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Oregon State University to observe Holocaust Memorial Week events April

Oregon State University to observe Holocaust Memorial Week events April  

By Michelle Klampe, 541-737-0784, michelle.klampe@oregonstate.edu

Contact: Paul Kopperman, 541-737-1265, pkopperman@oregonstate.edu

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Lucille Eichengreen, a Holocaust survivor who endured the Lodz Ghetto and the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, will speak at Oregon State University April 25 as part of the university’s annual Holocaust Memorial Week.

Eichengreen was born as Cecilia Landau in Hamburg, Germany, in 1925. Her father and sister were murdered in the concentration camps and her mother died of starvation in Lodz. After liberation, Lucille assisted the British in identifying and bringing to justice more than 40 people who had oppressed prisoners in the Nazi camps. Her work drew death threats and she later moved to the U.S.

Eichengreen has spoken widely of what she saw and experienced during the war and has been much honored for this educational work, particularly in Germany. Her memoir, “From Ashes to Life,” tells her story in detail.

The talk begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Austin Auditorium at the The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 S.W. 26th St., Corvallis. The event is free and open to the public but attendees are encouraged to obtain free tickets in advance to ensure a seat. Tickets are available online at: http://bit.ly/2nYJLoz. A book-signing will follow.

Holocaust Memorial Week is presented by the School of History, Philosophy and Religion in OSU’s College of Liberal Arts. All events are free and open to the public. The program will include a theme of genocide and a focus on human rights.

Other Holocaust Memorial Week events are:

  • Monday, April 24: A public talk Sarhang Hamasaeed, “The Wars in Iraq and Syria – National, Regional and Global Implications,” 7:30 p.m. in the Construction and Engineering Hall at The LaSells Stewart Center. Hamasaeed, director of Middle East Programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace, will examine the complexities of the wars in Iraq and Syria and discuss their implications for the region and the wider world.
  • Wednesday, April 26: Discussion, “Religious Prejudice on the Contemporary Scene: How Great is the Threat?,” at 7:30 p.m. in the Milam Auditorium. Hilary Bernstein, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, will discuss recent indicators regarding the level and intensity of anti-semitism, while Amarah Khan, associate director of global diversity initiatives at OSU, will speak to the issue of Islamophobia, both locally and more generally. Weather permitting, a candlelight vigil affirming religious and cultural understanding will follow in the MU Quad from 9:15 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Thursday, April 27: A public talk by Anne Kelly Knowles, “The Transformative Power of the Holocaust,” at 7:30 p.m. in the Construction and Engineering Hall at The LaSells Stewart Center. Knowles, a professor of history at the University of Maine, is among the foremost proponents of geographic information systems, a methodology that bridges geography and history. In her talk at OSU, Knowles will draw on survivor testimony and her extensive research on concentration camps and ghettos in order to explore “the power of confinement, relocation, forced labor, and the constant threat of violence to change the everyday worlds of Jews throughout Eastern Europe.” The talk is co-sponsored by the OSU College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.

About the OSU College of Liberal Arts: The College of Liberal Arts includes the fine and performing arts, humanities and social sciences, making it one of the largest and most diverse colleges at OSU. The college’s research and instructional faculty members contribute to the education of all university students and provide national and international leadership, creativity and scholarship in their academic disciplines.