Belmont University
A long line of people—men, women, and children carrying bundles and suitcases—walk down a wide village street lined with half-timbered and stucco houses on either side. A vintage car is parked at right. In the background, a terraced hillside topped by a farmhouse rises under a pale blue sky.

Some Were Neighbors

The Reverend Charlie Curb Center for Faith Leadership in cooperation with The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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Some Were Neighbors

Choice, Human Behavior, and The Holocaust

When: September 8th - December 8th, 2025
Where: Belmont University's Lila D. Bunch Library – 1907 Belmont Blvd – Nashville, TN

This exhibit explores the vast difference in the ways ordinary people displayed great courage or willful complicity in the face of devastating violence during the rise of Hitler’s Germany. Neighbors made choices. Some acted with bold courage, while others stood idle as friends, neighbors, and colleagues were victimized.

The main focus of the exhibit is to offer Holocaust remembrance and education for students, faculty and members of the greater Nashville community. The exhibition is centered around a set of 21 large posters, provided by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, that share the story of the Holocaust and the role various groups within a community played during the violence.

Lila D. Bunch Libarary

Sept. 8th – Dec. 8th, 2025

Belmont University is honored to have the distinction of being the first University in the nation to host this exhibit. The University appreciates the financial support of the Maria & Bernie A. Pargh Family Foundation as the lead sponsor for this exhibit. The exhibit will be housed in the Leu Gallery which is located on the first floor of Belmont’s library. The exhibit is open to the public during regular library hours. The exhibit runs from September 8th – December 8th, 2025.

Register for Opening Night Reception

For More Information, click here View on Campus Map

Why?

Many people across Europe joined the Nazi regime’s persecution and murder of European Jews during the Holocaust. Even in once-peaceful, tolerant communities, people turned against their Jewish neighbors. Why? And what moved a rare few to help those in danger? Amid the turmoil of war, ordinary motivations—fear, greed, compassion—led people to make choices that had life-and-death consequences.

A black-and-white portrait of a woman and two young girls. The woman is seated in the center, with the girls standing on either side of her. One girl wears round glasses and a dark dress with light trim, while the other wears a sailor-style outfit. All three look calmly toward the camera.

Nanny Frantiska Prva (center) cared for Renate (left) and Sylvia Schonberg after their parents obtained false papers to protect them from deportation from Hungary. Neither parent survived. The girls survived the war passing as non-Jews. US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Renate Schonberg Winston

A black-and-white portrait of a smiling man in a police uniform, featuring a peaked cap and medals on his chest. He has a thick mustache and is posed slightly to the side, with a confident expression.
Police officer Erich Troch of Felsberg, Germany, protected a Jewish family during the November 1938 pogrom. While on patrol, Troch protected Siegmund Weinstein and his family from a threatening mob of local civilians. The angry crowd ridiculed the officer; one man yelled “Get with the times!” -Stadtarchiv Felsberg/Klaus Troch

A historical black-and-white photograph showing a large crowd gathered around a bonfire in a cobblestone square. Buildings in the background are visible, along with trees. The scene depicts people observing the fire, some standing while others are seated, creating a sense of a communal event.

Teachers take students to watch SS men burn synagogue furnishings. Mosbach, Germany, November 10, 1938. -Mosbach Stadtrachiv; Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart

Events & Opportunities

September 10, 2025 - featuring a Holocaust Survivor:

  • Convocation in the University Chapel - 10:00 a.m.
  • Evening Lecture and Reception - 7:00 p.m.
    • Open to the Campus & Community
    • 4th Floor Janet Ayers Academic Center

 Register for the reception

One of the hopes for our exhibit is to create dialogue and perspective through interfaith conversations. Our planning team is creating partnerships between Christian and Jewish faith communities. The goal is to enlist 5 of each type congregation. Each Christian congregation will be paired with a Jewish congregation. At least 12-15 members of each congregation will be enlisted for this project. On a mutually agreed upon date, the two groups will meet at Belmont to visit the exhibition. A meal will be provided on campus following the exhibition visit, during which a guided conversation involving several thoughtful questions will be discussed. 

On November 9-10, 1938, Nazi leaders unleashed a series of pogroms against the Jewish population in Germany and recently incorporated territories. This event came to be called Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) because of the shattered glass that littered the streets after the vandalism and destruction of Jewish-owned business, synagogues, and homes. On the anniversary of this event, Belmont will host a special viewing of a Holocaust related film.

  • Materials related to Holocaust Education will be included in the Freshman anthology and will be included in Freshman Seminar discussions
  • Honors Symposium will feature Holocaust Education
  • Local Holocaust survivors will be available to meet with university classes for presentation and Q&A
  • A list of educational materials, resources, films, etc. will be featured in the library special collections
  • Materials, directly related to the exhibit, will be printed and made available in the library
  • Members of the Jewish Student Association will serve as docents on a request basis

Belmont looks forward to welcoming local school groups, both public and private, to campus to view the exhibition. School groups will view the exhibition, will be hosted for lunch, and will have the opportunity to learn from a Holocaust survivor. Teaching materials, lesson plans, and additional resources will be made to teachers and educators prior to group visits.

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