By Jennifer Rosenberg,
About.com Guide to 20th Century History
List of Buchenwald Victims Now Online
Tuesday April 13, 2010
Just in time for the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp, the Buchenwald Memorial Foundation created a website to list the confirmed victims of Buchenwald. The website, Die Toten, 1937-1945 ("The Dead, 1937-1945"), contains 38,000 names.
Although, the website is currently only in German, you can still easily find and read the names. In addition to each name, the Memorial has attached a separate page for each person that lists information such as the person's birth and death dates along with their birthplaces. If you are a relative of someone who died at Buchenwald or know someone who is a relative, please contact the the Buchenwald Memorial if you have any additional personal information that they could be added to the website.
The Holocaust Center for Humanity's mission is to inspire teaching and learning for humanity in the schools and communities of the Northwest through study of the Holocaust.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Writing & Art Contest entries currently being judged
This year we received over 750 entries for our Jacob Friedman Holocaust Writing & Art Contest! For each writing and art, there were three age group divisions: 5th & 6th grade, 7th & 8th grade, and high school. The 2010 prompt was:
It's been a busy week at the Holocaust Center as the art contest judges have been assessing the numerous (and excellent!) entries. Every surface available in the office has been covered with beautiful and enlightening illustrations, collages, and photographs. We look forward to announcing the winners of both the writing and art sections later this month!
How would your life be different if people were more respectful and tolerant of each other's differences? How does change begin with you?
It's been a busy week at the Holocaust Center as the art contest judges have been assessing the numerous (and excellent!) entries. Every surface available in the office has been covered with beautiful and enlightening illustrations, collages, and photographs. We look forward to announcing the winners of both the writing and art sections later this month!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Looking for something to watch tonight?
A tip from two of our Board Members, Sharon N. and Cheryl B.:
Don't miss tonight's gripping new documentary WORSE THAN WAR on PBS.
Daniel Jonah Goldhagen makes a convincing case that genocide - the systematic effort to eliminate an entire group perceived of as deserving of death - is even more destructive than armed conflict, and yet often can be prevented. Read more...
Based on Daniel Goldhagen’s book of the same title, WORSE THAN WAR is a personal exploration of the nature of genocide, ethnic cleansing and large-scale mass murder.
Watch the full film online after the premiere at pbs.org/worsethanwar
Don't miss tonight's gripping new documentary WORSE THAN WAR on PBS.
Wednesday, April 14th at 9 p.m. on PBS
(check local listings)
Daniel Jonah Goldhagen makes a convincing case that genocide - the systematic effort to eliminate an entire group perceived of as deserving of death - is even more destructive than armed conflict, and yet often can be prevented. Read more...
Based on Daniel Goldhagen’s book of the same title, WORSE THAN WAR is a personal exploration of the nature of genocide, ethnic cleansing and large-scale mass murder.
Watch the full film online after the premiere at pbs.org/worsethanwar
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Opting In vs. Opting Out
"Opting In" vs. "Opting Out" - The Holocaust Center's Director of Education, Ilana Cone Kennedy, responds to apathy towards the Holocaust and genocide in her article "Opting In." In the "Opinions" section in the JT News.
Click here to find both articles.
Opting in
Ilana Cone Kennedy
Special to JTNews
Why it’s important to humanize and bring awareness of the Holocaust and all genocides
I work at a Holocaust Center. My daily language consists of the most obscene of numbers, concentration camps, death, suffering, and incredible personal miracles.
I am just about to complete my seventh year as the director of education. When I tell people where I work, I am often met with looks of pity or silence, and then a change of subject. “Isn’t that depressing?” is the most frequent question I receive.
Until recently, I would answer that I am inspired daily by the educators with whom I work. The teachers in our schools who teach this subject — a subject that is not required or mandated — are creative, insightful, and motivated. Seven years later I am only more impressed by their efforts and determination.
