Newsletter of the Anne Frank Institute of Philadelphia, Lest We Forget, December 1988

Lewste AV forget The Newsletter of The Anne Frank Institute of Philadelphia Oxford/London Conference Broadens December 1MH Holocaust Studies Scholars Gather in Oxford More than 650 people came from 24 countries to take part in the Interna-tional Conference?"Remembering for the Future"?held in Oxford and London July 10-17. Historians, the-ologians, and people from many disci-plines participated in this series of events co-sponsored by the Anne Frank Institute. Modeled after the Scholars' Confer-ences on the Holocaust running since 1970 in the United States, the Interna-tional Conference was the largest gathering of its kind to date and the first to be held in Great Britain. The Conference extended the scope and impact of Holocaust Studies on an international scale. Topics included: the impact of the Holocaust on Chris-tian/ Jewish relations; the problem of faith; implications of the Holocaust for university teaching, professional eth-ics, the arts; and the identification of potentially genocidal movements today. Anne Frank Institute Hoard Member l)r. Ruth Westheimer <"l)r. Ruth") makes a point u ith Oxford!London International Conference Sponsor Robert Maxwell anil Anne Frank Institute International Director Marcia Littell. Early Warning System Proposed Among the speakers was Institute Oxford l.i nu It in International Conference Chair Dr. Fjlisabeth Maxwell I left f and former Euro-pean Parliament President Simone Veil fereet re-porters outside the Conference press room. Founder and Honorary Chairman Dr. Franklin Littell who discussed his Early Warning System (EWS) proposal. According to Littell, the EWS, when applied to any government or organi-zation, "will afford a standard of judge-ment for identifying potentially genocidal movements." The EWS is designed to pinpoint 15 danger sig-nals that can alert the international community to any regime or movement that may?unless checked?"slide downward from prejudice to bigotry to repression to persecution to genocide" added Littell. London Hosts Conference Assembly The results and concerns of the Schol-ars' Conference in Oxford were brought to the general public and media in London. As the highlight of the week, nearly 2000 people at-tended the Conference Assembly, which was chaired by Conference Sponsor Robert Maxwell. There was an impressive set of special exhibits and events, all of which were inspired by the Holocaust. The focus upon the public life of the arts in-cluded "The Holocaust?A Commem-oration in Music" performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, an exhi-bition of drawings by inmates of the concentration camps between 1940-1945, play readings and a film festival. Major addresses at the Assembly were given by Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, Eberhard Jaeckel, Franklin Littell, Yehuda Bauer and Eva Fleischner. In addition, the London Conference featured the first large scale gathering of Holocaust survivors living in Great Britain. Many of these survivors were among the 600 young refugees who came to Britain during the war. Ad-dressing the rally along with other sur-vivors were Simone Veil and Samuel Pisar. Local News 9 City Proclaims June 12: Anne Frank Day Anne Frank Youth Award Winner Mamie Kellam (secondfrom rifiht) poses with (from left) Stale Representative Dwight Evans. Philadelphia Commission on lluman Relations Executive Director Dr. Ijeah Gaskin White, and Dr. Franklin Littell. International piano virtuoso and Auschwitz survivor Helene Goodman performs at the Anne Frank Day Ceremonies. On June 12, 1988 the Institute's annual Anne Frank Day Ceremonies were held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. Anne Frank Day, initiated by the Anne Frank Institute in 1981, is held each year to remember Anne Frank's indom-itable spirit which inspired and moved millions of readers to a new commit-ment to life. The day celebrates Anne Frank's affirmation that, "In spite of ev-erything, I believe that people are ba-sically good" despite her ordeal and that of her family. Beginning in 1989, through the leadership of the Anne Frank Institute of Philadelphia, Anne Frank Day will be celebrated in more than 20 cities across the country. At the ceremony, Mayor Goode s repre-sentative, Dr. Leah Gaskin White (Ex-ecutive Director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations), for-mally issued a City proclamation de-claring this day?which would have been Anne Frank's 59th birthday- Anne Frank Day. The day's events featured: presenta-tions of the annual Eternal Flame Award and the Anne Frank Youth Award; tributes by City Council and the Pennsylvania House of Represen-tatives (represented by the Honorable Dwight Evans) to the Institute for its leadership role in Holocaust educa-tion; and a piano recital by interna-tional piano virtuoso and Auschwitz survivor Helene Goodman and her daughter Davida. 