The first volume of “To Tell Our Stories: Holocaust Survivors of Southern Arizona,” published in 2015 by Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS), is now available in a free e-book format on Smashwords.
A free e-book version of volume two, which was first published in 2018, will be available this spring. Additionally, the cost of both print volumes has been reduced and the print books and e-book are available for sale on Amazon. Proceeds from book sales support services for Holocaust survivors at JFCS.
“We are making free e-book versions available to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day and to make the book more accessible to students and teachers,” said Raisa Moroz, Program Manager for Services for Holocaust Survivors at JFCS.
In July 2021, Arizona House Bill 2241 became law. Known as the Holocaust Education Bill, it requires Arizona public schools to teach about the Holocaust and other genocides at least twice between 7th and 12th grades. The Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center now includes both volumes in the resources they offer to educators on their website, and on the website of the Arizona Department of Education.
“We started collecting stories many years ago because we knew it was important to preserve as many as possible while the Survivors were still alive. We also sponsored many readings across the community before Covid, but, of course, we don’t do that right now. I’m so glad that the impact of our collaborative work with survivors continues in new and safe ways,” said Moroz.
Together, the two volumes of “To Tell Our Stories: Holocaust Survivors of Southern Arizona” feature the autobiographical stories of 81 survivors. Beginning in 2014, the print editions and e-books were created by Tucson volunteer Richard Fenwick, who also translated many of the stories originally written in Russian to English.
For more information, please contact Raisa Moroz at 520-795-0300 ext. 2214 or rmoroz@jfcstucson.org.
