BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:6243@columbiajewish.org DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260205T203000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260205T203000 DTSTAMP:20250810T002912Z URL:https://www.columbiajewish.org/events/the-jewish-museum-ny/ SUMMARY:National Museum of American Jewish Military History DESCRIPTION:“American Jewish Soldiers and the Liberation of the Concentra tion Camps”\nJewish American Soldiers played an important role in libera ting Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Beginning in the spring of 1945\, the U.S. Army began uncovering these camps\, revealing the horr ific realities of the Holocaust. Jewish soldiers\, many of whom were fluen t in Yiddish\, were not only witnesses to the atrocities but also the firs t to offer solace and a sense of community to the survivors. The presentat ion will highlight their unique position as liberators that were simultane ously U.S. Army soldiers and members of the Jewish community\, emphasizing their ability to communicate with survivors and provide immediate support and understanding amidst the chaos and devastation.\nMichael Rugel is the Director of Programs and Content at the National Museum of American Jewis h Military History. Prior to that he served on the museum's collections ma nagement staff. \; \;\nRugel has frequently written about Jews in the American military. He regularly speaks about the history of Jews in th e American Military at museum programs as well as to local schools\, synag ogues\, community centers and veterans groups. He has given Jews in the mi litary and Holocaust Remembrance talks to groups and organizations includi ng at the Pentagon\, Walter Reed Army Medical Research Center and Naval Me dical Research Center. Rugel has produced a series of videos featuring Ame rican Jewish liberators of concentration camps describing their World War II experiences. \;\nUpcoming publications include “The American Serv iceman Finding and (Re)creating Jewish Community during World War II” in  \;Michael: On the History of the Jews in the Diaspora \;published by The Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center at Tel Aviv University.&n bsp\;His writing regularly appears in the \;Jewish Veteran \;magaz ine\, \;Jews in Green \;website\, and National Museum of American Jewish Military History website. \;\nRugel has appeared in multiple do cumentary films including \;GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II& nbsp\;on PBS \;and Stabbed in the Back: \;the story of the 500\,00 0 Jewish soldiers who served in the Central Powers (Germany\, Austria-Hung ary) armies during The Great War.\nHe was raised in Reston\, Virginia. He received a Bachelor's degree in history from the College of William and Ma ry and a Master's Degree in Museum Studies from George Washington Universi ty. He lives in Dunn Loring\, Virginia with his wife Judy and daughter Had ley.\nPlease register in advance to receive Zoom link.\n\n ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.columbiajewish.org/wp-content/upload s/2025/08/JewishMuseumSeries800x533.png CATEGORIES:Featured Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20251102T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR