Leo Adam Biga’s survivor-rescuer stories featured on Institute for Holocaust Education website
Leo Adam Biga’s survivor-rescuer stories featured on Institute for Holocaust Education website
A couple years ago I approached Beth Seldin Dotan at the Institute for Holocaust Education in Omaha, Neb. with a proposal: providing my stories about Holocaust survivors and rescuers for display on the organization’s website, http://ihene.org/. She was already familiar with my work in this subject area and we quickly struck a deal. None of the stories would have happened without the help of the late Ben Nachman, a man who made it his quiet crusade to shed light on the enduring spirit of survivors and rescuers. Ben introduced me to the local survivor community and he also led me to various scholars he’d corresponded with over the years regarding various aspects of the Holocaust and the heroic actions of individuals.
I feel privileged that these stories are finding a new home and audience there. Ben was instrumental in my getting each of these stories. There’s more than a little bit of him in them. By the way, you can see my stories about Ben and the work he did on this blog. Here’s how Beth describes the story queue on the website:
Nebraska Holocaust Stories
Several years ago, freelance journalist Leo Biga conducted extensive interviews with several of Nebraska’s Holocaust Survivors. Biga went on to write detailed articles that chronicle the Holocaust testimonies of the Survivors and the lives they made for themselves in Nebraska. The articles were originally featured in Omaha’s Jewish Press. You can now find them here on the Institute for Holocaust Education website. Some of the stories that you will see have won distinguished recognition: The Fred Kader story won First Place in the Single Feature Story category at the 2002 Nebraska Press Association competition and the article “Sisters of the Shoah” about Rachel Rosenberg, Mania Friedman, and Bluma Polonski won a Second Place tie for the 2004 David Frank Award for Excellence in Personality Profiles in the annual Simon Rockower Awards of the American Jewish Press Association.
The Institute for Holocaust Education sincerely hopes that these articles, now available to the entire world on our website, will honor the lives of our Survivors and keep their stories alive.
•••
The website features only a portion of my Holocaust writing. Some of the same stories featured there can also be found on this blog, and I am in process of adding more.
Here’s how Beth previews the stories (you can go right to the page where the stories are listed by linking to http://ihene.org/nebraska-survivor-stories/):
•••
On a January morning students at Omaha’s Lewis and Clark Middle School file in an auditorium to hear a tale of survival by Bea Karp, a petite Jewish woman of 66 who as a child in her native Germany, and later in France, endured the Holocaust. She and her younger sister, Susie, are among their extended family’s few survivors. As Bea’s harrowing tale unfolds, the students listen with the stilled respect due the haunted figure standing before them. Not all survivors can speak about their experiences. Some want only to forget, Bur for Bea, and thousands like her, there is a need to speak out. To bear witness. Why?
“I’ve been an escape artist all my life.” The apt words belong to Lincoln, Neb. resident Lou Leviticus, a square-headed terrier of a man who as a youth in his native Holland survived the Holocaust partly due to his talents as an artful dodger. He escaped the Nazis more than once, even when those closest to him were caught and put to death. As an orphan on the run he became one of scores of hidden children in The Netherlands, his survival dependent on a cadre of strangers that cared for him as one of their own.
For My Mother: Helena Tichauer Tells Her Story
Helena Tichauer was tempted to give up more than once. If she had, no one would have blamed her. For persecuted Jews like her and her family, reasons for despair were everywhere in Nazi-occupied Poland. Her family’s pleasant, comfortable life in Krakow had been wrenched away in the looming darkness of the Holocaust.
Kitty Williams Finally Tells Her Survivor Story
For the longest time, Holocaust survivor Kitty Williams of Council Bluffs didn’t think her story warranted telling. She considered her suffering insignificant amid the weight of Nazi atrocities. Other tragedies far surpassed her own. Nobody could find hers interesting or edifying. It’d all been said before.
