Genealogy Workshop: The Search for Lost Relatives after Emancipation
2023-02-11 09:00 - 12:30 (America/Chicago) | Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater
Unidentified African American soldier in Union uniform with wife and two daughtersLibrary of Congress
Celebrate Black History Month at the Museum as we explore the practice of formerly enslaved persons writing letters to the Freedmen’s Bureau and placing ads in newspapers hoping to reconnect with family after emancipation. These ads convey the heartbreak, desperation, hope and determination to locate and reunite with family members.
Each session will highlight these experiences and is designed to offer tips, resources and records for locating African American ancestors.
Session 1: Diane L. Richard, MEng & MBA, is a professional genealogical researcher, author and lecturer from North Carolina. She specializes in pursuing formerly enslaved ancestors and their descendants, using genealogical research tips, techniques, tools, strategies and under-utilized resource collections.
Session 2: Houstonians Kelley Dixon-Tealer and her mother Alva Marie Jenkins will discuss revelations of their ancestor featured in the documentary “A Dream Delivered: The Lost Letters of Hawkins Wilson.”
Session 3: Using available records and resources, members of the AAHGS Willie Lee Gay H-Town Chapter will assist Dixon-Tealer and Jenkins to track Hawkins Wilson and his children Osborne and Cyrilla after their move from Galveston to Houston in the mid-1880s. Both women will also discuss locating ancestors and living descendants.
This half-day of learning sessions is brought to you through a partnership between the Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc., Willie Lee Gay H-Town Chapter (AAHGS) Freedmen’s Town Museums and Holocaust Museum Houston.
This event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. at the Museum. Attendees are invited to join us from 9:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.

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Violins and Hope: From the Holocaust to Symphony Hall with Daniel Levin
2023-02-15 19:30 | Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Kaplan Theatre
Stunning photography and fascinating stories document the work of Ammon Weinstein, an Israeli master violin maker, who restored instruments that survived the Holocaust. The photos highlight Weinstein’s Violins of Hope project, which returns these violins, once silenced, to the finest Symphony Halls.
Tickets*: $12 Member | $15 PublicPremium Ticket with Book: $45*Prices listed include service fee, which will be added at check-out
HMH is a proud co-sponsor of this event.

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Exhibition Opening Reception | Neighbors 1938 We were all Ladenburgers
2023-02-23 18:00 - 20:00 | Holocaust Museum Houston
November 9, 1938, marked the start of the November Pogroms, when violent antisemitic demonstrations broke out across Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. This exhibition will shed light on the events as exemplified within several Jewish families in Ladenburg, Germany. It gives a picture of the citys residents and their relations to one another.
The exhibition was conceived by teachers and students at the Hochschule für Jüdische Studien (Center for Jewish Studies, Heidelberg) and the University of Heidelberg in cooperation with the Lobdengau Museum. The project was based on the information compiled by the working group Jüdische Geschichte (Jewish History) established in 1983 in Ladenburg. This exhibit discusses the fate of several Ladenburg families within the broader historical context. The research for this exhibit helped to situate the fate of several Ladenburg families in the greater context of history, including the family of Houston survivors Lea Krell Weems and Ruth Krell Steinfeld. Ladenburg was the childhood home of survivors Lea and Ruth who survived by being smuggled out of Gurs by the French resistance group uvre de Secours aux Enfants (Childrens Aid Society) at the age of 8 and 7, respectively.
Reasearch and Funding provided by Hochschule für Jüdische Studien (Center for Jewish Studies, Heidelberg and the Lobdengau Museum.

