The Herald SUMMER 2018

President’s message In this issue Volunteering is priceless There are many cartoons of a teenager asking a parent President’s message for money. Obviously, I am no longer a teenager and, when I was one, I rarely asked my parents for money. I page 1 was encouraged to earn my own. As it turns out, one of To Life! my best lessons in life was from a “job” that taught me page 1 the value of volunteering. The Sandcastle Girls The baby-sitting position I had as a teen really wasn’t page 2 a job because I didn’t get paid. It involved entertaining the four children and putting them to bed. It also includ- Book clubs welcome Jennie L. Negin ed cleaning up the kitchen because my mother told me to page 2 do that. Criticized by AHO see volunteering, page 4 page 2 Wille retires page 3 USHMM honors Save the date page 4 Sunday, October 21, 2018 Collaborations page 4 Current events page 5 Families separated page 6 Summer institute page 7 Give because … —fun—food—silent auction—games—dancing— page 8

SocialEliminating Hall, Congregation B’nai Israel, 6 to 9 p.m. hate andMusic by intolerance,The 45’s Classic Oldies Band Eliminating hate one mind Fundraiserat a totime. benefit & Intolerance and intolerance one Museum of New Mexico (505) 247-0606 mind at a time.

In the Silvian Library & Study Center Criticized The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian Attempts to inhibit This book about the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the historical research Turkish government during the First World War is now availa- - July 8, 2018- ble in our library. It is a poignant story of loss and love and “a The Board of Directors of the Associa- wrenching secret that has been buried for generations.” tion of Holocaust Organizations (AHO) By 1914, the Young Turk dictators set out to “Turkify” the today called upon the government of Po- county’s minorities, beginning with the Armenians. From 1915 land to revoke its controversial law regard- to 1923, 1.5 million Armenians perished and more than 500,000 ing Holocaust research and stated that were exiled from their homes. amending the law to remove criminal pros- The writer, well known and ecution while leaving open the possibility of civil procedures is not sufficient. respected for his many works The law continues to place the burden of fiction, is the grandson of of proof on Holocaust survivors, scholars Armenian survivors. and educators. This is not an acceptable Below are two of the multi- solution and any attempt to inhibit histori- tude of positive critiques of his cal research or threaten open expression on mesmerizing novel. the Holocaust in Poland must be reject- “It takes a talented novelist ed. Therefore the Board shares the con- to combine fully ripened char- cerns raised by institutions such as Yad acters, an engrossing storyline, Vashem, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and exquisite prose and set it the Holocaust Memorial Mu- against a horrific historical seum, as well as experts such as Prof Yehu- backdrop—in this case, the Ar- da Bauer who have all pointed out that his- menian Genocide—and completely enchant readers. The prolif- torical facts cannot be legislated. The AHO ic and captivating Chris Bohjalian has done it all with The Board also urges Poland’s government to Sandcastle Girls.” take immediate steps to counter the anti- — Kim Curtis, The Associated Press semitism that has erupted in the wake of “Bohjalian’s powerful novel . . .depicts the Armenian geno- the controversy surrounding the law. cide and one contemporary novelist’s quest to uncover her The Association of Holocaust Organiza- tions is an international network of over heritage. . .His storytelling makes this a beautiful, frightening, 370 organizations and individuals working and unforgettable read.”— Publishers’ Weekly for the advancement of Holocaust educa- tion, remembrance and research. The Holocaust & Intolerance Museum of New Mexico is a member of AHO. Bring your book club meeting to us

On June 25th eight members of the Nambe Book Club visited the museum to see historical information about the Holocaust and other genocides after reading Lilac Girls by Martha Hall The Herald Kelly. The museum provided an excellent back drop to under- Is created four times a year by staff and volunteers. standing the novel and the history of the Holocaust. All attend- ing thought it was an excellent way to bring the novel to life and Editors Lyn Berner gather more information about the topic. Marcia Rosenstein

