Media's Coverage of Holocaust to Be Analyzed by Bernard Kalb & Others at May 16 Conference in NYC 5/4/2004
From: Rafael Medoff of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, 215-635-5622 or rafaelmedoff@aol.com News Advisory: Veteran newsman Bernard Kalb will be one of the featured speakers May 16 at a unique conference in New York City examining the American media's coverage of the Holocaust and other controversial issues relating to America's response to the Nazi genocide. The one-day conference, "Teaching and Learning About America's Response to the Holocaust," is sponsored by The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. It will be held on Sunday, May 16, 2004, at the Ramaz Lower School Building, 125 East 85th Street, New York City, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. (For more information, call 215-635-5622 or visit http://www.WymanInstitute.org) Bernard Kalb will also take part in a panel discussion that will include Prof. Laurel Leff of Northeastern University, who will give a special preview of her forthcoming book, 'Buried by the Times: The Holocaust and America's Most Important Newspaper' (Cambridge University Press). The conference will bring together dozens of Holocaust educators from the mid-Atlantic region. Among other things, they will take part in a workshop on teaching about America's response to the Holocaust, led by Judi Freeman, the Seevak Chair in History at Boston Latin High School. This is part of the Wyman Institute's initiative to have the American response to the Holocaust taught in public and private schools around the country. The May 16 conference will also bring together, for first time, family members of Americans of all faiths who tried to promote the rescue of Jews from the Holocaust. One panel will include Ellen Adler, the daughter of the famous actress and rescue activist Stella Adler, and Bill Bingham, son of Hiram Bingham IV, a U.S. diplomat who rescued Jews in Vichy France in defiance of his employer, the State Department. Other highlights of the conference: -- An exhibit titled "Cartoonists Against the Holocaust: Art in the Service of Humanity," featuring rare 1940s editorial cartoons that challenged the Allies' failure to rescue refugees from Hitler. Legendary comic book artist and editor Joe Kubert has designed the exhibit's logo and provided an illustrated introduction to the panels. Kubert will be on hand for a special press event at 5 p.m. at the conference site, where he will view the exhibit and offer comments. -- A screening of 'They Looked Away', the powerful new documentary on the Allies' refusal to bomb Auschwitz with producers Stuart Erdheim and Paul Miller on hand to answer questions. -- An exhibit titled "We Will Never Die: The Dramatic Pageant that Alerted America to the Nazi Genocide," featuring original memorabilia from the Ben Hecht-authored pageant that was performed before audiences of more than 40,000 at Madison Square Garden in 1943. ABOUT THE WYMAN INSTITUTE: The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, located on the campus of Gratz College (near Philadelphia), is a research and education institute focusing on America's response to the Holocaust. It is named in honor of the eminent historian and author of the 1984 best-seller The Abandonment of the Jews, the most important and influential book concerning the U.S. response to the Nazi genocide. The Institute's Advisory Committee includes Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel, Members of Congress, and other luminaries. The Institute's Academic Council includes 45 leading professors of the Holocaust, American history, and Jewish history. The Institute's Arts & Letters Council, chaired by Cynthia Ozick, includes prominent artists, writers, musicians, and filmmakers. (A complete list is available upon request.) |