Hear remarks from Greg Dawson, author of Hiding in the Spotlight – A Musical Prodigy’s Story of Survival…spoken at the 16th annual Teachers Institute on Holocaust Studies presented by the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida. Mitchell Bloomer, the Holocaust Center’s Resource Teacher, introduces the author. Feature Length — 45:13
Local author and Orlando Sentinel news paper columnist Greg Dawson speaks about his mother – Zhanna, and her flight in 1941 from the German Nazi’s while she and her sister, Frina, hid their Jewish-ness behind her piano performances.
Dawson’s 40-minute remarks includes his 2-minute introduction to a film about his book, 9-minutes of comments directly related to the book and the research surrounding its preparation, and 27-minutes of personal responses to 9 questions spontaneously asked of him by the teachers present. Links to the films are below. Viewing the films will provide a more informed background to his remarks.
Additional links are included below to Greg Dawson’s web site as well as to the informative site of the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida, where you’ll find more information about their annual Teachers Institute and sections devoted to local aspects of the Holocaust.
During Dawson’s presentation, you’ll hear him address issues related to the book and his mother — such as the role his then 13-year old daughter played in launching the idea of the book…the fact that in 1941, Ukraine – not Poland or Germany — was the starting point of the mass elimination of the Jews…and, how the book evolved into a story of “small miracles and amazing coincidences.” Dawson’s remarks start with a comment on the importance of teachers teaching the history and origins of the holocaust.
Principal Speaker
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Greg Dawson
Author and Orlando Sentinel news paper columnist
Dawson’s book: Hiding in the Spotlight – A Musical Prodigy’s Story of Survival |
Teachers Institute on Holocaust Studies Host:
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Mitchell Bloomer
Resource Teacher
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Content Related Links
- Audio: National Public Radio interview - Hiding In Spotlight, Jewish Pianist Survived WWII
- Dawson’s book Hiding in the Spotlight – A Musical Prodigy’s Story of Survival
- Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida
- Annual Teachers Institute on Holocaust Studies
Pictures
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This segment is impactful to me on so many different levels. My father, who was from Poland,frequently shared his story with the Holocaust Institute at UF. I recall him talking about how horrible the Ukranians were. Greg hit the nail on the head about how the humiliation by the Nazis was a such a devastating part of their master plan. We see this type of behavior so frequently. We hope that it won’t escalate to a similar situation. I applaud Greg, the organizers and the participants in the institute for bringing this to light and working to keep it happen again.
I have read your column for years, but never dreamed that you had such a story inside, just waiting to come forth. You did a brilliant job of telling your Mother’s story. You engaged the reader’s attention right from the start of the story, and you researched so that your facts would stand up to scrutiny. Your Mother should be very proud of you, just as you are so proud of her. Good job and Mazel Tov!!!
PS: I did find at least 3 editorial/grammatical
mistakes, if you want to discuss them, please contact me! The final reader of your proof should have caught them!