Spring 2007
Transcription
Spring 2007
SPRING/SUMMER 2007 I N SIDE T HIS ISSUE Survivor Archive Project Will Preserve Critical Eyewitness Testimonies and Documents Executive Director’s Message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 President’s Message. . . . . 3 holocaust teaching cadre . . . . . . . . . . 4 holocaust history and resources for educators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 schools served . . . . . . . . . 5 nazi olympics berlin 1936 DOCENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Member lisT. . . . . . . . . . 6 & 7 Divide, conquer and Murder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Holocaust remembrance day AND the tragedy of slovak jews . . . . . . . . . . 8 MCHE Exhibits: The warsaw Ghetto and Portrait 2000 . . . . . . . 9 YOM HASHOAH: THE COMMUNITY REMEMBERS. . . 9 oscar and the holocaust. . . . . . . . 10 Book Project receives assistance from mche. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 mche Newsletter receives first-place honors . . . . 12 In the 14 years since its creation, the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education has amassed a wealth of material of historical, personal and spiritual significance based on written and audiotaped reminiscences of many of the 200-plus Holocaust refugees and survivors who came to call Greater Kansas City their home. All of these materials are part of MCHE’s Witnesses to the Holocaust Archive, the first stages of which have been funded by generous grants from the Conference on Material Claims against Germany and the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City. Included in this archive are • Videotaped interviews conducted in 1993-94 of 48 refugees and survivors, focusing on their experiences during the Holocaust. • Fifty audiotaped interviews conducted for Portrait 2000, focusing on refugee and survivor experiences before the Holocaust and after arrival in the United States. • Written and audiotaped reminiscences of 66 individuals written in 2003 for a keepsake journal commemorating MCHE’s 10th anniversary. • Papers and memorabilia relating to the New Americans Club, donated by Jack Igielnik (of blessed memory), one of the club’s founders. MCHE is also surveying local survivors and refugees about their post-immigration experiences to augment these resources and to create a comprehensive demographic picture of this important segment of our community. To date, 50 individuals have completed questionnaires. Continued on Page 11 Children of Survivors Second Generation Speakers Keep Stories and Lessons Alive For more than a decade, MCHE has relied upon local Holocaust survivors to share their experiences with area students, originally through classroom presentations and, more recently, through I Witness programs held at the Jewish Community Campus. Concurrently, we have prepared for the inevitable time when survivor-speakers can no longer share their stories and messages. This year, due to increasing demand from teachers coupled with declining numbers of survivor-speakers, MCHE made the difficult decision to conclude the I Witness program and limit requests of survivors only to community talks. Continued on Page 11 Jessica Rockhold, MCHE school outreach coordinator (far left), assisted second generation members Regina Kort, Evy Tilzer, Matilda Rosenberg and Harold Edelbaum in preparing classroom presentations. 1 M C H E S TAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Adapted from remarks given at MCHE’s annual meeting, January 16, 2007. The Olympic Foundation of Our Work Reflecting on the past year, I cannot help but view MCHE’s accomplishments and challenges through the lens of the Olympic rings, identifying, not surprisingly, five components that comprise the foundation of our work. Standing: Dana Smith and Jessica Rockhold. Seated: Gay Ramsey and Fran Sternberg. Dana Smith Administrative Assistant 913-327-8192/assist@mchekc.org Dana joined the MCHE staff one year ago. Her role includes reception, data entry, clerical support, internal accounting and processing donations. Jessica Rockhold School Outreach Coordinator 913-327-8195/schools@mchekc.org Now in her fourth year with MCHE, Jessica designs curricula, facilitates teacher enrichment and school programs and serves as liaison to the Isak Federman Holocaust Teaching Cadre. Gay Ramsey Evening Resource Assistant resource@mchekc.org Gay teaches at Trailridge Middle School in Shawnee Mission and is a member of MCHE’s teaching cadre. Since 1997, she has staffed the resource center one evening per week, cataloguing materials and managing our traveling resource chests. Fran Sternberg Program Associate and Historian 913-327-8194/program@mchekc.org Fran has been with MCHE since 1998. She supervises The Memory Project, HEART, development of our Witness Archive, and a variety of community programs including Yom HaShoah. 2 VISION MCHE has been blessed with wise, compassionate leaders, diverse in background and committed to communicating the lessons this history holds for us today. The vision of our founders—countering ignorance and bigotry with education and understanding— continues to drive our work. Current racism, contemporary genocides and institutionalized extremism demand rededication by each of us to raising awareness of the Holocaust, engaging community leaders in discussions of its ongoing relevance and in the creation of specific action plans. This year, MCHE’s board will re-visit our mission statement and strategic plan to develop steps that specifically address these needs. EDUCATION “If we educate, we will remember” is a basic tenet of MCHE. Over 14 years, we have reached nearly a quarter of a million young people and adults through student programs, classroom resources, teacher enrichment, special lectures and exhibits. Online resources, including curriculum units developed by our teaching cadre, create a seamless global network. Teachers continue to see the importance of this history. They realize its relevance and know the danger of forgetting. It is MCHE’s job to provide them with tools to assure the accurate and effective transmission of information and to help them connect this history to their students’ lives. COMMUNITY At MCHE, we have learned that it truly “takes a village.” In 2006, our “Olympic Village” reflected years of establishing relationships with outstanding community partners. Through the Association of Holocaust Organizations, an international body for which I serve as MCHE executive director Jean Zeldin models a Kansas City Monarchs cap and jersey, donated as a door prize by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum for the annual meeting. treasurer of the board, we have also developed a worldwide network of professional consultants, educators and scholars who have helped guide and enrich the work of MCHE. TRANSITION On a Starbucks coffee cup, I found the following quote by jazz composer and musician Dave Grusin: “In my career, I’ve found that ‘thinking outside the box’ works better if I know what’s ‘inside the box.’ In music (as in life) we need to understand our pertinent history…and moving on is so much easier once we know where we’ve been.” Transmission of memory continues to be a top priority for MCHE. We have done much to preserve what is “inside the box” and to think “outside the box” in creating unique educational resources and delivery systems, including videotaped survivor testimonies, our coffee-table book From the Heart, Mosaic of Memories and writings from The Memory Project. VIABILITY Being viable is to be worth doing, to have the potential for growth. It is the ring that both emanates from and supports the other four. Without it, vision, education, community and transition are no more than good ideas. Viability requires wise leadership, capable professionals, broad-based involvement and generous donor investment. Like the Olympic rings, the five pieces of the MCHE model are both intertwined and interdependent. They guide our mission, they shape our message, and they inspire our belief that, as cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead so aptly put it: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” president’S MESSAGE The Privilege of Leadership What an absolute privilege it is for me to be chosen to serve as president of MCHE. I am honored to join the ranks of outstanding community leaders who have preceded me— Jack Mandelbaum and Isak Federman, Art Federman, Karen Herman, Colleen Ligibel, Blanche Sosland and Bill Kort. I look forward to working with our incredible and diverse new board, our community of survivors, with my good friend Jean Zeldin, and with the dedicated MCHE staff. Annual meeting participants elected and installed new officers on the MCHE board of directors: Gayle Krigel, president, Cathy Blake, vice president - education, Steve Flekier, treasurer, Evy Tilzer, secretary, and Mark Adams, vice president - administration. Not pictured: Steve Chick, vice president fund development, and Carol Sader, vice president community relations. To Jack and Isak and our entire community of Holocaust survivors, I think of MCHE as your child, an amazing organization that you have nurtured and grown over the last 14 years and now entrust to my leadership. This is an awesome responsibility and one I take very seriously. Since 1996, when I was first invited to join the MCHE Board of Governors, I have recognized the importance of our mission and, increasingly, am reminded of its relevance today. We say “never again,” but as we all know, the Holocaust was not the end of the systematic murder of people for racial, political or religious beliefs. In Rwanda, Bosnia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Iran and even RIGHT NOW in Ethiopia and the Sudan, we are witnessing the destruction of life and massive displacement of entire peoples. In the midst of contemporary genocides, racism and even Holocaust denial and as we increasingly depend on our second and third generations to help us tell the story of the Holocaust, our job is becoming even more important. How fitting Gayle Krigel that over the next year, we have been charged with revisiting our mission to ensure that it clearly and succinctly articulates our purpose. Under Bill Kort’s leadership, we connected to our community by partnering with the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to present The Nazi Olympics exhibit. I am anxious to look for more ways to partner with these and other outstanding organizations in our generous Kansas City community. I look forward to drawing upon my community connections to ensure that we continue to perpetuate our mission to further understanding, compassion, mutual respect and inclusiveness for generations to come. MCHE leadership 2007 President Gayle P. Krigel Immediate Past President William B. Kort Vice Presidents Mark P. Adams Cathy Blake Steve Chick Carol H. Sader Secretary Evy Tilzer Treasurer Steve Flekier Directors Emeriti Maria Devinki Isak Federman Jack Mandelbaum Directors Alice Jacks Achtenberg • Carol Barnett Sarah Beren • Gail Cluen Peggy G. Davis • Sam M. Devinki Hon. Arthur B. Federman Gloria Baker Feinstein Susan L. Goldsmith • Clara Grossman G. Richard Hastings • Karen M. Herman Joyce E. Hess • Barbra Porter Hill Rev. Robert L. Hill • Lynn C. Hoover Mamie Currie Hughes Milton S. Katz, Ph.D. • Paul Lerner Colleen M. Ligibel • Rosemary Nochlin Elaine Polsky • Jeffrey D. Rosen Blanche E. Sosland, Ph.D. • David Sosland Barbara Unell • David Vittor Governors Gayle Krigel accepts the “torch” from outgoing president Bill Kort. MCHE’s growth has been nourished through the years by its dedicated survivor community, committed boards of directors, conscientious staff members and diverse and generous community leaders. As this newsletter reaches you, MCHE will mark its fourteenth birthday. The Hebrew word for hand is yad and carries the numerical value of 14. My pledge to survivors, their families and our entire membership is that I will lead MCHE with love and caring, hand in hand, together with you, as one. James M. Ash • Eliot S. Berkley, Ph.D. Pati Chasnoff • Kathleen Boyle Dalen, Psy.D. Katherine DeBruce • Estelle Edelbaum Regina Ellis • Trudi Galblum Gail Gutovitz • Hannah Harris Lloyd Hellman • Stephanie Herman Elizabeth Hjalmarson • Judy G. Jacobs, Ph.D. Stephanie Kavanaugh • Carla Klausner, Ph.D. Jason Kort • Polly Kramer Susan Bernstein Luetje • James Maidhof Rev. Frances B. Manson, D. Div. Benjamin Meade, Ph.D. Felicia Medellin • Cordell D. Meeks, III Debbie Minkin • Alana Muller Jeffrey W. Myers, Ph.D. • Alice J. Munninghoff Sharon Pase • Susan Pentlin, Ph.D. Stevie Pessin • Vicki Reisler Lorraine Stiffelman •Michael Wunsch Karl Zobrist 3 MCHE T E AC H I N G C A D R E Cathy Blake Yeokum Middle School (retired) Jeff Benes, St. Elizabeth School Jenny Buchanan Lee’s Summit North High School Rebecca Dalton Blue Valley North High School Janice Fullerton South Junior High School (Lawrence) Ronda Hassig Harmony Middle School Kimberly Klein Curé of Ars Catholic School Laurel Maslowski North Kansas City High School Arvel McElroy Olathe South High School Dianne O’Bryan Blue Valley High School Laura Patton Indian Woods Middle School Gay Ramsey, Trailridge Middle School Jean Ruhl, St. Regis School Penny Selle, Notre Dame de Sion Tracy Twells-Baker Pleasant Lea Middle School Meredith Williams Park Hill South High School v W H AT PA RT I C I PA N T S A R E S AY I N G Excellent!! Great ideas to use in the classroom and the “presenters” had such a passion for what they did. I really liked learning about the suggested guidelines for teaching the Holocaust. It made me realize what a professional job had been done to carry this important message. I am much better prepared to teach the Holocaust now because I have a richer background. THANKS for making me a better citizen in the world! Good class! 4 Holocaust Teaching Cadre P r o j ects E x pa nd M C H E E duc ati o n a l Outre a ch Four new projects in the works by the Isak Federman Holocaust Teaching Cadre will expand MCHE’s educational outreach: • Adult Audiences Presentation— Beginning this fall, churches, synagogues, sororities, service organizations and other groups will be able to call on MCHE to give this historical presentation. • Adult Book Circle Materials— The cadre is preparing materials to facilitate adult book circles. Cadre members will be available to lead book circle discussions in keeping with principles of Holocaust education. Their initial work is based on All But My Life by Gerda Weissman Klein. • Presentation for Pre-Service Teachers— By discussing this history and recommended teaching methods before teachers enter the profession, MCHE hopes to inspire and equip future educators with both the desire to share this history with their students as well as the important knowledge and methodology to teach it effectively and to meet state education standards. • Core Concepts of Holocaust History in Film— The final project is undertaking the important task of identifying specific film clips from MCHE’s vast video collection that illustrate core concepts of Holocaust history. By identifying and teaching from these clips, MCHE will enable educators to more effectively utilize these resources. For more information about the Isak Federman Holocaust Teaching Cadre and its projects, please visit www.mchekc.org. Cadre members are expanding MCHE’s educational outreach through new projects. Pictured here are Kimberly Klein, Jeff Benes, Laura Patton and Penny Selle. Holocaust History and Resources for Educators M C H E R epe ats P o pu l a r C o ntent C o urse MCHE will offer its popular chronological survey course of Holocaust history with emphasis on the evolution of Nazi policy again this summer, July 17-19, through Ottawa University. Taught by MCHE school outreach coordinator Jessica Rockhold with the assistance of the Isak Federman Holocaust Teaching Cadre and with content-based presentations and readings, the course will enable participants to experience crosscurricular teaching techniques appropriate to Holocaust education, become familiar with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s “Guidelines for Teaching the Holocaust” and gain hands-on practice with primary source analysis. Teachers will leave this three graduate credit-hour course with increased personal knowledge of Holocaust history, practical classroom activities and familiarity with ageappropriate resources, including recorded testimonies by local Holocaust survivors. Content and activities are appropriate for junior high, middle school and high school educators ONLY. Complete information, including registration and enrollment through Ottawa University, is available at http://www.ottawa. edu/kcpep. Please refer all enrollment questions to Ottawa and all content questions to Jessica Rockhold at 913-327-8195 or schools@mchekc.org. Schools Served In 2006, these schools and student groups participated in MCHE programs, including speakers bureau presentations, tours of THE Nazi Olympics Berlin 1936, White Rose Student Essay Contest, resource center and teacher education. Hundreds more received our newsletter, and countless others accessed curriculum units and links to other resources through www.mchekc.org. Academie Lafayette, KCMO Anderson County High School, Garnett, KS Andover Central MS, Andover, KS Anthony Middle School Manhattan, KS Antioch Middle School, Shawnee Mission Axtell High School, Axtell, KS Baptiste Day School, KCMO Belton High School Bentwood Elementary, Olathe, KS Blue Springs High School Blue Springs South High School Blue Valley North High School Bonjour Elementary, Shawnee Mission Boys and Girls Club, KCMO Campus High School, Wichita, KS Center High School, KCMO Center Middle School, KCMO Central Middle School, KCKS Chillicothe Middle School Christ the King, KCMO Clarke African-Centered Middle School, KCMO Curé of Ars Catholic School, Prairie Village, KS Eisenhower MS, KCKS Eudora Middle School Everest Middle School Excelsior Springs High School Grandview Alternative High School Grandview Christian School Harmony Middle School, Blue Valley Hayden High School, Topeka, KS Heartland High School, Belton, MO Hickman High School, Columbia, MO Hickman Mills High School Horton High School Hutchinson High School Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, Overland Park, KS Indian Trails Middle School, Olathe Indian Woods Middle School, Shawnee Mission Jefferson Junior High School, Columbia, MO Kansas City, KS Social Studies Dept KCMO-St. Joseph Archdiocese Lakeview Middle School, Park Hill Barbra Porter Hill (right) presents checks for $3,711 each to Bob Kendrick, marketing director, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (left), and Demetria Jones, director of collections and exhibitions,American Jazz Museum (center).The total represents 10 percent of net proceeds from Opening Ceremonies. Lansing High School Leavenworth High School Lee’s Summit North High School Liberty High School Lincoln Academy, KCMO Lone Jack High School Louisburg High School Marantha Academy, Shawnee, KS Nativity of Mary School, Independence, MO Notre Dame de Sion High School, KCMO North Kansas City High School Oak Park High School, North KC O’Hara High