Gathered together in Jewish Federation Board Member Josef Loeffler’s living room, KU Hillel students and their friends sat down to discuss what they had just seen. The Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. exhibit at Union Station made a huge impression on each of them.
The immersive exhibit focused on the barbaric actions during the Holocaust and what it means when we say “never again.” Containing artifacts never seen before by the college students, the self-guided tour led them through rooms detailing how Auschwitz came to exist, and how Nazis killed millions of innocent people.
The idea of bringing KU Hillel students into Kansas City for the exhibit tour and discussion was brought forth by Loeffler, who recognizes how important it is to educate students and their non-Jewish peers about antisemitism and the Holocaust, and Suzy Sostrin, KU Hillel’s executive director.
KU Hillel students brought their friends from other campus organizations, including graduate students at KU Medical Center, diversity and equity leaders from Greek life, and roommates from their dorms.
“This diverse group meant that each person had a completely different takeaway,” Sostrin said. “The conversation discussed antisemitism today, yesterday and in the not-so-distant past, as well as the myth of the model minority for Jews.”
Past attendees of KU Hillel’s Jewish Advocacy Fellowship last spring connected the dots between this experience and their previous sessions.
“Being part of the fellowship gave me a new lens to approach antisemitism,” said Sarah Glaser, KU graduate student and alumna of the program. “Having a better understanding of the history and misconceptions of Judaism and antisemitism provided me with a deeper understanding of the importance of advocacy and the impact we have as individuals.”
“It is also why I felt comfortable reaching out to my non-Jewish peers to join us at the exhibit, which was really impactful for our program,” she continued.
The fellowship was a partnership with Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee. JCRB|AJC staffers Gavriela Geller and Sarah Markowitz facilitated the learning series and returned for a post-exhibit debrief after a kosher dinner.
“The post-exhibit conversation demonstrated how passionate the students are about combating antisemitism,” said Sarah Markowitz, Assistant Director, Education and Programs at JCRB|AJC. “They recognize it as a real and increasing problem, especially for their generation and on social media, and they want to do something about it. However, students might need some extra help understanding, recognizing, and addressing antisemitism in its various manifestations.”
Rachel Kricsfeld, a freshman at KU from Omaha, found the entire exhibit informative and well-done. Previously, she had been to Yad Vashem in Israel, where she learned more about Jewish lives lost during the Holocaust.
“This exhibit left me feeling upset at history but inspired to do what I can to make sure this never happens again,” Kricsfeld said. “Unlike a large portion of my family, my great-grandfather survived being sent to Auschwitz. Getting a glimpse of what he had gone through made me thankful that we can be loud and proud about our Judaism today.”
