Transcript Darkness Into Life - Birmingham Holocaust Education Center
Slide 1
The Birmingham Holocaust Education Committee
presents:
Slide 2
It has been more than 70 years
since the creation of the first Nazi concentration camps.
Slide 3
Six million Jews died in those camps, as well as
hundreds of thousands of others the Nazis considered socially undesirable.
Slide 4
Slide 5
From the terrible darkness of the Holocaust…
Slide 6
to successful lives in Alabama nearly seven decades later…
Slide 7
many of Alabama’s survivors’ stories have
been captured in the exhibit “Darkness into
Life” by Becky Seitel and Mitzi J. Levin.
Slide 8
Darkness into Life
educate
was designed to
through shared memories,
inspire by example, and
celebrate the lives of 20 Alabama Holocaust survivors.
Through their words and our photography and art,
we share their stories o f
hope
and
survival.
Becky Seitel and Mitzi J. Levin
Slide 9
Viewer Comments
Slide 10
“What began as a project became an insatiable quest, not only drawing on their
considerable talents, but forcing them to reach deep within themselves as nine Jewish
survivors entrusted to these two women their most precious possessions…the
narrative of their lives. The end product is a remarkable mix of drama, darkness,
poignancy, and celebration captured as well by the title of the exhibit.
The genius of Mitzi and Becky goes beyond their paintings and photographs. It is
in their voices, in their ability to tell the story anew, especially to those of us who
think we know it. Through Darkness into Life they have again reminded us of
what really happened when a third of our people - 20% of them children - vanished in
an instant.
Richard Friedman
Executive Director, Birmingham Jewish Federation
Darkness into Life, Phase I, April 2007
Slide 11
“It definitely gives me pause to count my blessings I’d not previously considered.”
“Great exhibition of the beautiful air of optimism that
persisted despite the struggles.”
“Moving stories, wonderful photographs, and stunning artwork.”
“What a wonderful testimony to those great heroes.
They overcame
the worst life had to offer and embraced the gift of life. They built
new lives contributing to a world that turned their back on them.”
“I learned a lot that I haven’t learned in textbooks.”
Slide 12
Becky Seitel and Mitzi Levin graciously donated their
exhibit to the Birmingham Holocaust Education Committee,
a regional division of the Alabama Holocaust Commission.
The mission of the Committee is to facilitate education and
understanding of the Holocaust by providing information,
materials, speakers, teachers’ workshops, community
events, and programming.
Slide 13
Over the last several years the exhibit has traveled
extensively throughout the state of Alabama and has been
seen in a variety of venues including:
• Levite Jewish Community Center
• Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
• Alabama State Capitol
• Mobile Museum of Art
• Mary Hardin Cultural Center, Gadsden
• Schools, libraries, and community centers
Slide 14
Levite Jewish Community Center
Slide 15
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Slide 16
Cullman Middle School
Slide 17
Mary Hardin Cultural Center, Gadsden
Slide 18
Alabama State Capitol
Slide 19
Sample Photography and Narrative
Prized Possession by Becky Seitel
At 11 years old, Ruth Siegler had many favorite toys, a
warm and safe home, and a loving family in Sinzenich,
Germany.
Her life began to change on November 9, 1938, the
Night of Broken Glass, or Kristallnacht. That night,
Jewish homes, including Ruth’s, and stores were
ransacked in a thousand German cities, towns, and
villages. German mobs destroyed buildings, leaving the
streets covered in smashed windows. Hundreds of Jews
were beaten to death and 30,000 Jewish men were
taken to concentration camps.
Shortly thereafter, Ruth’s family was interred in a
refugee / transit camp. From there, they were sent to
Terezin (Theresienstadt), a concentration camp in
northwest Czechoslovakia.
“I was a frightened teenager who lost everything: my
parents, brother, home, toys, all the things that made me
feel safe,” she recalls.
“Suddenly, my most prized possession was the bowl I
was issued upon entering the camp. Every prisoner was
given a bowl, one bowl. It was so important to survival
that you kept it with you at all times. If you lost it, or it
was stolen, you were not given another. Prisoners then
had two choices: steal someone else’s bowl, or wait for
someone to die and take their bowl.”
Slide 20
Sample Art and Narrative
Henry Aizenman Liberation by Mitzi J. Levin
“We heard the Americans and the British
were bombing Germany. We didn’t care if
they hit us.
