Metro

Survivors Irma and Zygie Allweiss of West

Bloomfield and Shaarit Haplaytah President

Abraham Weberman light a candle.

Rep. Knollenberg

HMC hosts Holocaust commemoration ceremony.

Rabbi Rosenzveig

Harry Kirsbaum
Staff Writer

A

crowd of more
than 425 filled
the Holocaust
Memorial Center auditorium
in Farmington Hills on Sunday,
April 23, as tribute was paid to
the memory of 6 million Jews
who perished in the Holocaust
and the victims of terrorism in
Israel.
U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg,
R-Bloomfield Township, gave
one of several speeches during
the 90-minute commemora-
tion. "Today, we remember the
past for the sake of the future
Knollenberg said. "Events like
this one today give all of us the
opportunity to reflect about the
moral and spiritual questions
raised by the Holocaust and by
terrorism."
"When we remember these
victims and martyrs:' he said,
"it is most always deeply mov-
ing and emotional; but it is also
inspiring. Even in the darkest
days of human history, light still

shines in the hearts of the good." statements by the Iranian presi-
He then referred to the Middle dent denying the Holocaust are
outrageous, disgustingly offen-
East. "It seems unfair that this
.
sive,
inexplicable and unaccept-
region which has suffered so
able.
much conflict already, now has
"I believe that the United
a new source of unease — the
States
has a special duty to
recent statements and activities
remember
the victims of the
of the Iranian government.
Holocaust
and
terrorism, and
"To put it bluntly, the recent

On the dais, from left, CHAIM president Charles Silow; Dr. Steven

Grant, chairman of the HMC executive committee; Shaarit
Haplaytah president Abraham Weberman; Rabbi Rosenzveig

we also have a special duty to
prevent anything like this from
happening again."
"Life is a transitory period:'
said Rabbi Charles Rosenzveig,
HMC foundei and chief execu-
tive officer. "In the course of
one's lifetime, one .must make a
decision on what is his`cluty in
the world. For the Jewish people,
as a people, what is our duty in
this world? One of the critical,
major, inescapable duties is to
make sure that the Holocaust
and its lessons are never forgot-
ten:'
He touted the HMC and said
the 200,000 schoolchildren a
year that tour the facility "will
learn the story of the Holocaust
and make sure that it never hap-
pens again to any people, any-
where, at any time."
The annual commemora-
tion was co-presented with the
Shaarit Haplaytah, in coop-
eration with the World Jewish
Federation of Jewish Child
Survivors of the Holocaust,
Children of Holocaust Survivors
in Michigan (CHAIM) and B'nai

B'rith Great Lakes Region.
After the ceremony, those
in the crowd remarked on the
reason for the heavy turnout. -
"When you have that type of evil
resurfacing, when you have the
president of Iran making those
types of statements, it might give
them motivation to come said
Mark Segel of West Bloomfield.
"You can cower or you can
respond."
David Koloff of Commerce
agreed. "It's reality for most
people that, yes, things are in a
state right now where it could
happen again . if we're not proac--
tive," said Koloffi whose father-
in-law, Nathan Lachman of West
Bloomfield is a survivor and
. participated In the candle-light-
ing ceremony.
Holocaust survivor George
Vine was "pleasantly surprised"
at the turnout. "The community
at large is beginning to real-
ize that we have an important
mission and they're becom-
ing active said Vine of West
Bloomfield. "And they're coming
today."

April 27 • 2006

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