SAINT LOUIS, MO (KMOX) - Nearly 100 years ago, members of the St. Louis community had to decide if they would buy in to Nazi ideology. A new exhibition opening at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum explores how people in this region chose either to support or resist extremism. "I think people are very surprised," explains Amy Moorman, Director of Archives & Collections, "this is a topic that people mostly associated with Europe and they don't realize is very close to home here in St. Louis."
Moorman says in the midst of the Great Depression the Nazi party platform had appeal to some people with a focus on social welfare and nationalism. How did the Nazi message spread from Europe to the US? "The Nazis were very prolific in their propaganda," says Moorman. "They actually were sending people over here, specifically students at the University of Missouri. There were exchange students who came over and were here specifically to spread the message." She adds the German consulate in Missouri was also working to spread Nazi ideology.
The exhibition “Nazis Next Door: St. Louis Faces Nazism in the 1930s” runs June 12, 2026 – January 31, 2027 at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.
@2026 Audacy St. Louis. All rights reserved.
