Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh

Whistleblowers Who Exposed the Holocaust
2024-04-15 12:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Join the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh for a virtual lunch & learn with Historian Dr. Rafael Medoff and whistleblower attorney Mark Zaid as they discuss the new nonfiction graphic novel Whistleblowers: Four Who Fought to Expose the Holocaust (written by Medoff; drawn by Dean Motter; foreword by Zaid).
Register here. A Zoom link will be provided closer to the event.
About Whistleblowers:
Whistleblowers tells the true story of four courageous individuals who risked their careers—or their lives—to confront the unfolding Holocaust.
Who were the whistleblowers?

Alan Cranston—a young journalist and future U.S. senator who exposed the truth of Hitler’s plans.
Henry Morgenthau, Jr.—a member of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s cabinet who confronted the President over the plight of Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler
Jan Karski—an eyewitness to Nazi atrocities who met with American and British officials to alert them about the death camps.
Josiah E. DuBois Jr.—an American civil servant who blew the whistle on colleagues inside the Roosevelt administration who were blocking the rescue of refugees.

About Dr. Rafael Medoff:
Dr. Rafael Medoff is founding director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, based in Washington, D.C., which focuses on America’s response to Nazism and the Holocaust. He is the author of more than 20 books on the Holocaust, Zionism, and American Jewish history. Dr. Medoff is also a leader in the field of using political cartoons, comic books, and animation as tools in Holocaust education. His latest book is the nonfiction graphic novel Whistleblowers: Four Who Fought to Expose the Holocaust to America, with Dean Motter. Medoff also is coauthor, with Neal Adams and Craig Yoe, of We Spoke Out: Comic Books and the Holocaust; coauthor of the forthcoming book Cartoonists Against the Holocaust, with Craig Yoe); and co-creator, with Neal Adams, of the Disney Educational Productions animated series “They Spoke Out: American Voices Against the Holocaust.” Dr. Medoff has authored Holocaust-related comic strips for Marvel Comics, the Washington Post (with Art Spiegelman of “Maus”), the Los Angeles Times, and The New Republic.
About Mark Zaid:
Mark S. Zaid is a renowned national security attorney based in Washington, D.C. He regularly handles high-profile cases involving federal employees and contractors, including whistleblowers, and often comments on national media programs. Mark is the grandson of Rabbi David Max Eichhorn, the U.S. Army Chaplain who led services for the survivors of Dachau Concentration Camp in May 1945, and he co-edited the book “GI’s Rabbi” (2004) concerning his grandfather’s World War Two correspondence. He is also a longstanding comic-book collector and dealer and lectures on the history of comic books.

Slippery Rock University's Holocaust Remembrance Program
2024-03-27 15:30 - 17:15 | Miller Auditorium & Performing Arts Center, 102 Maltby Ave, Slippery Rock, PA, 16057, United States

A Night of Hope & Hops: Debbie Leuchter Stueber Generations Breweries Talk
2024-03-26 18:30 | Grist House Brewing, 10 Sherman St, Pittsburgh, PA, 15209, United States
Join us at Grist House Craft Brewery (10 Sherman St, Pittsburgh, PA 15209) for the third installment of Generations Speaker Debbie Stueber’s “A Night of Hope & Hops” series – where she shares her parents’ stories of survival, at local breweries! Hear about Kurt and Edith Leuchter, as told by Debbie, and their story of surviving the Nazis, joining the French Resistance, and making new lives in America. Kurt and Edith will likely join at the end for Q&A with the audience. And come have some good beer, while you’re listening and learning!
Event is free, but your support helps us continue our work!
RSVP here.

Passages to Safety: Untold Stories of Jewish Refugees in Latin America
2024-03-12 18:00 | Welker Room, James Laughlin Music Hall, 5798 Woodland Rd, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, United States
While Latin America only permitted about 84,000 Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, pockets of hope emerged. Tens of thousands of Spanish and Jewish refugees escaped Nazi-occupied Europe with the help of diplomats like Gilberto Bosques Saldívar of México. Jews were also offered crucial passage away from Nazi persecution by governments in Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador. Join Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez, interim director of the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center and member of the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, for a discussion about Jewish refuge in Latin America during the Holocaust.

