Panelist Discussion About 'U.S. and the Holocaust' Documentary

401 West Mountain Street,Fayetteville AR 72701

06 October, 2022

Description

“The U.S. and the Holocaust,” a film by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein, is a three-part, six-hour series that examines America’s response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the 20th century. Americans consider themselves a “nation of immigrants,” but as the catastrophe of the Holocaust unfolded in Europe, the United States proved unwilling to open its doors to more than a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of desperate people seeking refuge. Arkansas PBS and the University of Arkansas Libraries will present a free public forum focusing on “The U.S. and the Holocaust" film. The event will feature selected clips from the film and a moderated conversation that tackles questions raised in the documentary that remain essential to society today. Panelists will lead a discussion of American history during and preceding the war, including aspects of American culture that were valued and emulated by the Nazis. Special guests include: Caree Banton, Ph.D., University of Arkansas Director of African and African American Studies Jennifer Hoyer, Ph.D., University of Arkansas Director of Jewish Studies Richard Sonn, Ph.D., University of Arkansas Professor of History Toby Klein, University of Arkansas Public Policy doctoral student Other subject matter experts. The event will also highlight the exhibit that inspired the documentary, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s “Americans and the Holocaust” exhibition, which will be at the University of Arkansas’ Mullins Library in November. “We can talk about the fact that the United States and its treatment of African Americans, of Indigenous people and its overall race laws, segregation laws and Jim Crow laws become the model for the Nuremberg laws,” Banton said. “In fact, [Hitler] sent prominent lawyers and scholars to study the Jim Crow system of excluding black people and native people, and one studied here at the University of Arkansas. “It’s not a surprise that they came to the South. The Jim Crow South was the site of the ways in which America tried to keep its population separate: the segregation of public schools, the exclusions of public life and railroad railcars access. All of this was very fascinating for Hitler and his crew in Germany.” “The U.S. and the Holocaust” will be available to stream for free on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. Corporate funding for “The U.S. and the Holocaust” was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by: David M. Rubenstein; the Park Foundation; the Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; and by the following members of The Better Angels Society: Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine; Jan and Rick Cohen; Allan and Shelley Holt; the Koret Foundation; David and Susan Kreisman; Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder; Blavatnik Family Foundation; Crown Family Philanthropies, honoring the Crown and Goodman Families; the Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Dr. Georgette Bennett and Dr. Leonard Polonsky; The Russell Berrie Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John and Catherine Debs; and Leah Joy Zell and the Joy Foundation. Funding was also provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and by public television viewers.