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Beloved and steadfast volunteer announces retirement Longtime docent Wille Peters had an “aha” mo- Wille: “My supervisor helped me learn how to be ment years after her fifth birthday. Others, maybe organized and how to create consciousness in others even Wille , might describe it more dramatically. Perhaps about tolerance and how to be a good role model. it was an epiphany. She gives amazing speeches about why tolerating “I was shocked to read, as others is important and how not doing so an adult, that on the day of had affected people in the past. She made my fifth birthday party, the me feel special … .“ Kovno Ghetto—hometown of Last winter, Wille spoke to psychology my grandparents—was being and history students at Central New Mexi- liquidated,” claimed the co Community College (CNM). The profes- Maryland native. sor, James Johnson, wrote, “Thank you for It might have been that your excellent presentation. Many of my grasp of reality that led her to students indicated that they learned a lot, us in 2004. After retiring from and I think the important topic opened a a career in education, Wille lot of eyes regarding relatively recent his- dedicated her volunteer time tory about which few students seem to to sharing the history of the know.” Holocaust with our visitors. It was a joy, really, to CNM wants her to speak again and we, at the eavesdrop on her interactions especially those with museum, hate to see her retire, but Wille has some school children. other volunteering interests that she wants to pur- “I particularly enjoy creating workshops and sue in the community. She will be back, however, projects that involve the use of theatre activities to when the museum needs help with visiting classes. encourage students to think about moral issues.” It would be impossible to say how many children The lasting lessons of the Holocaust are found in countless social issues unfolding in the world she has reached and encouraged during these 14 today. Ivy Schamis, teacher years. In addition, Wille has done outreach for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School museum and worked with students one on one. For several years, she was the mentor for stu- Families separated during war dents from South Valley Academy and Amy Biehl continued from page 6 High School. One of those 15-year-olds wrote of Reactions from New Mexico residents regarding the camps varied. On one hand, some resented the fact that these prisoners-of-war were being fed, clothed, and shel- tered while they had to ration (or go without) food and Thoughts for today other items. Other citizens recognized the lack of real by Gail Werde, Volunteer threat from these men, and were quite tolerant. Whether Jew or Gentile; whether Muslim or atheist In December of 1944, Public Proclamation No. 21 was Whatever your sexual orientation; Whatever your race or ethnicity issued by General Henry C. Pratt. This proclamation can- Stand up against hate and intolerance celed Executive Order 9066 and allowed Japanese Ameri- Hate is loud; don’t be afraid to be louder cans to return to the west coast. However, since most of Ignorance breeds fear the interned sold their homes and possessions, there was Knowledge helps us discover the beauty in our differences not much to return to, and prejudice was still quite Let us stand together and create peace rampant making returning difficult if not impossible. 3

With much success Learning from the past Community Mexican-American soldier collaborations leaves diary to USHMM continue When thinking about the the atrocities with a pen and a diary Holocaust, we often don’t consider left behind by the Red Cross. Our museum continues to collabo- the American servicemen who also He was subjected to and endured rate with other community entities suffered the horrors of the Nazi horrendous brutality including being with similar missions, beliefs, and camps. One of those soldiers was gang raped by his Nazi captors. After interests. Anthony Acevedo who appears to being forced to walk 217 miles in 17 On Juneteenth, in concert with the be the first Mexican-American regis- days, he and other POWs were freed New Mexico Office of African Ameri- tered as a survivor and victim in the by American soldiers on April 23, can Affairs, a panel discussion led by database of the U.S. Holocaust 1945. In his brief captivity, he went scholars and community thought Memorial Museum (USHMM). from weighing 149 pounds to 89 leaders took place in the Jewish Com- Acevedo was American born yet pounds. munity Center. Close 100 persons attended a segregated Mexican- His is a story of survival in a time attended. American school in until of unimaginable horrors. In 2010, he Among the topics discussed were the age of 13 when he moved to donated his diary to the USHMM. lynching in the context of the Emanci- Mexico to spend his teenage years. “People have to know what hap- pation Proclamation, Jim Crow, and At 19, he returned and enlisted in pened; this is how low man can get,” Confederate statues; transforming the U.S. Army as a medic. he said at the time. The story is one to collective thinking and memory, and Captured and taken to a slave help us not forget. contemporary expressions of the labor camp after the Battle of the Anthony Acevedo died in Febru- Emancipation Proclamation and of Bulge, Acevedo was able to record ary of this year at the age of 93. Juneteenth. Doris Fields, museum board member, moderated the panel which included Daniel Taradash, Josef Pow- drell, Gloria Taradash, and Karen Volunteering is priceless Jones Meadows. continued from page 1 Another collaborative event was held July 31 in Congregation Albert, It was only years later that I understood the circumstances. The father of and celebrated forgotten heroes of the the four children had a metal plate in his head from WWII and could not Holocaust, members of the Italians work. His wife, the children’s mother, was weary from all her responsibilities. secret underground to save Jews And I, basically, was volunteering. from extermination. The dramatic Now that I am an adult (by definition) I have no problem asking for mon- and compelling documentary film ey, especially for causes that are important to me. That’s why I am often show- called My Italian Secret was shown casing the museum and letting you know how important your financial sup- with opening and closing remarks by port is. For some, it’s an automatic bank transfer, others write checks and/or Annalisa Di Nola, who shared her make donations (with tax advantages for many) from their IRAs. Italian-Jewish family’s experience in But as generous as many members of our museum family are, we still have Nazi-occupied Rome. the need to raise money through events. We think we have a good formula Almost 300 persons attended. with our “To Life!” fundraiser. This year, on October 21, we will again gather The event was presented in collab- for a night of fun, music, big-ticket raffle, silent auction, food and drink. If it’s oration by Italian Festivals of New your first time to attend, you may be one of the lucky ones to be in the kazoo Mexico, the Jewish Community Cen- band or win the raffle prize of $500 cash. ter of Greater Albuquerque, Congre- Please circle the date on your calendar and come with an appetite for fun. gation Albert, and the museum. 4