This program is free, but the suggested donation is $10. We always appreciate your support of our efforts in Holocaust and antisemitism education!
This event is part of our “Elizabeth Sylvian Memorial Lectures,” which address issues related to the Holocaust, including lessons still to be learned and implications for the 21st century.
Sponsored by: Drs. Ricardo & Blima Mitre, Todd Rosenfeld & Delilah Picard, Anonymous, Chatham University Social Sciences Department, and the Center for Latin American Studies at University of Pittsburgh.
Register here.

Biography:
Irvin is a first-generation Mexican-American who’s dedicated his life to education, community organizing, and leadership for Latinos.
Irvin earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Stockton University in 2015 and went on to complete his Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from the same institution in 2022. His impressive academic qualifications are matched by his impressive track record of community involvement.
Currently, he serves as the Board President of El Pueblo Unido of Atlantic City. This advocacy organization works tirelessly for immigrant rights in Atlantic County, New Jersey. Irvin has held various other high-profile positions in the past, including member of the Fund Development Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Atlantic & Cape May Counties, Executive Member of the Hispanic Advocacy Committee for Equity (H.A.C.E), Secretary and Advocacy Chair of the Hispanic Association of Atlantic County (HAAC), and Co-Chair of the Education Committee of the NAACP’s Atlantic City Branch.
In recognition of his tireless work and dedication to promoting Holocaust education in the state of New Jersey, Irvin was appointed by Governor Phil Murphy as a member of the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education in 2021.
Irvin is the current interim director of the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University.

Special Video Showing of Perseverance
2024-03-04 19:00 | New Hazlett Center for Performing Arts, 6 Allegheny Square E, Pittsburgh, PA, 15212, United States
Experience a special one-time showing of the world premiere production that brought a powerful memoir of healing and renewal to the stage.
Join us on March 4, 2024 for a special viewing of Perseverance with a post-show discussion about the book, play and the Holocaust with The Author: Lee Kikel, The Playwright: L.E. McCullough, and The Director: Art DeConciliis.

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And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank
2024-03-01 - 2024-03-10 | New Hazlett Center for Performing Arts, 6 Allegheny Square E, Pittsburgh, PA, 15212, United States
by James Still
Directed by Art DeConciliis
Immerse yourself in this inspiring multi-media story based on the true life of Anne Frank and her childhood friends, Eva Schloss and Ed Silberberg, who survived the Holocaust during World War II.
LEARN MORE
March 1 – 10, 2024
Special Dates:
Preview: Friday, March 1st at 7:30pm – Pay What You Can
Opening Night: Saturday, March 2nd at 7:30pm
Sensory Inclusive: Saturday, March 9th at 2:30pm – Pay What You Can
Audio Describe: Sunday, March 10th at 2:30pm
ASL / Live Caption: Sunday, March 10th at 2:30pm

BUY TICKETS
Ticket Prices
– Adult: $39
– Artist: $24
– Student: $19

A Love Story for the Ages
2024-02-15 18:30 | Hampton Community Center, 3101 McCully Rd, Allison Park, PA, 15101, United States
Hear Generations Speaker Deborah Leuchter Stueber recall her parents’ harrowing story of love and resilience during the Holocaust. The presentation will be accompanied by a 30-minute slideshow and a virtual question-and-answer via Zoom with her parents, Edith and Kurt, themselves.

