Holocaust by Bullets exhibit (C) Yahad-In Unum
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 10, 2015
Yahad-In Unum and Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust present the U.S. premiere of a new exhibit, “Holocaust by Bullets,” from February 10 to March 15, 2015. Based on ten years of research and investigation by Yahad-In Unum and its founder, Father Patrick Desbois, the exhibit chronicles the lesser-known side of the Holocaust through eyewitness testimonies, photographs and maps.
Known as the “Holocaust by Bullets,” the systematic killing of all Jews and Roma started before the creation of concentration camps throughout the ex-Soviet Union from 1942 to 1944 and continued until WWII‘s end. The form of genocide detailed by Yahad-In Unum’s exhibit is unlike any other study of genocidal activity ever conducted and presented.
Yahad-In Unum, founded by French Catholic priest Father Patrick Desbois, presents its painstaking 10 years of research in a succinct yet approachable manner that enables the visitor to uncover, step-by-step, the crime committed against Jews and Roma by the Nazi killing units. The exhibit is in both English and in Spanish for the USA to reach a wide spectrum of the population.
In Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur, the Balkans and Syria, such mass killings are modeled after what Father Desbois calls the archetype of these horrors – those village-by-village, in situ (on site) massacres - perpetrated by the Nazis and their collaborators in Eastern Europe.
“Unfortunately, this form of genocide, “Holocaust by Bullets”, is the model for mass killings today,” says Marco Gonzalez, Director of Yahad-In Unum in Paris. “Thus, the lessons to be learned are practical, and the details need to be exposed for all to see and understand.”
The exhibit gives viewers a chance to learn about this lesser-known side of the Holocaust, through eyewitness testimonies, photographs, and maps. The exhibit presents Yahad’s identification of five steps of the crime that took place almost systematically for every mass killing throughout Eastern Europe leading up to the executions—the arrest, the road, the undressing, the shooting, and after the executions, the looting.
“We are excited to present this important work,” says Samara Hutman, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. “This unique exhibit is a dramatic and effective tool for educators and the public – highlighting the historical significance of the “Holocaust by Bullets” and its implications for today’s world. Yahad-in Unum researchers helped a local
California family, the Teitelbaums, find the execution site and arranged for the family to meet and interview witnesses. They also found a painting of the murders which will be on exhibit."
“Because some of the images are disturbing, they have been presented in a thoughtful and discreet fashion, enabling the visitor to view them at his or her own discretion,” says Father Desbois. “The visitor in effect becomes a ‘witness’ to the crime, choosing to delve deeper into the findings.”
About The Exhibit
A key strategy regarding the presentation of the exhibit in the USA is to reach communities and challenge new generations to face issues of anti-Semitism and violence today. Father Desbois believes that if these issues are tackled, named and discussed, it will help prepare new generations to take responsibility and perhaps decide to take action to combat them. He adds: “With violence and anti-Semitic attacks on the rise, the work of Yahad-In Unum is crucial and more important than ever. We are on the front lines of this critical battle.”
Accompanying the exhibit is a 130-page Teacher’s Guide that provides educators with material to enable an in-depth study of the “Holocaust by Bullets” with sample questions and activities to engage a discussion about the issues surrounding genocides and the individual’s responsibility. Along with the installation, monitors are available to view extended eyewitness testimonies.
Background
Between 1942 and 1944, more than 2 million Jews were massacred when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. In a period of two and half years, the Nazis killed nearly every Jew in the region. The mass murder was part of the Holocaust, Hitler’s genocide of the Jewish people. Until recently, this chapter of Holocaust history, referred to as the “Holocaust by Bullets,” was relatively unknown. To date, Yahad-In Unum has identified over 1350 mass killing sites and interviewed over 3,800 local, non-Jewish eyewitnesses. As distinct from the concentration camps, there are few survivors to tell the world what had happened. It is estimated that in less than five years, these witnesses will be gone.
About Yahad – In Unum
Yahad – In Unum combines the Hebrew word – Yahad meaning “together,” with the Latin phrase In Unum, meaning “in one.” Founded in 2004 by Father Patrick Desbois, the organization is dedicated to systematically identifying and documenting the sites of Jewish mass executions by Nazi mobile-killing units in Eastern Europe during World War II. The objective of this work is to substantiate the “Holocaust by Bullets,” provide evidence, give proper respect to the victims’ burial places and disseminate the universal lessons about genocide. Yahad-In Unum is the sole Christian organization dedicated to finding the truth about these killings. Yahad-In Unum is the sole Christian organization dedicated to finding the truth about these killings. For more information, please visit http://www.yahadinunum.org/
What: U.S. premiere of “HOLOCAUST BY BULLETS” exhibit
When: February 10th to March 15, 2015
Where: Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust in Pan Pacific Park, 100 South The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Admission: Free