Opinion

OTHER

1EWS

Holocaust survivor
Henry Lewin of
Oak Park talks
to Catherine
Herzog and Allison
Schneider, both U-M
seniors.

The Lesson Of 'Never Again'

Carly Wayne
Community View

Ann Arbor

0

n Oct. 21, I had the honor
of co-chairing University of
Michigan Hillel's Conference
on the Holocaust's (COTH) first inaugu-
ral Survivors' Luncheon. This program,
planned in conjunction with the Children
of Holocaust Survivors Association In
Michigan, gave 400 students the opportu-
nity to interact with 60 visiting Holocaust
survivors on a personal level by providing
a free, casual and interactive luncheon
in which students and survivors sat side
by side to discuss each survivor's unique
experiences in the Holocaust.
The goal of this event was to put a per-
sonal touch on a number that has become
so mind-numbing — 6 million.
We began planning the luncheon last
spring when we collected $5,000 in dona-
tions. As the summer continued, CHAIM,
of which my mother, Brenda Wayne of
West Bloomfield, is an active member, was
an invaluable partner and was able to get
in touch with at least 20 survivors; they
continued this work right up until the day
of the luncheon.
When the school year began, we
engaged in a publicity campaign, going
to classes, sending e-mail messages to
teachers in several different departments,
even contacting local synagogues and
high schools. We also began collecting
biographies of the 60 survivors who were
now planning on attending. Needless to
say, this intimate luncheon we had envi-

A32

November 15 • 2007

sioned was quickly turning into a massive
endeavor.
In the end, however, it was all worth
it. The amount of support my co-chair,
Elianna Starr of Sharon, Mass., and I
received from the survivor and the uni-
versity communities overwhelmed us: The
luncheon was oversold.
In the end we added
an extra seat to each of
the 44 tables and still
had a waitlist of 40 stu-
dents: More than 400
people attended. It was
absolutely remarkable!

Deep
Impressions

moved by it."
A leader of U-M's Dance Marathon
(one of the largest student organizations
on campus), Gabe Hakim of Clinton
Township, wrote to say, "As a senior, I am
so glad that you put this event on this year
because I honestly believe that yesterday
was a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity that I feel
very privileged to have
had. Sam Offen [of West
Bloomfield] was the
survivor at my table. His
stories and his strength
were captivating and I
am planning on order-
ing the book that he
wrote to learn more
about his inspiring life
U-M junior and ev ent co-chair
story!'

For me, the most
rewarding part of the
Carly Wayne with her grandfather,
luncheon was seeing
Holocaust surviv or Larry Wayne
the cross-section of
Moving Forward
of West Bloomfiel d.
university students
After the luncheon,
who attended and
I called most of the
witnessing the many engaging discussions survivors in attendance to thank them
these students actively participated in.
once again for making the day so special
There were representatives from the heads
and meaningful; I was amazed at their
of many student organizations on cam-
gratitude.
pus: Student Government, Hillel, College
Esther Lupyan and her husband, Naum,
Democrats, College Republicans, U-M
of Southfield, wrote to tell me, "It was a
football (team Captain Jake Long was in
wonderful conference. Our group around
attendance), and more.
the table was beautiful; students listened
In addition, and I believe much to the
to us with attention and asked many ques-
survivors' surprise, many students who
tions, some very serious and some a little
attended the event were not Jewish. One
naive. One student at our table said that
student, Anahid Matossian of St. Louis,
his vision of the Holocaust after hearing
Mo., e-mailed me after the luncheon
my story changed. He is not Jewish, and
and said, "I'm not Jewish; I'm Armenian
that is important."
Orthodox, but I feel like I really connected
This event was part of a larger goal
with Holocaust survivors today because
of Hillel's Conference on the Holocaust
our stories are so similar. I was extremely
Committee: to educate U-M students

about the Holocaust in hopes of prevent-
ing future genocides and of fulfilling the
promise, "Never Again!'
Especially today, in a world where
Holocaust denial continues and the
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
has the audacity to call the Holocaust "a
myth" and "a fairy tale Holocaust educa-
tion is critical. It is the only way to refute
ignorant, hateful claims such as these.
Being the grandchild of a survivor, Larry
Wayne of West Bloomfield (who attended
the luncheon as well and I know is very
proud), I have grown up learning about
the Holocaust; but many people have not.
After the Holocaust, the world made
a promise of "Never Again." Education
about the Holocaust is central to this
promise. Genocides continue to occur
around the world: in Bosnia, Rwanda, the
Sudan.
As the generation of survivors dwindles,
it becomes all the more important that our
generation continues to learn about the
Holocaust and retell these stories so that
we never forget the atrocities that were
inflicted on an entire people by a deranged
leader in his pursuit of a so-called Aryan
race.
The aim of the luncheon was to honor
and respect those who perished in the
Holocaust (and those who survived) by:
remembering their stories and ensure the
promise of "Never Again;' and stressing the
continued dangers that hatred, despotism
and tyranny pose in our lives today. (I

Carly Wayne is 20 years old and a junior at the

University of Michigan majoring in history and

political science. She is from West Bloomfield.