School, KCMO Orrick High School Ottawa High School Park Hill High School Park Hill South High School Paseo Academy, KCMO Pembroke Hill School, KCMO Pleasant Lea Middle School, Lee’s Summit, MO Queen of the Holy Rosary, Overland Park, KS Raymore-Peculiar High School Rockhurst High School, KCMO Santa Fe High School, Alma, MO Scuola Vita Nuova, KCMO Shawnee Mission South High School South Brown County, Everest, KS South Junior High, Lawrence, KS South Valley Junior High School, Liberty Spring Hill High School St. Elizabeth School, KCMO St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School, KCMO St. Peters Catholic School, KCMO St. Regis School, KCMO Sunflower Elementary, Shawnee Mission Trailridge Middle School, Shawnee Mission Turner High School, KCKS University Academy, KCMO Van Horn High School, KCMO West Junior High, Columbia, MO Westridge Middle School, Shawnee Mission Wyandotte High School, KCKS Yeokum Middle School, Belton, MO At MCHE’s annual meeting, Nazi Olympics exhibit co-chair Barbra Porter Hill presented docent scheduling chair Stevie Pessin with a framed poster commemorating MCHE’s sponsorship of THE NAZI OLYMPICS Berlin 1936. T H E N AZ I OLY M P I C S Berlin 1936 Docents Make a Difference Thank you to our caring, dedicated docents for THE NAZI OLYMPICS Berlin 1936. You helped us convey the story of the 1936 Berlin Olympics and all that this history teaches us about the importance of standing up against bigotry and racism. Harold Asner • Cathy Blake Stevie Brick • Bonnie Buchbinder Robin Carr • Shelly Cline Linda Cohen • Peggy Davis Verna Douglas • Pam Feingold Sally Friedman • Mary Fry Cheryl Gold • Ike Graham Shirley Greenlee • Gail Gutovitz Dotty Hamilton • Norma Harper Lloyd Hellman • Tom Hennefer Karen Herman • Stephanie Herman Lillian Holliday • Cheryl Intrater Don Intrater • Hal Jehle Lernice Jones • Marlene Katz Bruce Kershenbaum • Ellie Kort Rachel Kort • Regina Kort Marlene Krakow • Robert Landon Adele Levi • Lynne Melcher Betty Ann Miller • Debbie Minkin Ellen Murphy • Staci Parelman Eric Perowsky • Patrick Robichaud Laurel Rogovein • Roberta Rosen Tim Royse • Shirley Sewel John Shuchart • Ilene Simon Sharon Coopersmith Soltz Matt Speise • Marilyn Stearns Lorraine Stiffelman • Donna Thalblum Evy Tilzer • Sue Vile Brad Voelker • Maureen Wilt Jeanette Wishna • Pam Woodard 5 O U R A N N UAL M E MB E R S M AKE A D IFFE R E N CE! THANK YOU to our annual members, whose generous gifts keep MCHE’s doors open, allowing us to offer school and community programs that teach the history and lessons of the Holocaust. Membership is MCHE’s most important source of unrestricted revenue. We couldn’t do it without you! This list reflects membership as of March 14, 2007. If your gift arrived after our publication deadline, your membership will be listed in next spring’s issue. All gifts received July 1, 2006-June 30, 2007 will be recognized in our fall issue. v Keeping Current MCHE has two membership renewal cycles, which are determined according to your donation date. • If your name is italicized, your membership is current through June 2007. You may renew now to extend your membership through June 2008. • If your name is not italicized, your membership is current through December 2007. • If your name is not listed, please consider becoming an MCHE member now. Use the inserted reply envelope to create a new membership, to extend your current membership, to reactivate a lapsed membership, or to make a gift in honor or memory of a friend or loved one. 6 m a n y th a n k s • mche mem b ers White Rose Society Patrons Jim and Pamela Ash Eliot and Marcia Berkley Marty and Helen Brown Jeff and Suzanne Buhai Arnold and Carol Caviar Paul and Katherine DeBruce Sam Devinki Ed and Sandi Fried Ron and Susie Goldsmith Marian Grossman Harding/Radasky Families Barnett and Shirley Helzberg Charles Helzberg and Sandra Baer Ron and Barbra Porter Hill Bill and Regina Kort Mel and Lore Mallin Norman and Elaine Polsky Burt and Barbara Smoliar David and Ellice Vittor Michael Weindling and Patricia Hurley Shirley White White Rose Society Benefactors Pati Chasnoff Steve Chick Paul and Bunni Copaken Maria Devinki Alan Edelman and Debbie Sosland-Edelman Federman Families Buzzah and Lisa Feingold Eddie and Gloria Feinstein Sam Gould Rip and Clara Grossman Winn and Nanc Halverhout Rich and Judy Hastings Mike and Karen Herman Lynn and Marilyn Hoover John and Trudy Jacobson Gordon and Suzanne Kingsley Jeff and Polly Kramer Bruce and Gayle Krigel Craig and Colleen Ligibel Jim and Jill Maidhof Jack and Claudia Mandelbaum Nichols Company Charitable Trust Allen and Jeanie Parelman Joe and Staci Parelman Ed and Karen Porter Hal and Carol Sader Bill and Fani Schifman Stanley and Kathee Schifman Martin and Claire Seem Neal and Eileen Sherman David and Rachel Pase Sosland Neil and Blanche Sosland Morton and Estelle Sosland Michael and Linda Wunsch Bob and Jean Zeldin Joe and Julie Zwillenberg Partners Jeff and Cathy Alpert Rolfe and Sylvia Becker Peter and Sarah Beren Irene Bettinger Irwin and Rita Blitt Marcia Duke Harvey and SuEllen Fried David Goodman Gloria Gershun Allen and Gail Gutovitz Rocky and Susan Horowitz Bill and Lynn Intrater Vera Isenberg Jim and Lisa Klein Tom Laming Michael Lerner and Audrey Asher Lowenstein Brothers Foundation Mark and Ellie Mandelbaum Bob and Shirley Meneilly Jerry and Margaret Nerman Sharon and Stuart Pase Rockhurst Jesuit Community Herb and Charyl Rubin Sammy Scott Daniel and Brenda Waldberg Gerald Zobel Associates David and Alice Jacks Achtenberg Avrom and Rachel Altman Tom and Johanna Baruch Sol and Micky Batnitzky Henry and Marion Bloch Diane Botwin Mary Shaw Branton Larry Brenner Steve and Ellen Bresky Alvin and Carol Brooks Paul and Becky Brooks Bill and Robin Carr Alan and Linda Cohen Sandy and Barbara Cohn Jacques Cukierkorn Pat and Barry Daneman Sol and Mollie Daniels Zandy and Peggy Davis Gus and Elinor Eisemann Jerry Enslein Richard and Harriet Epstein Ken and Rose Fichman Mike and Marlene Fishman Steve and Milisa Flekier Joe and Cynthia Gensheimer Paul and Susie Gershon Bill and Cherie Ginsberg Gerry Goldberg John Goldberg and Marla Brockman Lance and Terry Goldberg Marvin and Adelle Goldstein Laura Greenbaum Jim and Sharon Greenwood Dan and Helen Guckenheimer Dwight and Carol Heming Jim and Joyce Hess Walter and Jean Hiersteiner Bob Hill Harry and Gail Himmelstein Morris and Esther Horowitz Mamie Hughes Ann Jacobson