Testimony Podcast Sean Jacobson

In this episode I feature two active members in the Assyrian community of Chicagoland, Joe Hermiz and Joseph Tamraz, who share about the Assyrian Genocide in the early 20th century and how the local Assyrian diaspora has created a unique memorial space dedicated to this often-forgotten chapter in modern history. The existence of this memorial space promises a more inclusive narrative in the discussion of mass violence and fights for human rights.

Click link below to view photos of the memorial:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/152379511@N04/albums/72157694209642350

Here are some additional resources for learning about the Assyrian Genocide:
Seyfo Center http://www.seyfocenter.com/
Modern Assyrian Research Archive http://assyrianarchive.org

Yacoub, Joseph. Year of the Sword: The Assyrian Christian Genocide, A History. Trans. James Ferguson. London: Hurst & Company, 2016.
https://www.amazon.com/Year-Sword-Assyrian-Christian-Genocide/dp/0190633468/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1533862786&sr=8-1&keywords=joseph+yacoub+year+of+the+sword

I have a conversation with John Jaresko, a second-generation Ukrainian-American who serves as the president of the parish council for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Chicago diocese. Learn about the Ukrainian Genocide-Famine of the early 1930s, and how Ukrainian-Americans have remembered that history through a monument outside a church. We'll also talk about the relevance of the memorial to contemporary politics in Eastern Europe and the issue of denial.

Visit the Ukrainian National Museum of America: http://ukrainiannationalmuseum.org/

View photos of the memorial space: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmpS2syg

Additional Resources on Ukrainian Famine and Memory:
BOOKS:
Naimark, Norman M. Stalin’s Genocides. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010.

ARTICLES:
Groszko, Victor W. “Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933 Commemorated in Illinois.” Ukrainian Weekly. December 8, 2015. Accessed May 3, 2018. http://www.ukrweekly.com/uwwp/famine-genocide-of-1932-1933-commemorated-in-illinois/.

Hayda, Julian. “A Monument to the Ages: A Landmark to Remember.” Ukrainian Magazine. Chicago, IL. September 5, 2015. Accessed May 3, 2018. http://ukrainianchi.com/monument-ages-landmark-remember/.

“Monument to Heavenly Brigade to Be Unveiled in Illinois.” Ukrainian Weekly. September 11, 2015. Accessed May 3, 2018. http://www.ukrweekly.com/uwwp/monument-to-heavenly-brigade-to-be-unveiled-in-illinois/.

The National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial is the only space of its kind in the United States dedicated to the victims of Khmer Rouge. April 17 is the Cambodian Day of Remembrance, where people from around the local community gather to reflect on the genocide's meaning for Cambodians in America today.

Visit the Cambodian National Heritage Museum: https://www.cambodianmuseum.org/

See photos from the event featured in this episode: https://flic.kr/s/aHskHL42cU

Additional Resources on Cambodian Genocide Memory in the United States:
BOOKS:
Mortland, Carol A. Grace after Genocide: Cambodians in the United States. New York: Berghahn Books, 2017. https://www.amazon.com/Grace-after-Genocide-Cambodians-United/dp/1785334700/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529682866&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Mortland%2C+Carol+A.+Grace+after+Genocide%3A+Cambodians+in+the+United+States.+New+York%3A+Berghahn+Books%2C+2017.

Schlund-Vials, Cathy J. War, Genocide, and Justice: Cambodian American Memory Work. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2012. https://www.amazon.com/War-Genocide-Justice-Cambodian-American/dp/0816670978/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529682899&sr=1-1&keywords=cambodian+american+memory+work

ARTICLES:
Brown, Caitlin, and Chris Millington. “The Memory of the Cambodian Genocide: The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.” In History Compass, Vol. 13, no. 2 (2015): 31-39. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/hic3.12214

Kelley Szany from the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie joins me as we walk through the building's commemorative spaces and reflect on their particular uses and advantages for incorporating Jewish religious motifs into a learning environment.

You can see photos of the memorial rooms in this Flickr album (photos taken by Sean Jacobson): https://www.flickr.com/photos/152379511@N04/albums/72157700937838994/with/42808258760/

Check out IHMEC's website: https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/

Other Resources on Holocaust Memory in America:
BOOKS:
Linenthal, Edward. Preserving Memory: The Struggle to Create America’s Holocaust Museum. New York: Viking, 1995. https://www.amazon.com/Preserving-Memory-Struggle-Americas-Holocaust/dp/0231124074

Novick, Peter. The Holocaust in American Memory. Boston: Houghton Miflin Company, 1999. https://www.amazon.com/Holocaust-American-Life-Peter-Novick/dp/0618082328/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529682713&sr=1-1&keywords=novick+holocaust+in+america&dpID=41SRM9Z%252BHRL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

Young, James. The Texture of Memory: Holocaust Memorials and Meaning. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993. https://www.amazon.com/Texture-Memory-Holocaust-Memorials-Meaning/dp/0300059914/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529682737&sr=1-3&keywords=james+young+memory&dpID=51hco1BahkL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

ARTICLES:
Koenig, Wendy. “Motion and Sound: Investigating the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Centre.” In The Transcultural Turn: Interrogating Memory Between and Beyond Borders, edited by Lucy Bond and Jessica Rapson: 165-190. Vol. 15 of Medien und kulturelle Erinnerung, edited by Astrid Erll and Ansgar Nünning. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2014.

Communities use memorials as a way to shape understanding of the past. We'll begin with an overview of four ethnic communities in the greater Chicago area who have used a genocide memorial as a space for creating community identity and educating the public.

Here are some helpful resources for those interested in reading more about memorialization culture in America:

Doss, Erika. Memorial Mania: Public Feeling in America. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2010. https://www.amazon.com/Memorial-Mania-Public-Feeling-America/dp/0226159418

Young, James E. The Stages of Memory: Reflections on Memorial Art, Loss, and the Spaces Between. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2016. https://www.amazon.com/Stages-Memory-Reflections-Historical-Perspective/dp/1625343612/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529682456&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=james+young+the+stages+of+memeory