Students, community members and administrators have atttended
“The Courage to Remember,” a Holocaust visual narrative exibition
in the lower level of the University Student Union.
Esteban Cortez / The Collegian

“The Courage to Remember,” a Holocaust visual narrative exhibit, is visiting Fresno State to raise awareness.

The free exhibit is located on the lower level of the University Student Union. The exhibition panels will be on display from Sept. 23 to the 27.

“Our objective is to educate people of all ages and backgrounds so that future crimes of this nature are prevented,” said Ted Gover, executive director of Foundation for California. “Through this, we hope that if a group like this were to rise again, enough people would speak out and put a stop to it.”

The educational exhibit consists of 42 panels of what led to and what happened during the Holocaust from 1933 to 1945. This includes the history of the Nazi’s campaign, in which 6 million Jews were killed. Others were also killed including political dissidents, prisoners of war, homosexuals and the mentally disabled.

This exhibit was created by the Museum of Tolerance, which has been partnered with the Foundation for California for over 20 years. The Foundation for California is a non-profit educational corporation that provides educational programs on important issues to California.

“Not everyone can travel to the museum, so we try to take the heart of what they’re doing at the Museum of Tolerance and bring that on tour,” chairman of the board of Foundation for California Dr. Alfred Balitzer said.

Balitzer has personally taken the “The Courage to Remember” exhibit to Japan, where over 2 million people attended the exhibit. It has been seen all around the world, including cities in the United States and Europe.

This is the first time the exhibit has visited Fresno, made possible by the French National Railway (SNCF).

Over the next year, the Foundation for California is coordinating a statewide tour of this traveling exhibit.

“We are very happy to partner [with SNCF] in order to bring further Holocaust education to California,” Balitzer said. “Our goal is to provide very important lessons in tolerance, human understanding and to teach people what comes with hate.”

As a part of the Jewish community, Fresno State student Jenna Smith said she believes it is important to expose the Fresno community to the history of the Holocaust.

“History can repeat itself if it is not thoroughly understood,” Smith said. “There are genocides going on around the world currently and it is crucial that our generation gains exposure and knowledge of these events.”

The statewide tour of “The Courage to Remember” exhibit will be displayed at different universities, community colleges, houses of worship, shopping malls and possibly some high schools as well.

The exhibit is free to the public and runs from Sept. 23 to Sept. 26 and is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m, except for Tuesday, Sept. 27, when the exhibit is open from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.