Grand View University is a liberal arts college in Des Moines, Iowa, with a student body of about 2,000. At such a small school, said its student body president Kendall Antle, it’s true: everybody seems to know everybody. But the small-town feel does come with its disadvantages. “One major issue we face is apathy,” Antle said. “You have cliques. People have a tendency to stay with whom they know and work with whom they know.”

Street will lead presentations and workshops throughout the week-long event, which this year is centered on the post-Holocaust period and the specific events, or “pivotal moments,” that have shaped our understanding of the Holocaust.

About four years ago, still in high school and bussing tables at my first job, I found out that management hands you bigger tips at the end of the night when they see the big table in the corner harass you. Because those tips, they said, were left for you. What are you going to question that for?

Thea describes how Russian soldiers raped Jewish women as they traveled through Europe after the war.

Susanne describes how she and her mother, along with other women, were raped and tortured by members of the Arrow Cross party in Budapest.

Kitizo shares what happened to several women in his family and how he tried to help them.

Irene describes how she was raped every day while she was in prison in Yugoslavia.

Liberator Thomas D'Aquino describes in this clip his impressions upon entering Dachau. Watch his full-length testimony at vhaonline.usc.edu

World War II veteran Brendon Phibbs recounts liberating French dignitaries, including the premier, held captive by the Nazi's. He also mentions some infamous characters he and his troops rounded up around the same time. Watch his full-length testimony at vhaonline.usc.edu

In this short clip, World War II veteran David Pollock talks about the impact that the devastation of the war had on what he wanted to do with his life as a post-war civilian. Watch his full-length testimony on vhaonline.usc.edu

Liberator Ernest James offers a word of advice to future generations about the importance of personal responsibility, especially the charge of democratic participation. Watch his full-length testimony at vhaonline.usc.edu