UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #876

Research Mentor Information
---------------------------
Primary Research Mentor Name: Nathan Stoltzfus
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns: He/Him/His
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific?: Dr.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): nstoltzfus@fsu.edu
Position Title: Faculty
FSU College (if applicable): Arts and Sciences
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation: History
Headshot (optional): {Empty}

Additional Research Mentor(s)
-----------------------------
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above): Liam Wirsansky
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns: He/Him/His
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?: Mr.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): ljw16d@fsu.edu
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable): George Williamson
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns: He/Him/His
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?: Dr.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): gwilliamson@fsu.edu

Overall Project Details
-----------------------
Title of the Project: Building an Association of Rescuers to Honor Civil Courage in Hitler’s Germany
Project Keywords: History, Holocaust, Women, Jewish, Intermarriage
Are you currently looking for research assistants?: Yes
Number of Research Assistants Needed : 4
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s):
Open to all majors

Project Location:: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?: No, the project is remote
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s):: Fully Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work?: 7
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work?: Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Overall Research Project Description:
Imagine standing up against an oppressive regime, not with weapons, but with sheer courage and conviction. This project is all about celebrating those who dared to defy Hitler’s Germany in the most profound way—through acts of civil and humanitarian courage.
At the heart of this research lies the story of the Rosenstrasse Protest, where the non-Jewish partners of German Jews refused to divorce their loved ones despite immense pressure from the Nazi regime, propaganda, and even their own families. These brave individuals showed the world that everyday civilians could make an extraordinary difference simply by choosing to live according to their conscience.
Our mission, through the Rosenstrasse Foundation, is to shift the focus from the perpetrators of evil to the heroes of defiance. We aim to honor and amplify the voices of those who risked everything to save lives, especially the women whose courageous acts of defiance in Nazi Germany serve as timeless inspirations. By joining this project, you'll help to document and preserve these remarkable stories, build a network of descendants, and contribute to an archive that ensures these acts of bravery are never forgotten.
As a research assistant, you will not only dive into the incredible history of resistance during the Holocaust but also play a key role in building an association that connects descendants and relatives of those who participated in the Rosenstrasse Protest. You will work on gathering personal narratives, translating important German and French documents, and developing an archive that brings these powerful stories to light.
This project is more than just research—it's a chance to honor the past and empower the present by reminding the world of the incredible impact that ordinary people can have when they choose to stand up for what's right.

Research Tasks:
Student researchers help support the foundation through their contributions, with the UROP objectives including the facilitation of the maintenance of a webpage for each family of descendants and relatives of those who experienced the Rosenstrasse Protest, or the rescue of a German Jew through intermarriage. Relatives and descendants will be engaged to build their family pages, using photos, stories, documents that relate their experiences. 

Student tasks include any or all of the following, depending upon student interests:

Identify survivors and descendants and help them establish a family webpage of stories, photos, documents.
Locate organizations, persons, or media commemorating Rosenstrasse, civil courage, and intermarriage.
Maintain and develop/design the Rosenstrasse Foundation website in all aspects.
Genealogical research to identify persons who are descended from German intermarriages who wish to document their family history on the foundation website; contact organizations for the same purpose.
Identify and announce relevant events, link articles and archives, write or edit Wikipedia articles on related topics such as intermarriages in Nazi Germany and the survival of German Jews in intermarriages.
Write articles to publish or broadcast in outlets identified by the Foundation and supported with ideas for stories from it.
Identify the ways that Germans have responded to the request from the Schroeder-Fischer government (1998-2005) to honor acts of civic courage (Zivilcourage) to build civil society, and how we could initiate forms of honoring of the Rosenstrasse Protesters.

We are thrilled that our student research assistants are the ones conducting the research and doing the related work that supports these goals!

Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
Some knowledge of web design and/or German welcomed but not required.

Mentoring Philosophy:
UROP researchers will participate in weekly meetings with Liam Wirsansky (FSU, BA, M.S., & FSU Director of Research and Development of the Rosenstrasse Foundation) who will supervise and facilitate coordinating the research and developing the needed skills and historical context for students to be successful alongside the direction of Dr. George Williamson and other student assistants that already work with the foundation.

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable):: Rosenstrassefoundation.org
Please add any additional information here (if applicable)::
{Empty}


Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable?: Yes
Roundtable times and Zoom links:
Wednesday, September 4th from 5-5:30pm and 5:30-6pm.

https://us05web.zoom.us/j/9089375618?pwd=S0IxYWQ4MkFIalhaSWcvT3lXcUlydz09

Roundtable Info:
{Empty}

UROP Program Elements
---------------------
Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication: Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation: Yes
Materials Grant: Yes
UROP Poster Presentation: Yes

{Empty}
Year: 2024
update url: https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=QUjj4n0I-oZenF64R61S7HxejyRnGxAOUuyc3Th3w8w