Carillonneur Scott Paulson plays the campus bells. Series: "UCSD at 50" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 21052]

What paradoxes arise when victims of related persecution tell their stories next to, and after, each other? This question is at the heart of Ari Joskowicz’s highly acclaimed book “Rain of Ash,” which examines the unlikely entanglement of the histories of Jews and Romani people—the only two racialized groups the Nazis targeted for wholesale extermination. Joskowicz, professor of Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University, explores the encounters between Jews and Romani people on the killing fields of Europe and seeks to understand how survivors and historians have discussed Romani and Jewish suffering during World War II in relational terms. Series: "Library Channel" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40533]

In the early 20th century, Budapest was the second-largest Jewish city in Europe, and Jewish artists and intellectuals played a major role in the city’s cosmopolitan cultural life. Among them was theater and cinema director and producer Béla Pásztor, whose career was marked by early success and later oppression. In a conversation with UC San Diego history professor Deborah Hertz, Béla’s son, Rafael Pastor, explores his family’s history before, during, and after the Nazi occupation of Hungary, including his parents’ emigration to Israel, where he was born.

In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the deportations and annihilations of Hungarian Jews in 1944, which Béla survived in hiding, the conversation is preceded by a brief historical overview and survivor testimonies of this harrowing—and unforgettable—tragedy.

Series: "Library Channel" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40227]

Everyone experiences mental chaos - when the mind is distracted, racing and anxious. But too much mental chaos can have negative impacts on our health and can limit our creativity. Jaime Pineda, professor emeritus of cognitive science at UC San Diego, has spent decades studying how the mind works. His new book “Controlling Mental Chaos: Harnessing the Power of the Creative Mind” focuses on the importance of psychological wellbeing. He says controlling mental chaos leads to positive outcomes including increased creativity, awareness of connection to others and reduction in distorted perceptions. He talks about ways to quiet the mind through mediation and mindfulness training. Series: "Library Channel" [Science] [Show ID: 40066]

In late September 1941, tens of thousands of people were massacred over two days in a ravine known as Babyn Yar on the outskirts of Nazi-occupied Kyiv. Most of the victims were Jews, though Roma, Crimean Tatars, and Ukrainian and Russian Communists were also among those murdered. In her 2017 book of poems, “The Voices of Babyn Yar,” award-winning poet Marianna Kiyanovska engages with this tragedy as a Ukrainian who learned of the mass killings only as an adult. Kiyanovska is the author of more than a dozen books of poetry, prose, and literary translations and her works have been translated into 18 languages. In this bilingual poetry reading, Kiyanovska shares poems in the original Ukrainian, including selections from “The Voices of Babyn Yar.” UC San Diego Professor of Literature Amelia Glaser will read the English translations. Series: "Library Channel" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40068]

In this program presented by UC San Diego Library and UC San Diego History Department, hear and see the work of artists and scholars from Okinawa and Tokyo. The discussion centers around themes of nation, indigeneity, gender and militarism, with the end goal of proposing new ways of “living otherwise,” together through the power of art. Featured artists are Mayumo Inoue, associate professor of comparative literature at Hitotsubashi University,

Kaori Nakasone, photographer based in Tokyo and Okinawa, and

Satoko Nema, artist and adjunct instructor at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts. Series: "Library Channel" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 39422]

What does it take to survive persecution and exile? The story of Greta Taussig and Rudy Gans offers answers to this tantalizing question. Born in Linz, Austria, Greta emigrated to London after the country’s incorporation into the Third Reich, eventually enduring the horrors of the Blitz. Rudy was able to make his way to Shanghai after imprisonment in the notorious Dachau concentration camp. Along their arduous journey, each experienced the life-saving kindness of courageous strangers. As part of the UC San Diego Holocaust Living History Workshop, their son, Bob Gans, shares their thought-provoking story, supplemented by a display of artifacts and original documents. Series: "Library Channel" [Humanities] [Show ID: 39008]

On December 19, 1980, Shlomo Lewin, the former chairman of the Jewish community in Nuremberg, and his partner Frida Poeschke were shot dead in their house in Erlangen. Instead of pursuing the leads that led to the right-wing extremist group Wehrsportgruppe Hoffmann, investigators concentrated on Lewin’s social environment for a long time. As part of UC San Diego's Holocaust Living History Workshop, German historian Uffa Jensen reconstructs the crime and its motivations, in the process unearthing a history of violence, trivialisation and repression that continues to this day. Jensen is a historian of modern history and serves as the deputy director at the Centre for Research on Antisemitism at the Technische Universität in Berlin. Series: "Library Channel" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38976]

Jason Magabo Perez, San Diego's Poet Laureate, engages with UC San Diego's Erik Mitchell in a revealing conversation about his poetic journey and its impact on community and self-awareness. Perez shares readings from his work, which weaves together narratives of grief, identity, and resilience. His ability to articulate complex emotions and historical contexts through poetry provides a window into the experiences of Filipino-American communities and broader societal issues. He also discusses his initiatives as Poet Laureate, emphasizing his commitment to making poetry accessible and relevant to a wide audience. His projects aim to foster a vibrant literary culture in San Diego, highlighting the power of poetry to build solidarity, empower youth, and give voice to marginalized communities. Series: "Writers" [Humanities] [Show ID: 39322]

When Pope Pius XII died in 1958, his papers were sealed in the Vatican Secret Archives, leaving unanswered questions about what he knew and did during World War II. In 2020, the archives were finally opened. Based on thousands of never-before-seen documents, Brown University Professor Emeritus David Kertzer’s book “The Pope at War” paints a dramatic portrait of what the Pope did and did not do as war enveloped Rome and the continent, and as the Nazis began their systematic mass murder of Europe’s Jews. Kertzer's earlier book, “The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe,” won the Pulitzer Prize. Series: "Library Channel" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38975]