An Evening with Holocaust Historians Elizabeth B. White and Joanna Sliwa
2024-01-31 19:00 | Riverstone Books, 5841 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15217, United States
Riverstone Books and the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh are pleased to present an evening with Elizabeth B. White and Joanna Sliwa
World War II and the Holocaust have given rise to many stories of resistance and rescue, but The Counterfeit Countess is unique. It tells the remarkable, unknown story of “Countess Janina Suchodolska,” a Jewish woman who rescued more than 10,000 Poles imprisoned by Poland’s Nazi occupiers.
Mehlberg operated in Lublin, Poland, headquarters of Aktion Reinhard, the SS operation that murdered 1.7 million Jews in occupied Poland. Using the identity papers of a Polish aristocrat, she worked as a welfare official while also serving in the Polish resistance. With guile, cajolery, and steely persistence, the “Countess” persuaded SS officials to release thousands of Poles from the Majdanek concentration camp. She won permission to deliver food and medicine for thousands more of the camp’s prisoners. At the same time, she personally smuggled supplies and messages to resistance fighters imprisoned at Majdanek. Incredibly, she eluded detection, and ultimately survived the war and emigrated to the US. Drawing on the manuscript of Mehlberg’s own unpublished memoir, supplemented with prodigious research, Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa, professional historians and Holocaust experts, have uncovered the full story of this remarkable woman.
Register here.
Dr. Elizabeth “Barry” White recently retired from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where she served as historian and as Research Director for the USHMM’s Center for the Prevention of Genocide. Prior to working for the USHMM, Barry spent a career at the US Department of Justice working on investigations and prosecutions of Nazi criminals and other human rights violators. She served as deputy director and chief historian of the Office of Special Investigations and as deputy chief and chief historian of the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section. She lives in Falls Church, Virginia.
Dr. Joanna Sliwa is a historian at the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) in New York, where she also administers academic programs. She previously worked at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and at the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. She has taught Holocaust and Jewish history at Kean University and at Rutgers University and has served as a historical consultant and researcher, including for the PBS film In the Name of Their Mothers: The Story of Irena Sendler. Her first book, Jewish Childhood in Kraków: A Microhistory of the Holocaust won the 2020 Ernst Fraenkel Prize awarded by the Wiener Holocaust Library. She lives in Linden, New Jersey.

Lee Goldman Kikel Discusses "Perseverance"
2024-01-27 13:00 | Castle Shannon Library, 3677 Myrtle Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15234, United States
“Lee Goldman Kikel will join us to talk about her late father Melvin Goldman and how she came to share his meaningful story in the book Perseverance: One Holocaust Survivor’s Journey from Poland to America.
It was in the late 1970s, over thirty years after most of his family was murdered during the Holocaust that Melvin Goldman sat down alone to record his life story. Then, twenty years after his death, Goldman Kikel, Melvin’s only child, found her father’s recordings. It was then she learned that he hoped his story would find its way into the world. In Perseverance, Goldman Kikel fulfills her father’s dream. She tells his story.
Books will be available to purchase.
Registration is appreciated. Register by calling the library at 412-563-4552, emailing the library at castleshannon@castleshannonlibrary.org, dropping by the front desk, or messaging us on FB.”

The Last Forgotten Victims? Black Lives in Nazi Germany
2024-01-26 12:00 | Zoom
Join us virtually for our annual commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day as we hear from Dr. Robbie Aitken, professor at Sheffield Hallam University, as he discusses the concept of ‘forgotten victims,’ which looks at the experiences of Germany’s Black resident community. Dr. Aitken’s research suggests that there was a genocidal intent in Nazi policy towards Black people, which while not systematically implemented, had a devastating effect on Black lives. The talk will also consider why their stories are missing from public and academic knowledge of the Nazi period as well as more recent attempts to make these life stories visible.
This event is in partnership with the Jack Buncher Chair in Jewish Studies at Carnegie Mellon University, the Jewish Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Department of Social Sciences at Chatham University.
This is a virtual event. Registration is free and donation is optional. Click here to register. A link will be made available closer to the date of the event.

Professor Robbie Aitken is an Historian of Black Europe and Empire at Sheffield Hallam University. He has written widely on the development of a Black community in Germany from the 1880s up to 1945. His publications include Black Germany, the Making and Unmaking of a Diaspora Community, 1884-1960, (with Eve Rosenhaft). Currently he is working on the Black experience of Nazi Germany as well as post-war compensation claims made by Black victims of the Holocaust.
He has worked with a wide range of non-academic audiences such as schools, museums, artists, film directors, and community groups, and has been involved in several public exhibition and memorial projects in Berlin as well as developing and staging his own travelling exhibition ‘Black Germany’, which has been shown in the UK, Germany, and Cameroon.

