Dr. Herzog and Evan Zarkadas After the Presentation

     April 12 is designated as Holocaust Remembrance Day here in the United States. When the word “Holocaust” comes to our minds, we immediately think of the World War II atrocities against the minorities in Nazi Germany. The word Holocaust is associated with the terms Hitler, Jews, Concentration Camps, pain, misfortune and the most important “REMEMBER to Never Forget.”

     “Remember to Never Forget” was the title of the presentation the UMPI History Club gave on Thursday, April 12. In honor of those who perished, and in order to share awareness of the movement Never Forget, Dr. Tomasz Herzog from UMPI and Evan Zarkadas, a student and the president of the UMPI History Club, led a seminar on the Jewish Holocaust and the Greek Armenian Genocide of 1914. With them UMPI students Sarah Harris and Max Bushman gave a presentation on the how and why of the Genocide and why we should never forget.

     Once the presentation was over, members of the History Club guided the audience at the Campus Center “Democracy Wall” to answer the specially placed question, “Before I die, I Will….” This was a planned activity specific for this event, and the purpose was to both honor those who have already fallen, but also to re-humanize the dehumanized notion of those who perished. The event gave a chance for people to realize that Genocide and atrocities such as the Holocaust are not something far away and that they can happen at every circumstance and occasion, at any random place and time. That is the purpose of events such as these: to remember to never forget in order to prevent actions like these from happening again.

     A quote from the presentation said, “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out–Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out–Because I was not a Trade Unionists. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me–and there was no one left to speak for me.” That was a quote by Pastor Martin Niemoller, and it was strongly presented during the presentation. Adam Weyeneth, who was part of audience, said, “It was a good presentation, and it’s good to bring awareness to issues like these because we need to learn from our past and prevent these from happening again.”

     Let’s hope that the history club will continue its mission and bring more meaningful events such as these on campus.