Holocaust Survivor to Speak at University of Mount Olive Holocaust Event April 9
University of Mount Olive will hold a Holocaust Day of Remembrance from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9. Abe Piasek, a Holocaust survivor, has been invited to speak in Southern Bank Auditorium about his terrifying experience as a child in Nazi occupied Poland. This special event is free and open to the public.
The Holocaust Day of Remembrance will begin at 11:00 a.m. in Rodgers Chapel with Dr. Michael Cavanagh speaking on the church’s role in the Holocaust. At 11:30 a.m. final flags will be placed on the Commons—representing the 11 million killed during the Holocaust. At 12 noon, there will be a special “Holocaust Awareness” table in the Alumni Dining Room and a traditional Jewish dance by The Arts Company, directed by Leigh Williams. A student forum will take place at 2:00 p.m. in Southern Bank Auditorium under the guidance of Dr. Cavanagh.
Abe Piasek will speak at 3:00 p.m. in Southern Bank Auditorium. Piasek was only 12 years old in 1939 when Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany. A year later, he was forcefully separated from his family and taken to Radom, a forced labor camp. Piasek spent years in the labor camps of Auschwitz and then Weinhausen before the end of the war in 1945.
Piasek was interviewed by Steven Spielberg for the award-winning film “Schindler’s List,” which is featured in the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. He was also interviewed by the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Piasek lectures about his experience in schools all across the United States. He was awarded two President’s Medals for volunteer service—one by President George W. Bush, and one by President Barack Obama.
The day will continue in Southern Bank Auditorium with a faculty forum at 4:15 p.m. featuring University of Mount Olive professors Dr. Hollis Phelps, Dr. April Najjaj, Dr. Chris Skinner and Dr. Mike Cavanagh.
Last but not least, at 7:00 p.m., Campus Activity Board (CAB) and Campus Ministries will meet in the Alumni Dining Room to pack 10,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now. This is also open to the public, and participants are asked to preregister. For more information about any of these events, please contact Campus Chaplain Carla Williamson @ (919)658-7749 or cwilliamson@moc.edu.
University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The College, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.moc.edu