Yom HaShoah Middlebury Remembers the Holocaust

Author: Aylie Baker, Features Editor

"What is my responsibility?
What is the universe of my obligation?"
-Rabbi Ira Schiffer, Associate Chaplain

Jews, Jehovah's witnesses, Polish citizens, homosexuals, the mentally and physically disabled, Soviet prisoners and citizens, political opponents, Roma en shinti. Over six million killed and over six decades later, the Holocaust continues to haunt human consciousness.

One by one, students, faculty and community members each ascended the stage in Mead Chapel this past Sunday evening to light a candle commemorating those who were killed during the Holocaust in the annual Yom HaShoah service.

"It is important. It is important that we gather together to remember," said Reverend Laurel Jordan '79, chaplain of Middlebury College, to a small crowd in her opening address. First established in 1951 by the Israeli parliament, the day is formally called Yom HaShoah Ve-Hagevurah, explained Jordan, which translates to "Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and the Heroism."

Commencing with a musical prelude, "Theme from Schindler's List," performed on violin by Ben Wiechman '07, the service featured a series of readings, personal reflections and musical interludes delivered by individuals from a variety of backgrounds.

The Reverend Morris Pike, retired United Church of Christ minister, chose to commemorate the thousands of homosexuals who perished under the Nazi regime, "whose only crime," he explained, "was loving others." For A. Barton Hepburn Professor of History Paul Monod, the day was an opportunity to remember the suffering of the mentally and physically disabled, to which he related through celebrating the life of his own son, who has cerebral palsy.

In his own speech, Michael Nevadomski '09, of Polish descent, described the brutal persecution of his ancestors during the Holocaust. During the period from 1939-1945, explained Nevadomski, Poland endured innumerable sufferings including "the systematic erasal of Catholicism from the national identity of Poland, and the creation of a slave nation to serve the Reich." By the time the Soviets finally liberated Poland in 1945, the country had lost over one quarter of its population.

"And yet," stressed Nevadomski, "in these shadows of death, it is important for us to remember how, despite these horrors, there were moments when humanity was at its certain best."

In the midst of their own struggle, the Polish were particularly welcoming to Jews. Many Catholics even strongly believed "in the words of the Krakow poet Adam Mickiewicz," who said that it was the Jewish who were "'the elder brothers of Christianity,'" said Nevadomski.

In her own reflection, Alex Schloss '09.5 focused on the fact that, "We all share a universal connection in understanding the human condition." She stressed that "in remembering the Holocaust, it should not matter if I am Jewish," adding, "that is why we invite people of all faiths here tonight, and why Yom HaShoah, a day of remembrance, exists. It reminds us of the importance of the past, which not only shapes who we are but predicts what we are capable of in the future."

It was this point which Rabbi Ira Schiffer, Associate Chaplain of Middlebury College, echoed in his Benediction. "What is my responsibility? What is the universe of my obligation?" he asked. "If you can prevent the whole world from committing a sin but do not, you are punished for the sins of the world."