Photoessay #2900 - Last class

Today is the last lecture for Prof. Devin Naar's class on The Holocaust that I have had the privilege of taking as an Access Student at the University of Washington.

I love doing this; I've written about it before.  I've picked out a class for summer "Introduction to Women's Studies"

I had first heard Prof. Naar at the "Jew Dub Talks" program last fall.  He gave a talk "In Search of Uncle Salomon"  Consider watching it; 17 minutes long.  About how he learned the fate of his great uncle Salomon in Salonika Greece.  Sent to Auschwitz with his family as part of the destruction of the Jews of Salonika, Greece.  But this information was not just provided to him; like these twice weekly lectures.  He first encountered some letters, when he was in high school, written in a foreign language, Ladino.  His family told him that he couldn't read it.  He went to The Book, to the library and taught himself Ladino which has launched his career on the history of the Jewish community in Salonika, Jerusalem of the Balkans.

Excellent speaker, very young, the age of my own kids.  I decided I want to take his class.  I knew it would be good.

And so I have this quarter.  He teaches with great passion and preparation.  I've thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  And learned some things.

Of particular interest:

Raphael Lemkin (1900-1959)  and his book "Axis Rule in Occupied Europe," which clearly set out a comprehensive portrait of genocide

Emanuel Ringelblum (1900-1944) who headed up a project assembling an exhaustive archive of life inside the Warsaw Ghetto, "Oyneg Shabbos" which was buried and a large part of it recovered after the war.

Brings to mind another man born the same year, also of Polish heritage (though not birth), also highly educated:

Harold Ginsburgh (1900-1994) my grandfather

Somehow it would be interesting to look at the life course of these three.

Prof. Naar says he is not teaching until next spring as he is supposed to write his book.  Maybe it will be this class he teaches again.  So it will be awhile before I can take another of his classes.

So grateful for the experience!