Michael Soffer in conversation with Joel Rubin on "Our Nazi"

Wed Nov 13 2024 at 06:00 pm to 07:30 pm UTC-06:00

Bookends & Beginnings | Evanston

Bookends & Beginnings
Publisher/HostBookends & Beginnings
Michael Soffer in conversation with Joel Rubin on "Our Nazi"
Advertisement
"Our Nazi: An American Suburb's Encounter With Evil" follows a Chicago suburb's response to a Nazi working and living in their midst.
About this Event

Reinhold Kulle seemed like the perfect school employee. But in 1982, his long-concealed secret came to light. The chief custodian at Oak Park and River Forest High School had been a guard at a brutal slave labor camp during World War II. In his debut book Our Nazi: An American Suburb's Encounter With Evil, Michael Soffer, former history teacher at OPRF, digs into his community’s tumultuous response to the Kulle affair.

Though Nazis loomed in the American consciousness as evil epitomized, in Oak Park—a Chicago suburb renowned for its liberalism—some rose to defend Reinhold Kulle. During his tenure at OPRF, Michael Soffer taught Holocaust studies in a classroom that the former Nazi camp guard used to clean. His book explores the uncomfortable truths of how and why onetime Nazis found allies in American communities after their gruesome pasts were uncovered. For this event, he will be in conversation with Joel Rubin, a longtime leader in the field of social work and a member of the board of the Chicago Jewish Historical Center.

Michael Soffer is a history teacher at Lake Forest High School. His writing has appeared in publications such as the Forward, Chicago Jewish History, and the Times of Israel. This is his first book.

Joel L. Rubin has served as the Executive Director of the Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers for 25 years. A graduate of the Wexner Heritage Fellow Leadership Program, Rubin is also an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work. He serves on the State of Illinois’s Behavioral Healthcare Workforce Advisory Committee, the board of the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership, the City of Chicago’s Council on Mental Health Equity, and the Network for Social Work Management.

Advertisement

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Bookends & Beginnings, 1620 Orrington Avenue, Evanston, United States

Tickets

USD 0.00

Sharing is Caring:

More Events in Evanston

Full Moon Indoor Drum Jam
Fri Nov 15 2024 at 07:00 pm Full Moon Indoor Drum Jam

6970 N. Sheridan Rd Ste D, Chicago, IL

Northwestern Wildcats vs. Eastern Illinois Panthers
Fri Nov 15 2024 at 07:00 pm Northwestern Wildcats vs. Eastern Illinois Panthers

Welsh Ryan Arena

Wonder:Found
Fri Nov 15 2024 at 07:30 pm Wonder:Found

1934 Dempster St, Evanston, IL, United States, Illinois 60202

Antigone
Fri Nov 15 2024 at 07:30 pm Antigone

30 Arts Circle Dr, Evanston, IL, United States, Illinois 60208

KW3 - Third Fridays Residency at the Lighthouse
Fri Nov 15 2024 at 08:00 pm KW3 - Third Fridays Residency at the Lighthouse

Lighthouse Tavern

Town Mountain with Special Guest John R Miller
Fri Nov 15 2024 at 08:00 pm Town Mountain with Special Guest John R Miller

SPACE

Jackie Mack & More Home Selling Seminar
Sat Nov 16 2024 at 10:00 am Jackie Mack & More Home Selling Seminar

2934 Central St

Veteran Family Fall Art Workshop
Sat Nov 16 2024 at 10:00 am Veteran Family Fall Art Workshop

Vet Center

Hanging Pictures, Shelves and More
Sat Nov 16 2024 at 10:30 am Hanging Pictures, Shelves and More

1245 Hartrey Avenue, Evanston, IL, United States, Illinois 60202

Hanging Pictures, Shelves and More! EVANSTON
Sat Nov 16 2024 at 10:30 am Hanging Pictures, Shelves and More! EVANSTON

1245 Hartrey Avenue,Evanston,60202,US

Make It Take It: Serving Tray - Thanksgiving Edition
Sat Nov 16 2024 at 10:30 am Make It Take It: Serving Tray - Thanksgiving Edition

1245 Hartrey Avenue,Evanston,60202,US

2024 Eyeworks Experimental Animation Series - Program 1
Sat Nov 16 2024 at 12:00 pm 2024 Eyeworks Experimental Animation Series - Program 1

Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University

Evanston is Happening!

Never miss your favorite happenings again!

Explore Evanston Events