However, my answer to the question has changed. The gravity of the Holocaust — of any and all genocides — is severe. The depth of human suffering is beyond description. This tragedy did not end in 1945, but continues in the survivors’ memories, in their children, and in new generations of survivors of more recent genocides. As I type this, there are at least four places in the world on the brink of genocide. No one should suffer so extremely at the hands of another person or group of people. No one.
It’s easier for us to turn the other way, to bury ourselves in our own lives, to glance over the headlines without associating the individuals involved. It is easier because we have no explanation for innocent people being persecuted and suffering so greatly — we know it is unjust, we recognize the absurdity of it all, and this is why we can hardly bear to face it.
I am the mother of two young children. When they were born, as everyone warned me it would, my view of the world changed. I think I was always sensitive to people’s feelings, fears, and to the pain and hurt a person experiences at being rejected, put down, disappointed. After having children of my own, the stories of parents hiding their kids, sending them to safety, holding on to them — all of it was too personal.
The fear experienced by children, parents, grandparents, the grappling with the unknown, the efforts to save loved ones, and even the pursuit of joy that occurred in the worst of conditions — all of this becomes part of the world we live in. We wish this was history, but in fact, people around the world continue these experiences on a daily basis.
No, depressing is not the word I would use. Overwhelming, really, is more like it.I love my job. Many people have heard me say it. I work with the most incredible people — survivors, educators, and a staff of the most driven, intelligent, passionate people.
But, there are days I go home and feel overwhelmed by the suffering, pain, hatred, and ignorance that exists in this world. What can I, one person, do? Sometimes I feel hopeless. Still, I like to think that maybe I’m making a microscopic dent. I’m idealistic, I suppose. I try to live honestly by my values, to practice the things that I tell others Holocaust education imparts: To stand up to intolerance, recognize the dangers of stereotyping, be respectful of each other’s differences, know that your words and actions affect those around you…because really, if I can’t do it, how can I expect anyone else to? All I can do is to try to work toward these lofty ideals and hope that maybe others will find it worthwhile to do so too.
On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 11, I am thankful to the survivors for sharing their experiences and for trusting their listeners with their stories. I am thankful to all of those who have made an effort to remember, search for, and hear the stories of those that did not survive. On this day, we must not simply remember, we must feel, and we must act.
Read this article and/or another viewpoint "Opting Out" - click here.
Click here to find both articles.
Opting in
Ilana Cone Kennedy
Special to JTNews
Why it’s important to humanize and bring awareness of the Holocaust and all genocides
I work at a Holocaust Center. My daily language consists of the most obscene of numbers, concentration camps, death, suffering, and incredible personal miracles.
I am just about to complete my seventh year as the director of education. When I tell people where I work, I am often met with looks of pity or silence, and then a change of subject. “Isn’t that depressing?” is the most frequent question I receive.
Until recently, I would answer that I am inspired daily by the educators with whom I work. The teachers in our schools who teach this subject — a subject that is not required or mandated — are creative, insightful, and motivated. Seven years later I am only more impressed by their efforts and determination.
However, my answer to the question has changed. The gravity of the Holocaust — of any and all genocides — is severe. The depth of human suffering is beyond description. This tragedy did not end in 1945, but continues in the survivors’ memories, in their children, and in new generations of survivors of more recent genocides. As I type this, there are at least four places in the world on the brink of genocide. No one should suffer so extremely at the hands of another person or group of people. No one.
It’s easier for us to turn the other way, to bury ourselves in our own lives, to glance over the headlines without associating the individuals involved. It is easier because we have no explanation for innocent people being persecuted and suffering so greatly — we know it is unjust, we recognize the absurdity of it all, and this is why we can hardly bear to face it.
I am the mother of two young children. When they were born, as everyone warned me it would, my view of the world changed. I think I was always sensitive to people’s feelings, fears, and to the pain and hurt a person experiences at being rejected, put down, disappointed. After having children of my own, the stories of parents hiding their kids, sending them to safety, holding on to them — all of it was too personal.
The fear experienced by children, parents, grandparents, the grappling with the unknown, the efforts to save loved ones, and even the pursuit of joy that occurred in the worst of conditions — all of this becomes part of the world we live in. We wish this was history, but in fact, people around the world continue these experiences on a daily basis.
