Saturday, April 08, 2006

Holocaust Exhibit Debuts at Plainfield Public Library

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The Center for Holocaust Studies at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey will launch its new traveling exhibit at the Plainfield Public Library on Sunday, April 9, 2006. Survival of the Human Spirit: Triumph Over Adversity features portraits of 29 New Jersey residents who are Holocaust survivors.

Doors will open at 2:00 pm, and the afternoon will feature a speaker from the Center who will give a 20-minute presentation at 3:00 pm.

The exhibit will run through Friday, May 12th. It may be seen without appointment Mondays and every Saturday from April 15th to May 6th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. For availability at other hours during the week call 908-757-1111 x129.

In conjunction with the exhibit, the Plainfield Public Library is presenting a series of award-winning films on the Holocaust every Monday evening from mid-April through mid-May. Films will include: The Diary of Anne Frank; Playing For Time; The Garden of the Finzi-Continis; Bent; Night and Fog; Au Revoir, Mes Enfants (Goodbye, Children); and Paper Clips. Call the library for film schedule and show times, or check the library's online events calendar.

Drawn from the Center's 2004 publication, To Tomorrow's Children, the exhibit panels depict the survivors' personal histories, and their messages of hope to future generations. All of them have since become associated with the Center and teach about the Holocaust, working to eliminate hatred in all its forms.

Dale Daniels, Executive Director of the Center, explains that the goals for the exhibit are to promote humane values, to encourage pursuit of information on the Holocaust, genocide and prejudice, to generate discussions that relate to the dangers of bigotry, and to show how the human spirit can triumph over adversity. A companion timeline, listing key events during the period, both historical and in the lives of the survivors, will be available to visitors.

Plainfield Public Library Director Joseph Da Rold expressed his enthusiasm for the Holocaust Center's new venture. "We are honored to have been selected to launch this permanent traveling exhibit. Their partnership with public libraries will give this important exhibit greater visibility and bring new visitors to our libraries. It also gives our local schools the opportunity to expose our younger generations to rare primary source historic material."

From Plainfield, the exhibit will travel to Monroe Township Library (6/16-7/7/06), Ocean County Library Headquarters, Toms River (9/1-9/29/06), Old Bridge Public Library (11/1-11/30/06), and Monmouth County Library Headquarters, Manalapan (1/2-2/7/07). Center
Speakers will introduce the exhibit on each of the participating libraries' opening day, and docents will act as visitors' guides on selected days.

This unique exhibit is made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the support of donors to the Center's To Tomorrow's Children project.

The Center for Holocaust Studies at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, New Jersey, is an educational resource center. Its mission is: education about historical issues of the Holocaust and genocide; elimination of racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of prejudice that damage our society, and development of creative programs and activities regarding these crucial human issues. A nonprofit, volunteer organization founded in 1979, it is the first Holocaust Studies Center in the State of New Jersey, and is recognized as a leader in the field of Holocaust education worldwide.

For further information about the exhibit Survival of the Human Spirit: Triumph Over Adversity please call the Center at (732) 224-2769 or visit their website at www.holocaustbcc.org. For directions to the Plainfield Public Library, visit the library's website at www.plfdpl.info or call 908-757-1111.

-- Information supplied by the Plainfield Public Library

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