Update from Mike Siegel

Chag Sameach! Purim starts this Sunday evening, commemorating the story of Queen Esther. She tells King Achashverosh of Haman’s deceit and saves the Jewish people from near destruction. We celebrate by dressing in costumes, attending carnivals, eating hamantaschen and giving shalech mones or mishloach manot. These are gifts of food or drink that are sent to family, friends and others on Purim. It is meant to ensure that everyone has enough food for the Purim feast held later in the day, and to increase love and friendship among Jews and their neighbors.

Jews were among the first to participate in “spring cleaning.” To prepare for Pesach, families thoroughly clean their homes, disposing of all their chametz (risen grain). It is customary to shop for food that is Kosher for Passover (KFP). Whether you make your own matza balls or rely on the boxed mix, KFP products are difficult to locate in Omaha. Many of our community members have expressed frustration regarding the lack of availability of Passover products.

This concern was brought up at our Rabbis and Presidents meeting and we discussed and researched strategies to address the issue. This is one of the traits I love about living in Omaha – working together as a community.
I am pleased to announce that three local grocers will carry a wide variety of Kosher for Passover products this year. HyVee on 132nd & Dodge, Bakers on 120th & Center and Family Fare on 144th & Center have all made plans to carry KFP items this year.

The Rabbis and Presidents group worked with community members to give these stores a comprehensive list of products to have available for Passover. This list includes dairy products, grocery items, beverages, Seder items, and even a limited supply of pre-packaged kosher meats. Each location will have signs throughout the store guiding you to the Kosher for Passover products. I would like to thank Linda Saltzman, Helene Schrago, Rabbi Abraham and Rabbi Dreyer for working with the grocery managers to distinguish between Kosher and Kosher for Passover. They guided them on items to purchase and the timing as it relates to Passover. This group has put in numerous hours to make this happen and they deserve our gratitude.

Another trait I love about this community is supporting causes that enhance Jewish living in Omaha. Whether it is your tradition to buy KFP products or not, I ask you to recognize that these grocers stepped up and agreed to support our Jewish community. If you are able, please support them by purchasing your KFP products locally. Take time to recognize them for going the extra mile.

Some KFP products are already in stock and you should see the full array of items by next week. I ask you to keep in mind that this is a work in progress. Supply chain issues are still occurring. Please be understanding if your favorite matzo meal or gefilte fish is not on the shelves. If these groceries determine this was a successful first run of the program, it will allow us to expand not only KFP offerings, but also enhance the everyday kosher selections.

Your Federation and your synagogue leaders heard the community’s concerns about KFP products and worked together to find a solution. Thanks to some of our dedicated community members and willing store managers, we were able to expand the KFP product selections. The proverbial ball is now in our court to make it successful. I am confident that you will step up and support these willing participants.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Purim Sameach!

Mike Siegel
JFO President

Update from Phil Malcom

Happy Friday, and it’s nice to speak with all of you again!

As a part of the JFO’s new leadership structure, you’ll occasionally receive brief updates from me regarding the operations of our campus—how we do business and what we measure. Think of it as the nuts and bolts of how we accomplish our mission. Today I want to talk to you about one of those ways we’re working hard to accomplish the mission behind the scenes.

One of the most important parts of building and sustaining a vibrant Jewish community is ensuring that people feel safe in the spaces where community happens. We’ve spoken quite a bit over the last year about security, and today I’m thrilled to announce the next step in our ongoing efforts to provide a safe and secure campus. Last year we brought James Donahue on board to guide our security initiatives and help us plan for the future. We quickly identified the need for dedicated security officers in our building. This is a growing trend in other communities, and the need is no less important in Omaha where so many of our services are housed in one place. Our team got to work identifying ways to scale this needed resource, and we are now ready to begin adding security officers to our team.

We will be partnering with a local security provider, Elite Tactical, for this service. James led a very thorough bidding and vetting process with a panel of campus representatives, and Elite was the clear frontrunner at the end of this process. Elite has been an excellent partner to our campus on an ad hoc basis over the last couple years, and we are thrilled to bring them here full-time.

In the very near future, you can expect to see at least one armed guard in the building at all times. These guards are thoroughly trained by Elite Tactical, and they also undergo training from our team to ensure they are familiar with our campus, respect our Jewish values, and understand the unique service offerings throughout our facility. We have every confidence in this new partnership, and we believe that between James’s leadership, our own updated security procedures, and our new security force we are positioning our community to be more secure than ever.

Some may hear about this and wonder if there is cause for alarm. James monitors threats to the Jewish community both locally and nationally, and though there are currently no credible threats of violence against our Omaha community, we believe the best posture is preventative, rather than reactive. Similarly, in an age of growing antisemitism, we want people to feel safe on our campus. So please don’t be alarmed, and instead know that we are doing everything we can to ensure that our communal spaces are secure for your visit. This is critical to our mission, and we are excited to be taking the next steps forward as a community.

If you have any questions about the new security force on campus, please don’t hesitate to reach out to James Donahue. He can be reached at jdonahue@jewishomaha.org.

Thank you, and Shabbat Shalom,

Phillip Malcom
JFO COO

Update from Bob Goldberg, CEO

Hello friends,

It is good to be home.

The last ten years, I have bragged to my friends in Texas and Iowa that I am a product of the Omaha Jewish community. We have so much to be proud of and so much to be grateful for.

A lot has changed and continues to change. The city has grown, our building had a major renovation, Friedel is adding middle school, and pickleball is a thing. The constants remain; the JFO and all its agencies continue to connect, empower, and educate us. The Staenberg Kooper Fellman campus is buzzing, and I invite you to come feel the energy of this place. It is outstanding.

These first couple weeks in my new role, I have been meeting with the JFO leadership team, our boards, staff, rabbis, community partners, and many of you. I have found an inspired community working to engage and support one another with the ultimate objective of advancing our caring and active Jewish community, a place where we all have a voice and a space to call our own. I look forward to visiting with many more of you in the days ahead.

I want to give a huge thank you to Jan Goldstein and Marty Ricks who stepped in to lead with passion and purpose. Jan and Marty are longstanding pillars in our community. They have been mentors to me, and I will continue to lean on them. Phil Malcom, who served as our interim CEO, is now assuming the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO). Phil is a tremendous leader who will continue to leverage his talents and expertise in pursuit of our mission. Mike Siegel, JFO Board President, has overseen significant growth over the last few years. Mike deserves our appreciation for the long hours of volunteer service dedicated to making the JFO the best it can be. Thank you, Jan, Marty, Phil, and Mike.

The impact of our work is possible because of the dedication and support of our community and our incredible staff. I am inspired by the volunteer and professional leaders who believe in our cause and work to strengthen it every day. And I am grateful to our entire Jewish community– YOU who show up, support us, donate time and resources, and reach out– that’s what a community is, and I’m proud to once again be a part of it.

Shabbat Shalom,

Bob Goldberg
CEO