No, depressing is not the word I would use. Overwhelming, really, is more like it.I love my job. Many people have heard me say it. I work with the most incredible people — survivors, educators, and a staff of the most driven, intelligent, passionate people.
But, there are days I go home and feel overwhelmed by the suffering, pain, hatred, and ignorance that exists in this world. What can I, one person, do? Sometimes I feel hopeless. Still, I like to think that maybe I’m making a microscopic dent. I’m idealistic, I suppose. I try to live honestly by my values, to practice the things that I tell others Holocaust education imparts: To stand up to intolerance, recognize the dangers of stereotyping, be respectful of each other’s differences, know that your words and actions affect those around you…because really, if I can’t do it, how can I expect anyone else to? All I can do is to try to work toward these lofty ideals and hope that maybe others will find it worthwhile to do so too.
On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 11, I am thankful to the survivors for sharing their experiences and for trusting their listeners with their stories. I am thankful to all of those who have made an effort to remember, search for, and hear the stories of those that did not survive. On this day, we must not simply remember, we must feel, and we must act.
Read this article and/or another viewpoint "Opting Out" - click here.
Monday, April 12, 2010
WSHERC exhibit is traveling to...Pennsylvania!
The Holocaust Center's six-panel traveling exhibit, "Stories Among Us: Washington State Connections to the Holocaust," will be traveling to Albright College tomorrow. Albright College is in Reading, PA and the exhibit will be hosted by their Holocaust Resource Center. "Stories Among Us" will be on display in their main library from April 21st until May 10th.To find out more about the Holocaust Center's traveling exhibits, click here.
Stories of Local Survivors: Frieda S.
In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Week, we will be posting a links to stories of local (Washington State) Holocaust survivors.
Frieda S.
Frieda is standing just to the left of the instructor in the middle of the photo. She is wearing a white shirt.
Why are corners of this photo cut out? Click here to find out about this photo.
~ ~ ~
In 1933, the Nazi party was elected in Germany and Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor. Hitler and the Nazi party quickly put into practice their belief that Germans were “racially superior.” Jewish people were not only defined as “inferior,” but became the primary target for Nazi hatred.
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and World War II began. By the end of that same year, Nazi forces occupied Czechoslovakia. For the next 5 years, Nazi forces occupied country after country in Europe.
In 1943, at the age of 14, Frieda was deported to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in her native country of Czechoslovakia, because she was a “mischling” – half Jewish. Frieda’s mother was not Jewish, but her father was. Against the odds, Frieda survived the Holocaust in Theresienstadt.
"After the war people told me I was lucky to have been sent to Theresienstadt. It was the model camp. Intellectuals, artists and individuals who might someday provide something to the Reich were sent to Theresienstadt. I was sent to Theresienstadt because I was a “Mischling” (half Jewish). I didn’t feel lucky..." Read more of Frieda's story.
Frieda is a member of the Holocaust Center's speakers bureau.
Frieda S.
Frieda is standing just to the left of the instructor in the middle of the photo. She is wearing a white shirt.
Why are corners of this photo cut out? Click here to find out about this photo.
~ ~ ~
In 1933, the Nazi party was elected in Germany and Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor. Hitler and the Nazi party quickly put into practice their belief that Germans were “racially superior.” Jewish people were not only defined as “inferior,” but became the primary target for Nazi hatred.
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and World War II began. By the end of that same year, Nazi forces occupied Czechoslovakia. For the next 5 years, Nazi forces occupied country after country in Europe.
In 1943, at the age of 14, Frieda was deported to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in her native country of Czechoslovakia, because she was a “mischling” – half Jewish. Frieda’s mother was not Jewish, but her father was. Against the odds, Frieda survived the Holocaust in Theresienstadt.
