The Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and
Human Rights Education of North Carolina
&
Holocaust Speakers Bureau
Film Screening: Defiant Requiem
February 23rd, 2017, 7:30pm–9:00pm
UNC Kenan Music Building S
Hosted by the UNC Department of Music and co-sponsored by the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies, this feature-length documentary film highlights the most dramatic example of intellectual and artistic courage in the Theresienstadt (Terezín) Concentration Camp during World War II: the remarkable story of Rafael Schächter, a brilliant, young Czech conductor who was arrested and sent to Terezín in 1941.
Visit the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies for more information.
Last Yiddish Heroes: Lost and Found Songs of Soviet Jews during World War II
January 30th, 7:00pm–9:00pm
UNC Gerrard Hall
A Holocaust Remembrance Day event: Singer-songwriter Psoy Korolenko and historian Anna Shternshis (University of Toronto) bring "lost" Yiddish songs of World War II to life in this all-new concert and lecture program. Collected by Moshe Berezovsky and other scientists of the Kiev Cabinet for Jewish Culture, these previously unknown Yiddish songs were confiscated and hidden by the Soviet government in 1949, and have only recently come to light. The lecture/concert features the performance and incredible stories behind these treasures.
Visit the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies for more information.
Duke Coalition for Preserving Memory's 24-hour Name Reading Ceremony and closing Ceremony
April 9th–April 10th, Closing Ceremony April 10th at 12pm
Abele Quad, Duke University Campus, Durham, NC
The Coalition for Preserving Memory at Duke (CPM) will be hosting its annual 24-hour name reading ceremony, a ceremony designed to memorialize the victims of the six U.N. recognized genocides. Students, faculty and community members read out the names for a 24-hour period right in the middle of Duke University's campus. The name reading ends with a closing ceremony at 12pm on April 10th and will include lunch.
See the CPM's Facebook pagefor more information. To RSVP for the closing ceremony and/or to volunteer to read names, please email Sophie Bell.
An Address in Amsterdam: Talk and Book Signing by the Author, Mary Dingee Fillmore
Sunday, March 26th, 10:30am
Beth El Synagogue, Durham NC
An Address in Amsterdam, a novel about a young Jewish woman who joins the anti-Nazi underground, by Mary Dingee Fillmore. Join us for a talk by the author followed by a book signing.
2017 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Jones Auditorium, Meredith College, Raleigh
The Annual Commemorations will feature:
- A Holocaust survivor or scholar as the guest speaker
- Student writing, artistic creations, vocal and dramatic performances, and other Holocaust projects.
- Presentations by state officials, clergy, and others
- A candle-lighting ceremony.
The event is open to all and free of charge. Ample parking is available. See the NC Council on the Holocaust's website for details.
Past Events
Zikaron BaSalon: Memories in the Living Room
Monday, April 24th, 2017 6:00pm–7:30pm
UNC Chapel Hill, Faculty Reading Room (McColl Building, 4th Floor)
Zikaron BaSalon (Hebrew for “memories in the living room”) is an annual event, which takes place on Israeli Holocaust Memorial Day. The idea was born from the understanding that the connection between today's society and the memories of the Holocaust, has significantly deteriorated. Alongside formal events, Zikaron BaSalon offers a new, meaningful and intimate way to commemorate this day and address its implications through discussions at home among family, friends and guests. It is a unique and authentic tradition of people gathering together to open their hearts to the stories of the survivors, sing, think, read, talk and most importantly- listen. See zikaronbasalon.org for details and to RSVP.
And now I have to read in Jewish something: Yiddish Performances by Holocaust Survivors
February 13th, 2017, 7:00pm–9:00pm
William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education
Jeffery Shandler of Rutgers University will explore the USC Shoah Foundation's Visual History Archive, the largest collection of videotaped interviews with Holocaust survivors–including hundreds of interviews conducted partly or entirely in Yiddish–in the world. In dozens of these, survivors sing a song or recite a poem in the language, in the course of recounting their life histories. These recitals of poetry and song reveal survivors' commitment to demonstrating the creative power of Yiddish in the midst of recalling widespread destruction.
Visit the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies for more information.
Once In a Lifetime
Film Screening & Discussion
November 9, 2017, 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Levin Jewish Community Center, 1937 West Cornwallis Road, Durham
Join us for pizza and a conversation about the film’s message and Holocaust education in our community.
Deborah Long, Ed.D., daughter of two Holocaust survivors and co-founder of the Holocaust Speakers
Bureau,will facilitate the discussion.
Free for JCC members, $3 for guests.
