Every year our Elon community gathers to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust through the Reading of the Names and a Ceremony of Remembrance, to remind us all of the terrible deeds that can be carried out when bigotry, hatred, and indifference are regarded as normal. This year we are also welcoming local survivor, Dr. Zev Harel, in a special video presentation.

We invite you (and your classes, faculty members) to join us and participate in one or all of the events open to the wider Elon community.

I am the boy in the picture: Zev Harel, Live on Elon Hillel Facebook, Wednesday, April 7, 6:00 pm. Join us on Facebook to hear the gripping story of Holocaust survivor Zev Harel. Born in Hungary, Harel was sent to the famous concentration camp Auschwitz, and survived the selection process by claiming he was older than he truly was. He was then sent to Mauthausen in Austria and from there to the labor camp Ebensee, where he worked until liberation in May 6, 1945 by the US Third Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron. After the war, Harel joined the Palestine Jewish Brigade, and fought in Israel’s War of Independence. Tune in to hear his powerful story of survival.

Ceremony of Remembrance, Live on Elon Hillel Facebook, Thursday, April 8, 9:45 am. Join us virtually to mark Yom HaShoah or “Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and Heroism.” Every year we gather as a community to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and to remind us all of the terrible deeds that can be carried out when bigotry, hatred, and indifference are regarded as normal. Elon students, faculty and staff will share quotes and stories to remember the lives of those who died as a result of the racial purity measures in German-controlled Europe during World War II, to honor those who survived, and remind of their experiences during this dark time. (There are still opportunities to participate in the ceremony. 

Reading of the Names, the steps of the Moseley Center, Thursday, April 8, 10:30 am - 2:30 pm. Community members can sign up to read the names of those murdered in the Holocaust, helping ensure that their memories are never forgotten. This annual tradition emphasizes the depth of loss, and will be occurring in communities around the world on this day. We encourage members of the Elon community to participate in this act of remembrance by signing up online for a 15-minute time slot of reading from books of names of those who perished in the Shoah.

Sign up HERE to read. 

The Reading of the Names is an important way to memorialize the victims of the Shoah and occurs throughout the world on Holocaust Remembrance Day. The name of the ceremony derives from the poem, "Unto Every Person There is a Name, Bestowed on him by his Father and Mother," written by the poet Zelda (1914 – 1984), linked here (Zelda bio: here).

We hope to see many of you there. And please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have.