“You know, you can take the boy out of Omaha but you really can’t take Omaha out of the boy,” Bennett Greenspan said.  The son of Bud and Rosalie Greenspan, Bennett was born and raised in Omaha, and now lives with his family in Houston.  Although Bennett hasn’t lived in Omaha for over 40 years, he still has a strong connection to his hometown.  It is such a strong connection that Bennett, like many former Omahans, wanted to help in the renovation of the JCC.  Bennett and his wife, Robin, recently created the Robin and Bennett Greenspan Hall of History Featured Exhibit Endowment Fund at the Jewish Federation of Omaha Foundation.  Bennett and Robin also contributed to the Jewish Federation of Omaha’s renovation project, donating funds used in the design and construction of the Milton and Marsha Kleinberg Hall of History.

The endowment fund was established to provide funding for one featured exhibit each year in the Kleinberg Hall of History at the JCC.  Renee Corcoran, former Executive Director of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society said, “We are very grateful for the support of Bennett and Robin Greenspan.  Their generosity gives us the opportunity to share the rich history of our Jewish community with exhibits in the Hall of History.  Bennett and Robin know the importance of telling the stories of our past to make a better future for generations to come.”

After graduation from Westside in 1970, Bennett attended the University of Texas where he majored in political science and minored in history.  Bennett returned to Omaha after graduating from college and worked in a family business.  After a few years in Omaha, Bennett was ready to move south to Houston.  Bennett said, “After about 5 years in Omaha, I felt the need to live in a city with a much larger Jewish population, so I moved south.”  

Bennett has established several businesses including Family Tree DNA and Gene by Gene, Ltd.  Family Tree DNA helps consumers use DNA to trace family history.  Gene by Gene, Ltd. is a testing laboratory in Houston which performs the genetic testing.

Bennett’s love of history ended up guiding his career path, not only helping him with his family history, but helping many others track their family histories, as well.  Bennett said, “Omaha is my birthplace and as such it has and will always have a special place in my heart and memory.”  It can be said with certainty, that the Omaha Jewish community will always have a special place in its collective heart for Bennett, as well.