The Commemorative Plaque Traces to Remember makes its seventh stop at the National University of Panama.
On July 3, 2013, Simon Bolivar Library at the National University of Panama, received the project "Traces to Remember" from (USMA) Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua. The plaque had been stationed at USMA for one month.
Dr. Hector Alexander, Dean of Postgraduate Studies at USMA, delivered the commemorative plaque to the university, emphasizing the significance of having students, faculty and staff be able to visit the plaque at the University library, and in this way expose more Panamanians to the voices and stories of those who survived the Holocaust.
Dr. Justo Medrano, Vice Rector of Universidad Nacional de Panama, expressed during the event that Simon Bolivar Library is the best place in Panama to station the plaque of the Burstein family, thus rescuing the stories of these survivors among the six millions Jews and almost twenty million victims of World War II, making these moments unforgettable. He regarded the library as a privileged place in Central America because a large number of students and visitors from different parts of Panama visit the library due to its various resources.
Among those who attended the ceremony were Aura Calderon, Library Coordinator, Dr. Miguel Angel Candanedo, General Secretary of the University, Dr. Jaime Segal, Holocaust survivor, Dr. Kathya Baruco, Director of Protocol Operations at USMA, and Jessica de Gracia, USMA student representative.
Denise Romero, Director of Communications of the Embassy of Israel in Panama, reflected upon the importance of being alert and rejecting any type of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, because the defense of human rights must be the priority in a culture of peace. She added that remembering these genocides prevents history from repeating itself due to lack of awareness.
The event concluded with the reading and signing of the symbolic act of the "Traces to Remember" initiative.