Out of Darkness
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PROGRAMS

JULY


7.1.22 - 11.1.22
Figge Art Museum
Throughout the community. These programs are free and open to the public, though registration may be required.
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Writing Workshops

​The Figge, Midwest Writing Center and QC Pride are collaborating on a series of writing workshops that will happen throughout the community in the months leading up to the
Spoken Word program. These workshops will be offered for all ability levels and participants will be encouraged to share their work during the Spoken Word program (though that is not required). 

AUGUST


8.17.22
​Thursday 

Nahant Marsh
​Davenport, IA
​8:00 p.m.
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Documentary "Mildred Fish Harnack"

Documentary film shown outdoors on inflatable screen at Nahant Marsh. MORE>>

SEPTEMBER


9.2.22 - 10.30.22 
Putnam Museum and Science Center
​Davenport, IA
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"Anne Frank A History For Today"

On loan from the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, the collection provides an in-depth look into the life and world of Anne Frank as represented in her diary. Along with period photographs and supplemental materials, "A History for Today" honors the memory of Anne Frank and raises awareness of the Nazi era and the Holocaust. MORE>>
9.2, 9.3, 9.8, 9.9, 9.10 (7:30 p.m.)
​9.4, 9.11 (2:00 p.m.) 

The Black Box Theatre
​Moline, IL
​Tickets $16 ($13 Thursday)
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"My Brother's Gift"

Based on the remarkable true story of Heinz Geiringer, neighbor and friend of Anne Frank, we follow the story of a young artist and loving brother living in unconscionable circumstances. A trained musician at only 15 and now forced to live in hiding and silence, Heintz turns to painting and poetry to express his everyday terror but hope of the future. Through Heinz's inspired paintings, nostalgic love of life, and his sister Eva's remembrances, we are shown the power of art to offer hope and healing. Supported in part by The Rauch Family Foundation II, Inc. ​MORE>>
9.8.22
​Thursday

Hoyt Sherman Place Theater
Des Moines
7:30 p.m.
Tickets $25-$50
An Evening With The Indianapolis Quartet

This program celebrates the timeless music that lives on despite the attempted erasure of Jewish art and culture that impacted these artist composers and their legacy. The Indianapolis Quartet performs to honor the triumph of human spirit exhibited in the life of David Wolnerman, Iowa’s only living Holocaust survivor. ​Sponsored by Iowa Retina Consultants and The Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines.
9.9.22 - 1.14.23
Figge Art Museum, Gildehaus Gallery
​Davenport, IA
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Erwin Eisch and Mauricio Lasansky: "Artists Remember"

Featuring the work of accomplished printmakers Erwin Eisch and Mauricio Lasansky, "Artists Remember" explores the unique imagery artists use to confront the deplorable and murderous history of Nazi era oppression and genocide. Their works provide us with a safe place for thoughtful recognition and reflection on one of the worst chapters in human history. MORE>>
9.18.22
​Sunday

Augustana College, Wallenberg Hall
Rock Island, IL
​2:00 p.m.
Free event, no tickets required
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ATLYS String Quartet

The renowned ATLYS string quartet will present a concert of works by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Viktor Ullmann, Symon Laks, and Leo Smit. Because they were Jewish, these are four of the many composers who were labeled “degenerate” by the Nazis and banned from public performance during the Third Reich. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, the 19th century polymath, disappeared from the concert stage simply because he was Jewish. Ullmann and Smit were incarcerated in concentration camps at the height of their careers, yet continued to write music until their transport to death camps. Laks survived Auschwitz where he directed the camp orchestra. Dr. Janina Ehrlich will offer context in words and images. MORE>>
9.21.22
​Wednesday 

Rock Island Public Library, Community Room
Rock Island, IL
6:00-8:00 p.m.
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Banned Books Reading
Join the Rock Island Public Library and the Midwest Writing Center for their annual "Banned Books Reading." Local authors, librarians and guests will read passages from their favorite challenged/banned items to celebrate our freedom to read. Everyone is welcome to attend. Content might not be suitable for some attendees. It's time we "ban"d together" against censorship and intolerance. Hosted by Rock Island Public Library and Midwest Writing Center.
9.22.22
​Thursday 

WQPT PBS
8:00 p.m.
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"18 Voices Sing Kol Nidre"

