Bluefield College
Thursday, August 28, 2008
 |
Campus News BC Involves Students and Community in Month-long Retrospective of the Holocaust (April 18, 2008) Bluefield College involved its students, faculty and staff, other scholars and the community at-large in a powerful and serious look back at one of the most significant events in world history -- the Holocaust -- during a month-long symposium in April.
Through "The Holocaust: A 21st Century Retrospective," a symposium of lectures, music, theatre, photography, exhibits and travel, the college not only increased the community's awareness of the injustices of that era, but also challenged its students and the public to be a voice for peace and reconciliation.
Learned scholars of the Holocaust presented lectures and facilitated discussions; survivors shared their experiences of torture and refuge; select music and drama ensembles offered a voice for those who faced the suffering; and historians and war veterans displayed exhibits and photographs that further told the story of the Holocaust. The Symposium -- designed by Bluefield College faculty through the combination of the school's creative and academic resources to help students and local residents better understand the factors leading to the Holocaust and the stories of those who witnessed and experienced its horrors -- began with a two-day lecture series, April 1-2, featuring Holocaust scholar, Dr. Daniel E. Goodman, chair of New Testament Interpretation at Gardner-Webb University's School of Divinity, who spoke about the importance of Jewish-Christian dialogue. "I want to learn from Jews and Judaism," he said, "in order to better understand and appreciate my own Christian faith. If we could all join in the work of exploring Jewish-Christian relations, the kingdom of God would be better for it." Dr. Goodman said that in order to be "authentically Christian," Christians must fully understand not only their own faith, but also their Jewish roots. Making the connection to those roots, he added, begins with humility. "If you think that Jews and Judaism have nothing to offer, then Jewish-Christian dialogue is not for you," Dr. Goodman said. "You must humble yourself to the point that you believe that Jews have something to teach you." In a separate two-day lecture series, April 10-11, Dr. Gary P. Zola, director of the Center of American Jewish Archives, spoke about "Combating Nazism: American Jewry and the Holocaust." Dr. Zola, an associate professor of the American Jewish Experience at Hebrew Union College, shared his vast research and expertise in American Jewish history, including the religious, organizational, economic, cultural, personal, social and family life of American Jewry. His second session for the Symposium actually took place at the Ahavath Sholom Synagogue in Bluefield, West Virginia, where he not only spoke about "Profiles in American Jewish Courage," but also helped lead that evening's synagogue service. Holocaust survivor Daniel Kereth shared firsthand accounts of the torture and the rescues during a Symposium session on April 14. A Jew from Vienna, Austria, Kereth spoke about his own escape to Hungary and later Romania where he survived, admittedly, by "sheer luck" and "determination." Many other Jews, he said, found refuge only through the courageous efforts of others. For example, Kereth shared an account of resistance in Belgium that stopped an Auschwitz-bound train full of 1,700 Jews. He spoke of university students in Denmark who skipped classes for three weeks to help Jews escape the Nazis. And, despite the presence of a predominantly Catholic, anti-Jewish population in Poland, a large group of Jews found refuge, Kereth said, surprisingly with Baptist communities. "They risked punishment for harboring and supporting the Jews," he said, "and when asked why, the Baptists replied, 'God was testing our Christian faith by sending us Jews in distress.'" While Kereth later found refuge in Palestine, his parents and extended family disappeared and virtually all were killed in Hitler's death camps. He, meanwhile, made his way to the United States, specifically southern West Virginia where he began working, cleaning floors for a supermarket. Later, he became a reference librarian and archivist at Concord College where he worked for nearly 30 years. Now, at age 90, Kereth is retired in Bluefield, West Virginia. While scholars and survivors shared the Holocaust account through lectures and stories, photo and museum exhibits told even more. Throughout the entire month of April, "Captain Max Kammer's World War II Photo Exhibit" vividly and genuinely brought the images of the Holocaust to the minds and hearts of Symposium participants. A veteran of World War