It is now possible to checkout a copy of To Life: The Past Is Present, Holocaust Stories of Hampton Roads Survivors, Liberators, and Rescuers as far north as Charles City and as far west as Isle of Wight in Virginia.
Last month, the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, working with the Tidewater Area Library Director Consortium, donated books to every main and branch location in the 14 library systems that are part of the consortium.
Elka Mednick, director of the Holocaust Commission, says that “One of the primary goals of publishing To Life was to make this important history very accessible. There is no better way to do that than to partner with public libraries.”
Working through the consortium has laid the foundation for great opportunities to share other educational programming. In addition to To Life, the Holocaust Commission offers the podcast series, Stars Among Us, available on UJFT’s website and other streaming platforms, and What We Carry, a docent lead program that guides the audience through the journey of local Holocaust survivors through video and curated replicas of memorabilia.
The book, which includes more than 90 poignant personal accounts that span the entire arc of Holocaust history, is now available in every main and branch location in these systems: Blackwater, Chesapeake, Eastern Shore, Gloucester, Hampton, Heritage, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and York County.
The primary mission of the Holocaust Commission is to provide a variety of educational programs and materials at no cost to educators and the community. The commission has been recognized by the Virginia Department of Education as a state resource for Holocaust education.
To Life is also available for purchase at the Simon Family JCC, Prince Books in Norfolk, and at the MacArthur Memorial giftshop, also in Norfolk.
For more information about resources provided by the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, contact Elka Medick at emednick@ujft.org or at 757-965-6112.
Holocaust Commission donates copies of “To Life” to 14 public library systems
