[BCMA] Symposium on the Holocaust in Langley

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Symposium and Exhibits Spotlight Nazi Olympic Games
February 3, 2014

As the world's eyes turn to Russia for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games, The Langley Centennial Museum is looking back to a unique time in Olympic history.

The museum is currently hosting two exhibits: More Than Just Games: Canada and the 1936 Olympics and Framing Bodies: Sport and Spectacle in Nazi Germany. On March 6, a Symposium on the Holocaust will be held in Langley in partnership with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre to complement the displays.

The two exhibits look at the protest surrounding the Berlin games, the Jewish athletes that had to choose whether to participate or not, and the Nazi regime's practices and policies being put in the world's spotlight.  It is a story that is just as shocking and thought-provoking today, says Museum Curator Kobi Christian, who notes that the exhibits are garnering a lot of interest.

"So many people know the 'big story' of the Holocaust," Christian said, "but by breaking it down and looking at it again through the stories of some of the Jewish athletes, you are appalled by the sheer injustice and horror all over again. It is a significant reminder that really hits home."

One story that has touched Christian and other visitors to the exhibit is the story of German Sinti boxer Johann Trollman.  Trollman was stripped of the 1933 German light-heavyweight title that he had fairly won, so he thumbed his nose at Nazi officials by arriving at the next match with his skin whitened with flour and his hair dyed blonde.

In 1939, Trollman was drafted into the German army, and was injured in 1941 on the Eastern front.  After returning to Germany he was arrested, despite his service to his country.  He was interned in a concentration camp where he was made to work and fight until a guard killed him with a shovel in 1943.  He was 36 years old.  In 2003 the German Boxing Federation officially recognized him as the winner of the 1933 championship.

The exhibits are on display at the museum until March 16.  Admission is free.

The Symposium on the Holocaust will be held on March 6 from 9am - 12:15pm, and will feature a presentation by a Holocaust historian and a Holocaust survivor.  The event is open to schools ($90/class) and the public ($5 each).  Schools can also receive a free teacher's guide to the More Than Just Games exhibit by contacting the museum.  Call the Langley Centennial Museum at 604.532.3536 in advance to register.

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