“On May 2, 1945, the German guards started
evacuating in trucks and on foot. Prisoners
broke into the armory, opened the gates, and
started running around with rifles. It was total
chaos. I was laughing hysterically.
“A jeep with American soldiers approached
our camp, Wöbbelin, near Ludwigslust.
When they saw what was happening, they
left and later returned in a tank. I was
liberated that day by the Americans.
“I was 14 years old.”
Slide 21
Size
Darkness Into Life contains biographies and narratives for
20 Alabama Holocaust survivors. The collection has 78
photos and paintings as well as five descriptive boards
which include Title Board, Memorial, Acknowledgment
Boards, and Maps. The full exhibit requires approximately
2200 square feet of gallery space. Alternative display space
such as free-standing peg-boards may also be used.
Slide 22
Fees
There is no cost associated with hosting the exhibit within
Alabama. In some cases, there may be a fee for shipping.
To date, that shipping fee has been minimal as venues have
been able to use their own employees and inexpensive
rental trucks to ship the exhibit. The exhibit arrives crated
with detailed instructions regarding how to display.
Slide 23
Additional Materials
The DVD “Darkness Into Life,” featuring survivors and
artists talking about their experience and their artwork, is
supplied. This DVD can be looped to run continuously
during the exhibit.
Slide 24
Additional Materials
“Children of the Holocaust,” a documentary of nine
Birmingham survivors telling their story using original
photographs and film footage is included.
Slide 25
Additional Materials
Along with the exhibit manual, we include a CD of
reproducible materials including the exhibit logo, sample
press release, images of publicity artwork, exhibit
brochures for distribution to visitors, and educational
materials.
Slide 26
Speakers Available
Several of our survivors have been available to travel to
speak at the various venues where the exhibit has been
presented. The artists are also available to speak.
Slide 27
Darkness into Life is presented by:
The Birmingham Holocaust Education Committee,
a regional division of the Alabama Holocaust Commission
Slide 28
Contact Information
Please visit our Web site at
www.bhamholocausteducation.org
or contact
Barbara Solomon
Exhibit Coordinator
Birmingham Holocaust Education Committee Office
205.795.4176
[email protected]
The Birmingham Holocaust Education Committee
presents:
Slide 2
It has been more than 70 years
since the creation of the first Nazi concentration camps.
Slide 3
Six million Jews died in those camps, as well as
hundreds of thousands of others the Nazis considered socially undesirable.
Slide 4
Slide 5
From the terrible darkness of the Holocaust…
Slide 6
to successful lives in Alabama nearly seven decades later…
Slide 7
many of Alabama’s survivors’ stories have
been captured in the exhibit “Darkness into
Life” by Becky Seitel and Mitzi J. Levin.
Slide 8
Darkness into Life
educate
was designed to
through shared memories,
inspire by example, and
celebrate the lives of 20 Alabama Holocaust survivors.
Through their words and our photography and art,
we share their stories o f
hope
and
survival.
Becky Seitel and Mitzi J. Levin
Slide 9
Viewer Comments
Slide 10
“What began as a project became an insatiable quest, not only drawing on their
considerable talents, but forcing them to reach deep within themselves as nine Jewish
survivors entrusted to these two women their most precious possessions…the
narrative of their lives. The end product is a remarkable mix of drama, darkness,
poignancy, and celebration captured as well by the title of the exhibit.
The genius of Mitzi and Becky goes beyond their paintings and photographs. It is
in their voices, in their ability to tell the story anew, especially to those of us who
think we know it. Through Darkness into Life they have again reminded us of
what really happened when a third of our people - 20% of them children - vanished in
an instant.
Richard Friedman
Executive Director, Birmingham Jewish Federation
Darkness into Life, Phase I, April 2007
Slide 11
“It definitely gives me pause to count my blessings I’d not previously considered.”
“Great exhibition of the beautiful air of optimism that
persisted despite the struggles.”
“Moving stories, wonderful photographs, and stunning artwork.”
“What a wonderful testimony to those great heroes.
They overcame
the worst life had to offer and embraced the gift of life. They built
new lives contributing to a world that turned their back on them.”
“I learned a lot that I haven’t learned in textbooks.”
Slide 12
Becky Seitel and Mitzi Levin graciously donated their
exhibit to the Birmingham Holocaust Education Committee,
a regional division of the Alabama Holocaust Commission.
