Heartland Holocaust Education Fund | Nebraska State Holocaust Memorial

Heartland Holocaust Education Fund

"The Heartland Holocaust Educational Fund was founded by Sam and Frances Fried. It has undergone several name changes. It was originally founded in 2002 as the Six Million Lights Foundation/Six Million Lights Education Fund, then the National Holocaust Endowment Fund, and then finally, in 2007, the Heartland Holocaust Education Fund.

The original purpose of the Six Million Lights fund was to honor the victims of the Holocaust by installing memorial plaques at synagogues in Omaha. Once that mission was completed, the fund changed both name and mission in order to more broadly support Holocaust educational efforts at the college and university level and to finance the National Holocaust Memorial at the Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska. Since the fund's evolution into the Heartland Holocaust Education Fund, the mission has focused on providing Holocaust and genocide studies in higher education institutions in the Heartland region, in partnership with the Omaha Community Foundation. The Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy emerged from the Heartland Holocaust Educational Fund and is now housed in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska at Omaha."

For additional information: Heartland Holocaust Education Fund

Nebraska State Holocaust Memorial

"Located at Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska, this beautiful memorial serves as a place of remembrance and education. The Nebraska Holocaust Memorial was created through the support of thoughtful Nebraskan citizens, and is dedicated to the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust and in honor of all the liberators and survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. It is incumbent on us to know that lessons of history. We cannot grow complacent, comforted by the passing of time or the security of distance. The Nebraska Holocaust Memorial provides a place of reflection, but also serves to educate visitors about the horrors of the Holocaust.

When you visit the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial, you will see a sea of stones surrounding the monument. The stones represent the murder of six million Jews and others viewed as biologically inferior by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. Wyuka Cemetery is an ideal location for the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial; it is the largest all-faith cemetery serving the Lincoln community and Lincoln is the home of Nebraska's state capital. Wyuka Cemetery was established in 1869 as a state cemetery by an act of the Nebraska Legislature. The “Wyuka” is derived from the word “wanka,” which is from the Sioux or Dakota language, meaning “he rests” or “he lies down.” Thousands of people visit Wyuka Cemetery each year, assuring that countless individuals will have the opportunity to see the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial. Wyuka Cemetry is located at 3600 “O” Street in Lincoln, Nebraska by the citizens of the State of Nebraska and supported by the Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Fund."

For additional information: Sam Fried and the Nebraska State Holocaust Memorial (Omaha Jewish Press, 2022)