Contact:
Kara Driscoll, Holocaust & Humanity Center, (513) 638-0508, [email protected]
Sarah Weiss, Holocaust & Humanity Center, (513) 487-3055, [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cincinnati to Commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day in New Ways
CINCINNATI (March 31, 2021) – For the second year due to the pandemic, the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center will partner with other community organizations to find new and safe ways to COMMEMORATE YOM HASHOAH, Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Yom HaShoah ordinarily takes place in person, often attended by hundreds of people from across the region, but unfortunately that is still not possible this year. In partnership with CET, the Mayerson JCC, and Jewish Family Service, HHC is honored to host a week of meaningful digital programs for the community.
“We are honored to work with CET, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and so many other community partners, to bring a meaningful, accessible week of commemorative programs to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust while honoring the survivors with us today,” said Sarah L. Weiss, CEO of the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center.
In order to reach as many community members as possible – including Holocaust survivors – the Holocaust & Humanity Center has partnered with CET TO OFFER A SPECIAL A 30-MINUTE BROADCAST that will air on Sunday, April 11, at 2:30 p.m. This commemoration will include stories of Holocaust survivors woven throughout as well as music, candle lighting, and moving prayers.
“The team at CET team has produced a meaningful and powerful broadcast that has the ability to touch hearts and minds while telling the story of local Holocaust survivors,” Weiss said.
The program will also begin streaming on YouTube, Facebook and the PBS Video App at 7 p.m. on April 7.
“CET is pleased to be able to partner with the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center to be able to bring Yom HaShoah: Remembering for Tomorrow – Carrying Our Stories Forward to audiences on-air and online,” said Kitty Lensman, CET President and CEO. “By producing this program and making it available across our platforms, we can honor the survivors and their families while promoting human rights, ethics, civic engagement and awareness.”
Other digital events and programs include:
- Wednesday, April 7, 11 a.m.: HOLOCAUST SPEAKER SERIES – Mark Heiman will tell the story of his family, originally from Demmelsdorf, a small farming community in Bavaria.
- Wednesday, April 7, 4 p.m.: MY STORY: ERIKA GOLD AND HELEN MARKS WITH SARAH WEISS – Holocaust survivors Erika Gold and Helen Marks have spent decades bravely telling their harrowing stories of survival to students and adults alike, reliving horrific and painful memories in order to share truths of human history with the next generation. Join Sarah Weiss, CEO of the Holocaust & Humanity Center, as she interviews these two women.
- Thursday, April 8, 4 p.m.: OHIO GOVERNOR’S HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION – Join us as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine hosts the 41st Annual Governor’s Holocaust Commemoration. The memorial event will provide an opportunity for reflection and remembrance, and speakers will include local Holocaust survivor Dr. Al Miller and Dr. Stephen Smith, Finci-Viterbi Executive Director of the USC Shoah Foundation.
- Sunday, April 11, 2:30 p.m.: CET YOM HASHOAH COMMEMORATION – Tune into Cincinnati’s local PBS station, CET, for this year’s Yom HaShoah commemoration to remember the six million victims of the Holocaust and honor the survivors. This moving commemoration will feature local survivors taking part in a candle lighting ceremony, a musical performance, and remarks from local leaders and community members.
- Monday, April 1: STUDENTS CARRYING STORIES FORWARD – Visit the Holocaust & Humanity Center Facebook page throughout the day on Monday, April 12th to see students carrying the stories of Holocaust survivors forward through monologue performances and sharing poems and essays.
- Tuesday, April 2, 7 p.m.: ANN MILLIN: CARRYING OUR STORY FORWARD – Join us to hear from featured speaker and historian Dr. Ann Millin, who will discuss her experience interviewing Holocaust survivors in Cincinnati and the importance of carrying these stories forward. Dr. Millin retired in 2018 from a twenty-year career at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and she has taught Jewish History, Judaic Studies, World Religions, and Holocaust studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Kentucky at Lexington.
- Wednesday, April 3, 11 a.m.: HOLOCAUST SPEAKER SERIES – Melissa Hunter will share her grandmother’s story. Melissa W. Hunter, author of What She Lost, is a writer and blogger from Cincinnati. She studied creative writing and journalism at the University of Cincinnati, receiving a BA in English literature and a minor in Judaic studies. Her novel What She Lost is inspired by her grandmother’s life as a Holocaust survivor.
- Other: In advance of the week of Yom Hashoah programs, we will be delivering commemorative packages to survivors living in the Tri-State area. Coming together at this time of year is important for the survivor community and so while we still can’t gather in person, it was important to let them know we’re thinking of them. The bags will include a memorial candle, plant seeds, messages from the community and more.
This week of events is brought to the community as the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center COMMEMORATES ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY AS AN ORGANIZATION. Within the past two decades, HHC has evolved from a small center founded by survivors and their family members to a leading organization and museum that brings the lessons of the Holocaust into the civic conversation in Cincinnati and nationwide.
# # #
ABOUT THE NANCY & DAVID WOLF HOLOCAUST & HUMANITY CENTER
The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center exists to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust inspire action today. Located at Cincinnati’s historic Union Terminal, HHC educates more than 200,000 community members through its educational initiatives, innovative programs, and partnerships. For more information, visit WWW.HOLOCAUSTANDHUMANITY.ORG.
