HOUSTON, TX (Feb. 11, 2008) – The implications of choice, the consequences of making the right or wrong decisions and the perceived outcome of choices will be addressed in a new two-part film and discussion series entitled "The Burden of Memory" at Holocaust Museum Houston.
The series, which will be moderated by Rolf Wolfswinkel, a New York University (NYU) professor of modern history, will be held Feb. 17, 2008 and March 9, 2008, both at 2 p.m., in the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater at Holocaust Museum Houston’s Morgan Family Center, 5401 Caroline St., in Houston’s Museum District.
Admission is free, but seating is limited and advance registration is recommended. To RSVP online, visit http://www.hmh.org/register.asp.
Part one will feature a screening of the Dutch film "The Price of Survival," in which the life of a man who made the "right" choice is analyzed. During World War II, he joined a resistance group but was arrested and deported to the concentration camp of Sachsenhausen. He survived and returned to Holland after the war. However, he could not talk about what he had seen and been through. What that meant in terms of the relationship with his wife, children and friends will be discussed after the screening of the film.
On March 9, clips from the films, "Black Book," "The Assault" and "Do You Understand Now Why I’m Crying?" will be shown to continue the discussion within the framework of the theme of "The Burden of Memory."
Wolfswinkel was born in Amsterdam, Holland where he studied history and literature and lectured in the Department of Southern African Languages at the University of Cape Town in South Africa for 15 years before moving to NYU in 1999. His main area of research is the border area between history and literature, focusing in particular on the First and Second World Wars. He acted as academic advisor for the "Anne Frank in the World" exhibition in South Africa and was in charge of text research for the Cape Town Holocaust Centre, which opened in 1998. In 2003, he was invited to join the Board of the Anne Frank Center in New York as academic advisor.
The series is underwritten by Perspectives – a Film and Discussion Series, through support from Cogis.
Holocaust Museum Houston is dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims and honoring the survivors' legacy. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides, the Museum teaches the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy.
Holocaust Museum Houston is free and open to the public and is located in Houston’s Museum District at 5401 Caroline St., Houston, TX 77004.
For more information about the Museum, call 713-942-8000 or visit www.hmh.org.