Nuremberg’s 80th Anniversary Marked by Chicago Family’s Archive

Pasler, founder of Descendants Media Group, spent over a decade transforming her father’s private collection of U.S. Army photographs, diaries, and documents into Courtroom 600. This digital repository now serves as a classroom curriculum for middle and high school students, aiming to shift the teaching of World War II from abstract textbook summaries to the visceral reality of legal accountability. Alongside Northwestern University historian Daniel Greene, Pasler will explore how these primary sources illustrate the link between Nazi racial ideology and the genocide that followed.

The project’s impact is expanding beyond local archives. With a new $25,000 grant, the organization plans to launch a National Educator Fellowship in early 2027 to scale its reach. Educators currently using the materials report high engagement, with workshops showing that students grasp the gravity of the Holocaust more clearly when examining the same evidence once presented by Nuremberg prosecutors. The upcoming event at The Newberry, held in Ruggles Hall, offers a rare look at these artifacts before they continue their journey into classrooms across the country.