‘Timely Resistance to Injustice’ to examine myth of Holocaust bystander

“Untold Forgettable Holocaust Biographies & Stories throughout the Jewish Deaf Eyes” Casper College history instructor Tanis Lovercheck-Saunders will present a timely examination of the myth of the Holocaust bystander on Tuesday, Jan. 27, as part of Holocaust Remembrance Week.

“Timely Resistance to Injustice” will take place in the Goodstein Foundation Library in Room 215, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Goodstein Foundation Library is located on the Casper College campus.

In addition to Lovercheck-Saunders’ presentation, other activities during Holocaust Remembrance Week include “Untold Forgettable Holocaust Biographies and Stories Throughout the Jewish Deaf Eyes,” a presentation by Arkady Belozovsky on Friday, Jan. 30, at 1 p.m. in the Goodstein Foundation Library in Room 215.

“The Journey Back: A VR Experience” through the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center will run through Feb. 6. To learn more about this VR experience, where patrons can virtually walk through the experience of Holocaust survivors, contact Sarah Mailloux, Goodstein librarian, at 307-268-2137.

Not enough resistance
“Students often believe that no one resisted the Nazis. I tell them that this isn’t true,” Lovercheck-Saunders said. What is true, according to Lovercheck-Saunders, is that not enough people resisted at key points that may have derailed the Holocaust.

During her presentation, Lovercheck-Saunders will examine examples of public resistance that led the Nazis to change course, but only for a time. During that time, “… they made quiet changes to educational, cultural, social, and legal norms in Germany; changes that paid high dividends because the Holocaust wasn’t possible when the Nazis came to power in 1933,” she noted.

What if
What might have happened if the tens of thousands of people who resisted Nazi policy in the 1930s had been assisted by the hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, who wanted to resist but felt too alone, too helpless, and/or too afraid to help the victimized?

Sadly, and even if unintentionally, Lovercheck-Saunders will argue that these people helped the perpetrators through their inaction. “Make no mistake about it: There were no bystanders in the Holocaust. Inaction was tantamount to consenting to Nazi policy,” she stated.

Lovercheck-Saunders’ presentation is part of Holocaust Remembrance Week at Casper College. The week is sponsored by Casper College Connections, the Goodstein Foundation Library, and the Casper College History Department. The presentation is free and open to the public.
About the Speaker
Tanis Lovercheck-Saunders has served as the lead history faculty member at Casper College since 2009. She frequently consults with community groups and law enforcement on the history of the Holocaust and 21st-century extremist movements.
Event Summary
• What: “Timely Resistance to Injustice” public lecture
• Who: Tanis Lovercheck-Saunders, Ph.D., lead history faculty at Casper College
• When: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Casper College, Library Classroom 215
• Cost: Free admission