Harvey and Michelle Kaplan Amy Wallk Katz Milton and Sharon Katz Andrew and Lynn Kaufman Kurt and Stephanie Kavanaugh John and Ann Kenney Lynn and Ann Kindred Barry Krigel Sandy and Erlene Krigel Bruce and Devra Lerner Paul Lerner Howard and Sharon Levitan Sharon Lund Jack and Elaine Mondschein Eric and Shanny Morgenstern Jack and Marlene Nagel Elizabeth Nussbaum Steve and Flossie Pack Joel and Brenda Pelofsky Shelly and Stevie Pessin Jay and Ellen Portnoy Irv Robinson Mike and Laurel Rogovein Jeff and Carole Rosen Gerean Rudnick Siegfried Ruschin Bob Salsman Keith and Joan Schmedemann Stuart and Marcia Shanker Peter and Amy Shapiro Leland and Jill Shurin Lester and Myra Siegel Steve and Ileene Simon Neil and Susie Sloman Beth Smith Josh and Jane Sosland Arthur and Barbara Stern Dan and Ann Stern Todd and Shirley Stettner Lorraine Stiffelman Doug and Kathy Stone Eugene Strauss David and Susan Swift Bill Tammeus Harvey and Donna Thalblum Lowell and Evy Tilzer Don and Sally Tranin Ralph and Nina Turec Chuck and Ester Udell Steve Unterman and Ellen Murphy Susan Vogel Sam P. Walters* Ed and Donna Warren Judy Wasserman John and Pat Weed Michael and Ruth Worthington Jill Zeldin m a n y t h a n k s Ryan and Katie Zeldin Hugh and Eulalie Zimmer Karl and Beth Zobrist Louis and Janet Zwillenberg Contributors Milton and Marge Adler Ed and Cheryl Alexander Eva Allen Rosalie Alpert* Sam and Janice Balot Max and Doreen Berenbom Loren and Merilyn Berenbom Jack and Muriel Blackman Mike and Sherry Blumenthal Jack and Elizabeth Bohm Anne Chasnoff Eugene and Clara Cohen Sidney and Martha Cohn Rick and Mary Covitz Patrick and Jannie Cubbage Bruce Culley and Linda Larkins Adela Dagerman Gene De Leve Roger and Virginia Emley Steven and Eileen Gaffen Louise Garfinkle Josh and Ronna Garry Mark and Patty Gilgus Byron and Geri Lyn Ginsburg Cherie Gluckman Mark and Cheryl Gold Stan and Carolyn Goldman Bruce Goldstein and Debbie Minkin Stan and Janey Goodman Marty and Rosemary Gorin Mary Greenberg Don and Adele Hall Lloyd and Judy Hellman Jeff and Stephanie Herman Laura Hockaday David and Judy Jacobs Bill and Marcelle Kaiser Ed and Ann Kander Barry Kaseff and Jessica Rudnick Meyer Katzman Wendy and Hal Kelton Susan Kirschenbaum Lori Klarfeld Tibor and Carla Klausner Elizabeth Kort Don and Frankie Larsen Isabel Letsch Bernard and Joan Levine Tom and Alice Lewinsohn Norbert and Lilian Lipschuetz Evan Luskin and Andrea Kempf Tom and Fran Manson Walter and Joan March Morris and Ruth Margolies Benjamin Meade Cordell D. Meeks, III Mary Ann Meeks Martin and Ilse Michel • m c h e Margaret Miller Jeffrey Myers Lynn Neuberger Steve and Rosemary Nochlin Lee and Esther Pearlmutter Floyd and Susan Pentlin Elmer and Betty Price Gerry and Anne Rabin Scott and Gay Ramsey James and Mireille Remer John and Jessica Rockhold Sanford and Charlene Rubin Cy and Esther Rudnick John and Denise Saper Carl and Bonnie Schulkin Lynn Schweig Nathan and Ruth Shechter Roy and Beverly Sherrell Sylvan and Merna Siegler Bob and Aletha Simon Bill and Janelle Smith Marilyn Stearns Stewart and Esther Stein Lee and Linda Steinberg Tea Stiefel Howard Swartzman and Sharon Helm-Swartzman Marvin Szneler Nancy Todd Cathy Trenton Morris and Eva Tulchinsky Martin and Ann Unger Stuart and Elisa Waldman Sam and Sophia Waldmann Aron Warren Gary and Gail Weinberg JoAnne Weiner Scott and Civia White Craig and Carol Wilson Sheldon and Jeanette Wishna Ria Wolf Irene Wurzburger Sam and Donna Zavelo Sarah Zeldin Stan and Joyce Zeldin Donors Mark Adams Frank Adler Phillis Bengis Jerry and Lisa Bernard Doris Bernhard Betty Bikson Leon Bloch Betty Brand Victor Bruller Sidney and Rose Carr Harriet Charno Carol Cohen Jason and Kathleen Boyle Dalen Jerry and Liz Davidow Harold and Arla Edelbaum Eva Edmands Jacob and Hilda Enoch m e m b e r s David and Julie Fine Trudi Galblum Harold and Carolyn Glazer David and Mary Ann Goldstein Irene Goodman Anita Gorman Steve and Linda Hammer Hannah Harris Harlene Hipsh Judy Jackson Baruch and Donna Kaelter Jules Kantor Florence Kaplan Leon Katzberg Erika Mandler Felicia Medellin Robert Milgram Sue Seidler Nerman Steve and Sandy Passer Steven and Jennifer Paul Arnie Pollman and Vicki Stine-Pollman Israel and Sylvie Radvinsky Goldene Rydell Lilly Segelstein John Sharp Lee Shulkind Max and Sonny Singer Dolores Sosnow Bernard Tenenbaum Robert and Barbara Unell Tania René Valdespino Joel and Sue Vile Davey and Mindy Wajcman Sonia Warshawski Bruce Weiner Herb and Phyllis Winer Educators/Students Cathy Blake Chris Bobal Susan Boston Deborah Champagne Marilyn Cowan Debbie Entine Jackie Fiszel Ralph and Gay Hartwich Sid and Nanette Kanter Mary Ann McCue Alice Munninghoff Jim Murray Laura Patton Daniel Rosen Sam Rosen Abe and Marilyn Rosenberg Marilyn Stewart Teresa Tande Faye Watts Stuart and Sheila Wien Maureen Wilt David and Nancy Wolff David Woolwine Linda Zack * of blessed memory Please contact the MCHE office with any corrections to this list. Make a W i s h ! A surprise celebration awaited Isak Federman and Jack Mandelbaum at a recent board meeting. As the MCHE founders blew out the candles on their cake, president Gayle Krigel announced that the directors and governors had established a special fund marking Isak’s 85th and Jack’s 80th birthdays. Donations to the Birthday Fund will be allocated toward the purchase of materials for MCHE’s resource center, especially those for use by educators from the Isak Federman Holocaust Teaching Cadre and by Second Generation volunteers in the Jack Mandelbaum Holocaust Speakers Bureau. To make a “Birthday Gift,” please use the inserted envelope and mark it as a Tribute Gift in honor of Jack and Isak. 7 Divide, Conquer & Murder In September 1938, the Munich Agreement brokered by Great Britain and France violated Czechoslovakian national sovereignty by ceding the Sudetenland to Germany. In March 1939, the German army entered and occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia, dividing the country in three. In the west, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was controlled by Germany. In the south, the Carpatho-Ukraine was annexed by Hungary, a German ally. In the east, an Independent Slovak Republic, also allied to Germany, established itself with Monsignor Jozef Tiso, a Roman Catholic priest and deputy of the pre-1939 Czechoslovak parliament, as its president.Tiso, the head of the Slovak People’s Party (SPP), ruled Slovakia