CURRENT EVENTS Museum reps join rallies to keep families together

On the afternoon of June 23 in He told of his grandmother, explained why she is so heart- the courtyard of the National His- who at age 7 and holding her broken. panic Cultural Center (NHCC) mother’s hand “crossed that riv- “People are trying to escape close to 700 concerned individuals er.” He told of his grandfather violence and danger and our rallied under the shade of giant who followed the train tracks country is putting them in jail and trees in support of Keeping Fami- north all for a better life. separating children from their lies Together. “Our country once was the parents. The history of our coun- Museum staff and volunteers beacon of hope, the beacon of try is filled with stories of people handed out literature, and presi- light. That has now been coming here seeking freedom and dent-elect of the board, Victor dimmed. a better life,” she reminded the Raigoza, was a featured speaker. “In 2018, the last place we crowd. “We can’t allow the quest ought to be is protesting be denied to the refugees trying to the building of camps and enter our country legally through incarcerating children!” our southern borders. A week later on the “Our museum not only shows morning of June 30, thou- the horrors of the Holocaust but sands gathered in Civic Pla- also the horrors of slavery in za for the same reason. This America, the massacres perpetrat- time, the museum was rep- ed by the Ottoman Empire against resented by Marcia Armenians, Greeks and Assyri- Rosenstein, board secretary ans, and the tribal fighting in and daily volunteer, who Rwanda where a staggering 800,000 human beings were killed within 100 days. “We must pay attention to pro- posed laws. We know what and how things happened before, and we must educate and speak out about it so that the horrors of the past are not repeated.” And as Victor stated the week before in the courtyard of the NHCC, “If there is a lesson to be learned here, it is not okay to be a bystander.” Current Events has become a monthly agenda item for the board of the Holocaust & Intolerance Museum of New Mexico. NHCC, June 23, 2018 5

Déja vu Families separated during World War II

Executive Order 9066 was signed While many of us are familiar with reported to assembly centers bring- by Franklin D. Roosevelt on this time in American history, few ing only what could fit in a suitcase. February 9, 1942. This order author- are aware of the role New Mexico Those with businesses and property ized the internment between 1942 played in regards to internment had to sell quickly, resulting in a and 1946 of more than 120,000 Amer- camps. combined estimated loss of $400 mil- ican citizens with Japanese ancestry, New Mexico held interned lion. Because those in charge of the as well as resident aliens from Japanese Americans in Santa Fe, Fort “relocation efforts” believed some Japan. Stanton, Old Raton Ranch (Baca Japanese Americans (mostly first Effectively, this order gave the Camp), and Camp Lordsburg. The generation men) were a greater U.S. military broad powers to Santa Fe internment camp started threat than others, they were given exclude any citizen from up to 60 operating in March of 1942, and “loyalty tests.” Those who swore miles of coastline spreading from shortly thereafter camps were creat- allegiance to the United States were Washington State through Califor- ed in Lordsburg, Fort Stanton, and reunited with their families in nia. Because of this, entire communi- Old Raton Ranch (Baca Camp). “relocation camps,” while those who ties of Japanese Americans were up- Upon the signing of Executive refused were deemed “undesirable rooted and families were separated. Order 9066, Japanese Americans enemy aliens” and sent to prisoner- of-war camps. Daily life in the com- pounds varied, but all those detained were still considered enemy aliens, and thus prisoners-of- war, by the federal government. The Geneva Convention (signed by the Unit- ed States in 1929) stated that prisoners did not have to work, and furthermore must receive a certain amount of food daily. However, interns performed their own cooking, Sources: cleaning, and gar- dening. Locals remember them as https://source.colostate.edu/csu-historians-examine-japanese-american- being quite creative, engaging in car- confinement-camps-of-n-m/ http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5154 pentry and concrete stone work to http://www.historyonthenet.com/world-war-two-japanese-internment-camps-in- decorate the camp with birdbaths the-usa/ and statues. http://newmexicohistory.org/people/japanese-american-internment-camps-in- new-mexico-1942-1946 http://www.newmexiconewsport.com/japanese-americans-recall-internment-in- see Families separated, page 3 wwii-new-mexico/ 6

