Hillel at Syracuse University is hosting the U.S. premiere of the exhibition "1938-
1945: The Persecution of the Jews of Italy" through April 1, 2009. This new exhibition
about the Italian Holocaust experience consists of 38 panels of images, photographs
and documentation originally created by the Centro Documentazione Ebraica
Contemporanea (Contemporary Jewish Documentation Center) in Milan, Italy. Open
to the public, it may be viewed from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Winnick Hillel Center for
Jewish Life, 102 Walnut Place, Syracuse.
An invitation-only opening program/reception will take place at the center on
Wednesday, Oct. 29, with the reception at 7:15 p.m. followed by the program and
viewing of the exhibition at 8 p.m. Guest speaker is Annalisa Capristo of the Center
for American Studies in Rome, who served as contributing scholar to the
Contemporary Jewish Documentation Center on the development of the exhibition.
The program will focus on the Holocaust in Italy, which is a lesser-known story than
the experience in Eastern Europe. In fall 2007, SU students participating in SU
Abroad's Florence program translated the exhibition's text into English in their Italian
classes as part of a study of Fascist Italy and the Second World War. The exhibition
was first presented at the SU Florence Art Gallery in January 2008.
"We are most fortunate to be able to host the American premiere of this important
exhibit for the benefit of our university and broader general community," says
Lowell H. Lustig, executive director of Hillel at Syracuse University.
The event is part of a weeklong interdisciplinary program titled "Symposium on
Holocaust Education: A Tribute To The Voices Lost" and takes place on the first
evening of a three-day academic conference on the Holocaust being held at SU under
the auspices of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Holocaust Education
Program of SU's School of Education.
The symposium is presented through the cooperative efforts of SU Florence, SU's
College of Visual and Performing Arts, SU's School of Education, Hillel at Syracuse
University, Syracuse University Library, the University Lectures series and the
Judaic Studies Program in SU's College of Arts and Sciences.
Hillel at Syracuse University is part of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life,
the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, which provides opportunities for
Jewish students at more than 500 colleges and universities to explore and celebrate
their Jewish identity through its global network of regional centers, campus
foundations and Hillel student organizations. Hillel is working to provoke a
renaissance of Jewish life by creating a pluralistic, welcoming and inclusive
environment for Jewish college students, where they are encouraged to grow
intellectually, spiritually and socially. Hillel helps students find a balance in being
distinctively Jewish and universally human by encouraging them to pursue tzedek
(social justice), tikkun olam (repairing the world) and Jewish learning.
For more information on the Italian Holocaust exhibition, contact Brian Small or Lowell
Lustig at Hillel at Syracuse University, (315) 422-5082, or visit
http://www.suhillel.org.
