The Billings Public Library hosts the Americans and the Holocaust, part of the U.S. History Memorial Museum’s travel exhibit. The press release says the exhibit will have several guest speakers and is available from November 14 – December 14. The educational event is free and open to the public.

Guest speakers of the exhibit include Library Director Gavin Woltjer giving an opening speech on the official day of the exhibit at 5:30 pm. Rabbi Uri Barnea, a second-generation Holocaust survivor, will also speak about the historical importance of the exhibit. MSUB historian and professor Dr. Jennifer Lynn will also give a lecture on November 14, exploring American cultural influences that negatively impacted Jews in the United States who were seeking refuge in the country.

Kelsie Rubic, Assistant Library Director, said Billings is one of 50 libraries in the United States chosen to be the exhibit’s host. Each library was picked by the American Library Association and the U.S. History Memorial Museum. The library received a great in 2019 for the exhibit and planned on hosting it in 2020, but it did not happen due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the project has been taken on by a new group since the original organizer no longer works at the library.

Rubic adds that the exhibit was put up last Friday, and patrons who saw it have positive comments, saying it represents a crucial point in history. The library also partnered with the Holocaust Center for Humanity to provide replicas of artifact trunks and displays from the time period. Some of the artifacts include a child’s shoe, old photos, and more. The exhibit will be available to view until December 20.

Peter Metzelaar, with Holocaust Center for Humanity, and a Holocaust survivor along with his mother, will also present at the Billings Public Library during the exhibit on December 5 at 6 pm. Metzelaar survived the Holocaust with his mother

All events are free and open to the public; click here to see a full list of events during the Americans and The Holocaust Traveling exhibit.