‘Americans and the Holocaust’ traveling exhibition coming to the Springfield-Greene County Library District

The Springfield-Greene County Library District is one of 50 U.S. libraries newly selected to host “Americans and the Holocaust,” a traveling exhibition from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association (ALA) that examines the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. Residents of surrounding area communities are invited to take advantage of these valuable learning opportunities. 

“We are so excited to bring this important exhibit to the Ozarks and to provide our community with engaging, thought-provoking programming,” said Brian Grubbs, Local History & Genealogy Manager at the Springfield-Greene County Library District.  

“Americans and the Holocaust” will be on display at the Library Center, along with a series of related special events, from June 15 to July 27, 2026. 

This traveling exhibition from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association, explores how Americans responded to Nazism, war and genocide in the 1930s and 1940s. Through powerful primary sources and personal stories, it examines the choices and challenges faced by both leaders and everyday citizens — inviting reflection on what action and responsibility can look like in the face of injustice.

On view in the Library Center Reading Room, the exhibition anchors a series of related programs that take a closer look at these themes and invite deeper discussion: 

• Springfield Jewish Response to the Holocaust: On Tuesday, June 16, at 7 p.m. in the Missouri State University Meyer Library, Room 207, Dr. Mara Cohen Ioannides will example how Springfield’s Jewish community responded to news of the Jewish people in Nazi-occupied Europe. Through sharing the community’s calls to action, demands of the local non-Jewish population, and postwar assistance to European Jews, the Jews of Springfield helped shape interfaith responses that continue today. 

• The Wounds We Inherit: On Tuesday, June 23, at 7 p.m. in the Library Center Hatch Auditorium, witness a Holocaust survivor’s journey through family loss, intergenerational trauma and turning deep pain into strength, healing and hope. Erika Schwartz was born in spring, 1944, in Nazi-occupied Hungary; she and her mother were the only survivors of her mother’s family. Erika reminds us that the Jews murdered by the Nazis were 6 million individuals, each loved and remembered, and that this is not ancient history. Her message of hope resonates: “Our lives don’t have to be defined by our circumstances.” 

• Americans and the Holocaust: What did Americans Know? On Thursday, June 25, 7 p.m. in Hatch Auditorium, explore questions such as “What did Americans know about the dangers of Nazism, and when did they know it?” as historian Daniel Greene examines the U.S. public’s response to Nazism. He will look at domestic conditions including economic depression, isolationism and antisemitism, that shaped Americans’ reactions to atrocities abroad, and why rescuing Europe’s Jews was not a priority for the government or most Americans. 

• The Making of Magneto: How the Holocaust Redefined X-History: On Tuesday, June 30, 7 p.m. in Hatch Auditorium, Dr. Rodney Fierce, humanities teacher at Sonoma Academy, will explore how the Holocaust shaped Marvel Comics’ character Magneto, introduced in X-Men #1 in 1963. Later comic arcs reveal his past and how it influenced his actions. Fierce will lead a discussion on how Magneto’s history reflects trauma and how X-Men used pop culture to broaden understanding of the Holocaust for younger audiences. 

• Hell Before Their Very Eyes: On Thursday, July 9, 7 p.m. in Hatch Auditorium. Sponsored by FamilySearch and the Ozarks Genealogical Society. Todd Knowles, deputy chief genealogical officer at FamilySearch, discovered his Jewish roots at an early age and has since helped build a collection of genealogical records for nearly 1.5 million Polish Jews. Todd will demonstrate new AI tools to reconstruct the Jewish community of Fordon, Poland, destroyed during the Holocaust, and help attendees locate records of their own Jewish ancestors. 

• Nazi Germany and the Global Politics of Race and Space: Tuesday, July 21, 7 p.m. in Hatch Auditorium. Nazi Germany is often depicted in American popular culture as monstrous or a historical abnormality, yet Nazism reflected extreme versions of policies and ideas found in other Western countries including the U.S. Dr. Sarah Panzer of Missouri State University will explore how Nazi ideology and propaganda evolved, inspired by similar policies in other countries, and spread beyond Germany to shape race, eugenics, immigration, and imperial expansion. 

• A Conversation with Sharon Cameron: Thursday, July 23, 7 p.m. in Hatch Auditorium. Hear Sharon Cameron discuss her novel, “The Light in Hidden Places.” Set in 1943, the novel tells of 16-year-old Stefania, who worked for several years in a Jewish family’s grocery store and, in spite of her Catholic faith, secretly promised betrothal to one of their sons. Based on the true story of Stefania Podgorska, the story describes a brave young woman risking everything to shelter 13 Jews in her attic during World War II. Books will be available for purchase and signing. 

Americans and the Holocaust was made possible by the generous support of lead sponsors Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine, with additional major funding provided by several members of the Bildner family. The exhibitions are also supported by the Lester and Sheila Johnson Robbins Traveling and Special Exhibitions Fund. 

The 1,100-square-foot exhibition examines various aspects of American society: the government, the military, refugee aid organizations, the media and the general public. Drawing on a collection of primary sources from the 1930s and ’40s, the exhibition showcases Americans who acted in response to Nazism, challenging the commonly held assumptions that Americans knew little and did nothing about the Nazi persecution and murder of Jews as the Holocaust unfolded. It provides a portrait of American society that shows how the Depression, isolationism, xenophobia, racism and antisemitism shaped responses to Nazism and the Holocaust.

The Library District has partnered with the History Museum on the Square, Missouri State University Special Collections and Archives, Temple Israel and Dr. Mara Cohen Ioannides to bring this exhibit and program series to the Ozarks. Additional support was made possible, in part, by the Friends of the Library and the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.

The Springfield-Greene County Library serves the citizens of Greene County, Missouri, with The Library Center serving as the administrative home and main branch of the system. The Center features amenities characteristic of larger urban libraries, including the recently-opened addition housing the Hatch Auditorium, site for many of the exhibit’s special events. 

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America’s nonpartisan national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, dedicated to ensuring remembrance, understanding and relevance. The Museum uses powerful history to challenge leaders and individuals worldwide to consider critically their role in society and to confront antisemitism and other forms of hate, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. For more information, visit ushmm.org.

The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to help library and information professionals transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has advocated for the role of libraries in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit ala.org.