While COVID-19 has rendered world events virtual, communities persevere and continue to unite around what is important. An event held since 1988 will also become virtual with the hope that even more people worldwide will participate.
Holocaust Remembrance Day and the International March of the Living Ceremony, which has annually brought to Auschwitz-Birkenau more than 260,000 students, Holocaust survivors, educators, and leaders from around the globe, will take place as a broadcast on Tuesday, April 21 at 7 p.m.
The Patton College of Education’s Dean Renèe A. Middleton will participate in the program. Middleton attended the April 2019 March of the Living and participated in a study tour of Poland and the Holocaust. Her experience inspired her to be a more active proponent of Holocaust and tolerance education. Her opinion pieces have appeared in various media outlets, including Education Week, Columbus Dispatch, and Athens Messenger.
“This experience reminded me just how far hate can go if left unchecked,” said Middleton. “And it reinforced the meaning of the Jewish rallying cry ‘Never again.’ The Jewish people did not mean ‘never again’ for only people of Jewish faith; they meant ‘never again’ for all humans. The passage of time can remove us from historical anomalies and make harrowing events seem faraway and foreign. These moments, however, must remain vivid and meaningful for future generations.”
Other program participants include:
Closing remarks will be made by Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, currently President of the International March of the Living following the completion of her five-year term as a George W. Bush Presidential Appointee to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.
Musical performances and a memorial prayer will also take place.
The program will be broadcast on the Jewish Broadcasting Service at jbstv.org. The broadcast will be repeated and will be archived so it will be available on demand.
