MAITLAND — In the 1930s and 1940s in German-occupied Europe, the Nazis established killing centers such as Auschwitz for the assembly-line style mass murder of its intended victims. The few prisoners who survived were used as labor to support this main function in what became known as extermination camps or death camps.

The horrors of the gas chambers in these camps, used to kill millions by asphyxiation with poison gas, is well documented. But it’s also been extensively documented that millions of Jews and other political prisoners were executed another way: by shootings.

On Thursday, Sept. 19, there will be an opening night reception for a new exhibit at the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center in Maitland, which will focus on this aspect of the Final Solution: how bullets were used in the prolonged extermination of Europe’s Jews.

What is the Holocaust By Bullet Exhibition?

This exhibition titled The Holocaust By Bullets, was designed to document how the Nazis created what became known as mobile killing units to carry out the elimination of Europe’s Jews and Roma.

Known as the Einsatzgruppen — the German term for special action groups — these units were a part of the Security Police and SS intelligence service. Their mission was to follow the German army as it invaded neighboring countries in Europe, committing mass shootings of local Jews.

“Based on a decade of meticulous research by the French organization Yahad-In Unum, Holocaust by Bullets illuminates a lesser-known aspect of the Holocaust: the brutal execution of over 2 million Jews and Roma, who were shot and buried in unmarked graves across Eastern Europe,” the Holocaust Center notes.

“This exhibition delves into the heinous crimes committed by the Nazi mobile killing units and its collaborators, as uncovered by Yahad-In Unum researchers, using powerful quotes from eyewitness testimonies and archival documents to illuminate this hidden facet of Holocaust history.”

This exhibit will run from Sept. 19 through Dec. 13 at the Center at 851 N. Maitland Ave. in Maitland. Because of the graphic nature of the exhibit, it is intended for mature audiences only, or ages 13 and older.

The opening night reception starts at 6:30 p.m. with an introduction to Holocaust by Bullets and how it focuses on the 2 million Jews shot by the Einsatzgruppen and local collaborators.

How Can You Support the Holocaust Memorial & Resource Center?

A benefit concert for the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center will be held on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Steinmetz Hall in the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

The evening will feature a performance of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín.

“Experience the magnificence of Verdi’s Requiem combined with narration and video testimony from Theresienstadt Concentration Camp survivors retelling the incredible, true story of a group of courageous Jews during World War II who performed the Requiem as a sign of defiance to their captors amidst the horrors of the Holocaust,” the Holocaust Center notes. 

Murry Sidlin, creator of this presentation, will serve as conductor for a concert that includes the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the Opera Orlando Chorus and Orlando Sings for a one night only event presented in partnership with The Defiant Requiem Foundation.

This event is a benefit concert for the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center.  Purchase tickets for this event here. You can also get more information from the Holocaust Memorial Resource Center by calling them at 407-628-0555.

Michael Freeman is an Orlando journalist, playwright, and author of the book “Bloody Rabbit”. Contact him at Freelineorlando@gmail.com.

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