II, having served in the European Theatre from 1942 to 1944, Kammer chronicled his experiences in the war through photography, capturing most of his photos in Ordoff and Buchenwald, Germany, cities where some of the initial World War II attacks occurred. "General Patton and General Eisenhower witnessed Orderf first," Kammer said. "General Eisenhower said that General Patton couldn't stomach the sight he saw at Orderf. There were bodies all over, like in a cornfield. There were even buildings and sheds with dead bodies in them." The photo exhibit showed just that, and much like it, a Virginia Holocaust Museum exhibit, which ran April 3-9 during BC's Symposium, told the story of yet another Holocaust hero, Mary Sigillo Barraco, an American teen who lived in Belgium at the time of the German invasion in 1940. Tortured, but later released, Barraco joined the Belgian and French resistance movements and smuggled Jews, other refugees, and downed Allied airmen to connections arranged by the underground. The Barraco exhibit, entitled "The Torchbearer of Freedom" and created by John Remmers, was the first ever Virginia Holocaust Museum traveling exhibit. "We are very grateful to Mary Barraco for her service to humanity, while knowingly placing her own life at risk," said Virginia Holocaust Museum Executive Director Jay M. Ipson, a Holocaust survivor who helped found the Museum in 1997. In two additional sessions of the Holocaust Symposium, BC's creative resources in music and drama presented a Holocaust Cantata, "Songs from the Camps, April 11-12, and a four-day theatrical production, April 3-6, of "The Diary of Anne Frank." Created by one of America's preeminent choral conductors Maestro Donald McCullough, "Songs from the Camps," features music written by actual Holocaust prisoners that reveals different aspects of camp life, the innermost feelings of inmates, and the mourning or resistance of a people victimized. Many of the Holocaust musicians perished before the end of World War II, leaving behind but a few pieces of their works, extracted from archives and composed and recorded by those like McCullough. As performed during BC's Symposium, "Songs from the Camps" featured vocalists Charlotte Anderson (mezzo-soprano), Barbara Hudson (soprano) and Tad Sipes (baritone), instrumentalists David Gee (cello) and Lynne Mackey (piano), and dramatists Charles Reese and Rebecca McCoy-Reese. The program also included Bluefield College's select student voice ensemble Variations, directed by Bryant Moxley, head of the Department of Music. "Because music speaks so poignantly from the depths of the human spirit, we presented this concert to help our students and the community hear and understand the voices of those who faced suffering and extermination through the Holocaust," said Moxley, who also conducted the program. "In a world that continues to be plagued by needless ethnic conflicts, genocides and anti-Semitic actions, we hope we were a voice for peace and reconciliation." "The Diary of Anne Frank" shared specifically the story of a Jewish family who hid in Amsterdam to escape arrest by the Nazis during the Holocaust. For more than two years, the family lived in a secret annex, a hidden, three-room apartment in a Dutch warehouse. Designed and directed by BC's Charles Reese and Rebecca McCoy-Reese, the Symposium play chronicled those 25 months as the Franks and their friends, the Van Daans and Mr. Dussell, learned to live with each other and with the constant fears that accompanied their lives in hiding. The drama was based on writings from a diary that 13-year-old Anne Frank kept during seclusion. While her family and friends lived to survive and tell her story, she was killed in a Nazi concentration camp in Bergen-Belsen. "The reaction to the powerful performance was not limited by age, gender, race or religion," said Bill Archer, a local newspaper reporter who covered the production. "All those who attended appeared to be moved." BC's Holocaust Symposium concluded with a student study trip to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, April 18-20. The World War II Photo Exhibit will remain on display in Lansdell Hall through April 30. Advance Publicity
BC Schedules Holocaust Symposium Featuring Lectures, Drama, Music, Photography and Exhibits
Through a symposium of lectures, music, theatre, photography and exhibits, Bluefield College will spend a month, April 1-30, taking a look back at one of the most significant events in world history -- the Holocaust.
Through "The Holocaust: A 21st Century Retrospective," Bluefield College will bring its creative and academic resources together to focus on a topic of importance and relevance to students, faculty and the community at-large.
Open to the public and the campus community, the Holocaust Symposium is designed to develop a greater appreciation for the injustices of that era, while encouraging reconciliation today. "This is an opportunity for our students and the community to learn important lessons from history," said Bryant Moxley, BC faculty president and head of the Department of Music. "In a world that continues to be plagued by needless ethnic conflicts, genocides and anti-Semitic actions, this Symposium will be a voice for peace and reconciliation." Convinced that Holocaust education is an important issue in world history, faculty on the college's Honors Committee developed the Symposium to help students and area citizens of all ages better understand the factors leading to the Holocaust and the stories of those who witnessed and experienced its horrors. Through music and theatre, Symposium participants will hear and understand the voices of those who faced the suffering and extermination. Through insightful lectures from learned scholars, listeners will take an educated look back on the horror and the hope of the Holocaust. And, through photographs and other exhibits, participants will witness images of the faces, the sacrifices, and the struggles that defined this era in history. "We have been very encouraged by the enthusiastic response on campus and in the community to the various events that are scheduled for the Holocaust Symposium," Moxley said. "Our hope is that through the Symposium we might explore the complex and important issues we face in the 21st century in light of the fact that the last generation of Holocaust survivors will not live much longer." The following is a schedule of events for BC's "The Holocaust: A 21st Century Retrospective." April 1-30 Captain Max Kammer's World War II Photo Exhibit, first floor of Lansdell Hall. Kickoff reception for exhibit, April 1 at 6 p.m., first floor of Lansdell Hall
April 1 "The Role of Scripture in Jewish-Christian Dialogue," featuring guest speaker Dr. Daniel E. Goodman, chair of New Testament Interpretation, Gardner-Webb University's School of Divinity, 7:30 p.m., Shott Hall April 2 "Jewish-Christian Relations," featuring guest speaker Dr. Daniel E. Goodman, chair of New Testament Interpretation, Gardner-Webb University's School of Divinity, 10 a.m., Harman Chapel April 3-6 The Diary of Anne Frank, a Holocaust drama presented by BC Theatre, 7:30 p.m. (April 3-5) and 2 p.m. (April 6), Harman Chapel April 3-9 "Dame Mary Baracco: Torchbearer of Freedom," a Virginia Holocaust Museum exhibit, hosted by creator John Remmers and including a documentary of the Nuremburg Trials, Archives Room, first floor of Lansdell Hall April 10 "Combating Nazism: American Jewry and the Holocaust," featuring guest speaker Dr. Gary P. Zola, director of the Center of American Jewish Archives and associate professor, Hebrew Union College, 7:30 p.m., Harman Chapel April 11 "Holocaust Cantata: Songs from the Camps" by Donald McCullough, featuring Bluefield College and guest artist voices, instrumentalists and dramatists, for students of area secondary schools, Harman Chapel, 10 a.m. April 11 "Profiles in American Jewish Courage," featuring guest speaker Dr. Gary P. Zola, director of the Center of American Jewish Archives and associate professor, Hebrew Union College, 8 p.m., Ahavath Shalom Synagogue, Bluefield, West Virginia April 12 "Holocaust Cantata: Songs from the Camps" by Donald McCullough, featuring Bluefield College and guest artist voices, instrumentalists and dramatists, 7:30 p.m., Harman Chapel. April 14
"A Fugitive's Story," featuring Daniel Kereth, an Austrian-born Jew, now in his 90s, who managed to escape the Holocaust and come to America after World War II, 10 a.m., Shott Hall A&B.
For more information regarding the Holocaust Symposium, e-mail the BC Office of Public Relations. Holocaust Photo Exhibit Slated at Bluefield College
Through authentic images, Bluefield College will offer students and the community at-large a look back at one of the most significant events in world history -- the Holocaust. As part of its month-long spring Holocaust Symposium, "The Holocaust: A 21st Century Retrospective," the college will present "Captain Max Kammer's World War II Photo Exhibit," April 1-30. The photo exhibit is open and free to the public. "Captain Max Kammer's World War II Photo Exhibit" will be on display throughout the first floor corridor of BC's Lansdell Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, April 1-30. A kickoff reception for the exhibit and to honor the creator will take place on April 1 at 6 p.m. in Lansdell Hall.
Captain Max Kammer is a veteran of World War II, having served in the European Theatre from 1942 to 1944. During his military service, he read maps to determine the location of enemy troops and fields of fire, as well as the best strategic placement for allied firearms.
