Fairfield University marks Holocaust remembrance with focus on historical erasure

Fairfield University held its annual Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony on April 16, a program that combined academic scholarship with prayer to honor the six million Jews and millions of others murdered by the Nazi regime.

The event’s keynote address was delivered by Dr. Shay Pilnik, director of the Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Drawing from his book, “The Ravine of Memory: Babyn Yar between the Holocaust and the Great Patriotic War,” Pilnik detailed the 1941 massacre at Babyn Yar near Kyiv and the subsequent “second murder”—the systematic erasure of the event’s uniquely Jewish tragedy under Soviet rule.

“The Holocaust should be understood not as the murder of six million Jews, but as the murder of one Jew, six million times,” Pilnik said, emphasizing the individuality of each life lost.

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The ceremony included a musical prelude by Daniel Horstmann and remarks from Dr. Yaron Ayalon, director of the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies. Provost Christine Siegel and Associate Professor Patricia Behre also participated, with Behre reading Martin Niemöller’s reflection on the consequences of silence during persecution.

The program concluded with the Kaddish, led by Jewish Chaplain Rabbi James Prosnit, and a closing prayer from Rev. Paul Rourke, S.J. The event was sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies, Campus Ministry, and the Jewish Federation of Fairfield County.

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May events at Fairfield Theatre Company

5/6 – Howie Day
5/8 – A Night of Jazz
5/9 – Gary Louris
5/10 – Grahame Lesh & Friends
5/12 – The Lone Bellow
5/14 – Andrew Duhon
5/16 – Graham Parker
5/16 – Buckethead
5/17 – FTC Short Film Festival
5/18 – Second Wind
5/20 – Joanna Chang
5/21 – Arrival from Sweden
5/22 – Als Fest
5/22 – Drayton Farley
5/23 – Pangea Worldbeat
5/27 – Suzy Bugguss
5/28 – Steve Forbert
5/29 – Adrenalize: Def Leppard Tribute
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Fairfield University marks Holocaust remembrance with focus on historical erasure