Holocaust survivor Kitty Williams at the dedication of the Iowa Holocaust Memorialin Des Moines with Gov. Terry Branstad

MISSIONThe Institute for Holocaust Education

provides educational resources,

workshops, survivor testimony, and

integrated arts programming to students,

educators and the public. The IHE

provides support to Holocaust

survivors in our community.

VISIONOur goal is to ensure that the

tragedy and history of the Holocaust

are remembered, that appropriate

instruction and materials are available

to all students, educators, and the

public to learn from these lessons,

and that as a result, we inspire our

community to create a more just and

equitable society.

Want to follow us all year long?Catch us on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/IHENEORG www.facebook.com/IHENE

Annual Report2013

333 South 132nd Street • Omaha, NE 68154

Ph: 402.334.6576 • Fax: 402.333.5497

Email: info@ihene.org

A

picture is worth a thousand words” the saying goes, but

sometimes a few sentences are needed to bring the picture into

focus. In these few pages we have tried to convey the depth and

breadth of the IHE’s activities in 2013. It is no easy task to sum up

the many ways we have found to reach out, to share, and to

communicate. When we help people learn about the Holocaust,

the underlying human stories are brought forth and touch

people’s hearts in a way that even photographs fail to capture.

Reflecting on this past year and looking over the many stories and

photos, I am struck by the recurring theme of light. A thoughtful

approach to studying the Holocaust sheds light on one of the

darkest periods in modern history. There is a special light that

shines in the eyes of young people when a story or artifact moves

them to empathy. The IHE prides itself on the ability to offer

meaningful and tailored Holocaust education options to all

schools, teachers, and students. Our work embodies the prophecy

of Isaiah, that those with the ability to do so should be “a light

unto the Nations.”

As we embark upon a new year of remembering, of telling the

story, of recounting the history which so shaped the world in which

we live today – I am confident that the sparks we create will cast a

light that is too bright to be extinguished.

Sincerely,

Liz Feldstern, Executive Director

“

The 11th Annual Tribute to the Rescuers Essay ContestThe IHE hosted its 11th annual Essay Contest award ceremony on April 22nd. The students cited personal confrontations that they had seen in their own lives regarding racism, homophobia, gender bias, bullying and terrorism. Approximately 520entries came in from acrossNebraska, and from as far away as Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Sponsored by the Carl Frohm Memorial Foundation, trustees Harold and Linda Mann sent congratulatory messages to contest winners Tamerea Marion, Marie Wagner, Audrey Luo, Jessica Grimmond, Ryan Wood, Young-Joon Park, Jessica Vortmann, Zach Weingarten and Katie Hollenbeck.

SPRINGYom HaShoah CommemorationTemple Israel hosted the 2013 Omaha Yom HaShoah (Holocaust) Commemoration on Wednesday, April 10th, in conjunctionwith the IHE, the Jewish Federation of Omaha, the Center for Jewish Life and Beth Israel and Beth El synagogues. This year’s event was attended bya record 600 people.

The IHE and The Durham Museum brought Holocaust survivor JanineOberrotman of Chicago to speak at the remembrance ceremony. She talked

about her experiences as a teenager in Poland during the war, the terrible living conditions in the ghetto, being caught after escaping, and being sent to a labor camp where she was liberated in 1945.

Oberrotman delivered her testimony at Boys Town and Millard South High School in the days prior to thecommemoration.

Omaha Gives The IHE participated in Omaha’s first Omaha Gives! held on May 22. This unique fundraising event’s goal was to bring attention to local non-profits and rally our community to help fund their efforts. Donations were magnified by a pool of matching funds raised by the Omaha Community Foundation. The IHE is thankful to all our generous donors who made the $4,127 donation to the IHE possible, including a $1,000 raffle prize sponsored by Omaha Steaks and a percentage of the daily till donated by Julio’s West Restaurant.

WINTERIn February, students from St. Louis High School in Honolulu, HI heard the testimony of Dr. Fred Kader via distance learning (DL) videoconferencing. The students in thisall-boys’ school listened as Fred shared the twists and turns of his survival and later journey. When asked to give advice to the students, Fred told them he had faith in them, and encouraged them tobecome leaders and to develop strong morals to guide their lives. The IHE’s DL equipment was provided through a grant from the Millard Foundation.

