The Athens-Clarke County Library is one of 50 U.S. libraries selected to host a second run of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s “Americans and the Holocaust” traveling exhibition. It is currently on display now through Dec. 19.
The library submitted an application to host the exhibit last fall, says Trudi Green, assistant director for public services for the Athens Regional Library System. More than 150 libraries, public and academic, submitted applications, with a peer review panel selecting 50 host sites.
The 1,100-square-foot exhibition is based on the one that opened in the Washington, D.C. museum in April 2018. Its primary purpose is to challenge the assumption that Americans knew little and did nothing about the Nazi’s persecution and murder of Jews during the Holocaust.
“I think people may be surprised to learn how much news from Germany about Jewish persecution was being reported,” says Green.
Drawing on primary sources from the 1930s and ‘40s, the exhibition shares stories of American individuals and groups who took action against the Nazis. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum hopes to steer viewers to not only ask, “what would I have done?” but “what will I do?” in the face of a similar movement or significant event.
The “Americans and the Holocaust” opening reception was held last Sunday, Nov. 10, with programming around a Kristallnacht Remembrance—this November marking 86 years since the event known as “The Night of Broken Glass” in Germany. The event featured a screening of The Night of Broken Glass: A Warning of Future Nazi Crimes and personal account from a Holocaust survivor. There are more events in conjunction with the exhibition all taking place at the ACC Library over the next month.
There will be a film screening of Casablanca, a wartime romance featuring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman set in 1940s Morocco, on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. Following the film Elsa Durusau will discuss the cast’s connections to German refugees and the film’s influence on American perceptions of World War II. Also on Nov. 14 is a “Let’s Talk About That!” teen tour of the exhibition at 4 p.m. The tour will be facilitated by UGA’s philosophy department.
On Nov. 17 at 3 p.m. the event “Going ‘Home’ from Exile” will feature a panel of contemporary Jewish-American writers. Michael Wegner, Sabrina Orah Mark, Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor and Carly Ornstein will discuss their perspectives as descendants of Holocaust survivors with family ties to Germany. This event is a companion to the library’s NEA Big Read grant program.
Two author events will also take place. Frank W. Baker will discuss his graphic novel We Survived the Holocaust on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. It tells the story of two young Polish Jews’ survival during the Holocaust. Authors Randy Herschaft and Ann Cooper will discuss their book
Newshawks in Berlin: The Associated Press and Nazi Germany on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. Registration for remote viewing of this event is available at athenslibrary.org/events.
The 2000 documentary From Swastika to Jim Crow will be screened on Dec. 8 at 3 p.m., co-sponsored by the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The documentary explores the story of Jewish refugee scholars teaching at historically Black colleges before and during World War II.
In a press release, Valerie Bell, Athens Regional Library System executive director, said, “This exhibition provides a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of how Americans responded to one of the most tragic periods in history. Through this exhibit and our accompanying programs, we hope to engage our community in meaningful discussions about history and empathy.”
Examining the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war and genocide is not just an important key to understanding the past, but it’s a powerful tool for handling the future. For more information about the “Americans and the Holocaust” exhibition and programming, visit athenslibrary.org.
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