18 voices is the first documentary to tell the prayer's rich story: how its words caused centuries of persecution, how it became a Jewish anthem, and how it became an object of intense interest for non-Jews as well.
9.22.22
​Thursday 

WQPT PBS
9:00 p.m.
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"Great Performances: Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles"

An in-depth documentary that chronicles the story of the international Broadway blockbuster "Fiddler on the Roof" – exploring the unexpected richness of its themes as well as its vast reach across time and cultures.
9.22.22
​Thursday 

WQPT PBS
10:30 p.m.
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"Making Menuhin"

Showcasing the talented youth participating in the Menuhin Competition, an international event known as the "Olympics of the violin."
9.22.22
​Thursday

WQPT PBS
11:00 p.m.
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"Spiritual Audacity: The Abraham Joshua Heschel Story"

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was one of the most remarkable and inspiring figures of the American 20th Century. He was a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr and the entire Civil Rights Movement, a leading critic of the Vietnam War, a champion for Soviet Jews and a pioneer in the work of interfaith dialogue.
9.24.22
​Saturday

German American Heritage Center
Davenport, IA
​10:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
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Book Discussion Led By Michael Hustedde

"Sophie Scholl" and “The White Rose" by Annette Dunbach and Jud Newborn will be discussed in this 90-minute session. "Sophie Scholl" and "The White Rose" movement was a powerful example of youthful resistance to the Nazi regime. The group was run by students at the University of Munich who distributed leaflets and used graffiti to decry Nazi crimes and the political system, while calling for resistance to the Nazi state and the war. ​
9.28.22 - 9.30.22
​Wed-Fri

Moline Public Library
​Parking lot
Moline, IL
12:00 -6:00 p.m.
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Mobile Museum of Tolerance

The Mobile Museum of Tolerance (MMOT) will be on display with the purpose of inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds, empowering them to raise their voices and combat anti-Semitism, bullying, racism, hate, and intolerance and to promote human dignity. MORE>>
9.29.22
​Thursday 

WQPT PBS
8:00 p.m.
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The U.S. and the Holocaust: A Film by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein

The three-part series that tells the story of how the American people grappled with one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century, and how this struggle tested the ideals of our democracy.

OCTOBER


10.2.22 - 2.12.23 
German American Heritage Center
​Davenport, IA
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"The White Rose: Student Resistance"

The exhibition "The White Rose: Student Resistance" tells stories of the White Rose student resistance group that was active in Munich in 1942-43. Winners of the young poets contest will perform their works at 4:00 p.m. on October 2 prior to the opening of the exhibit.. MORE>>


10.6.22
​Thursday 

WQPT PBS
8:00 p.m.
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The U.S. and the Holocaust: A Film by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein Part 2

The three-part series that tells the story of how the American people grappled with one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century, and how this struggle tested the ideals of our democracy.
10.8.22
Saturday

Adler Theatre
​Davenport, IA
​2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
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"Our Will To Live"

Original choreography by Courtney Lyon and Emily Kate Long set to a series of short pieces by Jewish composers who died in the camps. Most of these composers, their works, despite their first-rank quality, have been largely forgotten except by a small group of knowledgeable people. This “forgottenness” practically fulfills the Nazi agenda: to erase their cultural contributions, their stories, their meanings, from history. This unfortunate reality deals a double-death for these composers. We honor them with this performance. MORE>>
10.9.22
​Sunday

Quad City Botanical Center
​Rock Island, IL
​1:00 p.m.
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The Daffodil Project

Guests will help plant daffodil bulbs and have the opportunity to honor a loved one while planting. Dress for outdoor weather, wear closed toed shoes for safety, and bring gloves if desired. Tools and bulbs will be provided. The local planting is part of the global Daffodil Project that aspires to build a worldwide Living Holocaust Memorial by planting 1.5 million daffodils. The Quad City Botanical Center will plant 250 bulbs in fall 2022 and 250 bulbs in fall 2023. Visitors will be able to view the memorial planting from outside the gates or for a closer look as guests to the gardens. MORE>>
10.9.22
​Sunday

Putnam Museum and Science Center
​Davenport, IA
​3:00 p.m.
The movies are free
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"One Survivor Remembers" and "Visas and Virtue" Movies
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"One Survivor Remembers" (39 min) - This Academy Award-winning documentary tells the unforgettable story of Gerda Weissmann Klein and her six-year ordeal as a victim of Nazi cruelty. Rendered in a deceptively simple yet extraordinarily powerful manner, the film explores the effects Weissman's experience had on the rest of her life. By the end of the war she had lost her parents, brother, home, possessions, and community; even the dear friends she made in the labor camps, with whom she had shared so many hardships, were dead. A journey of survival through one of the most devastating events in the history of mankind. (not recommended for children under 12).

