 |
|
 |
Hillel Unites Student Groups to Mark Holocaust
April 28, 2003Comments (0) | Add | E-mail this to a friend(Washington, D.C. – April 28, 2003) – Jewish students at Brooklyn College in New York are joining with the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Alliance and the Black Student Union to convert the Hillel building into a Holocaust memorial museum. The Brooklyn College program is just one example of a trend among Hillel activists to join with other student leaders to explore the significance of the Holocaust and the even wider lessons of tolerance.
Over 40 Hillels across North America will be engaging in innovative programs in the next week in connection with Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day (April 28-29).
The programs, funded in part by the Hillel Darmstaedter Holocaust Education Program, seek to expose the entire campus community to the lessons of the Holocaust. Hillels are co-sponsoring the events with such groups as fraternities and sororities, performing arts groups, Gospel choir groups, Armenian and Russian student groups, academic departments and student government.
"Nearly 60 years after the end of World War II, campus leaders are finding ways to create new and innovative programs to educate others about the Holocaust that are inclusive to the entire campus community," said Hillel Director of Jewish Student Life Andrea Hoffman. "The Holocaust remains a relevant issue today and serves as a positive tool to unite campuses on issues of tolerance."
Oberlin College Hillel will be teaming up with the queer, Latino, Asian-American and African-American student groups as well as several academic departments to show a screening of the film, "The White Rose," which depicts a group of German university students who encouraged passive resistance against the Third Reich. Oberlin Hillel will also sponsor a performance featuring music written during and about the Holocaust.
Through these programs, students are meeting with world-renowned lecturers specializing in the Holocaust and genocide. Ohio State University Hillel will be bringing Paul Reitter, a scholar of Germanic languages and literature, and Rwandan human rights activist Louise Mushikiwabo, to speak on "Recreating Life after Genocide: The Holocaust and Rwanda." Participants will include student government leaders, International Affairs Honors and Scholars, African-American students, and the Foreign Language department.
Hillel at the University of Oregon and Stanford University are bringing in Holocaust expert Deborah Lipstadt of Emory University to speak on Holocaust denial. Stanford University Hillel will also join the entire campus community in a Vigil of Tolerance and will hear from former Undersecretary of State Stuart Eizenstat, who helped negotiate reparations for survivors from Swiss banks.
The Hillel Darmstaedter Holocaust Education Program, made possible by the Frank and Claire Darmstaedter Estate through the UJA-Federation of New York, is part of an ongoing initiative to raise awareness of the Holocaust on college campuses.
The largest Jewish campus organization in the world, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, is committed to creatively empowering and engaging Jewish students through its network of over 500 campus Foundations, Program Centers and affiliates. Its long-standing dedication to building Jewish identity, while nurturing intellectual and spiritual growth in a pluralistic community, positions Hillel as a leader in building a stronger Jewish people and stronger Jewish future.
|
 |
|
 |