Based on a true story, this 2014 French film with English subtitles, chronicles how a dedicated history teacher at a French high school is determined to give the best education she can to her underprivileged inner-city pupils. Overcoming their apathy, however, is proving to be more difficult than expected. Frustrated but undaunted, she tests her multicultural classroom with a unique assignment: a national competition on the theme of child victims of the Nazi concentration camps. The project is initially met with extreme resistance, until a face-to-face encounter with a Holocaust survivor changes the students’ attitudes dramatically. Despite their long-shot odds of winning, these once-rebellious teens soon begin to see one another – and themselves – in a whole new light. Once In A Lifetime demonstrates the enduring impact of the Holocaust in transforming future generations.
Yom Hashoah Holocaust Memorial Service
"Seven Years in Shanghai: Life as a Refugee"
Sunday, April 30th, 2017, 3:00pm
Chapel Hill Kehillah Synagogue
The story of Meyer Zucker as told by his daughter, Sheva Zucker. Meyer Zucker was born in Izhbitse, Poland in 1910. He fled the country in September, 1939, after the Nazi invasion, and found temporary refuge in Lithuania. When Lithuania itself became unsafe, Zucker had to flee again. Help came in the unlikely form of a transit visa issued by Japanese diplomat Chiune (Sempo) Sugihara in defiance of orders from Tokyo. Thanks to Sugihara’s heroic stance, Meyer Zucker, along with many other Jews, was able to leave Europe. He spent eight months in Japan, followed by seven years in Shanghai, before emigrating to Canada. His story will be told by his daughter Sheva Zucker, who not only learned its details first-hand, but also recorded her father, and has collected and preserved many of his letters and documents.
For more information or to request a ride, please contact Gary Berman at 919.683.2458 or hspeakup@aol.com.
Peter Stein spoke at Stewart Theater and answered student's questions about Kristallnacht and lessons of the Holocaust, including the importance of remembering.
November 9, 2017
NC State University, Raleigh, NC
In observance of the 79th anniversary of Kristallnacht ("Night of Glass"), Peter Stein answered questions in Stewart Theater at NC State University on November 9, 2017 for a large audience of students about Kristallnacht and lessons of the Holocaust, including the importance of remembering.
http://www.technicianonline.com/news/article_acf4b11e-c5c6-11e7-b155-47ca77196172.html
Holocaust Survivors' interviews hosted by Holocaust United State Holocaust Memorial Museum
April 9th–April 10th, Closing Ceremony April 10th at 12pm
Abele Quad, Duke University Campus, Durham, NC
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) announced they will host Holocaust survivors' interviews speaking about their experiences in a series of one-hour programs at 11 a.m. ET Wednesdays and Thursdays between April 5 and May 4. To watch live and learn more about the series go to:
https://www.ushmm.org/watch/first-person. For the schedule go to:ushmm.org/firstperson.
"Evade and Endure: Survivor Stories"
Federal Inter-Agency Holocaust Remembrance Program
Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 11am–12:30pm
Lincoln Theatre, Washington DC
Two Survivors share their stories, moderated by Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post.
- Roman R. Kent (Poland)
- Renée Fink (Netherlands)
For questions and/or to RSVP, contact Tina.hoellerer@dm.usda.gov
Hate on Campus: The Challenges Facing Jewish Students in the Shifting Campus Climate
January 11th, 2017
Levin Jewish Community Center
It is commonplace to hear about incidents of hate on our college campuses in North Carolina and throughout the United States. From targeted attacks to anti-Semitic graffiti, from speakers with hateful platforms to anti-Israel resolutions, Jewish students today face challenges in the shifting campus climate. Come hear how Ari Gauss and Rebecca Simons, two highly accomplished professionals, are working with students and administrators at UNC and Duke to foster a campus environment that promotes engagement, education and pluralism. Drawing on their years of experience as leaders in their fields, they will discuss the challenges that Jewish students face today and ways in which the greater Jewish community can help combat hate on campus..
Speakers:
Ari Gauss
Executive Director, North Carolina Hillel
and
Rebecca Simons
Director, Jewish Life, Duke University
This program is open to the public but reservations are appreciated. To RSVP please email chapelhilldurham@hadassah.org or call 919-237-1504 by January 9th.
Central Carolina Community College's Fourth Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day
Friday, April 21st, 2017 12pm–1:30pm
Dennis Wicker Civic Center
Central Carolina Community College will be hosting its fourth Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day on Friday April 21st and the HSB's own Deborah Long will be the keynote speaker. The talk will take place at the Dennis Wicker Civic Center at 12pm.
For questions and/or to RSVP, contact Bianka Stumpf.
Yom Hashoah Holocaust Program "Unto Every Person There is a Name"
Sunday, April 23rd, 2017, 7:00 Am to 7:00 PM; Memorial Service Begins at 7:00pM
Temple Beth Or, Main Sanctuary, Raleigh
In solidarity with congregations around the world, Temple Beth Or will participate in the worldwide Holocaust Memorial Project "Unto Every Person There is A Name".
Please join us in the Temple Beth Or Sanctuary as we read aloud the names of Holocaust Victims from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Stop by and help us bear witness to the memories of over 6 million innocent lives lost as we make sure we never forget. Your are welcome to come and witness for as brief or as long a period as you wish.
A brief memorial service begins at 7:00 PM. Please plan on joining us - even if you read or bore witness earlier in the day. Interested in reading names? Please click here or contact Marc Grossman so we can accommodate you.
For more information or to request a ride, please contact Gary Berman at 919.683.2458 or hspeakup@aol.com.
By reading aloud the names of those lost,
we lift their memories and honor their lives.
Staged reading of “Bad Jews”
Wednesday July 26th, 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Levin Jewish Community Center, 1937 W Cornwallis Road, Durham
The Jewish Federation of Durham-Chapel Hill and A Big Wig Production would like to invite you to a staged reading of Joshua Harmon’s play “BAD JEWS.” While the title of this play may be disconcerting, Harmon’s hilarious script is a contemporary look at young Jewish adults and their various perspectives on Jewish life and legacy. Without giving too much away, the play revolves around three Jewish cousins (in their 20s) who convene in a Manhattan condo for the funeral of their “Poppy.” Poppy, a Holocaust survivor, has bequeathed an important family heirloom, and the plot revolves around which cousin will be the new owner. The Jewish Federation of Durham-Chapel Hill and A Big Wig Production would like members of the Jewish community to hear the one-act play read aloud, and they would like your feedback on the play itself, its messaging and the importance of communicating family, faith, and legacy to young Jews. Based on that communal feedback, a decision will be made whether to produce this savagely humorous, yet poignant play in early 2018 at the JCC.
This staged reading is free to the public, but seating is limited to the first 60 people. “Bad Jews” is appropriate for high school-aged and above.
Class by HSB Speaker offered At the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI):
"It Did Not Start with Gas Chambers"
Mondays, September 11th–November 27th
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3639 Old Chapel Hill Rd, Durham
The 10-week course on the Holocaust will be taught by HSB Speaker Sheldon Bleiweiss.
Course Description: If you are bothered by seeing biased behavior and increased vitriolic rhetoric towards each other, this class is for you. Learning about the Holocaust might help us understand why this happens and how dangerous such behavior can become. In this interactive course we take an in-depth look at how and why the Holocaust came about, the roles people played, and the events that led up to the “final solution” --the extermination of Jews. Students will hear stories from survivors and stories about the challenges faced by the instructors' parents who survived in the open using identities as non-Jews. Students will also hear about the instructor's journey to Poland and the death camps and what it was like "growing up in the shadow of the Holocaust.” We will examine our own attitudes and behaviors and look at what we can do to make a difference. By exploring human behavior then and now, we hope to answer: “How was the Holocaust possible?” and “Could it happen again?"
Cost for the class is $90. Registration opens August 7th. For more information see: https://learnmore.duke.edu/olli
Edelweiss Pirates
Sunday, October 22nd at 3:30 pm
Levin JCC, Durham
The Pirates were groups of teenagers who resisted the cruelties of Nazi Youth and Hitler's policeduring the
1930s.Refusing to be bullied and rejecting the norms of Nazi society, they stayed true to their own set of
beliefs and fought back in their neighborhoods.
All are welcome to attend the exciting visual and musical lecture by author Kristina Gaddy.
Please rsvp to Jen Adler, Director of Community Midrasha at jadler@shalomdch.org.
More information: https://levinjcc.org/calendar/edelweiss-pirates/
Duke Coalition for Preserving Memory's 24-hour Name Reading Ceremony and closing Ceremony
April 9th–April 10th, Closing Ceremony April 10th at 12pm
Abele Quad, Duke University Campus, Durham, NC
The Coalition for Preserving Memory at Duke (CPM) will be hosting its annual 24-hour name reading ceremony, a ceremony designed to memorialize the victims of the six U.N. recognized genocides. Students, faculty and community members read out the names for a 24-hour period right in the middle of Duke University's campus. The name reading ends with a closing ceremony at 12pm on April 10th and will include lunch.
See the CPM's Facebook pagefor more information. To RSVP for the closing ceremony and/or to volunteer to read names, please email Sophie Bell.
"Yom HaShoah, Remembering the Holocaust: Holocaust Memorial Day Name Reading"
Monday, April 24th, 2017 8:10am–2:30pm
Levin JCC, Singer Family Atrium
April 24, 2017 is Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Sandra E. Lerner Jewish Community Day School and the Levin Jewish Community Center (JCC) are partnering to observe this solemn day. You are invited to attend the opening or closing ceremonies, to listen to the story of survivor Peter Stein, or to volunteer to read names of those lost during the Holocaust. You can sign up to volunteer by clicking here. Each slot lasts 15 minutes. The list of names will be at a podium in the atrium of the JCC along with memorial candles to light. In addition to the day's events, there will be a temporary museum commemorating the Holocaust in the atrium of the JCC: the Triumph of Life, a 2003 exhibit commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. From American Friends of the Ghetto Fighters' Museum.
Scroll down to view photos and learn more about selected events from 2017.
Click here to view events from 2016
Holocaust Survivors' interviews hosted by Holocaust United State Holocaust Memorial Museum
April 9th–April 10th, Closing Ceremony April 10th at 12pm
Abele Quad, Duke University Campus, Durham, NC
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) announced they will host Holocaust survivors' interviews speaking about their experiences in a series of one-hour programs at 11 a.m. ET Wednesdays and Thursdays between April 5 and May 4. To watch live and learn more about the series go to:
https://www.ushmm.org/watch/first-person. For the schedule go to:ushmm.org/firstperson.
Duke Coalition for Preserving Memory's 24-hour Name Reading Ceremony and closing Ceremony
April 9th–April 10th, Closing Ceremony April 10th at 12pm
Abele Quad, Duke University Campus, Durham, NC
The Coalition for Preserving Memory at Duke (CPM) will be hosting its annual 24-hour name reading ceremony, a ceremony designed to memorialize the victims of the six U.N. recognized genocides. Students, faculty and community members read out the names for a 24-hour period right in the middle of Duke University's campus. The name reading ends with a closing ceremony at 12pm on April 10th and will include lunch.
See the CPM's Facebook pagefor more information. To RSVP for the closing ceremony and/or to volunteer to read names, please email Sophie Bell.
Discussion with Danielle Bailly, author of The Hidden Children of France 1940–1945
Monday, March 6th, 2017, 6:00pm
Freeman Center for Jewish Life, Duke University
Danielle Bailly will discuss her book: "The Hidden Children of France, 1940-1945: Stories of Survival." The history of France's "hidden children" and of the French citizens who saved six out of seven Jewish children and three-fourths of the Jewish adult population from deportation during the Nazi occupation is little known to American readers. In The Hidden Children of France, 1940-1945, Danielle Bailly (a hidden child herself whose family travelled all over rural France before sending her to live with strangers who could protect her) reveals the stories behind the statistics of those who were saved by the extraordinary acts of ordinary people. Eighteen former "hidden children" describe their lives before, during, and after the war, recounting their incredible journeys and expressing their deepest gratitude to those who put themselves at risk to save others. This event is co-sponsored by Duke Center for Jewish, Studies, the Holocaust Speakers Bureau, The Coalition for Preserving Memory, Jewish Life, Duke Germanic Languages and Literature and the Department of French-Romance Studies. Catered reception to follow.
Please contact Sharon Halperin with questions or to RSVP.
Rabbi Joseph Polak discusses award-winning memoir: After the Holocaust: The Bells Still Ring
Sunday May 7th, 2017, 12:30pm
Beth El Synagogue, Durham, NC
The Holocaust Speakers Bureau and Beth El Synagogue are co-sponsoring a talk by Rabbi Joseph Polak, a Holocaust survivor and winner of the 2015 National Jewish Book Award for his book, After the Holocaust the Bells Still Ring.
His talk is entitled: "The Children, the Children"
Polak's book is a fascinating portrait of a mother and child who miraculously survive two concentration camps and then battle after-war demons of the past, societal rejection, invalidation and disbelief as they struggle to re-enter the world of the living. Polak,will be speaking about his book and his experiences.
Brunch will be served.
Defiant Requiem–Verdi Requiem at Terezín
April 20th, 7:30pm–9:30pm
Memorial Hall, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
$10 General Admission, $5 UNC Student, Faculty/Staff
The UNC campus will host the signature concert of The Defiant Requiem Foundation, Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín, which tells the story of the courageous Jewish prisoners in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp (Terezín) during World War II who performed Verdi’s Requiem while experiencing the depths of human degradation. With only a single smuggled score, they performed the celebrated oratorio sixteen times, including one performance before senior SS officials from Berlin and an International Red Cross delegation. Conductor Rafael Schächter told the choir, “We will sing to the Nazis what we cannot say to them.” At its very foundation, “The Defiant Requiem at UNC” is the product of significant interdepartmental collaboration, involving faculty members in the Department of Music, the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, and the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies. The series of events falling under the umbrella of this project includes the main performance of the Defiant Requiem as well as two additional concerts, academic lectures, classroom teaching, an academic symposium (with planned publication), and a film screening. These events will reach the broader arts and sciences community (including faculty and students from History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies, in addition to the departments listed above) as well as the broader public. We anticipate audiences for the film screening and concerts, in particular, to comprise a majority of University-affiliated community members. Taken together, these efforts promise to deliver immense and meaningful benefits to both the broad university community and the Triangle at-large.
See the UNC Department of Music Website for more information and to purchase tickets.
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