A Week of Understanding 2013March 4th through 8th, 5,700 students andcommunity members heard first-handtestimony during

A Week of Understanding 2013 - a programcreated in partnership with the Omaha Public Schools. This year’s program included 10 survivors in 22 speaking engagements which reached 54 schools. Our speakers for the event included Inge Auerbacher,author of I Am a Star, andAgnes Schwartz, of Skokie, IL. Local survivors and liberators who provided testimonyincluded Dr. Fred Kader, Kitty Williams, Bea Karp, Dr. Lou Leviticus, and Roy Long (U.S. Army ret.).This program was supported by the Omaha Public Schools Foundation and the Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation.

One student’s response to Auerbacher: “Ilearned from you to never be a bystander andto always help out…we learn a lot about theHolocaust in school, but you never reallyunderstand how tragic it actually was, oreven come close to imagining what happened,until you meet someone who survived it.Thanks again.”

2013Year in Review

Mayor Suttle signs the 2013 Holocaust Remembrance Proclamation

Aryan Jesus Author Comes to OmahaThe IHE, Creighton University and Project Interfaith were proud to bring a leading scholar on Jewish-Christian relations to Omaha - Susannah Heschel, Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College. While in Omaha, she spoke at Creighton University’s Harper Center, The Bookworm bookstore and to a packed house at the B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers afternoon meeting.

Essay contest winners with survivor, Bea Karp

2013Year in Review

FALLWorld War IISpeakers Series

Since opening in November of 2011, the Searching for Humanity: Veterans, Victims and Survivors of World War II exhibit has told a powerful story about the Holocaust to thousands of students and visitors to the Strategic Air & Space Museum.

The IHE launched a new program this fall, combining a tour of the exhibit with live testimony from a local Holocaust survivor or liberator. With support from the Omaha Community Foundation’s Fund for Omaha and the Peter Kiewit Foundation, more schools can now participate.

The program is expected to draw nearly 1,000 students in 2014.

Holocaust Education ConferenceThe Nebraska Holocaust Education Consortium(NHEC) gathered 60 educators on the campus of Chadron State College to impart best practices for teaching the Holocaust. Christina Chavarria fromthe United States Holocaust Memorial Museumheadlined the conference with a presentation viavideoconference. The conference concluded withlive testimony from Jack Adler, a survivor from Poland who lives in Denver, and was the only survivor of83 members of his extended family.

Evaluations of the conference were overwhelmingly positive, and the NHEC is alreadyplanning the 2014 conference. The NHEC is supported bythe Herbert Goldsten Trust.

B’nai Mitzvah Memorial Project – Remember UsOn November 13th, 18 students of the Omaha Jewish community gathered on the UNO campus to begin a thoughtful project. Each student received the name of a child victim of the Holocaust, whom they have pledged to remember, and received a crash course in digital research from UNO librarian, Prof. Jim Shaw.

With the help of the IHE, the students will incorporate information about their children into a personalized project as they mark the occasion of becoming a bar/bat mitzvah and a young-adult member of the community. This project is supported by the Esther K. Newman Memorial Fund.

SUMMERBearing Witness™ Educators’ Conference

Catholic middle and high school teachers of history,religion, fine arts, and English came to Omaha June 9-13 for an award-winning educational opportunity. The four-day intensive professional developmentworkshop was aimed at helping Catholic schoolteachers better teach the lessons of the Holocaust, as well as wider issues surrounding Judaism and relations between the Jewish and Catholic communities.

The Bearing Witness™ program (created by the Anti-Defamation Leagueand hosted locally by the Plains States ADL and the Institute for HolocaustEducation) drew teachers from as near as Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, and as far as Wisconsin, Missouri and Louisiana. They delved into historical relations between the Jewish and Catholic communities, the history of antisemitism, changes in Catholic doctrine relating to Jews, Jewish traditions, prejudice in modern times, teaching strategies, and guidelines for dealing with sensitivesubjects like the Holocaust.

One particularly interesting lesson was led by Father Dennis McManus, Visiting Associate Professor in the Program for Jewish Civilization at GeorgetownUniversity. He spoke about the conflict within theCatholic Church hierarchy during the WWII era, where some cooperated with the Nazis, and how the Church made doctrinal changes in the decades following the war (in particular, the Nostra Aetate proclamation which was passed into doctrine in October of 1965 by Pope Paul VI) .

