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Remembering Fritzie Fritzshall

USC Shoah Foundation mourns the passing of Fritzie Fritzshall, president of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, whose story of survival and will to share it has inspired thousands of people. She was 91.

Always hopeful and optimistic, Fritzie’s understanding of where hate and intolerance can lead if left unchecked has driven her her whole life to educate and empower everyone she meets. She will be dearly missed.

Lyudmila Tkach on surviving Babi Yar

March 1, 2022, Russian forces damaged buildings at the Babi Yar Memorial in Kyiv, Ukraine, dedicated to the memory of 100,000 Ukrainians murdered at the site during Nazi occupation. Among them were nearly 34,000 Jewish men, women, and children, killed over the course of two days on the eve of Yom Kippur in 1941. In this clip, Lyudmila Tkach recalls surviving the Babi Yar massacre.

Johtje Vos on her decision to help Jewish people

Johtje Vos reflects on her decision to help hide Jews during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Throughout the war Johtje and her husband, Aart, housed 32 Jews, although never more than 14 at the same time. In 1982 both Johtje and Aart were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem for risking their own lives to save the lives of others.

Boredom and Excitement at Sea: Jewish Refugees' Experiences on Shanghai-bound Ships

Between 1938 and 1940 an estimated 17,000 mostly Austrian and German Jews traveled from Europe to Shanghai, many on luxury liners. They were escaping the upsurge of violent antisemitism in Europe and headed primarily to Shanghai, at the time one of the few places in the world without any immigration barriers.

Women at Nuremberg: Vivien Spitz

Editor’s Note: USC Shoah Foundation is spotlighting the under-examined efforts of women at the Nuremberg Trials in an eight-part series of stories that each focuses on the contribution of a different woman.

Mickey Shapiro Provides Major Gift to Endow Inaugural Academic Chair

Longtime USC Shoah Foundation Executive Committee and Board of Councilors member Mickey Shapiro has provided a major endowed gift to create an inaugural academic chair at the Institute that will be dedicated to deepening the study of the impact of Holocaust education.

Chaim Goldberger (music)

Cantor Goldberger sings a Chapter of the Psalms-a prayer of thanksgiving- often recited by his father, the Chief Cantor at the main synagogue in Copenhagen.

Gender: Male
DOB: May 6, 1938
City of birth: Copenhagen
Country of birth: Denmark
Camps: No
Ghettos: No
Went into hiding: Yes
Other experiences: Fled from Nazi-controlled territory (Denmark to Sweden) in 1943

 

USC President C. L. Max Nikias Announces Center for Advanced Genocide Research with USC Shoah Foundation Founder Steven Spielberg

The University of Southern California has established the Center for Advanced Genocide Research to study how and why such instances of mass violence occur, and how to intervene in the cycle that can lead to them.

USC Shoah Foundation to Premiere Ruth: A Little Girl's Big Journey starring Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer

USC Shoah Foundation this week will launch a Teaching with Testimony Webinar for K-5 educators featuring the exclusive global premiere of Ruth: A Little Girl’s Big Journey, an animated short film that brings to life the remarkable childhood journey of media personality, author and Holocaust survivor Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, known the world over as Dr. Ruth.  

Jewish Refugees and American Dreams in Shanghai

Kimberly Cheng’s lecture, “American Dreams: Jewish Refugees and Chinese Locals in Post-World War II Shanghai,” examined the collision of cultures in Shanghai, which was significantly influenced first by the persecution of Chinese by Japanese invaders throughout the country, then by the influx of Jewish refugees, and after the war ended, by the arrival and presence of U.S. troops.