SAN ANTONIO (June 15, 2026) — San Antonio Public Library (SAPL) is one of 50 U.S. libraries newly selected to host “Americans and the Holocaust,” a traveling exhibition from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association (ALA) that examines the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s.
Following a highly successful tour to 50 libraries from 2021 to 2023, the touring library exhibition— based on the special exhibition of the same name at the Museum in Washington, D.C. — will travel to an additional 50 U.S. libraries from 2024 to 2026, covering wide distances from Hawaii and Alaska to Texas and New Hampshire.
“We are so incredibly proud to have been selected from a competitive group of applicants across the country to host this important exhibition,” said Library Director Sukrit Goswami. “Libraries have always played an important role in preserving history, encouraging conversation, and helping communities learn from the past. We are especially excited to partner with local educational partners to offer online Holocaust history classes, encourage students to view the exhibit, and create opportunities for reflection and discussion. I hope visitors leave not only thinking about history, but also about the role each of us plays in standing up for one another and building a more compassionate community.”
“Americans and the Holocaust” will be on display at Central Library, along with a series of related special events, from June 18 to July 25.
The 1,100-square-foot exhibition examines various aspects of American society: the government, the military, refugee aid organizations, the media and the general public. Drawing on a remarkable collection of primary sources from the 1930s and ’40s, the exhibition tells the stories of Americans who acted in response to Nazism, challenging the commonly held assumptions that Americans knew little and did nothing about the Nazi persecution and murder of Jews as the Holocaust unfolded. It provides a portrait of American society that shows how the Depression, isolationism, xenophobia, racism and antisemitism shaped responses to Nazism and the Holocaust.
In addition to the traveling exhibition on loan, SAPL received a $3,000 cash grant to support public programs. The grant also covered one library staff member’s attendance at an orientation workshop at the Museum. The exhibition will be accompanied by programs at three SAPL branches.
Americans and the Holocaust Programs:
- What Did Americans Know? The Holocaust and the Road to Nuremberg
- Thursday, June 18, 7 – 8 p.m. at Central Library, 600 Soledad St., 78205
- Hear from Dr. Isaac Amon, Lecturer in Law at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and a former investigator of ISIS war crimes. Registration is required to attend in person. To register, visit the library’s events calendar. The event will be livestreamed on the library’s YouTube channel.
- U.S. and the Holocaust – Documentary of Screening and Discussion
- Tuesday, July 14, 6 – 7 p.m. at Schaefer Branch Library, 6322 US Highway 87 E, 78222
- Join us for a screening of “Selections” from the Ken Burns mini-series “The U.S. and the Holocaust.” The screening will be followed by a Q&A session led by Kristin Levere from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
- Local Lives, Global Impacts – The Holocaust, Human Rights, and Racial Landscape of Wartime San Antonio
- Thursday, July 23, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. at Thousand Oaks Branch Library, 4618 Thousand Oaks Dr., 78233
- San Antonians in the 1930s and 1940s learned of the Holocaust while confronting segregation, strict immigration limits, and the pressures of a growing military city. This program explores how residents understood events overseas, how local communities responded, and how public memory continues to shape interpretations of American responsibility.
For more information about “Americans and the Holocaust” and related programming at San Antonio Public Library, visit the library’s website. To learn more about the exhibition, visit ushmm.org/americans-ala.
“Americans and the Holocaust: A Traveling Exhibition for Libraries” is an educational initiative of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association. The traveling exhibition began by touring to 50 U.S. libraries from 2021 to 2023; due to widespread interest from libraries and communities around the country, a second tour was developed for 2024 to 2026.
“Americans and the Holocaust” was made possible by the generous support of lead sponsor Jeannie & Jonathan Lavine. Additional major funding was provided by the Bildners — Joan & Allen z”l, Elisa Spungen & Rob, Nancy & Jim; and Jane and Daniel Och. The Museum's exhibitions are also supported by the Lester Robbins and Sheila Johnson Robbins Traveling and Special Exhibitions Fund, established in 1990.