October 11, 2024

Jane Rips

Executive Director

Nebraska Jewish Historical Society

Born in 1982, the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society was the dream of Mary Arbitman Fellman and Oliver Pollack. Over the years we have amassed thousands of files and artifacts and hope to continue on that path. Why?

We want you to make your story our story. We believe that we are obligated (and it is our joy) to tell the stories of our Omaha Jewish community and to provide a place of safekeeping for your documents and stories.

Here’s just one story that we are going to tell, starting on November 7, 2024, with the screening of the 2004 documentary, The Ritchie Boys.

Early in World War II, a group of over 20,000 servicemen were trained for U.S. Army Intelligence at the secret Camp Ritchie Training Facility. Most of them were assigned because of their fluency in German, French, Italian, Polish, and other languages needed by the U.S. Army. Many of them were refugees from Europe who had arrived in the United States as children. They provided the backbone of intelligence for the army – interrogating prisoners of war, analyzing German plans, discovering troop movements, and studying ways to demoralize German soldiers.

All of it done in secret.

In the 1990s this information became unclassified. Years later, with the publication of a book about the Ritchie Boys, a family friend found Margo Parsow’s father, Warner Frohman, listed as a Ritchie Boy. This was a secret kept by Warner since his service and only after this discovery did Margo and her boys, Aaron and Charles, discover her father’s notebooks and memorabilia.

In 2025, two more Ritchie Boys events will be held. On February 3, Katy Self, Director of the Ritchie History Museum will speak. On March 2, Aaron Parsow will tell us more about his grandfather and his legacy of wartime heroism.

Another way to make your story our story will be to participate in our year-long NJHS cookbook project. In collaboration with the Jewish Press, we will collect stories, recipes, and pictures about all the good cooks and good food that tell the Omaha story. Not only will we publish a cookbook, but we hope to have tastings, too!

Please think of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society when you are reviewing family records and papers. We can provide safekeeping for family memorabilia as well as a place for research. We are always happy to hear your family stories and add them to our archives.

Shabbat Shalom,

Jane Rips

Hurricane Helene has struck the east coast as a powerful Category 4 storm, bringing wind speeds exceeding 140 mph, a storm surge expected to surpass 20 feet, and more than 15 inches of rainfall. This has caused widespread flooding and damage across Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Entire communities have been plunged into darkness, with homes and businesses severely impacted and cut off from main roadways. Thousands of residents have been displaced, and Jewish communities are facing urgent needs for recovery, aid, and rebuilding.

In addition to Hurricane Helene, we are responding to the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton, which has also left a trail of destruction in its path. Jewish Federations are working tirelessly to assist communities affected by both storms through our Hurricane Relief Fund, ensuring that critical support reaches those in need.

Jewish Federations are uniquely positioned to offer vital support in times of crisis.

You can help by contributing to the Hurricane Relief Fund, ensuring that Jewish communities and others affected receive the assistance they desperately need.