June 18-22, 2018 Teaching the Holocaust for social justice The Holocaust & Intolerance education can be lost when the sub- In the seminar we cover the histo- Museum of New Mexico (HIMNM) ject of the Holocaust is not carefully ry of anti-Semitism in Europe and the partnered with the Olga Lengyel and thoughtfully presented to events leading to the rise of Nazi Institute for Holo- students. The institute is Germany and it state-sanctioned gen- caust Studies and designed to ocide, as well as the individual’s role Human Rights give teachers as victim, perpetrator, upstander, and (TOLI) to support a guidance on bystander. The role of identity and its five-day seminar how to teach part in the Holocaust, as well as in for teachers, the the Holocaust many of the events we are experienc- Summer Institute effectively and ing today, is also explored. We give on Teaching the appropriately. hands-on demonstrations of a num- Holocaust for Our ber of ways to teach about identity Social Justice. This focus is on and how it can be used to both unite was the 5th year for giving teach- and divide people. the event under the ers content This year’s program featured a leadership of and pedagogi- number of outstanding presenters: HIMNM board cal methods Murray Sidlin, the choral/orchestra members Susan for teaching conductor who was responsible for Quintana and about the Hol- the making of the documentary Examining the Torah on a visit to Leslie Lawner, and A seminar participant learns about the ocaust and Defiant Requiem; Sherry Bard on using the museum Manzano High Torah on display in the museum. making con- Echoes and Reflections, the ADL Holo- School teacher nections to caust curriculum; Professor Andrew Michelle Thompson- other acts of intolerance and injus- Russell and Victor Yamada on Japa- Loyd, with much help from Barb tice that are part of New Mexico’s nese internment camps in New Lazar of the Bosque School. history. A full complement of 25 teachers As TOLI was created from virtually every corner of the through the National state participated this year. Writing Project, we This is a valuable seminar as the emphasize using writing New Mexico Public Education activities to help the stu- Department offers no meaningful dents learn and process professional guidance for our educa- information. Our pro- tors on how to teach about the gram follows the con- cept of “safely in, safely Holocaust. out,” meaning that The Holocaust is a suggestion, materials are presented Teachers,Making as students,lesson plans work forthrough the future lessons they not a required topic. so as to give meaning to will present to their classes. For those educators who want to events and actions with- teach the vital lessons that Holocaust out emotionally harm- study offers, just how to broach this ing the students. We help the teach- Mexico during World War II; Andy subject with their students is a daunt- ers, who work with very diverse Holten, a “hidden child” during the ing task. Teachers who have tried on groups of middle and high school Holocaust, and New Mexico Secre- their own often find that students students, find materials and lessons tary of Education Christopher Rusz- suffer emotionally when confronted appropriate for their particular kowski who spoke on the importance with the disturbing images and student population. stories. The goals of social justice see Teaching the Holocaust, page 8 7

Teaching the Holocaust for social justice continued from page 7

of social justice education. Susan they teach, and have the opportuni- and transfer what I have learned here Sandager performed her one-woman ty to participate in a cultural even- to the classroom. Learning how to show as Corrie ten Boom, who ing. This year we enjoyed a concert structure and scaffold this material is helped rescue almost 800 Jews dur- by the Q-Tones, the a cappella group vital. Any teacher with an in-depth ing the Holocaust. The teachers also from the New Mexico Gay Men’s knowledge of a content area will be visited the museum to experience the Chorus, whose mission is to end more equipped to present a subject unique resources available. intolerance in our society. with rigor and dynamically. This class The institute is free to teachers, Evaluations from the partici- gave us those tools.” from 6th grade up, and provides free pants expressed their appreciation One of our returning participants housing for out-of-towners. Partici- of the experience. One teacher, re- commented that the institute “is a pants receive a selection of books, flecting the tenor of the comments renewal for a year of sharing. Coming DVDs, posters, and electronic we received, wrote “I can’t wait to here keeps me grounded and sparks resources geared to the grade levels dig in and begin creating lessons my enthusiasm to continue the journey towards ‘never again.”

Give because it feels good ………………..

Our museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization. We are determined to continue our work to combat hate and intolerance, and encourage understanding. Our operating funds come from private donors. Please become one: you can use the form below and mail it to Holocaust & Intolerance Museum of New Mexico, POB 1762, Albuquerque NM 87103-1762 or donate via our website: www.nmholocaustmuseum.org. In addition, all you Amazon shoppers can apply a percentage of your spending on eligible pur- chases to the museum by registering on smile.amazon.com and designating the Holocaust & Intolerance Museum of New Mexico as your charity of choice. We appreciate your continued support. Remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@HolocaustNM).

Mail: PO Box 1762 Holocaust & Intolerance Museum of New Mexico Albuquerque NM 87103-1762 616 Central Avenue SW, Albuquerque NM 87102 Phone: 505.247.0606

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