Holocaust survivor speaks tonight
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, May 31st, 2022 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
PENDLETON – “Americans and the Holocaust” is making its only Oregon appearance at the Pendleton Public Library. It is only one of 50 libraries nationwide selected to host the exhibit which examines the motives, pressures, and fears that shaped this country’s response to Nazism, war, and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s.
A special program is planned to complement the exhibit. The first is today (Tuesday) inside the library at 5 p.m. Holocaust survivor Anneke Bloomfield will speak of what she remembers as a child in hiding. Shortly after she turned 5, her father found families who would provide shelter for her and her brothers. She moved three different times and was only 10 when victory was declared in Europe.
Two other programs are planned during the exhibits schedule through July 1. The exhibit itself contains kiosks, panels and looped video addressing what was known in America during the Holocaust. The exhibit also raises the question, ‘What more could have been done?’
“The second question is meant to be answered by the viewer after experiencing the Americans and the Holocaust exhibit,” Assistant Director James Simpson said.
Drawing on new resources, the exhibition focuses on the stories of individuals and groups of Americans who took action in response to Nazism, many of whom took significant risks to aid the victims.