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Moving Forward: Challenging Racism Conference
2023-02-25 08:30 - 15:30 | Holocaust Museum Houston
Join local and national leaders to discuss critical issues of hate speech, racism, and bigotry facing our ethnic and religious communities. Take an active role in developing meaningful solutions to create a more tolerant society. Topics will include immigration, discovering our common values, and turning adversity into advantage.
Co-ChairsMurad AjaniDonna F. ColePaula MendozaAl Tribble
Committee MembersPeter Chang, M.D., Ph.D.Charles FosterBarbara J. HerzConnie Kwan-WongNancy Li-TarimJose MonterrosaChris PitreElaine Zhang

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TIME
SESSION
SPEAKER

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Morning Refreshments
N/A

9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Opening Session – Welcome/Introductions
Barbara J. Herz

9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Impact of One’s Heritage on Prejudice and Even Hate

Charles Foster (Moderator)
Larry Payne
Rev. Dr. Jim Bankston
Nancy Li-Tarim
Gracie Saenz
Mustafa Tameez

10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Break
N/A

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
What Unites Us: How to Discover and Leverage Common Values Among Conflicting Views

Jose Monterrosa (Moderator)
Marjorie Joseph
Dr. Muhammad Haq
Dr. Irene Guenther

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Ethics and Values on Diversity Reporting in the Media

Chris Pitre (Moderator)
Rosie Nguyen
Mustafa Tameez
Tony Diaz

11:30 a.m. – 12:45p.m
Lunch and Explore the Museum
Gallery Hosts

12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Matthew Delmont, Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College. A Guggenheim Fellow and expert on African American history and the history of civil rights, and author of Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad

1:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Break
N/A

2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Turning Adversity into Advantage

Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga (Moderator)
Donna Cole
Al Tribble
Paula Mendoza

3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Barbara J. Herz

Our Stories Belong: A Rainbow Storytime for ALL of Houston’s Kids
2023-03-05 12:00 - 13:30 | Holocaust Museum Houston Classroom
Brave Little Company, Holocaust Museum Houston, and the Montrose Center present “Our Stories Belong: A Rainbow Storytime for ALL of Houston’s Kids.” Our Stories Belong is a free, in-person book club packed with creative activities, ideal for families with kids aged 5-10.
Love makes a family, and imagination gives us the key to becoming our true selves. A boy who wants to be a mermaid? A girl who wants to be a knight? Someone whose powers let them be a boy, girl, both, or neither? All of these stories belong in our book club! The books we’ve selected celebrate characters who creatively challenge expectations to find the joy of embracing their own identities.
The theme for the March 5 event is “Adventure.” Featured books include Maiden & Princess by Daniel Haack and Isabel Galupo, and Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino.
Join us to celebrate families, individuals, and imagination. Come as you are, and bring a book to share! Your story belongs, too.
Participation includes free admission to the Museum and parking validation.

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Film Screening: Steven Spielberg's "The Last Days"
2023-03-07 18:30 - 20:30 | Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater
In honor of the exhibition, The Life and Art of Alice Lok Cahana, Holocaust Museum Houston will host a screening of the Steven Spielberg film The Last Days.” The film recounts the personal stories of five Hungarian Jews and their survival of the Nazis’ efforts to ”cleanse Hungary in 1944, even as they faced defeat in WWII.

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Spring Break | Holocaust Survivor Talk: Dr. Anna Steinberger
2023-03-14 12:00 - 13:00 | Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater
Join Holocaust Museum Houston as Holocaust survivor Dr. Anna Steinberger gives her testimony on the Mady and Ken Kades Stage in the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater. Germany attacked Poland in September 1939, when Anna was 11 years old. As bombs fell, Anna and her parents and older brother fled eastward together with thousands of other refugees. Eventually, Anna’s family reached Rovno, in the Soviet zone of occupied Poland. One day a Red Army soldier knocked on their door and offered them a choice: return home to the German zone of Poland, or “resettle” in the Soviet Union. They chose the Soviet Union, and were sent to Kolchoz, near Stalingrad, where they toiled on a collective farm. When Germany invaded the USSR in June 1941, Anna’s brother was drafted into the Soviet Army and the rest of the family was relocated again, this time to Alma Ata in the Kazakh Republic.
This event is included in Museum admission. No registration is necessary.

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Spring Break | Holocaust Survivor Talk: Bill Orlin
2023-03-15 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-03-17 12:00 - 13:00 | Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater
Join Holocaust Museum Houston as survivor Bill Orlin gives his testimony on the Mady and Ken Kades Stage in the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater.
Between 1939 and 1945, Orlin and his family lived on the run. The eldest son of Sender and Sonia Orlinski, he was seven years old when German troops invaded Poland and occupied his hometown of Brok. The Jewish residents were forcibly marched to Ostrow Mazowiecki, about 50 miles northwest of Warsaw.
The forced march, although terrifying at the time, may have saved the family’s lives. Once Orlin and his family were in Soviet-controlled Poland, they continued their eastward journey into the Soviet interior, where they remained in relative safety for the rest of WWII. When Germany invaded the USSR in June 1941 the family “ran,” as Orlin recalls. Although the family was together, life was tremendously difficult, suffering from hunger and malnutrition for the next several years.
This event is included in Museum admission. No registration is necessary.

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Spring Break | Free Extended Hours
2023-03-16 14:00 - 20:00 | Holocaust Museum Houston
Take advantaged of free admission during our extened hours. Starting on March 16, the Museum will be open late until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays, with free admission starting at 2:00 p.m. Discover the Museum’s permanent galleries, along with our featured exhibitions, Woman, the Spirit of the Universe, Neighbors 1938 “We were all Ladenburgers” and The Life and Art of Alice Lok Cahana.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
2:00 p.m. Holocaust Survivor Talk with Dr. Anna Steinberger
3:00 p.m. The Great Hy-Dini Magic Show
4:00 p.m. Bilingual Storytime
6:00 p.m. Artist Talk with Carolyn Marks Johnson on Woman, the Spirit of the Universe

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HJFF Film Screening: "Farewell, Mr. Haffmann"
2023-03-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Holocaust Museum Houston
French acting legend Daniel Auteuil plays Joseph Haffmann, a Jewish jeweler whose family has fled German-occupied Paris in this gripping historical drama. Having entrusted his store to his ambitious employee Francois, Haffmann is thwarted from leaving the city and must turn to Francois and wife, Blanche, for protection. What will happen in this morally complex thriller when tensions increase as the three face shortages and the stress of detection by Nazi soldiers?
Directed by Fred Cavayé
France, 2021, 115 minutes
French with English subtitles

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Spring Sip & Stretch
2023-03-25 09:00 - 11:00 | HMH Parking Lot, 5401 Caroline St., Houston, TX 77004
In honor of Women’s History Month, Black Swan Yoga and the Museum’s young professionals’ group, NEXTGen, invite you to a unique workout experience to keep your mind and body supremely strong! Then, join us for an exclusive look at the Woman, the Spirit of the Universe exhibition. Designed and created by artist Carolyn Marks Johnson, the exhibition features stunning bronze collars inspired by 23 American heroines who fought bravely and tirelessly for equality.
The women featured in the exhibition span generations, from Margaret Brent, a de facto attorney in the late 1600s to two giants of Texas politics, Governor Ann Richards and Representative Barbara Jordan. Other leading women in the exhibition include Dolores Huerta, who brought labor rights to grape pickers; Chief Wilma Mankiller, who led the Cherokee Nation; Sojourner Truth, who carried the message of abolition to every part of America she could reach; and abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman, known for freeing enslaved people through the Underground Railroad. The most recognizable collar of the exhibition represents the iconic Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, affectionately known as Notorious RBG. Ginsburg was known to wear different collars to express a variety of messages while sitting on the court.
Spring Sip & Stretch Ticket includes:

Yoga class led by Black Swan Yoga
Admission to Woman, the Spirit of the Universe at Holocaust Museum Houston
Light bites and bubbly
Complimentary parking at Asia Society

About NEXTGenNEXTGen is the Museum’s affinity group for young professionals ages 21-45 who share a common passion for the Museum and its mission. The goal of NEXTGen is to inspire young professionals to be Upstanders, people who stand up for social change, human rights and community progress. If you would like to become a NEXTGen member, please visit hmh.org/NEXTGen.
For more information, please contact Rocio Rubio, Assistant Director of Corporate Relations, at rrubio@hmh.org.