9th Grader Fights Bigotry 9th grade Jay Cooke Junior High School student Mamie Kellam received the Institute's second Annual Anne Frank Youth Award. This award is pre-sented to a young person who has taken the initiative in fighting bigotry and injustice by actively defending the rights of another. The purpose of the Anne Frank Youth Award is three-fold: to reward moral courage; to demonstrate to young people that such behavior is appreci-ated by the community; and to present a role model for others. The lesson: by exhibiting moral courage, young peo-ple can make a difference. The day celebrates Anne Frank's affirmation that. "In spite of everything, I believe that people are basically good" . . . Mamie was selected for aiding a Viet-namese student she saw being as-saulted in a school hallway. She not only made her way through a crowd of onlookers to pull the young Asian stu-dent, whom she didn't know, away from the group of attackers: she also informed the school disciplinarian about the incident and identified the attackers. Mamie never mentioned the incident to her parents. She said it was just "the natural thing to do." National News Las Vegas Hosts "Think Tank''' Nevada?A Model Community The Nevada community effort is a prime example of an effective, collab-orative, long-term working relationship between the Anne Frank Institute and community leaders to create interfaith community awareness about the Holo-caust, and to develop and implement Holocaust education programs. At the forefront of Holocaust education in the Nevada community is the Ne-vada Holocaust Education Committee, an interfaith group chaired by commu-nal leader Edythe Katz and sponsored by the Jewish Federation. Three years ago, its efforts succeeded in prompt-ing the state of Nevada to disperse grants at the college and secondary levels to establish Holocaust curricula. With the leadership of the Nevada Holocaust Education Committee, Ne-vada is now committed to Holocaust education?ranging from university conferences, to high school curricula, to community-wide programs. It is now one of nine states (New York, Califor-nia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and Connecticut) that have officially established Holo-caust education curricula in the public schools. Preparing for the Scholars' Conference On August 28-29, 1988, a "think-tank" was held at the University of Nevada- Las Vegas, to develop plans for the 20th Annual Scholars' Conference on the Church Struggle and the Holo-caust. These brainstorming sessions were jointly sponsored by UN: Las Vegas. UN: Reno, and the Nevada Holocaust Education Committee. Kristallnacht Materials Sought The Anne Frank Institute is prepar-ing a volume of Kristallnacht mate-rials and liturgies. Contributions are solicited?Jewish and Gentile mes-sages and Christian sermons, pro-grams of memorials and conferences, and other items. In preparation for the 20th Annual Scholars' Conference, the meetings explored the power of higher educa-tion in the 21st century (specifically re-garding such issues as post-Ausch-witz professional ethics, public power, and public trust). The Scholars' Confer-ence is planned for March 1990. "Crisis of Credibility" What lessons can we learn about the art of the Third Reich and its psycho-logical, moral, intellectual, and re-ligious implications for today's world? How could a society permit such a crime to be committed? What can we learn about the cultural and psycho-logical conditions of cultures in crisis that we, as educators, can transmit to students? These are among the ques-tions that the Tennessee state confer-ence on the Holocaust grappled with on November 11 at Memphis State University. The impact of this conference, entitled "The Crisis of Credibility in the Educa-tion Profession", will be felt across the state through expanded Holocaust education in high schools and universities. The Anne Frank Institute collaborated with the Tennessee State Holocaust Commission and its Chairman, Dr. Beverly Asbury of Vanderbilt University, in planning for the participation of pro-fessors from the nine