This April, join Lone Star College-CyFair in a month-long commemoration of the victims and events of the Holocaust in observance of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) which in 2010 falls on April 11.
“ ‘Yom HaShoah’ is the Hebrew phrase meaning ‘Day of (remembrance of) the Holocaust.’ On this day, we commemorate the 12 million innocent people (6 million Jews and 6 million others) whom the Nazis systematically murdered during World War II,” said Elise Sheppard, LSC-CyFair librarian and event coordinator. “The annual observance serves to remember the victims and to insure that this tragedy will never happen again. The commemorative activities at the Lone Star College-CyFair will help to preserve the memory of those who were killed, the legacy of the survivors and to teach us about the dangers of prejudice and hate.”
The library will house a virtual tour cd of Anne Frank’s house and various displays including “Artifacts from Concentration Camps” from the Holocaust Museum Houston; a Yom HaShoah poster series from the Bureau of Jewish Education, Jewish Federation of Houston, and the “Entartete Musik” display featuring the “Pyramid of Hate” and stories of various banned musicians as well as books and materials highlighting evils of prejudice, genocide and the Holocaust history.
The month also features several events starting Monday, April 12 with a dissertation presentation on Nazi criminals in the United States and a free “Legacy of Forbidden Music” concert. LSC-CyFair History Professor Dr. Christoph Schiessl’s will present “The Mare of Majdanek and Ivan the Terrible: Nazi Collaborators in the United States” at 12:30 p.m. in the Conference Center, room 151.
In a concert “to recover what was lost,” audiences will hear some classical music pieces rarely performed in the United States. Among the featured composers are Pavel Haas, who after 3 years in a concentration camp was murdered in Auschwitz in 1944, and Alexander Zemlinksy. A narration and media presentation will accompany the Houston Symphony quartet’s Monday performance at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Stage Theatre.
Hear Polish-born Holocaust survivor Walter Kase’s presentation “From Ashes to Life” at 11:30 a.m. Friday, April 16 in the Conference Center, room 152. Kase overcame the obstacles of ghettos, five concentration camps and the murder of his entire family except his mother. He’s dedicated his life to building a community where there is no place for hatred, but a need to respect others.
Attend a personal perspective with LSC-CyFair English Professors Matt Turner and Laura Taggett in their presentation “Experiencing Concentration Camps as Sites of History and Remembrance” from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 21 in the Technology Building, room 102.
Then LSC-CyFair’s Holly Williams to learn about Wladyslaw Szpilman, a gifted Jewish pianist who refused to acknowledge Hitler’s design on Polish Jewry, at the 7 p.m. film “The Pianist” and following discussion held in the Center for the Arts building, room 102.
Sponsoring this month-long commemoration are LSC-CyFair’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, History Department, Library, Student Activities and Windows on the World; the Holoccaust Museum Houston; the Houston Symphony quartet members and the Bureau of Jewish Education, Jewish Federation of Houston. All events are free and without any tickets or registration.
For information on any of the displays or events, contact Sheppard at elise.j.sheppard@lonestar.edu or 281.290.5248.