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