“I feel I was destined to live.” That’s as close to an explanation as Lola Reinglas can offer in making sense of her Holocaust survival. An Omaha resident since 1949, Reinglas and her sister, Helena Tichauer, survived a series of internments, some together-some apart, that defied reason except for the intervention of fate and their own indefatigable will.
For the first 52 years of his life Fred Kader lived everyday in the shadow of a lost past. An orphaned child of the Holocaust, Kader’s early years remained an unfathomable mystery that he hoped one day to solve so that he might finally come to know how he survived the Shoah as a small boy in his native Belgium.
Sisters of the Shoah: Three Survivor Tales, Golden Fates and Iron Wills
This is not just another Holocaust story. It is the chronicle of how three sisters survived, alone and together, a series of Nazi concentration camps during World War II to tell their story of human endurance. That not one or two but all three made it out alive is, as the eldest puts it today, “Impossible. I don’t know how we lived. We survived with nothing…not even our hair.”
The Trauma of the Hidden Child Revealed: Marcel Frydman, Fred Kader, and Tom Jaeger
A gathering unlike any other took place the evening of September 24 at the home of Omaha Holocaust researcher Ben Nachman. Over the course of several hours a diverse group of guests heard three men discuss a shared legacy of survival — one that saw them persevere through the Shoah as hidden children in their native Belgium.
Related Articles
- FYI – Holocaust survivors to receive $ 564 million in reparations. (jwitness.wordpress.com)
- Holocaust Photo Archive (innovationslab.wordpress.com)
- Oldest male holocaust survivor is 105. Video & Pictures (jwitness.wordpress.com)
- Rescuer Curriculum Gives Students New Perspective on the Holocaust (leoadambiga.wordpress.com)
-
April 18, 2011 at 3:27 pmSisters of the Shoah: Three Survivor Tales, Three Golden Fates, Three Iron Wills « Leo Adam Biga's Blog
-
April 27, 2011 at 2:21 pmBen Nachman Remembered the Heroes of the Holocaust « Leo Adam Biga's Blog
-
April 30, 2011 at 1:02 pmKitty Williams Finally Tells Her Holocaust Survivor Tale « Leo Adam Biga's Blog
-
April 30, 2011 at 1:06 pmBen Nachman’s Mission « Leo Adam Biga's Blog
-
April 30, 2011 at 1:07 pmAt Work in the Fields of the Righteous « Leo Adam Biga's Blog
-
April 30, 2011 at 1:08 pmBringing to Light Hidden Heroes of the Holocaust « Leo Adam Biga's Blog
-
May 22, 2011 at 12:24 pmBy Land, By Sea, By Air, Omaha Jewish Veterans Performed Far-flung Wartime Duties « Leo Adam Biga's Blog
-
June 26, 2011 at 8:30 pmThe Artful Dodger: Lou Leviticus Survived the Holocaust as an Escape Artist « Leo Adam Biga's Blog
-
June 12, 2018 at 11:29 pmLife Itself V: Jewish-themed and related stories from 1998-2018 | Leo Adam Biga's My Inside Stories
Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film
Check out my brand new Facebook page & Like it–
Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film
https://www.facebook.com/AlexanderPayneExpert/
The work-in-progress page is devoted to my acclaimed book about the Oscar-winning filmmaker and his work.
“This is without question the single best study of Alexander Payne’s films, as well as the filmmaker himself and his filmmaking process. In charting the first two decades of Payne’s remarkable career, Leo Adam Biga pieces together an indelible portrait of an independent American artist, and one that’s conveyed largely in the filmmaker’s own words. This is an invaluable contribution to film history and criticism – and a sheer pleasure to read as well.” –Thomas Schatz, Film scholar and author (The Genius of the System)
The book sells for $25.95.
Available through Barnes & Noble, on Amazon, for Kindle and at other bookstores and gift shops nationwide.
Purchase it at–https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRORX1U?ref_=k4w_oembed_c1Anr6bJdAagnj&tag=kpembed-20&linkCode=kpd
You can also order signed copies by emailing the author at leo32158@cox.net.
