Holocaust Exhibit- What: “Shoah: How was it Humanly Possible?”
- Where: Lucile Parker Gallery, William Carey University
- When: Runs until April 2. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Or by appointment. Free admission.
- Questions: Call Dr. Ed Ford, gallery director, (801) 755-4052.
William Carey University hosted an opening reception Feb. 11 for a traveling exhibit from the Yad Vashem museum in Jerusalem – “Shoah: How was it Humanly Possible?”
The Yad Vashem is dedicated to preserving the memory of Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors and Gentiles who aided Jews in need, researching the Holocaust and preventing such events in the future.
It’s not a flashy exhibit. There are no head phones or interactive touch screens. It’s simple, a room hung with large panel boards, each focusing on one aspect of the Holocaust. The first panel shows a 1933 photo taken in Latvia of a second-grade gym class of 35 children and two teachers. The narrative observes that only seven survived World War II.
People assembled for the reception were quiet, circulating in small groups, reading the words, studying the images.
Dr. Neil Solomon, president of Temple B’nai Israel, spoke to the group gathered at Lucile Parker Gallery.
“I’ve made it part of my life’s mission to make people aware of what happened. My father’s family came from Lithuania and my mother’s family came from Hungary in the 1920s and 1930s. Most of their siblings and relatives were killed in various concentration camps. So, this is very personal to me because I’m part of a generation that has connections to the people who suffered during that time,” Solomon said.
“But that’s slowly changing. Survivors will be dying. Direct family connections to that generation will be smaller and smaller. So, it depends on us to tell generations going into the future what really happened. This is not ancient history. This was yesterday. And if it happened yesterday, it can happen tomorrow.”
Dr. Tommy King spoke about WCU’s decision to bring the exhibit to Hattiesburg.
“When Carey sponsors tours of Israel, we make a point to visit the Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem. Our mission is to provide accurate information and to support persecuted people worldwide. We feel that it is in keeping with this mission to share this exhibit with our students and the community,” King said.
“Shoah: How was it Humanly Possible?” runs through April 2 at William Carey University’s Lucile Parker Gallery. For information, call (801) 755-4052.
In the photo: Dr. Joshua Bernstein speaks with his daughters about the exhibit’s first panel, which shows young children in a 1933 gym class in Latvia. Only seven of them would survive the Holocaust. His wife, Dr. Diana Bernstein, listens as she holds their son.
