Jewish History Matters

This episode, we are hosting a roundtable discussion with Victoria Aarons, Jenny Caplan, and Jodi Eichler-Levine about Art Spiegelman's graphic novel Maus, and the recent controversy from January 2022 when a school board in Tennessee banned its teaching. This is a timely topic that ties together the history of Holocaust memory, Holocaust literature (including children's Holocaust literature), education, and broad social and cultural issues of the present. Listen in as we dive into why Maus is such an important, even landmark work in Holocaust literature, what happened with this attempt to ban Maus, and what it tells us about ongoing debates about what is taught in schools and universities. Topics, books, and relevant articles discussed today include: Maus and Maus II, by Art SpiegalmanJenny Caplan, "You Can't Just Swap Out 'Maus' For Another Holocaust Book. It's Special." (JTA, Jan. 31, 2022)Minutes of the McMinn County, Tennessee, school board meeting where Maus was banned (Jan. 10, 2022) Our t