Holocaust Education Resources Council Newsletter · RC Holocaust Education Resource Council ... We...

H E R C Holocaust Education Resource Council |P.O.Box16282Tall.,FL32317 |holocaustresources.org

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Board of Directors

John Rosner PRESIDENT

Mary Ann Deitchman VICE PRESIDENT

Martha Billings SECRETARY

David Kirk TREASURER

Linda Davey HERC EDUCATION

DIRECTOR

At-Large Members

Doreen DuMond Michelle Gayle

Kara Gross Davia Kramer Roger Peace

Brian Pelc Stefanie Posner Tasha Weinstein

Avi Wygodski

Dear HERC Friends,

Thanks to the generosity of members like

you, the Holocaust Education Resource Council

accomplished much this year. First, the outgoing

board members get recognition for moving

forward to a big impact with educators. We

thank Rita Blank, Monte Finkelstein, Eileen

Lerner, Shari Gewanter, Robyn Rachin, and

Daniela Wellner for so much help and support

with many programs. A big welcome to the new

board members Doreen DuMond, Kara Gross,

Brian Pelc, Stefanie Posner, Davia Kramer,

Roger Peace, Martha Billings, and Frank Rainer.

I am looking forward to planning partnership

programs this coming year.

The "Requiem of Defiance" will tell the

story of the historic performances of Verdi's

Requiem at Terezín through narration, images,

and a performance of the Requiem in its entirety.

This project brings together many organizations

and individuals to not only create a beautiful

homage to the prisoners of Terezín but a

profound educational and unifying community

event on March 25, 2017.

http://www.tallahasseesymphony.org/requiemofd

efiance/

Ensuring the quality of Holocaust

education will give us the trained educators

needed to teach the lessons of history. I am very

excited for HERC to reach new members and

support new programs next year.

We need your continued support to

inspire more people to stand up and do the right

thing. Please renew your membership or join if

you have not to help continue the important

work planned. Barbara Goldstein Executive Director

Ho locaus t Educa t ion Resources Counc i l

Newsletter January 2017

Inside this Edition... Message from the President ........................... 2

I Saw It In the Movies ......................................... 3-4

Requiem of Defiance ......................................... 5

HERC Book Club ................................................ 6

Teachers Trunk ..................................................... 7

Poland Trip Brochure ......................................... 8-9

Membership .......................................................... 10-11

Holocaust Education Resource Council |P.O.Box16282Tall.,FL32317 |holocaustresources.org


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Message from John Rosner, HERC President

I would like to belatedly wish everyone a very happy New Year. 2017 will be a very productive year! We are already planning the next teacher education workshops that will include outstanding lecturers and wonderful materials for the attendees. The movies to be presented at the All Saints Cinema are also great as are the books to be discussed at the book club meetings at the Leon County Public Library. Your Board of Directors has many new individuals who are as excited as I am about the coming year’s activities.

The performance of the Requiem of Defiance on March 25 will be a

truly memorable event. I urge all of you to get tickets to attend and experience Verdi’s masterwork.

Needless to say, we have too much planned to simply discuss here.

Please go to our website at www.holocaustresources.org to see the full program. Read and enjoy.

Sincerely,

John Rosner HERC President



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The HERC movie series, I SAW IT IN THE MOVIES, will continue in 2017. For the past two years, we have been

exploring the movies produced by American movie houses in the U.S. (Warner Brothers, United Artists, Columbia, etc.) in

the years just prior to and during WWII. We have seen that American audiences of the “social media” of the day – the

movies – knew about the discriminatory policies of the Nazis, the denial of free speech and religion, and the existence of

brutal concentration camps inside Germany. We have become aware of Nazi spy activities in America, the labeling of

“degenerate” art, and the take‐over of the minds of the youth of Germany ‐ boys being trained to be soldiers for their

“savior”, Hitler, and girls to be breeders of soldiers. We saw Charlie Chaplin’s 1940 parody of “The Great Dictator” and

heard his impassioned plea for the brotherhood of man.

