Over the last few months, IHE has had the honor to do work ranging from coordinating our annual Week of Understanding, to hosting the Awards Ceremony for our annual Tribute to the Rescuers Essay Contest. |
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Our goal is to ensure that the tragedy and history of the Holocaust are remembered, that appropriate, fact-based instruction and materials are available to students, educators, and the public to enable them to learn the lessons of the Holocaust and that, as a result, we inspire our community to create a more just and equitable society. |
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Happenings in Holocaust Education |
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Week of Understanding is an annual educational initiative created by the IHE and the Omaha Public Schools. The week is designed to deliver Holocaust survivor testimony to a maximum number of students in one school week. This year, the Week of Understanding was back as a in person program, allowing for some 5,000 students and teachers to hear Holocaust testimony from both local and out of state Holocaust survivors and their descendants. |
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During the week of March 20-24, 2023, IHE had two survivors and four second generation (2G) speakers go to schools across Nebraska.
For more information about Week of Understanding, and our speakers please visit here.
Art and the Holocaust is made possible by the support of the Shirley & Goldstein Supporting Foundation and the Omaha Public Schools Foundation.
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In order to build knowledge of the Holocaust and the role of art during that period of history, participating teachers taught a Holocaust lesson provided by the IHE with their students during at least one full class period before commencing with the visual art portion of the project. Students' artwork from this programing was exhibited by IHE at the Jewish Community Center. View our 2023 student artwork pieces by clicking here.
Art and the Holocaust is made possible by the support of the Jetton Charitable Fund.
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The 2023 Yom HaShoah program was on April 19th, in the theatre of the Jewish Community Center. This year, IHE was pleased to have the encore performance of When We Go Away by local playwriter J.R. Dawson. The commemoration also included a candle lighting ceremony honoring the Holocaust victims and survivors.
Yellow candles were available in the lobby, and IHE invited all community members to attend. For more information please visit our website, here.
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This year’s Yom HaShoah commemoration is supported by Beth El Synagogue, Beth Israel Synagogue, Temple Israel, Etta and Harold Epstein Security Fund, Foundation IMPACT Grant, Murray H. & Sharee C. Newman Supporting Foundation, Morton Richards Youth Fund, and Special Donor-Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation. |
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The Tribute to the Rescuers Essay Contest is made possible by a generous gift from the Carl Frohm Memorial Foundation.
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Tribute to the Rescuers Essay Contest 2023 |
The annual Tribute to the Rescuers Essay Contest for Nebraska and Iowa high school students is now in its 21st year. IHE was excited to receive nearly 300 essay submissions this year.
The Award Ceremony was hosted on May 1st to recognize both student and teacher winners.
More information about the contest can be found here.
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Upcoming Third Thursday Lunch and Learn Series |
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On June 15th, 2023 at 11:30 AM by Zoom, We will have hear from Łukasz Niparko, Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a research fellow with the Nebraska Governance and Technology Center. His presentation is titled; The Forgotten Jewish Atlantis - Poznan and the Legacy of Antisemitism
Atlantis, a mythological city-state renowned for its prosperous development, history, and culture, is believed to have perished beneath the sea. Similarly, the vibrant history and culture of the Jewish community in Poznań, Western Poland, was submerged when Nazi occupiers transformed the city's largest synagogue, the New Synagogue, into a swimming pool.
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Atlantis is almost all that remains of one of the most important European Jewish gminas (communes) of the sixteenth century, which was once home to renowned figures such as rabbis Akiva Eger and Judah Löw ben Bezalel, the traveler Gaspar da Gama, and is the birthplace of a philosopher of Zygmunt Bauman.
In his work, Łukasz delves into the rich and complex history of the Jewish community in Poznań, which spans over a millennium. Poznań is the capital of the second-largest region in Poland and the birthplace of Polish statehood. Despite the city's culturally diverse urban landscape, the often uneasy coexistence of different ethnic groups and religions came to an end under totalitarian regimes. Totalitarian ideologies, genocide, war, and modern-day nationalism and antisemitism have scattered Poznań's cultural heritage.
The author does not shy away from exploring difficult questions, such as when relations between Jews and Christians resulted in persecution or pogroms. In addition, his research also explores the revitalized Jewish community in Poznań and examines the possibility of bringing Atlantis back to the surface.
Poznań’s Jewish heritage and cultural legacy continue to inspire and captivate—serving as a powerful reminder of the importance of preserving cultural heritage and honoring the rich and diverse histories of our communities.
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On July 20th, 2023 at 11:30 AM by Zoom, we will have the opportunity to hear from Dr. Chad Gibbs, Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies, Director, Zucker/Goldberg Center for Holocaust Studies, Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program,
College of Charleston. His presentation is titled; To Live and To Tell: Resistance at Treblinka and its Legacies.
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Trapped behind barbed wire and under the control of vicious SS guards, Jews at the Nazi extermination camp Treblinka II managed to revolt on August 2, 1943. As they fought their way out of the camp with stolen rifles, pistols, and grenades, these men and women burned much of the camp and enabled the escape of around 300 prisoners—at least 70 survived the rest of the war. How did they manage such a feat? Once they had finally survived the regime and its murderous war, what were the lasting results of this uprising? These questions are at the core of my ongoing research that I began as a master’s student the University of Nebraska at. Now, as a professor at the College of Charleston, it is an honor to join you to discuss what these amazing people accomplished and my work to bring those stories to light. |
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On August 17th, 2023 at 11:30 AM by Zoom, we will hear from Scott Littky, Executive Director of the Institute for Holocaust Education. His presentation is titled; Reflections on my 2nd trip to Poland. This July, Scott Littky will be visiting Auschwitz Birkenau again with Creighton Law School and their Nuremberg to the Hague program. Scott has had a year to process his first visit and will reflect upon what a second visit means to him. Further Scott will also be visiting Warsaw this time and will be sharing what he saw and learned there.
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The Children of Willesden Lane |
In pre-World War II Vienna, Lisa dreamed of becoming an accomplished concert pianist. But when enemy forces threated her city, it was no longer safe for a young Jewish girl. Her parents had to put her on the Kindertransport, sending her away tp a better future in London. Lisa was frightened and heart-broken, but she never forgot what her mother told her: "Hold on to your music. It will be your best friend." This compelling tribute has impacted people across the globe. Now, more than ever, we need Lisa's story to encourage the importance of standing up against bigotry and hatred. We need her story to fill our hearts with the inspiration to follow our dreams.
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Dedication of the Walter and Helena Tichauer Holocaust Survivors Reflection Garden |
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Please join us on July 30th at 11 AM to honor Holocaust survivors Walter and Helena Tichauer with the dedication of the Walter and Helena Tichauer Holocaust Survivors Reflection Garden on the JCC campus.
Fred Tichauer, son of Walter and Helena, says that "[he] hope[s] it will become a peaceful and beautiful spot for special events, and for anyone to sit, reflect, and dream. [he] could not think of a more appropriate memorial." Fred also established the Walter and Helena Tichauer Memorial Endowment for the Institute for Holocaust Education at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation to cover future repair and maintenance costs of the garden.
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The Institute for Holocaust Education would like to thank their many supporters for assisting us in our mission to teach empathy, understanding, and to act as an upstander when the opportunity arises. IHE is also honored to be a part of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. We thank everyone for their continued support. |
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The Institute for Holocaust Education provides educational resources, workshops, survivor testimony, and integrated arts programming to students, educators, and the public. The IHE also provides support to Holocaust survivors in our community. |
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We are grateful for your generosity and care of Holocaust Education. |
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