Let's talk about the Holocaust
That's the title of a talk I gave recently (June 2026) at my local library.
I've been to a lot of lectures, presentations, and other similar events about the Holocaust. What I've noticed is that more often than not, all of these are about a narrow subtopic or only about a testimony of either a survivor or their G2 (their kid[s]), sometimes both. Further, unfortunately, there is usually little time for questions and audience members often have questions beyond the specific subtopic.
And, as a lot of you know, Holocaust education is woefully underrepresented in most school systems here in the states. That's sad as a lot of people simply don't know much about it. They - and others - don't appreciate what the Holocaust means for history's sake in addition to its ongoing relevance.
I try to fill these gaps with Let's talk about the Holocaust.
I schedule all my talks for 90 minutes. I usually talk for 40-50 minutes, then I engage the audience with their questions, concerns, and shared stories - and I love that! But, for Let's talk, I keep the presentation to about half an hour then we all talk about the Holocaust. Nothing is off limits and I welcome questions and information about any aspect of the Holocaust, to include the run-up to it, its execution, and the aftermath. People want to know about it, often beyond the scope of any specific presentation or testimony.
Together, we all learn more about what we want to know when we talk. I never want anyone to give me valuable time from their lives then feel like they attended a one-way presentation where they were lectured to, instead of being engaged with.
This first Let's talk about the Holocaust was a success. I know this because of the audience's reactions and the conversations I had with them when it was over. I'm not naive enough to say everyone got something out of it, but several did, and to me that's a mission accomplished.
Below are a few slides from it. If you or your group want to know more or could benefit from this talk or a variant of it, in person or virtually, please let me know. Peace to you and yours.
*****
