Featured Testimonial About Creighton University
Creighton leaders, generous donors and distinguished guests celebrated a renowned program and a new center that will expand experiential learning opportunities for School of Law students and prioritize the education around the Holocaust and international crimes.
In addition to opening the Samuel & Ida Kaiman Center for International Criminal Justice & Holocaust Studies, Creighton is building upon its Howard A. Kaiman, JD'67, Nuremberg to the Hague (N2H) Program. A gift from Donna Gilbert and her children, Dave and Stacey Gilbert made it possible.
The Gilberts were recognized at the center's dedication ceremony on Monday, Aug. 18. The center is named after Donna's parents, Samuel and Ida. Howard Kaiman, a lifelong Omahan and attorney, was Donna’s brother.
Monday's special event hosted inside the Ahmanson Law Center also highlighted the impact of Creighton's N2H program and the possibilities for its growth, thanks to the Gilberts' gift. For more than a decade, Creighton law students have traveled to Germany, the Netherlands and Poland to learn firsthand about the Holocaust.
Michael J. Kelly, JD, LLM, the Senator Allen A. Sekt Endowed Chair in Law Professor and director of the N2H program, said Monday that instead of the traditional 25 students annually admitted to the program, 39 are signed up this year.
A few program participants shared their stories in this short video:
Keynote speaker Eli Rosenbaum, former director of the Office of Special Investigation within the U.S. Department of Justice, concluded Monday's ceremony by detailing accounts of his life's work to bring Nazi war criminals to justice. He presented Creighton with a signed photograph of a Holocaust survivor who attended one of the trials.
"Fueled by the extraordinary generosity of the Kaiman and Gilbert families, this landmark center will ensure that the Nazi Holocaust is never forgotten and that its crucial lessons are learned," Rosenbaum said. "The Howard A. Kaiman, JD'67, Nuremberg to the Hague Program has provided truly life-changing experiences to so many students and I look forward to monitoring the important programs that the program and this new center will undertake going forward."
With the Kaiman Center officially installed on Creighton's campus, it will continue to foster a deep connection between the Jewish community and international criminal justice.
Creighton President Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, said the center is a hallmark of the University's educational experience, exemplifying the Jesuit mission students are called to live out.
"Tonight’s program and the work that it supports reflects a profound commitment to confronting some of the darkest chapters of human history in pursuit of truth and justice," Fr. Hendrickson said. "This is not easy. It demands courage, and empathy, and the strength to face painful realities."
Quotes and photos from the dedication ceremony
School of Law Dean Joshua Fershée
"We are grateful for this example of generosity from the Kaiman and Gilbert families. We're especially thankful to Donna, who honored Howard's request to help establish the Kaiman Center. Their support strengthens our mission to educate the next generation of attorneys who are grounded in compassion, shaped by their experience in our programs, and prepared to deliver international criminal justice whenever they are called."
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Dave Gilbert, son of Donna (Kaiman) Gilbert
"Today, we are honoring my uncle, Howard, who gave his entire career to the underserved — then he decided to donate entire estate to charity. We are honoring both of my grandparents (Samuel and Ida) and a cause they strongly believed in. ... It was important to our family to use their legacies to do good in this world and support the local community. The program Creighton has established speaks for itself. We are proud to contribute to it."
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Michael J. Kelly, JD, LLM, the Senator Allen A. Sekt Endowed Chair in Law Professor
"Words matter. So, what do lawyers do? We learn words. We fight with words. And that's what Creighton students are being taught to do today — to fight back against injustice and to counter the rise in antisemitism. Social justice is a hallmark of Jesuit vocation. Creighton University puts that front and center of our mission."
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Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD
"At Creighton, our Jesuit mission calls us to form men and women for and with others — individuals who lead with compassion, with great purpose, and with a deep responsibility to the world around us. Experiential learning and global engagement are essential to this mission. ... We are so deeply grateful for those who carry this mission forward, including the Kaiman and Gilbert families, Professor Kelly, Eli Rosenbaum, the many students, our educators and the advocates who continue this vital work."
