Those People...Well They're Not People at All
Untitled By Helga Weissová-Hošková (From the collection of the Prague Jewish Museum)
Those People…Well, They’re Not People at All: Children’s Reactions to the Holocaust
Ile-de-France by Charles Rotmil
The Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine will open a new exhibit, Those People…Well, They’re Not People at All: Children’s Reactions to the Holocaust on Monday, May 16th. The exhibit will be on display at the Michael Klahr Center, located on the campus of the University of Maine at Augusta, and runs through Friday, August 12th.As many as 1.5 million children were murdered during the Holocaust. Against all odds, some of the drawings, reflections and stories created by those victims have been preserved. The exhibit Those People…Well They’re Not People At All: Children’s Reactions to the Holocaust shines a spotlight on the artwork and literature of children lost, children who survived, and future generations who have been deeply moved by the Holocaust.There will be an opening event on Monday, May 16th from 5 PM to 7 PM, with a program beginning at 5:30 PM.The program will include several speakers whose work and stories are featured in the exhibit: Holocaust survivors Charles Rotmil and Ruth Bookey; Anna Wrobel, the daughter of a Partisan and Holocaust survivor; Danna Hayes, granddaughter of Holocaust survivors; and Kevin Martin, a University of Maine at Augusta student. There will be live music performed by Rabbi Sruli Dresdner of Temple Shalom in Auburn, and his wife Lisa Mayer. The program is free and refreshments will be served.In addition to the artifacts, the exhibit also features contemporary reflections on the impact of the Holocaust including poetry written by Fort Kent Middle School students Emily Oullette and Austin Paradis; an essay by Gardiner Area High School student Cassidy Blake; a fictional short story by Messalonskee High School student Jacob Buzzell; a film created by Jamie McNeill, a student attending Avon High School in Connecticut; and artwork created by Orono Middle School student Clarice Van Walsum. Clarice Van Walsum is also the HHRC’s 2016 Mathilda Schlossbeger Outstanding Middle School Student of the Year.This exhibit is presented in partnership with Anna Wrobel, Charles Rotmil, Danna Hayes, Facing History and Ourselves, Deborah Roth-Howe, the Pucker Gallery, the WWII Museum in Natick, Berkshire Holocaust Museum, Darrell English, Ruth Bookey, Times of Israel, Jewish Museum of Prague, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the BBC, Tracy O’Brien, Marshall Carter, Kenneth W. Rendell, Judi Bohn, Dustin Tenreiro, Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology, and Ron & Rhona Cooper.