MORRIS COUNTY — County College of Morris (CCM) invites the community to an eye-opening lecture, “Paper Trails: How Bureaucracy Shaped the Lives of Holocaust Refugees,” being held on Tuesday, November 19, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., in Cohen Hall 100 on CCM’s campus. Presented by United States Holocaust Memorial Museum fellow Didi Tal, this talk will examine the profound impact of immigration paperwork on refugees fleeing Nazi persecution to seek refuge in our country during one of history’s darkest periods.
As immigration restrictions grew in the U.S., American culture mirrored this shift with discussions on border control. This topic permeated film, journalism, and popular media and refugees described their bureaucratic journeys through literature. This lecture will explore the history and culture of American immigration restriction and how it shaped the lives of Holocaust refugees, their fates, and their narratives.
Tal, a Ph.D. candidate in German studies at Columbia University, is a William J. Lowenberg Memorial Fellow on America, the Holocaust, and the Jews, at the Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Her dissertation “Paper and Trails: the Holocaust and U.S. Border Control” explores immigration policy and literature during the Holocaust and the intersections of paperwork and German exile. She holds an MFA in writing from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in history from Humboldt University in Berlin.
This free lecture, open to the public, is hosted by CCM’s Department of Arts & Humanities and CCM’s Legacy Project. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early, as seating is limited. For more information, please email legacy@ccm.edu. CCM is located at 214 Center Grove Road in Randolph. Visitors can park in Lot 7.
This program is made possible through the generosity of the Curt C. and Else Silberman Foundation, supporting programs in higher education that promote, protect, and strengthen Jewish values in democracy, human rights, ethical leadership, and cultural pluralism. The Legacy Project at CCM is an interdisciplinary initiative that presents engaging lectures for students, faculty, staff, and members of the public. The events enable audience members to learn important academic lessons outside the traditional classroom. The college is honored to offer this insightful exploration of history, policy, and the refugee experience, offering the community an opportunity to reflect on the continuing relevance of these themes in today’s discussions on immigration and human rights. For more information about CCM, visit www.ccm.edu.
