“I asked her about the numbers on her arm and she started explaining about the Holocaust. She had been in Auschwitz. I was shocked.
“Ever since then, I’ve been trying to learn on my own,” said Hall who has been in California 30 years.
The exhibit is free to the public and will be on display through May 21.
An opening reception launched the traveling exhibit, followed by a presentation from guest speaker Timothy Pytell, a Cal State associate professor of modern European history and author of books and journals on the Holocaust.
“The Courage to Remember the Holocaust 1933-1945” is both a tribute and a warning that the root causes of racial hatred still exist today.
The exhibition of double-sided panels of graphic photographs and historical accounts is divided into three sections, so that visitors may walk the panels, or path, and relive history.
Dora Pompa of San Bernardino said, “A lot of people don’t want to talk about the Holocaust, trying to make believe it never happened. A lot of the schools don’t want to talk about it.
“My neighbors and I came because we thought there would be something to see and learn,” Pompa said.
Three identical versions of the exhibit are traveling throughout California until the fall, appearing in libraries, schools, community centers and other public venues.
Coordinators of the exhibit will conduct K-12 school tours of the display. To schedule a tour in advance, or obtain more information, contact Iwona Contreras at 909-537-3447.
Reach Michel via email, call her at 909-386-3859