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HJFF Film Screening: JAccuse
2023-03-28 19:30 - 21:30 | Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston, 5601 S. Braeswood Blvd., Houston, TX 77096
Holocaust Museum Houston is a proud Community Sponsor of this event at the ERJCC.
Director Michael Kretzmer in attendance for Post Film Q&A
Directed by Michael Kretzmer
United Kingdom, 2022, 87 minutes
Language
English
Genre
Documentary
This chilling Holocaust documentary — for adult audiences only — reveals the barbaric genocide of 220,000 people, or 95% of Lithuania’s Jews. Jonas Noreika was a Nazi collaborator personally responsible for slaughtering 8,000 men, women, and children, but is still revered as a Lithuanian “National Hero.” Interviews with Noreika’s own granddaughter, Silvia Foti, and a Jewish grandson whose family was murdered by Noreika, follow their parallel quests to expose the truth and bring some measure of justice to the victims.

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Our Stories Belong: A Rainbow Storytime for ALL of Houston’s Kids
2023-04-02 12:00 - 13:30 | Holocaust Museum Houston Classroom
Brave Little Company, Holocaust Museum Houston, and the Montrose Center present “Our Stories Belong: A Rainbow Storytime for ALL of Houston’s Kids.” Our Stories Belong is a free, in-person book club packed with creative activities, ideal for families with kids aged 5-10.
Love makes a family, and imagination gives us the key to becoming our true selves. A boy who wants to be a mermaid? A girl who wants to be a knight? Someone whose powers let them be a boy, girl, both, or neither? All of these stories belong in our book club! The books we’ve selected celebrate characters who creatively challenge expectations to find the joy of embracing their own identities.
The theme for the April 2 event is “Celebration.” Featured books include The Last Place You Look by j wallace skelton, They’re So Flamboyant by Michael Genhart and 47,000 Beads by Koja Adeyoha and Angel Adeyoha.
Join us to celebrate families, individuals, and imagination. Come as you are, and bring a book to share! Your story belongs, too.
Participation includes free admission to the Museum and parking validation.

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Zikaron BaSalon - Memories in the Living Room
2023-04-11 18:45 - 21:00 | 10 different locations in Houston
Zikaron BaSalon is an annual event, which takes place on Israeli Holocaust Memorial Day. Zikaron BaSalon started in Israel, in a living room where a few friends gathered in 2010 and experienced an extraordinary and meaningful event.
Alongside formal events, Zikaron BaSalon offers a meaningful and intimate way to commemorate this day and address its implications through discussions at home among family, friends and guests.
Zikaron BaSalon happens in the living room space of a home with 15-40 people. The event consists of three parts: testimony, expression and open discussion. Light refreshments will be served.Please RSVP at www.houstonjewish.org/memories by April 8th. You will be notified closer to the event of your assigned location.

Citywide Yom HaShoah Observance
2023-04-16 15:00 - 16:30 | Congregation Emanu El – 1500 Sunset Blvd, Houston, TX 77005
Please join us in observance of Yom HaShoah, a day of remembrance for the six million Jewish people who lost their lives during the Holocaust. During this annual commemoration, we will mourn the loss of all who perished, honor those who survived and come together as a community to remember and reflect.
Coordinated by the Yom HaShoah Steering Committee and Holocaust Museum Houston.
Funding for this service is generously provided by: The Morgan Family Endowment Fund, the Morgan
Family Center and the Morgan Family Foundation