A longtime resident of Bluefield, West Virginia, and the owner and operator of Kammer Furniture in downtown Bluefield, Kammer chronicled his experiences in the war through photography, capturing most of his photos in Ordoff and Buchenwald, Germany, cities where some of the initial World War II attacks occurred. "General Patton and General Eisenhower witnessed Orderf first," Kammer said. "General Eisenhower said that General Patton couldn't stomach the sight he saw at Orderf. There were bodies all over, like in a cornfield. There were even buildings and sheds with dead bodies in them." A native of Williamson, West Virginia, Kammer returned to Bluefield after the war to form the area's first U.S. Army Reserve, a unit he served for years before retiring as a lieutenant colonel. In all, he served 28 years of both active duty and with the Reserve. Because of the graphic nature of the photos in Kammer's exhibit that accurately and vividly tell the story of the Holocaust, viewer discretion is advised. Visitors with children are asked to use extreme caution. The Holocaust/World War II Photo Exhibit is the first of many events scheduled throughout the month of April as part of Bluefield College's Holocaust Symposium, "The Holocaust: A 21st Century Retrospective." Through lectures, music, theatre, photography and exhibits, the college will spend a month, April 1-30, bringing its creative and academic resources together to focus on a topic of importance and relevance to students, faculty and the community at-large. The hope, according to organizers is that the symposium will develop a greater appreciation for the injustices of that era, while encouraging reconciliation today. "This is an opportunity for our students and the community to learn important lessons from history," said Bryant Moxley, BC faculty president and head of the Department of Music. "In a world that continues to be plagued by needless ethnic conflicts, genocides and anti-Semitic actions, this Symposium will be a voice for peace and reconciliation." Convinced that Holocaust education is an important issue in world history, faculty members on the college's Honors Committee developed the Symposium to help students and area citizens of all ages better understand the factors leading to the Holocaust and the stories of those who witnessed and experienced its horrors. For more information regarding the Holocaust Symposium, e-mail the BC Office of Public Relations.
Holocaust Scholar to Speak at Bluefield College
Through scholarly lectures, Bluefield College will offer students and the community at-large a look back at one of the most significant events in world history -- the Holocaust. As part of its month-long spring Holocaust Symposium, "The Holocaust: A 21st Century Retrospective," the college will present two academic lectures, April 1 and April 2, from an authority on the Holocaust era, Dr. Daniel E. Goodman. Chair of New Testament Interpretation at Gardner-Webb University's School of Divinity, Dr. Goodman will speak about "The Role of Scripture in Jewish-Christian Dialogue" at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1 in BC's Shott Hall and about "Jewish-Christian Relations" at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 2 in Harman Chapel. Both
events are open and free to the public.
Dr. Goodman has presented academic papers at regional, national and international meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature on numerous occasions. He regularly contributes book reviews for journals, such as Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Biblical Theology Bulletin, and Review of Biblical Literature. His primary research interests include Christian origins, Jesus and the gospels, hermeneutics, and Jewish-Christian dialogue. Dr. Goodman has been a member of the Divinity School faculty at Gardner-Webb University since the fall of 2003, serving now as chair of New Testament Interpretation. Before Gardner-Webb, he was as an associate professor of New Testament studies at Palm Beach (FL) Atlantic University for nine years. At PBA, he was twice named Professor of the Year by the Student Government Association, received the Charles and Hazel Corts Award for Outstanding Teaching, and served for two years as director of Campus Ministries and associate dean of the School of Ministry. Dr. Goodman also has served as an interim pastor at Baptist churches in New York, New Jersey and Florida, in addition to frequent supply preaching and teaching. His April 1-2 lectures at Bluefield College are just two of many events scheduled throughout the month of April as part of Bluefield College's Holocaust Symposium, "The Holocaust: A 21st Century Retrospective." Through lectures, music, theatre, photography and exhibits, the college will spend a month, April 1-30, bringing its creative and academic resources together to focus on a topic of importance and relevance to students, faculty and the community at-large. The hope, according to organizers is that the symposium will develop a greater appreciation for the injustices of that era, while encouraging reconciliation today. "This is an opportunity for our students and the community to learn important lessons from history," said Bryant Moxley, BC faculty president and head of the Department of Music. "In a world that continues to be plagued by needless ethnic conflicts, genocides and anti-Semitic actions, this Symposium will be a voice for peace and reconciliation." Convinced that Holocaust education is an important issue in world history, faculty members on the college's Honors Committee developed the Symposium to help students and area citizens of all ages better understand the factors leading to the Holocaust and the stories of those who witnessed and experienced its horrors. For more information regarding the Holocaust Symposium, e-mail the BC Office of Public Relations. Bluefield College Theatre to Present 'The Diary of Anne Frank'
Bluefield College Theatre will bring the inspiring true story of Anne Frank to the stage, Thursday through Sunday, April 3-6. The performances of "The Diary of Anne Frank" will take place in BC's Harman Chapel and Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. each night, Thursday through Saturday, April 3-5, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 6. Tickets for each show are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, "The Diary of Anne Frank" tells the story of a Jewish family hiding in Amsterdam to escape arrest by the Nazis during the Holocaust. For more than two years, the family members live in a "secret annex," a hidden, three-room apartment in a Dutch warehouse. The play chronicles the 25 months as the Franks and their friends, the Van Daans and Mr. Dussell, learn to live with each other and with the constant fears that
accompany their lives in hiding. The drama is based on writings from the diary that 13-year-old Anne Frank kept during the Holocaust seclusion.