Fr. McManus stressed that given this doctrine, one cannot be a Catholic and be antisemitic. Christine Jacobsen of St. Peter Catholic School in Lincoln, NE participated and found what she learned enlightening and useful. “We learned about Catholic teachings which I think should be a part of every Catholic school religion class, and which I will definitely be using in my own classroom.”

Participants also had the benefit of studying with renowned scholar, RabbiElliot Dorff, professor of Jewish theology at the American Jewish University.Each of the four days was hosted at a different location, including the JCC,the Archdiocesan Retreat and Conference Center, the College of Saint Mary,and the Strategic Air and Space Museum.

One participant’s evaluation shared: “My eyes, mind and heart have been opened to the point that I may never rest until justice and equality are no longer questions but guarantees.”

The Bearing Witness™ Conference is a joint effort with the National Catholic Educational Association and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Institute for Holocaust Education and Anti-Defamation League Plain States Region were joined in sponsoring the event by the Alan & Marcia Baer Family

Charitable Trust, the Catholic Schools Office of the Archdiocese of Omaha, and various other local Catholic and Jewish philanthropies.

Nebraska survivorshighlighted in the exhibit

Soon-to-be socialstudies teachers

at CSC

The IHE’s program from Fall 2012, with the Hawthorne String Quartet and the Omaha Symphony - Remembrance, Creativity and Transformation - is the subject of a new NET documentary which aired on several dates in November after premiering at Marcus Midtown Cinema on November 7th.

Last fall, the Institute for HolocaustEducation brought area youth together at KANEKO to express their reactions to music through art, and learn about how people their age lived through a dark period in history. The Hawthorne String Quartet played on one side of the space, while students were guided by an artist in residence, as they put the emotions they felt in response to the live music to canvas, using paint and brush.

Earlier, the youth visited the IHE’s Searching for Humanity: Veterans, Victims and Survivors of World War II exhibit at the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, participated in a writing workshop, and learned how art, music and other cultural pursuits helped people resist and hope while imprisoned at the Terezin concentration camp.

A camera crew from NET filmed the youth as they went through the program. The gathered material has been made into a documentary, Remembered Voices.

2013Arts & Education

Premiere of

Remembered Voices

Sharon Brodkey, Julianna Reno, andADL Director Alan Potash

Michael Young and Paul Smith (both NHEC)

David, Liz and James Johnson (Omaha Symphony)

The stars of Remembered Voiceswith Annie

David Feingold (NET) and Liz Feldstern answer questions after the film

Annie Mumgaard (Director) and Adam Goos (Omaha Symphony)

answer questions

Marty Ricks (Jewish Federation of Omaha), Eunie and Norm Denenberg, and Iris Ricks

Helen Epstein and survivor, Bea Karp

ILONA BERK was born in Czechoslovakia to a large family. She was interned in six different

camps during the Holocaust, including Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, and was required at

one point to assist Dr. Mengele. Ilona, her mother, and some of her siblings were liberated

by the Swiss Red Cross. She and her family stayed in Switzerland for six years before

immigrating to the United States. Ilona worked as a talented seamstress and designer in

Lincoln for many years. She is survived by her son Jim, daughter-in-law, Beth; grandchildren,

George and Sarah; and sisters, Ethel, Rita and Margaret.

FREdA BuCHEISTER was born in Jareslow, Poland. Her family was removed from their home

by the Gestapo and forced to cross the San River by foot into Russia. When Germany later

occupied Russia, she was sent to Siberia for six years. Freda was liberated back to Poland and

then moved to Israel, later coming to Omaha. Her experiences taught her important lessons

– “I don’t complain, I don’t waste anything –somebody else does not have what we have.”

Freda is survived by her children and their spouses, Anne and Rob Mass, Pola and Melvin

Katskee, and Arie and Louise Bucheister; as well as her grandchildren, Daniela, Zachary,

Benjamin, Josh, Emily and Adam.

JOE POLONSKI was born in Suwalki, Poland. He escaped a train on its way to the Treblinka

death camp and joined the Partisans. He served as an officer in the resistance, fighting Nazis

until liberation. Joe was trained in electronics by ORT in Germany and came to the United

States in 1949 to found Ak-sar-ben Television Service. He is survived by his wife Bluma

Polonski, and their children and their spouses, Sonia and John Breslow, Morris and Claire

Polonski, Rose and Steve Viny, and Lynn Polonski.