Righteous Among the Neighbors Celebration
2024-01-17 19:00 - 20:15 | Jewish Community Center – South Hills, 345 Kane Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA, 15243, United States
Righteous Among the Neighbors is a joint project of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and the LIGHT Education Initiative, in partnership with student journalists at Mt. Lebanon High School, to honor non-Jewish Pittsburghers who have supported the Jewish community and stood up against antisemitism, particularly in response to the October 27th, 2018 attack on three Pittsburgh area Jewish congregations.
As part of the mission of LIGHT—to “inspire, prepare, and empower the next generation of humanitarians”—Mt. Lebanon students have conducted interviews with the 24 Pittsburghers nominated as Righteous Among the Neighbors for 2023 and written article-length profiles about their efforts.
We invite you to join us to celebrate our 2023 Righteous Among the Neighbors honorees at the JCC South Hills on January 17th!
Register here.

Irena’s Vow Community Film Event
2023-12-10 15:00 - 18:00 | Jared L. Cohon University Center, 5032 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, United States
The Film Irena’s Vow is an inspiring tale that showcases the triumph of the human spirit over tragedy.
DOORS OPEN AT 2:30 PM ET
Jared L. Cohon University Center
Carnegie Mellon University
University Center, 5032 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Join Classrooms Without Borders in partnership with The Collaboratory Against Hate and the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh for the remarkable premiere of the film “Irena’s Vow.”
Given the dark days we have experienced since war broke out in Israel, our community invites you to join us for this Community Event. As we light the Hanukkah candles, let us come together, raising our voices to honor the festival of lights. Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, encompasses themes of miracles and divine intervention, freedom and independence, rededication and renewal, light in darkness, family and togetherness, tradition and heritage, resilience and perseverance, community and unity, gratitude, and the importance of education and learning. These themes collectively symbolize the holiday’s significance in Jewish tradition, emphasizing the enduring values and lessons it imparts.
Irena’s Vow” stands as a powerful reminder of the indomitable human spirit in the face of the Holocaust’s darkness, illuminating the triumph of courage, compassion, and resilience in the most challenging of times connecting us

In this captivating narrative featuring Sophie Nélisse, Dougray Scott, Andrzej Seweryn, and Maciek Nawrocki, the true story of Irena Gut Opdyke unfolds. This tale revolves around the resilience of the human spirit in the face of immense tragedy. Irena Gut, a 19-year-old, is unexpectedly promoted to housekeeper in a Nazi officer’s home just as the Jewish ghetto faces imminent liquidation. Fueled by a determination to save twelve Jewish workers, she makes a bold decision to shelter them in the safest place she can think of: the basement of the German commandant’s house. Over the next two years, Irena relies on her wit, humor, and unwavering courage to conceal her friends until the conclusion of the German occupation. Her story is a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit, marked by the incredible feats of bravery amidst a backdrop of Nazi parties, a daring blackmail scheme, and the birth of a child. Irena Gut Opdyke’s journey is undoubtedly one of the most inspirational stories of our time.

Register here.

A Night of Hopes and Hops
2023-12-06 18:30 | East End Brewing Company, 651 Washington Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15228, United States
“Join us for an engaging evening of storytelling and hope, with Debbie Leuchter Stueber at our Mt. Lebanon Taproom!
You might know Debbie from the Pgh area beer scene, or as a member of the Pittsburgh Beer Ladies. Debbie is also the daughter of Holocaust Survivors Edith and Kurt Leuchter. She will be sharing her parents’ story of survival during the Holocaust; hiding from Nazis and fighting in the French Resistance, and making a new life in America.
This event is free to attend, and your mere attendance benefits the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh by unlocking grant funding.
Note: Please arrive by 6:30pm so that you can grab a beverage or a bite, and settle in for the presentation, which starts promptly at 7pm and will last about an hour, including Q&A.
(In case you’re new to our Mt. Lebanon Taproom’s neighborhood, you might be pleased to learn that metered parking on Washington Road is free after 6pm.)”