public univer-sities and the Regents' community colleges, and secondary Social Stud-ies teachers. This 1988 conference commemorated the 50th anniversary of Kristallnacht, "Think-Tank" participants represented various professions, just as the 20th Annual Scholars' Conference will aim to attract a diverse group of profes-sionals (not only theologians and Holo-caust scholars, but also physicians, lawyers and engineers). Provost anil l ire Presi-dent of University of \evada?Los tV^aj l)r. John Vnrue (rifthtl poses u ith Anne Frank Institute Education Director I)r. Richard l.ihouitz at the Nevada "think tank." Discussed the terrorist assault on Jews that pro-claimed to the world the Nazi abuse of power and heralded the terrors of the "Final Solution." The one-day conference aimed to sensitize educators?those who are trained at universities?to understand why the Holocaust should be taught in their discipline and how it can be done most effectively. Workshop leaders were experts in their respective fields. They included An-nual Scholars' Conference Chairman, Professor Alan Berger of Syracuse University, Holocaust survivor and author of When Light Pierced the Darkness, Professor Nechama Tec of the University of Connecticut. Anne Frank Institute Education Director Dr. Richard Libowitz of St. Joseph's Uni-versity, Dr. Robert Everett of Fairleigh Dickinson University, and Professor Richard Pierard of Indiana State University. Webster University Professor Harry James Cargas and Memphis State University Visiting Professor Edward Alexander delivered the keynote addresses. International News 4 International Community Continues to Teach and Train M Anne Frank Institute Trustee lidal Sassoon enjoys a light moment at the International Conference in England. Yad Vashem Offers Teachers' Institute In July, 1988, Yad Vashem offered its ninth Annual Teachers' Institute, an in-tensive four week summer course for educators and community leaders. The participants learned to plan, organize and implement Holocaust education programs. Conference Directors were Elly Dlin and Shalmi Barmor, with Institute Board Member and Academic Council of Yad Vashem Chairman Professor Yehuda Bauer of Hebrew University as consultant. Every year, the Summer Institute draws upon the world's most outstanding lec-turers, as well as students repre-senting varied backgrounds and professions from around the world. Anne Frank Institute Founder Dr. Franklin Littell delivered the introduc-tory lecture on Christian antisemitism, a service he has performed since the Summer Institute began. Training Program Held At Ghetto Fighters' Kibbutz For the fourth consecutive summer, Lohamei Haghettaot. a kibbutz founded by Warsaw ghetto fighters, served as the site of a highly suc-cessful Holocaust education institute. The training program was sponsored by the American Federation of Teach-ers, the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, and the Jewish Labor Committee. This intensive, four week session dif-fers from the Yad Vashem Summer In-stitute in scope: it targets an interfaith, interracial group of American second-ary school teachers. Holocaust sur-vivor Vladka Meed of New York, who smuggled weapons into the Warsaw Ghetto when she was a teenager and survived to be a well-known author (On Both Sides of the Wall), founded the program. Elisabeth Maxwell: The Force Behind The 1988 International Conference Hebrew University I'rof. Yehuda Bauer addresses the Assembly at the Eontlon International Conference. "For me, action is the panacea." So says Oxford/London International Conference Chair Elisabeth Maxwell explaining her motivation for a long history of involvement in charitable, social and political causes. Dr. Maxwell is the wife of Robert Max-well, the head of one of the largest publishing empires in the world. As a youth, Robert Maxwell escaped from Czechoslovakia and served with the British military in France during World War II. She met him after the war, when she was an interpreter for the Welcome Committee in Paris that introduced Al-lied officers to French citizens. While she continues to be inspired by and supportive of her husband in his business, philanthropic, and non-work related pursuits, Elisabeth Maxwell has a presence of her own as well. She is a scholar, with a Ph D in literature from Oxford University, who has pursued her intellectual interests as well as her deep commitment to activist con-cerns. A woman of conscience, she is a French Huguenot Protestant im-pelled by her strong sense of Christian responsibility. In her own words: "I have derived great satisfaction from organising an International Conference on the Impact of the Holocaust on Christian-Jewish Relations. The dis-affection of people with Christianity bothers me greatly. I am interested in finding out why Christian ethics no longer seem relevant today and I hope that a dialogue between faiths may help Christianity to examine its roots anew, to analyse where it seems to have gone wrong, and to rekindle a new morality for the 80s and 90s." Anne Frank Institute Director of Educa-tion Rabbi Richard Libowitz was one of many involved with the conference who expressed praise for the graceful and committed way in which Dr. Max-well planned and carried out the meet-ing. As Dr. Libowitz put it: "Dr. Maxwell has great energy and wisdom. She is sensitive to the needs of various groups and to the signifi-cance of the materials we were bring-ing to public light. She has a true sense of shock and sorrow over what happened: a desire that the world re-member and learn from it?a desire not to let the work of the conference end, but to continue toward the future". Indeed, Elisabeth Maxwell was an exemplary force behind the 1988 In-ternational Scholars Conference at Oxford and London. Oxfonl/London International Conference Chair Dr. Elisabeth Maxwell looks over final Conference plans with Conference Sponsor Robert Maxwell (left I and Elie ttiesel (right). In the News Institute Honored l>v PCHR The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR) recently cited two individuals associated with Anne Frank Institute's Anne Frank Day to receive the 1988 Human Rights Honor Award. Mamie Kellam and Franklin Littell were honored at the October 13th ceremonies because they have "distinguished themselves by individual acts or prolonged efforts to improve intergroup harmony." PCHR is a city agency mandated to fight discrimination and promote inter-group harmony. This recognition by PCHR reflects the cooperation Anne Frank Institute shares with local organizations. In Memorium John li. Coulston We are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend and col-league John B. Coulston. As a sol-dier with the 602nd Tank Destroyers Battalion of the Third Army, Jack participated in the liberation of the Ohrduf Concentration Camp?the first death camp opened by Ameri-can troops. The letters which he sent to his family during those ago-nizing days of the liberation detail the pain and anger he felt. After leaving service with the rank of Major, he was successful in busi-ness and became very active in inter-faith work. In his work for Christian-Jewish understanding, his wife Annie, an accomplished artist, was a strong partner. Jack Coulston will be greatly missed. Jack's memorial service at St Luke's Episcopal Church in Montclair, NJ was opened by an honor guard of Jewish War Veterans and closed with a Christian hymn and benediction. Pictured at the Conference honoring Elie Wiesel tire: (seated left to right) Dr. Franklin Littell. Prof. Leo Ettinger, Elie Ifipsp/. l)r. Paul Braunstein, Prof. Raul Hitherg; (standing left to right) Prof. Ilarrv James ('argas. Prof. Dorothee Soelle. Prof. John Roth. Dr. Irving "Yitz" Greenherg. and Prof William Hey en. Friends Honor Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel, a young boy during the Holocaust, is now 60. In honor of his birthday, a day-long seminar entitled "Elie Wiesel: The Man, His Work" was held at Webster University in St. Louis on September 29. Anne Frank Institute Board member Professor Harry James Cargas, a Roman Catholic layman and long-time friend of Wiesel's, hosted the event. The seminar centered upon Wiesel's classic autobiography, Night. Indeed, Wiesel prefers to see himself as a teller of tales, including the story of the Holocaust. Who cannot admire his ex-quisite literary style? Dr. Cargas praised it: the care with which he economizes with words, the cutting away at what is unnecessary, the mas-tery of the succinct phrase, the re-spect for the richness of a single word. Several distinguished people paid trib-ute to Elie Wiesel?as friend and men-tor. Two of them were medical doctors who saved his life. Dr. Leo Eitinger of Norway saved Wiesel's life in Ausch-witz. Dr. Paul Braunstein of New York is the surgeon who saved Elie's life when?a young refugee from Eu-rope? he was hit and nearly killed by a taxi in Manhattan. Others who addressed the Seminar were: Dr. Irving Greenberg, head of the National Jewish Resource Center; Professor Raul Hilberg of the University of Vermont; Professor Dorothee Soelle of the University of Hamburg and Union Theological Seminary; Professor John Roth of Claremont-McKenna Col-lege; Professor William Heyen of the State University of New York; David Lee Preston of The Philadelphia In-quirer. and Dr. Franklin H. Littell. Journalist David Lee Preston movingly told of what Night had meant to him since he first read it as a student, and how it helped him to understand him-self and his parents (both of whom were Holocaust survivors). Preston re- Wiesel prefers to see himself as a teller of tales, including the story of the Holocaust. ceived the Dalck Feith Fellowship of the Anne Frank Institute to write a bi-ography of his mother, Helena Wind Preston, who survived 14 months in the tunnels under Lvov (Poland)?one of a group cared for by Polish sewer workers. From the Board 6 A Message from The Education Director by Richard Libowitz The year's milder months are often the time when life's pace slows; such was not the case in 1988, however. The in-comparable gathering of scholars at Oxford and the several conferences and workshops which followed in Is-rael provided a tremendous infusion of ideas, techniques and attitudes about the Holocaust and its unresolved satellite questions. It is vital that we refuse to allow the Holocaust to be encapsuled as an iso-lated event in time. The lessons of Shoah as well as the ongoing prob-lems it highlights are gaining increas-ing exposure through the work of the Institute. While continuing our primary efforts at increasing knowledge of the Holocaust and developing improved methods and tools for its teaching, we are also insisting that institutional is-sues be heard. What was the ethos of the pre-Nazi universities, that could develop a Men-gele (and so many others)? How does that ethos compare with the attitudes of our colleges and universities today? Can we afford to ignore the lessons of Heidelburg, the University of Berlin or Marburg? Are our educational institu-tions developing truly educated men and women or merely the next genera-tion of "technically competent barbar-ians"? The Anne Frank Institute of Philadelphia has become a public gadfly, insisting that the mirror be held before our own eyes. As we continue the dual task of creat-ing an awareness of questions while searching for answers, we realize how many important roles are played by our Friends across the country and throughout the world. It is your support that permits our work to continue. Any success we have, we share with you. Edythe Kalz The Institute is delighted to welcome the following new 1988-1989 board members: ?Harry Bass is president of the Jew-ish Holocaust Survivors Association of Philadelphia. His dedication to the goals of the Institute is reflected in his commitment of the Association's sup-port toward the creation of the Anne Frank Children's Museum. ?Julia Beardsley, who runs her own Philadelphia area interior design firm, has extensive background in working with non-profit organizations, and will liprnicp Weston contribute her expertise in public rela-tions and fundraising. ?Aimee Katz, a Philadelphia busi-nesswoman, has provided the Institute with an endowment, The Aimee Katz Research Fund. ?Edythe Katz, a native Las Vegan, is a prominent communal leader with a unique understanding of interfaith rela-tions. She heads the Nevada Holo-caust Education Committee and has been the moving force behind launch-ing Holocaust education in the states of Nevada and Utah. ? Ruth Westheimer ("Dr. Ruth") who shares the same birthplace and age as Anne Frank, was saved from the Nazis but lost most of her family. She fought in Israel's War of Indepen-dence, trained as a psychologist, and built up a well known TV program. ?Bernice Weston, an attorney and international businesswoman who lives in the United Kingdom and Israel, is particulary interested in the Anne Frank Children's Museum. Identified with "Weight Watchers" and other busi-ness interests, she is a health expert who recently advised Raisa Gorba-chev on health and nutrition issues in the Soviet Union. Publication Available Major volumes?Conference Work-ing Papers with Addenda?pre-pared under the general supervision of Professor Yehuda Bauer, Professor Alice Eckardt, and Dr. Franklin Littell?report the work of the Conference. For further infor-mation, write to Jean Ring, Per-gamon Press, Headington Hill Hall, Oxford 0X3 OBW, England. The core of the publication is the 260 papers submitted for discussion, printed in three paper-bound vol-umes totalling 3300 pages and dis-tributed at the conference by Pergamon Press. Who's Who Among New Board Members From the Board Anne Frank Institute Pioneers " Firsts" Since it began in 1975 as "The National Institute on the Holocaust," the Anne Frank Institute has pioneered Holocaust education in many ways. In-deed, its founding was a "first" in itself: the Institute is the oldest interfaith Hol-ocaust education center in the world. Among the other "firsts" for which we have been instrumental are: 1. The first system-wide teaching of the Holocaust in public high schools in the United States, under the School District of Philadelphia (1976). 