JACOB ROSENBERG was born in Prztyk, Poland. During the war he was sent to Siberia

where he spent six years. He returned to Poland after the war to discover that all of his

family members had been murdered in the gas chambers. He eventually moved to Israel,

where he spent three years, and later moved to Omaha with his wife and two daughters,

where he worked as a tailor. He is survived by his wife, Rose Rosenberg, and daughters, Lea

and Margie, and their families.

ALICE “LITzIE” TRuSTIN was born in Vienna, Austria. She escaped to England on one

of the last Kindertransports. She later worked with U.S. forces as a translator. She is survived

by her husband, Col. Yale Trustin, USAF Ret., and their children and their spouses, Bonnie,

Lisa Trustin and Greg Stone, Mark Trustin and Dr. Marcia Angle. She is also survived by four

grandchildren, her sister and brother-in-law, Helen and Brig. Gen. Walter Bachus, US Army

(Ret.), sister-in-law, Barbara Taxman, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

2013In Memory

IHE Welcomes New Executive directorIn March of 2013, the IHE welcomed its new Executive Director,Liz Feldstern. Liz, her husband, Yonatan, and their two children, Yishai and Gila, moved from Jerusalem to Omaha to help continue the important work of the IHE. Liz holds a B.A. in Jewish Studies from Rutgers University and an M.A. in Conflict Management from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is a certified mediator. During both of her university degrees Liz conducted extensive research on the Displaced Persons camps that housed survivors of the Holocaust in the years immediately following WWII.

In the five years prior to relocating to Omaha, Liz coordinatedForeign Relations for the Israel Center for Excellence throughEducation, located in Jerusalem, Israel. In this capacity she planned and implemented teacher training and professional development seminars for hundreds of teachers in Israel, the United States and Singapore.

Educator’s CornerSince the addition last year of our Education Coordinator, Donna Walter, the IHE has broadened its educational outreach. Many more schools and organizations have gained access to information about the Holocaust and the meaningful messages this history can impart. The following groups received educational presentations from the IHE this year:*

Grand Island LibraryKearney LibraryArlington Elementary SchoolPapillion LaVista High Ability LearnersSandoz Elementary SchoolWestside KiwanisNew FriendsOmaha Cornhusker CosmopolitanSertoma Club of OmahaMilitary Officers of AmericaDodge High SchoolSyracuse-Dunbar-Avoca High SchoolBurke Drama ClubP.E.O. SisterhoodHome School groups – Bellevue Offutt and HOPEWorkshop for 4th-6th grade teachersWorkshop for Essay Contest teachersWorkshop for ‘Death and Dying’ class at UNOEchoes and Reflections training for UNO education students

*These groups are in addition to the many dozens of schools who heard

survivor testimony during the year.

All financing and budgeting for the Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) is managed under the Jewish

Federation of Omaha’s 501(c)3. The Jewish Federation of Omaha (JFO) is an umbrella organization to seven

agencies and one department (the IHE). The JFO administers funds to the agencies/department based on an

in-depth process of allocation with lay committees and Federation staff. In addition, the JFO has a foundation

where private family and other funds are administered. All funds received through grant requests from the IHE

go directly to our budget.

Liz FeldsternIHE Executive Director

IHEGovernance CouncilGloria Kaslow, Chair

Robert Cohen

Eunie Denenberg

Shami Jacobs

Bea Karp

Howard Kaslow

Marsha Kleinberg

Ari Kohen

Paula Lenz

Lori Miller

Jama Samiev

Jill Sideris

Paul Smith

Janice Woolley

IHE Education Coordinator,Donna Walter, guides a group

at the exhibit

Support for the IHEdonors 2013

Robert & Marla CohenCooper FoundationThe Durham MuseumMichael & Jill Erman Donor-Advised FundFriedland Family FoundationRuth Frisch & Oscar S. Belzer Endowment FundCarl Frohm Memorial FoundationH. Lee & Carol Gendler Charitable FundDonald Gerber Donor-Advised FundShirley & Leonard Goldstein Supporting FoundationHerbert Goldsten TrustJewish Federation of Omaha FoundationRich & Fran Juro Charitable FundHoward & Gloria KaslowPeter Kiewit FoundationMilt & Marsha KleinbergAbe & Kathleen LeberAdah & Leon Millard FoundationMSLC Ministry Investment FundNebraska Humanities CouncilC.M. “Nick” Newman Bequest Fund

Esther K. Newman Memorial Fund

Murray H. & Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation

Omaha Community Foundation’s Fund for Omaha

Omaha Community Foundation - Omaha Gives!

