Lecture
THE PHILIP MARKOWICZ ANNUAL LECTURE IN JUDAISM AND JEWISH BIBLICAL STUDIES SUPPORTED BY THE JEWISH FEDERATION AND FOUNDATION OF GREATER TOLEDO
"Teaching with Tolerance in a Time of Hate:
Jewish Private Schools in Nazi Berlin, 1933-1939"
Monday, Mar. 18, 2024
6 - 7:30 p.m.
UToledo Center for Performing Arts, Recital Hall
ADMISSION - Free
PARKING - Free (Area 12, across from the CPA - any spots except the metered spots)
Can't attend in person? Attend virtually!
https://youtube.com/live/I_jckvlO60E
In this this talk, Dr. Barry Jackisch, UToledo associate professor of history and the 2024 Philip Markowicz Endowed Professor in Judaism and Jewish Biblical Studies, will examine a small number of Jewish private schools that existed in Nazi Berlin until the outbreak of World War II. Because all Jews were segregated and banned from existing German schools under Nazi racial policy, those Jews who tried to stay in Germany formed their own educational institutions.
The fact that these Jewish schools survived in the capital of Hitler's Germany points to the importance of understanding the Holocaust as a process, something that did not simply occur overnight, but with a long history rooted in antisemitism and becoming increasingly more violent and discriminatory. It also shows us where potential existed, even in Nazi society, for Jewish survival and resistance in the face of growing persecution.
Studying these schools helps us remember and commemorate the teachers, administrators, students, and families who fell victim to the persecution of the Nazi regime and also those who escaped and survived. This overlooked subject offers a valuable perspective on the history of the Holocaust and the cancer of hate and intolerance in modern societies.
The Legacy of Philip Markowicz
Philip Markowicz
Philip Markowicz was born in 1924 in Przerab, Poland. The son of a rabbi, Philip was known as a Talmud prodigy, but his yeshiva education was interrupted by the Nazi invasion of Poland. He survived the ghetto of Lodz, several concentration camps including Auschwitz, and a death march. His entire family, with the exception of his brother, were murdered by the Nazis. After being liberated by the Allies, he met and married his wife, Ruth, in a displaced persons camp and started their family. Philip and his young family would then emigrate to Toledo, where, with no connections or resources, he trained himself in electronics and created a thriving business.
Philip continued his passion for Torah study and wrote extensively in his retirement. He published a well-received autobiography, "My Three Lives," and shortly before his passing in 2017, he completed the manuscript for "Losing God in Translation."
Philip's children, Dr. Allen Markowicz and Professor Sylvia Markowicz Neil, together with their spouses Hindea Markowicz and Daniel Fischel, have supported a faculty position in Jewish studies at The University of Toledo for the past two decades.
Support Jewish Studies at UToledo
The Philip Markowicz Endowed Professorship in Judaism and Jewish Biblical Studies provides support for a UToledo professor in this role, as well as for community education and interreligious dialogue.
Please consider joining the Markowicz family with a contribution to this fund. The family will match all contributions with an additional gift of $125,000. Your gift of $25, $50, $100, or more, will enable Philip's legacy to live in perpetuity by fostering his passion for learning in others.
Thank you for your support!