Whether you consider yourself a history buff or a novice, the adage “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” is a familiar concept. While most know the quote from George Santayana as “those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it,” either translation cannot stress enough the importance of knowing the signs and symbols that were prevalent prior to the Holocaust.
The Alvin Sherman Library, in collaboration with the Craig and Barbara Weiner Holocaust Reflection and Resource Center, is hosting the Holocaust Reflection and Resource Center Tour on Sept. 20th, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m..
“On behalf of the university and the library, we appreciate the passion of the Weiners, Craig, and Barbara, for their generosity to establish this center within the Alvin Sherman Library,” said Jim Hutchens, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian of the Alvin Sherman Library.
This center is a valuable resource to the community. Within the center are artifacts from both victims, and the perpetrators; documenting the Holocaust, through photographs, drawings from survivors, as well as historical newspapers from the era.
Lead by Craig Weiner, the tour explores all the steps that lead up to the Holocaust. “The tour essentially tells the entire story of the Holocaust, starting with how things began in the 1920’s with propaganda, and terror groups that were formed under Hitler and Rudolf Höss,” said Weiner. “They were originally called the Brown Shirts, and then they tried to overthrow the Weimar Republic in 1923. And we explain to students how if that group of Brown Shirts, which was fairly small, under 2,000 [members], if the government or the people would have taken care of eliminating that group in the 1920’s, there never would have been a Holocaust.”
The tour also leads participants through the Holocaust, to liberation and the end of World War II. “We show proof of what America, Canada and Britain knew, because we have original newspapers that make it clear that we knew what was going on at Europe at the time. You hear the expression from people ‘we didn’t know,’ and the truth is, we did know, but we didn’t do anything about it,” said Weiner. “[The tour] moves on to talk about Nazi terror, to ghetto life and conditions, and concentration camps. Then we deal with liberation, and General Eisenhower, and how much foresight he had to take all these pictures and require that records be kept, because he himself in 1944/5, recognized that there would be people who deny this ever happened.”
“By showing students what happens as the result of hate that no one does anything about, and letting them see it and touch it and feel it, they then understand better how dangerous it is to allow things like bullying, prejudice, and racism to go unchecked. We encourage young people to have the bravery and courage to stand up against all of these cancers that permeate our society,” said Weiner.
This tour is open to the public. To reserve your spot, search “Holocaust Reflection and Resource Center Tour” on nova.edu or visit this link, http://sherman.library.nova.edu/sites/
spotlight/event/holocaust-reflection-and-resource-center-tour/.
