An homage to one of the darkest chapters in human history comes to the Central Methodist University campus in Fayette during its “Day of Remembrance” on Tuesday, April 25.
The program begins at noon in Linn Memorial Church at CMU. The public is encouraged to attend, and there is no admission fee.
The event is part of a nationwide effort to honor those affected by the Holocaust and Nazi persecution during World War II. Displays, living history, speakers, music and dance all comprise a portion of the program. Video clips, candle lighting, survivor stories and more also are included.
The Holocaust was the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Though people of Jewish faith were the primary victims, Gypsies, people with mental and physical disabilities, and others were also targeted for destruction or decimation for racial, ethnic, or national reasons. Upwards of 11 million victims are believed to have died in the Holocaust.
Among the speakers are Mike Schmid, Director of the March of Remembrance - Kansas City, and Kerstin Haack of Kansas City, whose grandfather was a Nazi. The Kansas City-area dance company Dramatic Truth will perform, and the CMU Chorale will sing “Avinu Malkeinu,” an ancient Jewish prayer typically recited during Jewish services and that has been put to music.
Earlier that morning (Tuesday April 25) at 10 a.m. in Linn Memorial, during CMU weekly chapel services, Rabbi Shmuel Wolkenfeld of Overland Park, Kan. will be the featured speaker. The public is welcome to participate. Rabbi Yossi Feintuch of Columbia will participate in a question and answer session in Linn Memorial that morning, too.
On Monday, April 24 a special Remembrance Day program is being offered to area school children.
CMU’s Day of Remembrance coincides with the nation’s annual commemoration of the Holocaust, established by Congress and led by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Through this Day of Remembrance event, CMU seeks both to commemorate this tragic history and to reflect on the vital lessons it holds today. For more information contact Catherine Shanahan at cshanahan@centralmethodist.edu or 660-248-6221.