Omaha Public Schools Foundation

Morton A. Richards Youth Program Fund

Jeffrey Schrager Family Foundation

Phillip & Terri Schrager Supporting Foundation

Patricia Schuett Peterson

William & Ruth Scott Family Foundation

Theodore & Sarah Seldin Donor-Advised Fund

Sherwood Foundation

Alan Simon Donor-Advised Fund

Eve & Fred Simon Donor-Advised Fund

Suzanne Richards Singer Donor-Advised Fund

Sokolof Family Foundation

Special Donor-Advised Fund of the JFO Foundation

Trachtenbarg Family Endowment Fund

Milton & Miriam Waldbaum Family Foundation

Donna & John Walter

Partners 2013Anti-Defamation League

Archdiocese of Lincoln

Archdiocese of Omaha

Association of Holocaust Organizations

Bellevue Public Schools

Beth El Synagogue

Beth Israel Synagogue

The Bookworm

Center for Faith Studies

Center for Jewish Life

Chabad Lubavitch of Nebraska

Chadron State College

College of Saint Mary

Countryside Community Church

Creighton University

The Durham Museum

Frances & Sam Fried Holocaust Education Fund

Friedel Jewish Academy

Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center

Jewish Community Center of Omaha

Jewish Federation of Lincoln

Jewish Federation of Omaha

The Jewish Press

Julio’s West

KANEKO

KIOS

Lincoln Public Schools

Mid-America Arts Alliance

Millard Public Schools

Nebraska Department of Education

Nebraska Educational Service Units

Nebraska Holocaust Memorial at Wyuka Cemetary

Nebraska State Council for the Social Studies

NET TelevisionOffice of Mayor SuttleOmaha Public SchoolsOmaha SymphonyProject InterfaithRemember UsRose Blumkin Jewish HomeStrategic Air and Space MuseumTemple Israel United States Holocaust

Memorial MuseumUniversity of Nebraska at OmahaUSC Shoah Foundation InstituteWahoo Public SchoolsWestside Community Schools

We also thank the many individuals, families, and foundations who supported the IHE this fiscal year and in the past.

SPRING A Week of UnderstandingMarch 3-7, 2014 Working with Omaha schools, the IHE will bring Holocaust survivors and U.S. Army liberators to provide first-hand testimony to students. In one week, speakers from Omaha and around the country reach thousands of students in person and via videoconferencing. This year’s guest speaker will be Chaja Verveer, a child survivor of theHolocaust. To include your students in this program, please contact us at info@ihene.org. March 6, 2014 at 7:00 PM, Ms. Verveer will speak at Countryside Community Church in a program open to the public.

12th Annual

Tribute to the Rescuers High School Essay Contest Awards Night April 24, 2014 • 7 PM

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home, Omaha, Nebraska

Yom HaShoah Commemorations April 27, 2014 & April 30, 2014Nebraska State Holocaust CommemorationApril 27, 2014 • 3PM

Capitol Rotunda, Lincoln, Nebraska

Yom HaShoah Commemoration

April 30, 2014 • 7 PM

Temple Israel, Omaha, Nebraska

FALLAnnual NHEC Educators’ Conference September 2014The annual NHEC conference covers the topic “Teaching theHolocaust.” Over the course of two days, educators receiveinstruction and hear first-hand testimony from a survivor orliberator. We plan to hold the 2014 conference at the Universityof Nebraska – Kearney.

MORE UPCOMING EVENTSSpecial Event for 2nd and3rd Generation SurvivorsIn conjunction with the 2014 Omaha

Jewish Reunion in September, the IHE will

be hosting a special event for the children

and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors.

Stay tuned for additional details.

Medical ResistanceDuring the HolocaustIn partnership with UNMC and Creighton

University, the IHE will host several events

on Medical Resistance and Health as a

Human Right in October 2014. Featuring

the author and speaker, Dr. Michael Grodin,

these events will bring knowledge and a

new perspective to area doctors, medical

students, and the public. Dates and times

will be posted on our website.

Fabric of SurvivalIn partnership with KANEKO, the IHE will

be bringing the exhibit Fabric of Survival:

The Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz

to Omaha in January 2015. These

magnificent embroidered quilts will be on

display through March 2015 at KANEKO,

and the IHE will be conducting several

educational programs for area students

during the length of the exhibit.

2014upcoming