Author Margaret McMullan

Talk with Fred Gross, Holocaust Survivor

     In February 2019, CYPRESS sponsored the visit of Holocaust survivor Fred Gross to the Evansville area.  In the course of a week, he spoke to students and community groups about his harrowing experiences during and after World War II. He spoke to over 400 community members at Temple Adath B’nai Israel, as well as students and staff members at Ivy Tech, Thompkins Middle School, Mater Dei High School, and Castle High School.

    Mr. Gross and his family were forced to leave their home and live in constant fear for years.  He made it clear to all the audiences that his experiences were the result of prejudice, ignorance of other cultures, and fear, some of the same issues we face in today’s world.

Mr. Gross also spoke at several area schools including Thompkins Middle School, Mater Dei High School, Castle High School, and Ivy Tech Community College (attended by several schools).

A Unique Holocaust Exhibit

CYPRESS, in partnership with Temple Adath B’nai Israel (TABI), hosted an exhibit of murals that together created a powerful, creative learning experience around the Holocaust. The murals were created by students and designed to ensure memories of the Holocaust are preserved in art.

The exhibit was called “A New Generation Remembers: A Unique Holocaust Exhibit.” The mural collection is part of a program for gifted middle and high school students from Kentucky. Every summer, a group of students immerse themselves in the study of the Holocaust, watching historical films, taking field trips and hearing from survivors themselves. During the course, students work together to complete a mural.

Through the years, students have created 21 murals in all. They are each 6 feet by 9 feet long. Every mural is unique, but displayed together, they tell a powerful story, and ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are not forgotten.

The mural collection was on display at Temple Adath B’nai Israel, 8440 Newburgh Road, Evansville, IN, the first two weeks of February 2019. The exhibit was viewed by 14 different school groups and was open to the public every day.

RESOURCES

PDF Event Flyer

Teacher Packet – A great resource for teachers to use in the classroom prior to visiting the Exhibit

Annotated Bibliography of Holocaust Era Fiction for Middle and High School Students by Lisa Muller

To learn more about this project, you can watch a documentary that aired on KET that follows students as they work on the 2017 mural and explore Never Again, an exhibition of past murals at Louisville’s Jewish Community Center. Click here to watch the video on KET’s website.

Brundibar

Dr. Terrence Roberts Public Talk