Every spring, Lynn University holds the Nuremberg Trials class and the GenZ Story Expression Workshop—which culminate in an event that has been treasured by students and the Boca Raton community for more than a decade. Both provide special opportunities for students to explore history with the people who survived it.
Lynn began the Holocaust remembrance project when it discovered original artifacts from the Nuremberg Trials in its archives. The university tapped Professor Sindee Kerker to create a class that explored them.
“My experience as a deputy district attorney helped me interpret the transcripts—I’ve been teaching the class ever since then,” said Kerker. “I want students to have an emotional attachment to what happened to the six million Jews and other victims at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators.”
Kerker’s class is based on the 42-volume Blue Series, which is the official record of the major war criminal trials and includes the procedures, witness testimonies, documents, judges’ verdicts and sentencing. Archived in the Eugene M. and Christine E. Lynn Library, the volumes allow students to delve deeper into the history of the trials.
In 2013, Lynn partnered with NEXT GENERATIONS, a Boca Raton-based organization that strives to preserve the legacy of those who perished and honor those who survived the Holocaust, to expand the class to the GenZ Story Expression Workshop.
As part of the workshop, students hear from a survivor firsthand. Then, they spend six to eight weeks recreating the story through creative mediums such as art, poetry, music, film, theater, technology, blogs or social media.
“The purpose of the project is for students to express what they have heard in a way that reaches out to others who have not heard the survivor’s story and may not be familiar with the horrors of the Holocaust,” Kerker said.
The first workshop was so impactful that Kerker knew she needed to get other classes involved. Since its launch, the project has grown to include participation from faculty, staff and students outside of Kerker’s class.
Final projects are displayed at the Project Nuremberg Lawyers Luncheon at Temple Beth El in Boca Raton and at Lynn’s annual Celebration of the Arts. Both are typically held in April and May.
This year, students will present their projects virtually. Kerker hopes that the survivor that told his story this year, George Reinitz, will be able to tune in.
Reinitz said he participates in these types of events because the GenZ event is his duty. “I have to speak because I’m a witness, and there aren’t many witnesses left over. The responsibility to continue to learn about, understand and work toward preventing another event such as the Holocaust is on current and upcoming generations. This class offers the chance to continue passing on the legacies of survivors.”
The Blue Series at the Lynn Library is one of the only few bound collections that exist in the world today. While the series does not circulate—and the volumes cannot be taken out of the archives—anyone can access them at the library Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Appointments are required for the general public. SPIRAL offers select pages digitally.
“The most important lesson that I can teach my students is to never forget. These students are the reason why we won’t—they will share Holocaust survivor stories for generations to come,” said Kerker.
For more information about viewing the Blue Series, email [email protected].
