‘Americans and the Holocaust’ featured at library
Opening night event launches month of programming around historic tragedy
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A dark moment in human history is on full display at the Kokomo Howard County Public Library. It is hosting a traveling exhibit from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the month-long display was introduced to the public through a special event on July 12.
Dozens gathered on the first floor of the library’s main branch to hear about “Americans in the Holocaust” and listen to a performance by the Kokomo Symphony Orchestra. They then traveled upstairs to experience the exhibit itself.
Tricia Shively, project coordinator for the exhibit, explained that the library was one of 50 libraries in the U.S. selected by the Holocaust museum and the American Library Association to host the exhibit.
“’Americans in the Holocaust’ explores four main questions,” said Shively. “What did Americans know? Did Americans help Jewish refugees? Why did America go to war? And how did Americans respond to the Holocaust? We hope that the exhibit provokes new questions and opportunities to reflect upon these questions, both in regard to history and our roles and responsibilities today.
“Questions like, ‘What is the relationship between knowledge and action?’ ‘How do we balance humanitarian concerns with political reality?’ ‘And what are the pressures and motivations that influence individual behavior?’”
Amber Mays, Senior Associate from the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council, gave opening remarks about the importance of the exhibit.
“We gather here to mark the opening of an exhibition that explores one of the darkest chapters in human history,” said Mays. “The Holocaust was a period of unparalleled tragedy and genocide, where six million Jewish men, women and children were systematically murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators.
“But it was not just a Jewish tragedy. Millions of others including Romani people, disabled individuals, political dissidents, and LGBTQ plus individuals were also targeted and subjected to unspeakable acts of violence and persecution. It is a painful reminder of the depths to which humanity can sink when fueled by hatred, bigotry, and indifference.”
Mays explained that the Holocaust is not a relic of the past, nor is it disconnected from the events of today.
“It is a reminder of the potential for evil that resides within humanity; a reminder that even the most civilized and advanced societies can descend into darkness,” said Mays. “It was not an isolated incident, or the result of a few deranged individuals. The Holocaust was a product of a systematic ideology of hate, fueled by prejudice, ignorance, and the manipulation of fear.
“We must also confront the painful reality that, during those dark times, the United States and many other nations turned their backs on those in desperate need of help. Our failure to fully embrace the refugees seeking sanctuary remains a stain on our collective conscience.”
Still, there were some in the U.S. who risked their lives to resist the Holocaust. Their stories are included in the exhibit as well.
“Their stories remind us that even in the darkest of times, acts of kindness and humanity can prevail,” said Mays. “We must acknowledge the past and ensure that the memory of the Holocaust lives on not just as a historical event, but as a powerful reminder of the consequences of indifference in silence.
“It is our duty to remember the victims and to preserve their stories, not only to pay tribute to their lives, but also to inspire future generations to build a more just, inclusive, and compassionate world in a time of rising xenophobia, antisemitism, and other forms of hatred. This exhibition serves as a call to action, a call to stand against prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination wherever we encounter them.”
Anna Maria Shrock, president of the Kokomo Symphonic Board, was on-hand to introduce the musical piece performed by symphony members, but she also had a personal connection to the Holocaust to share.
“If it had not been for the saints, I would not be here,” said Shrock. “My mother was on the third boat that was provided by the Jewish League, the Catholic Society, and the American Quakers. They provided these boats for not only Jewish people, but for people like my family who had been political dissidents and had been targeted by the Nazis.
“Without it, I really don't know what would have happened to my mother. So, it is very important that I am here today.”
A quartet from the symphony performed "Quatuor pour la fin du temps," composed by Olivier Messiaen. Symphony conductor and violinist Jose Valencia explained the reason behind the selection of the piece.
“It was created under extraordinary circumstances,” said Valencia. “Olivier Messiaen was a French prisoner of war in a German camp, and he wrote this with the supplies he was able to scrounge up sparingly in the camp.
“He was inspired spiritually by his religion; he was Catholic. He drew deeply upon his faith as he wrote this piece. He believed strongly that music could serve as a channel for expressing the divine and sought to capture the essence of eternity and spirituality through his music.”
Valencia joined clarinetist Andrea Hoyt, cellist Peter Kim, and Nathan Rule on piano in the performance of the piece. Following the music, the crowd was released to experience the exhibit.
The exhibit will be on display until Aug. 17. There are several programs scheduled over the next month based on the exhibit, and docent-led tours of the exhibit will be held at various times during its stay.
Tonight, July 18, from 6-8 p.m., the library will host second-generation Holocaust survivor Tibor Klopfer at its main branch. Klopfer will detail the atrocities his Hungarian Jewish family members experienced during the Holocaust.
On Wed., July 19, teens can visit the exhibit and then create butterfly suncatchers in honor of the millions of children lost in the Holocaust. This event takes place at the main branch from 2-4 p.m. and does require registration at www.khcpl.org.
On Tue., July 25, Holocaust survivor Esther Davidson and her husband, Ed, will give their personal accounts of the Holocaust at the library’s main branch from 6-8 p.m. And on Mon., July 31, the main library will hold a panel discussion featuring clips from the documentary, “The U.S. and the Holocaust,” by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein from 6-7:30 p.m.
On Tue., Aug. 1, the main library will host Brenda Freedman, a first-generation American whose parents were Holocaust survivors, as she tells her family’s story as well as the story of a family friend who risked their life to liberate survivors.
On Wed., Aug. 2, the main library will host a question-and-answer session with author Steven Alan Carr on his book, “Hollywood, Nazism, and the Holocaust,” from 6-7 p.m. And on Tue., Aug. 8, the main library will host talk with Sharie Fay Fields, whose mother and grandmother were the only Holocaust survivors from her Polish-Jewish family.
On Tue., Aug. 15, the main library will host an event exploring the life and experience of Joseph Rosenbach and his bear, Max, during the Holocaust. The event will run from 6-7 p.m.
For additional information on these events and all of the programming offered by the Kokomo Howard County Public Library, visit www.khcpl.org .