The Panama Affair: Financial Scandal, Political Corruption and the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism in 19th-Century France
2023-11-28 18:15 | Carnegie Mellon University
The French anti-Semitic movement of the 1890s- typically associated with the Dreyfus affair- was in fact launched by a different scandal. In the 1892-93 Panama scandal, the anti-Semitic movement first coalesced over a broadly shared outrage about a corrupt foreign investment scheme in which hundreds of thousands of ordinary investors lost their fortunes. Seeing the scandal as revealing Jews’ nefarious control of France’s democratic institutions, anti-Semitic leaders channeled the populist impulse in France into a politically potent kind of anti-Jewish xenophobia. This presentation looks anew at the affair as a formative moment in the history of anti-Semitism, and provides a new perspective on anti-Semitic movements’ critique of liberal democracy, capitalism, and globalization.
Located in the Rachel Mellon Walton Room in Posner Hall (First Floor), Carnegie Mellon University

Ilsa's Story: A Personal History of the Holocaust
2023-11-14 18:00 - 19:00 | Whitehall Public Library, 100 Borough Park Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15236, United States
“A story of tragedy, family, and survival.
The library is honored to host Emily Loeb of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh for a special picture presentation about her grandmother’s experience as a Holocaust survivor. As Director of Programs and Education of HCPgh, Ms. Loeb will answer questions about the organization, the type of work they do, and how the tragedies of the Holocaust are still felt in communities today.
Refreshments will be provided.
Bio: A granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Emily was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, where her grandmother used to share her story of survival with school groups and community members. Emily moved to Pittsburgh in 2011 and became involved with the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh in 2018, when she started volunteering as a Generations Speaker. In late 2022, she was hired by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and now serves as its Director of Programs and Education, allowing her to combine a cause she cares about with her professional skills. Emily lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, two teenaged kids, and her Boston Terrier. She loves being with her family, hiking, gardening, writing, and doing what she can to make the world a better place.”
Registration: https://tockify.com/whitehall.public.library/detail/656/1700002800000

A Conversation with Holocaust Survivor Albert Farhy
2023-11-09 18:00 | Eddy Theatre at Chatham University, Woodland Rd, Pittsburgh, 15232, United States
The first of our “Elizabeth Sylvian Memorial Lectures,” which address issues related to the Holocaust, including lessons still to be learned and implications for the 21st century. This program also marks the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the “night of broken glass,” the organized pogrom against Jews in Nazi Germany.
Albert Farhy was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. At the age of 13, he was forced into a ghetto then almost sent to a concentration camp, before Bulgarian officials stepped in to prevent his deportation. Albert will discuss topics including his life before and during the Holocaust, and his rescue at the hands of the Bulgarian officials. He will also recount stories about the presence of music in his life, as his father was once a musician, who played the violin and was involved with the Jewish Symphony of Bulgaria.
Your support enables us to continue our work and expand our reach with more programs like this. The recommended donation for this event is $10, but registration is free and cost should not be a barrier to attendance. There will be an option to donate when reserving your ticket, or if you’d prefer to donate directly through the Holocaust Center’s website, click here.
REGISTER HERE*
*Please note, this is an in-person event.
Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh’s annual Kristallnacht program is generously supported by Edgar Snyder.

Resonance of Hope: Building Bridges Through Music
2023-11-08 | University of Pittsburgh Alumni Hall – Anderson Auditorium, 4227 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, United States
Join diverse communities of Pittsburgh as we celebrate the power of hope through music and spoken word.
Hear the premiere of a work by composer Gerald Cohen and performed by Rabbi/Cantor Jeffrey Myers and the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus, especially commissioned for this event.
Alongside with CAPA Vocal Department members, vocalist Anita Levels will sing songs from the Civil Rights Movement; CAPA’s Theatre Arts program students will read quotes from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Dr. Martin Luther King; and poet Danielle Obisie-Orlu will introduce a piece she wrote for the event.
We will also recognize Kristallnacht, the night of shattered glass, which occurred on November 9, 1938, through poetry about the Holocaust by Valerie Bacharach, dance by Attack Theatre’s Peter Kope and Michele de la Reza, and music by Jewish and Black American composers commissioned by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and performed by Pittsburgh Symphony musicians David McCarroll and Tatjana Mead Chamis, and cellist Angela Park.
This concert is produced by Flavio Chamis and Gerald Savage.

10.27 Commemoration Ceremony 2023
2023-10-27 15:00 - 16:00 | Schenley Park
The 2023 Commemoration Ceremony will take place on Oct. 27th at 3pm in Prospect Drive in Schenley Park. All are welcome.

The program will last for approximately an hour. It will include candle lighting by the families of those who were taken, music provided by Violins of Hope, the Clarion Quartet, and youth musicians, and concluding remarks by U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan.

