Community Engagement and Education
The Jewish Federation of Omaha is firmly committed to engaging community
members in meaningful and educational experiences on an individual and
family basis alike. As Director of Community Engagement and Education, I
devote my time and energy to making that commitment a reality for us all.
There
are a variety of ways in which you can become involved. I'm introducing
a few of them below. We are community of people
talking, laughing, worshiping - and did I say eating? - together. Your involvement makes this community better. Please
contact me at (402) 334-6445 or
jbeckman@jewishomaha.org to share your ideas or learn more about current and future opportunities to connect. I'll even help you add your name to our email lists so that you will
be among the first to know when events are happening.
Jennie Gates Beckman
Eye on Israel has been a program embraced by the Omaha
Jewish community since Shaliach Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan introduced the first
session in 2013.
Since then, each of the Omaha shlichim have continued
to bring Israel to the Omaha community through this unique format.
With the
onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, Eye on Israel was paused for a
period of time. We are pleased to welcome Rabbi Yoni Dreyer, Assistant
Rabbi at Beth Israel Synagogue, as he revitalizes this popular program via
Zoom. Eye on Israel will maintain its established format – general news from
Israel followed by a featured topic.
Sessions will be on the first Monday of every month at 12:00 p.m.
NOTE: Because of a scheduling conflict, the December 2020 session will be on the second Monday - December 14.
REGISTER HERE
The
zoom link obtained with your registration will be the only link required for any
session.
This class is designed for anyone exploring Judaism
for the first time, for Jews interested in refreshing their knowledge
of Judaism, those in the process of conversion to
Judaism, or folks of any background with a general interest in Judaism
and a desire to learn more. Now that the class is available online, it’s a great way for parents (of any faith) raising children in the
Jewish community to expand their own knowledge
without having to leave the house around bedtime. A shorter way of
saying all this is that if you landed on this page – this class is for
YOU! As part of your learning process, the class includes a panel with
several of our community’s rabbis in order to give
you a sense of the different approaches among the local congregations.
The instructor for the course is Scott Littky, an experienced Jewish education instructor. He began his career in Jewish education in 1985 as a religious school teacher. From 1988 through 1997 he served the then Bureau of Jewish Education of Omaha as a Community Teacher. He taught at the Friedel Jewish Academy as well as afternoon religious school programs. Scott served 17 years as a Director of Education, first at Beth El Synagogue in Omaha, Nebraska followed by positions in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Alexandria, Virginia. In 2014 he returned to Omaha and was the Program Director at Temple Israel. Scott is currently the Executive Director for the Institute for Holocaust Education. He has been teaching Exploring Judaism since 2015.
2020-2021 Winter schedule
December 7, 2020 - March 15, 2021*
Mondays | 7:00-8:30 pm | Online via Zoom
*No class on 12/28, 1/11, 1/18
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