USC Shoah Foundation - The Institute for Visual History and Education

“And above all, above all, you should never let anyone tell you who to love and who to hate in the future.” In a message to her grandchildren, Holocaust survivor Dr. Charlotte Knobloch emphasized the importance of taking pride in one’s Judaism in an era of antisemitism and misinformation. Dr. Knobloch survived the Holocaust living as a Christian child on a Bavarian farm. After the war, she reunited with her father and remained in Germany, eventually dedicating her life to combating antisemitism. She served as the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Vice President of the European Jewish Congress, and is the World Jewish Congress Commissioner for Holocaust Memory. Dr. Knobloch is now the centerpiece of Inside Kristallnacht, a mixed-reality experience detailing Kristallnacht, created by the Claims Conference (Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany) in partnership with the USC Shoah Foundation, makemepulse, Meta, and UNESCO. The online experience transports the user through Charlotte’s childhood memories before and after the November Pogrom. Users can also engage with Charlotte’s interactive biography to ask her questions she can answer in real-time. Experience Inside Kristallnacht: https://ow.ly/LfrW50U2LEJ

November 9 and 10 mark the 86th anniversary of the November Pogrom, also known as Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass). On these nights in 1938, Nazis and sympathetic supporters orchestrated a coordinated assault on Jewish communities across Germany, Austria, and Czech Sudetenland. This systematic attack marked a devastating escalation of antisemitic violence and set in motion policies under the Nazi regime. During Kristallnacht, approximately 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. The violence resulted in the destruction of an estimated 7,500 Jewish-owned businesses and the burning of more than 1,000 synagogues. The shattered glass from Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues that littered the streets gave this night of terror its infamous name. To educate about this pivotal moment in history, the USC Shoah Foundation has partnered with the Claims Conference, makemepulse, Meta, and UNESCO to create Inside Kristallnacht, an innovative mixed-reality experience detailing Kristallnacht through the eyes of Holocaust survivor and activist Dr. Charlotte Knobloch. Inside Kristallnacht integrates archival footage, photographs, music, and audio of Kristallnacht, along with meticulously researched historical context, into the hand-drawn world of Dr. Knobloch’s story. Viewers can also engage in an interactive Q&A with Dr. Knobloch that uses natural language processing technology to match her prerecorded answers to the questions. “By embracing technology in ways that are responsible and engaging, we have the potential to enhance our collective memory and ensure that we honor the survivors, the victims and the immeasurable loss suffered during some of the twentieth century’s most tragic years of antisemitic violence,” said our Executive Director Dr. Robert J. Williams. Experience Inside Kristallnacht: https://ow.ly/KsXB50U2M04

Last evening’s violence in Amsterdam is a stark reminder of the persistent problem of antisemitism and hatred in sports. Minimizing this requires a multi-pronged approach that includes local, national, and international cooperation. It also requires training athletes to recognize and speak out against antisemitism and hatred in all their forms, as well as building the resolve of sporting institutions to institute measures that protect all fans. Our future depends on cooperation, knowledge, and ensuring that antisemitism has no place on or off the field. Dr. Robert J. Williams, Finci-Viterbi Executive Director, USC Shoah Foundation UNESCO Chair on Antisemitism and Holocaust Research Advisor, International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance For more information and resources, see these links: https://lnkd.in/e34p964S https://lnkd.in/epFrgn3t https://lnkd.in/ezBqaEUi

“It is our duty to ensure that your voices are heard by six billion and six billion more.” USC President Dr.Carol Folt reaffirms the USC Shoah Foundation’s commitment to remembering the Holocaust and countering antisemitism by amplifying survivor voices at our Ambassadors for Humanity Gala in October. #USCShoahFoundation #Witnessforthefuture

“To have a penniless Jewish immigrant, from Budapest, survivor of the Holocaust, be given the privilege of serving in Congress and serving his area and the country, is a reward nobody deserves.” On Election Day, Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, reflects on his gratitude for the opportunities he found in the United States. As a teenager, Tom escaped a Nazi forced labor camp in Budapest and sought refuge in a safe house operated by Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg. After the war, he immigrated to the U.S. and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1980. Tom Lantos shared his testimony with us in 1996 and he died in 2008.

November 13 @ 9AM PT From the Middle Ages to the present-day, harmful manifestations of antisemitism have persisted through the visual and performing arts. What allows these damaging stereotypes to repeatedly resurface throughout history? Join us on November 13 as Sara Offenberg of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev discusses the evolution of antisemitic imagery and narratives in performing arts, examining its impact over time. Beginning with Yvan Attal’s satirical film, "Ils Sont Partout," Offenberg will explore how humor has been used to confront and critique antisemitic stereotypes, and how a satirical lens encourages a deeper understanding of the roots and manifestations of modern antisemitism. Register: https://ow.ly/zYVF50TYukT

USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies is hosting an in-person symposium featuring visionary thinkers, academics, and artists to confront loss, resilience, and the untold stories shaping Artsakh's future amid the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population from the region. Artsakh Uprooted: Aftermaths of Displacement will be held in USC’s Bovard Auditorium from 9am-6pm. Register: https://ow.ly/bFAO50TN48E

Holocaust survivor Celina Biniaz, the youngest female on Schindler's list, shares her powerful testimony of survival at Oskar Schindler's factory in 1944 and meeting the notorious Nazi Commandant Amon Goeth. Celina was recently featured in an interview with Jacob Soboroff on the Today Show to mark the USC Shoah Foundation's 30th anniversary and voice why sharing survivor testimony matters now more than ever. Her story, alongside thousands preserved in our Archive, reinforces our urgent mission to collect, protect, and share Holocaust survivor testimonies before it's too late. Watch the full segment: https://ow.ly/7wGv50TV0g4 Learn more about our collection efforts: https://ow.ly/3ILm50TV0g3

An unforgettable evening at the 2024 Ambassadors for Humanity Gala! ✨ We’re deeply grateful to our supporters, donors, partners, and especially the Holocaust survivors and survivors of other genocides who joined us. Your presence and testimonies make our mission possible. Together, we preserve these vital stories and educate future generations. Thank you for helping us continue our mission and critical work.

Thank you to Jacob Soboroff on the Today Show NBC News for featuring the USC Shoah Foundation during our 30th anniversary. In the piece, our executive director, Robert Williams, reflects on the critical relevance of Holocaust survivor testimony. Now more than ever, we must continue to collect survivor testimony in order to document history, resist antisemitism, and shape memory for generations to come.   Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gA4XUXDy