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Zikaron BaSalon: Holocaust Memories in the Living Room
2023-04-18 19:00 | Locations across Houston
Zikaron BaSalon is a unique multi-generational program that started in Israel in 2010 and has since expanded to more than 60 countries. The first Houston sessions were held in 2017; this year it is sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston and Holocaust Museum Houston. It was launched in response to concerns in the Jewish community that people’s connection to the memories of the Holocaust have deteriorated in recent years. In homes across the greater Houston area, Holocaust survivors, as well as some children and grandchildren of survivors, will share their stories. The year, most sessions will take place Tuesday evening, April 18 at 7 p.m.
Translated from Hebrew as “memories in the living room,” this impactful program offers a meaningful and intimate way to connect to the Holocaust through presentations and discussions, in addition to the community-wide commemoration at Congregation Emanu El on April 16 at 3 p. m.
To join a Zikaron BaSalon event Tuesday, April 18 at 7 p.m., please click here to RSVP or contact Marna Meyer at the Jewish Federation at (713) 729-7000. Upon registration, your zip code will be paired with the closest private residence hosting an event and you will receive the location’s address via email.

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Film Screening: "Reckonings"
2023-04-26 18:30 - 20:00 | Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater
In the aftermath of the Holocaust, German and Jewish leaders met in secret to negotiate the unthinkable – compensation for the survivors of the largest mass genocide in history. Survivors were in urgent need of help, but how could reparations be determined for the unprecedented destruction and suffering of a people? This is the first documentary feature to chronicle the harrowing process of negotiating German reparations for the Jewish people, which resulted in the groundbreaking Luxembourg Agreements of 1952.
The film screening will be followed by a discussion with Claims Conference Chief of Staff Arie Bucheister.
Director: Roberta Grossman
82 minutes
Documentary
Sponsored by Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Houston

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100 Days of Sorrow: Remembering the 1994 Genocide Perpetrated Against the Tutsis in Rwanda
2023-04-27 18:30 - 20:30 | Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater
Holocaust Museum Houston commemorates the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 with survivors Henriette Mutegwaraba and Provie Umugwaneza. Henriette and Provie will share not only their personal stories of survival, but also the wisdom and lessons that they learned firsthand about the dangers of hate and extremism in the modern era.
Henriette MutegwarabaBorn in Butare Province, Rwanda, Henriette Mutegwaraba lived through the harrowing days leading up to, and the inconceivable execution and aftermath of, the 1994 Genocide against the Rwandan nation’s Tutsi people. She graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She serves as a board member for OneTribe, a non-profit peace building organization serving in East and Central Africa. She authored the memoir, By Any Means Necessary Healing and Forgiveness After Genocide. Henriette enjoys speaking to colleges, church groups, and human rights organizations about attitudes and actions that prevent mass atrocities, consequences of human prejudice, and the healing potential of intentional unity. As founder of The Million Lives Genocide relief fund, she is an ardent advocate for truth-based justice, PTSD awareness, and community restoration.
Providence “Provie” UmugwanezaProvie is a child Survivor of the Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda of 1994 that claimed more than a million of innocent lives in a span of 100 days, including her parents and five siblings. Her uncles and aunts and their families along with the neighbors were completely wiped out. She was 11. She is the first Rwandan and the youngest ever to be appointed to serve on the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission in Texas. She is currently working with schools across Texas public libraries and churches/temples, where she shares a story of hope and a willingness to do all that it takes to assure that her community aspires to join forces in order to practice tolerance & stand up for a positive change and peace.

The Houston Symposium in Philosophy of Religion
2023-04-29 13:00 - 16:00 | Holocaust Museum Houston Classroom
The Houston Symposium in Philosophy of Religion presents a new series of talks about religion. It gathers scholars of all faiths from Houston, and other Texan universities, to share their research interests and to create a community. We invite faculty and graduate students to join us, get to know their peers, and interact with the general public.
Houston Symposium in Philosophy of Religion
1-1:45 PM Niki Kasumi Clements (Rice University): “Our Noonday Demon”
2-2:45 PM Luis Oliveira (University of Houston): “The Problem of Evil”
3-3:45 PM Jerry Walls (Houston Christian University): “C.S. Lewis on Purgatory”
Moderator: Mirela Oliva (University of St. Thomas)

