Posts Tagged Holocaust

Shoah Foundation Institute Update

Posted by Rachel Broder in Jewish Knowledge on November 16, 2011

Steven Spielberg created The Shoah Foundation in 1994 after he made Schindler’s List. The Foundation gathers and preserves interviews with Holocaust survivors. At this point, they have over 50,000 video interviews, in 32 languages, with survivors from 56 countries. Spielberg handed over the reins to the University of Southern California, but still sits on the board and makes major decisions. And this week a major decision was made.

The New York Times reported that the Shoah Foundation is now expanding to include testimonials from survivors of other genocides/mass slaughters from around the world. They have only just begun interviewing survivors from the Rwandan and Cambodian genocides, but are also planning to record accounts from Armenian survivors from the slaughter in Turkey.

The Times was careful to reassure readers that this expansion will not take away from the original purpose of The Shoah Foundation. Rather, the inclusion of other survivors will bolster their goal: to spread the message of ‘Never again’. By integrating testimonials of other survivors, they will reach new peoples and communities around the world.

For more information, check out the Times article, the official website for The Shoah Foundation, or USC’S Shoah Foundation channel on YouTube.

 

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Beckett and the Jews

Posted by Rachel Broder in Jewish Knowledge on October 27, 2011

I wrote a paper for an Irish Literature class last year on Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. The paper was long and winding, but in no way tied to Judaism. Little did I know an article in today’s Forward would bring me back to my som of confusing paper.

The Forward published an article today called, “ Samuel Beckett’s Letters Reveal Roots of Resistance.” The article focuses on Beckett’s intentional and unintentional ties to the Jewish people before, during, and after World War II. Two volumes of Beckett’s letters were recently published, The Letters of Samuel Beckett: Volume 2, 1941–1956 and Samuel Beckett’s German Diaries 1936-1937, both shedding light on Beckett’s ties to the Jews.

hrc.utexas.edu

The article interestingly suggests that, “Beckett and Joyce (both living in exile) identified intellectually with Jews as people of the Diaspora.” I think that Beckett may definitely have drawn similarities between himself and Jews because of the Diaspora, but also because Beckett had a real interest in human value and human control of life. Thinking about Pozzo and Lucky in Godot, I immediately draw ties to Nazis and Jews, and Beckett’s ability to not only write about the absurd relationship between master and subservient, but also how quickly the relationship can flip. Beckett had this great knack for recognizing competing perspectives on a single matter – i.e. master and subservient – that illuminate the undeniable connection between human beings.

I spent a lot of time in my very long paper discussing Beckett’s use of existentialism in Godot, and while I really never thought I would re-visit the idea in my life, here I am. To me, Beckett’s accidental connections to Jewish publishers in Paris, Jewish artists and authors, and a Jewish uncle-by-marriage had a lot less to do with his attraction to Jews, and more to do with his feeling for human beings as individuals free to explore and interact. Beckett saw people as they were- the Nazis as “appalling,” and seemingly common characters like Estragon, Vladimir, Pozzo, and Lucky as extremely complex and worthy of an entire play. He felt connected to human beings in general, whether it be by common experience, common tongue, common interests, or mere proximity. The Forward’s article on Beckett reminded me of how timeless Waiting for Godot is, and how impossibly wonderful Beckett was for being both brilliant and entirely human.

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Ways to Remember the Terrible Things

Posted by Rachel Broder in Link Roundup on April 28, 2011

www.tbieugene.org

This Sunday, May 1st (the 27th of Nisan), marks the observance of Yom HaShoah.  In 1953 the Knesset decided on the 27th of Nisan- a compromise between traditional Jews who wanted the date to be in Iyar, and Zionists who wanted the date closer to the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (the 15th of Nisan). 

Depending on where you live, and what you’re interested in, there are a bunch of options across the country to observe Yom HaShoah:

- The Museum of Tolerance in LA has a slew of events over the next week including a family event on Sunday with speakers, The Butterfly Project, and more.  On Monday they are opening a brand new exhibit called, “Besa: Albanian Muslims Who Saved Jews During World War II.”  Throughout the week the museum will have film screenings and presentations.  Check out their site for upcoming events, some family-friendly and others for a bit more mature of an audience.

