King's and NSCC to host Holocaust Remembrance

Holocaust survivors speak to students and general public to commemorate genocide

Students feel strongly about commemorating the Holocaust. The Atlantic Jewish Council collaborates with academic institutions for Holocaust education and remembrance. (Photo courtesy: Flickr/slgckgc)

For Karis Tees, it's a no-brainer. The Holocaust should "absolutely" be remembered every year, says the Foundation Year student at the University of King's College.

"It needs to be remembered in a way that reflects its horrible impact," she says.

The University of King's College and Nova Scotia Community College are hosting events in partnership with the Atlantic Jewish Council (AJC) on Thursday and Friday to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. At both events, Holocaust survivors will share their experiences.

"First-hand perspectives and first-hand stories from something that terrible really enlightens people of our generation," says Braeden Jones, a second-year bachelor of journalism student at King's. "It doesn't go away from our history ... It's something we need to keep remembering."

About 15 Holocaust survivors currently live in Halifax, according to Edna LeVine, director of community engagement at the AJC. "We don't only remember the victims. We also [show support to] the people whose lives have totally changed forever as a result of the Holocaust," she says.

"We have to look at our own lives and the world around us. [We should think about] all the genocides that have happened since the Holocaust and are presently happening," said LeVine. She added that people should "take their time to reflect on the past and look at our own community."

An ongoing collaboration

It's not the first time the AJC and King's have worked together on the topic. A series of events and workshops takes place at King's during Holocaust education week in the fall, around Kristallnacht.

Kristallnacht, or the night of broken glass, took place Nov. 9-10, 1938, in Germany and Austria. German soldiers and Nazi supporters attacked and damaged or destroyed more than 1,000 synagogues and over 7,000 Jewish homes, hospitals and businesses. More than 90 Jews were murdered and roughly 30,000 Jews were taken to concentration camps.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp in January 1945, says Dorota Glowacka, professor of humanities at King's.

She adds that commemorating the Holocaust at King's or NSCC isn't just for Jewish students in Halifax. Anyone is welcome to attend the event. "One of the purposes of having the event at King's is to open up the door to the general public ... to have a cross section of different audiences," says Glowacka.

Education is the key

The Atlantic Jewish Council has collaborated with universities before to organize a program for International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In 2009, it was held at Dalhousie University and in 2010 at NSCC.

Rabbi Ari Isenberg, spiritual leader of the Shaar Shalom Congregation on Oxford Street, says other genocides in recent history have proven that the world hasn't fully internalized the lessons of the Jewish Holocaust.

"Until we understand how [the Holocaust] could have happened, we will be unable to prevent another genocide from occurring ... Every academic institution should, with fervor, promote International Holocaust Remembrance Day on campus," he says.

Isenberg is glad academic institutions in Halifax are hosting the event, because "Judaism places a very high moral imperative on the value of education ... The Nazi's, unfortunately, understood how significant learning is in our tradition and worked to destroy it by burning books and destroying our sacred texts."

On Jan. 26 at 7 p.m., the AJC and King's will present a program in the KTS Red Room in the New Academic Building, including testimonies from local Holocaust survivors and a poet:

• David Korn with excerpts from his story recorded by Sir Martin Gilbert: The Righteous
• Natan Nevo with excerpts from his autobiography Natan Nevo
• Philip Riteman with excerpts from his memoirs Millions of Souls
• Michael Falk, Why it is so difficult for the survivors to speak
• Poetry by Jacquie Buncel, author of Turning the corner at dusk

On Jan. 27 at 10:30 a.m., the AJC and NSCC's Adult Learning Program hold an event at NSCC's Akerley Campus gymnasium in Dartmouth. Amongst others, Philip Riteman, Colonel David Henley and Jacquie Buncel will be speaking.

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