“Standing for Justice II: 1950-1980” illustrates the community’s response to discrimination, extremism and anti-Semitism as well as its involvement in issues of civil rights
A new exhibit, “Standing for Justice II: 1950-1980: Documentation From the St. Louis Jewish Community Archives,” sponsored by the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center (HMLC), the Saul Brodsky Jewish Community Library, and the Michael and Barbara Newmark Institute for Human Relations at the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), opens on Sunday, February 9 at 1 pm at HMLC. The Honorable William L. Clay, Sr. will present the opening address, reflecting on the Civil Rights movement in St. Louis and the relevance of these events to the city. Clay, Missouri’s first African-American congressman, served from 1969 to 2001. He previously served on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and, as a long-time activist, led many civil rights actions, including the 1963 protest outside Jefferson Bank calling for the hiring of more minorities. Clay will be introduced by Barbara Newmark. A reception will follow.
This exhibit carries forward the themes presented in the 2012 show “Standing for Justice 1930–1950,” illustrating the St. Louis Jewish community’s response to discrimination of all types, anti-Semitism, and extremism and documenting civil rights initiatives. It features photos, documents and artifacts from the Jewish Community Archives, housed in the Saul Brodsky Jewish Community Library. The exhibit will be on display through April 3, 2014, in the lobby of the Jewish Federation Kopolow Building, 12 Millstone Campus Drive. “Standing for Justice 1930–1950” also will be on view in the HMLC Theater.
Archivist and co-curator Diane Everman noted that “this exhibit, which combines the resources and efforts of three significant St. Louis organizations, presents our community’s dynamic response to three complex decades of history, marked by great turmoil, confrontation of societal ills, growth and progress. It reveals the richness of our archival holdings and how these treasures can be used to more fully understand the Jewish community’s history and that of the larger St. Louis community.”
The exhibit is presented by the HMLC, Brodsky Library, the Newmark Institute at the JCRC, STL250 and St. Louis Regional Arts Commission. Additional funding was provided by Ken and Nancy Kranzberg, Lawrence and Hannah Langsam, Marvin and Harlene Wool, and the Rubin* and Gloria Feldman Family Education Institute.
*Of Blessed Memory