A N AG E N C Y O F T H E J E W I S H F E D E R AT I O N O F O M A H A
The Jewish Press WWW.O M A H A J E W I S H P R E SS .CO M
INSIDE
|
WWW. J E W I S H O M A H A .O R G
SPONSORED BY THE BENJAMIN AND ANNA E. WIESMAN FAMILY ENDOWMENT FUND
MA R C H 7, 2 025 | 7 A DA R 578 5 | VO L. 1 05 | NO. 2 0 | CANDLELIGHTING | FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 6: 03 P.M.
Don Nogg’s joyful life Purim for little readers Page 5
Samuel Bak Museum update Page 7
How these US Jews got to Syria for the first time in decades Page 12
MIKE KELLY “Hey, Don, hope you’re having a great 95thbirthday,” I voice-messaged late in the afternoon of Feb. 17. “If I don’t catch you tonight, I’ll call tomorrow morning.” Hours later, Ozzie sent a “family and friends” email: “At about 7:30 this evening, on his 95th birthday, we opened the window in Don’s room at the Rose Blumkin Home and his soul flew out peacefully. It was a glorious, sometimes wacky, always surprising and joyful life. A truly oneof-a-kind guy.” Only Ozzie, the pride of Don Nogg’s life and herself a master communicator, could say so much, so well, in so few words. I knew him for the past 25 years or so, and once said to a B’nai B’rith Breadbreakers luncheon: “When I grow up, I want to be Don Nogg.” My comment tickled him, I know, because he often mentioned it to me with glee. It certainly wasn’t a mere throwaway line on my part. Emulating his approach to life, his constant curiosity and his attitude of gratitude, is a good goal for anyone at any age. I love Ozzie’s poetic notion of opening a window for his soul to fly out peacefully. And I’m glad that I’m one of many who benefited over the years from a window into Don’s life. After retiring in 2018 from 48 years of writing for the Omaha World-Herald, I moved to my original hometown of Cincinnati but have See Don Nogg page 3
Don Nogg
Week of Understanding: Trey and Dr. Jeffrey J. Lusk: To honor the memory A legacy of commitment to South Street Temple
REGULARS Spotlight Voices Synagogues Life cycles
6 8 10 11
Michael Krausman, Dr. Steve Wees SCOTT LITTKY and Kelly Tichauer Kirk. To learn IHE Executive Director Each year a highlight of the Insti- more about these and other local survivors, you can check tute for Holocaust out the “Survivor StoEducation calendar is ries” section on the our annual Week of IHE website or view Understanding. Betheir presentations tween March 24 and on the Jewish Federa28, IHE has arranged tion of Omaha more than 25 speakYouTube page. ing engagements that We are also honwill reach over 7,500 ored to welcome 2nd Nebraska students. and 3rd Generation Some of these events Holocaust survivors will take place with Laurie Pasler who have agreed to local Holocaust 2nd and 3rd Generation survivors Hazzan travel to Omaha especially for the Week of Understanding program. The guests who will be joining us in 2025 are profiled below. The public is invited to hear 2nd Generation speaker, Laurie Pasler, as she recounts her father’s experience as a guard at the Nuremberg Trials at the Durham Museum on Wednesday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. To register for this presentation, See Week of Understanding page 2
Trey and Jeffrey Lusk
AMY BERNSTEIN SHIVVERS JFO Foundation Executive Director Trey and Jeff Lusk’s journey together began at Oklahoma State University in 2002, where they met while pursuing their respective grad-
uate degrees ( Jeff was earning his PhD while Trey was pursuing what would become the first of two master’s degrees). Following Jeff ’s subsequent postdoctoral appointment at See South Street Temple page 4