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Why the title
Joseph’s Bones?

According to the book of Genesis, there came a time when Jacob, in Egypt, said, I am about to be gathered to my kin. Bury me with my fathers in the cave of Machpelah, in the land of Canaan. And Jacob drew his feet into the bed and was gathered to his people.

Then his son, Joseph, wept and said to Pharaoh, Let me go and bury my father as he made me promise. And Pharaoh said, Yes. So Joseph and his brothers carried Jacob to Canaan and buried him in the cave of Machpelah. Then Joseph returned to Egypt.

Joseph lived one hundred and ten years and saw children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Then he said to his brothers, I am about to die. God will surely remember you and bring you forth from Egypt to the land that He promised our ancestors. Swear that when you are redeemed from this strange land, you will carry my bones with you.

And so they promised. Then Joseph died and was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Now Pharaoh let the people go out of Egypt, and Moses took Joseph’s bones with him. During forty years of wandering, the Children of Israel carried two arks with them. One contained the Ten Commandments — the words that teach us how to live — and the other contained Joseph’s bones — the remains of an ancestor long dead. And for all those years, the bones were carefully guarded and treated with respect. And before Moses died, he handed them to Joshua. And Joshua buried Joseph's bones at Shechem in the piece of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor. And this became the inheritance of Joseph's descendants.

So there you have the reason for the title. Joseph’s Bones. A symbol of continuity, memory, and promises kept. A metaphor linking one generation to another. This collection of family stories is the inheritance I leave my children and grandchildren. A legacy I pray will remain upon their hearts, to be spoken of in their homes and carried with them on their way.

L’dor vador, Hallelujah!
From generation to generation, Hallelujah!

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Jewish writer, Ozzie Nogg, shares personal essays, off-beat Talmudic tidbits, and random observations on life, all inspired by her upbringing as a rabbi's daughter who now (sigh . . . ) views the world through trifocals.

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Joseph's Bones

Here's what they're saying about Joseph's Bones:

"Readers of Joseph's Bones will not only enjoy the charm of Ozzie Nogg's writing. They will be transported along with her to sweet reminiscences of life with their own families in times gone by. This book is a delight; it informs and inspires. Do not be misled by its small size; its message is love, tenderness, and joy writ large. You will want to read it more than once."

— Rabbi Jules Harlow
Editor and translator of Sim Shalom, the Conservative movement's prayer book

“…One of the most moving, well-written memoirs of life in small Jewish communities, Joseph's Bones is a wonderful read. I laughed, I cried, I loved it! This honest, intimate work proves that Ozzie Nogg is Omaha's gift to Jewish literature.”

— Dr. Ron Wolfson
Vice President,
University of Judaism

"Three generations of my family sat and read Joseph's Bones together. We laughed, gasped, shed a tear, and genuinely enjoyed sharing them. Ozzie's delightful stories touched all of us."

— Betsy Dolgin Katz
North American Director, Florence Melton
Adult Mini-School