EVENTS
In conjunction with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association's Americans and the Holocaust: A Traveling Exhibition for Libraries, the James and Abigail Campbell Library has planned an accompanying event series to explore important themes related to the exhibition: antisemitism, extremism, mass media, and the power of our personal stories.
All events are free and open to the public to attend; unless otherwise noted, all events are virtual. Attendees are required to register for each individual event using the links/information below. Details about each event can be found on this page.
All events are free and open to the public to attend; unless otherwise noted, all events are virtual. Attendees are required to register for each individual event using the links/information below. Details about each event can be found on this page.
7-8p HST
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The Ben Hecht Story: Lessons of the Holocaust for Today
Julien Gorbach, PhD, Professor at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa What does America’s response to the Holocaust have to do with the controversies we face today over white supremacy, immigration, fake news, threats to democracy and “America First”? Dr. Gorbach will discuss the life, work and current relevance of Ben Hecht, the legendary “Shakespeare of Hollywood,” a Chicago crime reporter and leading Hollywood screenwriter who played a critical role in history by shattering the American media silence about the Nazi’s Final Solution to the Jewish Question. Hecht’s calls to save “the soul of man” is the focus of his recently published biography, The Notorious Ben Hecht: Iconoclastic Writer and Militant Zionist (Purdue University Press, 2019). |
7-8p HST
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The Nazis' Genocidal Policy and Its Enduring Legacy
Masahide Kato, Ph.D., Professor at the University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu Alan Rosenfeld, Ph.D., Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu This panel will discuss the dangers of extremist and discriminatory ideologies by exploring the historical mistreatment of marginalized groups under Nazi rule and the enduring legacy of the extremism that persists today. |
7-8p HST
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Women Breaking the Silence: Memoirs of Second-Generation Holocaust Survivors
Daphne Desser, PhD, Professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Professor Daphne Desser will discuss her current research on the memoirs of second- and third-generation Holocaust survivors. What stories do the children and grandchildren tell, and both how and why do they tell such stories? This compelling topic is made even more so by the passing of the Survivors. |
1-2:30p HST
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Witness to Horror!: A Holocaust Conversation with Seymour Kazimirski
Seymour Kazimirski, Global Consulting Company Inc. Seymour Kazimirski, a 1st generation Holocaust survivor, addresses the lessons of the Holocaust. Seymour will discuss America’s role in the Holocaust, revisionist interpretations, and Holocaust denial. He will present actual photos and footage of Ann Kazimirski, his mother, amidst her attempt to live through the Holocaust. This will be an interactive Zoom presentation open to the public and guests will be encouraged to submit questions for discussion. Discussion is encouraged to discredit myths, misconceptions, and fallacies associated with the Holocaust. |
7-8p HST
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Roma and Sinti Resistance in Zigeunerlager
Justyna Matkowska, PhD. Currently, she is 2021-2022 Fred and Maria Devinki Memorial Fellow at Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Dr. Matkowska will present and discuss Roma and Sinti's acts of resistance in Zigeunerlager (Romani family camp) in KL Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp during Second World War. In conjunction with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association's Americans and the Holocaust: A Traveling Exhibition for Libraries, the James and Abigail Campbell Library has planned an accompanying event series to explore important themes related to the exhibition. This event is part of that series. |
5-6:30p HST
[IN-PERSON] |
Quatuor pour la fin du temps: A Concert Experience at UH West O'ahu
The community will be able to experience the power and indomitability of the human spirit through music that was composed and performed in the horrific conditions of Stalag VIII-A, a German camp. This special performance, by professional musicians from Chamber Music Hawaiʻi, will feature French composer Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time). Messiaen joined the French Army in 1939 to fight alongside the Allies during WWII. In May 1940 he was captured at Verdun by the Germans, and became a prisoner-of-war in Stalag VIII-A, a German camp. A sympathetic German prison guard, Carl-Albert Brüll, helped him obtain music manuscript paper and pencils, and encouraged him to compose. In January 1941, under freezing conditions, fellow prisoners of war cellist Étienne Pasquier, clarinetist Henri Akoka, and violinist Jean le Boulaire joined Messiaen to perform the new work for an audience of fellow prisoners and prison guards. The story of Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps would become famous as an act of defiance and bravery in the face of powerful oppression. This special event will conclude with a visit to the Campbell Library’s traveling exhibition, “Americans and the Holocaust,” and mark its pending departure from Hawaiʻi. The exhibition will be open on Saturday, March 5 from 10a-7:30p. Reservations must be made for visitors hoping to see the exhibition between 10am-4:30p. After 4:30p, walk-ins are acceptable. The program will begin at 5p. |
PROGRAMMING
The Hawaiʻi State Public Library System has created an activity for adolescents to complete as a way for youth to learn about the Holocaust, practice remembrance, and reflect on the themes of this exhibition. You can find relevant booklists they've created and information about the activity in this GoogleDrive folder. The files located there can be downloaded and used freely.