A Conversation with Artemis Joukowsky and Latifa Woodhouse about American Altruism on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Thank you to those who joined us for “A Conversation with Artemis Joukowsky and Latifa Woodhouse about American Altruism” on Holocaust Remembrance Day. In this one-hour event, attendees learned about the heroic acts of Artemis’s grandparents, Waitstill and Martha Sharp during the Holocaust. Attendees also heard firsthand from Latifa and Colin Woodhouse, whose own story shows a modern day take on altruism.

Attendees were asked to watch the following PBS NewsHour recording before the event: “How a Massachusetts couple saved thousands from Nazi death camps.” We also recommended watching Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War, a documentary on Artemis’s grandparents created by Artemis and Ken Burns.

The following topics were covered during this interview-style event:

• Provide a brief overview of the Sharp story and how their altruism saved over 400 people.
• Discuss the courage of the over 26,000 “Righteous Among the Nations” who saved Jewish people during the Holocaust.
• Provide examples of how altruism has been shown in modern America.
• Provide an understanding of all the communities impacted by the Holocaust (e.g., Romania, Poland, Germans that didn't support his beliefs, Disabled People in Germany, etc.) and the ripple effect that had on future generations.
• Talk about the tactics used by Hitler (language, symbols, vilification) to manipulate people. Discuss how this same strategy has been used in modern day.
• Question how the role of silence and indifference to the suffering of others perpetuates hate and intolerance.

Thank you to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day Event Committee for all their work planning this event: Kristina England (UITS), Marius Farcas (UITS), Meeta Gill (Internal Audit), Megan Momtaheni (UITS), and Jacob Sturtz (Innovation and Operational Services).