McClung honors Holocaust Remembrance Day, survivor project anniversary

AURORA SILAVONG Staff Writer

Members of the UT community gathered at the McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture on Friday afternoon for a reflective event in observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The event focused on the experience of Tennesseans who experienced the genocide, including Jewish survivors of concentration camps and members of the American armed forces who liberated the camps. It was sponsored by the College of Communication & Information, the School of Journalism & Electronic Media, the Department of Judaic Studies and the Division of Diversity & Engagement.

The afternoon began with an exhibition of select photographs from the Living On project. Robert Heller, professor of photography, took the portraits two decades ago as part of a Tennessee Holocaust Commission project documenting the stories of some of the last remaining Holocaust survivors in Tennessee. Heller says it is important to preserve these narratives for the education of future generations.

“There are people that claim [the Holocaust] never happened,” Heller said. “Through these portraits and the stories that come with them, we are teaching people about what really did happen and celebrating that some people did survive and found their way to Tennessee.”

The main event of the afternoon was a showing of the documentary, “Living On: Tennesseans Remembering the Holocaust,” which was produced in part by one of Heller’s former students, Will Pedigo. Pedigo, then a videographer for Nashville’s WNPT, accompanied Heller during his travels around the state and filmed the interviews, later convincing the station to edit and release the footage as a documentary. It went on to win a Regional Emmy Award in 2006.

The hour-long documentary, which can be viewed for free through the WNPT website and the PBS website, features interviews and footage from talks given by Holocaust survivors and witnesses, interspersed with haunting photos from the ghettos and the forced-labor camps.

While much of the content was somber, there were moments of levity throughout the piece. For example, one Polish survivor spoke about his experience selling produce at the age of ten after his family was taken away.

“The problem with selling food,” he quipped, “is that you start eating your inventory.”

The event concluded with a short Q&A session with Heller about his experience working on the project. Attendees were visibly moved at the conclusion of the event.

“It is astounding to me that we have these resources around, yet we are living in an environment where people do deny this reality and continue some of these terrible behaviors,” John McNair, director of technology at the CCI, said. “Frankly, I didn’t know it was Holocaust Remembrance Day until [Heller] mentioned it, and I think that makes it all the more poignant.”

The Tennessee Holocaust Commission holds similar events throughout the year, including Holocaust educator workshops. All events are free but require pre-registration through their Eventbrite page.