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DTSTAMP:20150320T150000Z
UID:1419878782770@events.msu.edu
CATEGORIES:Conferences / Seminars / Lectures
DTSTART:20150320T150000Z
DTEND:20150320T163000Z
SUMMARY:"The 'Maurerschulen' (Brick Mason Schools) at Auschwitz"
DESCRIPTION:
 Presenter: Kenneth Waltzer, Professor Emeritus, 
 James Madison College, Michigan State University\n
 \n
 There 
 were "Maurerschulen" (brick mason 
 schools) inside Auschwitz, where boys and 
 young men selected for work were trained as 
 brick masons. A Maurerschule existed from 1942-44, 
 and trained hundreds of prisoners, who 
 were then assigned to bricklaying and construction 
 units in the Auschwitz complex. A famous 
 prisoner watercolor drawn of the Maurerschule 
 says in German: "It saved hundreds of children's 
 lives."  Professor Waltzer's presentation, 
 based on original research in oral testimonies 
 and memoirs by former inmates as well 
 as some interviews, explores whether the Maurerschule 
 was a haven and refuge, offering asylum 
 to young prisoners, or a school for critical 
 skills and credentialing that helped some 
 survive in the Nazi camp universe, or just another 
 space in Auschwitz, with prisoners subjected 
 to selections, medical experiments, and 
 unyielding Nazi terror. How did those who survived 
 and later recalled it view it in retrospect? 
 Co-sponsored by James Madison College 
 and the Center for European, Russian, and Eurasian 
 Studies.\n
 \n\n
 Price: Free and open to the public.\n
 Sponsor: Jewish Studies\n
 Sponsor's Homepage: http://events.msu.edu/jewishstudies/\n
 Contact name: Jewish Studies\n
 Contact phone: (517) 432-3493\n
 Contact email: jewishst@msu.edu\n
LOCATION:Wells Hall B-342
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