The four-day theatre production is just one many events scheduled throughout the month of April as part of Bluefield College's Holocaust Symposium, "The Holocaust: A 21st Century Retrospective." Through lectures, music, theatre, photography, exhibits and travel, the college will spend a month, April 1-30, bringing its creative and academic resources together to focus on a topic of importance and relevance to students, faculty and the community at-large. The hope, according to organizers, is that the symposium will develop a greater appreciation for the injustices of that era, while encouraging reconciliation today. "We have been very encouraged by the enthusiastic response on campus and in the community to the various events that are scheduled for the Holocaust Symposium," said Bryant Moxley, BC faculty president and head of the Department of Music. "Our hope is that through the Symposium we might explore the complex and important issues we face in the 21st century in light of the fact that the last generation of Holocaust survivors will not live much longer." BC's production of "The Diary of Anne Frank" will also take advantage of the school's new state-of-the-art projection system, which will allow the presentation of period photos and video footage to underscore what is happening throughout Europe during the time that the Franks are in hiding. "This is an opportunity for our students and the community to learn important lessons from history," Moxley added. "In a world that continues to be plagued by needless ethnic conflicts, genocides and anti-Semitic actions, this Symposium will be a voice for peace and reconciliation." The cast for "The Diary of Anne Frank" includes BC students Caleigh Keith as Anne Frank; Donnie Bales as her father, Otto Frank; Emily Oblinger as mother Edith Frank; and Danielle Workman as Anne's older sister, Margot. Bobbie Hall will play Albert Dussel, while David Sadler fills the roll of Mr. Van Daan. Luke Stevens will play Peter Van Dann, and Amy Oblinger will play Mrs. Van Daan. BC students Rachel Russo and Andrew Shumate will play Miep Gies and Mr. Kraler, respectively. Other cast members include Ben King, James Young, Carl Desplaines and Jo Woodrum as the Nazis responsible for the arrest of the Franks and their associates. For more information about BC Theatre's rendition of "The Diary of Anne Frank" or for more information regarding the Holocaust Symposium, e-mail the BC Office of Public Relations. Virginia Holocaust Museum to Bring First Traveling Exhibit to Bluefield College
The Virginia Holocaust Museum will send its first ever traveling exhibit to Bluefield College in Bluefield, Virginia, April 3-9, as part of the school's month-long Holocaust Symposium. The exhibit, titled "Torchbearer of Freedom," will be on display in the college's Archives Room on the first floor of Lansdell Hall, Thursday, April 3 through Wednesday, April 9 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. each day. Open and free to the public, "The Torchbearer of Freedom," portrays the story of Mary Sigillo Barraco, an American teen who lived in Belgium at the time of the German invasion in 1940. Barraco and her fiancé were captured and imprisoned by the Germans. While her fiancé was tortured and executed, she was tortured, but later released. Once free, Barraco joined the Belgian and French resistance movements and smuggled Jews, other refugees, and downed Allied airmen to connections arranged by the underground. She also participated in espionage, sabotage, and the transport of weapons against the Germans. "We are very grateful to Mary Barraco for her service to humanity, while knowingly placing her own life at risk," said Virginia Holocaust Museum Executive Director Jay M. Ipson, a Holocaust survivor who helped found the Museum in 1997. "Mr. John Remmers has worked so hard to represent and promote her message of passing the torch." "The Torchbearer of Freedom" features a documentary of the Nuremburg Trials. Creator John Remmers, a writer of books and screenplays, will host the exhibit each day. "This is the first ever traveling exhibit provided by the Virginia Holocaust Museum," said Bluefield College's Bryant Moxley, faculty president and Holocaust Symposium organizer. "There are many other traveling exhibits on the Holocaust from various museums and organizations, but the Virginia Holocaust Museum has never sent one of its exhibits on the road before." "The Torchbearer of Freedom" is just one of many events scheduled throughout the month of April as part of Bluefield College's Holocaust Symposium, "The Holocaust: A 21st Century Retrospective." Through exhibits, lectures, music, theatre, and photography, the college will spend a month, April 1-30, bringing its creative and academic resources together to focus on a topic of importance and relevance to students, faculty and the community at-large. "This is wonderful exposure for the Museum," said Dianna Gabay, director of exhibits and collections for the Virginia Holocaust Museum. "It is our pleasure to have our first traveling exhibit be included in the symposium at Bluefield College." Designed to develop a greater appreciation for the injustices of the Holocaust, while encouraging reconciliation today, the college developed the Symposium to help students and area residents of all ages better understand the factors leading to the Holocaust and the stories of those who witnessed and experienced its horrors. Contributing to that cause is the Virginia Holocaust Museum, founded in an effort to preserve and educate people on the atrocities of the Holocaust of World War II. With a mission of "Teaching Tolerance through Education," the Museum, located in Richmond, Virginia, offers tours, programs, lectures, films and now for the first time, traveling exhibits to educate the public and promote tolerance towards all, regardless of religion, nationality, race, sex or creed. For more information regarding "The Torchbearer of Freedom" or other Bluefield College Holocaust Symposium events, e-mail the BC Office of Public Relations. Holocaust Survivor and American Jewish Historian to Lead Bluefield College Lecture Series
As part of its ongoing efforts to take a critical look back at one of the most significant events in world history, Bluefield College will offer a second series of lectures on the Holocaust as it continues its month-long "Holocaust Symposium: A 21st Century Retrospective." The second series of lectures, April 10, 11 and 14, will feature Holocaust authority Dr. Gary P. Zola, director of the Center of American Jewish Archives, and Holocaust survivor Daniel Kereth. The Dr. Zola lectures will take place April 10 at 7:30 p.m. in BC's Harman Chapel and April 11 at 8 p.m. at the Ahavath Shalom Synagogue in Bluefield, West
Virginia.
Kereth will share his Holocaust experiences during a discussion session on April 14 at 10 a.m. in BC's Shott Hall A&B. All three lectures are open and free to the public. Dr. Zola is the executive director of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, an organization in Cincinnati, Ohio, committed to preserving a documentary heritage of the religious, organizational, economic, cultural, personal, social and family life of American Jewry. He is also an associate professor of the American Jewish Experience at Hebrew Union College's Jewish Institute of Religion, where he was ordained and also served as National Dean of Admissions, Student Affairs, and Alumni Relations. With vast research and expertise in American Jewish history, Dr. Zola has been published in many scholarly journals, including American Jewish History, American Jewish Archives, Canadian Jewish History, and the Journal of Reform Judaism. Widely acknowledged as one of the leading figures in the yearlong national commemoration marking the 350th anniversary of Jewish communal life in North America, Dr. Zola has served as a guest chaplain for both the United States Senate and the U.S. Congress. His first lecture, April 10, will address "Combating Nazism: American Jewry and the Holocaust." During his April 11 lecture at the synagogue, Dr. Zola will present "Profiles in American Jewish Courage." Kereth, a Bluefield resident, grew up as a Jew in Vienna, Austria. At age 15, he witnessed Hitler's rise to power and the beginning of his persecution. Fleeing for his life after Krystalnacht, Kereth hid in Hungary and Romania where he survived, admittedly, by "sheer luck" and "determination." While he later found refuge in Palestine, where he lived for 13 years, his parents and extended family disappeared and virtually all were killed in Hitler's death camps. Kereth, meanwhile, made his way to the United States, specifically southern West Virginia where he began working, cleaning floors for a supermarket. Later, he became a reference librarian and archivist at Concord College where he worked for nearly 30 years. Now, in his early 90s, Kereth is retired in Bluefield, West Virginia, and sharing the details of his experiences as a Holocaust survivor. And, according to Bluefield College Symposium organizers, he will offer " an important and personal story" during his discussion on April 14. "He is an important voice," said Dr. Tim Crawford, a professor of Bible and Hebrew at Bluefield. College. "I hope the college family and the community at-large will take advantage of the opportunity to hear him. The number of Holocaust survivors continues to dwindle every day, so there will be fewer and fewer chances like this." The Dr. Zola and Kereth discussions are just three of many events scheduled throughout the month of April as part of Bluefield College's Holocaust Symposium, "The Holocaust: A 21st Century Retrospective." Through lectures, music, theatre, photography and exhibits, the college is spending a month, April 1-30, bringing its creative and academic resources together to focus on a topic of importance and relevance to students, faculty and the community at-large. For more information e-mail the BC Office of Public Relations.
