How did newspapers cover the events surrounding the Holocaust? How do museums represent the history of the event?
Three Augusta University faculty members and the Augusta Jewish Museum’s Manager discussed the topic on Thursday, Nov. 14 at Reese Library.
The first lecture, held by emeritus faculty member Dr. James W. Garvey, focused on stories from Augusta-area veterans who walked through the Death camps. From 2007 to 2017, the Augusta Historical Society worked to collect 800 different interviews from the CSRA of mainly World War II veterans.
The stories ranged from various roles in the war to one man who experienced the death camps firsthand, as well as an event where American Soldiers and Jewish prisoners fired upon the German guards.
Following that discussion, professor emeritus Dr. Hubert Van Tyull gave a history of the various events that led up to the Holocaust, as well as how two of the Nazi organizations (SS and RSHA) handled the concentration camps in Nazi-Occupied Europe.
Angela Russo, the Museum Manager for the Augusta Jewish Museum, gave her presentation on how her museum, as well as others across the globe, portrays the Holocaust. The three main ways they do so are through exhibits, programming, and research. She then gave an example directly related to the AJM, which has a display called the “Pyramid of Hate” showcasing the levels that can lead to a Holocaust-like event.
Finally, Dr. David Bulla, Chair of the Department of Communication at Pamplin College, provided insight into how newspapers in Georgia, as well as globally portrayed the Holocaust.
One paper, “The Southern Israelite,” provided the most in-depth coverage within the state. The paper is now known as the “Atlanta Jewish Times.” Some papers did provide GI accounts of their experiences, but in many cases, the term Holocaust was used to describe all aspects of the war, including the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and the bombing of German cities.
Meanwhile, other papers such as the “Times of London” did provide more graphic coverage. However, Bulla attributes much of this to the difficulty of getting photographs from the wires at the time, and budget constraints preventing Georgia papers from having embedded journalists in Europe.
After the panel concluded, guests enjoyed light refreshments and viewed documents from the Nuremberg Trials provided by the family of Col. John A. May. A native of Aiken County, S.C., May represented the United States as one of the trial’s prosecutors.
Two more lectures will end the series during the Spring Semester in 2025. In January, the lecture will occur at the Linda W. Beazley Room in the Augusta Municipal Building. “We are Here: The Augusta Jewish Museum Comes to Life” will be a program focused on Augusta’s Jewish community throughout the city’s history.
In March, the series will close out with “Women’s Experiences of the Holocaust and the Aftermath,” with AU professors Dr. Nicole Meyer and Dr. Jodi Fissel. The documents from the Nuremberg Trials will also be available for viewing for this event.
The AU Libraries Holocaust Lecture Series is supported by Georgia Humanities, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, through funding from the Georgia General Assembly.
Georgia Humanities provided $1,499 for AU Libraries to host the series, which is also done in partnership with the Augusta Jewish Museum.
For more information on the AU Libraries, click here. For more information on the Augusta Jewish Museum, click here.
