In the aftermath of the Holocaust, Jewish historian Zosa Szajkowski gathered up tens of thousands of documents from Nazi buildings in Berlin, and later, public archives and private synagogues in France, and moved them all, illicitly, to New York. Dr. Lisa Leff reconstructed Szajkowski’s story in all its ambiguity in her 2015 book The Archive Thief: The Man Who Salvaged French Jewish History in the Wake of the Holocaust.
Join Leff and Dr. Eddy Portnoy, Academic Advisor and Exhibitions Curator at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, for a discussion about Szajkowski’s story, the documents he stole, and what it all means for those interested in preserving the past today.
A $10 suggested donation enables us to present programs like this one. We thank you for your support.
This program is made possible through the generosity of SNCF America, Inc.
Public programming at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; a Humanities New York CARES Grant with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal CARES Act; and other generous donors.
Header image courtesy of Archives of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
Watch Here: