We are thrilled to introduce the first edition of our new bi-monthly education blog, created to keep our community informed and engaged with the educational efforts at the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center. This blog will serve as a resource for anyone interested in the latest educational initiatives, programs, and updates from the museum.
Each post will feature highlights from our education team, including new programs, resources, and ways we are enhancing Holocaust education and humanity-focused learning. You’ll also find insights from our scholars, reflections on key moments in history, and information about upcoming events and opportunities to learn, both at the museum and within the wider community. We look forward to sharing these updates with you!
What’s New? Education Team Updates
In September, the Center hosted its second annual descendants brunch. Nearly 100 Holocaust survivors and descendants came together. Our descendants programming offers meaningful social and educational opportunities to come together. We are grateful to the Jewish Home of Cincinnati for its support of this growing initiative. If you are a descendant and would like to receive more information on upcoming events, please contact [email protected]. Here are some photos from our brunch!
From the Museum: What to Know about Artifacts & Collections
Over the summer, new artifacts rotated into the museum’s Holocaust Gallery. While work like this ensures that artifacts are preserved for generations to come, artifact rotation also allows us to share new survivor stories and never before seen artifacts. In September, a new display case was installed in the Mosaic exhibit and a series of childhood photographs from the Collection of Stephanie Marks were displayed for the first time. We fondly remember Stephanie remarking that these were her “beauty pageant photos” and are thrilled to share them with museum visitors in a space that remembers Jewish life before the Holocaust.
We are also pleased to share that on November 1 Fritzie Fritzshall’s interactive biography will be on exhibit in the Dimensions in Testimony Gallery. Stop into the gallery this winter to learn Fritzie’s story and to ask what her message is for future generations.
Scholar-in-Residence Spotlight: Dr. Sarah Crane
Hello everyone, my name is Dr. Sarah Crane, and it is a pleasure to be joining the vibrant intellectual community at the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center. Having spent much of my career in the Midwest, I am thrilled to have been so warmly welcomed to Cincinnati and be given this opportunity to participate in the academic and advocacy work being pursued in partnership between the University of Cincinnati and HHC.
I bring to HHC over ten years of work as both a scholar and practitioner in the field of Holocaust Studies. My academic work has been deeply enriched by participation in the Holocaust Center for Humanity in Seattle, Washington, and the Holocaust Museum Houston in Houston, Texas. These centers of Holocaust remembrance and education have introduced me to communities of Holocaust survivors across the country, and allowed me to witness first-hand the impact of their stories on contemporary audiences. My scholarly research began with an interest in how we discuss the legacy of the Holocaust and other mass atrocities today. I saw how the language of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity structure current discussions of violence, persecution, and discrimination, and decided to study Holocaust trials in pursuit of understanding the origins of these terms and their present impact.
My Ph.D. research at the University of Notre Dame focused on how two Holocaust trials, the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Israel (1961) and the Auschwitz Trial in Germany (1963-65) pushed the bounds of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg (1945-46) from an emphasis on prosecuting former perpetrators to affirming the dignity of the victims and uncovering historical truths and lessons that can be used by future generations. I argue that these extra-legal aspects have become the primary expectations that we place on criminal trials today, including the current proceedings of the International Criminal Court or the International Court of Justice in response to ongoing acts of violence.
It is these systems of international justice that many hoped would keep the promise of never again following the Holocaust, but my work has taught me that preventing future atrocities is work that must be pursued by individuals at all different levels, ranging from global institutions to local communities. I am very thankful to be part of a museum that values continuing to explore and identify the unique forces and stories of the Holocaust while acknowledging how the Holocaust has, and will continue to, structure discussion about how to confront violence and human suffering. Such a perspective allows me to continue my Holocaust research with an eye towards the lessons and limits of such research for the world around us.
I’m excited to connect with you as I explore insights and debates in Holocaust Studies and their relevance today. In future newsletters, I’ll share books, articles, and films on this history and look forward to engaging with you in-person at “Lunch & Learn” sessions starting February 2025.
This Month in History: Stories that Shape Us
October 7 will be a date that is seared into our minds forever. We’ll never forget Hamas’ attack on innocent civilians and we continue to mourn the losses of the ongoing war. Historically, October 7 holds another significant meaning. On this date in 1944, there was a prisoner uprising in Auschwitz-Birkenau. You may have heard this event referred to as the Sonderkommando uprising. What is less spoken about are the women behind the uprising that made it possible. Women forced laborers at the Union Munitions plant smuggled gunpowder to the Sonderkommando who used it to blow up crematoria IV. Unfortunately, 250 prisoners died during the uprising and another 200 prisoners were shot. Four women were identified and executed for their role in the uprising. In 1991, in the Memorial Garden of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, a monument was dedicated to the memory of these four courageous women: Ala Gertner, Esther Wajcblum, Regina Safirztajn, and Roza Robota. There was actually a fifth woman involved; Anna Heilman. Anna was Esther Wajcblum’s sister and had been part of smuggling gunpowder but was not identified and therefore survived. Her daughter, Ariela Heilman, joined our Holocaust Speaker Series to share this amazing story of defiance, resistance, and resilience.
Have questions or want to learn more? Contact Chief Learning Officer Lauren Karas at [email protected].
