An intimate group of about 10 students gathered Wednesday evening at Jazzman’s CafCB) to discuss the novel, Night, by Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel. The discussion was led by professor Sarah Pessin of the Philosophy Department and The Center for Judaic Studies.
The discussion was presented by the Holocaust Awareness Institute of the Center for Judaic Studies, Partners in Learning and The Pioneer Leadership Program in honor of Holocaust Awareness Week. Pessin, a professor at DU for the past two years, began the discussion session by reading a powerful quote from Night that captured the horror of the Holocaust.
The quote, from the conclusion of the novel, reminded students in the group that while some survived, life would never be the same: “From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me. The look in his eyes, as they stared into mine, has never left me.” The novel chronicles Wiesel’s imprisonment in various concentration camps during World War II and his eventual liberation.
Some students wondered what possibility there is for life after something like this. The fact that the world continued to go around, as the sun rose and set each day, reminded the students that despite horror, life goes on, a lesson that many felt applied to violent situations around the world today.
The heroic strength of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust was remembered most throughout the evening. The discussion encouraged some students to become activists for human rights, while it left others with the desire, as one participant said, “to just live a good decent life.”
Pessin focused on each student’s own strength and desire to live and reminded students of the value of remembering history so that it won’t repeat. The students involved felt that it was a valuable experience and a good lesson about the nature of the human spirit.
The discussion group was one of several events throughout the week to draw attention to DU’s Holocaust Awareness Week.
In addition to the discussion group, students were invited to a survivor’s panel that featured two Holocaust survivors and a showing of the film, “Paper Clips,” about a group of students who collected one paper clip for each of the some 6 million Holocaust victims.
Later in the week, DU’s Hillel house sponsored “Better Don’t Talk,” an evening that featured the music, personal narrative and humor of Naave Piatke, a Holocaust survivor’s daughter, who recalled her mother’s amazing story of survival. The week ended with a photo exhibition at the Mizel Museum followed by a Shabbat Dinner and Memorial Service at Hillel House on Friday.
Organizations stressed that strength, spirit and the will to continue are important aspects of remembering those lost during the Holocaust. Aspects of survival were highlighted at Wednesday’s discussion group of Night, and are applicable to students today.
Student participant Kaitlyn Cherry summed the event: “It [the Holocaust] was such an important part of world history that being aware of it is crucial for our future,” she said.
