Philip L. and Ellen V. Glass Holocaust Commemorative Series | Yom HaShoah Commemoration: The Unfinished History of Nazi Plunder 

Join us for a screening of Plunderer – The Life & times of a Nazi Art Thief followed by an exclusive Q&A with featured historian Jonathan Petropoulos. 

Between 1933 and 1945, the Nazis stole one-fifth of all artwork in occupied Europe, the vast majority seized from Jewish families in a campaign of cultural annihilation. But the theft did not end with the war. 

Plunderer tells the story of Bruno Lohse, an ambitious young dealer who rose from obscurity to become Hermann Göring’s personal art collector in occupied Paris, orchestrating looting on an industrial scale. After a brief prison sentence, Lohse returned to Munich and quietly resumed his career, trading in stolen masterpieces for decades. He cultivated relationships with curators at America’s most prestigious museums, becoming an invisible hand in an art market built upon wartime tragedy. 

The highlight of the afternoon will be an in-depth post-film discussion with Jonathan Petropoulos, the renowned historian who spent five years unravelling Lohse’s web of complicity. This is a rare opportunity to engage directly with the man who brought these secrets to light and to discuss the ongoing fight for restitution. 

This poignant afternoon will also include a candle-lighting ceremony featuring Survivors and descendants of Survivors, and memorial prayers. 

Free to Attend. Registration required. 

A shuttle service we will be available for guests. A shuttle will run between the Metra Parking Lot (724 Green Bay Road, Glencoe) and Am Shalom (840 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe) from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM.

Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center is a partner with the Jewish United Fund in serving our community.