10.28.2008

Fwd: Holocaust-Era Boxcar at FGCU November 3-7 (Student Union)


Holocaust-era Boxcar at FGCU
November 3 - 7, 2008

The Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida recently acquired an authentic World War II boxcar. The boxcar-which features 12 panels illustrating the devastation of the Holocaust and other genocides, past and present-is being used as a traveling educational tool, visiting schools in Southwest Florida.

About 100-120 prisoners were crammed into each of the thousands of 30-by-8-foot boxcars that were used to transport millions of victims to death camps during World War II. Many victims died before the boxcars arrived at their destinations. With no toilet facilities, no air, and little if any food, these cars became rolling torture chambers. Many dead bodies were recovered from these railcars after their arrival.

The boxcar will be displayed in the parking lot in front of FGCU's Student Union the week of November 3-7, 2008. There will be student guides to assist visitors, and literature from the Holocaust Museum, FGCU's Holocaust-studies center, Hillel, and other groups that have made this possible.

Schedule of Events and Locations

The boxcar will be open every day from 10:00am to 4:00pm in the Student Union Parking Lot 6. The Holocaust Museum, Hillel, and the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Human Rights Studies will have literature, as well as student guides, outside the boxcar and inside the Student Union. There will be a display in the Library and the lobby of the Student Union.

November 3, 2008 * Monday 11:30am - 1:30pm * Student Union 213 * Film: "Europa Europa" (112 minutes)
* The incredible but true story of a German-Jewish teenager who escaped persecution by masquerading as an "Aryan." This 1990 German film won numerous awards.

November 4, 2008 * Tuesday 2:00 - 4:00pm * Student Union 213 * Film: "Miracle at Midnight" (90 minutes)
* A valiant Danish doctor (Sam Waterston) and his family struggle against Nazi oppression and try to help their Jewish countrymen survive the Holocaust by escaping to neutral Sweden. This is a memorable recreation of one of the greatest rescue efforts of World War II.

November 5, 2008 * Wednesday 12:00 - 2:30pm * Student Union Ballroom * Film: "Uprising" (153 minutes)
* A powerful depiction of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising-the largest-scale Jewish revolt against the Nazis.
6:00 - 8:00pm * Student Union Ballroom "A Rail of Hope"
* This interactive program will be a panel discussion with representatives of various perspectives within the Jewish community as well as academic experts.

November 6, 2008 * Thursday 12:30pm * Lawn outside the Student Union
* Speech contest with cash prizes up to $300
* Sponsored by Regulate Unite Listen Engage Speak (R.U.L.E.S.)
* More information: jahope@eagle.fgcu.edu
2:00 - 4:00pm * Student Union Ballroom * Film: "Life is Beautiful" (115 minutes)
* Roberto Benigni's award-winning film mixes comedy with tragedy in its story of an Italian Jewish family that is sent to a Nazi camp.
7:00 - 9:30pm * Student Union Ballroom * Lecture: Dr. James Waller
* "The Christian Church and Genocide: From the Holocaust to Rwanda"

About the speaker
Dr. Waller
Dr. Waller is Chair and Professor of Psychology at Whitworth College in Spokane,
Washington, and is a widely recognized scholar in the field of Holocaust and
Genocide studies. His recent book Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit
Genocide and Mass Killing presents an original argument for understanding why
political, social, and religious groups wanting to commit mass murder are never
hindered by a lack of willing executioners.

November 7, 2008 * Friday 12:00-2:00pm * Reed Hall 236 * Film: "Freedom Writers" (120 minutes)
* A young teacher (Hilary Swank) assigns her class an ambitious project. While studying works such as The Diary of Anne Frank, the kids keep journals about their troubled lives, applying history's lessons to break the cycle of violence and despair that threatens their
own futures.

Sponsored by
The week of activities has been made possible by The Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida, the Dean of Students Office and the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Human Rights Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University.


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