aided by the Hlinka Guard, the SPP’s ultra-fascist, antisemitic uniformed militia. Over the next six years, in active collaboration with Germany, Slovakia deported most of its Jews to concentration camps and death camps. Altogether, nearly 80,000 Slovakian Jews out of a pre-war population of approximately 90,000 were murdered in the Holocaust. (Photo Source: National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, http://www.ncsml. org/exhibits/past/exhibits-tragedy.htm) Holocaust Remembrance Day The Tragedy of Slovak Jews The Tragedy of Slovak Jews, a photodocumentary exhibit of the Holocaust in Slovakia previously featured at the Auschwitz– Birkenau State Museum in Poland, will be on display in the Jewish Community Campus Gallery from April 15 through the month of May. An opening event is planned for April 19. Originally prepared and researched by the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, the exhibition has also appeared at the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The exhibit explores key aspects of the Holocaust in Slovakia from 1941 through 1944: • 1941: Implementation of the Jewish Codex, a series of laws and regulations that stripped Slovakia’s Jews of their civil rights and means of economic survival. • March-October 1942: The first wave of deportations, based on a signed agreement between Tiso’s government and Germany, leading some Members of the Hlinka Guard 60,000 Slovakian Jews cut the beard of a Jewish man to become the first during a deportation action Jews deported to the (Stropkov, Slovakia; photo by: newly operational gas Vojtech Sobek). chambers of Auschwitz II-Birkenau. • October 1942-Fall 1944: The confinement of the remaining Jews in Slovakian labor and Jews board deportation trains concentration camps guarded by Hlinka Guard members (Sered, Novaky and (Zilina, Slovakia, 1942). Vyhne) run by the Hlinka Guard. • Fall 1944: A second wave of deportations in the wake of a national uprising that year, when 10,000 more Jews were sent to Auschwitz II-Birkenau, as well as to Terezín and camps in Germany. This memorial to the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered in the Holocaust was commissioned and funded by the members of the New Americans Club. Dedicated in 1963 by President Harry S.Truman, it now stands on the Jewish Community Campus. It was one of the first such memorials in the United States. 8 Yom HaShoah 2007 This year’s Yom HaShoah service, commemorating the 64th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and the 44th anniversary of the dedication of the Memorial to the Six Million, will take place on Sunday, April 15 at 1:30 p.m. in the Lewis and Shirley White Theater at the Jewish Community Campus in Overland Park. Dr. Sam Gutovitz, son of Holocaust survivors Bena and Abe Gutovitz, both of blessed memory, will chair the program. Cantor Henry Rosenblum, dean of the H.L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, will be the featured speaker, also presenting a short program of Holocaust-related liturgical music. Rabbi Herbert Mandl of Kehilath Israel Synagogue will give the opening remarks, Cantor Robert Menes of Congregation Beth Shalom will sing El Mole Rachamim, and Rabbi Jonathan Rudnick, Jewish Community Chaplain with Jewish Family Services, will give the closing remarks and Cantor Henry Rosenblum recite Kaddish. The service, open to the public at no charge, is co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee and the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, with additional support from local Jewish agencies and congregations. MCHE Exhibits in the Community The Warsaw Ghetto: A Pictorial Remembrance William Jewell College, Liberty, Mo. Through April 15 Life in the Warsaw Ghetto was a constant confrontation with death, from its formation in 1940 through its destruction and the final deportation of inhabitants in 1943. Residents struggled against chaotic overcrowding, debilitating starvation, foul sanitary conditions, rampant disease, exhausting labor and disabling isolation. This situation was made even worse by arbitrary prohibitions against every conceivable activity—communal prayer, public education, cultural and political gatherings and any attempt to augment the food supply. Survival demanded unflagging resourcefulness, heroic reserves of spiritual resistance and great good luck. Created exclusively for MCHE by the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, this collection of 125 black and white framed photographs, 50 of which will be on display, documents life in the “living-dying city-within-a-city” that was the Warsaw Ghetto. The exhibit serves as a powerful educational tool, particularly through its illustration of the dilemmas and complications of daily survival during the Holocaust. MCHE wishes to thank Fry-Wagner Moving WARSAW GHETTO, APRIL 19-MAY 16, 1943: Jews captured and Storage for their special consideration in during the suppression of the uprising are marched to the Umschlagplatz for deportation. storing this exhibition. Portrait 2000 Kansas City Public Library Main Branch • 14 West 10th Street • Kansas City, Mo. Through May 8, 2007 Fifty black and white portrait photographs of Holocaust refugees and survivors from the Greater Kansas City area—each accompanied by a narrative profile of their family history and ultimate journey to the United States—illustrate pre-war Jewish life in Europe and document personal stories of resettlement and resilience by those whose lives, as they once knew them, were destroyed by the Nazis. Focusing on the pre-war and post-war experiences of these witnesses—most of whom were teenagers or younger during the war years—rather than the atrocities they suffered, Portrait 2000 reminds us that European Jews were real people with individual identities and distinct personal and collective histories. The exhibit lets us connect the beauty of the culture that was lost with the heroic resources that enabled its survivors to rebuild their lives after World War II. Portrait 2000 was funded by the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City, Photography was contributed by Gloria Baker Feinstein and David Sosland, and the narrative profiles were written by Trudi Galblum. It is also the basis of a book, From the Heart: Life Before and after the Holocaust—A Mosaic of Memories (Kansas City Star Books, 2001), available for purchase from MCHE. WARSAW GHETTO, 