H eadlines
‘Maus’ Creator Art Spiegelman Talks at Biennial
Gratz College Holocaust Teach-In
L OCA L
JESSE BERNSTEIN | JE STAFF
MORE THAN 400 students,
educators and community
members tuned in from around
the world on March 7 to attend a
Gratz College Zoom event with
cartoonist Art Spiegelman.

As part of the biennial Arnold
and Esther Tuzman Memorial
Holocaust Teach-In, Spiegelman,
creator of “Maus” and the first
cartoonist to ever win the
Pulitzer Prize, gave several talks
to different groups over the
course of the afternoon. For a few
hours, viewers heard from the
73 year-old Spiegelman on topics
like MAD magazine, American
cartooning, Donald Trump,
Zionism, Elie Wiesel, Charlie
Hebdo, “Maus” and more.

“Maus,” Spiegelman’s graphic
memoir for which he is best known,
is both the story of his father’s
experience of the Holocaust in
Poland and Spiegelman’s own
experience as the son of Holocaust
survivors. It is based on record-
ings that Spiegelman made of his
father’s testimony. The resulting
work, published serially between
1980 and 1991, won praise and
awards for Spiegelman from
across the globe.

“Maus” is well-suited to the
themes of the teach-in. The late
Arnold and Esther Tuzman, the
namesakes of the teach-in, were
both Holocaust survivors. Their
son, Marty Tuzman, and grand-
daughter, Kira Foley-Tuzman,
described the experience of
carrying on the legacy of their
forebearers for the teach-in
attendees, emphasizing the
Gary Weissman (top row, second from left) discusses the educational utility of “Maus.” Screenshot by Jesse Bernstein
responsibility that they feel to
honor their memory.

After leading VIP sponsors
on a tour of his at-home
studio, Spiegelman spoke to all
attendees for close to an hour.

Puffing on a blue-ringed
vape, Spiegelman said that he
tried to avoid talking about
“Maus” for many years, as
the same questions came up
repeatedly. He even wrote a
companion book, “MetaMaus,”
that sought to preempt many
of them. But the Trump presi-
dency, he said, compelled him
to be more vocal.

“I just got more and more
scared about the reality I was
in,” Spiegelman said, “because it
seemed to me that ... well, I never
Name: Erickson Retirement Communities
Width: 9.25 in
Depth: 5.5 in
Color: Black plus one
Comment: JE-ROP
Choose Senior Living at Ann’s Choice or Maris Grove.

Here are 3 reasons why...

When you put your trust in the area’s most popular senior living communities, you choose
a life of 1. financial stability, 2. care and connection, and 3. healthy peace of mind.

We’re managed by Erickson Living,® a national leader in senior living. You’re free to live
your life with confidence and ease.

14464172-JE Learn more today. Call 1-800-989-3958 or visit
SeniorLivingPA.com for your FREE brochure.

10 MARCH 11, 2021
JEWISH EXPONENT
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM