Holocaust Remembrance Events at TCGIS

The Twin Cities German Immersion School (TCGIS), a public K-8 charter school in St. Paul’s Como neighborhood and the largest German immersion school in the United States, is pleased to host a series of events in commemoration of Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

Lest We Forget: A Survivor's Stories

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The Twin Cities German Immersion School (TCGIS) is proud to be hosting the exhibit Lest We Forget, a touring collection of twenty-four 3D multimedia works of art with short literary vignettes. Lest We Forget translates the stories of Fred Amram, a child Holocaust survivor, into visual art. 

Fred was born in Hannover in 1933 and escaped Nazi Germany with his parents in 1939. Nearly his entire extended family perished in the Holocaust. The exhibit is comprised of story panels with text by Fred, beginning with his birth and childhood, and including his time as a refugee and growing up in the U.S., accompanied by art created by Fred’s wife, textile and multimedia artist Sandra Brick. The exhibit will be installed in the TCGIS atrium and accessible to classes and the greater school community throughout the month of March. 

Fred passed away this year on February 12. He would have turned 90 later this year, and with his passing, the world has lost a warm and witty soul, a great storyteller, and a keeper of important memories.

TCGIS will host Fred’s wife Sandra at a special event on Thursday, March 16, at 6:30 pm. It will be an opportunity to honor Fred’s life and the lives of those who perished in the Holocaust, as well as to learn more about Fred and Sandra’s artistic collaboration. 

Classes at the school are encouraged to visit the exhibit. Themes ranging from tolerance and acceptance, to courage and heroism, the strength of family, legacy, persistence and hope can all be drawn from this moving exhibit for students at a variety of grade levels. 
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Ms. Brick will also be visiting TCGIS Art and Social Studies classes in March.

Transfer of Memory Exhibit

From April 15-May 13, 2022, TCGIS hosted the exhibit Transfer of Memory in the school atrium. This exhibit by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is a series of beautiful, full-color portraits of Minnesota Holocaust survivors set in their own homes, with brief life sketches. As described on the exhibit website, these life-affirming images are a powerful reminder of “the value of freedom and the enduring human spirit.” ​

'A lifelong dream' | Holocaust remembrance project captures stories, perseverance of survivors 
​Transfer of Memory Exhibit at TCGIS open to the public May 1, 4-6 p.m.​
As a school focused on German language and culture, we have a unique responsibility to teach about the Holocaust. This beautiful exhibit provides a way for even our youngest students to begin to learn some of its most critical lessons: courage, resilience, endurance, and preserving cultural and religious identity across generations."
Kirsten Christensen,
​TCGIS Executive Director
Events during the Exhibition 

On Wednesday evening, April 27, TCGIS hosted a special family-friendly evening in connection with the exhibit. The short program began with an introduction by TCGIS Executive Director Dr. Kirsten Christensen and remarks from Steve Hunegs, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, and David Sherman, the photographer who created the portraits in the exhibit.
A screening of the animated short film, The Tattooed Torah, intended for young viewers, followed and included Q&A with members of the film production team. Copies of the ​accompanying picture book were available for purchase in person and here. 
TCGIS was delighted to finally realize the plans to host the exhibit that began before Covid. Exhibit curator Laura Zelle said, “We’re thrilled that sites are comfortable hosting in person. It’s meant to be a visceral experience, where you enter the photography show and as a viewer, you are surrounded by the survivors sharing their stories.” 
On Sunday, May 1st, 4:00-6:00pm the Transfer of Memory exhibit was open to the public a second time at Twin Cities German Immersion School, 1031 Como Avenue, St Paul, MN. There was no program but community members were welcome to view the exhibit independently.

Thursday, May 5, 6:30 pm at TCGIS - "Judaism 101"  
Heidi Schneider from the Jewish Community Resource Center spoke on Jewish life in Zoom. This event was interactive, with beautiful cultural artifacts to see, and appropriate for all ages.