Bluefield College to Host 'Holocaust Cantata: Songs from the Camps'
Bluefield College and the Blue Mountain Performing Arts Association will present "A Holocaust Cantata: Songs from the Camps," Saturday, April 12, featuring college and community voices, instrumentalists and dramatists. The Cantata, a part of Bluefield College's month-long Holocaust Symposium, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in BC's Harman Chapel. Admission at the door will be $12 for adults and $6 for students.
Created by one of America's preeminent choral conductors Maestro Donald McCullough, "Songs from the Camps," as performed by the Bluefield College ensemble, will feature vocalists Charlotte Anderson (mezzo-soprano), Barbara Hudson (soprano) and Tad Sipes (baritone), instrumentalists David Gee (cello) and Lynne Mackey (piano), and dramatists Charles Reese and Rebecca McCoy-Reese.
The program will also include Bluefield College's select student voice ensemble Variations, directed by Bryant Moxley, head of the Department of Music, and accompanied by Elizabeth Gomez, vice president for academic affairs. "Because music speaks so poignantly from the depths of the human spirit, we are presenting this concert to help our students and the community hear and understand the voices of those who faced suffering and extermination through the Holocaust," said Moxley, who also will conduct the program. "In a world that continues to be plagued by needless ethnic conflicts, genocides and anti-Semitic actions, we intend to be a voice for peace and reconciliation." According to historical accounts, during the Holocaust, prisoners wrote music while incarcerated in concentration camps. The music was embraced by the whole community and passed secretly by aural transmission and with it powerful words revealing different aspects of camp life, the innermost feelings of inmates, and the mourning or resistance of a people victimized. Many of the Holocaust musicians perished before the end of World War II, leaving behind but a few pieces of their works. But, thanks to composers like McCullough who extracted from the mammoth archives of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum the material that formed the basis of works like the Holocaust Cantata, much of that music has since been recorded. "I have never experienced a musical performance that touched me as deeply and powerfully as the Holocaust Cantata," said Sherry Schiller of Alexandria, Virginia, who attended a performance in Washington, D.C. "This composition doesn't exploit the emotional aspect of the subject matter as it could. Rather, it offers a glimpse into the daily horrors that thousands of individuals faced while also demonstrating how they found comfort in secretly expressing themselves through the power of words and music." According to McCullough, who is the music director for the Master Chorale of Washington, each song and reading from "Songs from the Camps" represents a different person, a different place, and a different time in the Holocaust experience. For the original creators, music functioned as something much more than just a light in the darkness; its very existence was a form of spiritual resistance in an environment where such resistance risked instant extermination. "The Holocaust Cantata is a very powerful piece," said Debbi Iwig of Bethesda, Maryland, who also enjoyed McCullough's work during a concert in Washington, D.C. "It successfully puts a human face on a horrible episode of modern history without becoming maudlin." McCullough added that his hope is that ongoing performances of "Songs from the Camps," like that at Bluefield College, will "transform statistics into people in the minds of the Cantata's listeners, and perhaps be a part of making it more difficult for such a horror ever to occur again." As a prelude to Saturday's public performance, Bluefield College will host dozens of area high school students for the "Holocaust Cantata," Friday, April 11 at 10 a.m. in Harman Chapel. While students with interests in music, drama, photography or multimedia will find the concert especially compelling, all area high school students are invited to attend the Friday matinee performance to learn more about one of the most important events in world history. For reservations for the Friday, April 11 concert, please call 276.326.4248 or e-mail bmoxley@bluefield.edu. For more information about either Holocaust Cantata performance, e-mail the BC Office of Public Relations. |
|
