Jehovah’s Witnesses: Faith Under Fire  - October 22-December 22

The Virginia Holocaust Museum hosts a traveling exhibition “Jehovah’s Witnesses: Faith Under Fire.” As part of the museum’s mission to teach “tolerance through education,” the exhibit showcases the relatively unknown story of suffering and hardships endured by Jehovah’s Witnesses in Nazi Germany.  The exhibition, created by the Arnold-Liebster Foundation, will be presented from October 22 through December 22, 2007 in the Holocaust Gallery at the Museum.

Although the sufferings of Jews and other groups are widely recognized and documented, the unique situation Jehovah’s Witnesses faced is little known.  Next month’s traveling exhibition will shed light on how this relatively small group was quickly thrust into the political firestorm of Nazi terror, where through their unrelenting propaganda and pressure, male and female Witnesses, young and old, had to make a firm stand for their beliefs, often times facing severe reprisals and threat of death. 

The Witnesses’ story is one of immeasurable faith and courage, especially since they always had before them the opportunity to seek relief by signing a declaration to recant their faith and give their allegiance to Hitler.   Because they refused to abandon their belief in nonviolence and racial equality, they were targeted for persecution and execution.  They showed that it was possible to stand up against Nazi terror, even though they were a minority. Thus their story can inspire people today to stand up against hatred and violence no matter what others do, or fail to do. 

According to a statement by the Foundation, “In an age where the word ‘genocide’ still remains a part of our vocabulary, this exhibition will demonstrate the power and extraordinary acts a small group of ‘ordinary’ people can display by standing firm for life-affirming values, no matter what the consequences.”  

“The resolve and quiet dignity of Jehovah’s Witnesses during this period showed how individuals could make a difference.  In the end, they proved victorious over the Nazi machine despite the fact that no escape seemed possible."

The Arnold-Liebster Foundation, based in Karben, Germany, was begun in 2002 and is dedicated to the history and story of Jehovah’s Witnesses during World War II who also suffered intense persecution and reprisals by the Nazis because of their religious stand.  The foundation fosters understanding and education worldwide of the experience of Jehovah’s Witnesses during that time and highlights how their strong faith helped them to endure, even though they had the ability to seek relief by signing a declaration recanting their beliefs.  For more information see www.alst.org.