More information at: https://1027healingpartnership.org/commemoration-ceremony/

Hiding to Survive: Jewish Children in Krakow, Poland
2023-10-25 17:00 - 19:00 | Cathedral of Learning: Room 501, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, United States
“Presenter: Dr. Joanna Sliwa

How did Jewish children conceal their presence during the Holocaust and what effect did hiding have on child survivors? This talk will expand the story of Krakow Jews as told in the film “Schindler’s List” by zooming in on Jewish children’s experiences and what that conveys about the German occupation of Krakow, Poland.

In-Person event”

https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/esc/events/hiding-survive-jewish-children-krakow-poland

The Fruits of Hate: A French City During the Holocaust – Gallery talk and reception
2023-10-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, 300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie, PA, 15106, United States
Dr. David Rosenberg’s exhibit “The Fruits of Hate: A French City During the Holocaust” is open for its premiere exhibition at a public library in the United States from October 2 through November 30. Following the stories of the Jewish residents of Amiens, France during the Holocaust, this exhibit delves into questions of official, cultural, and religious Jewish identity. The use of identification cards, personal correspondence, photos, and audio recordings bring a compelling immediacy to the exhibit.

On October 17th, join Dr. Rosenberg and French-language majors from Grove City College to learn about the research behind this project, the lives of its subjects, and to hear new English translations of personal and official accounts of the roundup previously available only in French.

In January 2024 the city of Amiens will officially remember the 80th anniversary of the roundup and deportation to death camps of its Jewish citizens, and Dr. Rosenberg’s exhibit will be on display in the city’s main public library. In Pittsburgh, where the worst anti-semitic attack in American history occurred on October 27, 2018, remembering and engaging with the atrocities of the Holocaust finds an increased urgency and importance.

Registration is appreciated, but walk-ins are welcome. To register, please click here: https://www.eventkeeper.com/code/ekform.cfm?curOrg=CC&curID=667148

Music that Survived the Nazis
2023-10-11 17:00 | Zoom

Holocaust Speaker Series: Dan Ottenheimer
2023-10-11 11:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
“Dan Otteinheimer tells the story of his father, Fritz Ottenheimer. Fritz was born in 1925 in Konstanz, Germany — a large town with a population of around 40,000. When Hitler came to power in 1933, Fritz and his family were forced to endure increasing anti-Jewish propaganda, discrimination and persecution. In November of 1938, Fritz witnessed his father’s arrest, on what is now known as Kristallnacht, or the “night of broken glass” when around 30,000 innocent Jewish men were taken to concentration camps.
After his father’s release from the Dachau concentration camp, Fritz, now 14 years old, and his family immigrated to the U.S.
After graduating from high school in New York in 1944, Fritz volunteered to become part of the U.S. Army. He was deployed to Germany in 1945, and served in units that aided in the “de-Nazification” process of his home country. When the war ended, Fritz returned to the U.S., got a degree in Industrial Engineering, and eventually settled in Pittsburgh, PA.
Dan, Fritz’s son, was born in Pittsburgh in 1957. As a child, thanks to the influence of his father, Dan loved the outdoors — most notably hiking, camping, biking and caving (one of his father’s hobbies as well).
Dan moved to Boston in the 1970’s to attend college. He remained there and worked at several software companies until he retired in 2016. In 2019, two years after his father passed away, Dan began to speak in the Boston area about his father’s experiences in Germany. In 2021, Dan joined the Generations Speakers Bureau at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, speaking virtually to schools and organizations in the Pittsburgh area.
In his talks, Dan tells his father’s stories about growing up as a Jewish child in Nazi Germany, and about his father’s return to Germany as a soldier in the U.S. Army.
The Holocaust Speaker Series is held each Wednesday at 11 a.m. on Zoom. The series is sponsored by Margaret & Michael Valentine in partnership with the Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Center and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.”
Register: https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/events/holocaust-speaker-series-dan-ottenheimer/