"Visas and Virtue" (29 min) - This Academy Award-winning docudrama was inspired by the true story of Holocaust rescuer Chiune "Sempo" Sugihara, who is known as "The Japanese Schindler". Sugihara issued over 2,000 transit visas to Polish and Lithuanian Jews from his consulate in Kaunas, Lithuania in August 1940, in defiance of his own government (Japan), thereby allowing an estimated 6,000 individuals to escape the impending Holocaust. We will be doing a virtual post-screening discussion with the director/star of "Visas", Chris Tashima, immediately following the film.​
10.10.22
​Monday

Rock Island Public Library, Downtown Branch
​Community Room
Rock Island, IL
6:00-7:30 p.m.
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"Maus" Book Discussion Led By Dr. Everett Hamner
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Dr. Everett Hamner will facilitate a thoughtful discussion on the Pulitzer Prize-winning, graphic novel “Maus” by Art Spiegelman. Free copies of this title (while supplies last) will be available at the library for prospective attendees approximately a month before the event.
10.13.22
​Thursday 

WQPT PBS
8:00 p.m.
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The U.S. and the Holocaust: A Film by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein Part 3

The three-part series that tells the story of how the American people grappled with one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century, and how this struggle tested the ideals of our democracy.
10.13.22
​Thursday 

WQPT PBS
10:30 p.m.
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Trezoros: The Lost Jews of Kastoria

The film chronicles the Jewish life and culture of Kastoria, a picturesque lakeside near the Albania border. Here, Jews and Orthodox Christians lived together in harmony for over two millennium until World War II.
10.15.22
​Saturday

Putnam Museum and Science Center
​Davenport, IA
​10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

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Destinations: The World of Anne Frank
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Students can explore the Putnam's exhibit Anne Frank: A History of Today with a Putnam educator and reflect on the life and times of this remarkable young woman. Participants will examine resilience and writing as an act of resistance. Because of the nature of this particular workshop, it's open to youth ages 10 to 12. Registration required. MORE>> 
10.16.22-11.27.22
German American Heritage Center, 4th Floor
​Davenport, IA
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Witness To The Holocaust: The Mattes Family Letters
This exhibition shares the story of Markus and Anna Mattes, a Polish Jewish couple who moved to Mainz, Germany, in 1908 to raise their family. Through family pictures, documents, maps, and first-hand accounts in letters written by members of the Mattes family, we learn of the couple's witness to the beginnings of the Holocaust, and their desperate attempts to escape Nazi Germany and join their children who found a home in the Quad Cities. These attempts, which ultimately failed, are haunting and echo the experience of many Jewish families during this time. The story of the Mattes family, as told through their own words from 1938-1941, honors the memory of those who did not survive. MORE>>
10.16.22
​Sunday 

German American Heritage Center, 4th Floor
Davenport, IA
2:00 p.m.
$5 or free with admission
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Presentation By Dr. Stephen Gaies

“Odysseys of Survival: The Deportation of Polish Jews to the Soviet Interior”  This presentation focuses on a little-known but significant part of the history of Polish Jews during World War II: the escape, deportation and evacuation of Polish Jews into the interior of the Soviet Union. The unintended consequence of this event was that approximately a quarter million Polish Jews survived the Nazi genocide in the relative safety of the Soviet interior. These "accidental" survivors represent the large majority of the Polish Jews who survived the war. The presentation will examine some of the reasons why, until fairly recently, this remarkable history is not better known. Register or free with admission.
10.17.22
Monday 

Bettendorf Public Library
Bettendorf, IA
6:00-8:00 p.m.
In the Midst of the Holocaust...There was Goodness

Judy Winnick performs as Miep Gies, the woman who helped hide Anne Frank and her family in the Netherlands during WWII. Miep provided them with food and other basic necessities. She linked them to the outside world. Her emotional support gave them a beacon of hope. Without the protection of Miep and her husband, Anne may not have survived to write her diary.
10.19.22
​Wednesday 

Moline Public Library
​Gold/Silver/Bronze Room
Moline, IL
6:00-8:00 p.m.
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Ravensbruck Concentration Camp: A Story of Courage and Hope

