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Upcoming Events

Mar 04
The Tennessee Holocaust Commission Presents Karski’s Life

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National Endowment For The Humanities
Polish History Museum
Consulate General of Poland in New York

The Tennessee Holocaust Commission Presents Karski’s Life

Event begins Tuesday, 03/04/2025 at 3:00pm
Event ends Monday, 05/05/2025 at 9:00pm
Location / Place Knoxville, TN

The Tennessee Holocaust Commission will present the exhibition devoted to Jan Karski’s life and
mission, The World Knew: Jan Karski’s Mission for Humanity, from April 5th through May 5th,
2025, in partnership with the East Tennessee Historical Society in Knoxville. Knox County schools are partnering with the Tennessee Holocaust Commission and the East Tennessee Historical Society to offer field trips for students to the museum while the exhibit is on loan.

LOCATION: East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902

The exhibition presentation will be accompanied by the following community programs:

Wednesday, April 9th, 6 PM EST

“Jan Karski: The Man and the Mission” – A Keynote Address with Dr. Michael Berenbaum*

Dr. Michael Berenbaum is one of the world’s foremost experts on the Holocaust. He served as
Project Director overseeing the creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and
the first Director of the USHMM’s Research Institute. He later served as President and CEO of
Steven Spielberg’s Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, which took the testimony
of 52,000 Holocaust survivors in 32 languages and 57 countries.

His film work has won Emmy Awards and Academy Awards. He has developed and curated Museums in the United States, Mexico, North Macedonia, and Poland, and his award-winning exhibition “Auschwitz. Not Long Ago, Not Far Away.” has been in Madrid and Malmo, New York, Kansas City, the Ronald Regan Library in California, Boston, and Toronto. He is the Director of the Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust, a Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at the American Jewish University, and the author of 24 books and scores of scholarly pieces.

Monday, April 28th, 6 PM EST

“The Lingering Lessons of October 7th: Responses of Resilience and Redemption” – Knoxville
Yom HaShoah Event with Rabbi Mark Schiftan*

Rabbi Mark Schiftan is the Chair of the Tennessee Holocaust Commission and the son of
Holocaust survivors. He served as Senior Rabbi of Congregation Ohabai Sholom in Nashville for
23 years, from 1999-2022, when he retired. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree magna
cum laude from San Francisco State University. Hebrew Union College of Los Angeles awarded
Rabbi Schiftan’s Master of Arts in Hebrew letters, and he was ordained at Hebrew Union
College in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he also earned his Doctor of Divinity.

He was named a top-25 pulpit rabbi in the country by Newsweek magazine. Rabbi Schiftan has long collaborated with Dr. Jon Roebuck, Director of the Rev. Charlie Curb Center for Faith Leadership, on interfaith initiatives, including webinars and discussions exploring faith and culture. Their friendship has been instrumental in fostering a deeper understanding between Jewish and Christian communities. Sponsored by Knoxville Jewish Alliance and the Tennessee Holocaust
Commission.

A Special Pre-Exhibition Program for Educators

Tuesday, March 4th

On March 4th, staff from the Tennessee Holocaust Commission are partnering with Knox County schools and the East Tennessee Historical Society to host a special educator Professional Development Day. Entitled “Heroes of the Holocaust: Teaching Students to Stand Up to Intolerance,” this program examines the life of Professor Jan Karski and five additional individuals who stood up and spoke out despite the risks during the Holocaust while teaching students the skills of becoming an upstander. Educators will receive a copy of the graphic novel Karski’s Mission: To Stop the Holocaust, published by the Jan Karski Educational Foundation.

*The program will be recorded and made available to the public.

The tour of The World Knew: Jan Karski’s Mission for Humanity traveling exhibition is organized by the Jan Karski Educational Foundation. The exhibition was created by the Polish History Museum with major support from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Additional funding was provided by the National Endowment for Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition publication do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.