The Righteous Among the Nations, a Yad Vashem exhibit
2023-10-11 - 2023-11-17 | Susan Bergman Gurrentz ’56 Art Gallery, Chatham University, 1 Woodland Rd., Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, United States
Dates: October 11-November 17
Gallery Hours: M-F 11am-5:30pm, Weekends by Appointment
Location: Susan Bergman Gurrentz ’56 Art Gallery, Chatham University, 1 Woodland Rd., Pittsburgh, PA, 15232
(The gallery appears as Chatham University Art Gallery when searched for on Google Maps)
Cost: The exhibition is free and open to the public
Yad Vashem’s exhibition “Righteous Among the Nations” tells the stories of 17 people who rescued Jews during the Holocaust. In a world in which hostility and indifference prevailed, there was a small non-Jewish minority who regarded the Jews as fellow human beings who came within the bounds of their universe of obligation. These individuals mustered extraordinary courage to uphold human values, and to rescue hunted Jews with no expectation of remuneration. These were the Righteous Among the Nations. Rescue took many forms and the Righteous came from different nations, religions and walks of life. What they had in common was that they protected their Jewish neighbors in a world of total moral collapse.
Co-sponsored by Chatham University and the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh
A community partner event for Violins of Hope Greater Pittsburgh
For more information contact: j.louks@chatham.edu

Violins of Hope Greater Pittsburgh Exhibit
2023-10-07 - 2023-11-21 | Posner Center, Carnegie Mellon University Campus
Violins of Hope Greater Pittsburgh, is a landmark community project centered on the valuable lessons of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Over the course of two months, through educational and cultural programs, this unique project will use lessons of the Holocaust to demonstrate humanity’s amazing ability to rebound from even the darkest depravity. The centerpiece of this project will be an exhibit of stringed instruments that were played by Jewish prisoners in the concentration camps during the Holocaust. This exhibit will be free to the public and housed at the Posner Center on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University. There, trained docents will facilitate an understanding of the role that music played in the life of prisoners, whether as a mechanism for survival, mental escape, or even resistance. The mere existence of each instrument merits a story of hope and survival. Together, we are tuning out prejudice and building bridges that last.
Over the course of two months, through educational and cultural programs and exhibits, this unique project will, through lessons of the Holocaust, demonstrate humanity’s amazing ability to rebound from even the darkest depravity. The centerpiece of this event is the Violins of Hope Exhibit, which showcases violins played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. Each instrument has a unique emotional history that tells a story of perseverance and hope.
Pittsburgh has long been known as the City of Bridges, with a multitude of these unique and colorful structures that connect our communities and our diverse backgrounds. These connectors have enabled us to come together to celebrate our shared cultural, educational, social, and vocational activities.

How better to underscore these sharedvalues than through a landmark collaboration of the arts, religious institutions, community organizations, education professionals, and musicians. Violins of Hope Greater Pittsburgh will present impactful programming throughout our community, reinforcing the valuable lessons of diversity, equity, and inclusion that are essential to our future.

The Fruits of Hate: A French City During the Holocaust
2023-10-02 - 2023-11-30 | Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, 300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie, PA, 15106, United States
Dr. David Rosenberg’s exhibit “The Fruits of Hate: A French City During the Holocaust” opened at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall on Monday, October 2, for its premiere exhibition at a public library in the United States. This international exhibit has been featured at the University of Pittsburgh, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, Bower Hill Community Church, Temple Emanuel, and Duquesne University. It has also been shown in a French version at the University of Picardy and in several French high schools, and will be on display starting January 2024 at the Bibliothèque Louis Aragon public library in Amiens.
The exhibit delves into questions of official, cultural, and religious Jewish identity in the French city of Amiens from 1940-45. The use of identification cards, personal correspondence, photos, and audio recordings bring a compelling immediacy to the exhibit. Several of these elements have been added or expanded upon since this exhibit’s most recent showing. New translations of personal correspondence by Grove City College French students are also included. In a time of rising anti-Semitism, remembering and engaging with the atrocities of the Holocaust finds an increased urgency and importance.
“The Fruits of Hate” is open to the public during regular Library hours from October 2 through November 30.
Dr. David Rosenberg received a Ph.D. in European History from Yale University with a dissertation on the Protestant movement in Amiens in the 16th century. After a decades long engagement with that particular city and its history, Dr. Rosenberg embarked in 2011 on the study of the fate of its Jewish community especially during the Shoah. As a byproduct of his research, Rosenberg consulted with the Departmental Archives of the Somme to enrich their holdings and digital representation of Jewish- related materials. With daughter Lydia Rosenberg and Jared Miller, he created a website containing several hundred scans of original documents related to the Jews of the Somme during the Occupation with introductions in English (www.jewsofthesomme.com). In 2013 he was named a Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government, and he received the Medal of the City of Amiens in 2023 for his contributions to the history and memory of that region.

Dismantling Conspiracy Theories and Holocaust Denial: an evening with Tony McAleer
2023-09-27 18:00 - 20:00 | Eddy Theatre at Chatham University, Woodland Rd, Pittsburgh, 15232, United States
Join the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh as we host a dynamic evening with former neo-Nazi Tony McAleer. We will be screening The Cure For Hate, a film about McAleer’s journey from white power advocate to anti-hate activist. A panel discussion with film director Peter Hutchison and University of Pittsburgh professor Calum Matheson will follow discussing the lure of conspiracy theories, how people succumb to them, and how to advocate for understanding and tolerance.
Please note, The Cure For Hate contains historical footage depicting graphic imagery of the Holocaust, which could be disturbing and/ or triggering for some individuals. Viewer discretion is advised.
This event is a part of RAD Days 2023.
Register here.
Sponsored by:
John Katz and Diane Ryan Katz
Leon and Irene Skolnick
Daniel and Barbara Shapira

Speaker Series: Lee Fischbach and Oscar Singer
2023-09-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Welker Room, James Laughlin Music Hall, 5798 Woodland Rd, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, United States
Oscar Singer was born in Radomysl Wielki, Poland in 1925. As a teen and young adult, Oscar survived imprisonment and forced labor in the Mielec, Wieliczka, Krakau-Plaszow, Theresienstadt, and Auschwitz camps. Following the end of the war, he was held in a displaced persons camp. After receiving his visa to come to the United States in 1951, he eventually settled in Denver, Colorado. He married, had three children, and had a successful career in the restaurant and catering business for many years. While living in Denver, he spoke to many students and other groups, sharing his story of survival. A few years ago, he relocated to Pittsburgh to live with his daughter, Lee Fischbach, who will be joining us to tell their story.
This program is s part of 2023 RAD Days.
Generations programming is generously supported by the Sylvia & Martin Snow Family Fund.
Register here.

(POSTPONED) The Panama Affair: Financial Scandal, Political Corruption and the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism in 19th century France
2023-09-14 18:00 | Carnegie Mellon University
*THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED
The French anti-Semitic movement of the 1890s- typically associated with the Dreyfus affair- was in fact launched by a different scandal. In the 1892-93 Panama scandal, the anti-Semitic movement first coalesced over a broadly shared outrage about a corrupt foreign investment scheme in which hundreds of thousands of ordinary investors lost their fortunes. Seeing the scandal as revealing Jews’ nefarious control of France’s democratic institutions, anti-Semitic leaders channeled the populist impulse in France into a politically potent kind of anti-Jewish xenophobia. This presentation looks anew at the affair as a formative moment in the history of anti-Semitism, and provides a new perspective on anti-Semitic movements’ critique of liberal democracy, capitalism, and globalization.
Learn more: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/history/events/2023/panama-affair.html
Sponsored by:

Holocaust Survivors of Lawrence County: Stories of Resilience and Rebuilding
2023-09-13 18:30 - 20:00 | LCHS Annex building, 408 N Jefferson Street, New Castle, PA, 16101, United States
“Learn about three Holocaust survivors who immigrated to and settled in Lawrence County; how these survivors started families, owned and operated businesses, served as faith leaders and pillars of their communities, and truly became a part of the fabric of the New Castle area. Although each survivor suffered unfathomable loss and trauma, their stories show their own resilience and the endurance of the human spirit.
By learning their stories, we all can do our part to “never forget” as we honor their lives and memories.
Event presenter: Christina Sahovey, Operations Manager of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, where she has worked since 2016. In this education presentation, she shares her knowledge and research of the Holocaust.
RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Payment can be made at the event.”

Memories of Tree of Life
2023-08-29 18:00 - 20:00 | Wightman School Auditorium, 5604 Solway St, Pittsburgh, PA, 15217, United States