"After the war people told me I was lucky to have been sent to Theresienstadt. It was the model camp. Intellectuals, artists and individuals who might someday provide something to the Reich were sent to Theresienstadt. I was sent to Theresienstadt because I was a “Mischling” (half Jewish). I didn’t feel lucky..." Read more of Frieda's story.
Frieda is a member of the Holocaust Center's speakers bureau.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
What groups were targeted by the Nazis & their collaborators?
In the week leading up to Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) the Holocaust Center is posting challange questions and discussion topics on Facebook. Join the discussion here or on Facebook.
Today's question:
While Jewish people were the primary target for destruction by the Nazis and their collaborators during the Holocaust, other groups were targeted as well for racial or political reasons. Can you identify one or more of these groups of victims?
Answers:
Poles
Roma/Sinti (Gypsies)
Homosexuals
Handicapped
Jehovah's Witnesses
More details on these victims groups and others who were persecuted click here.
Want more information on Nazi ideology and the reason the Nazis determined these groups "enemies" and "undesirable" - click here.
Today's question:
While Jewish people were the primary target for destruction by the Nazis and their collaborators during the Holocaust, other groups were targeted as well for racial or political reasons. Can you identify one or more of these groups of victims?
Answers:
Poles
Roma/Sinti (Gypsies)
Homosexuals
Handicapped
Jehovah's Witnesses
More details on these victims groups and others who were persecuted click here.
Want more information on Nazi ideology and the reason the Nazis determined these groups "enemies" and "undesirable" - click here.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
YOU are invited...
Yom Hashoah
Holocaust Remembrance Day—Community Commemoration
Sunday, April 11, 2010
1:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center,
Holocaust Remembrance Day—Community Commemoration
Sunday, April 11, 2010
1:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center,
3801 East Mercer Way, Mercer Island
From Generation to Generation
L'Dor V'Dor
1:00 - Moments of Reflection and Reading of the Names
Remember those who perished at the Holocaust Memorial.
1:30 - Kaddish
Event Emcee: Marcie Sillman, KUOW
Join us inside the SJCC to say Kaddish and listen to musical selections from Temple Beth Am’s choir.
2:00 - “How the past leads us forward”
A panel of children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors.
2:45 - “Voices of Hope”
An inspiring play focusing on the Holocaust by SJCC Center Stage, directed by Daniel Alpern.
Also available during the day:
Holocaust Center resources of interest to continuing generations.
Be a Part of the Butterfly Project! Make butterflies in memory of the children of the Holocaust. The butterflies will be sent to the Theresienstadt Museum in the Czech Republic.
Free and open to the public. NO RSVP required. Please call the Holocaust Center at 206-774-2201 or email info@wsherc.org for more information.
Holocaust Center offers programs in the Tri-Cities
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On March 18 and 19 the Holocaust Center offered two programs in the Tri-Cities area.
"Stories from a Holocaust Survivor - Frieda S." and "Creating Change: Teaching about the Holocaust and Genocide."
Almost 300 individuals from the community came out on a Thursday evening to hear Frieda share her experiences.
The following day, 35 teachers from around the region attended the intensive all-day teacher seminar. Sessions included: an overview of the Holocaust, rescue and resistance, camps and ghettos, and a special presenation by Dr. John Roth "Situating the Holocaust in a Genocidal World."
The Holocaust Center sincerely thanks the Red Lion Hotel for their sponsorship. Thank you also to the Shemanksi Foundations, the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, and the Claims Conference for generous funding to make these programs possible. And of course, a big thank you to Jennifer Gilliland and Kiona Benton-City High School for hosting these programs and presenters Brad Veile, Stephen Pagaard, and Dr. John Roth.
See more photos on our Facebook page!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Giving Lessons in Social Justice
Literature teacher Linda McGowen wants students to see what they read is often more than a story - she invited Holocaust survivor Tom L to her classroom.Debbie Cafazzo / News Tribute
Published 03/11/10 8:19 am
Talking about the Holocaust is hard, emotional work, says teacher Lisa McGowan. But she believes it’s important work.
That’s why she devotes about a month of every school year to exploring the historic tragedy through literature with her sophomore English students at Tacoma Baptist High School. She also helps students understand how what happened during the 1940s relates to their world today.
“These kids are the last generation who will be able to hear the (survivor) stories firsthand,” McGowan said.
In time, all the survivors of the Nazi concentration camps will die. Then, only the young people who have heard or read their stories will be left to remember.
McGowan’s sophomores read “Night,” the haunting memoir by Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel. They learn about propaganda and stereotyping, how the Nazis employed the techniques, and how the techniques appear in modern media. They produce art projects that relate to themes from the Holocaust. They write essays and submit them to a scholarship contest.
McGowan said growing up as a white girl on the Colville reservation in Eastern Washington helped shape her views on the importance of teaching teens literature that focuses on social justice.
Although she spends a lot of time on the Holocaust, she also has her students read other works that explore inequities throughout world history. Read article...
Thomas Blatt, Holocaust Survivor, Speaks to Students in Coeur d'Alene
Holocaust Survivor Shares His Story
By David Cole/Coeur d'Alene Press
COEUR d'ALENE -An 82-year-old Holocaust survivor who escaped the grip of a Nazi German extermination camp in 1943 told students Friday at Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy he speaks out about his experiences to tell the world what happened.
"When you come face to face with a survivor, history comes alive," Thomas "Toivi" Blatt told students. The school has 550 students in grades six through 12.
"Having been born into the wrong religion was a deadly sin," Blatt said.
Blatt participated in the revolt at the extermination camp Sobibor, which was located near the present-day eastern border of Poland. The camp had gas chambers and was sited near a railway line in a wooded, and thinly populated area, he said.
He broke out of Sobibor during the prisoner revolt in October 1943, when there were about 600 prisoners in the camp. Approximately 300 prisoners escaped during the revolt, as they killed guards, cut through barbed wire, and ran through the minefield surrounding the camp, he said.
Many were killed by guards, gunmen perched in towers on the compound, and land mines.
Blatt, as he sought freedom, was betrayed by a farmer who had hid him for a time, shooting the boy in the face. The bullet remains lodged in Blatt's jaw to this day, he said.
Blatt was 15 years old when he arrived at the camp, and was there for six months, he said. Today, Blatt lives in Santa Barbara, Calif.
He told the students to "accept, understand other groups," regardless of their religion, race or other differences.
In difficult times, he said, "Don't look on someone else to blame." ...Read complete article
From the Ashes of Sobibor - Thomas Blatt's Memoir
(available to borrow from the Holocaust Center's library and included in the High School Teaching Trunks)
By David Cole/Coeur d'Alene Press
COEUR d'ALENE -An 82-year-old Holocaust survivor who escaped the grip of a Nazi German extermination camp in 1943 told students Friday at Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy he speaks out about his experiences to tell the world what happened.
"When you come face to face with a survivor, history comes alive," Thomas "Toivi" Blatt told students. The school has 550 students in grades six through 12.
"Having been born into the wrong religion was a deadly sin," Blatt said.
Blatt participated in the revolt at the extermination camp Sobibor, which was located near the present-day eastern border of Poland. The camp had gas chambers and was sited near a railway line in a wooded, and thinly populated area, he said.
He broke out of Sobibor during the prisoner revolt in October 1943, when there were about 600 prisoners in the camp. Approximately 300 prisoners escaped during the revolt, as they killed guards, cut through barbed wire, and ran through the minefield surrounding the camp, he said.
Many were killed by guards, gunmen perched in towers on the compound, and land mines.
Blatt, as he sought freedom, was betrayed by a farmer who had hid him for a time, shooting the boy in the face. The bullet remains lodged in Blatt's jaw to this day, he said.
Blatt was 15 years old when he arrived at the camp, and was there for six months, he said. Today, Blatt lives in Santa Barbara, Calif.
He told the students to "accept, understand other groups," regardless of their religion, race or other differences.
