In observance of Yom HaShoah, Claire and Melissa discuss the importance of remembering the Holocaust, and begin a conversation with Dr. Jonathan Petropoulos, professor of European History at Claremont McKenna College, about how Nazi looting of artwork was a way for the Nazis to dehumanize people.
This was a first step towards state-sponsored, systemic persecution and annihilation of European Jews and other groups who did not align with the Nazi party’s Aryan ideals.
Jonathan, Claire, and Melissa also talk about the role of women in the repatriation and restitution work after the war. Join us next week for part two of this interview, where we will delve deeper into these topics with Jonathan.
You can join the nation in commemorating the Days of Remembrance and honoring the victims of the Holocaust by attending an event near you. View the Days of Remembrance Events Map. Also, watch the video Why We Remember the Holocaust from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Jonathan Petropoulos' "The 'Real' (and Reel) Monuments Men, the Gurlitt Cache, and the Continuing Challenges of Nazi Looted Art" lecture at Augustana College:
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