407: Why Might the Arts Teach the Holocaust More Powerfully Than History Alone?

Guest Karen Berman, Ph.D., Chaired the Department of Theatre and Dance at Georgia College and previously taught for 15 years at Georgetown University. She is Dean Emerita, College of Fellows of the American Theatre; Past President of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education; Director of 150 Holocaust and other theatre productions; and winner of the Georgia Governor's Award for the Arts and the Hillel Heroes Award. Karen is co-Artistic Director of Washington Women in Theatre. She is the co-author with Dr. Gail Humphries of the two-volume work, Stories of the Holocaust: Art for Healing and Renewal. Co-host

Irene Stern Frielich was a guest on Episode 370: "Walking Where History Happened: A Daughter's Holocaust Journey." Irene is the daughter of a German Jewish Holocaust survivor—but for much of her life, the story remained unspoken. In 2017, after rediscovering her father's testimony, Irene set out to physically retrace his escape route from Nazi Germany through his survival in Holland. The result was a journey of reconciliation and healing. Her award-winning memoir, Shattered Stars, Healing Hearts, explores trauma, courage, and connection across generations.

Summary

In this episode, Jeff and co-host Irene Stern Frielich speak with Dr. Karen Berman about the role of the arts in Holocaust education and remembrance. Dr. Berman discusses her five-year project to co-edit two volumes featuring 33 contributors who explore how theater, music, visual art, and film illuminate the Holocaust and its aftermath. The books argue that the arts can foster empathy, healing, and social responsibility while inspiring people to become "upstanders" who actively oppose hate and injustice.

The conversation explores how artistic expression functioned as both resistance and survival during the Holocaust. A powerful example is the performance of Verdi's Requiem in the Theresienstadt concentration camp, where imprisoned singers used music as a form of spiritual defiance against their captors.

The discussion also examines how Holocaust education is evolving. Scholars and educators are increasingly shifting from purely historical instruction toward approaches that engage students emotionally and morally through storytelling, performance, and immersive technologies such as virtual reality and holographic survivor testimony.

Ultimately, the episode emphasizes that art has the power to humanize history, deepen empathy, and transform audiences into witnesses. By connecting personal stories with creative expression, educators and artists can ensure that Holocaust memory remains meaningful—and that the lessons of history inspire moral action today.

The Essential Point

The episode emphasizes that art has the power to humanize history, deepen empathy, and transform audiences into witnesses. By connecting personal stories with creative expression, educators and artists can ensure that Holocaust memory remains meaningful—and that the lessons of history inspire moral action today.

Social Media

Website: Stories of the Holocaust: Art for Healing and Renewal: www.storiesoftheholocaust.com

Georgia Governor's Award for the Arts: https://share.google/7ZF1jsonbwuBfMeDr

Hillel Heroes Award: https://share.google/AVs09ck8I9RpdVIDb

Kirkus ReviewsStories of the Holocaust: Art for Healing and Renewal. Volume I

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/karen-berman/stories-of-the-holocaust/

Stories of the Holocaust: Art for Healing and Renewal. Volume II

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/karen-berman/stories-of-the-holocaust-2/

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Referenced

Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín

Virtual reality video of a Holocaust survivor revisiting the Majdanek concentration camp: Pilgrim in the Metaverse