Between 1940 and 1945, approximately 1.3 million men, women and children, most of whom were Jewish, were deported to Auschwitz. Before the concentration camp was finally liberated by Soviet forces on January 27, 1945, 1.1 million had perished there. The Soviet troops found only 7,000 survivors. A new exhibition commemorating the 70th anniversary of the camp?'s liberation, Unlocking the Gates of Auschwitz 70 Years Later, opens January 30 at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
The exhibit uses artifacts, photographs and personal stories, including those of local survivors Bella Ouziel and Werner Coppel, to tell the history of the Holocaust from various perspectives: victim, collaborator, bystander and perpetrator. Joining us this afternoon to share some of that history, are: Werner Coppel; Sarah Weiss, executive director of the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education; and, Dr. C. G. Newsome, president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Unlocking the Gates of Auschwitz 70 Years Later is presented by the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Cincinnati Museum Center with the support of the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati and the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation.