November 14, 2019
Below you will find the current list of names from the headstones impacted by this vandalism. Please take a moment to review the list, as we are working on locating and notifying family members. If you recognize a name and can help us in finding living family, we would be grateful.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Executive Director Dennis DePorte, ddeporte@templeisraelomaha.com or 402-556-6536.
If you are interested in donating to the repair efforts, please click here, or you can mail a check to Temple Israel, 13111 Sterling Ridge Drive, Omaha, NE, 68144.
We are ever grateful for the outpouring of love and support for our community.
| B’nai Jacob Anonymous Bender, Baby Binder, Ben Bloch, C. Cohen, Julia Dorenson, David Epstein, Alex Falk, Morris Fitch, Paul W. Freed, Joseph Freed, Schoal K Glazer, Mike Glazer, Rose Gorelick, Sarah Halprin, Eva Hertzberg, Louis Hirsch, Abraham Hoberman, Rose Kaplan, Joseph Katz, Dora Levine Klutznick, Richard Levinson, Hassa B. Mahlin, Mary Marks, Harry Mayerowicz, Josef Meisel, Sam Morgan, Benjamin Nemes, Julia Passer, Donald Timothy Peterson, Arthur Riekes, Dora and Sam Rifkin, Fanny Rosenberg, Minnie Ruback Rubenstein, son of T & M Rubins, J.K. Seglin, Aaron Shafton, Ben Shames, Esther B. Shapiro, Samuel Smith, Rose Spiegel, Passa Tattlebaum, Minnie Temin, Bessie Turkel, Harry Weissman, Harry Wolk, Israel Wolpa, Anna Rosa Zager, Sam |
B’nai Sholom Frohm, Helen Gross, Joe Harris, Abram Harris, Jacob Harris, Norman Hohenberg, Ernestine Kahn, Hannah Kahn, Isaac Kahn, Moses Kahn, Teresa Resnick, Frank Resnick, Molly Rose, Ernestene Rose, Jos. Taiger, Nathan Weinstein, Bernice Weinstein, Mr. Wirthsafter |
Temple Israel Old Adler, Hans Beckman Adolph Beckman, Joshua Bonoffs Cohen, Herman Gross, Lynn Hyman, Isador Kaufman, Marion Klein, Helen Lapidus, Grace Rehfeld Rosenthal, Clifford Rothholz, Sarah Rothholz, Sarah Sickle, Samuel Soloman, Jacob |
November 11, 2019
We in the Temple Israel community, like so many others in Omaha and across the country, are saddened, angered, and disgusted by the vandalism of our congregational cemetery.
On Tuesday, November 5, it was discovered that approximately 50 headstones had been toppled or dislodged from their foundation, and that some of them had been irreparably broken. We are deeply touched by the innumerable people who have reached out in recent days to express their sorrow for our communal pain and their solidarity with us. Our friends and partners in the Omaha Jewish community, the Tri-Faith Initiative, and the broader community have shown tremendous leadership and compassion for our congregation. Your friendship, your kind words, and your presence alongside us have brought comfort and spiritual strength. We are grateful to know we are not alone.
Judaism teaches that each human life is a whole world in and of itself. This is why the headstones in our cemetery are more than just pieces of engraved stone, more than just markers indicating a grave. Each one is a tangible symbol of a human life; in its inscription, each one tells a story of a person who made his or her unique imprint on the world; each one is there as a lasting reminder of someone’s parent or grandparent or child or spouse or aunt or uncle or friend. The pain felt by our members whose family members are buried there – indeed, the pain felt by all the members of our Temple Israel and Omaha Jewish communities – runs deep. This vandalism is a desecration of memory, of holy ground, of family, of community, of history, and of spirit.
An investigation into the vandalism is ongoing. There is no indication at this point that this was an act of antisemitism or religious bigotry and, absent such evidence, we believe it would be irresponsible to claim or imply otherwise. At the same time, our lack of knowledge regarding the vandals’ motives does not in any way lessen the grief that we feel or our outrage at the fact that someone would desecrate a holy place and attack a religious community in such a vile manner.
Immediately upon discovering the vandalism, Temple Israel began the process of restoring our cemetery. We are making an accounting of every headstone that was damaged and will be notifying the families of those whose graves were vandalized. We want to assure our community that we are engaging in this work carefully and meticulously, and we ask for patience as we do so. There is much work to do and it will take time. It is our hope that the restoration will be completed sometime in the spring of 2020, at which time we will hold a communal ceremony of re-dedication and renewal of this sacred place, where our loved ones endure in spirit and in our memories. In the meantime, our cemetery remains fully operational.
We are ever grateful for the outpouring of love and support for our community. As we say in Hebrew: chazak chazak v’nitchazek – strength, strength, and together we strengthen one another. May we go forward together in strength and peace, and may the memories of the righteous always be for a blessing.
Rabbi Stoller Dennis DePorte Andie Gordman
November 6, 2019
It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that we experienced a major act of vandalism at our Temple Israel cemetery in the past few days.
More than three dozen tombstones were overturned. In the past, we have had a handful of markers turned over from time to time, but this vandalism was much more severe due to the number of tombstones and the extensive cost of fixing the damage. There was no graffiti and there were no anti-Semitic markings.
The Omaha Police are involved in the investigation. At the present time, we believe it was juveniles. We are currently checking to see what coverage we have with our insurance company, and we are taking measures to repair and reset the tombstones. In addition, the Cemetery Committee is examining ways in which to improve and enhance security at our cemetery and will report those recommendations to the Board of Trustees.
We will keep you informed as we learn new information. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Executive Director Dennis DePorte, 402-556-6536.
Rabbi Stoller Dennis DePorte Andie Gordman