In 2017, we will continue to explore what has become quite obvious – that what Americans knew about the policy

and actions of the Nazis was quite extensive. Our first film is WATCH ON THE RHINE, starring Bette Davis and Paul Lukas.

Released by Warner Brothers in 1943, the movie was based on a stirring play by the famous writer Lillian Hellman and

adapted for the screen by Dashiell Hammett. Its success on the NYC stage was echoed on the screen; Paul Lucas both won

the Golden Globe and Academy Awards for Best Actor. He plays a German anti‐Nazi underground leader who has been

fighting and hiding in Europe and has brought his American wife and their children to security in America. The

complacency of Americans regarding the barbaric nature of the conflict spreading across Europe plays a role in the story as

Lucas’ identity is discovered and he and his family must make a sacrificial choice. Determination, idealism, dignity and

strength are portrayed passionately by Lucas and Davis. WATCH ON THE RHINE will be seen on January 26, 2017.

On February 23, THE SEVENTH CROSS will be presented. This 1944 MGM film is set in 1936 when the primary

purpose of German concentration camps was to incarcerate political opponents of the Nazi state. It is based on a novel by

Anna Seghers. In the film, Spencer Tracy plays an escapee who sees the six men who broke out with him recaptured and

hung on crosses to die. As he keeps one step ahead of pursuing Nazis, he feels the terror of an animal being ruthlessly

hunted. Dread, suspicion, and anxiety are his companions. However, his faith in mankind is restored by the perilous

actions of his friends who help him. SEVENTH CROSS is one of the best known of wartime concentration camp escape

movies. We are showing this movie just days before the FSU exhibit, “Cinema Judaica” will open at the FSU Fine Arts

Museum. This film, as well as seven others we have seen in our series, will be featured in the exhibit.

On March 23, we will divert a bit from our theme of what America knew in the 1940’s. The Tallahassee Symphony

orchestra will be presenting Verdi’s “Defiant Requiem” on March 25. Our film series will show the 2012 documentary with

the same title, portraying the memorial concert which told the story of how musician inmates of the concentration camp

Terezin, conducted by composer Rafael Schachter, used the power of Verdi’s music to maintain their dignity and fight back

by playing and singing to the Nazis what they dared not say to them. This is a little known story of incredible defiance,

using music as the vehicle. If you are able to hear the symphony on March 25, seeing this film will provide you with a

profound appreciation for the meaning of the title, “Defiant Requiem.”

The final film of the 2017 series, THE MOON IS DOWN, is based on a 1942 John Steinbeck novel, which told a story

of the Nazi occupation of a resource rich village in Norway. While the Nazis expected capitulation, the townspeople, led by

their dignified, compassionate mayor, resist and experience brutal retaliation. It is a story of people whose will and

nobility cannot be broken by violence. It also depicts a conflict of ideologies and is a philosophical indictment of the Nazi

“new order”. Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Henry Travers (you might recognize him as Clarence in its A WONDERFUL LIFE) lead

the cast. Twentieth Century Fox released THE MOON IS DOWN in 1943.

ALL FOUR FILMS WILL BE SHOWN ‐ AT NO CHARGE ‐ AT ALL SAINTS THEATRE 918 ½ RAILROAD AVENUE AT 7:00

ON THE DATES SHOWN

I SAW IT IN THE MOVIES!



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Holocaust Education Resource Council 2016/2017 Book Club

Date Book & Author Time VenueNo discussion group

in December XXX XXX XXX

1/19/2017 Legacy of Courage: A Holocaust Survival Story in

Greece by Frederic Kapis

7:00 PM‐ 8:30 PM

Leon County Public Library 200 W Park Ave Program Room B (850) 606‐2665

2/16/2017 Shanghai Refuge: A Memoir of the WW II Jewish Ghetto

by Ernest G. Heppner

7:00 PM‐ 8:30 PM


3/16/2017 The Seventh Million: Israelis and the Holocaust by Tom S. Segev

7:00 PM‐ 8:30 PM


2016/2017 HERC Book Club



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HOLOCAUST TEACHER TRUNKS One appropriate for middle schools

and the other for high schools.

Each trunk contains maps, reference materials, classroom sets of books, DVDs, historical fiction books and nonfiction memoirs and

diaries. Teacher guides are included when available.

For more information about borrowing the trunks contact: Barbara Goldstein at 850-443-9649 [email protected]



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Dear Prospective Member, Thank you for your interest in the Holocaust Education Resource Council (HERC). The lessons learned from the Holocaust – tolerance, courage, and understanding – are invaluable in today’s society. Established by children of Holocaust survivors, HERC in Tallahassee creates learning opportunities in the Big Bend area to help fulfill the state mandate for Holocaust education. Even though the Holocaust occurred over seventy years ago, the lessons of the Holocaust endure, and continue to be relevant in our community. HERC is a member of the Florida Department of Education Commissioner’s Task Force on the Holocaust. Throughout the school year, HERC provides Professional Learning Opportunities about the Holocaust with materials and teaching methods. Furthermore, HERC sponsors a Holocaust book club and film series. The Holocaust Education Resource Council (HERC) recognizes you as an important partner in our mission. As we continue to expand our community outreach, our services have never been in greater demand. Teachers, principals, and community organizations request our assistance and advice as they respond to the difficult times in which we find ourselves. Schools are experiencing an increase in bullying and bias. Your membership directly supports HERC and its educational activities. Your gifts and contributions enable the Holocaust Education Resource Council to sustain its many outreach programs. Members receive special invitations to film screenings, lectures, and special programs. Please fill out the membership form on the next page to become a member. Also, please be sure to visit the HERC website at www.holocaustresources.org for information on the events listed and for further membership information. Membership can be done on the HERC website with PayPal. HERC is a 501(c)3 organization and donations are tax‐deductible. Always feel free to contact me at (850) 443‐9649 or [email protected] if you have any questions or need additional information about HERC. We thank you for your consideration, and look forward to your membership and seeing you at a HERC event in the near future. Sincerely, Barbara Goldstein John Rosner

Barbara Goldstein John Rosner HERC Executive Director President

MEMBERSHIP Letter



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HERC Membership Form

Name:

Address:

Home phone: Cell phone: Email:

I am interested in information on these HERC committees:

Book Club Holocaust Remembrance

Film Series Community Outreach

Memorial Membership

Teacher Workshop

MEMBERSHIP ENTITLES YOU TO:

• Attend programs, films, and scholars’ lectures – at reduced rates or no charge

• Receive notice of ongoing programs and invitations to special events

• Borrow from our extensive collection of books, media, research files, and curricula

• Affirm your personal commitment to our mission and help us reach our goal

HERC is making a difference in our community, but we cannot continue to do so without your support. We urge you

to join us at whatever membership level is most comfortable for you.

HERC OFFERS VARIOUS LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIP: Please select a membership level.

$36 (Life) This membership level is for individuals and helps purchase a DVD, book, or periodical for our

school Resource

$54 (Tolerance) This membership level is for individuals and helps purchase a DVD, book, or periodical for

our school

$100 (Peace) This membership level is for individuals and/or families and helps provide for a student outreach

program

$250 (Courage) This membership level is for individuals and/or families and helps buy a set of books for a

school classroom

$500 (Remembrance) This membership level is for individuals and/or families and helps to sponsor a speaker

for Professional Learning Opportunities.

PLEASE SEND CHECKS TO:

Holocaust Education Resource Council

P.O. Box 16282

Tallahassee, FL. 32317

Donations can be submitted by PayPal on HERC website www.holocaustresources.org

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