Americans and the Holocaust

Guided tours of the Americans and the Holocaust traveling exhibition for school groups and educational institutions will be available by appointment, weekdays April 20-May 15, 2026 at 10:30am or 1:30pm. 

Exhibition content is recommended for students in middle school and above.

Click here to schedule your field trip online

Request a guided tour of the Americans and the Holocaust traveling exhibition for your group by emailing aathtours@tulsalibrary.org 

Guided tours available by appointment, weekdays April 20-May 15, 2026.

Self-guided tours of the Americans and the Holocaust traveling exhibition will be available April 14-May 20, 2026 during Central Library's hours of operation.

28TH ANNUAL YOM HASHOAH/INTERFAITH HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION - AMERICANS AND THE HOLOCAUST: NEW REFLECTIONS
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2026, 7 P.M
The Synagogue | Congregation B’nai Emunah
1719 S. Owasso Ave., Tulsa
Explore what Americans knew about the Holocaust happening in Europe and what more could have been done. Featured speaker historian Rebecca Erbelding is an educator, curator and archivist at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Her book “Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America’s Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe” won a 2018 National Jewish Book Award. The commemoration also will feature a musical performance from Elliott Wulff, erev cantor, Temple B'nai Israel, Oklahoma City, and Lyndon Meyer, principal pianist, Tulsa Opera; a candle-lighting ceremony; and a mobile library with Holocaust resources available for checkout from Tulsa City-County Library. Registration is required. Visit jewishtulsa.org/yomhashoah2026 to register. Presented by the Tulsa Council for Holocaust Education of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa in partnership with the Tulsa City-County Library, The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art, Circle Cinema, Congregation B’nai Emunah and Temple Israel.

WITNESSES TO HISTORY: TULSANS REMEMBER THE HOLOCAUST
THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2026, 5:30 P.M.
Central Library, Greadington Center
Fifth Street and Denver Avenue, Tulsa
Join us for a conversation with Dr. Marcel Binstock, Mieke Epps and Jan Douma as they share their personal experiences and that of their families during the Holocaust and World War II. Each will share a unique story of strength and survival. Dr. David Ruskoski, associate professor of history at Tulsa Community College, will moderate. Born in 1935 in France, Binstock and his Jewish family escaped the Nazis by jumping off a moving train as it neared the Swiss border. Epps was born in the Netherlands in 1940, the same year the Nazis occupied her country and arrested her father. Her family survived the Hunger Winter of 1944-45. Douma’s father, Filips, was a 21-year-old police officer in the Netherlands when he was arrested by the Nazis in 1944. He was sent to Germany, where he miraculously survived six different concentration camps. Presented by Tulsa Community College.

ILLUSTRATING THE PAST AND PRESENT: ZINE MAKING AND BOOK DISCUSSION
FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2026, 3 P.M.
Central Library, Chapman Room
Fifth Street and Denver Avenue, Tulsa
Join us to discuss the graphic novel “Maus” and then learn how to record your own perspective of current events through illustration. For ages 12-18.

“DEFYING THE NAZIS: THE SHARPS’ WAR”: DOCUMENTARY SHOWING
MONDAY, MAY 4, 2026, 7 P.M.
Circle Cinema
10 S. Lewis Ave., Tulsa
Join us for a screening of Defying the Nazis: The Sharps’ War followed by a conversation with The Rev. Dr. Nicole Kirk, program minister at All Souls Unitarian Church. Directed by Ken Burns and Artemis Joukowsky III, Defying the Nazis tells the story of Massachusettsans Waitstill Sharp, an American Unitarian minister, and his wife, Martha, who risked their lives in 1939 to save hundreds of refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe. The Rev. Dr. Nicole Kirk is a historian of American religious history and holds the Rev. Dr. J. Frank and Alice Schulman Chair of Unitarian Universalist History of Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. Admission is FREE. Registration is required. Visit https://circlecinema.org to RSVP for tickets. 

FROM EXILE TO OKLAHOMA: ANTISEMITISM, RESILIENCE AND JEWISH MIGRATION
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2026. 1:30-3:30 P.M.
Central Library, Aaronson Auditorium
Fifth Street and Denver Avenue, Tulsa
Why did Jewish families come to Oklahoma and what experiences shaped their journey? Join Tulsa City-County Library’s Genealogy Resource Center for this enlightening program featuring Phil Goldfarb, president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tulsa. Learn about the long history of antisemitism and how it influenced Jewish migration across the world and into the Plains. Explore why Oklahoma became home for many Jewish individuals and families, and how they built community and what their stories tell us about resilience, belonging and adaptation.

NOVEL TALK PRESENTS WHAT IF: REAL FEAR, IMAGINED HISTORY
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2026, 6:30 P.M.
Central Library, Aaronson Auditorium
Fifth Street and Denver Avenue, Tulsa
Using Philip Roth’s “The Plot Against America,” panelists will explore democracy’s fragility and the importance of civic engagement when human rights are at stake. Panelists are Rabbi (Emeritus) Marc Boone Fitzerman, Congregation B’nai Emunah; Christina Henson, AP world history teacher, Jenks Public Schools; and Dr. Joli Jensen, emerita professor of media studies, The University of Tulsa. Oklahoma State Rep. John Waldron, District 77, will moderate. Waldron serves as the administrative consultant for the Senate Bill 1671 Oklahoma Holocaust Advisory Committee and is an adjunct professor of history at The University of Tulsa.

WHAT WE KNEW: STORIES OF THE HOLOCAUST IN OKLAHOMA
APRIL 14-MAY 20, 2026
OPEN DURING LIBRARY HOURS
Central Library, Second & Third Floors
Fifth Street and Denver Avenue, Tulsa
Stop by the Curiosity Spot on the second floor and explore narratives of World War II and the Holocaust in Oklahoma newspapers, illuminating what America knew about the genocide of Europe’s Jewish population as events unfolded in Europe. Also, view microfilmed articles about the Holocaust published in the Tulsa World and The Tulsa Tribune in the Research Center on the third floor.
 

Americans and the Holocaust: A Traveling Exhibition for Libraries is an educational initiative of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association. The traveling exhibition began by touring to 50 U.S. libraries from 2021 to 2023; due to widespread interest from libraries and communities around the country, a second tour was developed for 2024 to 2026.

Americans and the Holocaust was made possible by the generous support of lead sponsor Jeannie & Jonathan Lavine. Additional major funding was provided by the Bildners — Joan & Allen z”l, Elisa Spungen & Rob, Nancy & Jim; and Jane and Daniel Och. The Museum's exhibitions are also supported by the Lester Robbins and Sheila Johnson Robbins Traveling and Special Exhibitions Fund, established in 1990.

A nonpartisan, federal educational institution, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America’s national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust dedicated to ensuring the permanence of Holocaust memory, understanding and relevance. Through the power of Holocaust history, the Museum challenges leaders and individuals worldwide to think critically about their role in society and to confront antisemitism and other forms of hate, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. For more information, visit ushmm.org.

The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit ala.org.