New Books!

Thanks to the generosity of Bob Herschkowitz, we have recently added these wonderful books to our library. Thank you Bob!

Warsaw Ghetto: Het Getto van Warschua

Warsaw Ghetto presents a collection of images from the Warsaw Ghetto. Introduction and descriptions are in both English and German.

[Warsaw Ghetto: Het Getto can Warschua. Parma Press, 2011.]

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The Auschwitz Violin by Maria Àngels Anglada

A violinist in 1991 tells the origin of her violin: a Holocaust victim in Auschwitz is forced to make a violin in a wager for his life.

[Àngels Anglada, Maria. The Auschwitz Violin. London: Corsair, 2010.]

The Holocaust by Bullets by Father Patrick Desbois

Father Desbois’ account of his research and journey to uncover the execution sites of 1.5 million Jews in the Ukraine during the Holocaust.

[Desbois, Father Patrick. The Holocaust by Bullets: A Priest’s Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.]

Masters of Death by Richard Rhodes

Rhodes uncovers the immensity of the Einsatzgruppen’s role in the deaths of 1.5 million people during World War II. He underlines the mental conditioning of the men involved and the surreptitious nature of the program itself.

[Rhodes, Richard. Masters of Death. New York: Vintage, 2002.]

Scum of the Earth by Arthur Koestler

Koestler presents his account of his survival during the Second World War and his own response to the French loss of dedication to resistance during the summer of 1940.

[Koestler, Arthur. Scum of the Earth. London: Eland, 1941.]

The Twentieth Train by Marion Schreiber

Schreiber recounts the ambush of a train destined for Auschwitz by Youra Livchitz, Jean Franklemen, and Robert Maistriau. The three men rescued over 225 Jews from the train, but were in turn put in concentration camps themselves.

[Schreiber, Marion. The Twentieth Train. New York: Grove Press, 2000.]

Treblinka by Jean-Francois Steiner

Steiner brings together his own family’s history, other survivor stories, and his own research to provide this holistic account of the Treblinka death camp.

[Steiner, Jean-Francois. Treblinka. New York: MJF Books, 1966.]

The Alchemy of Loss by Abigail Carter

Carter recalls her attempt to recover from loss of her husband in the September 11^th attach and its impact upon her family.

[Carter, Abigail. The Alchemy of Loss. Toronto: M&S, 2008.]

Winston’s War: Churchill 1940-1945 by Max Hastings

Hastings presents a biographical account of Winston Churchill during the Second World War, emphasizing his dichotomous personality and controversial policies.

[Hastings, Max. Winston’s War: Churchill 1940-1945. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010.]

Pledge Wall: Take Action. Stop the Hate

I will LOVE. I will THINK. I will LEARN. -Kevin Kim

To prevent genocide, I will first try to stop the little things such as racial jokes and stereotypes in our school, then our community, then it will spread hopefully worldwide! But we must start somewhere small to reach somewhere BIG :) -Sally Park

Shan Oglesby's class at Kamiak High School created a "Pledge Wall." Each pledge reads - "Take Action! Stop the Hate! What will you do to prevent genocide?" Fantastic work!

Comcast Newsmakers

Click the text to watch our Director of Education, Ilana Cone Kennedy, on Comcast Newsmakers!

Not in Antwerp

"Stumbling Stones" are memorial markers throughout Europe.  To date, there are more than 35,000 of them in the streets throughout Europe, marking the homes and places of business where Jewish individuals lived or worked until they were forced out by the Nazis.

A Seattle-area survivor from Belgium petitioned to have a stumbling stone installed in Antwerp in memory of his aunt, Elsa Schnabel, a kindergarten teacher, who was deported with her class, and killed in Auschwitz.

The Antwerp Mayor refused these memorials installed in the city of Antwerp, citing that they might make some people uneasy.  (If you can read Flemish, you can read the article here.)

Elsa Schnabel's passport (below)

Deportation list - Elsa is number 503

Stumbling Stones



Summer Intern

Hello! My name is Lauren Berry-Kagan, and I'm a brand new education intern at the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center. I'm an incoming senior at Ingraham High School, and as someone who is genuinely interested in both history and education, I can't wait to get started.

I was placed with WSHERC by the organization Teens In Public Service (TIPS), which employs teens like me in community service with Seattle area non-profits for the summer. It was an honor for me to be accepted into their great program, and I strongly recommend that anyone from age 15-19 check them out.

I'm Not Leaving - Recommended Book

I'm Not Leaving.  By Carl Wilkens.
Rwanda through the eyes of the only American to remain in the country through the 1994 genocide.


To tell the complete story of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda is impossible. Some parts of the story have already been told, and there are still many parts to be told. This book is an attempt to give the world a look at the people living in Kigali during this extraordinarily brutal and violent time, a look through the eyes of a young American who was living there with his wife and small children–a look through my eyes.

While the stories written here happened during the genocide, this book is not about genocide. It is about choices people made, actions people took, courage people showed, and sacrifices people gave in the face of genocide.
- Carl Wilkens

Available to borrow from the Holocaust Center's library (email info@wsherc.org).  Available to purchase from World Outside My Shoes.