The Cody Library 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.

Americans and the Holocaust will be on display at the Cody Library, along with a series of related special events, from May 21 to July 1.

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, Cody Library 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.

A variety of programs will accompany the exhibit at the Cody Library:

Teacher Night will be at 5:30 p.m. on May 21 — It is a special event for Wyoming educators with staff from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, in partnership with Heart Mountain Interpretive Center.

Opening Reception with Hayley Prihoda will be at 6 p.m. on May 22 — Prihoda, Program Coordinator at USHMM, will offer opening remarks. Light refreshments served.

Parallel Barbed Wire with Aura Sunada Newlin will be at 6 p.m. on May 29 — The presentation is the story of two men,  one Japanese American, one Jewish, whose lives intersected during WWII.

Panic, Propaganda, and Prejudice with Cally Steussy will be at 6 p.m. on June 3 — The presentation will be a  look at anti-Semitic and anti-Asian propaganda in the early 20th century.

A film screening of “Woman in Gold” will be at 7 p.m. on June 10 at Big Horn Cinemas, followed by a discussion with Rabbi Moshe Halfon and Warren Murphy.

We Fought Back: Stories and Songs of Resistance with Rabbi Moshe Halfon will be at 6 p.m. on June 11. This will be a reflection on spiritual and physical resistance during the Holocaust.

Witness to History with Sam Mihara at 6 p.m. on June 13 will be a  first-hand account from a survivor of the Japanese American incarceration camps.

Avoiding Hate: Stories from Wyoming’s History with Warren Murphy will be at 6 p.m. on June 16. This will explore Wyoming’s history of interfaith cooperation and the dangers of hate, with insights from Murphy’s book.

Dry Timber: Antisemitism before 1933 with Kylie McCormick will be at 6 p.m. on June 19. The workshop will focus on the historical roots of antisemitism and anti-Judaism, with personal reflections from the presenter.

The True Story of an American Couple’s Rescue Mission in Nazi Germany with Steven Pressman will be at 6 p.m. on June 24. This is the true story of Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus, who rescued 50 Jewish children from Nazi-controlled Vienna and Berlin in 1939.

Political Rhetoric and the Human/Constitutional Rights Abuses Committed Against Japanese Americans During Their Incarceration Throughout World War II with Carter Reed will be at 6 p.m. on June 26. The Cody native and legal scholar will examine  the rhetoric and rights abuses behind Japanese American incarceration during WWII.