach out to someone and ask “Would you please consider giving your gift again this year?” they are actually asking on behalf of all of those faceless individuals who will be the beneficiaries of that conversation. 

It could be the boy or girl who benefits from a scholarship to a Jewish camp whose parents might not otherwise be able to afford this kind of Jewish youth experience. Or it might be that elderly community member still living on their own, receiving regular home visits and hot meal delivery as part of our Jewish Senior Outreach program. Maybe it’s that one conversation that will provide more resources for financial assistance for a young family to help send their child to the JCC Early Learning Center, which will, in turn, launch them all on a trajectory of connection to Omaha Jewish life that might not otherwise have developed.

Why do they do it?

They do it because they understand that the Annual Campaign is the lifeblood of the Jewish Community. Does it fund everything? Absolutely not! Certainly, we are so very blessed here to have the many other critical resources that sustain the services and programs throughout the Federation, Foundation, Synagogues and many other organizations in Omaha. However, it’s the Annual Campaign that provides the structure for maintaining the continuity for our Federation and its agencies, connecting us as a community, and bringing together the more than 8,000 individuals we call Jewish Omaha.

This year’s campaign theme is THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE, THE POWER OF COMMUNITY. There is no question where our strength lies.

Albert Einstein once said, “Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.”

Let 5783 be a good year for all – a year that we both give and receive.

 

Wishing you and your family L’ Shanah Tova,
Jan Goldstein
Programming and Campaign Consultant