Holocaust by Bullets: Exhibit Examines Largely Unpublicized Aspects of Jewish Genocide

A new exhibit the Phoenix Holocaust Association is helping bring to the Valley will reveal lesser-known details about one of the most brutal and troubling episodes in global history.

Holocaust by Bullets, a program made possible through Yahad-In – Unum (YIU), a non-governmental organization based in Paris and founded by Father Patrick Desbois, explores the horrors that took place before the gas chambers through photos, eyewitness accounts and a 2,000 square-foot exhibition at Burton Barr Library in Phoenix. Ongoing now through Monday, April 27, the program seeks to publicize the fact that the Einsatzgruppen, who were mobile Nazi death squads, committed large-scale massacres of more than 2-million Jews before they ever left their communities, paving the way for what would ultimately lead to the creation of the gas chambers.

The Burton Barr Library exhibition shares the stories of the Jews who lost their lives during this time through photographs, quotes and eyewitness video testimonies. A smaller exhibition is in place at the Arizona Capitol Museum, where local students can attend feel trips, and another will become available for viewing at the Noble Library on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University starting Monday, March 16.

“We expect to reach upwards of 15,000 people through our programming,” said Phoenix Holocaust Association President Sheryl Bronkesh. “Holocaust by Bullets aligns with our organization’s mission. Our goal is to educate both present and future generations about the Holocaust and the dangers of racism and bigotry through programming that is open to everyone in our community.”

Father Desbois, who founded the program behind Holocaust by Bullets, will also serve as the keynote speaker at an event slated for Monday, April 20 during Scottsdale Community College’s Genocide Awareness Week. 

Holocaust by Bullets comes to the Valley thanks to the Phoenix Holocaust Association, Scottsdale Community College and a number of collaborating partners, among them the Arizona Ant-Defamation League, the Arizona Jewish Historical Society, the Arizona State Capitol Museum, Arizona State University, the Bureau of Jewish Education, Burton Barr Library, Franciscan Renewal Center, and Northern Arizona University, among others.

To view a full lineup of events, please visit www.holocaustbybulletsaz.com.