A Breakfast with Sam Fried by Rabbi Aryeh Azriel

Sam Fried has a powerful story to share.  We need to tell our people.  This man’s life project is to establish Heartland Holocaust Educational Fund, is a non-profit entity, in partnership with the Omaha Community Foundation scholarship to teach the holocaust in NE. This amazing treasure the monument commemorating the holocaust in Lincoln.  Our community and the general community should not ignore the need to hear the life stories of the survivors in our community.

Photo from the Jewish Press of Omaha. Frances and Sam Fried stand before the Wall of Remembrance they donated at the Holocaust Memorial in Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln. Fried was awarded an honorary doctorate last month by the University of Nebraska-Omaha for his role in Holocaust education.

Take a trip to Lincoln a half day.  Go and visit, it’s a place for student, teachers, he is organizing a wonderful project.

The Nebraska  Holocaust memorial is located on the grounds
of the Nebraska State Cemetery (WYUKA)
3900 O Street Lincoln Nebraska

Read more about a new fund to offer college courses on Holocaust.

What I am Thankful For…. by Steve Danon

Many of you know me; Safety, Risk Control . . . the “what if guy”, what you may not know is that I have taught Religious School for the last 15 years.

This past Wednesday evening we took a group of 7th & 8th graders to Quality Living a resident care facility in Omaha that provides purpose, dignity and hope to those who have brain and spinal cord disabilities.

We had the opportunity to talk with Brad a thirty-five year old resident at Quality Living.   He sat and talked with us for about an hour. Brad wore a baseball cap, t-shirt, blue shorts, and was in a wheel-chair.

After talking about sports, music, and other activities, a child finally was brave enough to ask Brad what happened to him.  Brad had a bit of a slur in his voice but began to tell his story.  He had been driving alone to Missouri late at night and fell asleep.  The car went off the road and hit something and he was thrown out of the car.  Another child asked, “Brad were you wearing a seat belt”?

Brad answered directly, “No, and the only injury I got was a cut on my chin, no bruised ribs, not other cuts or broken bones, but I hit my head”.

A third child asked, “Brad, what do you think would have happened if you had been wearing your seat belt, “I would have gotten up the next morning and went to work”.

Brad’s brain injury that night put him in a comma for four months.  The doctor’s told his family that he we would be brain dead and never regain consciousness.  He was proud to tell us how he had taught himself to dress, drink, eat and speak again on his own over the last seven years.

He was especially looking forward to this Saturday’s Thanksgiving Feast, a time for families to come and have a meal together at Brad’s home, Quality Living.

Brad told us he thought he was alive because of a miracle. Ironically in religious school the previous week we had talked about miracles, not knowing we would meet Brad.  Interestingly one of the children’s grandfather, had been shot in the eye in a robbery two years ago and survived.  When we told that to Brad he smiled and gave a “thumbs-up”.   Brad said, “…this place (Quality Living) is full of miracles”.

So what am I thankful for this Thanksgiving; Albert Einstein said it best . . . “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

As we left and shook Brad’s hand he said, “I don’t think of myself being handicapped, I think of myself being handi-capable”.

A peaceful and joyful Thanksgiving to each of you and your families, we all have so much to be thankful for.