Mini-Profile
leoadambiga
Author-journalist-blogger Leo Adam Biga resides in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. He writes newspaper-magazine stories about people, their passions, and their magnificent obsessions. He's the author of the books "Crossing Bridges: A Priest's Uplifting Life Among the Downtrodden," "Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film" (a compilation of his journalism about the acclaimed filmmaker) "Open Wide" a biography of Mark Manhart. Biga co-edited "Memories of the Jewish Midwest: Mom and Pop Grocery Stores." His popular blog, Leo Adam Biga's My Inside Stories at leoadambiga.com, is an online gallery of his work. The blog feeds into his Facebook page, My Inside Stories, as well as his Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, Tumblr, About.Me and other social media platform pages.
Personal Links
My Favorite Tags
African-American African-American Culture African-American Empowerment Network African Ameican Culture African American Alexander Payne Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film Art Arts Athletics Author Authors Authors/Books/Literature Books Boxing Business Cinema Civil Rights Community Creighton University Education Entertainment Entrepreneur Entrepreneurial Family Film Film Books Film Streams Food Great Plains Theatre Conference History Hollywood Holocaust Hot Movie Takes Jazz Jewish Culture Journalism Latino/Hispanic Leo Adam Biga Media Metropolitan Community College Military Movies Music Nebraska Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame Nebraskans in Film North Omaha North Omaha Nebraska North Omaha Summer Arts Omaha Omaha Community Playhouse Omaha Nebraska Omaha Public Schools Pamela Jo Berry Photography Playwright Politics Pop Culture Pot Liquor Love Race Screenwriting Social Justice South Omaha Sports Television Terence "Bud" Crawford Terence Crawford Theater United States University of Nebraska at Omaha UNO (University of Nebraska at Omaha) World War II Writing YouthMy Favorite Categories
Calendar of Blog Posts
Categories from A to Z and # of Posts
Subjects/Themes
RSS Links
Top Posts
- John Beasley and sons make acting a family thing
- John Beasley has it all going on with new TV series, feature film in development, plans for new theater and possible New York stage debut; Co-stars with Cedric the Entertainer and Niecy Nash in TVLand's "The Soul Man"
- John Beasley: Living his dream
- Get your jitney on: August Wilson play "Jitney" at the John Beasley Theater resonates with cast and crew
- When We Were Kings, A Vintage Pro Wrestling Story
- Extremities: As seen on TLC's "Hoarding: Buried Alive" – Mary Thompson takes her life back one piece at a time
- A Man for All Reasons: Legacy Omaha Investor John Webster Was a Go-To Guy for The Reader
- Tired of being tired leads to new start at John Beasley Theater
- The Storz Saga: A Family Dynasty – Their Mansion, the Brewery that Built It, the Man Who Loved It, a Legacy of Giving, the Loss of a Dream
- Brotherhood of the Ring, Omaha's CW Boxing Club
Recent Posts
- Paul Giamatti and Alexander Payne play catch up 15 years after ‘Sideways’
- Native Omaha Days Story Compilation
- Kindred spirits Giamatti and Payne to revisit the triumph of ‘Sideways’ and the art of finding truth and profundity in the holy ordinary
- Women still calling the shots at the Omaha Star after 81 years
- Street prophets and poets depict ‘A Day in the Life’ of the homeless in new play by Portia Love
- Duncans turn passion for art into major collection; In their pursuits, the couple master the art of living
- North Omaha Summer Arts (NOSA) presents An Arts Crawl 8
