1998

Holocaust Center Finds New Home

by Jennifer Wright

Holocaust Center Director Viktoria Hertling welcomes Harry Reimer to the center's
new lacation Thursday.

The Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Peace Studies hosted an open house Thursday to celebrate the opening of its new home.

This year, the center's theme is "Honoring Peace."

"With the success of last year, I hope that this year will be even more successful," Viktoria Hertling, the center's director, said.

The purpose of the center is to promote research and provide information to area schools. The center serves as a resource center, archive, and speaker's bureau for the university and the public.

All lectures, workshops, panel discussions and exhibits will be open to the public. The center also strives to educate students, faculty and members of the community about the Holocaust, instances of genocide, hate crimes, how to prevent genocide, critical thinking about and awareness of the past.

Hertling said she wants students, to understand two things about the Holocaust.

"That it really happened and to not only look again at finding a strategy for a peaceful shape of our community, but to ensure that something like the Holocaust never happens again," she said.

Located at 1048 N. Sierra St., Apt. A, the center is uniquely decorated with a display of pictures titled, "Retracting Schindler's List." Hertling took the pictures last summer in Krakow, Poland. "Some of these pictures are where Steven Spielberg did his filming for Schindler's List," said Hertling.

The center also has videos and magazines available for students and the public to view at the center or at home.

Representing the views of the center will be a video titled, "Remembering for the Future - Stories of the Holocaust," which is scheduled to air at 10 a.m., November 13 on KNPB Channel 5.

Hertling said she is trying to bring former President Jimmy Carter to the center. There will also be a concert in tribute to the center's theme of peace this year.

"This center is different from…Holocaust center at other universities because we address genocide and peace studies," Hertling said.

Shelley Lescot-Leszczynski, board director, believes that the center will continue to grow thanks to increasing public support. "The community has been very responsive to the goals of the center," she said.

The center plans to participate in an outreach program to provide information and classroom materials to Washoe County high schools about the Holocaust.

"It's amazing how much students don't know about the Holocaust," said Kelly Cooley, graduate assistant to Hertling. Cooley will host a presentation entitled, "Perspective on Genocide" in October.

Along with her responsibilities as director of the center, Hertling also teaches a course in German conversation and a course titled, "War, Fascism and Holocaust."

The center is in the process of developing a Holocaust curriculum for graduate and undergraduate students that will include a thesis requirement and offer a minor in Holocaust studies.