The mission of the Committee is to facilitate education and
understanding of the Holocaust by providing information,
materials, speakers, teachers’ workshops, community
events, and programming.
Slide 13
Over the last several years the exhibit has traveled
extensively throughout the state of Alabama and has been
seen in a variety of venues including:
• Levite Jewish Community Center
• Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
• Alabama State Capitol
• Mobile Museum of Art
• Mary Hardin Cultural Center, Gadsden
• Schools, libraries, and community centers
Slide 14
Levite Jewish Community Center
Slide 15
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Slide 16
Cullman Middle School
Slide 17
Mary Hardin Cultural Center, Gadsden
Slide 18
Alabama State Capitol
Slide 19
Sample Photography and Narrative
Prized Possession by Becky Seitel
At 11 years old, Ruth Siegler had many favorite toys, a
warm and safe home, and a loving family in Sinzenich,
Germany.
Her life began to change on November 9, 1938, the
Night of Broken Glass, or Kristallnacht. That night,
Jewish homes, including Ruth’s, and stores were
ransacked in a thousand German cities, towns, and
villages. German mobs destroyed buildings, leaving the
streets covered in smashed windows. Hundreds of Jews
were beaten to death and 30,000 Jewish men were
taken to concentration camps.
Shortly thereafter, Ruth’s family was interred in a
refugee / transit camp. From there, they were sent to
Terezin (Theresienstadt), a concentration camp in
northwest Czechoslovakia.
“I was a frightened teenager who lost everything: my
parents, brother, home, toys, all the things that made me
feel safe,” she recalls.
“Suddenly, my most prized possession was the bowl I
was issued upon entering the camp. Every prisoner was
given a bowl, one bowl. It was so important to survival
that you kept it with you at all times. If you lost it, or it
was stolen, you were not given another. Prisoners then
had two choices: steal someone else’s bowl, or wait for
someone to die and take their bowl.”
Slide 20
Sample Art and Narrative
Henry Aizenman Liberation by Mitzi J. Levin
“We heard the Americans and the British
were bombing Germany. We didn’t care if
they hit us.
“On May 2, 1945, the German guards started
evacuating in trucks and on foot. Prisoners
broke into the armory, opened the gates, and
started running around with rifles. It was total
chaos. I was laughing hysterically.
“A jeep with American soldiers approached
our camp, Wöbbelin, near Ludwigslust.
When they saw what was happening, they
left and later returned in a tank. I was
liberated that day by the Americans.
“I was 14 years old.”
Slide 21
Size
Darkness Into Life contains biographies and narratives for
20 Alabama Holocaust survivors. The collection has 78
photos and paintings as well as five descriptive boards
which include Title Board, Memorial, Acknowledgment
Boards, and Maps. The full exhibit requires approximately
2200 square feet of gallery space. Alternative display space
such as free-standing peg-boards may also be used.
Slide 22
Fees
There is no cost associated with hosting the exhibit within
Alabama. In some cases, there may be a fee for shipping.
To date, that shipping fee has been minimal as venues have
been able to use their own employees and inexpensive
rental trucks to ship the exhibit. The exhibit arrives crated
with detailed instructions regarding how to display.
Slide 23
Additional Materials
The DVD “Darkness Into Life,” featuring survivors and
artists talking about their experience and their artwork, is
supplied. This DVD can be looped to run continuously
during the exhibit.
Slide 24
Additional Materials
“Children of the Holocaust,” a documentary of nine
Birmingham survivors telling their story using original
photographs and film footage is included.
Slide 25
Additional Materials
Along with the exhibit manual, we include a CD of
reproducible materials including the exhibit logo, sample
press release, images of publicity artwork, exhibit
brochures for distribution to visitors, and educational
materials.
Slide 26
Speakers Available
Several of our survivors have been available to travel to
speak at the various venues where the exhibit has been
presented. The artists are also available to speak.
Slide 27
Darkness into Life is presented by:
The Birmingham Holocaust Education Committee,
a regional division of the Alabama Holocaust Commission
Slide 28
Contact Information
Please visit our Web site at
www.bhamholocausteducation.org
or contact
Barbara Solomon
Exhibit Coordinator
Birmingham Holocaust Education Committee Office
205.795.4176
[email protected]