The library will host the “Americans and the Holocaust: A Traveling Exhibition for Libraries” Dec. 5 through Jan. 10, 2026 at the East Regional Library in Destrehan.
An educational initiative of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association, the 1,100-square-foot exhibition begins with two questions: What did Americans know? What more could have been done?
The exhibit examines the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war and genocide.
Lauren Campo-Pitz, assistant director of the library, said visitors can walk through the exhibit at their own place, reading the information on the panels and interacting with the four computer kiosks that supplement the exhibition.
“We are moving some furniture around so [the exhibit] will all fit,” Pitz said. “It is large. The panels that make up the exhibit are 7 ½ feet tall, so visitors will not miss it.”
She said the exhibit examines various aspects of American society: the government, the military, refugee aid organizations, the media and the public. It shows how the Great Depression, isolationism, xenophobia, racism and antisemitism shaped responses to Nazism and the Holocaust.
The exhibit draws on a collection of primary sources from the 1930s and 1940s, she said.
“The exhibition tells the stories of Americans who acted in response to Nazism, challenging the commonly held assumptions that Americans knew little and did nothing about the Nazi persecution and murder of Jews as the Holocaust unfolded,” Pitz said.
She said she thinks visitors may be surprised by some of the information shared in the exhibit. She hopes visitors take the information shared and think critically about history and our roles and responsibilities in today’s world.
“The exhibit is not at all designed to provide answers or tell us what to think – rather, it encourages us to ask questions and reflect on what we see,” Pitz said. “It might challenge people not only to ask, ‘What would I have done?’ but also ‘What will I do?’”
The traveling exhibition visited 50 U.S. libraries from 2021-2023. Widespread interest from libraries and communities led to a second tour of 50 additional libraries for 2024-2026.
Maria Bilello, adult programming and outreach librarian at the library, said the library was proud to be selected from a competitive pool of applications from across the nation to bring the exhibit to St. Charles Parish.
In Oct. 2023, the library submitted a grant application for the opportunity to host the exhibit, and in May 2024, Bilello and Pitz traveled to the United State Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. for training with historians and museum staff.
“Since then, we’ve been eagerly anticipating our turn to host the exhibition by planning field trips and public programs to bring as many people to the library to see the exhibit as possible,” Bilello said. “Waiting almost two years to receive the exhibit has taken some patience, but now that it is almost here, we can hardly believe it is happening.”
The library is partnering with the St. Charles Parish Public School System and St. Charles Borromeo to bring over 1,200 students into the library to see the exhibit. Staff from the National WWII Museum’s education department offered a professional development workshop for local educators on the exhibit’s themes and will be assisting with school group visits.
Curator Michael Jacobs of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience developed a supplemental display titled “New Americans in a New Land,” which will run in parallel with “Americans and the Holocaust.” This exhibit will feature Dr. Joseph Sperling’s story of surviving the Holocaust, meeting his wife, their immigration story, and their new life in New Orleans.
The library received a $3,000 grant to support public programs during the traveling exhibits stay the library.
Bilello said the programs are free and open to the public and are designed for teens and adults. The programs include special talks by experts, a book discussion of “Night” by Elie Wiesel, and a screening of “Casablanca.”
On Friday, Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m., the library will host an opening reception for “Americans and the Holocaust: at the East Regional Library. It will feature remarks by Michael Jacobs, curator at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, and a special opportunity to view the exhibition and supplemental displays. Light refreshments provided by the Friends of the St. Charles Library will be served.
On Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. at the East Regional Library, Assistant Curator of the National WWII Museum Brandon Daake will discuss the illegal imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II by exploring the history of Executive Order 9066 and the forced relocation of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans, many of them U.S. citizens.
On Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. at the East Regional Library, Dr. Craig Saucier will explore what Holocaust denial is, where it comes from, the main claim it makes and why it continues to be a dangerous movement today. A special program on December 17 at 6 p.m. at the East Regional Library will explore the evolution of anti-Jewish myths.
Registration is required for the book discussion on Wednesday, Jan. 7 and for the screening of “Casablanca” Friday, Jan. 9 at the Lafon Performing Arts Center. Online registration opens Friday, Dec. 5. For more information about “Americans and the Holocaust” and related programming at the St. Charles Parish Library visit myscpl.org/aath.
“Americans and the Holocaust” was made possible by the 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.
Additional programming support was made possible, in part, by The National WWII Museum, The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, and the Rodney R. Lafon Performing Arts Center.
