The legacy of the Holocaust will be considered through cultural, scholarly and personal perspectives in a series of enlightening film presentations, lectures and community discussions during Holocaust Education Week, January 26-30, 2020, at various locations throughout Miami-Dade County. An exhibition-The Holocaust and the Anguish of Liberation—will be on display until April 26, 2020 at the Miami Beach Regional Library. Holocaust Education Week is a community-wide program of the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, a Committee of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. All events are free of charge and open to the public. Due to limited seating, persons wishing to attend Holocaust Education Week events are encouraged to make advance reservations online or call 305.538.1663.

“In Memory of our father, Auschwitz survivor Siggi B. Wilzig, and our mother, Naomi Wilzig.” Donated by their children, Ivan, Sherry and Alan

Click here for more information.

Sunday, January 26 3:00 PM-6:00 PM Exhibition Opening Day The Holocaust and “The Anguish of Liberation” Artwork from the Yad Vashem Collection and the Miami-Dade Public Library System Permanent Art Collection

Miami Beach Regional Library 227 22nd Street, Miami Beach

(The exhibition will remain on display through April 26, 2020 during library opening hours)

Two sets of pictures are paired – a series of vintage black & white posters originally distributed by B’nai Brith depicting the stark timeline of the Holocaust juxtaposed with 13 prints of art created by Holocaust Survivor artists from 1945-1947, revealing the anguish of liberation and their search for solace.

Group Visits: Free tours of the exhibition are available for classroom field trips, synagogue, church and community groups. Please email: [email protected] or call 305-538-1663 to make a reservation.

With special thanks to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel and the Miami-Dade Public Library System Sunday, January 26, 3:00 PM

Through the Dark Valley: Primo Levi’s Auschwitz Liberation Testimony Lecture in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz With Professor Nicola Gavioli, Florida International University

Miami Beach Regional Library 227 22nd Street, Miami Beach

Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the testimonial works of Primo Levi occupy a central role in the preservation of the memory of the Holocaust. Against the dangers of oblivion and within the maelstrom of technological innovation and the stream of superficial information of today’s world, Primo Levi’s writings offer us dense, precise, and thoughtful meditations on life, survival and the act of writing. This lecture aims to illuminate key aspects of the works of Primo Levi on the experience of Auschwitz and to celebrate his enduring testimony of the Catastrophe.

Nicola Gavioli, PhD, teaches in the Department of Modern Languages at Florida International University, Miami (FL). Among his research focuses is witness literature.

Monday, January 27, 9:30 AM Black Box Theatre: Encounter with Holocaust Survivors

Students spend the morning with two Holocaust Survivor’s, Dr. Miriam Klein Kassenoff and Laszlo Selly, volunteers at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach who will share their first –hand experiences. Through meaningful conversation with the survivors, students will get insight into the World War II years and how these survivors forged new lives in a new country.

Miami Beach Senior High School 2231 Prairie Ave., Miami Beach (10th, 11th and 12th grade MBSHS students only)

Moderator David Reese is a language arts teacher in his 18th year with Miami-Dade Public Schools. Laszlo Selly is a retired professional photographer. Dr. Miriam Klein Kassenoff is Holocaust Education Specialist Miami Dade County Public Schools.

Tuesday, January 28 11:15 AM

Miami Dade College – Homestead Campus Building F, Room F222 500 College Terrace, Homestead

Roddie’s Code: A Lone Soldier Saves Jewish POWs from the Nazis With Chris Edmonds, son of WWII veteran & Righteous Gentile, Roddie Edmonds

On a cold winter day a month after the Battle of the Bulge, Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds ordered all 1200 American POW’s to fall out and told the Nazi Officer “We are all Jews here,” refusing to back down and saving the lives of the Jewish soldiers under his command. His son, Chris Edmonds will speak about lessons from his father and how the story was discovered more than 40 years after it occurred. Roddie Edmonds was posthumously recognized as Righteous Amongst the Nations by Yad Vashem, Israel. Chris Edmonds is Senior Pastor of Piney Grove Baptist Church in Marville, Tennessee and is the founder of the Roddie’s Code and the Roddie Edmonds Foundation, organizations dedicated to extending the legacy and lessons of his father for generations to come.

Tuesday, January 28 7:00 PM

Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus 20350 NE 26th Ave., Miami

Roddie’s Code: A Lone Soldier Saves Jewish POWs from the Nazis With Chris Edmonds, son of WWII veteran & Righteous Gentile, Roddie Edmonds

On a cold winter day a month after the Battle of the Bulge, Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds ordered all 1200 American POW’s to fall out and told the Nazi Officer “We are all Jews here,” refusing to back down and saving the lives of the Jewish soldiers under his command. His son, Chris Edmonds will speak about lessons from his father and how the story was discovered more than 40 years after it occurred. Sergeant Edmonds was posthumously recognized as Righteous Amongst the Nations by Yad Vashem, Israel. Chris Edmonds is Senior Pastor of Piney Grove Baptist Church in Marville, Tennessee and is the founder of the Roddie’s Code and the Roddie Edmonds Foundation, organizations dedicated to extending the legacy and lessons of his father for generations to come.

Wednesday, January 29, 2:00 PM

Film Screening: Who Will Write Our History With post-film discussion

Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center 20400 NE 30th Ave, Miami, FL 33180

Going by the code name Oyneg Shabbes, a secret band of journalists, scholars and community leaders in the Warsaw Ghetto led by historian Emanuel Ringelblum decided to fight back, vowing to defeat Nazi lies and propaganda with pen and paper. This documentary mixes the writings of the Oyneg Shabes archive with new interviews, rarely seen footage and stunning dramatizations to tell its story.

Written, produced and directed by Roberta Grossman and executive produced by Nancy Spielberg,

Thursday, January 30, 7:00 PM

On the Run in Nazi Berlin: A True Story of Survival With author Bev Saltzman Lewyn

Miami Beach Jewish Community Center 4221 Pine Tree Dr, Miami Beach

A riveting and unusual true Holocaust story that plays out like a Hollywood action film. Never in a concentration camp, young Dagobert Lewin survives the entire war on the run in Nazi Berlin. There are breathtaking escapes, romance, and a wife and baby Dagobert would forget for decades. Fifty years later, he rediscovers his buried past.

Bev Saltzman Lewyn is the former Coordinator of News Research for CNN’s National Desk. She is the co-founder of the 2000-women strong Jewish Women’s Connection/JWC Atlanta (a JWRP “Birthright for Moms” partner organization).

All events are free and open to the public.

Holocaust Education Week is a community-wide program of the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, a Committee of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.

For more information and to RSVP, please visit Holocaustmemorialmiamibeach.org/2020/HolocaustEducationWeek or call 305-538-1663.

Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach

Sidney Pertnoy Chair, Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach (HMMB)

Dr. Miriam Klein Kassenoff Chairperson, Holocaust Education Committee, HMMB

Sharon S. Horowitz Executive Director, HMMB

Daniel Reed Education Coordinator, HMMB

In cooperation with: City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council * Miami Beach JCC * Miami Dade Public Library System * Miami Dade County Public Schools Department of Social Sciences * University of Miami Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies * With special thanks to the Florida Department of Education * Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture

Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach 1933-1945 Meridian Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33139 | 305 538-1663 Holocaustmemorialmiamibeach.org info@holocaustmemorialmiamibeach.