Ryan Woodward, Library & Education Associate July 16-17 marks the 80th anniversary of the Vel d’Hiv roundup, an important piece of French Holocaust history. Vel d’Hiv is an abbreviated name of the Vélodrome d’Hiver (Winter Cycling Stadium) where Jews in Paris were held after a mass arrest by French police on July 16 and 17, 1942. Over 13,000 Jews were arrested,including more than 4,000 children. Conditions at the Vel d’Hiv were extremely poor, unsanitary, and unsafe. In the days following the roundup, prisoners were relocated first to local internment camps and eventually to the extermina ..read more

May 12 is International Nurse’s Day! As you may know, our Yom HaShoah program this year was themed around “The Liberators and the Liberated”. In addition to the military veterans and their children whose interviews were featured in our program, another interview took place that was not recorded–students from Avonworth High School interviewed Carol Meisinger, daughter of military nurse Marjorie Butterfield. Marjorie was one of the first responders on the scene after concentration camps were liberated; this critical group of medical staff were essential in saving lives and rehabilitating those w ..read more

by Ryan Woodward Library & Education Associate The story of the White Rose is not complete without mention of the group’s unique methods of non-violent resistance to the Nazis. Often, when learning about resistance to the Nazis and opposition to the war, most immediately think of armed resistance, seen for example in the actions of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the French Resistance, and other underground movements throughout Europe. The examples of resistance that did not involve weapons, violence, or armed conflict can be easily overlooked or not considered. When learning more or teaching ..read more

By Ryan Woodward Library & Education Associate This past weekend marked the 80th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, which authorized and directed “the Secretary of War…to prescribe military areas in such places and of such extent as he or the appropriate Military Commander may determine, from which any or all persons may be excluded, and with respect to which, the right of any person to enter, remain in, or leave shall be subject to whatever restrictions the Secretary of War or the appropriate Military Commander may impose in his discretion.” We more com ..read more

By Ryan Woodward Library & Education Associate Anne Frank is in the news again. Last month, her experience in hiding made international headlines, owing to a new investigation into exactly who betrayed her to the Nazis as well as the misappropriation of her memory to score points in the politicized vaccine debate. Neither topic is necessarily a new one in how icons are researched, represented, or talked about after much time has passed. But that’s how icons are created – their stories are so profound or inspiring or heartbreaking (or all of the above) that scholars, artists, and educators ..read more

By Ryan Woodward, Library and Education Associate of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Every year, events are held nationwide at schools, libraries, bookstores, and in homes — wherever young readers and books connect! As we are currently in the middle of the springtime celebration, it’s the perfect time to highlight and share what’s new in children’s literature and also how the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh takes quite seriously the challenge of presenting programs and recommending r ..read more

As we once again observe Genocide Awareness Month and continue to promote our production of Miracle in Rwanda with Prime Stage Theatre, we are pleased to share this new booklist from our librarian, Ryan Woodward. For any questions or book recommendations, you can contact Ryan at rwoodward@hcpgh.org. Shake Hands With The Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Roméo Dallaire ISBN-13: 978-0786715107 Assigned as a United Nations peacekeeper in Rwanda, General Dallaire chronicles his experience as an unsupported rescuer during the 1994 genocide, who for years has struggled to overcome posttrau ..read more

Benno and the Night of Broken Glass A Children’s Picture Book Written by Meg Wiviott and Illustrated by Josée Bisaillon HCPGH Staff Contributer: Emily Bernstein, Education Outreach Associate This November marks the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht – the Night of Broken Glass, also known as the November Pogroms: On November 9–10, 1938, Nazi leaders unleashed a series of pogroms against the Jewish population in Germany and recently incorporated territories. This event came to be called Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) because of the shattered glass that littered the streets a ..read more