The week begins on Sunday, March 30 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., when URI Hillel students plant a “Field of Flags” on the walkway from the Multicultural Center to the Carothers Library in memory of the victims of the Nazi Holocaust. In fact, nearly 2,400 small colored flags will be placed in the ground, each representing 5,000 of the 11 million victims of the Holocaust. The flags will remain until Friday, April 4. This tradition started in 2006.
In addition to the Field of Flags, a series of related events will be held including: a talk by U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Education Director JoAnna Wasserman about the “Power of Nazi Propaganda”; a Public Holocaust Memorial Vigil with President David M. Dooley, Vice President Naomi Thompson and many others; showing of Numbered, a 2012 Israeli documentary; and closing the busy week with a Shabbat Service and dinner with a survivor of the Holocaust. Below are details about all of the events:
- Monday, March 31 at 4 p.m.
“Reflecting on History to Inspire Critical Thinking Today,” in the Galanti Lounge URI Library.
JoAnna Wasserman, director of education, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C. will discuss the museum’s special exhibition, State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda. Wasserman’s talk is co-sponsored by the Harrington School of Communication and Media. - Tuesday, April 1 at 12:15 p.m.
Public Commemoration: Holocaust Memorial Vigil in front of the Multicultural Center (or inside in case of bad weather)
URI President David M. Dooley and URI Vice President for Community Equity and Diversity Naomi Thompson and several others will speak as part of this community gathering. - Tuesday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Film and Discussion: Numbered, Swan Hall Auditorium
This 2012 Israeli documentary is the emotional story of Auschwitz survivors who were tattooed by the Nazis with serial numbers and the meaning those tattoos took on in the years following the war. Co-sponsored by the Harrington School of Communication and Media and the Film/Media Program - Wednesday, April 2 at 7 p.m.
Kiddush Cup Making and Inspiring Holocaust Stories, Norman M. Fain Hillel Center.
Students are invited to make and decorate Kiddush (wine) cups while hearing stories about how Jews were able to preserve rituals during the Holocaust. - Thursday, April 3, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
“Breakup or Makeup: Peacemaking in a Post Holocaust World,” Room 360, Memorial Union.
This workshop led by Dr. Paul Bueno DeMesquita and Tupten Tendhar of the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies will help students to understand and manage conflict to make their lives and the world a better place. - Friday, April 4 at 2:30 to 3 p.m., Removal of Flags
- Friday, April 4 at 5:30 p.m.
Shabbat Service and dinner with Rhode Island Holocaust Survivor at the Norman M. Fain Hillel Center.
A student-led Shabbat service with local Survivor Ruth Oppenheimer from Barrington, R.I. - All Week – Exhibit: Holocaust at the Norman M. Fain Hillel Center.
Using materials from the Holocaust Education and Resource Center of Rhode Island, the URI Library, and the United States Holocaust Museum, students will set up an exhibit of posters, artifacts, documents, photos, and books about the Holocaust that will be on display in the Hillel lounge throughout the week for the campus community to view.