From May 16 to June 28, 2012, “The Face of the Ghetto” exhibition will be on display in the Learning Commons at ODU Perry Library. The official opening will take place on May 16th, 6 – 8 pm, and is open to the public.

“The Face of the Ghetto” in Norfolk is a collaboration of the Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding, College of Arts and Letters; the Federal Republic of Germany; and the Old Dominion University Libraries. As part of the Holocaust remembrance activities in and around Hampton Roads, the exhibition will be on display in the Learning Commons @ Perry Library of the Old Dominion University Libraries.

During World War II, the German Nazis established the second largest ghetto for Jews in the occupied Polish city of Lodz, renamed Litzmannstadt by the German occupants. In April 1940, more than 160,000 Jews from the Warthegau region were crowded into the Litzmannstadt Ghetto which consisted of an area of 4.14 square kilometers. Later on, 20,000 Jews from the German Reich, Prague and Luxembourg were deported to Litzmannstadt. More than 5,000 Roma also were incarcerated there in 1941.

As a result of the abominable conditions, more than 43,000 people died in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto. In 1942, tens of thousands of Jews with thousands of children among them were deported and killed in the Kulmhof extermination camp. The ghetto was dissolved in August 1944, and all save a handful of remaining inhabitants were killed in the Auschwitz extermination camp.

Professional Jewish photographers were instructed by the Jewish council of the Litzmannstadt Ghetto to photograph the daily life and work. They took pictures of children playing, working and eating and produced touching portraits as well. The pictures were intended to show a functioning community and testify to the utility of Jewish workers for the German economy. A collection of 12,000 contact prints by these Jewish photographers in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto is preserved in the Lodz State Archive. For this exhibition, 50 prints were selected and enlarged. Quotations from survivor reports and from the chronicle of the ghetto accompany each photograph. A short overview of the ghetto’s history, a description of the photography as an historic source and information about the photographers provide an introduction into the exhibition.

The exhibition is composed and provided by the Topography of Terror Foundation in Berlin, Germany and is supported by the Foreign Office, Federal Republic of Germany. The exhibition was first shown in the United States at the United Nations in New York City, and is currently on tour.

A Web exhibit is available at http://www.lib.odu.edu/exhibits/faceghetto/index.htm

On Thursday, May 3, the Friends of the ODU Libraries held their annual reception honoring the staff of the University Libraries. Staff Member and Librarian of the Year awards were given.

Congratulations!!!

Finals end on Thursday, May 3. The libraries will close at 5:00 pm.
On Friday May 4, hours for all libraries are 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Libraries will be closed on Saturday 5/5 and Sunday 5/6.

Regular summer hours for Perry Library (including the Learning Commons) begin on May 7.

Monday - Thursday: 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Friday:                      8:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday:                 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday:                    9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Regular summer hours for Diehn Composers Room and Hofheimer Art Library:

Monday - Friday:       8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday - Sunday:    CLOSED

Exceptions:

* May 28 (Mon) CLOSED -- Holiday (Memorial Day)
* July 4 (Wed) CLOSED -- Holiday (Independence Day)
* Aug 11-12 (Sat-Sun) CLOSED
* Aug 13-17 (Mon-Fri) 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
* Aug 18-19 (Sat-Sun) CLOSED