New Judaica Library Exhibition in Smathers Gallery
Animating Hope: Izaak and Bertie Cohen’s Puppet Theater
During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Izaak (Ike) and Bertha (Bertie) Cohen hid in Rotterdam. Concealed in the upstairs apartment of Nico Dane and Gien Dane-Verkouter, the couple were often forced to hide in a narrow closet behind a staircase. In this confined space and under these dangerous conditions, the Cohens created a puppet theater. Ike carved the wooden hand puppets while Bertie sewed costumes and painted the figures’ faces. Inspired by classic fairy tales, they used the puppets to stage clandestine performances for local children. Their identities remained a secret, and their presence obscured. These performances transformed an environment of fear into one of hope.
The new exhibit, Animating Hope: Izaak and Bertie Cohen’s Puppet Theater was curated by Rebecca J.W. Jefferson (Curator of the Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica, Smathers Libraries) and designed by Katiana Bagué (Exhibits Associate, Smathers Libraries) and Lourdes Santamaría-Wheeler (Exhibits Director, Smathers Libraries). Along with nine of the Cohen’s handmade puppets, the exhibit features their personal papers and ephemera both during and after the war. The items on view provide historical context and underscore how perilous life was for Dutch Jews during this period. The exhibit also highlights the challenges survivors faced after World War II. Animating Hope is in the Smathers Library Gallery from February 9, 2026 – May 8, 2026. All items are from the Izaak and Bertie Cohen Papers, Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica, Special & Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida. They were donated by Tommy and Yvonne Cohen, Izaak and Bertie’s children, in 2024. A complementary online exhibit will launch later this year.
The Smathers Library Gallery is located on the second floor of the Smathers Library on the University of Florida campus. Hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., unless otherwise specified and with occasional exceptions for maintenance. All exhibitions are open to the public and free of charge.
The Price Library’s Passover Haggadahs were featured in an article written for The Conversation
“From sumptuous engravings to stick-figure sketches, Passover Haggadahs − and their art − have been evolving for centuries …”
“Light the Fire Within”: the Story of the Price Library’s Olympic Torch
The Olympic Torch in the Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica is a symbol of resilience. The torch is from the Salt Lake City games of 2002, and it was carried by the Floridian hotelier, Henri Landwirth (1927-2018). Henri was selected to be a torch bearer in recognition of his great philanthropy, which included founding Give Kids the World Village.
But Henri wasn’t always an affluent benefactor; rather, his story is one of great suffering and triumph over adversity. Born to a Jewish family in Antwerp, Belgium, Henri spent his teenage years (age 13 to 18) in five Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz. He managed to survive the death marches only due to a Nazi soldier’s last-minute decision not to shoot him. Henri’s parents were murdered in the camps, and only his twin sister, Margot, survived. After the war, he made his way to America where he and his sister were later reunited. Thanks to his service in the Korean War, Henri was able to take advantage of the GI Bill to study hotel management. By 1954, he was managing a motel along the Space Coast in Florida and hosting the original Mercury 7 astronauts. Henri formed fast friendships with all of the astronauts, including the late Senator John Glenn. By the end of his career, Henri had become a highly successful businessman, owning several hotels in Central Florida.
Nevertheless, Henri never forgot his youthful promise to help others. To this end, he built the Fanny Landwirth Foundation, which he named for his mother. The mission of the Foundation was to “enrich, educate and empower underserved children and families.” So impactful was Henri’s giving that he was awarded many honors, including his participation in the Olympics.
Even more extraordinary, Olympic torch relays were first inaugurated by the Nazis in the Berlin games of 1936. Thus, not only did bearing this torch represent a personal triumph for Henri Landwirth, it also embodied the true symbolism of carrying the Olympic flame: returning light, unity, peace and hope to the world.
The torch, part of the library’s Henri Landwirth Collection is kept in the Judaica Suite: it is one of our visitors’ favorite objects and the subject of many selfies!