Vol. LXXXIV No. 21 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 84 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
by LEO ADAM BIGA engineering consultant. © All rights reserved Until quite recently “I’ve been an escape he kept his story to himartist all my life.” self. That changed when The apt words belong the Survivors of the to Lincoln, NE. resident Shoah Visual History Lou Leviticus, a squareFoundation requested he headed terrier of a man tell it for the sake of poswho as a youth in his terity. The Los Angelesnative Holland survived based Foundation, which the Holocaust partly due filmmaker Steven to his talents as an artful Spielberg formed after dodger. He escaped the completing Schindler’s Nazis more than once, List, is dedicated to even when those closest recording and preserving to him were caught and the largest repository of put to death. As an Holocaust survivor stoThe entrance to Auschwitz’s main camp in May 1945, with the orphan on the run he ries in the world. Since infamous ‘Work sets you free’ sign. became one of scores of 1996 the organization has Credit: USHMM, courtesy of Instytut Pamieci Narodowej hidden children in The been conducting videoNetherlands, his survival dependent on a cadre of taped interviews with survivors from every corner of strangers that cared for him as one of their own. the globe. To date, some 50,000 interviews have been Today, when telling his saga to young Hebrew stu- cataloged for use by scholars and for dissemination in dents at Temple Israel Synagogue in Omaha, the spo- schools and libraries. ken truth sounds less like glib bravado than it does a In 1996 Leviticus shared his story with Omahan Ben solemn proverb. And, like an answered prayer, mem- Nachman, a Holocaust researcher and Shoah-trained bers of the Dutch underground rescued him. Families interviewer who’s collected dozens of testimonies. working with the underground risked their very lives Since then, Leviticus has written his memoirs and relattaking him into their home and shielding him from dan- ed his tale to youths at schools and synagogues. Why, ger. He regards those that helped him, especially Karel after all this time, is he bearing witness now? and Rita Brouwer, as his “heroes” and “protectors.” “The only reason I do it,” Leviticus said, “is to maybe During his time in hiding Leviticus endured and did make somebody think about it and realize how fortusome unspeakable things. An archly unsentimental sort, nate they are. That they should not take their lives so he sheds no tears over what happened. Despite it all, easily for granted. That they have a little more gratitude he emerged a life-affirming dynamo. The retired for what they have...because what happened then can University of Nebraska-Lincoln agricultural engineering happen again. It is happening again. Look at Chechnya. professor first came to America in the mid-1950s (by Look at Kosovo. Look at the skinheads in this country. way of Israel, where he resided after the war) to obtain There is hatred. People are cruel. And I do now feel it his Ph.D. He married, raised a family, got divorced. He as an obligation, not necessarily to this generation, but wed his present wife, Rose, a native of Great Britain, in to my school buddies, my parents, my grandmother, 1982. He became a U.S. citizen four years ago. While at and to all those people. If I don’t tell their story, what UNL he also headed the Nebraska Power Lab and else is left of them except their names in a register?” Tractor Testing Laboratory. Today, he is an agricultural Continued on page 5
Sen. Hagel Speaks Out by JOAN K. MARCUS United State Senator Chuck Hagel spoke to an overflow crowd at B’nai Brith Breadbreakers. The senator, who is serving his second term, sits on the Banking, Foreign Relations, Housing and Urban Affairs and the Intelligence and Rules Committees. Hagel is chairman of the senate Foreign Relations International Sen. Chuck Hagel Economic Policy Export and Trade Promotion Subcommittee. Prior to his election to The Senate, he was president of McCarthy and Company, an investment-banking firm in Omaha. He is a Viet Nam combat veteran and former deputy administrator of the Veterans Administration. His degree is from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The senator spoke of his recent nine-day trip to the Middle East. During his stay, he led a delegation that met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Israel and went on to the West Bank, where he met with President Mahmoud Abbas. They journeyed on to Jordan, where he met with King Abdullah before a visit Continued on page 3
Inside Opinion Page see page 12
U.S. Presidents, Laws, and “The Simpsons” are Topics for Upcoming Beth Israel Lecture Series by MARY BORT When coming up with topics for a rabbinic lecture series, a discussion about a cartoon show isn’t usually the first topic that comes to mind. Yet that is exactly what happened Photo courtesy of KPTM Fox 42. when Rabbi Jonathan Gross selected “The Simpsons” as a lecture topic. According to Rabbi Gross, “The Simpsons,’” as well as the other topics designated for his upcoming lectures, provides “an excellent springboard for shedding light on Judaic teachings.” He will present three Thursday evening lectureson Thursdays, Feb. 10, 17, and 24, 7-8 p.m. at Beth Israel. Continued on page 2
This Week: Monthly Calendar on Pages 8-9 Poles Look Back at Auschwitz on Anniversary of Liberation: Page 4
The historian’s Footprint-Incunabled Caxton: Page 7
M ET A Z
ER
The Escape Artist
PIZ
60 Years After the Liberation of Auschwitz
18 Shevat, 5765 January 28, 2005
$3.15 million pledged to The 2005 Jewish Federation of Omaha Annual Campaign! 691 increased gifts!
RAISE YOUR PLEDGE, SEND A PIZZA! Show your support and boost the morale of Israel Defense Forces troops! In honor of YOUR increased gift to the 2005 Jewish Federation of Omaha Annual Campaign, a private donor will sponsor the delivery of hot, kosher pizza to active-duty IDF soldiers with an acknowledgement from the Omaha Jewish community. Pizzas provided by a generous donor. Pledge increases will NOT be used to pay for the pizzas. The Federation is working through Pizza IDF (www.pizzaidf), a non-profit website that lets supporters send pizza to active duty soldiers on the front lines.
Super Sunday is Finale for Federation’s Annual Campaign by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director On Super Sunday, Jan. 30, dozens of volunteers will meet at Omaha Steaks telemarketing center to call members of the Omaha Jewish community and ask for their support of Jewish programming and services by making a gift to the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s Annual Campaign. And Stacey and Brett Atlas, serving as 2005 Super Sunday Co-chairs, want to make sure that all donors to the Annual Campaign know how their contributions “Shape The Future” of Jewish life here in Omaha and all over the world. Super Sunday is the largest division of donors in the Annual Campaign, raising more than $50,000 every year. Super Sunday also serves as the unofficial finale to the Annual Campaign, which this year has a goal of $3.25 million. At this time, the Federation is very close to reaching that goal and the Super Sunday donors play a key role in the Annual Campaign’s success. It is through donations to the Annual Campaign that the Federation is able to provide the programs and services that benefit every member of our Jewish community. The money raised through the Federation’s Annual Campaign funds Jewish causes locally and overseas. In Omaha, Campaign dollars support the Community Relations Council (CRC), the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Educational and Library Services, Jewish Family Service and Jewish Senior Services, as well as Federation programs such as Jewish experience scholarships, missions to Israel, birthright israel, our Partnership With Israel, children’s needs scholarships and Bar/Bat Mitzvah camp grants, and the Jewish Press. In addition, 37% of the dollars raised from the Annual Campaign will go towards improving the quality of Jewish life worldwide, caring for those in need and rescuing Jews in danger. So, when your phone rings on this Super Sunday, Super Sunday Co-chairs Stacey and Brett Atlas urge you to answer the call and make an increased pledge to the 2005 Annual Campaign. For more information about the Jewish Federation and the Annual Campaign, please contact me at 334.6431 or pmonsky@jewishomaha.org
Next Month: Simchas Issue on Feb. 18 New to Omaha? Newcomer’s Brunch Scheduled: Page 10
Voices from the Resistance to be Performed at Temple: Page 16