More Than 1,500 People Commemorate the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
At different educational centers in Mexico
MORE THAN 1,500 PEOPLE COMMEMORATED THE INTERNATIONAL DAY IN MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST
The Global Embassy of Activists for Peace in Mexico organized three events between the dates of January 20 and 21, 2015, where more than 1,500 people participated in the commemoration of the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, as decreed by the United Nations (UN) every January 27th, with this being a very special year – the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp.
El martes 20 de enero del 2015, en el estado de Nuevo León, México, la EMAP y la señora Paula Feldman Ganzc (Poli Stern) superviviente del Holocausto, hicieron un recorrido por tres instituciones educativas, dando cumplimiento a la resolución 60/7 de la ONU, y que este año tiene como tema: “La libertad, la vida y el legado de los supervivientes del Holocausto”.
New Israeli College
The first visit was to the New Israeli College; there Mrs. Poli Stern shared her bitter experiences as a child in the days of war and persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazi regime. However, Mrs. Stern ended her speech with a lesson on motivation, where she asked the students to continue on their paths with courage, facing any circumstance in their lives.
On behalf of the students, teachers, and directors of the New Israeli College, Monica Kligman thanked the Global Embassy of Activists for Peace for Holocaust survivor, Poli Stern’s visit to their facilities.
Technological Institute of Monterrey
That same day, the GEAP and Mrs. Stern visited the Eugenio Garza Laguera of the Technological Institute of Monterrey Campus. Campus Director Alfredo Peña and Lucia Lessan, Director of Social Sciences, gave them a warm welcome and presented them to more than 600 students who attentively waited for the event.
After the corresponding introductions by the GEAP, Mrs. Poli Stern began to narrate her experiences of the war and her testimony of survival. Samuel Wesisberger, son of Bernardo Wesisberger Tobias "Berko" – Holocaust survivor who was originally from Czechoslovakia – was also present at the event whom also told the story of his father during World War II and testified of his father’s many days of pain and hunger. He pointed out during an anecdote that his father would put his hat or cap under his mouth to pick up the crumbs of bread when he ate so as not to waste anything. Because of this painful experience, Mr. Wesisberger's father would not allow his children to leave food on their plates, or waste food, for he remembered the times when he lacked food during the Holocaust, and he never allowed the bread bowl to be removed from the table until everyone rose.
Posterior a los testimonios de la señora Stern y el señor Wesisberger hubo una sesión de preguntas y respuestas, donde los jóvenes estudiantes tuvieron la oportunidad de conocer sobre el Holocausto.
To finalize the event, six candles commemorating the Holocaust were lit by Lic. Wapinsky of the Israelite Community of Monterrey, a teacher who specializes in the subject of the Holocaust. In the act more than six million Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, opponents of the Nazi regime and other unwanted minorities who were tortured and exterminated at the hands of the Nazis, were commemorated.
Three students of the campus, campus Director – Alfredo Peña Morin, Samuel Wesisberger, and Mrs. Poli Stern participated in the candle lighting.
Santa Catarina Campus of the Tecnologico of Monterrey
The following day, January 21, 2015, the GEAP visited the Santa Catarina Campus of the Technological Institute of Monterrey, where a greater number of students had the opportunity to participate in a two-session event. Mrs. Poli Stern and Samuel Wesisberger participated in both sessions with an audience of more than 450 students per session.
The following groups and individuals also participated at the events: Ruben Villegas, President of “Actions for Mexico” and students, Ms. Erika Garza, Director of the Department of Social Sciences; and other members of the academic faculty – Ms. Rosa María Gómez, Ms. Dinorah Marcos, Ms. Marcela Treviño, Ms. Andrea Ayala, Mr. Francisco Rosas, Ms. Alejandra Ruíz, Ms. Martha Liguia, and Ms. Lucy Rodríguez.
As a final message, Mrs. Paula Feldman, who will turn 76 years old soon, pled to God for the world to understand the lesson, and she implored that people and nations live in peace and harmony.
