A traveling exhibit from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association is making a stop in Lansing for the next month.
“Americans and the Holocaust” opens January 11 at the Library of Michigan with a collection examining America’s response to World War II, Nazism and genocide throughout the 1930s and 1940s. It will close on February 22.
There are also three events scheduled throughout January and February that further explore the themes of the exhibition.
WKAR's Sophia Saliby spoke with Matt Pacer, a reference librarian with the Library of Michigan, about the exhibit.
Interview Highlights
On what's in the exhibit
Visitors are going to see about five or six panels. Some will have interactive kiosks. Some videos will be playing, some with sound. And what the visitors can expect to see is a progression from the beginning of World War II and a little bit before World War II to the end of what Americans were learning and what they did know about the different atrocities that were occurring in Europe at this time.
On challenging preconceived notions about the Holocaust
The exhibit was created to demonstrate and to show to the public that Americans did begin to learn throughout the war of the different atrocities and things that were going on, and then also the reaction at the home front of what we did, whether it was through newspapers and speeches and so forth, and those are shown on some of the panels in the exhibit.
On events scheduled to go along with the exhibit
The first one is on January 27. It's called "Americans and the Holocaust." It's about the whole exhibit and putting the exhibit together and talking about the different themes and the exhibit. The second one on February 6 is called "Red Tape, Not Red Carpet." It's about refugees and bureaucracy in the United States, and that's a panel discussion. And then lastly, on February 10, there's "Rethinking the History of Antisemitism in Michigan." Again, that is also a panel discussion talking about different topics and themes related specifically to Michigan and antisemitism.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: A traveling exhibit from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association is making a stop in Lansing for the next month.
“Americans and the Holocaust” opens tomorrow at the Library of Michigan with a collection examining America’s response to World War II, Nazism and genocide throughout the 1930s and '40s.
Matt Pacer is a reference librarian with the Library of Michigan, and he joins me now to talk about the exhibit. Thank you for being here.
Matt Pacer: Thank you.
Saliby: How was the Library of Michigan chosen to be a part of this exhibit tour because it's not just making stops here, it's going across the country?
Pacer: Yeah, there are about 50 stops on this tour itself, and we had to go through an application process along with our programming partner, the MSU Serling Institute, and we submitted the application. And then in January of 2024, we were announced as one of the host libraries.
Saliby: And why was this application put together? Why did you want to bring this exhibit to Lansing, to Michigan?
Pacer: We and our programming partner thought this would be a great way to actually collaborate with our two institutions and just to bring this information and the display to Michiganders who may not be able to visit the Washington D.C. Memorial Museum.
Saliby: What can visitors expect throughout this exhibition? What will they see?
Pacer: Visitors are going to see about five or six panels. Some will have interactive kiosks. Some videos will be playing, some with sound. And what the visitors can expect to see is a progression from the beginning of World War II and a little bit before World War II to the end of what Americans were learning and what they did know about the different atrocities that were occurring in Europe at this time.
Saliby: This is something I wanted to ask about. I think some people might think of the Holocaust as something that happened somewhere else and that Americans really weren't aware of what was happening in Europe during the rise of Nazism and World War II.
Can you talk about how this exhibit might challenge those assumptions?
Pacer: Oh, it definitely will because the exhibit was created to demonstrate and to show to the public that Americans did begin to learn throughout the war of the different atrocities and things that were going on, and then also the reaction at the home front of what we did, whether it was through newspapers and speeches and so forth, and those are shown on some of the panels in the exhibit.
Saliby: Is there something new you might have learned about America's relationship with the Holocaust as you've brought in and worked with this exhibit?
Pacer: The one thing that I, it's not in a sense that I learned new, but I didn't realize the depth of how much information was coming out in newspapers. And some of the interactive kiosks have clippings of newspapers to show what information was being wrote about.
So, there are a lot, and some of the different programs from the different host sites do focus on newspapers, local newspapers and what was being reported. So, there's a lot of extra good information that patrons can view if they go to their local newspapers for that time period to see what was being published.
Saliby: This exhibit also will come with a series of events and programs. Can you speak about those and what people can attend?
Pacer: There are three programs that are open to the public. The first one is on January 27. It's called "Americans and the Holocaust." It's about the whole exhibit and putting the exhibit together and talking about the different themes and the exhibit. The second one on February 6 is called "Red Tape, Not Red Carpet." It's about refugees and bureaucracy in the United States, and that's a panel discussion.
And then lastly, on February 10, there's "Rethinking the History of Antisemitism in Michigan." Again, that is also a panel discussion talking about different topics and themes related specifically to Michigan and antisemitism.
Saliby: To end our conversation, what do you hope visitors take away from the exhibit?
Pacer: What I hope viewers take away is how, yes, it was occurring overseas, but there was a lot of family and local connections to Michiganders, whether it was an individual connection or it was their locality connection, things were being publicized in newspapers and talked about, and that's what I hope people take away.
Saliby: Matt Pacer is a reference librarian with the Library of Michigan. Thank you for joining me.
Pacer: Thank you.
Saliby: The "Americans and the Holocaust" exhibit will be on display at the Library of Michigan starting tomorrow through February 22.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
