May 5, 2023 – St. Petersburg, FL – The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) will host the opening of “Lawyers Without Rights: The Fate of Jewish Lawyers in Berlin after 1933” exhibit on June 1, 2023, from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Experts will discuss topics integral to the exhibit, including the historical implications of a failed rule of law in the post-Weimar Republic, and the current state of Holocaust education in Florida schools. The exhibit portrays the persecution of Jewish lawyers and jurists during the Nazi era in Germany, and how the Third Reich systematically undermined the rule of law through humiliation, degradation, and legislation that led to the expulsion of Jewish lawyers from the legal profession.
The opening event will feature a panel discussion on the importance of upholding the rule of law, especially during times of political upheaval. The exhibit is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts (Section 286.25, Florida Statutes) in conjunction with the American Bar Association and German Federal Bar. The exhibit has been shown in more than 100 cities in Germany, including over 60 venues in the United States, as well as in Mexico City and Toronto.
“The story of the fate of Jewish lawyers in Berlin and all of Germany is more than a historical footnote; it is a wake-up call that a system of justice free of improper political considerations remains fragile and should never be taken for granted,” said Carl Goodman, The Florida Holocaust Museum President and CEO. “As the rule of law comes under attack today throughout the world, Lawyers Without Rights tragically portrays what can happen when the just rule of law disappears — replaced by an arbitrary rule by law that sweeps aside the rights and dignity of selected populations.”
The “Lawyers Without Rights” exhibit was conceived in 1998 when an Israeli lawyer asked the regional bar of Berlin for a list of Jewish lawyers whose licenses had been revoked by the Nazi regime. The regional bar decided not only to research a list of names but also to try to find out more about the fates behind all those names. Some were able to leave the country after the Nazis came into power, but many were incarcerated or murdered. The non-Jewish German lawyers of those days remained silent. They failed miserably, and so did the lawyers’ organizations.
Location:
The Florida Holocaust Museum
55 Fifth Street South,
St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
The program is free and open to the public, but seating is limited, and RSVP is required. To register, please visit www.TheFHM.org/events.
About The Florida Holocaust Museum
One of the largest Holocaust museums in the country, and one of three nationally accredited Holocaust museums, The Florida Holocaust Museum honors the memory of millions of men, women, and children who suffered or died in the Holocaust. The FHM is dedicated to teaching members of all races and cultures the inherent worth and dignity of human life in order to prevent future genocides. For additional information, please visit www.TheFHM.org