While in Berlin, the choir visited Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

Prior to their trip, the UT Dallas Chamber Singers performed “Even When He Is Silent” (Kim Andre Arnesen) and "Wie liegt die Stade so wüst" (composed by Rudolf Mauersberger) at the recent 54th Annual Scholars' Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches (above).

They were granted special permission to sing "Even When He Is Silent" at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp standing by the International Monument to the Victims.

The poem below was initially believed to have been inscribed on the wall of a Nazi death camp. However, historians have since discovered that these words were actually etched into the cellar of a safe house in Cologne, Germany, providing refuge for those fleeing the Nazis.

I believe in the sun even when it’s not shining.

I believe in love when I feel it not

I believe in God even when he is silent.

"Our visit to Auschwitz served as a stark reminder of the atrocities of the past, deepening our understanding of history and human resilience. Witnessing the haunting remnants of the Holocaust firsthand left an indelible mark on our tour experience, evoking solemn reflection and igniting a renewed commitment to bearing witness to history's lessons through our music and performances. This profound experience brought us closer together, fostering a deeper connection with each other and with the music we passionately prepared to sing for our audiences."

-- Dr. Jonathan Palant, Director of Choral Activities

During World War II, the game of chess was pictured and played across Nazi-occupied Europe, by those in hiding, in the ghettos, and even in the concentration camps. Devising ingenious ways to improvise chess sets out of found materials and detritus, they also drew and painted chess games to document and allegorize their experiences. Dr. Rachel E. Perry will discuss how these material remnants, both artifacts and artwork, offer important insights into how individuals living under Nazi oppression thought and felt. This event is being presented free of charge, but we do request that you pre-register online here.

There will be a reception following this event, which is being presented in conjunction with Comets Giving Days. 

Please join us for this commemorative event on April 7, which marks the start of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda that lasted through mid-July 1994. In this 100-day period, up to one million people perished and as many as 250,000 women were raped, leaving the country’s population traumatized and its infrastructure decimated.

Rwanda has since embarked on an ambitious justice and reconciliation process with the ultimate aim of all Rwandans once again living side by side in peace. This event is being presented free of charge, but we do request that you pre-register online here.

Please join Dr. Hanno Berger, fellow of The Miriam Lewis Barnett Chair, as he leads a discussion following the screening of the film, Let Us Die. 

You can read more about this film and how it came to be created in this new story on WFAA. This event is being presented free of charge, but we do request that you pre-register online.

These and other events are made possible thanks to the support and generosity of friends like you.

If you have any questions about ways to support the Ackerman Center, contact senior director of development Holly Hull Miori, PhD’21 at hmiori@utdallas.edu or 972-883-4119.