The Augusta University Libraries were awarded a $1,499 grant from the Georgia Humanities Council to present the Augusta University Libraries’ Holocaust Lecture Series. The AU Libraries' mission is to provide resources and services to the university and local community, and we see these lectures as informational resources related to an aspect of our community’s identity. This four-part series of lectures and panels focused on international and local stories of Jewish history and the Holocaust.
The first lecture, “Dr. Virgil Sydenstricker: His Medical Contributions during World War II” was held at 4 p.m. on Sept. 10, 2024, in the Historical Collections & Archives of the Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library. Dr. Robert Nesbit, Professor Emeritus of Surgery at the Medical College of Georgia discussed how Dr. Virgil Sydenstricker (Professor of Medicine at MCG) rehabilitated malnourished concentration camp survivors.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, the AU Libraries closed the Holocaust Lecture Series with “Women’s Experiences of the Holocaust and the Aftermath” on Wednesday, March 19, at 4pm at the Reese Library. Dr. Jodi Fissel (Lecturer, Department of History, Anthropology, and Philosophy) and Dr. E. Nicole Meyer (Professor, English and World Languages Department) discussed the history of infamous female SS camp guards, women's experiences in the Holocaust, and how they use women's oral histories and autobiographies to teach about these events.
The second lecture “American Soldiers during the Holocaust: Perception and Representation in Newspapers and Museums” took place on November 14, 2024, at the Reese Library. Angela Russo from the Augusta Jewish Museum, and AU professors Dr. David Bulla, Dr. Hubert Van Tuyll, and Dr. James Garvey, discussed how museums represent the Holocaust, how local and national newspapers reported the Holocaust, and the experiences of local veterans who liberated the concentration camps. In addition to the panel, the library displayed materials from the Dachau and Borkum Island flyer trials. These materials were on loan from local businessman, John Mayo, whose grandfather, John A. Mays, was one of the lawyers assigned to the Dachau trials.
The AU Libraries will continue the lecture series in the new year with the program “We Are Here: The Augusta Jewish Museum Comes to Life” at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in the Beazley Room at the Augusta Municipal Building. This lecture will focus on Jewish community history in Augusta, its ties to the Holocaust and World War II, and will include museum tours. The Augusta Jewish Museum recently opened and focuses not only on Israel and World War II history but also on the local Jewish population’s history in the area.