SEA SHUL PRESENTS: Holocaust Memorial Day Lecture

*Music at Auschwitz:

Aid to Survival or Dehumanizing Degradation?*

Featuring:
Dr. Laurence Sherr

In recognition of Holocaust Memorial Day, Sea Shul is honored to host Dr. Laurence Sherr for a powerful and thought-provoking lecture examining the role of music within the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

This presentation explores the impact of the four most active prisoner orchestras, analyzing their functions, personnel, and musical repertory. Under what circumstances did music contribute to prisoner survival, and when did it become a tool of torturous dehumanization?

Drawing on eyewitness video testimony, prisoner-created artwork, archival documents, and Dr. Sherr’s on-site photographic and video documentation, the lecture offers a deeply moving and scholarly exploration of this complex subject.

The evening will conclude with a brief personal reflection, sharing the story of Dr. Sherr’s mother’s family, who fled Germany but were later deported to Auschwitz.

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📅 Date: Tuesday, January 27

⏰ Time: 7:00 – 8:30 PM

📍 Location: Assembly Hall

📌 RSVP Required

Dessert Reception to Follow