Museum spotlights veterans’ contributions

Stephen Curran

Friday, Aug. 2, 2002 | 9:28 a.m.

Rabbi Joseph Kohl still remembers a Passover Seder he performed nearly 50 years ago.

He remembers the meal: chicken and matzo ball soup and Manischewitz wine. More importantly, he remembers the location: Kohl performed the Seder on the front lines of the Korean War for more than 1,400 Jewish soldiers.

Like many veterans, Kohl, 73, felt fighting was his patriotic duty as an American. Unlike most veterans, Kohl had only been American for about four years -- he came to the United States in 1947 after escaping the Nazi concentration camps.

"I was only here a couple of years," Kohl said. "I went when they called."

On Thursday at the Las Vegas Veterans Museum, Kohl joined an auditorium packed with veterans who also went when they were called. He was on hand to unveil the Veterans History Project of Southern Nevada, which archives videotaped interviews with World War II veterans from around the state.

The interviews are later sent to the U.S. Library of Congress, where they are archived with others from around the country. Copies of the interviews will also be available for viewing at the museum.

Taping the interviews has taken on an increased urgency as World War II vets continue to age, said Ed Gobel, a Vietnam vet and chief executive officer of the nonprofit Nevada Veterans Museum.

"We want to insure no veteran ever dies and that they live on forever within these walls," Gobel said.

Unlike most other museums, which rely on collector items, the Nevada Veterans Museum displays only items donated by veterans -- items ranging from uniforms to pictures to magazine covers.

By keeping the focus on items Nevada soldiers actually used, it helps make the experience more real for visitors, Gobel said.

"We're hoping to teach visitors about the ordinary citizens who put their lives on the line," he said.