- Speaking of The Butterfly Project (which you should really check out if you haven’t already clicked on the link above!), the Holocaust Museum Houston has a bunch of really wonderful exhibits, but also a relatively new one called, “Whoever Saves a Life … Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust,” which focuses on those who chose to help.

- If you’re in the New York area, stop by the Museum of Jewish Heritage on Sunday for an observance and a chance to talk with survivors.  On Wednesday the museum is hosting “Voices of the Holocaust,” a commemorative concert featuring Paul Schoenfield’s Ghetto Songs, which sets to music the poetry of Mordechai Gebertig.

 - The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC is running an exhibit called, “The Holocaust” through June.  It spans three floors, with over 900 artifacts, and is divided into three parts: “Nazi Assault,” “Final Solution,” and “Last Chapter.”  The museum is also hosting a bunch of really great traveling exhibits, including: “Fighting the Fires of Hate: America and the Nazi Book Burnings,” “Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933 – 1945,” and “Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race.” 

If you’re planning to spend the day in your house, consider reading a book on the Holocaust.  Or, even better, think about sharing a book on the Holocaust with your child (or someone else’s child).  Not to toot our own horn, but JPS publishes Eve Bunting’s Terrible Things, a really excellent allegorical book for kids and adults.

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Muslim Delegation to Auschwitz Promotes Unity and Understanding

Posted by Rachel Feltman in Jewish Knowledge on February 3, 2011

A Photo From The Event (AP)

Last Thursday was the 66th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The notorious death camp, where at least 1.1 million people were murdered over the course of World War II, has become a symbol for the Holocaust as a whole. Many events and trips were planned in memorial of the liberation day, but one stood out as a beautiful message of peace.

On Tuesday, a group of about 150 delegates from Morocco, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, and other nations arrived at Auschwitz to pay their respects. The delegation included many prominent leaders in the Muslim communities of their countries, including Karim Lahidji, the head of the Iranian League of Human Rights. Elan Steinberg, vice president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants, called the gathering “unprecedented”.

The gesture is an important one. Many of these delegates came from countries considered sources of Holocaust denial (often due to one or two loud voices, as is the case with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad), so their decision to travel to Poland for this occasion is a powerful message to the world in support of religious tolerance and interfaith unity.

The trip was mostly organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific  and Cultural Organization, which works to promote worldwide understanding and collaboration. Also in support was the French-based “Aladdin Project”, which is dedicated to strengthening the relationship between Jews and Muslims worldwide.

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Teaching the Holocaust

Posted by admin in Jewish Books, Jewish Knowledge, JPS History on April 9, 2010

Prior to working for JPS, I taught Hebrew School throughout my 4 years in college. I switched grades a few times but stayed within the K-2nd age range. For me, one of the hardest topics to teach students that young was the Holocaust.

When I was younger, facts about the Holocaust were gradually exposed. I probably knew a little more than other kids because my parents told me when I was little that my grandmother was a survivor. She sailed to the US in 1940 from Wuppertal, Germany with her brothers and arrived just a couple weeks before her 6th birthday. I knew she had been adopted because her parents had to stay behind and never made it out. I can’t remember exactly what I learned at what age, but I remember certain books I read before I turned 10 such as A Picture Book of Anne Frank and Terrible Things (coincidently published by JPS), which both used age appropriate descriptions. While one book tells one recount of the Holocaust, the other teaches a lesson about standing up to discrimination. I took both approaches when teaching the Holocaust to my students. I revealed only as much as I thought was appropriate and turned the lesson into how we can deal with discrimination. I was always impressed by the advanced level of their responses. Some of my students knew a lot of specifics and would want to discuss them with the class, but I would have to cut them off and let them share their thoughts with me privately if I felt that the information was more than some of the other students to handle.

While we want to protect the innocence of our children, it’s not as easy as it used to be. Today, kids are exposed to a lot more information than I was as a kid now that the internet is so easily accessible.

In addition, more parents now want their children to be aware of their communities and global issues at a younger age. The situation begs the question: how do we teach our young students about the Holocaust and how much is too much? While this question has been asked so many times and schools have their own Holocaust curriculums, maybe the solution isn’t as rigid as it used to be. How can we as teachers and Jewish educators adapt to the changing trends?

