Otto Lauer, Fricek Holzbauer and Emi Taub perished in the Holocaust, but their memory lives on in the exhibit “Neighbors who disappeared.”
On loan from the Jewish Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, the exhibit will be shown Oct. 15-Nov. 21 at the WSU Holland and Terrell Libraries.
“This particular exhibit tells stories at a very personal level of people
who were affected by the Holocaust or lost their lives to the Holocaust,” said Gabriella Reznowski, humanities librarian and coordinator of the exhibit. “The visual aspects of the exhibit really drive home what was lost.”
who were affected by the Holocaust or lost their lives to the Holocaust,” said Gabriella Reznowski, humanities librarian and coordinator of the exhibit. “The visual aspects of the exhibit really drive home what was lost.”“Neighbors who disappeared” was created in coordination with children in Czech villages. The children conducted the research for the project by writing letters to relatives, contacting survivors, and interviewing them about how their lives were affected, Reznowski said. The research developed into a mixed-media exhibit with quotes, passages, photos and paintings.
An opening reception for the exhibit will be at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, which is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the 1938 “Night of Broken Glass” in which Jewish homes and businesses in German cities were ransacked or destroyed.
“I have always seen the Holocaust as a watershed event in human history,” said R. Wesley Leid, an animal science and honors professor who will be keynote speaker at the exhibit opening and is active in the Holocaust Week of Remembrance held in the spring at WSU.
“This time period has much to teach us regarding ethical behavior or lack thereof in our treatment of those who may be different from us in appearance, beliefs or culture,” he said.
The exhibit consists of 19 mixed media panels and has recently been traveling in the United States.
“I think WSU is fortunate to be part of the exhibit’s U.S. tour,” Reznowski said.
