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Traveling Exhibitions
Who Am I ? Young Minds Forced to Choose
Who Am I ? Young Minds Forced to Choose premiered at Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. Created by the Arnold-Liebster Foundation, this compelling exhibit of 13 framed panels examines the lives and experiences of young Jehovah’s Witnesses who suffered due to their refusal to accept Nazi ideology. Includes educational activities for students. >> More
Los Angeles Holocaust Museum, 2006
(click to enlarge)
Feedback regarding the Who Am I exhibit:
June 11, 2008 - January 14, 2008 - October 3, 2007
Jehovah’s Witnesses – Faith Under Fire
Mount Mercy College – USA
Cedar Rapids, IA
April 1-30, 2010
Jehovah’s Witnesses – Faith Under Fire premiered at Florida Holocaust Museum.
12 panels created by the Arnold-Liebster Foundation chronicle the Nazi persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Witnesses’ nonviolent resistance to Nazi terror inside and outside the camps. As historian John Toland wrote, this is “a story of human courage that must be heard.”
Virginia Holocaust Museum, 2007
(click to enlarge)
Feedback regarding the Faith Under Fire exhibit :
July 30, 2008 - January 14, 2008
Exhibition in Germany :
“Remembrance for the future – 70 years later”
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| Lüdinghausen | Senden |
The Moral Resistance of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Victims of Nazi Persecution.
Location :
- Town Hall of Senden, North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany, from September 7 to September 24, 2009
- Town Hall of Lüdinghausen, North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany, from September 30 to October 16, 2009
Letter regarding the Who Am I ? exhibit :
June 11, 2008
Dear Ms. Milakovich,
As part of our continuing series exploring the "other" victims of the Holocaust, Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust hosted the premier of the 13-panel traveling exhibit Who Am I ? Young Minds Forced to Choose on November 5, 2006. Created by the Arnold-Liebster Foundation, the exhibit relates the story of Jehovah's Witness youth persecuted during the Holocaust.
The premier was so successful that the Museum held two openings on the same day to accommodate the crowds of people that wanted to see it. It has continued to be received warmIy and the Museum has literally had hundreds of people come through every week to see it and listen to the audio recordings of survivors that accompany each panel. Visitors have been very moved by the exhibit.
Simone and Rudolf two young, persecuted Jehovah's Witnesses, narrate the stories of their families and friends. Each panel heading poses a probing question for young viewers to reflect on. Short, true-life accounts show how Jehovah's Witnesses answered these questions when faced with Nazi persecution.
The exhibit is accompanied by educational materials, many of which are free online at the Arnold-Liebster Foundation website. Since our target community has little to no money for teaching tools, they are very grateful when we can point them in the direction of quality materials that cost them little or nothing. The tri-fold teacher guide really benefits students and can be used as a pre-arrivaI by mailing teachers the guide when they book a tour, and as a "decompression session" after students see the exhibit. The classroom set of Facing the Lion: Memoirs of a Young Girl in Nazi Europe by Simone Arnold Liebster is a wonderful resource and has been added to our list of recommended reading for teachers bringing Holocaust education to their classrooms.
The exhibit has been very successful for us and is now a permanent feature of the Museum. While one cannot take religion out of the Holocaust - or out of what happened to Jehovah's Witnesses - this exhibit is well done without proselytizing. We feel strongly about the importance of Who Am I ? Young Minds Forced to Choose, and recommend its use by other institutions.
Sincerely,
Mark Rothman
Executive Director
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Letter regarding the Who Am I exhibit :
January 14, 2008
As we wind down our exhibit, I wanted to thank you personally for all your help and support in bringing Who Am I? to the School District of Palm Beach County.
The exhibit began at the District office and had a showing at nine of our high schools. The response was outstanding. Our students and staff who were able to view the exhibit had very positive comments, not just on the display, but more importantly on the information that they gained about the role that Jehovah's Witnesses played during the Holocaust.
Sincerely,
Eileen Shapiro, Program Planner
Holocaust Studies
The School District of Palm Beach County
Department of Multicultural Education
3388 Forest Hill Blvd., Suite A-204
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
Letter regarding the Who Am I exhibit :
October 3, 2007
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Liebster:
I want to thank you and your foundation for creating the Who Am I? exhibit. As it travels through our district from school to school, I’m getting only positive feedback about it.
Evaluations all came back excellent in terms of telling the story of young Jehovah’s Witnesses during the Holocaust. The panels are compelling and interesting, and the presentation is in a clear and concise manner. Not only is it very appropriate for public schools, but it promotes fascinating follow-up discussion.
Here are two of our student comments :
- “This presentation was a more personal account of some of the victims in the Holocaust. It really hits you hard when you see the pictures of these innocent people and read their stories.”
- “Displaying this presentation is crucial in teaching tolerance and understanding.”
Thank you for allowing us to have this in our school district.
Sincerely,
Eileen Shapiro, Program Planner
Holocaust Studies
The School District of Palm Beach County
Department of Multicultural Education
3388 Forest Hill Blvd., Suite A-204
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
Letter regarding the Faith Under Fire exhibit :
July 30, 2008
This letter is written in support of the Arnold Liebster Foundation and their exhibition, Faith Under Fire created for the Florida Holocaust Museum. Through this exhibition, the Florida Holocaust Museum and other exhibition sites are able to educate visitors, mostly school-aged students, on the little known history of the Nazi’s other victims. The exhibition explains the persecution Jehovah’s Witnesses faced during the Holocaust and their courage in the face of great danger.
Faith Under Fire helps to communicate the lessons of the Holocaust in an easy to understand, well-organized and visually appealing way. Visitors who see the exhibition often comment that by seeing it, they learned something that was previously unknown to them. It is easily one of the most popular temporary exhibitions we host.
Sincerely,
Erin Blankenship
Curator of Exhibitions & Collections
Florida Holocaust Museum
55 Fifth Street South
Saint Petersburg, Florida 33701
Letter regarding the Faith Under Fire exhibit :
January 14, 2008
The Virginia Holocaust Museum's staff wants to thank the Arnold Liebster Foundation for the wonderful exhibition "Faith Under Fire" and recognize its efforts to continue Holocaust education. Exhibits like the foundation's help represent the entirety of the Holocaust to the Museum's visitors. The panels of the display explain the story of the brave Jehovah's witnesses who would not denounce their faith and defied the Nazis.
Originally planned from the 22nd of October through the 26th of November 2007, the Museum ultimately hosted the exhibition through the 26th of December 2007. Due to the overwhelming visitor response, the Museum requested a month-long extension for the display housed in its Holocaust Gallery.
The panels were very easy to assemble, take down, and repack in the cases provided for shipment.
Respectfully yours,
Dianna Gabay
Director of Exhibitions and Collections
Virginia Holocaust Museum
2000 East Cary Street
Richmond, VA 23223
All letters in their entirety can be provided upon request.
Note:
For further information about traveling exhibits contact Sandra Milakovich, U.S. Contact for Arnold-Liebster Foundation, 563-391-1819 extension 2, sandra@alst.org.
The Arnold-Liebster Foundation was established by Holocaust-era survivors Max Liebster and Simone Arnold Liebster in January 2002 to educate future generations in the lessons of history. A non-political, non-profit organization, it strives to keep alive the memory of victims of dictatorships and religious persecution. The Foundation supports historical research and educational programs for the purpose of promoting peace, tolerance, human rights, and religious freedom.
(For an electronic version of this list, contact sandra@alst.org)
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