Tuesday, November 28th, the entire middle and Upper School experienced the Nazi Olympics: 1936 Berlin exhibit at the American Jazz Museum on 18th and Vine.

The traveling exhibit displays pictures, documents and testimonies that reflect the conditions of Germany following World War I and leading up to World War II. This unique exhibit reflects the Nazi ideal through the lens of the 1936 Olympics with special emphasis on the treatment of non-Aryan participants.

The exhibition is unique in its perspective and began in 1996 at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. It has been traveling

throughout the United States since its inception.

The Upper School at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy had a particularly well established sense of background prior to viewing the exhibit. Firstly, attributed to its status as a Jewish day school, each student has a unique understanding of the events leading up to, during, and following the holocaust. Also a few weeks back, a representative gave a presentation to the entire upper school about the significance of the 1936 Olympics to better prepare the students for the exhibit.

“It is always important to continue exploring the complexities of the Holocaust. Regardless of what you already know there is always more to learn,” said junior Jordan Marks.

The exhibit presented for the students a new perspective through which the Shoah could be seen. Prior to the presentation, the horrors of the holocaust had not been shown through that specific event. Understanding what transpired at the 1936 Olympics, helped to explain how the Nazis accomplished all that they did. It was an international event and yet anti-Semitism was overt throughout.

Many students commented that they had never before seen the type of “convincing” propaganda that was used to sway the public during the Olympics. It was an eye-opening experience for many students. The Olympics has always been looked upon as a symbol of world peace and cooperation.

“The exhibit showed me how such an universal symbol of peace could so easily be turned into a rally for hate and bigotry.” said senior, Jessica Wolff.

“I initially expected it to be another lesson that basically retold me everything I already knew. However, when I saw the actual exhibit I realized it was an entirely new view of the same topic. It enhanced my understanding of how an event so catastrophic as the Holocaust could have occurred, even

under the sight of the world conscientious,” said junior Scott Bratt.

The American Jazz Museum will have the exhibit open from August 1st through December 9.