The unprinted story
It's Friday. The end of the week. No school for two days. Pay day. A weekend trip. A welcome relief.
Shabbat is coming. A time to unwind, to discuss. A Jewish time shared by family and friends. A peaceful time. Friday.
Maybe it's the day you go grocery shopping or get your hair done. Maybe it's a day for tennis lessons or a regular business lunch. Maybe it's the day you make no plans at all. But for every Jewish person in Omaha, Friday is that day when we go to the mailbox and expect to find the Jewish Press.
I say "expect" because we do. If the Press isn't there, we feel left out. What were the front-page stories? Who wrote a Letter to the Editor and what was it about? Calls come in to the Jewish Press office-"I didn't get my Press today. Please send me a copy." There are even those who come in to the Press office late Thursday afternoon to get a copy fresh from the printer.
"So what?" you say. So, this. Imagine Friday and every other day of the week without any Jewish Press. How would we know about each other? We certainly couldn't read about ourselves in the Omaha World Herald. They don't report Jewish community news on television and they don't broadcast regular Jewish features on the radio. The Jewish Press is the link that connects us to one another and to Jewish communities around the world. We depend on the Press. We "expect" it.
Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing a very special lady about this very thing. Miriam Grossman, orginally from Poland and a Survivor, came to America in 1949. "We were detained in New York for six weeks," she explained in her eloquent Polish accent, "because we didn't have a place to go. My husband was a machinist and there had to be a need for a job before we settle in this country. That's how we came to Omaha.
"It is true I am an avid reader of the Jewish Press. You ask me why, and I tell you there are many reasons. The paper is of Jewish interest from a Jewish point of view. It tells of Jewish activities in the community and political activities in the world. I feel that it is my responsibility as a member of this community to be aware of what is going on. It is a small paper that covers much.
"I assume that there are non-Jewish people who read the Press. I think this helps them to understand our point of view and our feelings. It gives them an insight into who we really are, maybe we can live better together.
"It expresses different opinions-critics and praises. Though we don't always agree, it's always good to get the full story. I like to read the Editor's comments to get views and news of places he attends. My husband and I go to services on Saturday morning, so, on Friday, I enjoy reading Rabbi Kripke's version of the Torah reading. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I have my own opinion, but it broadens my understanding. Every rabbi has his own version, you know.
"I don't drive, and with time and age and sicknesses, I can no longr even stand on the corner to wait for the bus. I'm not complaining. I'm grateful for my independence and I still do all the work in my house. I'm a wife, a maid, a cook, I take care of the yard and I paint all the rooms. But even for those who cannot participate in the community, reading the Jewish Press is important, because knowing is important. It is what keeps us together. I am grateful to the Jewish Press for the prestige and the flavor of our heritage."
Thanks, Miriam Grossman. I couldn't have said it better myself!
The unprinted story-a tribute to the Federation's Jewish Press newspaper and its staff.
