Category Archives: Holocaust

“Who are you?” Forensic anthropology and human rights.

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

From Arts & Letter Daily  comes a fascinating article,  Mengele’s Skull, that details “…the value of forensic anthropology to human rights…”  An excerpt: It was during the Mengele investigation that the procedures and techniques of forensic identification of human remains … Continue reading →

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The world´s oldest Holocaust museum is in London…

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

and has a chilling collection of children´s books and games: One large board game is called “Juden Raus!” which means “Out With The Jews!”. It requires the players to roll dice and move smiling, brightly-coloured figures about a village, picking … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Culture, Germany, History, Holocaust, United Kingdom, World War II, Youth | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Meet Alice Herz-Sommer: world’s oldest known Holocaust survivor.

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Seventy years ago this week, the Nazis began deporting Czech Jews to the garrison town of Terezín (Theresienstadt) in nothern Bohemia; the oldest known survivor of that Gestapo “show camp” — and of the Holocaust — this Saturday marks her … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Czech Republic, Holocaust | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Albert Camus and the Jews.

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Albert Camus: “There is just one truly important philosophical question: suicide. To decide whether life is worth living is to answer the fundamental question of philosophy. Everything else … is child’s play; we must first of all answer the question.” … Continue reading →

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A Thousand Years of Polish Jewry.

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Poland’s Jews lived there for 1,000 years. Ninety percent of them were killed during World War II. In 2013 the Museum of the History of Polish Jews will open in Warsaw. Here is a very interesting video of a mini-lecture … Continue reading →

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An allegory regarding a gay Holocaust survivor: a kiss to Mickey Mouse.

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

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A horrific pictorial history of The Holocaust.

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

When a human life was labelled “life unworthy of life” (Lebensunwertes Leben): The Atlantic has the 18th installment of a 20 part pictorial history of World War II that must be seen to begin to comprehend the horror.

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Auschwitz, Empathy, History, Holocaust, Human Rights, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

La Vita è Bella…

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Last night I watched again La vita è Bella, a most beautiful, comical, satirical film.  I never get tired of it.  It is, truly, a gem. Here is an indelible scene:

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Learning and teaching about the Holocaust.

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

The US Holocaust Memorial Museum offers a learning site for students: Organized by theme, this site uses text, historical photographs, maps, images of artifacts, and audio clips to provide an overview of the Holocaust. It is the first step in … Continue reading →

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The power of one: a Catholic priest’s life mission.

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Father Patrick Desbois, a French Catholic priest, has a mission: Yahad – In Unum is the leading research organization investigating the mass executions of 1.5 million Jews and Roma/Gypsy people in Eastern Europe between 1941 and 1944.  This is sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Crime, History, Holocaust, Human Rights, Roma, Romania, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A memoir about living under two totalitarian regimes.

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Here’s a test: You now have thirty seconds to recommend a single book that might start a serious student on the hard road to understanding the political tragedies of the 20th century. What book would you choose? Of course, half … Continue reading →

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“The importance of killing children.”

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

The last surviving prosecutor of a monster’s trial received the Rule of Law Award yesterday: Bach, who is the last surviving prosecutor of Eichmann’s trial 50 years ago, had just finished reading the autobiography of Rudolf Höss, commandant of the … Continue reading →

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Rule of Law award to be given to Gabriel Bach.

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

I remember reading “The House on Garibaldi Street” by Isser Harel.  This espionage account made quite an impact on me, as a young girl, especially since I happened to grow up not too far from Eichmann’s (alias Ricardo Klement) house … Continue reading →

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Irena Sendlerowa and the Polish women of World War II.

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

PBS will be airing this Sunday a special program dedicated to the Polish Catholic women of World War II that fought against the Nazi Germans to save the Jewish children from annihilation. One of these women was Irena Sendlerowa (Irena … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Auschwitz, Empathy, Holocaust, Irena Sendler, Poland, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“Stop seeing Poland as a place of death.”

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Poland’s Jews are finding they can lead normal lives, according to this lovely article.  It reaffirms what I thought when I lived in Warsaw.  A few years ago, I wrote about the last Jew of Góra Kalwaria and my impressions: … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Auschwitz, Felix Karpman, Góra Kalwaria, Holocaust, Poland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment