Mullins Library, the central research library for the University of Arkansas, was selected as one of the 50 U.S. libraries to host Americans and the Holocaust, a traveling exhibition from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum that examined the motives, pressures, and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war, and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. The touring library—based on the special exhibition of the same name at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.—traveled to U.S. libraries from 2020 to 2022.
Americans and the Holocaust was on display in Mullins Library from November 10 to December 11, 2022. A series of related special events supplemented the exhibition.
Based on extensive new research of that period, Americans and the Holocaust addressed important themes in American history by exploring many factors, including The Great Depression, isolationism, xenophobia, racism, and antisemitism, that influenced decisions made by the U.S. government, the news media, organizations, and individuals as they responded to Nazism.
Drawing on a remarkable collection of primary sources from the 1930s and ’40s, the exhibition challenged visitors to consider the responsibilities and obstacles faced by individuals—from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to ordinary Americans—who made difficult choices, sought to effect change and, in a few cases, took significant risks to help victims of Nazism.
In addition to the exhibition on loan, the University Libraries received a cash grant to support public programming. The funding also covered one library staff member’s attendance at an orientation workshop at the Holocaust Memorial Museum.
The Special Events
The opening reception was held in the Mullins Library Hodges Reading Room on November 10, with remarks by Laurence Hare, associate professor of history and director of the International & Global Studies Program.
Prelude to War: A Film Screening & Discussion was led by Frank Scheide, professor of communication, at the Pryor Center on the downtown Fayetteville Square on November 16.
On December 1, a panel discussion with student and faculty speakers on how the Holocaust affected a variety of disciplines was held in the Hodges Reading Room of Mullins Library, with Jenifer Hoyer, associate professor of German and director of Jewish Studies, serving as the moderator.
Through my Grandmother’s Eyes: The Veit Simon Family during the Holocaust finished out the related special events at the Fayetteville Public Library on December 7. Courtney Doi shared the story of her grandmother, Judith Klein, the youngest of six children, who left Berlin, Germany on the Kindertransport in December 1938 just after Kristallnacht. Courtney also recounted her
own travels back to Germany to further understand her family history and how we, as individuals, can work to prevent genocide in the future.
Americans and the Holocaust: A Traveling Exhibition for Libraries was an educational initiative of the United States Holocaust Museum and the American Library Association. For more information about Americans and the Holocaust and related programming at the University of Arkansas Libraries, visit the University Libraries website. To learn more about the exhibition, visit the exhibition webpage hosted by United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
