Remembering the Holocaust

A somber flute tune filled the otherwise silent events area Tuesday in the Cunningham Memorial Library.

Tuesday was Holocaust Remembrance Day, and a memorial service was held to honor the victims of the atrocious event.

"We wanted to find a solemn tune that would compliment the gathering," said Brook Steppe, a junior music major, who played the opening flute piece alongside fellow music major Sally Wallenstein.

Ann Rider, associate professor of German and women's studies, organized the memorial service with the help of her Critical Studies of Holocaust class.

Rider was in Jerusalem last summer and visited a Holocaust education center. This year she and her students wanted to honor the Jewish holiday Yom Hashoah with a memorial service.

However, the Holocaust wasn't the only focus of the memorial service.

"We wanted the remembrance to be more inclusive so we're mentioning events such as genocides in Darfur and Sudan," Rider said. "The ultimate goal is to help students understand and embrace the knowledge, then apply it to the present."

During the service six different candles were lit to represent the different groups of people who are discriminated against based on faith, political beliefs, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or taking a stand against injustice.

Following the candle lighting, several students alternated reading a short poem by Martin Niemöller, an anti-Nazi German pastor, each in a different language.

Ruth Garza, a senior anthropology and language studies major, read a Jewish prayer called Mourner's Kaddish in both Hebrew and English. Although she understands and values the importance of holocaust remembrance, she also stressed the importance of fixing the current situation in Darfur.

"When we think of the only one group, we diminish the cause as a whole," Garza said. "We can learn from the past, but if we place all of our focus on it, then we lose sight of the present."

Kiel Majewski, the coordinator of CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center, also attended the service.

Majewski explained that the museum's mission is to end genocide and remove hatred and prejudice from the world.

The museum held a remembrance service of its own, in which 11 candles were lit for each million lost during the holocaust. Then an extra candle was lit for Darfur.

Since April 10 the museum has also held the "Spring To Action" film series, and a screening of the film "Hotel Rwanda" will take place this Friday at 7 p.m.

"It is becoming more important to broaden the awareness about genocide in general," Majewski said.