"Leave to Land" exhibit at College of Saint Mary tells little-known story of Jewish refugees

OMAHA, Neb. – The exhibit, “Leave to Land: The Kitchener Camp Rescue,” is displayed at the College of Saint Mary (CSM) library throughout April. 

The Kitchener Camp, an army base on the Kent coast of southeastern Europe, was a refugee camp for 4,000 Jewish men during World War II. The men left their families, who were killed during the Holocaust, to stay at the camp.  

The “Leave to Land” traveling exhibition from the Institute for Holocaust Education (IHE) documents this little-known Jewish refugee history and explores the complex emotions the men experienced as survivors of the Holocaust. 

“There are no simple answers to the complexity of the Holocaust. As a Holocaust educator and executive director of the Institute for Holocaust Education, I believe that it is my duty and obligation to teach about empathy and understanding and to learn to be an upstander. The task is a large one and the opportunity to partner with colleges such as College of Saint Mary allows us to work towards the common goal of making our world a better place,” said Scott Littky, executive director of IHE. 

The exhibit currently marks the third year in which CSM has partnered with IHE to provide programming on campus for Yom HaShoah, a day in April that commemorates the victims and heroes of the Holocaust. 

“By sharing exhibits such as the current one at College of Saint Mary, we are able to teach others about parts of the history of the Holocaust that teach us to be better people,” Littky said. 

In the spring of 2023, CSM and IHE joined with the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center to bring “Stories of Survival: Object, Image, Memory” to campus. In 2024, CSM and IHE partnered with the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina to bring an exhibit on Anne Frank to campus. CSM students and faculty served as docents for that exhibit. The College was also the recipient of a sapling taken from a tree that grew behind the Secret Annex and students traveled to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.  

“This year, CSM and IHE are again in partnership, now with Avenues for Change, which has provided another compelling opportunity for students, faculty and community members to engage with the realities of the Holocaust in a unique and powerful way,” said Mark Gudgel, assistant professor of education. 

The CSM library is located in the Hixson-Lied Commons on the CSM campus at 7000 Mercy Road.