In his public address on Sunday evening April 15, "Is There an Anti-Jewish Bias in Today's University?" Professor Alvin Rosenfeld discussed how many campuses have become hospitable to certain political and ideological currents of thought that issue in actions and statements that can be seen as hostile to many Jewish students and professors.
Rosenfeld's appearance was in conjunction with the symposium, Betrayal of the Humanities: The University During the Third Reich. The symposium took place on April 15 and 16 in Mondale Hall. The symposium examined the moral role of the university in today's society while exploring the mutation of academic ideals under National Socialism, when the German university system promoted Nazi ideology and helped the state eliminate its diverse community. Fourteen scholars from across the U.S. and abroad, examined core academic disciplines, including anthropology, philosophy, classics, Assyriology, theology, law, and music. A publication of the proceedings is planned.
You can view the talk by clicking here or visiting the CHGS YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/CHGSumn.
More lectures on CHGS YouTube channel
The CHGS YouTube channel is home to all of our recent lectures over the past year, including internationally acclaimed Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Minnesota Children of Holocaust Survivors Group Seeking New Members
CHAIM (Children of Holocaust Survivors Association of Minnesota) is seeking individuals who are second and third generation Holocaust survivors.
Founded in 2000, the group is committed to the preservation and passing on of their families' stories. Over the years members have participated in planning the annual Yom HaShoah commemoration, spoken to schools and religious organizations, and have participated in public programming aimed at educating individuals about the Holocaust.
Currently, the group meets once a month for private gatherings to share their families stories while viewing films, hosting speakers and other special guests.
The group is currently reaching out to other second and third generation individuals who may be unaware of the group, and who might be interested in joining in order to connect with the survivor community and to receive notices about programming or other related information.
"As we contemplate a future without the first witnesses to the Holocaust, we begin to think about how the third and fourth generation will embrace their grandparents' and great-grandparents' legacies, and pass them down not only to their own families, but to others in and outside the Jewish community," said Gloria Fredkove, newly-appointed chair of CHAIM. "We want to be sure that other second and third generation individuals in Minnesota know that there is a group of people who they can share their experiences with and if they are inclined, we can help them to pass on their family stories to others."
There are no membership fees and everyone is welcome. The group is committed to education and camaraderie. If you are interested in becoming a member or receiving more information about the group, please email Gloria Fredkove at gfredkove@yahoo.com.
Founded in 2000, the group is committed to the preservation and passing on of their families' stories. Over the years members have participated in planning the annual Yom HaShoah commemoration, spoken to schools and religious organizations, and have participated in public programming aimed at educating individuals about the Holocaust.
Currently, the group meets once a month for private gatherings to share their families stories while viewing films, hosting speakers and other special guests.
The group is currently reaching out to other second and third generation individuals who may be unaware of the group, and who might be interested in joining in order to connect with the survivor community and to receive notices about programming or other related information.
"As we contemplate a future without the first witnesses to the Holocaust, we begin to think about how the third and fourth generation will embrace their grandparents' and great-grandparents' legacies, and pass them down not only to their own families, but to others in and outside the Jewish community," said Gloria Fredkove, newly-appointed chair of CHAIM. "We want to be sure that other second and third generation individuals in Minnesota know that there is a group of people who they can share their experiences with and if they are inclined, we can help them to pass on their family stories to others."
There are no membership fees and everyone is welcome. The group is committed to education and camaraderie. If you are interested in becoming a member or receiving more information about the group, please email Gloria Fredkove at gfredkove@yahoo.com.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Talmud Torah Minneapolis is seeking Holocaust survivors to participate in the Adopt a Survivor program
Talmud Torah Minneapolis announced today that it is seeking Holocaust survivors for their successful Adopt a Survivor program.
The program, now in its fourth year, allows a Holocaust survivor to share his/her life experiences and personal journey with a teen "adopter." The idea is that based on the time spent together, the teen will "adopt" the survivor's story and tell it to others. All teen participants in the program make a pledge to share their story at the 100th Commemoration of the Liberation of the Camps at the Holocaust Memorial in 2045, thus ensuring that it will be passed on to future generations. The students visit their partners at least once a month after school, as well as attend a Talmud Torah class that provides them with historical context about the Holocaust and the impact it had (and still has) on people's lives. At the end of the program, students create a special presentation and will have developed a personal relationship that will last for the rest of their lives.
"The bonds that are formed through these relationships are truly remarkable," said Susie Chalom, Executive Director of Talmud Torah. "Our students learn so much about the Holocaust from those who have experienced it first hand, while forming life long bonds with their partner. It is an experience that is not easily forgotten, or one that will be available much longer."
For the purposes of the program, Talmud Torah is interested in persons of Jewish descent who survived Nazi Germany, or a Nazi-occupied country between 1933-1945. You need not have been in a camp or ghetto to participate. Survivors must be able to commit to a once-a-month visit with their "adopter" between late October through March of 2012-2013. If you are interested please contact Sylvia Fine at sylfine@gmail.com or 612-922-9206.
