The “Georgia’s Response to the Holocaust: Survivors and Liberators” exhibit draws connections between the Holocaust and the state of Georgia in hopes to localize the tragedy and continue to inform the public about the historical event.
The Clarkesville-Habersham County Library welcomed “Georgia’s Response to the Holocaust: Survivors and Liberators,” a touring exhibit showcasing the connection of the Holocaust to the state of Georgia.
The exhibit is a partnership between the Georgia Public Library Services and the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust.
“The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and Georgia’s public libraries offer a wealth of local and regional history for Georgia residents,” said Sally N. Levine, executive director of the commission in a press release. “Partnering to ensure the holocaust and World War II are not forgotten is a natural decision so we can share this important history widely across our communities.”
The tour for the exhibit began in late March and will run into 2025, visiting a total of 88 public libraries in the state of Georgia. The exhibit will be showcased at the Clarkesville Library until August 22.
Shawna Meers-Ernst, branch manager, said the exhibit tells the
stories of different survivors and liberators of various concentration camps. The exhibit, said Meers-Ernst, draws a strong connection between the Holocaust and Georgia, which many might not have realized existed.
“I think it’s a valuable story about the history of Georgia and about Georgians in general,” Meers-Ernst said. “It can be easy for us to think that because we are in Georgia that the Holocaust did not affect us. I think this speaks to a larger interconnectedness that we have that sometimes we forget about.”
The exhibit consists of 18 panels, each telling someone’s story and their connection to Georgia. As the title suggests, this exhibit focuses on people who survived the Holocaust and moved to Georgia or those from Georgia who had a role in liberating people in the Holocuaust.
Meers-Ernst said she believes it is important for public libraries to be able to bring educational exhibits for the community.
“I always raise my hand.I think the more that we can bring the community as far as access to education, the better we all are,” said Meers-Ernst. “I think anytime you can continue to tell the story of the Holocaust in a respectful way, it’s something we should try to offer.”
A presentation by historian and educator Patrice Weaver, education program director for the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust, which is a state agency founded in 1986, will be given on Aug. 18 at the library.
“This is a great way to be introduced to the Holocaust,” Weaver said.
Weaver said part of the reason the commission wanted to take the exhibits on the road is because many Holocaust survivors and liberators are no longer alive.
“We are losing them due to their age,” Weaver said. “The only survivors we have currently are those who were children during the Holocaust…so a number of the people who are in the panels have passed away. We want to memorialize their stories.”
“We are getting to the point where we have less and less survivors being able to tell the story just because of the time that has passed and we need to continue to be that voice for them,” Meers-Ernst said.
Since its installment at the Clarkesville library on July 20, Meers-Ernst said they have already had community members stop by to see it.
“We have a form inside the exhibit that people can fill out and write their thoughts on the exhibit,” Meers-Ernst said, adding that those who have given their feedback have said they are very grateful for the exhibit. “It was very touching for them to be able to go through and read the stories.”
Weaver said a primary goal of the exhibit was to tell the story of the Holocaust from as many points of views as they could.
“It’s a broad range of people. It’s people who were survivors, people who were liberators,” Weaver said. “If you see the exhibit we have African-American liberators, we have soldiers who were liberated, who were originally refugees from Europe and they escaped before the Nazi’s took over…and then they joined the army and went back as liberators.”
Weaver said education on the Holocaust is important for the future.
“Holocaust education leads to informed decision making and appropriate action to rezognize and cofnront threats to human rights including intolerance, anti-semitism, racism and ignorance,” Weaver said. “As members of our democracy we have a responsibility to be educated and use that knowledge in a positive way.”
Weaver will be hosting an overview of the historical context of the Holocuast at the Clarkesville library on Aug. 18 at 11 a.m. to homeschoolers (middle and high school) and adults at 1 p.m. No registration is required.