FRAMINGHAM — Henry Whittemore Library at Framingham State University is one of 50 U.S. libraries – and the first in Massachusetts – selected to host Americans and the Holocaust, a traveling exhibition from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association (ALA) that examines the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. 

Following a highly successful tour to 50 libraries from 2021 to 2023, the touring library exhibition— based on the special exhibition of the same name at the Museum in Washington, D.C. — will travel to an additional 50 U.S. libraries from 2024 to 2026, covering wide distances from Hawaii and Alaska to Texas and New Hampshire.

 “We are so proud to be selected from a competitive pool of applicants from all across the nation to host this important and powerful exhibition,” said Henry Whittemore Library Dean Millie Gonzalez. “We encourage community members to come explore it, and we’re excited to be partnering with our local community to host field trips, as well. The exhibition will challenge people to not only ask ‘what would I have done?’ but also, ‘what will I do?’”

Americans and the Holocaust will be on display at Henry Whittemore Library, along with a series of related special events, from Tuesday, Sept. 3, through Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2024. 

The 1,100-square-foot exhibition examines various aspects of American society: the government, the military, refugee aid organizations, the media and the general public. Drawing on a remarkable collection of primary sources from the 1930s and ’40s, the exhibition tells the stories of Americans who acted in response to Nazism, challenging the commonly held assumptions that Americans knew little and did nothing about the Nazi persecution and murder of Jews as the Holocaust unfolded. It provides a portrait of American society that shows how the Depression, isolationism, xenophobia, racism and antisemitism shaped responses to Nazism and the Holocaust.

“We are deeply honored to host this powerful exhibition at Framingham State University,” says FSU President Nancy Niemi. “The present can too often echo past actions if we do not pay attention to what it has to teach us. The 'Americans and the Holocaust' exhibition serves as a cautionary reminder of what can occur when we, individually and as a society, allow racism, xenophobia, and antisemitism to go unchecked. I invite our local community to make plans to come and visit the display.”

In addition to the traveling exhibition on loan, Whittemore Library received a $3,000 cash grant to support public programs. The grant also covered one library staff member’s attendance at an orientation workshop at the Museum. 
Henry Whittemore Library has organized the following events in connection with the exhibition: (Full event details can be found at: https://libguides.framingham.edu/holocaust_exhibition)

Americans and the Holocaust: What Did Americans Know?

Speaker: Professor Daniel Greene, Northwestern University, and scholar for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
Date/Time: September 18, 2024 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Audience: Open to the public. No registration required.
Location: Dwight Hall Auditorium, Framingham State University

What did Americans know about the dangers of Nazism, and when did they know it? Dr. Daniel Greene is the Subject Matter Expert at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and Adjunct Professor of History at Northwestern University. He curated Americans and the Holocaust, an exhibition that opened in 2018 at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, to commemorate its 25th anniversary.

Film screening: The Zone of Interest

Date/Time: September 25, 2024 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Audience: 45 person limit, open to Framingham State University students, staff and faculty
Location: Henry Whittemore Library, Room 222, Framingham State University

The Zone of Interest (2023) is a historical drama written and directed by Jonathan Glazer, loosely based on Martin Amis's 2014 novel of the same name. The film, set in 1943, focuses on the life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig. The Zone of Interest examines the day-to-day routine of the Höss family, who occupied a villa in the "Zone of Interest" next to the largest Nazi concentration camp.

Framingham State University Danforth Art Museum Installation
 
Date/Time: On view October 12, 2024 – January 26, 2025
Location: Danforth Art Museum, 14 Vernon Street, Framingham Centre

Antisemitic persecution in Europe sent waves of Jewish refugees (primarily from Nazi Germany and the Pale of Settlement in Russia) to Boston and other parts of the United States. The work of three artists from the Danforth’s Permanent Collection bears witness to their desire to maintain a connection with their Jewish heritage and to never forget their experiences.

Jesse Owens and the 1936 Olympics
 
Speaker: Dr. Damion Thomas, scholar at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture
Date/Time: October 3, 2024 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Location: Center for Inclusive Excellence, Framingham State University
Audience: Open to the public. No registration required.

Dr. Damion Thomas will provide a comprehensive analysis of the pressures faced by American track star Jesse Owens and the historic journey to the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin.

Thomas is an educator, author, and the museum curator of sports for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

Community Collecting Event and Scholar Talk: Jewish Immigrant Experience in the 1940s

Speaker: Professor Lori Gemeiner Bihler
Date/Time: October 8, 2024 5:00pm - 7:00pm (collecting event) and 7:00pm - 7:45pm (scholar talk)
Location: Village Hall, 2 Oak Street, Framingham Centre

The Framingham History Center and the Henry Whittemore Library will co-host a community collecting event and scholar talk with Framingham State Professor Lori Gemeiner Bihler centered around the experiences of Jewish immigrants arriving in the U.S. during the 1940s. 

Book Discussion: Prequel by Rachel Maddow

Facilitator: Weronika Zawora
Date/Time: October 9, 2024 1:30pm - 2:30pm
Location: Henry Whittemore Library, Room UM14, Framingham State University.
Audience: Open to the public. No registration required.

Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow is a 2023 book about fascist sympathizers in 1930s America including the Silver Legion of America, the American White Guard, the Christian Front, and the propaganda operation of Georg Vierick.

For more information about Americans and the Holocaust and related programming at Henry Whittemore Library, visit https://libguides.framingham.edu/holocaust_exhibition. All visitors outside of the FSU community are strongly advised to contact Outreach & Student Engagement Coordinator Weronika Zawora at wzawora [at] framingham.edu in advance to arrange on-campus parking and access accommodations. To learn more about the exhibition, visit ushmm.org/americans-ala.

Americans and the Holocaust: A Traveling Exhibition for Libraries is an educational initiative of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association. The traveling exhibition began by touring to 50 U.S. libraries from 2021 to 2023; due to widespread interest from libraries and communities around the country, a second tour was developed for 2024 to 2026.

Americans and the Holocaust was made possible by the generous support of lead sponsor Jeannie & Jonathan Lavine. Additional major funding was provided by the Bildners — Joan & Allen z”l, Elisa Spungen & Rob, Nancy & Jim; and Jane and Daniel Och. The Museum's exhibitions are also supported by the Lester Robbins and Sheila Johnson Robbins Traveling and Special Exhibitions Fund, established in 1990.

About Henry Whittemore Library

The Henry Whittemore Library is a vital, vibrant part of the Framingham State University community. Through dedicated customer service, the Library supports and advances the academic and cultural missions of the university by providing current, relevant resources and technologies to our students, faculty and administrators which address the needs of a diverse, evolving learning community. By collaborating with faculty and continually adopting new instructional techniques, the library staff strives to develop students’ information literacy and critical thinking skills while encouraging individual interests and self-discovery so students can prepare themselves for a successful life beyond our campus. 

About the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

A nonpartisan, federal educational institution, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America’s national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust dedicated to ensuring the permanence of Holocaust memory, understanding and relevance. Through the power of Holocaust history, the Museum challenges leaders and individuals worldwide to think critically about their role in society and to confront antisemitism and other forms of hate, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. For more information, visit ushmm.org.

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit ala.org.