Last weekend, Southbury became a gathering place for remembering the Holocaust through the arts.
The events were organized by Sandy Carlson, Woodbury’s former Poet Laureate and an English teacher at Lakeside High School, along with former First Selectman Ed Edelson, with support from the Heritage Village Activities Committee and the Jewish Culture Club.
On the evening of Friday, March 20, there was a screening of an oratorio called “Remember Warsaw”, composed by Roger Ames and Bernie Kaplan, that puts audiences inside the horror of wartime Warsaw.
In addition to the screening of the musical composition to an audience of about 80 people in Heritage Village, Kaplan was on hand to talk about his experience in writing the libretto and expressed his appreciation of those in attendance.
For various reasons, including the death of Ames, the musical piece has not been performed since 2011 in Minneapolis. At the screening, Carlson announced that the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra’s leadership has expressed support for performing “Remember Warsaw” live in the coming years.
“I want to thank Sandy Carlson and Ed Edelson for taking the initiative in arranging for the screening,” said Kaplan. “I know they had great support from the Heritage Village Activities Committee and the Jewish Culture Club. Helping me put this musical performance in front of an audience means so much to me. The audience’s positive response to the music was very meaningful to me.”
The following evening, Carlson moderated a roundtable discussion, Processing Holocaust Trauma Through the Arts, held at Vicinanza Studio and Galleries. The panel brought together Kaplan; authors Bonnie Siegler and Helene Stapinski (The American Way); Deb Holman (Nothing Really Bad Will Happen: A Holocaust Story of Loss and Legacy); Rabbi Eric Polokoff of B’nai Israel of Southbury; and Edelson, himself the author of Lois’s Story: A Young Girl’s Inspiration Helps to Stop Hate and Fear.
“It’s important that our community continue to have conversations around the dilemmas that led Southbury to say no to the Nazis 87 years ago because those dilemmas persist and the only way we resolve them is that we begin with public discourse,” said Carlson. “My hope is that this important conversation will continue in the coming years.”
In 1937, the Town of Southbury made national headlines for rejecting the German American Bund’s plan to build a Nazi training camp within its borders.
A recording of the roundtable discussion can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y776dXi60V8
A roundtable is being planned for the Fall of 2026. Those interested in being kept informed are encouraged to go to: https://www.sandycarlson.net/events/processing-holocaust-trauma-a-roundtable-discussion
“Community conversations like this are critical to building understanding and fostering our democratic norms,” explained Rabbi Polokoff. “As a member of the Southbury clergy, I’m inspired by what my predecessors did here in 1937 to battle menacing hate.”
Faith Vicinanza of Vicinanza Studio and Galleries added, “I was so pleased with the turnout and audience response. Holding such events at my Studio and Gallery was always a part of my dream when opening this space in 2024.”
The Southbury Record 