Update from Marty Ricks

Swan Song

This is officially my final community message as I am close to retiring from the Federation or Foundation for the third time. Since January of this year, Jan Goldstein, Phil Malcom, Mike Siegel and I have been alternating writing this biweekly community update. My next rotation would fall this coming January; however, with Bob Goldberg arriving at that time as our newly appointed CEO, he will be taking over the reins, and I will be stepping down as Fundraising Consultant. Most definitely, the JFO cannot get rid of me that easily, as I will continue to be available on a volunteer basis as Bob adjusts to his new position.

I cannot tell you what it has meant to me to be asked to help the Federation in between CEOs, supporting Interim CEO, Phil Malcom and the Executive Leadership Team with my longtime partner Jan Goldstein. I retired from the Federation in May 2016 after eighteen years at the Foundation and the Federation. After a brief stint in Portland, Iris and I realized how much we missed our friends and moved back to Omaha in December of 2020.

Apologizing in advance for “bragging” and making this space “about me,” I was overwhelmed when six months after returning here, I was given the Federation Humanitarian of the Year Award at the 2021 Annual Meeting and Awards Night. Then asked to get involved again with Iris and the tremendously committed and talented Jess and Shane Cohn, we shared leadership of the 2022 Annual Campaign. Finally, I was asked to take my current consulting position at the Federation, which was anticipated to last about three or four months. And here I am, almost eleven months later. (By the way, Jan may have been away from the Federation for ten years, but she has not lost her touch. She remains the leader she always was as JFO Executive Director from 1998 to 2013. And, as for Phil, he is a terrific Interim CEO, so smart with ten years of JFO history behind him.)

Speaking of the Leadership Team, having met with most of them weekly for most of the year, in my opinion, the Federation is in good hands going forward and has a great executive staff for Bob Goldberg to lead. I don’t have the space to talk about each of them at length, but I would like to recognize the rest of this terrific team:

Sharon Brodkey, Jewish Community Relations Council; Karen Gustafson, Jewish Family Service; Scott Littky, Institute for Holocaust Education; Mark Martin, Staenberg Omaha JCC; Amy Shivvers, JFO Foundation; Jennifer Tompkins, Federation Philanthropy and Engagement; Chris Ulven, Rose Blumkin Jewish Home; and Annette van de Kamp-Wright, Jewish Press.

I want also to recognize four people who I have worked with closely for the last eleven months, especially to the ones who have helped me navigate through the Federation software, which has been my most challenging experience since coming back to work:

Richard Goedeken, Senior Director of Finance; Rachel Ring, Director of Development; Michelle Johnson, Campaign and Data Coordinator; and Jessi Taylor, Executive Assistant (the terrific lady who takes my drafts and makes it look like I can write proficiently).

Now, on to my special heroes: you. Yes YOU – our 1,373 donors who gave $3,510,779 to the 2022 Annual Campaign and as of November 22, 2022, 879 donors have pledged a total of $2,035,533 for the 2023 Campaign, putting us at 56.5% of our goal. Last year’s amount was a record, and Jess, Shane, Iris and I have high hopes that last year’s amount will be surpassed. If you have not yet been contacted, please call Jenn Tompkins (402-334-3435), Rachel Ring (402-334-6443) or myself (402-301-4038) and we will accept your pledge. Thank you all for your generosity and support.

(I write my final comments not as a consultant, but as a longtime member of the Omaha Jewish Community.)

I want to acknowledge three super volunteers – all Omaha transplants – who are working above and beyond, fitting precious volunteer hours into their days while running successful businesses. Thank you, Michael Siegel, Federation President, for your devoted service to the Federation, for leading the Board through COVID interruptions and issues, for appointing and being a part of the CEO search committee, and being a great sounding board for Interim CEO, Phil Malcom. Our 2023 Annual Campaign chairs, Nancy and Joel Schlessinger, are on a mission to surpass last year’s record total. Nancy and Joel are succeeding in bringing fresh new ideas to the Campaign and are willing to meet with anyone, even with their busy schedules at their practice and company. What a delightful couple to interact with!

And finally, I absolutely love the renovated Staenberg Kooper Fellman Campus. What a great environment to work at! Thanks to the many of you who have worked on and supported the project. I want to give a special thanks to Michael Staenberg, Howard Kooper, Tom Fellman, and Larry Kelberg. Those of you who know me, know that I’m not going to miss a chance to fundraise. We still have some exciting naming opportunities, so please reach out to me, Jenn, or Rachel, and we’d be more than happy to help you leave a legacy for the next generation of Jewish Omaha.

Shabbat Shalom,

Marty Ricks
Fundraising Consultant

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 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