1940: Building the ghetto wall. In mid-November 1940, the Warsaw Ghetto was sealed off by a high wall whose construction took many months to complete. The work was carried out by the construction firm Schmidt & Münstermann, using Jewish forced laborers.The same firm later helped build the Treblinka death camp. The ghetto wall was 3.5 meters high, topped by broken glass and barbed wire. Yo m H a S h oa h – T he C o mmunit y R emem b ers Sunday, April 15 Yom HaShoah Service (see page 8) 1:30 p.m. Lewis and Shirley White Theatre Jewish Community Campus Liberty Community Chorus, “From Darkness to Light” Featuring Donald McCullough’s Holocaust Cantata “Songs from the Camps” 2:00 p.m., Gano Chapel William Jewell College 500 College Hill, Liberty, Mo For tickets, contact Brian Taylor at 816-781-4554 or bryan.taylor@lmcmo.org Film: “The Long Way Home” (see page 10) 2:00 p.m., Helzberg Auditorium Kansas City Public Library, Main Branch 14 West 10th Street, Kansas City, Mo. Thursday, May 3 Holocaust Survivor Panel “Liberation” Kansas City Public Library, Main Branch 14 West 10th Street, Kansas City, Mo. Reception at 6:00 p.m. Program following at 7:00. Wednesday, May 9 Kansas State Commemoration Organizations interested in renting these exhibits or others from MCHE should contact Fran Sternberg, MCHE program associate, at 913-327-8194 or program@mchekc.org. Additional information is available at www.mchekc.org/ExhibitsForLoan.htm Capitol Rotunda in Topeka 2:00 p.m., reception following. Guest Speaker: Lou Frydman, a survivor living in Lawrence 9 H o l o c a ust- R e l ated Osc a r N o minees (Winners indicated by asterisks) 1993 Schindler’s List— Picture*, Actor, Supporting Actor, Director*, Adapted Screenplay, Writing*, Art Direction*, Cinematography*, Costume Design, Film Editing*, Makeup, Sound, Original Score* 1995 Anne Frank Remembered— Documentary Feature* One Survivor Remembers— Documentary Short Subject* 1997 The Long Way Home— Documentary Feature* Visas and Virtues— Short Film* 1998 The Last Days— Documentary Feature* Life is Beautiful— Picture, Actor*, Director, Film Editing, Foreign Language Film (Italy)*, Original Dramatic Score*, Original Screenplay 1999 Eyewitness:The Legacy of Death Camp Art— Documentary Short Subject 2000 Into the Arms of Strangers— Documentary Feature* 2002 The Pianist— Picture, Actor*, Director*, Adapted Screenplay*, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing 2004 Downfall— Foreign Language Film (Germany/Italy) Sister Rose’s Passion— Documentary Short Subject 2005 Sophie Scholl:The Final Days— Foreign Language Film (Germany/Italy) 2006 Days of Glory (Indigenes)— Foreign Language Film (Algeria) 10 Oscar and the Holocaust Ac a dem y Awa rd W inning Fi l ms Ava i l a b l e at M C H E While scholars and educators continue to explore the emergence of the Holocaust as popular culture and to examine the accuracy of the history that is portrayed, there is no doubt that this phenomenon has significantly increased awareness of an interest in learning about these events. Since MCHE was established in 1993, no fewer than 14 films have been recognized with Academy Award nominations in categories ranging from fable to documentary, from short subject to epic. In fact, only four years in the last 14 have lacked a Holocaust-related contender. The following Oscar-nominated films are available for free loan at MCHE’s resource center. Anne Frank Remembered— Combining eyewitness testimony with rare photos, family letters and archival footage, this film documents in detail the story of the Frank Family, while painting a broad portrait of Anne. (middle school+) Into the Arms of Strangers— In 1938 and 1939, about 10,000 children were sent by their parents from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia to the safety of England where foster families took most of them in for the duration of the war. Years later, several remember saying farewell to family, traveling to England, meeting their foster families, writing home, coping and trying to find families after the war ended. (high school+) The Last Days—This production by the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation is the story of five Jewish Hungarians, now U.S. citizens, who share personal memories, visiting sites of concentration camps as well as childhood homes. (mature high school+) For an annotated list of over 200 videos and DVDs in MCHE’s collection, go to www.mchekc.org and click on “Resources,” then “Annotated Videography.” The Long Way Home—From Moriah Films, a division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, this film explores the critical postWorld War II period from 1945 -1948, the plight of tens of thousands of refugees who survived the Holocaust, their attempts to get to the Jewish homeland, and the events that led to the creation of the State of Israel. (high school+) One Survivor Remembers—The inspiring story of Gerda Weissmann Klein and her sixyear ordeal as a victim of Nazi cruelty explores her journey of survival and its effects on the rest of her life. (middle school+) The Pianist—A brilliant pianist, a Polish Jew, witnesses the restrictions Nazis place on Jews in the Polish capital, from restricted access to the building of the Warsaw Ghetto. As his family is rounded up for transport to the Treblinka death camp, he escapes deportation and eludes capture by living in the ruins of Warsaw. (adult) Schindler’s List—From Steven Spielberg comes the story of Oskar Schindler, a vain, glamorous and opportunistic German businessman who becomes an unlikely humanitarian when he feels compelled to turn his factory into a refuge for Jews and, in doing so, saves over 1,000 Jews from being deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. (high school+) Sophie Scholl: The Final Days—Sophie Scholl is a fearless activist of The White Rose, an underground student resistance group whose leaders were arrested for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets. The film expertly recreates the last six days of her life, from arrest to interrogation, trial and sentencing in 1943 Munich. (high school+) Survivor Archive Continued from Page 1 “As we approach the time when Holocaust survivors may no longer be able to speak or write about their own experiences, we must be proactive in preserving the testimonies already in our possession,” said Fran Sternberg, MCHE program associate and project coordinator. “This