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

10/14/25

Today is a day of hope and, we pray, the beginning of healing for the hostages, their families and all of Israel.
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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

10/14/25

Today is a day of hope and, we pray, the beginning of healing for the hostages, their families and all of Israel.
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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

10/14/25

Today is a day of hope and, we pray, the beginning of healing for the hostages, their families and all of Israel.
Read More