Elon freshman Hazel Silverstein has always felt connected to her Jewish faith, so when she saw a chance to honor victims of the Holocaust by reading their names aloud, she didn’t hesitate.
Silverstein is just one member of the Elon community who recognized Yom HaShoah, the Jewish memorial day honoring lives lost during the Holocaust.
The day began with a “Ceremony of Remembrance” in the sacred space of Numen Lumen pavilion, where community members gathered to commemorate lives lost and recognize the bravery of those deemed “Righteous Among the Nations” by Israel’s parliament — a title given to non-Jewish people who sacrificed their lives and safety to protect Jewish individuals. They did so through actions such as hiding Jewish people in their homes and basements.
After the ceremony, attendees migrated to the front steps of Moseley Student Center, where students and staff participated in an international tradition: reading the names of all those who were killed in the Holocaust.
“We’re bringing them back to life a little bit by making their names be heard,” Silverstein said.
Freshman Hazel Silverstein reads names of those killed in the Holocaust on the steps of Moseley Student Center on Thursday April 24.
Individuals signed up in 10-minute shifts to read names. Sophomore Samantha Miller read for the second year in a row but said this year she went in with a new perspective after participating in a Winter Term course GBL 2400: Holocaust Journey.
“This is a good way to honor their memories and put names to the people who died at the camps I saw,” Miller said.
The list included names as well as the victim's ages, hometowns and the concentration camp where they died, which Silverstein described as “surreal.”
While Miller participated last year, she said trying to pronounce the names correctly and recognize each one individually is still nerve-wracking.
“I’m reading their names to honor the person they were and not just one of the numbers,” Miller said.
Onlookers at the reading wore multicolored ribbons, with each of the seven colors symbolizing various communities and identity groups that were targeted and killed in the Holocaust.