-Jill Finkelstein

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There are many Holocaust Education Centers, museums, and teaching aids for educators, including this one: http://holocausteducationctr.org/ and the clearinghouse for all Holocaust organizations, the AHO: http://www.ahoinfo.org/
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A Literary “Whisper Down the Lane”?

Posted by Sarah in Jewish Books, Jewish Knowledge on October 1, 2009

You’ve probably heard so much about Anne Frank throughout your life that a post on it right now may seem redundant and typical – a Jewish blog writing about one of the most famous nonfiction Jewish books. I get it. And yet, I recently read about a book that analyzes Anne Frank’s diary and its adaptations over time.

How has this well-known account changed as people alter it into movies and stage plays?

According to Francine Prose, author of the new book Anne Frank: the Book, the Life, the Afterlife, the book’s fate following initial publication is just as interesting as the history it portrays. With different parts emphasized, universalized, or downplayed, the overall story of the girl hiding in the annex has changed. And, despite what people think, the book does not necessarily “teach itself.” So what are we supposed to take from it? How do we learn the lessons as the product morphs over time?

Anne Frank - Francine ProseProse’s critique made me think. I remember in eighth grade being assigned this book, and instead of writing papers about it or taking tests, each class was broken into groups and told to perform the book in skit form. We could adapt the book as necessary, with the goal being to maintain the major plot line while being unique (especially since there were probably 20 groups that had to perform the same story!) I have to admit, it wasn’t my favorite assignment. Like the good little nerd that I was, I preferred writing! Not to mention, I have pretty bad stage fright. So, the idea of getting up in front of my entire grade to perform a skit was terrifying. Still, the assignment had been made and I dutifully played my part, fully decked out in a hideously embarrassing flannel nightgown.The Diary of Anne Frank 1959 Movie

As we tried to meet the teachers’ expectations, my group decided to assign each character a stereotypical personality – scholarly, preppy, ditsy, snobby, sporty, and more. Let’s face it. It was middle school and these were the stereotypes each of us encountered everyday. With these personalities in mind, the play took on a comedic mood and earned first place for the assignment. Exciting, right? Of course!

But, that’s the problem.

Anne Frank BookOur skit became more about having fun and getting a good grade than learning the lessons intended. Not to mention, the performance stood out by adding humor to a story that, in reality, isn’t very funny. True, some pieces of Frank’s narrative may invoke humor, but few can argue that the story of a girl hiding from a group committing genocide is funny. So, I can’t help but think of my eighth grade skit and how it fits right into Prose’s look at how society has altered this story. In the end, it begs the question. How far is too far? And, at what point do we lose the essence of the original piece?

-Sarah

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“Terrible Things” taking the nation by storm!

Posted by Naomi in JPS Books, Publishing on May 26, 2009

What do Stephanie Meyer, David Baldacci, Chuck Palahniuk, and the Jewish Publication Society have in common?  Why, they all have books on the Wall Street Journal’s best-sellers list for fiction!

terrible1Yes, you heard me right.  Harry Potter?  Nuh-uh.  Twilight?  Fuggedaboutit.  This season, the hullaballoo is all about Eve Bunting’s illustrated children’s Holocaust allegory, Terrible Things.  First published in 1980, Bunting’s book encourages children to stand up for what they think is right, without waiting for others to join them.  In her brief introduction to the book, Bunting writes, “In Europe, during World War II, many people looked the other way while terrible things happened.  They pretended not to know that their neighbors were being taken away and locked in concentration camps [...] If everyone had stood together at the first sign of evil would this have happened?”  It’s a powerful question, and a difficult one to pose to children in a meaningful and appropriate way.  Yet Bunting’s parable about the “Terrible Things” that come to take away forest animals one by one, until only Little Rabbit is left, does exactly that.  The story brings to mind Martin Niemöller’s famous poem about the dangers of political apathy:

First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.

It’s incredibly difficult to pose painful moral questions to children, and yet it’s also vitally important that we encourage our children to think about these ideas.  That’s why Florida (yes, the state), has recently placed Terrible Things on the 2009-2010 required reading list for its Holocaust education curriculum.  If you’re looking for a sensitive book about the Holocaust for your children, the Wall Street Journal and the state of Florida agree: look no further than Terrible Things.

So here’s to the Wall Street Journal’s best-sellers list!  And here’s to many more JPS books getting on that list – personally, my money’s on A Heart Afire.

-Naomi

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