Hattiesburg library's Holocaust exhibit is a reminder of dark past, concerns for future
Hattiesburg native David Shemper knows firsthand the dangers of the nationwide rise in hate crimes. He held up an envelope from a letter dated Oct....
Hattiesburg native David Shemper knows firsthand the dangers of the nationwide rise in hate crimes. He held up an envelope from a letter dated Oct. 19, 1938, addressed to his great-grandfather Jacob Rosenthal, from his great-uncle Herman Rosenthal, who lived in what is now Gdańsk, Poland. Formerly called the Free City of Danzig, it is also where the first shots of World War II were fired less than a year later. "In the moment, my family, like so many Jews who faced state-sponsored oppression and terror for decades in that part of the world could not imagine the Nazi genocide that would seal their fates," Shemper said.