is especially important as the Holocaust becomes relegated to the history books and as Holocaust deniers become increasingly outspoken and sophisticated in their arguments.” MCHE is implementing the Witnesses to the Holocaust Archive in two critical phases. First, the videotaped interviews of survivors, liberators and witnesses were transferred to digital beta format and DVD copies to ensure the viability and utility of the tapes. Second, 10 of these interviews were condensed to lengths suitable for classroom use, with 10 more currently in development. Curriculum guides are being readied to enhance the instructional impact of these programs. Future plans include editing the remaining interviews, as well as creating thematically Survivors in the Greater Kansas City area who wish to participate in MCHE’s survey about post-immigration experiences should contact Fran Sternberg at 913-327-8194 or program@mchekc.org. arranged edited testimonies for educational use and community outreach. MCHE also plans to establish a physical archive within the resource center to provide community-wide access to the testimonies. MCHE is grateful to Outpost Communications, Inc., for special consideration in the duplication and editing of these testimonies. Children of Survivors At the same time, realizing that nothing can take the place of face-to-face survivor testimony, MCHE is engaging children of survivors in a classroom speakers bureau to share their families’ stories. “This can be my small part in helping people understand.” Matilda Rosenberg Second Generation Speaker MCHE recently hosted two Second Generation training sessions. Open to those whose parent recorded a videotaped testimony during MCHE’s Witnesses to the Holocaust Project in 1993-94, the workshop provided strategies to assist participants in developing presentations based on these testimonies, supplementing with personal reflections on Continued from Page 1 being raised by survivors and on how the Holocaust affected their families. Second Generation speaking veterans and MCHE board members Evy Tilzer and Sam Devinki offered insights about speaking to students and shared their passion for keeping these family histories in area classrooms. Said Matilda Rosenberg, who attended a training session, “This can be my small part in helping people understand.” Second Generation speakers are appropriate for grades 7 and up in classrooms throughout Greater Kansas City. While there is no fee for this program, donations to MCHE in honor of our speakers are greatly appreciated. To arrange for a Second Generation speaker to visit your classroom or group, please contact MCHE school outreach coordinator Jessica Rockhold at schools@mchekc.org or 913-327-8195. Please allow at least four weeks for your request to be scheduled. Polish Jews & Rescuers B o o k P ro j ect R ecei v es Assista nce f ro m M C H E Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn of the New Reform Temple of Kansas City, Missouri, and Bill Tammeus, Faith section columnist for The Kansas City Star, have engaged MCHE to provide editorial assistance for a book they are writing about Jews in Poland who survived the Holocaust with help from Polish non-Jews. The book will describe the resourcefulness and resolve of a dozen or more Holocaust survivors and the courage of the Polish non-Jews who helped them survive. Publication by the University of Missouri Press is anticipated for 2008. “The authors’ goal is not to minimize the enormity of the Holocaust, but to provide a much-needed perspective on the courageous actions of the few people who risked their own lives to save Jewish lives,” said Jean Zeldin, MCHE executive director. Dr. Frances Glazer Sternberg, Holocaust historian and MCHE program associate, noted:“Although the term ‘rescuer’ quite correctly describes people who hid or otherwise helped Jews during the Holocaust, the book will point out the complexities of the situation to which this term alludes.” MCHE is administering a designated fund to cover costs associated with research necessary to complete the book, including the authors’ travel to Poland and within the United States. Individuals wishing to contribute to that fund may send a check payable to MCHE and marked for the Holocaust Book Project to the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, 5801 West 115th Street, Suite 106, Overland Park, KS. 66211-1800. Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law. 11 OUR MISSION The mission of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education is to teach the history and lessons of the Holocaust to people of all races and religions throughout the Midwest to prevent its recurrence and perpetuate understanding, compassion, and mutual respect for generations to come. v The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education is a member of the Association of Holocaust Organizations and a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City. MCHE Newsletter Receives First-Place Honors The MCHE Newsletter won a first-place Philly Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Communications, co-presented by the Council on Philanthropy and the Nonprofit Communications Network at a luncheon last December at the Westin Crown Center. Judging criteria included quality of writing, creativity, graphic design, printing quality, overall appearance and achievement of objectives. The semi-annual MCHE Newsletter is a joint effort of MCHE staff, with Trudi Galblum as editor since its debut in Fall 1996 and Janelle Smith as art director. View the most recent issue online at www.mchekc.org. Trudi Galblum (center) accepts a Philly Award for the MCHE Newsletter from Susan Melton, immediate past president of the Council on Philanthropy (left), and Jody Craig, immediate past president of the Nonprofit Communications Network. (Photo Credit: Amy Bucher) NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE Midwest Center for Holocaust Education 5801 West 115th Street Suite 106 Overland Park, Kansas 66211-1800 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED MCHE 913-327-8190 • www.mchekc.org Newsletter Editor Trudi Galblum Art Director Janelle Smith Photography Courtesy of James Maidhof v Publication of this newsletter is made possible by an allocation from the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and by donations from our annual members. 12 PAID SHAWNEE MISSION, KANSAS PERMIT NO. 910