Judy Winnick presents an extraordinary lecture about Ravensbruck, the only all women’s concentration camp established by the Nazis during WWII. Torn from over 20 countries, imprisoned under horrific conditions, these women defied SS Authority when they conspired at great risk to commit imaginative acts of resistance. Heroic bonds of friendship fostered hope for survival. MORE>>
10.20.22
​Thursday

Figge Art Museum
​Davenport, IA
​6:00-7:00 p.m. Free on Zoom
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Partner Program With Quad City Symphony Orchestra
Virtual Conversation: Jake Heggie and Ernesto Estigarribia


​Join Composer Jake Heggie and Conductor Ernesto Estigarribia for a virtual conversation about the Opera, Two Remain (Out Of Darkness), performed by the Quad City Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, October 22, 2022. MORE >>
10.20.22
​Thursday 

St. Ambrose University
Davenport, IA
7:00 p.m.
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Jud Newborn Discussion Student Talk

Jud Newborn will deliver a talk and engage in a discussion with students. Jud is a New York-based lecturer, author, historian and cultural anthropologist. He specializes in anti-Semitism, extremist movements and the fight for freedom in our global community. MORE >>


10.21.22
​Friday 

Figge Art Museum
​John Deere Auditorium

​Davenport, IA
​6:00-8:00 p.m.
$15-$20
Tickets
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Speaking Truth to Power: The White Rose with Jud Newborn Presenting

Using stirring theme music, 80 powerful images and suspenseful storytelling, Dr. Jud Newborn recounts how Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans - former fanatical Hitler Youth leaders - transformed uniquely to become the greatest heroes of the German anti-Nazi resistance, and icons of “Civil Courage” in Germany today. MORE >>
10.21.22
​Friday 

Augustana College, Brunner Theater
​Rock Island, IL

10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
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Educational Programs
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Educational performances of the Opera “Two Remain (Out of Darkness)” will be shown to students from The Creative Arts Academy in Davenport and other middle and high schools. In addition, the Holocaust Education Committee of the Quad Cities will contribute Holocaust artifacts from Western Illinois University-Quad Cities for display in Brunner Theatre’s lobby.
10.22.22
​Saturday 

Augustana College, Brunner Theater
​Rock Island, IL

7:30 p.m.
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Opera "Two Remain (Out Of Darkness)"

​Chamber opera in two acts based on the true stories of two Holocaust survivors: Krystyna Zywulska and Gad Beck with libretto by Gene Scheer. Performance will tell the story of these two Holocaust survivors and share the lessons to be learned. MORE>>
10.23.22
​Sunday

Figge Art Museum, Auditorium
Davenport, IA
​4:00 p.m.
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Babi Yar. Context Movie

On September 29-30, 1941, Sonderkommando 4a of the Einsatzgruppe C, assisted by two
battalions of the Police Regiment South and Ukrainian Auxiliary Police, and without any
resistance from the local population, shot dead 33,771 Jews in the Babi Yar ravine northwest
of Kyiv. The film reconstructs the historical context of this tragedy through archive
footage documenting the German occupation of Ukraine and the subsequent decade. When
memory turns into oblivion, when the past overshadows the future, it is the voice of cinema
that articulates the truth. 121 minutes -Ukrainian/German/Russian/Polish w/ English Subtitles –
Documentary/History (2021)​
10.27.22
Thursday
 University of Northern Iowa
 Virtual Event 
 8:00 p.m.  
The Ethics of Rescue

Join virtually at this free event to hear the true stories behind Bergen-Belsen's liberation, shared by Bernice Lerner. Attendees must register in advance. MORE>>
10.30.22
​Sunday 

German American Heritage Center
Davenport, IA
2:00 p.m.
Free with registration
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Selections from Jewish Composers: Music from the Holocaust

Members of the Mattes family will be performing selections from Jewish composers on piano and cello. The performance compliments the exhibit Witness to the Holocaust: The Mattes Family Letters that tells the story of the Mattes family, through their own words from 1938-1941, in honor of those who did not survive. Free with advanced registration.

