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Over the last few months IHE has had the honor to do work ranging from the premiere of Not Too Far Distant by Becky Boesen, to bringing the Anne Frank Traveling Exhibit to multiple Nebraska schools.
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. 
Happenings in Holocaust Education
Not Too Far Distant
When a young Nebraska soldier encountered the challenges of World War II, his letters home gave people the chance to share his experiences. Now, a new play from BLIXT brings his stories to life. Commissioned by History Nebraska, Not Too Far Distant by Becky Boesen explores the personal accounts of Staff Sargent Clarence Williams and his journey as a soldier in World War II.
While the play honors the experiences of the American soldier, Not Too Far Distant also connects the present to a past that will soon no longer include first-hand accounts of World War II and the horrific events of the Holocaust.

Read more about the play through a Jewish Press Article

Portraits of Survival

During the month of November, we again displayed the Portraits of Survival exhibit created for the seventh anniversary of Kristallnacht by David Radler in the Eisenberg Art Gallery at the Jewish Community Center. Hundreds viewed the exhibit including a group of Jewish and Arab women visiting from the our Partnership region in Israel. The exhibit also served as an educational tool that we used with students to understand the issues of antisemitism. During the month IHE was also honored to present the Omaha premier of the movie, Escape from Treblinka: The Joseph Polonski Story and the play, Not Too Far Distant, about liberator, Clarence Williams. The entirety of the Portraits of Survival programming was an engaging and valuable contribution to our mission. 

Escape from Treblinka:
The Joseph Polonski Story
The film chronicles the life of Joseph Polonski from his childhood in Silvaki, Poland, to the Jewish ghetto, and ultimately to Treblinka. His wit and luck allowed him to become one of just two known escapees from Treblinka. After his escape, he served as an officer in the resistance, fighting Nazis until the liberation and eventually immigrated to the United States in 1949. IHE was invited by Rose Viny (Daughter of Joe and Bluma Polonski) to show this film which was produced and narrated by Holocaust educator and scholar, Michael Berenbaum.
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Anne Frank Traveling Exhibit

The exhibit immerses viewers in Anne Frank's family life before, during, and after World War II. Juxtaposed against the horrors of the Nazi regime, passages from Anne's diary showcases her enduring sense of hope and unwavering belief in a bright future. A partnership between the University of South Carolina's College of Education, Anne Frank House, and the Institute for Holocaust Education has made it possible for the traveling exhibit to travel to schools throughout Nebraska. Currently, the exhibit is on display at Westside High School and will be at Westside Middle in February.

Upcoming Events
Week of Understanding 2022
The Week of Understanding is an annual educational initiative created by the Institute for Holocaust Education 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, we intend the Week of Understanding to be a hybrid event offering both in-person and virtual events to accommodate as many of our speakers, students, and teachers as possible. During the week of March 20-24, 2023, we will be streaming at least six speakers into schools across Nebraska.

2023 Student Essay Contest
2023 is the 21st year of the student essay contest! Last year we had 300 entries, and we look forward to surpassing this number in 2023! For more information regarding the essay contest, please visit our website.
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Upcoming Third Thursday Lunch and Learn Series
February 16, 2023
On February 16, 2023 our speaker will be Hillary Nather-Detisch, Executive Director, Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center. She will speak about University of Omaha’s (UNO) vision for a future facility and hub for art and dialogue around art, Holocaust education, human rights and genocide as well as how to visit and engage with the Phase 1 temporary space that opens in early February 2023. Hillary works closely with leaders from across campus and the Omaha community, including philanthropic, government and corporate partners to develop the Museum’s foundational operations, structure and vision. The Museum and Learning Center will serve as a hub for intercultural dialogue and education for the region, where art becomes the tool to begin a safe discussion for all visitors – students, faculty, staff, the greater Omaha community and beyond. 
March 16, 2023
On March 16, 2023 our speaker will be Mario Haynes, Artistic Director of the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina. Mario is responsible as the on site programmer and liaison for theatrical education and artistic events that place at the Anne Frank Center. He also serves as an educator of pedagogy to get young people talking about anti-racism, anti-semitism, and anti-prejudice today while taking Anne Frank exhibits across the country and training students to be docents of the Anne Frank and World War II exhibits. Mario will be speaking about the role theater and how it relates to Anne Frank and the Holocaust.
For more information regarding Third Thursday programming at IHE, or to RSVP for a program, please reach out to Scott Littky, Executive Director of IHE, at slittky@ihene.org 
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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 provides support to Holocaust survivors in our community.
We are grateful for your generosity and care of Holocaust Education.
What We Are Reading
"This stirring collection of diaries written by young people, aged twelve to twenty-two years, during the Holocaust has been fully revised and updated. Some of the writers were refugees, others were in hiding or passing as non-Jews, some were imprisoned in ghettos, and nearly all perished before liberation. This seminal National Jewish Book Award winner preserves the impressions, emotions, and eyewitness reportage of young people whose accounts of daily events and often unexpected thoughts, ideas, and feelings serve to deepen and complicate our understanding of life during the Holocaust."

Look for more information about Salvaged Pages in our May IHE Third Series with our presenter Jane Nesbit, IHE Education Coordinator.