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Holocaust By Bullets

Places can be deceiving. Where grass and trees now grow, once were scenes of unspeakable horror — killing fields where more than 2 million people 
were murdered before the creation of concentration camps. Holocaust by
 Bullets documents this lesser-known side of the Holocaust with videotaped eye witness testimonies. This powerful exhibit showcases Father Patrick Desbois and Yahad-In Unum’s historic undertaking to ensure that these victims won’t be forgotten.

  • 2.2 million Jews and Roma executed by Nazi mobile killing units
  • 1,893 execution sites in 7 countries identified
  • 4,714 videotaped eyewitness testimonies.

 

How to Visit

Free and open to the public
Appropriate for high school students and older

Dates on display: April 20 – May 23, 2017
Location: Atrium of the Helfaer Community Service Building
1360 N. Prospect Avenue

Hours:
Monday- Thursday: 10 am – 5 pm (open until 7pm on April 20 and May 18)
Friday: 10 am – 3 pm
Sunday: 12 pm – 4 pm
Saturday: Closed

Exhibit Program: Uncovering WWII Jewish Escape Tunnel in Lithuania’s Ponar Forest with Dr. Harry Jol
Sunday, May 21
1:30 – 3:30 pm
Helfaer Community Service Building (1360 N. Prospect Avenue)
Free program
Please make a free RSVP.

What is Holocaust By Bullets?

Because of the region’s inadequate railway systems and the capacities of the death camps, the Nazis were unable to easily transport the Jews to the camps. Instead, mobile execution units, like the Einsatzgruppen, gathered, shot and killed the Jews on their home soil. Villages became execution sites and villagers became witnesses. The exhibit, Holocaust By Bullets, brings the testimonies of these witnesses to the public. Learn more about Holocaust By Bullets.

Who is Father Patrick Desbois?

Father Patrick Desbois has devoted his life to researching the Holocaust, fighting anti-Semitism, and furthering relations between Catholics and Jews. Father Desbois is a Catholic priest and President of Yahad – In Unum, a global humanitarian organization he founded in 2004 dedicated to identifying and commemorating the sites of Jewish and Roma mass executions in Eastern Europe during World War II. Learn more about Father Patrick Desbois.

Read the stories of the witnesses

Read stories of the field work by Yahad – In Unum in over 70 of our research trips from the years of 2006 – 2014. See the timeline of stories.

Thank you to exhibit sponsors!

Thank you to the generous sponsors for bringing this exhibit to Milwaukee!

An Anonymous Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
Bader Philanthropies
The Nathan & Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center
Jewish Museum Milwaukee
The Kennedy Barnett Families
Richard and Nina Edelman

Milwaukee Missions to Mass Graves in Europe

The Milwaukee Jewish Federation has coordinated and lead two missions to Krakow, Poland and Vilnius, Lithuania to commemorate the mass graves discovered there. View the missions’ photos, videos and articles.

Video:

Shofar Krakow Mission

Photos:

Krakow Photos: Facebook.com/#ShofarKrakow
Vilnius Photos: Facebook.com/#VilniusMission

Articles:

Witness to a Murder (Vilnius)
World’s largest shofar installed in Kraków
Jewish Krakow: World’s largest shofar announces New Year in Kazimierz (Krakow)
Voices of ghosts: Remembering the Holocaust’s mass killings (Krakow)
A personal journey: ‘I wanted to learn what happened’ (Krakow)
Holocaust Survivors’ Families Heading To Poland’s ‘Killing Fields’ For Memorial (Krakow)
40 join Milwaukee Jewish Federation on trip to concentration camp sites (Krakow) 
Milwaukee artist, others visit Poland for Holocaust remembrance (Krakow)
Milwaukee Jewish Federation helps sculptor install work of art in Poland, to remember the Holocaust (Krakow)
Milwaukee Jewish Federation leads unique trip to Poland (Krakow)
Priest Uncovers A “Holocaust By Bullets” In Soviet Russia
Milwaukee group to help research massacre of Jews in Poland
Internationally Renowned Holocaust Researcher Presents Lifework in Lecture