- The fringe of it all: Omaha Fringe Festival fulfills founder Tamar Neumann’s dream
- Orsi’s: Historic Italian bakery-pizzeria reaches 100
- Jazz to the Future – The Revitalization of a Scene
- On cusp of stardom, Omaha singer-songwriter Jocelyn follows to thine own self be true path
- Omaha native Phil Kenny a player among Broadway co-producers and investors
Blog Stats
- 963,117 hits
Top Clicks
Blogroll
- (downtown) Omaha Lit Fest
- Abbott Sisters Project
- Arguably the best African American blog
- Artist Therman Statom
- Author and Playwright Rachel Shukert
- Author and Radio Personality Otis XII
- Author Joy Castro
- Author Kurt Andersen
- Author Richard Dooling
- Author Timothy Schaffert
- Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
- Best of the Web Blogs
- Big Mama's Kitchen & Catering
- Billy McGuigan
- BLOG HINTS
- BlogCatalog
- Bloggapedia
- Bloggernity
- BlogTopSites
- Blue Barn Theatre
- Boys Town
- Brigit Saint Brigit Theatre Company
- David P. Murphy, Author/Songwriter
- Durham Museum
- Empower Omaha
- Expedoodle
- Film Streams
- Filmmaker/photographer Charles Fairbanks
- Girlfriends Book Club
- Great Plains Theatre Conference
- Heart Ministry Center
- How to Party with an Infant
- I Love Black History
- Institute for Holocaust Education
- Jewish Press
- Joslyn Art Museum
- KANEKO
- Kent Bellows Studio & Center for Visual Arts
- KVNO News
- Laura Love
- Lazy-i
- Loves Jazz & Arts Center
- MAHA Music Festival
- Malcolm X Memorial Foundation
- Metro Magazine
- Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame
- Nebraska Center for Writers
- Nebraska Coast Connection
- Nebraska Independent Film Projects
- Nebraska On Film
- Nebraska StatePaper.com
- New Horizons
- Nomad Lounge
- Omaha Community Playhouse
- Omaha Fashion Week
- Omaha Film Event
- Omaha Film Festival
- Omaha Performing Arts
- Omaha Public Library
- Omaha Publications
- Omaha Symphony
- Omaha World-Herald
- Omaha.Net
- OmahaHype
- OnToplist.com
- Opera Omaha
- Planet USA Search Engine
- Playwright, Director and Actor Kevin Lawler
- Playwright, Journalist, Blogger, Digital Filmmaker Max Sparber
- Postcards from Omaha
- Princess Lasertron
- Project Interfaith
- Radio One
- Rebel Interactive
- Sacred Heart Parish
- SheWrites
- Silicon Prairie News
- Spirit of Omaha
- Stadium Views
- Stonehouse Publishing
- The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog
- The Black Scholar
- The Lit Coach's Guide to The Writer's Life
- The Pajama Gardener
- The Reader
- ThisCan'tBeHappening.net
- Topix Local News Omaha, NE
- Trocadero
- Turner Classic Movies
- Underground Omaha
- University of Nebraska at Omaha
- UNO Department of Black Studies
- UNO Magazine
- UNO Wrestling
- Waking Past Innocence
- White Readers Meet Black Authors
- Winners Circle
My Pages
- “Nebraska Methodist College at 125: Scaling New Heights”
- ‘Crossing Bridges: A Priest’s Uplifting Life Among the Downtrodden”
- About Leo Adam Biga
- Film Connections: How a 1968 convergence of future cinema greats in Ogallala, Neb. resulted in multiple films and enduring relationships
- Follow My Blog on Facebook, Networked Blogs, LinkedIn
- From the Archives…
- Going to Africa with The Champ
- Hire Me
- Introducing Freelance Writing Academy Seminars with Instructor Leo Adam Biga: Book Biga Today
- My Amazon Author’s Page
- My Inside Stories, A Professional Writing Service by Omaha-Based Journalist, Author and Blogger Leo Adam Biga
- Nebraska Screen Heritage Project
- OUT TO WIN – THE ROOTS OF GREATNESS: OMAHA’S BLACK SPORTS LEGENDS
- Seeking Sponsors and Collaborators
- Passion Project. Introducing the new – “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film”
Goodreads
Upcoming Events
No upcoming events