Americans and the Holocaust (April/May 2026)
Baylor University is honored to be one of only two Texas locations to host the Americans and the Holocaust (AATH) traveling exhibition from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) and the American Library Association (ALA). On display April 11 - May 20, 2026, the exhibit examines the Holocaust through the lens of America's awareness of its origins, escalation, and the horrors perpetuated by the Nazi regime on Europe's Jews.
This exhibit's run at Baylor has ended. We are grateful to the USHMM and the ALA for the opportunity to host AATH.
What Does the Exhibit Cover?
"This 1,100-square-foot traveling exhibition is based on the exhibition that opened in April 2018 at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. The Americans and the Holocaust traveling exhibition addresses important themes in American history, including Americans’ responses to refugees, war and genocide in the 1930s and ‘40s. This exhibition will challenge the commonly held assumptions that Americans knew little and did nothing about the Nazi persecution and murder of Jews as the Holocaust unfolded.
Drawing on a remarkable collection of primary sources from the 1930s and ‘40s, the exhibition focuses on the stories of individuals and groups of Americans who took action in response to Nazism. It will challenge visitors to consider the responsibilities and obstacles faced by individuals—from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to ordinary Americans—who made difficult choices, sought to effect change, and, in a few cases, took significant risks to help victims of Nazism even as rescue never became a government priority. The exhibit hopes to challenge people to not only ask “what would I have done?” but also, “what will I do?” (Source: USHMM website)
An ancillary exhibit, "The War at Home," is on display near the AATH exhibit. It features stories of World War II and the Holocaust told through archival materials from the Institute for Oral History and The Texas Collection.
Programs and Events
Click on the event's title for program details, location, time, etc.
Rebecca Erbelding is a historian of American responses to the Holocaust and the author of Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America’s Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe, published by Doubleday in 2018, which won the National Jewish Book Award for Writing Based on Archival Material. She served as a historical advisor and an on-camera expert in Florentine Films’ The U.S. and the Holocaust, directed by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein, which debuted on PBS in September 2022. She is an educator and historian at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and frequently presents on the War Refugee Board; US immigration policy during the 1930s; and the “Hoecker album,” a photograph album owned by Karl Hoecker, the final adjutant to the commandant of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Dr. Erbelding will present a program on the ways college students responded to the Holocaust in real time, including the reactions of Baylor University students as captured in historic "Lariat" newspapers and "Round Up" yearbooks.
7:00 PM
Schumacher Flex Commons
Moody Memorial Library
Free and open to the public
Join us for a 45-minute presentation of "The U.S. and the Holocaust," a film by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick & Sarah Botstein. A moderated discussion with Dr. Rebecca Erbelding of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will follow. Click here to view the trailer for the film.
Schumacher Flex Commons
Moody Memorial Library
10:00 AM
This panel will explore how four different institutions responded to or engaged with the Holocaust. Each presenter will have 15 minutes to cover their topic and a time for Q&A will follow.
- Medical institutions: Andrew Wisely and Sharon Weiner (Faculty members from the German program)
- Religious institutions: Elesha Coffman (History Department)
- Legal institutions: Christian van Gorder (Religion Department)
- Academic institutions: Sylvia Hernandez (Baylor Libraries)
12:00 - 1:30 PM
Schumacher Flex Commons
Moody Memorial Library
Free and open to the public
Students from the Spring 2026 History classes of Dr. Ruth Oropeza and Dr. Steven Jug will offer poster presentations.
Students from the Fall 2025 classes of Dr. Liana Kirillova (History) and Dr. Andrew Wisely (Modern Languages & Cultures) will offer digital presentations.
4:00 - 6:00 PM
Moody 104
Moody Memorial Library
Free and open to the public
Twenty-five years ago, Dr. Lauren Bairnsfather wrote an oral history of the "second generation," children of Holocaust survivors, in the United States. How did they think of themselves as individuals and as a group? How were they viewed from the outside of the close knit communities that Holocaust survivors formed in this country? How did they rise to meet the expectations of their legacy? In the 1970s, objecting to their being defined by a psychological profile of survivors that focused on damage and trauma, the second generation formed organizations of their own. Yet, due to conflicting identities, priorities, and personalities, these groups often disbanded. What has lasted are nearly 100 museums and education centers across the United States. Holocaust remembrance has been institutionalized, from small towns to the National Mall. But who carries the torch now?
In this talk, Dr. Bairnsfather will revisit the topic of Holocaust remembrance in 2026. To what extent does Holocaust remembrance rest in the hands of the third and fourth generations? How can the work of memorializing the Holocaust, viewed as sacred by many, rise to meet the growing need to counter rising antisemitism across the globe?
7:00 PM
Schumacher Flex Commons
Moody Memorial Library
Dr. Lauren A Bairnsfather is the CEO of the Anne Frank Center USA and the founder of LAB Historical Consulting, supporting organizations that believe an understanding of the past equips individuals to shape the future. She served as Executive Director of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and was a leader in the effort to rebuild the Tree of Life after the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. History. She has brought innovation to Holocaust education, redefining its potential to address present day antisemitism, racism, and identity-based violence. Bairnsfather began her career in the
Photo Archives of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, then earned an MA at the University of Chicago and a PhD at the University of Texas, including an intervening stint with Spertus Museum in Chicago. Bairnsfather serves on the boards of the Association of Holocaust Organizations and the Council of American Jewish Museums.
Baylor University faculty will be joined by Dr. Uri Shreter from Queen’s University, a world‑renowned specialist in Yiddish music. They will present Yiddish songs of the Holocaust, written by Jewish poets and composers, which narrated the experiences of the war's victims and survivors.
Featured Performers - Musicians Featured Performers - Readings
Mark Diamond, baritone Kami Yasko
Ran Kampel, clarinet John-Michael Marrs
Uri Schreter, piano David Jortner
7:30 PM
Roxy Grove Hall
Baylor University
Free and open to the public
Please join us as longtime Waco resident Nate Goldenberg shares the remarkable story of his family’s survival and perseverance through the unthinkable horror of the Holocaust. Dr. Stephen Sloan, Director of the Institute for Oral History at Baylor University, will join Mr. Goldenberg as moderator in a conversation for what is sure to be an impactful evening of dialogue and learning.
7:30 PM
Mayborn Museum Theater
Mayborn Museum
1300 S. University Parks Drive
Free and open to the public
Event Recordings
Select programs in support of Americans and the Holocaust will be recorded and posted to the University Libraries' YouTube channel. You can also find them below.
"Youth and the Holocaust" - Rebecca Erbelding | April 16, 2026
Click here to view a PDF of Dr. Erbelding's presentation
Institutional Responses to the Holocaust: A Baylor Faculty Panel | April 21, 2026
Archives and Memory: Student Research on the Holocaust | April 23, 2026
"The Future of Holocaust Remembrance" with Dr. Lauren Bairnsfather | April 27, 2026
Stories from Your Neighbors: A Conversation with Nate Goldenberg | May 12, 2026
Mr. Goldenberg shared photos from a family scrapbook as part of his presentation. You may view those files as a PDF by clicking here.