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Free Admission Day in honor of Walter Kase
2023-05-05 10:00 - 17:00 | Holocaust Museum Houston
Museum admission fees will be waived on Friday, May 5, 2023 in honor of Holocaust survivor Walter Kase, z”l.
When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, it soon became clear that Walter’s family’s lives would never be the same again. At the end of 1940, Walter, his parents and his sister, Rysia, were herded into a Jewish ghetto. One day in 1941, the ghetto residents were told to gather in the city square. There, in front of her family, Rysia was lined up with other young children and shot to death. Twelve-year-old Walter was sent with his father to the labor camp of Pionki, later to Auschwitz and Sosnowiec, and finally to Mauthausen and two of its sub-camps.
Walter and his father were liberated by the 71st Infantry Division of the United States Army on May 5, 1945. Taken to a hospital to recuperate, Walter regained his strength, but his father succumbed a month later. Walter made his way back to Poland, where he was reunited with his mother. In 1947, Walter came to the United States, settling in Kansas City, Missouri. There, he finished his schooling, started a career in sales and was drafted and served proudly during the Korean War. Walter was able to bring his mother to the United States, where she settled in Washington, DC.
Walter moved to Houston, where he established a successful import business. He was active in Jewish causes, sitting on the boards of the Anti-Defamation League and Holocaust Museum Houston. The Anti-Defamation League established a Teachers’ Award in Walter’s name, and he was the first recipient of the St. Augustine Award from St. Thomas University in recognition of his life-changing impact on others.

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Docent Training Meet & Greet
2023-05-07 14:00 - 15:00 | Holocaust Museum Houston
Join a dedicated community of docents at Holocaust Museum Houston. As a docent, you will be helping to educate students, teachers, community groups, and adults that visit the Museum for a tour. Most importantly, docents help to tell the stories of our Holocaust Survivor community to new generations. Those interested in Holocaust history, art, education, and human rights are encouraged to attend this Docent Training Meet and Greet.
You might be a retired teacher looking to utilize your talent and still be able to teach on your own schedule. Perhaps you are a history major looking to gain experience in the Museum field. Whoever you are, your participation and commitment to the Holocaust Museum Houston Docent Program will be vital to carrying out the Museum’s mission. Bilingual Spanish speakers are a plus as HMH is fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
The Museum has many docent opportunities available, including days, evenings, and weekends.
Requirements include: 40 hours of volunteer service and a 36-hour training class comprised of evening online lectures and practicums, tour shadowing, and certification.
Next Docent Training begins July 24, 2023
Email Nicole Osburn, Docent Programs Manager, at nosburn@hmh.org for more information.

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Free Admission Day in honor of Stefi Altman
2023-05-14 12:00 - 17:00 | Holocaust Museum Houston
Museum admission will be waived on Sunday, May 14, 2023 in honor of Holocaust survivor Stefi Altman, z”l.
Stefi Altman was just 13 years old when Germany overran Poland in September 1939. Soon after, Stefi’s two older brothers were arrested and sent to a labor camp, and Nazi soldiers brutuall beat her fater and drove the family from their house. They fled to Stefi’s grandfather’s farm, taking shelter in the barn.
The family remained together until 1940, when Stefi was sent to the labor camp of Jastkov. Later she was sent to Treblinka and Majdanek. Next, she was sent to the camp of Dorohucza. Although Dorohucza had neither gas chambers nor crematoria of the other camps, death always hovered nearby. Like Stefi, many of the inmates were only half alive by the time they got there. At the end of 1943, Stefi discovered that her sister, Kayla, had also been sent to Dorohucza. But relief soon turned to horror when Kayla was brutally murdered.
Stefi managed, against all odds, to escape Dorohucza. For the remainder of the war, she hid in a coffin-like space underneath a barn that belonged to a sympathetic Polish farmer. After she was liberated by the Soviets, she learned that her entire family had been murdered.
Stefi Altman, z”l, passed away in December 2017.A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