The program, now in its fourth year, allows a Holocaust survivor to share his/her life experiences and personal journey with a teen "adopter." The idea is that based on the time spent together, the teen will "adopt" the survivor's story and tell it to others. All teen participants in the program make a pledge to share their story at the 100th Commemoration of the Liberation of the Camps at the Holocaust Memorial in 2045, thus ensuring that it will be passed on to future generations. The students visit their partners at least once a month after school, as well as attend a Talmud Torah class that provides them with historical context about the Holocaust and the impact it had (and still has) on people's lives. At the end of the program, students create a special presentation and will have developed a personal relationship that will last for the rest of their lives.
"The bonds that are formed through these relationships are truly remarkable," said Susie Chalom, Executive Director of Talmud Torah. "Our students learn so much about the Holocaust from those who have experienced it first hand, while forming life long bonds with their partner. It is an experience that is not easily forgotten, or one that will be available much longer."
For the purposes of the program, Talmud Torah is interested in persons of Jewish descent who survived Nazi Germany, or a Nazi-occupied country between 1933-1945. You need not have been in a camp or ghetto to participate. Survivors must be able to commit to a once-a-month visit with their "adopter" between late October through March of 2012-2013. If you are interested please contact Sylvia Fine at sylfine@gmail.com or 612-922-9206.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Local Holocaust survivor publishes her memoir
Mary Neuman, noted Minneapolis resident and Holocaust survivor, announces the publication of her life memoirs in "POCKETS IN MY SOUL". It is the story of her life beginning in Lwow, Poland where she spent a happy childhood with her family. She chronicles the events in her life including living through the Russian occupation, to fleeing the Nazi invaders until being captured.
A special program at Temple Israel of Minneapolis located at 2324 Emerson Ave. S. on Friday, June 15 honoring Mary, who together with family members will read from her book. The program starts at 6:00 p.m. The book is available at the Temple Israel Gift Shop and sells for $14.95.
For more information contact Temple Israel 612-377-8680.
Mary details her Ghetto experiences and of her escape. Upon being caught, readers are left spell bound. One of her former classmates, on seeing her at an ice cream store, reported her to authorities.
She was interned at the Montellupe prison, sent to Auschwitz concentration camp and then to Bergen Belsen. While at Auschwitz, she had a confrontation with the infamous Dr. Mengele-"The Angel of Death" in which he was about to shoot her in the head, but having trouble removing his pistol from the holster, he suddenly slapped her in the face, and said: "Go back to work!" Her female Nazi guard turned to her and said: "You should consider yourself lucky that such a gorgeous man touched your face."
The story of her liberation is laced with feelings of exhalation and despair that she and her fellow inmates experienced. From life in a displaced camp to her travels in Europe trying to find her family, Mary writes of her coming to the United States and settling in Minneapolis establishing a new life for herself and her family. "POCKETS IN MY SOUL" describes both her tragic and happy life in Minneapolis and her new found "country" the United States of America.
Mary Neuman's testimony is available at the University of Minnesota through the Visual History Archive developed by the USC Shoah Foundation institute for Visual History and Education (Also known as the Shoah Project). Visit the Visual History Archive website for more information.
A special program at Temple Israel of Minneapolis located at 2324 Emerson Ave. S. on Friday, June 15 honoring Mary, who together with family members will read from her book. The program starts at 6:00 p.m. The book is available at the Temple Israel Gift Shop and sells for $14.95.
For more information contact Temple Israel 612-377-8680.
Mary details her Ghetto experiences and of her escape. Upon being caught, readers are left spell bound. One of her former classmates, on seeing her at an ice cream store, reported her to authorities.
She was interned at the Montellupe prison, sent to Auschwitz concentration camp and then to Bergen Belsen. While at Auschwitz, she had a confrontation with the infamous Dr. Mengele-"The Angel of Death" in which he was about to shoot her in the head, but having trouble removing his pistol from the holster, he suddenly slapped her in the face, and said: "Go back to work!" Her female Nazi guard turned to her and said: "You should consider yourself lucky that such a gorgeous man touched your face."
The story of her liberation is laced with feelings of exhalation and despair that she and her fellow inmates experienced. From life in a displaced camp to her travels in Europe trying to find her family, Mary writes of her coming to the United States and settling in Minneapolis establishing a new life for herself and her family. "POCKETS IN MY SOUL" describes both her tragic and happy life in Minneapolis and her new found "country" the United States of America.
Mary Neuman's testimony is available at the University of Minnesota through the Visual History Archive developed by the USC Shoah Foundation institute for Visual History and Education (Also known as the Shoah Project). Visit the Visual History Archive website for more information.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Workshop: Trauma and Text: Approaches to Teaching the Literature of Atrocity
July 23-July 27, 2012
9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Room 614 Social Sciences
University of Minnesota
30 CEUs
2 graduate credits available for additional fee (contact outreach@umn.edu if interested)
Registration deadline: July 9, 2012
How do we read narratives of trauma? What does it mean to experience the suffering of others through hart? What role can literature and film play in helping trauma survivors recover and heal? These are questions with which English, history, and art educators must grapple a twenty-first century populated with media images of tragedy and suffering. This institute will provide the opportunity for middle and high school teachers from across disciplines to think through the ways in which we approach the difficult task of engaging historical and personal trauma through creative works. We will examine closely both the positive uses of "trauma texts" and the risks that teaching such texts involves (secondary trauma, voyeurism, reductionism, pity). Importantly, we will spend time discussing the place of hope and agency, and the ways in which the artistic voice can promote growth and healing, both for the trauma survivor and the reader/spectator.
We will read a variety of theoretical and primary texts across genres (short stories, poetry, film, theater). Guest speakers will provide the institute with outside expertise and perspectives from a diversity of contexts. Institute participants will develop and receive feedback on a micro unit constructed around a text (film, poem, play, novel, etc.) for use in their classroom and will participate in creative writing exercises that model ways in which students can use their own stories as potential sites for healing and growth.
Register Online here.
If you have any questions, please contact Deborah LeClaire at outreach@umn.edu or 612-624-7346.
9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Room 614 Social Sciences
University of Minnesota
30 CEUs
2 graduate credits available for additional fee (contact outreach@umn.edu if interested)
Registration deadline: July 9, 2012
How do we read narratives of trauma? What does it mean to experience the suffering of others through hart? What role can literature and film play in helping trauma survivors recover and heal? These are questions with which English, history, and art educators must grapple a twenty-first century populated with media images of tragedy and suffering. This institute will provide the opportunity for middle and high school teachers from across disciplines to think through the ways in which we approach the difficult task of engaging historical and personal trauma through creative works. We will examine closely both the positive uses of "trauma texts" and the risks that teaching such texts involves (secondary trauma, voyeurism, reductionism, pity). Importantly, we will spend time discussing the place of hope and agency, and the ways in which the artistic voice can promote growth and healing, both for the trauma survivor and the reader/spectator.
We will read a variety of theoretical and primary texts across genres (short stories, poetry, film, theater). Guest speakers will provide the institute with outside expertise and perspectives from a diversity of contexts. Institute participants will develop and receive feedback on a micro unit constructed around a text (film, poem, play, novel, etc.) for use in their classroom and will participate in creative writing exercises that model ways in which students can use their own stories as potential sites for healing and growth.
Register Online here.
If you have any questions, please contact Deborah LeClaire at outreach@umn.edu or 612-624-7346.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
New translation of the testimony of Georges Wellers
From Drancy to Auschwitz by the French Biologist and historian Georges Wellers was first published in France in 1946.
Wellers worked for many years at the Sorbonne, where he held the position of Director of Research Laboratory of Medical Department. In 1941 he was arrested by the Nazis and spent more than three years in concentration camps-first in Drancy near Paris, then in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Despite all the deprivations during his captivity, Georges lived a long and productive life. He excelled in a prominent scientific career, was awarded the Legion of Honor Rosette as its Officer, was Vice-President of the Association of Nazi-camp survivors of France, and was the only French witness at the Eichmann war crime trial in Israel.
The book has recently been translated into English and Russian by Wellers' niece, Olga Lifson, a Minnesota resident who escaped from the Soviet Union in the mid 70s. Ms. Lifson, along with her aunt and others who worked on the translation, dedicates the publication to all those who survived the Holocaust against great odds.
To order a copy of the book please visit M-Graphics Publishing's website.
Olga Lifson is available for speaking engagements and can be reached by email olifson3@gmail.com.
A transcript of Georges Wellers' testimony from the Eichmann trial can be read here.
To view the video of the testimony please click here.
Wellers worked for many years at the Sorbonne, where he held the position of Director of Research Laboratory of Medical Department. In 1941 he was arrested by the Nazis and spent more than three years in concentration camps-first in Drancy near Paris, then in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Despite all the deprivations during his captivity, Georges lived a long and productive life. He excelled in a prominent scientific career, was awarded the Legion of Honor Rosette as its Officer, was Vice-President of the Association of Nazi-camp survivors of France, and was the only French witness at the Eichmann war crime trial in Israel.
The book has recently been translated into English and Russian by Wellers' niece, Olga Lifson, a Minnesota resident who escaped from the Soviet Union in the mid 70s. Ms. Lifson, along with her aunt and others who worked on the translation, dedicates the publication to all those who survived the Holocaust against great odds.
To order a copy of the book please visit M-Graphics Publishing's website.
Olga Lifson is available for speaking engagements and can be reached by email olifson3@gmail.com.
A transcript of Georges Wellers' testimony from the Eichmann trial can be read here.
To view the video of the testimony please click here.
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