In difficult times, he said, "Don't look on someone else to blame." ...Read complete article
From the Ashes of Sobibor - Thomas Blatt's Memoir
(available to borrow from the Holocaust Center's library and included in the High School Teaching Trunks)
Monday, March 1, 2010
Roma/Sinti (Gypsies) during the Holocaust and in Today's World
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Morgan Ahern, Founder of Lolo Diklo/Red Bandanna: Roma Against Racism – an organization with a mission to make people aware of the real lives and history of the Roma/Sinti people - spoke to a group of educators last week at the Holocaust Center. The presentation was offered for the Holocaust Center's Education Advisory Committee and as a followup for participants of the Holocaust Center's recent teacher seminar in January.Morgan Ahern’s grandmother, Jenneroze, and her extended family lived in Europe when the Nazi party came to power. As Nazi domination spread, Jenneroze began to plan a safety route for her family. But no countries were accepting “Gypsy” refugees...
The Roma/Sinti people, “Gypsies” as they are commonly called, left their native India circa 1000. Since their arrival in Europe in the 1300s, they have faced discrimination and prejudice. In Romanes (the language spoken by Roma) the Holocaust is called Porrajmos, which means “The Great Devouring.” Approximately 60% of Europe’s Roma/Sinti were murdered under the Third Reich. Morgan will speak about her family’s experience as Roma/Sinti during the Holocaust and the continued persecution of the Roma/Sinti people both in the United States and in Europe today.
In 2008, Morgan Ahern contributed to the Holocaust Center’s series “Stories Among Us: Personal Accounts of Genocide” which was published in the Seattle Times in partnership with the Newspapers In Education (NIE) Program. Read "Morgan's Story" from the "Stories Among Us" NIE series.
For more information about the Romani people, or for a list of movies and websites please visit
The Lolo Diklo blog at http://lolodiklo.blogspot.com/.
The Lolo Diklo blog at http://lolodiklo.blogspot.com/.
Morgan is a member of the Holocaust Center's Speakers Bureau.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
One of the newest members of the Holocaust Center's Speakers Bureau - George B.
Everett Herald
By Julie Muhlstein
George Beykovsky came to Snohomish County by way of Ecuador, but his story is neither of here nor there.
The 78-year-old Everett man is a Holocaust survivor.He never spent time in a concentration camp, but his family's flight from Slovakia in 1939 is one example of how the diaspora of Jews during World War II affected countless people.
While researching his family's history, he has tracked down and contacted relatives in Canada, in Great Britain, and many in Israel.
“They all scattered,” he said.
It's a story Beykovsky has only been telling since the 2006 shootings at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. After gunman Naveed Afzal Haq's rampage injured several people and killed one woman, Beykovsky decided to make a donation to the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center....Read complete article
Monday, February 22, 2010
Thank you Red Lion Hotels!
A giant thank you to Red Lion Hotels for their incredible support of Holocaust and genocide education and teacher training in the state of Washington!Special thanks to:
Todd Thoreson, Regional Vice President of Hotel Operations, Red Lion Hotels Corporation
Jan Simon Aridj, President and CEO, Washington State Hotel & Lodging Association
Ian Napier, General Manager, Red Lion Hotels, Kennewick and Richland
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Hester K., Holocaust Survivor, Speaks to Students at Lake Washington Girls Middle School
My girlfriend was my first rescuer. She was all of 15 years old. I will always remember her courage.- Hester K. was 13 years old when her hometown in Holland was occupied by the Nazis in 1942.
(Photo: Hester, back row in the middle in a blue sweater, at Lake Washington Girls Middle School)
Yesterday Hester spoke to Lindsey Mutschler's students at Lake Washington Girls Middle School in Seattle.
Ms. Mutschler arranges for a survivor from the Holocaust Center's Speakers Bureau to come and speak to her students each year. This year they also used a Holocaust teaching trunk and plan to (again) participate in the Holocaust Center's Writing and Art Contest. (Each year LWGMS has seen an overwhelming number of winning entries.)
The Holocaust Center thanks Ms. Lindsey Mutschler and the LWGMS for their incredible work and commitment to Holocaust and genocide education.
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