The Jewish Federation Connecting with Community program presents "The Liberation of Auschwitz 1945" with Hugh Black. The liberation of Auschwitz occurred 75 years ago on January 27, 1945, when soldiers of the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front opened the gates of Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

The prisoners greeted them as authentic liberators.  It was a paradox of history that soldiers formally representing Stalinist totalitarianism brought freedom to the prisoners of Nazi totalitarianism.  Hugh Black will discuss this from a literary perspective.  Among the authors and books will be Primo Levy's Survival at Auschwitz, Antonio Hurbe's The Liberation of Auschwitz, Andrea Pitzer's One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps and Yisrael Gutman's The Anatomy of the Auschwitz Deathcamp.

Discussion will also include topical concerns of today.

This free program is part of the Federation’s Connecting With Community Series and will be followed by a kosher hot lunch. Lunch is a $2 suggested donation for adults over 60 years of age or $7 for all others. Advance reservations are required for lunch and can be made by calling (413) 442-2200 before 9 a.m. on the day of the program.