jewish@edu for college students by college student sill i Holocaust Message Painting Peace HMD brings documentary, speakers to UM-Dearborn. HMD graffiti event draws Israel support. Michael Evers } jewish@edu writer Chavivah Bluth K jewish@edu writer ochoff Hall at the University of Michigan-Dearborn was quiet as the documentary film, Never a Bystander, about Holocaust survivor Dr. Irene Butter was screened for an audience of 50-plus students and staff. The film features scenes of Butter advo- cating for courage as she speaks in front of middle-school classes and of her opening remarks introducing the Dalai Lama for the Raoul Wallenberg Award at the University of Michigan. The film also includes a brief clip from the joint Jewish-Palestinian women's dialogue group, Zeitouna, that she helped found. The documentary reinforced Butter's message of living an empowered life and the importance of being a survivor to live a more full life. "I learned to be a survivor, not a victim," Junior David Solomon, Dr. Jamie Wraight and sophomores Alon Samuel and Spenser Stevenson Her story was documented by Neuhaus, a former health care professional-turned-filmmaker. Butter told the group. "It's more empowered." Butter and filmmaker Evelyn Neuhaus spoke at UM-Dearborn in April during the week of Yom HaShoah. The Jewish Student Organization, The award-winning documentary explains the message of forgiveness, hope, joy and empower- ment after trauma. The movie was featured in the 2015 San Diego Jewish Film Festival. Phi Alpha Theta (the National Historical Honors Society) and the UM-Dearborn VoiceNision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive co-spon- sored the program. "This is a great opportunity to learn from a survivor and so much more," said Dr. Jamie Wraight, VoiceNision Archive director. "This is a great event for campus." Butter's story began in Berlin, where she was born in 1930. By 1937, her family had moved to Holland. They remained there until they were rounded up and sent to Westerbork in 1943, after the Nazis had invaded Holland and turned the once-refugee camp into a deportation camp fol- lowing their invasion in May 1940. Butter's family remained in Holland until they were shipped to Bergen-Belsen, where they remained for 11 months before being transported to Switzerland in January 1945. On the way to Switzerland, Butter's father died, and she became separated from her mother and brother until they reunited in New York in June 1946. Following the screening, Butter and Neuhaus took questions from the audience covering everything from what was witnessed in the death camps to how forgiveness and reconciliation have become an integral part of Butter's work with the Raoul Wallenberg Award. Butter also spoke of the transition of learning about the Holocaust among young Jewish students. She said once she began to view her own story as one of empowerment and survival, she was able to shake off a 30-year silence imposed on her since she arrived in New York. "It wasn't until my daughter came home from eighth grade and asked me to be her visual aide for a speech she was giving on 'Anti-Semitism, Nazism and Hitler's Conquest of Western Europe' that I began talking about my early years," she said. "Before that moment, I had largely remained mum on the subject." That speech led Butter to openly speak about the Holocaust among youth, middle school and college students. "The whole experience was very inspiring," said David Solomon, president of the UM-Dearborn Jewish Student Organization. "Dr. Butter remained so positive and survived so much to pick up her life and become a professor, to raise a family and to be forgiving of society. Her story brings light to a better future." @ Students express themselves with paint. W e all scream for peace, but when opportunity knocks, how many of us actually do some- thing? Recently, Wayne State University and Oakland University hosted a group of world-famous graffiti artists from New York City for a pro-peace campaign. Known as Artists4lsrael, the pro-Israel artists encour- aged students to express their feelings about the Middle East through a new medium: graffiti. Hosted by Students for Israel (SFI) at each university, the events had an interactive com- ponent, where students could spray paint on a giant wall. And each participant received a special gift from the artists, a personalized graffiti shirt. Students from all walks of life flocked to the art, both as a way of self-expression and connection to others. For many, graffiti was both a familiar and beloved medium, while it was a first-time experience for others. Some students loved the wall so much they came back multiple times. Some painted something dear to them like a quotation or their name in a foreign language. For others, the yearning for peace was more personal, either through a family connection or a military veteran. Amidst all the fun, SFI board members engaged students in a discussion about Israel. Many were happy to learn this was a pro-peace event. Some students were "done" hearing about terrorism. Students celebrated the hope for peace, while also learning many surprising facts about Israel. Others asked when the next event would be. Many of us have passion in our hearts for Israel and want to spread the message of peace, but our fear of rejection overtakes us, so we remain silent. The SFI students at Wayne State University and Oakland University are truly pioneers for the future in that they do not fear adversity; they wel- come it. Our goal is to get people to start talking because fear of rejection only leads to further ignorance. If we don't talk, who will? @ Chavivah Bluth of Southfield is a Wayne Filmmaker Evelyn Neuhaus and Dr. Irene Butter 34 July 2 • 2015 Michael Evers is a program asso- State University freshman who served as ciate for Hillel of Metro Detroit. vice president of the WSU Students for One of the graffiti artists creates an OU shirt.