NOVEMBER


11.5.22
​Saturday 

Adler Theatre
​Davenport, IA
​7:30 p.m.
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Second Masterworks Concert
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Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Second Masterworks Concert including Ernest Bloch's Schelomo to feature Hannah Holman, QCSO Principal Cello. MORE>>



11.5.22
​Saturday

WQPT 24.2 (DW)
Time TBD
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The Future of Remembrance

Arts.21 explains why the Germans are now reassessing how they deal with historical guilt. The program also shows how the "Fourth Generation" in Israel is looking for new ways to commemorate the Shoah.
11.6.22
​Sunday 

Figge Art Museum, John Deere Auditorium
​Davenport, IA
​1:00-3:00 p.m.
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Film "Sophie Scholl - The Final Days"

The true story of Germany's most famous anti-Nazi heroine. Sophie Scholl was a student in Munich in 1943 and a member of the anti-war movement, White Rose. Arrested for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, she was tried, convicted and sentenced to death by guillotine.
11.6.22
​Sunday 

Augustana College, Centennial Hall
​Rock Island, IL
2:00 p.m.
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Second Masterworks Concert
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Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Second Masterworks Concert including Ernest Bloch's Schelomo to feature Hannah Holman, QCSO Principal Cello. MORE>>



11.12.22
​Saturday 

German American Heritage Center
Davenport, IA
2:00 p.m.
Free with admission
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"In The Footsteps Of Hitler: A Walking Tour Of Munich"

Dr. Robinson Yost and Dr. Laura Yost of Kirkwood Community College will present a virtual tour of locations significant to the rise of the Nazi Party and traces left from the past in Munich. The virtual tour is free with admission. RSVP requested. MORE>>
11.13.22
​Sunday 

Adler Theatre
​Davenport, IA
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Youth Ensembles Fall Concert
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Quad City Symphony Youth Ensembles Fall Concert including Youth Symphony Orchestra performance of new work by Michael Kropf. MORE>>



11.13.22
​Sunday

Figge Art Museum, Auditorium
Davenport, IA
​4:00 p.m.
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Reckonings - The First Reparations Movie

Director Roberta Grossman recounts the untold story behind the Luxembourg Agreements
of 1952 that paved the way for compensation to Holocaust survivors. Under the threat of
violence, German and Jewish leaders met in a hidden castle near the Hague to secure an
acknowledgment of the genocide and advance the reparations proposal as the first step towards healing. 84 minutes -- English/ German with English subtitles -- Documentary (2022)
11.17.22
Thursday

WQPT PBS
8:00 p.m.
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My Brother's Gift

Taped at The Black Box Theatre, the play is based on the remarkable true story of Heinz Geiringer. Heinz's inspired paintings, a nostalgic love of life, and his sister Eva's remembrances show us the power of art to offer hope and healing.
11.17.22
Thursday

WQPT 24.1
9:30 p.m.
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Murals of the Holocaust

For over 20 years, a summer program for gifted adolescents at Western Kentucky University has offered an arts-integrated history course on Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. The study concludes with students working as a group to create a large mural on the Holocaust. In this way, students use the power of art to deal with their emotions and educate others.
11.19.22
Saturday

WQPT 24.2 (DW)
10:30 p.m.
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Music Under the Swastika - The Maestro and the Cellist of Auschwitz

The celebrated conductor, Wilhelm Furtwängler, and the cellist with the women's orchestra at Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, were united by a love for classical music. But why did gifted artists such as Furtwängler cooperate with the dictatorship? Why was music played in the death camps? These are questions at the heart of the documentary.
11.20.22
​Sunday

Figge Art Museum, Auditorium
Davenport, IA
​4:00 p.m.
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Valiant Hearts Movie

A gripping true tale of survival against all odds, Valiant Hearts tells the story of six Jewish
children in 1942 who were hidden by the Resistance in the Château de Chambord, along
with priceless artworks from the Louvre Museum. There they are aided by Rose, a conservator
at Paris’s Jeu de Paume Museum and a member of the resistance, who is documenting
the theft of artworks by Nazi officers. Through tears and laughter, the children grapple
with unimaginable circumstances while learning about friendship, solidarity, and doing
what’s right. 92 minutes -- French with English Subtitles — Drama (2022)
11.28.22 - 12.2.22 
Rock Island Schools
Rock Island, IL
Mobile Museum of Tolerance
​
The Mobile Museum of Tolerance (MMOT) will be on display with the purpose of inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds, empowering them to raise their voices and combat anti-Semitism, bullying, racism, hate, and intolerance and to promote human dignity. Details to come.



  • HOME
  • PROGRAMS
  • RESOURCES
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