Event Details

Nebraska History Museum – New Exhibit – The True Wartime Escape

Nebraska History Museum – New Exhibit – The True Wartime Escape

New exhibit opening February 6th at the Nebraska History Museum.

Most of us are familiar with the stories of Curious George. But why did so many people feel that the story of his creators should be told in a book and an exhibition? The True Wartime Escape: Margret and H.A. Rey’s Journey from France is more than just a tribute to the tale of a rousing escape from wartime Europe. The exhibition celebrates a timeless story of survival and reminds us of the power of the human spirit and creativity.

Following the German occupation of France in 1940, Jews were subject to exclusion from public life, forced to wear the yellow star badge, and experienced other unimaginable forms of persecution.

The Reys’ work was not the only creative voice to survive the darkness of this time. Some voices, like that of the diarist Anne Frank, still speak to us even though their creators did not survive. The True Wartime Escape reminds us of the human dimension found in the most inhuman of events. The story of the Reys is reminiscent of other voices that survived or were silenced by the global events of the 1940s.

This exhibit is a traveling exhibit from the Institute for Holocaust Education in Omaha, NE, and is on display in tandem with the Portraits of Survival exhibit.

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The Nebraska State Historical Society was founded in 1878 by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed NSHS from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director Cindy Drake. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for NSHS.

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