2. The first system-wide teaching of the Holocaust in Roman Catholic high schools, under the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (1979). 3. The first series of teacher training seminars on the Holocaust, helping them to plan, organize, and implement programs and curricula (1976). 4. The first series of "pedagogical" conferences on the Holocaust for edu-cators, clergy, and community lead-ers; the "Philadelphia Conferences on Teaching the Holocaust" (1975). 6. The first International Conference on the Holocaust (1978). 7. The first International Theological Conference on the Holocaust, with par-ticipants from eight countries (1978). 8. The first Ph D in Holocaust Studies in the United States, at Temple Univer-sity, in cooperation with the Holocaust Studies program at Hebrew University (1976). 9. The first lecture/discussion series for doctors, psychiatrists, and other professionals on post-Auschwitz pro-fessional ethics and discipline (1976). 10. The first book of Yom HaShoah lit-urgies that, in revised and enlarged edition, has been used by major faith and interfaith agencies, including the chaplaincies of the armed forces (1975, 1986). 11. The first book of course syllabi for colleges and universities (1975). 12. The first book of bibliographies on the Holocaust and related topics (1975). 13. The first manual on the Holocaust for Christian Sunday schools (1975). 14. The first Yom HaShoah workshop, for training community leaders to pre-pare their own programs for the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day (1987). 15. The first Kristallnacht workshop, for training community leaders to prepare observances commemorating the "Night of Broken Glass" (1987). 16. The first Annual Anne Frank Day, with senior and junior awards to peo-ple who have defended the rights of Jews and other minorities (1981). 17. The first school named for Anne Frank in North America (1987). Anne Frank Institute Founder Dr. Franklin Littell presents "Award of Merit" to Teresa Heinz for her work with the Phila-delphia Chapter of the Women's Divi-sion? American Soci-ety for Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. The pre-sentation was made at the Chapter's 35th Annual Luncheon for Student Sponsor-ship and Medical Engineering. 18. Co-sponsorship of the first Annual Scholars' Conference on the Holocaust (1970). 19. Co-sponsorship of the first German Conference on the Holocaust and the Church Struggle (Hamburg, 1975). 20. Distribution of the first column writ-ten by a Christian commentator for Jewish weekly newspapers?"Lest We Forget" (1978). Littell Achieves Eteriiid Flame Award The Eternal Flame Award was recently presented to former Anne Frank Institute Executive Director and new International Director Marcia Sachs Littell. The Eternal Flame Award is bestowed to an adult whose work exemplifies the goals of the Institute: "to preserve the past, to protect the future." Littell has been unceasingly com-mitted to the mission of the In-stitute: to make certain that we do not forget the Holocaust and the lessons to be learned from it. She has been the inspirational force be-hind the Institute's decision to es-tablish America's first Anne Frank Children's Museum in Philadelphia. Founding Board Member Dr. Marvin Wachman who presented the award described Littell's new position as International Director as a "testi-mony to her work and to the global significance of the lessons of Anne Frank and of the teaching of the Anne Frank Institute." Wachman added, "She is utterly deserving of this award." Past recipients of the Eternal Flame Award include Professor Harry James Cargas, Rufus Cornelsen, Professor Alice Eckardt, Professor Roy Eckardt, Joseph Fink, Esq., Dr. George French, Aaron A. Gold, Gideon Hausner, Beate Klarsfeld, Dr. Hubert G. Locke, Dr. Carol Rit-tner, Alexander Silberman and Dr. Marvin Wachman.