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Moving Forward Lecture | Justice Malala: How Mandela Averted Civil War, His Legacy & South Africa Today
2023-05-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater
Renowned South African political commentator and best-selling author Justice Malala recounts how the assassination of Nelson Mandelas protégé by a white supremacist threatened to derail South Africas democratic transition and plunge the nation into civil war.
Johannesburg, Easter weekend, 1993. Nelson Mandela has been free for three years and is in power sharing talks with President FW de Klerk when a white supremacist shoots Mandelas popular young heir apparent, Chris Hani, in hopes of igniting an all-out civil war. Will he succeed in plunging South Africa into chaos, safeguarding apartheid for perhaps years to come?
In The Plot to Save South Africa, Justice Malala recounts the gripping story of the next nine days, as the government and Mandelas ANC seek desperately to restore the peace and root out just how far up into the countrys leadership the far-right plot goes. Told from the points of view of over a dozen characters on all sides of the conflict, Malala offers an illuminating look at successful leadership in action and a terrifying reminder of just how close a country we think of today as a model for racial reconciliation came to civil war.
Justice Malalas new book The Plot to Save South Africa: The Week Mandela Averted Civil War and Forged a New Nation will be available for signing at the event.
Justice Malala is one of South Africas foremost political commentators and the author of the #1 bestseller We Have Now Begun Our Descent: How to Stop South Africa Losing its Way. A longtime weekly columnist for The Times (South Africa), his work has also appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and Financial Times, among other outlets. Malala is also the former publisher of The Sowetan and Sunday World.

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The Death of Democracy – Hitler’s Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic
2023-05-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater
Dr. Benjamin Carter Hett will discuss how the Nazi Party came to power and how the failures of the Weimar Republic and the shortsightedness of German politicians allowed it to happen. Why did democracy fall apart so quickly and completely in Germany in the 1930s? How did a democratic government allow Adolf Hitler to seize power? Dr. Hett answers these questions, and the story he tells has disturbing resonances for our own time.
Born in Rochester NY, Benjamin Carter Hett earned a J.D. at the University of Toronto (1990) and practiced litigation in Canada before earning a Ph.D. in history at Harvard (2001). He has taught at Harvard College and the Harvard Law School and, since 2003, at Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He is the author of The Death of Democracy: Hitler’s Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic (Henry Holt, 2018), winner of the 2019 Vine Award for History and named one of the year’s best books by The Times of London and the Daily Telegraph, and The Nazi Menace: Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, and the Road to War (Henry Holt, 2020) named an editors’ choice by the New York Times Book Review. His other books include Burning the Reichstag (Oxford, 2014), winner of the 2015 Hans Rosenberg Prize, and Crossing Hitler (Oxford, 2008), which won the 2007 Fraenkel Prize and was made into a documentary film and a television drama for the BBC. Hett has been the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies. He is presently working on a project about Arthur Nebe and the German criminal police during the Second World War.

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Pink Triangle Legacies: Coming Out in the Shadow of the Holocaust
2023-06-07 18:30 - 20:30 | Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater
Join us as historian Dr. Jake Newsome tells the dynamic and inspiring history of the LGBTQ+ community’s original pride symbol by tracing the transformation of the pink triangle from a Nazi concentration camp badge into a widespread emblem of queer liberation, pride, and community. Drawing from unexplored archival sources and original interviews, Dr. Newsome showcases the voices of LGBTQ+ Holocaust victims and a rich tapestry of queer lives who found meaning in the pink triangle in a post-Holocaust world. The presentation will be followed by Q&A and a book signing.
Dr. Jake Newsome is a scholar of American and German LGBTQ+ history whose work as a public historian reaches global audiences. He currently works as a museum professional in Washington, DC.

