Yesterday Meets Today

George Vine of West
Bloomfield, who survived
Auschwitz from 1942 to 1945,
was worried about Iran and the
unexpected election of Hamas
by the Palestinians.
Ahmadinejad "is maximizing
the opportunity that he has and
using it with so much hatred of
the infidels," said Vine, who took
part in a candlelighting ceremony.
"How this'is going to play itself
out concerns me very much!'
State Rep. David Law, R-
Commerce, presented Rabbi
Rosenzveig with a resolution he
sponsored that was passed in
the House on Jan. 26. It encour-
ages Michigan schools to
emphasize the Holocaust in their
history course offerings. 11

Jewish Academy students Lori Goldman of Beverly Hills, Geoff Rottman of West Bloomfield and Brad Gladstone of Commerce join

Auschwitz survivors Abe Pasternak of Southfield, Edith Berman of Troy and George Vine of West Bloomfield during a candlelighting

ceremony as Rabbi Rosenzveig speaks.

Auschwitz
liberation
commemoration
marks hatred,
past and
present.

I
I

Harry Kirsbaum
Staff Writer

T

he Holocaust Memorial
Center in Farmington
Hills commemorated -
the 61st anniversary of the liber-
ation of Auschwitz on Jan. 27,
but the speeches were peppered
with references to Iran.
"When we remember this
portion of history here, it's, most
always deeply moving and emo-
tional," said U.S. Rep. Joe
Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield
Township. "But it's also inspir-
ing. Even in the darkest days of
human history, light still shined
in the hearts of the good.
"It is also impossible to me to
think about today's commemo-
ration without thinking about
the Middle East. It seems unfair
that this region, which has suf-
fered so much conflict already,
now has a new course of uneasi-

ness!"
Knollenberg called Iranian
President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad's recent statements
denying the Holocaust "outra-
geous, disgustingly offensive,
despicable and unacceptable. To
deny such an atrocity is to dis-
honor and debase the sacrifices
of an entire race and religion!'
Rabbi Charles Rosenzveig,
HMC founder and executive
director, responded to the the
statement that Israel should be
wiped off the map.
"We say to the people of Iran,
including their president: We do
not wish that Iran should be
wiped off the map," he said. "We
want to wipe off evil from the
map of the world. We want to
wipe off the map the conscious-
ness of hatred, a consciousness

of constantly trying to find ways
and means of murdering men,
women and children!'
Robert Cohen, Jewish
Community Council of
Metropolitan Detroit executive
director, said that commemora-
tion is the first function of the
day followed by education from
the universal lesson of the
Holocaust.
Referring to President
Ahmadinejad, Cohen said the
third function is to condemn
and respond to those who deny
the Shoah.
"This despicable man hates
Jews, and he's not alone," he said.
"Our response can be to ask our
elected officials in Washington
to take strong action against
those who threaten Jews and
other vulnerable minorities!"

February 2 2006

29