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Introduction to Teaching the Holocaust: Lessons and Resources for Educators
2023-06-20 09:00 - 16:00 | Holocaust Museum Houston
Join Holocaust Museum Houston for a one-day educator workshop on teaching the Holocaust.
Educators will learn approaches to teaching the Holocaust using activities and resources designed for the classroom. Educators will be introduced to the Holocaust through tours of HMH’s Galleries and gain instructional strategies and resources to support Holocaust education in their classrooms.
Participants will receive HMH’s Holocaust Remembrance Toolkit containing lessons plans, primary sources, and student worksheets to utilize in their classroom. Lesson plans included in the Toolkit will be modeled and educators will obtain more information on free school programs and resources available through the Museum.
Teachers from the 6th-12th grade, in all subject areas, are encouraged to participate in this FREE workshop.
This workshop will credit 7 CPE and 6 GT hours.
For more information contact The Education Department at education@hmh.org or 713-527-1642.

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Max M. Kaplan Summer Institute
2023-06-21 08:30 - 2023-06-23 16:30 | Holocaust Museum Houston
The Max M. Kaplan Summer Institute for Educators at Holocaust Museum Houston is a three-day program that moves beyond the general history of the Holocaust to explore the various dimensions and implications of the Holocaust, genocide and human rights.
The 2023 Institute will feature Dr. Rebecca Erbelding and Dr. Peter Hayes, scholars who contributed to the Ken Burns documentary, “The U.S. and the Holocaust.”
The program is directed toward educators on a secondary or higher level, but university students and educators of all levels who have a specific interest in, and background knowledge of genocide and the Holocaust are invited to apply. The cost to attend the program is $50.00, which includes books and materials.
For their support of the Max M. Kaplan Summer Institute for Educators, Holocaust Museum Houston thanks the Max M. Kaplan Teacher Education Endowment Fund, the Gerald S. Kaplan Endowment Fund, and the Anna and Emil Steinberger Scholarship for Teacher Education Endowment Fund.
Applications are due June 1, 2023. Applications can be found here.
Registration for the Max M. Kaplan Summer Institute for Educators includes the optional workshop –Introduction to Teaching the Holocaust on June 20 – at no additional cost.
The program will be hosted by The Boniuk Center for the Future of Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Education and held at Holocaust Museum Houston.
Registration payment: $50.00 due by June 1, 2023.
Scholarships are available for first time attendees.
Participants will earn 24 CPE and 21 GT hours.

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Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America's Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe
2023-06-22 18:30 - 20:00
In this lecture, historian Dr. Rebecca Erbelding pieces together years of research and newly uncovered archival materials to tell the dramatic story of America’s little-known efforts to save the Jews of Europe.
Rebecca Erbelding is the author of Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America’s Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe, which won the JDC-Herbert Katzki National Jewish Book Award in 2018. She holds a PhD in American history from George Mason University. Her work has previously been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, and on the History Channel and National Geographic.
Rescue Board is the extraordinary story of the War Refugee Board, a US government effort late in World War II to save the remaining Jews of Europe. The staff of the War Refugee Board gathered D.C. pencil pushers, international relief workers, smugglers, diplomats, millionaires, and rabble-rousers to run operations across four continents and a dozen countries. They tricked Nazis, forged identity papers, maneuvered food and medicine into concentration camps, recruited spies, leaked news stories, laundered money, negotiated ransoms, and funneled millions of dollars into Europe, ultimately saving tens of thousands of lives.
The Gerald S. Kaplan Endowed Lecture is supported by the Gerald S. Kaplan Endowment Fund.

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Young Upstanders Toolkit Training for K-5 Educators
2023-07-21 09:00 - 13:00 | Holocaust Museum Houston Classroom
Join Holocaust Museum Houston’s Boniuk Center for the Future of Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide Education for free resources to help elementary students explore the foundational traits of good citizenship, including empathy, cooperation and responsibility. Take your students on a journey as they learn what it means to be an upstander, are inspired by upstanders from American history, and put what they have learned into practice through interactive activities designed for grades K through 5. Participants will leave with resources and TEKS-aligned activities to help their students develop the skills and characteristics to become upstanders that forge a better future for their schools and communities.

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